Russell Gold
Professional
I am currently working as a computer programmer at Oracle, on the Weblogic Application Server. I am also the author of the open-source project, HttpUnit, which is used around the world to do automated testing of web sites and servlets, and has spawned several competitors which describe themselves as being "like HttpUnit, but..."
Writing
Until I encountered Chris Hazelton's webcomic, Misfile, I had literally not written any fiction since high school. As a science major and later a professional computer programmer, I accepted that I simply didn't write fiction. It didn't interest me, and as far as I was concerned, I had no ability. Then I started reading Misfile, and alternative story lines started coming into my head. I saw two in particular, but tried to ignore them, since "I don't write fiction." I even tried arguing with the characters, who seemed to be insisting that I write those stories. I told them that they should bother Chris, who was their real author. But they wouldn't let me sleep, so I typed out on of the stories, and went to bed, relieved. I was back at the keyboard an hour later, when I found that the second story was demanding to be written as well. I have now written six installments of my fanfic, and am working on more.
My Misfile fanfic
I have also written an original web novel, Take a Lemon inspired by one of the ideas in Misfile, but otherwise totally unrelated. Without much publicity, it's readership is probably measured only in the dozens, but many of the readers have posted to let me know how much they've enjoyed it.
Voice Acting
While reading the webcomic Red String, I found the announcement for auditions for a radioplay adaptation. I joined the VAA, as instructed, auditioned, and was cast as Ryou Ogawa. Little by little, I went back on occasion and auditioned for other shows, becoming increasingly active over time. I am now working on a dozen or so productions at once, and am producing my own Misfile radioplay.
My voice-acting resume
Singing
For a few years, I was an active member of the Merion Men, a local a capella Men's choir. Sadly, the group fell apart due to scheduling issues. Our last performance was at the 2008 AMIT Dinner.
To replace my need to sing, I have competed in a number of online singing and acting competitions, mostly at the amateur voice-acting site, Voice Hollywood. I also maintain an archive of such shows; you will hear me in a number of them.
Family
My wife Gwen and I have four children, ages 8 to 21. The oldest, Josh, is a young filmmaker who is currently in his second year at Yesodei HaTorah in Israel. In between his studies, he has managed to shoot a number of professional videos. When he returns, he will be studying film and video at Drexel. His brother Yoni is an accomplished guitarist who is also studying at Yesodei HaTorah and will be attending Binghamton in the fall.