Why the name ‘Studio Wednesday’?

The short answer is that I have a cat named Wednesday and live in an old warehouse building called Wednesday. The long answer is a bit more of a story.

When I decided I would venture into the professional world of voice over and writing, the first logistical aspect I needed to tackle was to register a business with the government. I read blogs, watched youtube videos, and talked with other people who were doing freelance work. The one recommendation that kept coming up was to register the business name as something different than your name to help with administrative tasks. Ok, so, check, not Caitie McCollow.

The next piece of advice was to name your business something that immediately tells people what you do. Well, if I only did voice over work, maybe it could be “Caitie McCollow Voice Over Services,” but that wasn’t great since I planned on also providing writing services as well. After some brainstorming with friends and family, I felt one name encompassed both writing and voice over. I went to city hall, sat for my allotted twenty-minute appointment, and as I told the employee what I wanted to name my business, they searched the database to see if it was already taken. Unfortunately, it was.

My options were to walk away, think through another name and make another appointment, or decide then and there on something else. “It's been twenty-two minutes. You have to decide now,” they said to me as I sat paralyzed by choice. “Uhhhhh, how about uhm Wednesday? Uhm, Studio Wednesday?” I asked the person across from me, looking for confirmation that not only would it be legally allowed, but was it also…good? The first answer is yes, all good legally. The second answer, as they put it so nicely, was really only for me to decide, “But, it’s funny, today is Wednesday, so maybe there’s something to it.” Studio Wednesday was born.

The even longer story dives into why this name popped up in my head, to begin with. As mentioned in the cliff notes version, I named my cat Wednesday. After the character Wednesday Addams. Naming her long before I learned her personality, though, it truly does fit. She is a fluffy black cat with a homicidal attitude. Many people who learn this assume it’s because I love Wednesday Addams. And, yes, this is true. But there’s more to it than that. The Addams Family is one of my favorite stories that has stood the test of time. A family full of outcasts, weirdos, gothic to the core, interested in the horror or scary things in life; I have always known this family and always loved them. My true love is Morticia. Morticia Addams embodies who I think I am, who I want to be. She’s dark, moody, put together, and above all, has a deep love and care for those around her. And her baby? The one who can do anything she puts her mind to? That, is Wednesday.

So, we have the character, the cat, the impulsive decision made in seconds. And now a very logical aspect to the name: the building and the word ‘Studio’. My building is an old warehouse, in a line of old warehouses along the water that, so many years ago, would receive shipments of things like spices and teas. Each building was named according to the day it received its shipments. Seven buildings, seven days. Next, where are voice overs recorded? Where can you have space to create, make art, fail, try, and produce things? A studio. And, here we have it, Studio Wednesday.

Whether you take the short or the long version of this story, Studio Wednesday means the same thing. A place where I can sit and help bring your story to life, one line at a time.