Cynthia Werner was on track to obtain her medical degree when she was enticed to return to a part-time job she held while at the University at Albany.
In 1979, Werner was scouted by a college friend to become a performer for their new singing telegram company. It was a fun concept thought up by the then students, but they needed people who could sing, dance and be lively.
“I was interviewed and had an audition right there in my friend’s apartment,” said Werner, originally from Florida, N.Y. “They hired me on the spot.”
She worked at Zing-A-Gram as one of the company’s original singers while she finished her pre-med degree at UAlbany. She quit after graduation when she began medical school and was offered a job at Albany Medical Center doing research in the Pathology Department studying heart disease.
“The work was fascinating until I was asked to destroy the lab animals at the end of our study,” said Werner. “I objected to killing the animals and stood outside the door crying. My colleagues could see how upset I was, so they told me that I could go home early.”
The incident left Werner feeling uneasy about her future career. She had wanted to be a doctor to save lives, not take them away.
It was around the same time the original owners of Zing-A-Gram had put the company up for sale. They had graduated from college and were ready to move on to a warmer climate. Werner remembered really liking the gig, and had a lot of fun singing. She also thought she could eventually add different characters, so in 1981 she quit medical school and bought Zing-A-Gram.
“I came to Albany to go to college and eventually become a doctor. Instead I ended up taking over a singing telegram service and becoming my own boss at the age of 22 years old,” said Werner.
The company is now in its 35th year and based in Delmar, where Werner lives. Zing-A-Gram’s official anniversary was in March.
Werner said when she first took over the company, there were only a handful of costumes. The main performers would dress in tuxedos to deliver their “zings.” When Zing-A-Gram is hired for an event, a personal song is written and performed for the honoree. A typical performance is about 40 minutes, but some can take up to an hour depending on the reaction from the audience.
There were few other costumes when Werner started out. There were some belly dancer costumes and a Santa suit, but little else. Over the years, an additional 100 costumes were added to the list of various characters that can be hired.
Werner is able to do more than 55 different personalities herself. Some of her personal favorites are Cher, Barbra Streisand and Dolly Parton.
“I sang to someone on their deathbed as Barbra,” said Werner. “A gentlemen was dying of cancer and his dream was to have Barbra Streisand come sing to him, so his family hired me. He looked at me and said ‘My life’s complete now.’ I’m surprised at myself sometimes that I can pull off some of these requests.”
Werner not only portrays the rich and famous, but at times has performed for or been hired by them.
Over the years Zing-A-Gram had performed for Rachel Ray, Sally Struthers and for the 50th birthday of former Gov. George Pataki. She has been hired by Destiny’s Child for an event at the Times Union Center.
“My staff and I inflated 1,500 yellow smiley face balloons that day, which successfully floated down from the rafters of the arena over the crowd as they listened to a song lyric that said ‘you always make me smile,’” said Werner. “The very next day we were asked to follow the group to Connecticut to do the same thing on less than one day’s notice.”
Most recently Werner said Bradley Cooper hired Zing-A-Gram when he was in the area filming “Place Beyond the Pines.”
“Bradley Cooper called me and had me send an apology for a cast member because he accidentally hit him when filming,” said Werner. “He hit the guy so hard, he knocked him unconscious, and they needed to call an ambulance. I was hired as a singing nurse, and I sang an apology song.”
Werner has since grown Zing-A-Gram to be a full-service special event company. The company has planned major events during the track season and was recently hired by HBO for a local event for employees of Time Warner Cable. She also has a full repertoire of performers to choose from, including magicians, jugglers, fire eaters and stilt walkers.
“It was really just a natural transition for us,” said Werner. “People would call looking for different acts and entertainment, so I figured why not have it all in one place?”
Werner said that although she never became a doctor, she works doctor’s hours.
“I have no life, but this job had brought me some amazing memories,” said Werner.
Her main regret is losing the time she could have spent with her own loved ones. Werner said she’s shared great experiences with other people’s families, but she’s missed some special occasions with her own. She’s also continued with the company through hard financial times because it’s what she loves to do.
“I don’t know if it’s the economy or the times we live in, but people aren’t looking for singing telegrams anymore. A lot of people are also working with different types of budgets, but if it’s a job I’m interested in, I’ll take it anyway,” she said. “I just love what I do. “