Tim Weinheimer makes some last minute adjustments on his sound system for a recent event. The Fredericksburg native got his start in emceeing by calling a make-believe rodeo. Photo by Phil Houseal
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Contact Tim Weinheimer for A+ Entertainment sound services by visiting www.aplusenttx.com or by calling (830)-997-9583.
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No faking it
by Phil Houseal
Dec 27, 2007
To get started in the emceeing field, Tim Weinheimer had to fake a rodeo.
It all started about 12 years ago, when the Fredericksburg native was watching a bullriding event. He leaned over the top rail and casually mentioned to his friend that it would be kind of cool to be the announcer. His friend's brother-in-law happened to be a rodeo producer. Three weeks later Weinheimer got a phone call that asked if he was still interested.
"I jokingly said, oh yeah... throw my name in the hat," he recalled. Three days later he was standing in an empty arena, announcing a make-believe rodeo on borrowed equipment. "After a few imaginary events, the producer said, 'I got 11 more shows - they are yours if you want them.'"
So the next day Weinheimer went out and bought his own equipment, and now spends nearly every weekend running sound or emceeing an event.
It has been a long and unforeseen journey for the St. Mary's High School graduate, who is remembered by classmates as one of the quiet ones.
"It's probably the weirdest thing about this - I am the shyest person in the world until someone puts a microphone in my hand," he said. "I guess a mic is my curtain, because it's easier for me to entertain a crowd of 5000 than a crowd of 500."
Some performers adopt a persona when on stage, but Weinheimer prefers to just be himself.
"I think I am me, but you have to play semi-different roles," he said. "Like at a motorcycle rally, you have a little different type of crowd, so you can get a little rougher. But at something like Weihnachten, you have to watch your p's and q's."
What people seem to like most about Weinheimer is the quality of his voice. Someone who heard him talk hired him on the spot to call the time trials for the boat races in Marble Falls. It was something he had never seen in his life, but they were convinced he had done it before.
Another secret to his success is that he makes the work of emceeing seem easy on stage.
"I don't know if it's skill, but it's just a knack that I have to talk to people and work an event," he said. He usually does minimal preparation, preferring to "wing it" in order to keep it fresh and spontaneous.
Right now, most of his work is providing DJ services at wedding receptions, but he has emceed everything from crawfish crawls to tractor pulls to turkey shoots. He is always ready and willing to take on something new and different. I asked if he would consider doing the voiceover for a cartoon character?
"I'm ready," he said with a laugh.
The hardest part is the part the public never thinks about - setting up and tearing down the mounds of speakers, cables, mics, mixers, and amplifiers.
But that all is forgotten when he steps on stage and starts his patter.
What is the best part?
"Meeting new people and having a good time," he said with no hesitation.
That is something you can't fake.
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