Ever since he was 13, people have told Christopher Donisi that he has a voice fit for radio. “You should get into voice acting,” he said he’d hear from total strangers. “You have to do something with [that voice].”
The pipefitter from Arlington never pursued it. Despite his deep, distinctive tone, Donisi figured the industry was hard to break into, especially with how much talent is already out there.
However, one night during dinner, Donisi’s mother approached him with a competition she saw online. Boston Logan International Airport was looking for a new voice for its airport announcements, and she believed her son was a perfect fit.
The competition, dubbed “The Voice of Logan” and sponsored by Massachusetts Port Authority, was looking for a Massachusetts resident who was “unmistakably Boston Logan.” After his mother encouraged him a bit, Donisi read the contest script and sent it in after two takes.
The next thing he knows, he receives an email stating that he’s a semifinalist. Not long after, a finalist.
“It happened so quick,” Donisi said. “I only had about three days to submit before the contest was over … a couple days went by, and then I got another email telling me that I’m in the top eight for the Voice of Logan.”
More than 5,200 people auditioned, and the eight finalists spanned from Charlestown to Cape Cod. Donisi met the other contestants at a live audition hosted by KISS 108.
“It’s definitely not my typical morning,” Donisi said. “Usually it’s on the job site, rubbing elbows with my fellow contractors. [The finalists] were great people, and I think any one of them would be such a great choice.”
Donisi’s family has been in Arlington for generations, but he lived in many places around greater Boston, including Woburn, Lexington and Burlington. Despite moving around, he’s a Bostonian through-and-though — he loves the Bruins, gets his Dunkin coffee every morning and remembers biking down Storrow Drive as a kid.
“I feel like I can relate to the Boston style, the people, how they move, and I could bring that to the table,” he said. “Maybe make people feel a little bit more comfortable when they arrive in Logan.”
Joe Donisi, Chris’ older brother and a longtime Arlington firefighter, said Chris didn’t even tell him he had submitted an audition — he just called Joe when he was a finalist.
Joe said he ultimately wasn’t surprised Chris made it to the finals.
“He’s just the epitome of a regular Boston guy,” Joe said. “He has that voice. The accent’s not too crazy, too far over the edge. It’s the perfect blend.”
Voting is open to the public Oct. 24-28, and Joe plans on spreading the word and getting people to vote.
“I don’t think there’s anyone more deserving,” Joe said. “He’s just one of those good guys everybody likes, the type of guy that you meet him, you feel like you know him for 10 years after five minutes.”
For Chris, he’s looking forward to Nov. 5, when the winner will be announced.
“I didn’t realize how big this was going to be,” Chris said. “It’s just [been] amazing. I’ve been having such a good time with it so far, and I’m really excited to see what the results will be.”
