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Being Award Announcer at the WTA Grand Slam of Voice Over

One of the things I love about being a voice over announcer are the places and jobs it takes me vicariously or in person. This October, one of the biggest events in the female tennis world was held in Singapore. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals Gala Evening. And though I wasn’t there myself, I was there in voice… performing the award announcements and spinning the stories behind each player. This high profile gig was uber fun. I worked with the WTA team both in the US and UK.

As it was an event highlighting the best of women in the world, personally I thought it was a great choice to hire a woman to voice the awards. Announcing awards requires a different focus and mindset to most other voice over jobs. It’s a celebration, and we’re all here to have a good time!

Elite Voice Over

If you’re familiar at all with tennis, you know the WTA Finals Gala Evening is the big one. It’s a night filled with the creme de la creme of the women’s tennis world, and people travel from all over the planet to be there. I was proud to be a part of it professionally.

Held in Singapore in October of this year, the international event saw many big names and players in attendance. The one thing all of these players had in common is their stories of overcoming obstacles, of strength of spirit and mind, of determination and focus – this is where I, as their Award announcer came into play. As each award nominee was announced before the winning player made her way to the stage, their stories, achievements, and accolades were told. Whether they won an award that evening or not, this night was special. It may have been the highlight of their careers and lives, being lauded among peers, or one in a string of more to come.

Without heavy namedropping, the WTA gave me the opportunity to announce some extremely high profile names in the industry. And the best part of the whole affair was that the team was so happy with my performance this time around, they’ve pre-booked me for next year’s awards. Needless to say, I’m tickled pink.

Girls Rule… And So Do Our Voices

Happily, female voice overs in award announcements are growing. Once, totally a male dominated slice of the industry, advantages of the female voice at events include (still) standing out and grabbing attention. Elements of a great voice for award announcer include warmth, depth and clarity. The delivery must come across as in-tone with the overall evening, and add grace and dignity to the event.

The step away from male voice in Award announcer, may be a step away from the traditional. But it is a step toward more visibility and more representation. This year Danica Patrick became the first female ever to host the ESPN ESPY Awards. While there have been a handful of female Oscar co-hosts (including Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn) there have only been two female Oscar hosts: Whoopi Goldberg (4 times) and Elen deGeneres (2 times). Happily, my colleague and friend Randy Thomas has donned heels and strappy black dress numerous times to be the live announcer of the Oscars, the Emmys, and the Tonys, showing a deep, pleasant, stand-out female voice over has the capability to cut through the clutter and calm any possible chaos during an awards show.

This aspect of the voice over industry differs from others. Unlike much of the voice-over work I do, at award shows, the audience is not just one person. The Award Announcer is talking to a crowd of people. This approach requires a different focus and mindset.

As well as sounding more formal than regular speech, one needs to think bigger in order to sound bigger. At the same time, strike that balance between warmth and professionalism. My voice is there to be clear and articulate, but also captivate and hold people’s attention. To calm and relax nerves, but also amp up the excitement appropriately.

A Celebration of Stories

The key to announcing awards is that while it is a formal event, it’s also an exciting event. It’s a celebration. Announcing the awards for the WTA was very much stylized voice over storytelling. Capturing the attention of everyone in the room and bringing them along for the ride to celebrate the most elite female tennis players in the world.

Many of the players become known in the media for loud or strange grunting noises or what they’re wearing on the court. But during an awards event, the voice-over helps to showcase their achievements, struggles and who they are as a person. As a professional female voice over artist, Award announcing holds a special place among the work I do. It’s an honor to be hired to venerate people, corporations and organizations who’ve gone above and beyond.

Awards Announcing is a Workout

Performing as an award announcer requires a lot of energy. These formal, exciting events are quite the workout. It requires vocal care: good hydration, great storytelling technique and excellent diaphragm control to bring authority and charisma without blowing out your vocal chords.

While the WTA may be one of the highest profile organizations I’ve announced awards for, it’s not the only one. I’ve been the pre-recorded awards voice for educational institutions, non-profit organizations, industry alliances and associations, and everything in between. In every instance, whether it’s red carpet, black ties, sparkles and champagne, or town halls lauding the heroes of the community. I am cognizant of the part I play in bringing it together. Vocally, I represent the brand, the event, and the people behind it – and that’s what I love about working with awards.

If you’re looking for a professional female voice-over artist for your own awards event, please get in touch. I’d love to discuss working together!

Why Voice Over is the Key to a Successful PSA

My Voiceovers, Voiceover Business

Your craft, profession or career, presents opportunities to be of service. To give back. For a voice over artist, performing the VO on public service announcements (better known as PSAs) hits that sweet spot for me. I’m currently sitting in a friend’s living room in LA, here this week nominated for an Award for my narration on a PSA, I’m also struck by the plights they serve. Top of mind now are the horrible wildfires devastating property and lives so close by. PSAs offer solutions. They prompt us to necessary action. The key to a successful PSA is connecting honestly with the cause. When I take on the voice-over for one of these, I feel like I’m helping the world in my own way.

Like any voice-over character I take on, there’s a real art to capturing the tone and meaning of the PSA vocally. Most PSAs tend to revolve around serious and sensitive topics, and so it’s important to come across as believable. If I’m working on a PSA to encourage people to quit smoking – happy, healthy, and excited is not the sound I’m going for. Voice-over acting means embracing the anguish, ordeal, hope and joy of others. It’s something I work on every day in the voice-over game.

PSAs Are Effective

If you’ve ever worked for a not-for-profit or government organization… or you’ve ever watched TV or listened to radio for that matter…PSAs are familiar to you. They’re not a new idea.

In fact, PSAs have been around the United States since World War II. As an article on GovTech.com states, around that time advertising agencies and radio broadcasters put out messages like, “Loose Lips Sink Ships”, and “Keep em Rolling”. This was done to encourage the purchase of war bonds, for which they needed the help of the public. To do that, they needed to capture public attention in one simple message.

Today PSAs are almost a part of TV culture, and we tend to remember the bigger nationwide campaigns for their tagline or character. Remember “Smokey the Bear”, or “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste”? Both clever examples of public service announcements which, since we still remember them, were quite effective.

The reason this type of promotion is still effective, even generations later, is because they always strike a nerve with the audience. Agencies make PSAs with the audience in mind — and as the audience changes, so does the content of the PSAs. The only things that stay consistent in the mix are the ingredients themselves. A compelling tale told via story telling style by a strong, believable voice over character. Like with much of my voice-over work, the voice-over narration in a PSA is the element that holds the most power. It’s crucial to striking that nerve with the audience. And without it, they are much less effective.

PSAs Are All About Empathy

As someone who works on a lot of PSAs, the main thing I’ve learned in this line of work is that PSAs walk the line between a number of emotions. They’re touching, they’re uplifting, and most of all, they’re hopeful.

The idea has always been to inspire someone to help, or live a better life of their own. We rarely take a negative approach to the matter, and always an honest one. And that’s why it takes experience and character to perform PSA voice-over: it requires digging into empathy and performing the role as if you’re the one affected. The thing is, no matter who we are or where we come from, we all have issues. PSAs are a matter of scratching the surface and getting into what’s underneath. They’re about talking human-to-human to those who may need help or encouragement.

Below I’ve included a couple of examples of PSAs I’ve worked on. Have a listen and you’ll see what I mean about the voice.

Case Study: Easterseals Mission

I suppose the nice thing about working on any PSA is that it’s always for a real cause. In saying that, Easterseals Mission was quite a lovely project, since the company brings such positivity into the conversation. They’re all about “taking on disability together” and helping all those affected by disability to achieve quality of life. The trick to getting the voice-over narration right for this PSA was to convey a happy, positive voice without becoming over-the-top excited and keeping it real.

Case Study: American Red Cross

It’s funny sometimes how the little things can have such a big impact… and the PSA I worked on for American Red Cross is a great example of this. The PSA itself aims to encourage those with Type O blood to donate. And it does this with minimal words and imagery, and a clear CTA, or call to action. For this voice-over, my aim was to appeal to the heart and to speak in a way that would inspire universal donors to help.

Happily, it seems I succeeded — since the next thing I knew, I was nominated for a 2018 ‘Outstanding Commercial — TV or Web, Best Voiceover Award by the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences! A top accolade in my industry it was an honor to be nominated for such an award.

Casting a Voice-Over for Your Own PSA

Performing for a public service announcement can be challenging for a voice-over artist. But having worked on hundreds (and been nominated for an award), it’s a challenge face confidently. Each PSA requires its own story and character, finding that perfect tone and digging into my empathy to tell the perfect story.

Have you been looking for the perfect voice over talent to announce your own brand’s story to the public? Kim Handysides Voice Over is your gal — I’d be thrilled to help. Get in touch today and tell me more about the project.

Furthermore, did you know I also give away a free voice-over for a charitable event or campaign every six months? If you’ve got a cause to support, enter here for your chance to have me help, pro bono.

Spotlight on a Retail Video Ad: My Voice Over Life

My Voiceovers, Voiceovers Completed

Ask anyone who knows me in my voice over life. I love video ads. In fact, if I had to choose only one form of voice work to do for the rest of my life, it would be commercial voice overs. The kind that sells things to the everyday Jane & Joe. Like this 15 second gem for Sears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAiZxf4QAOE

Sears Fourth of July Mattress Spectacular Event Commercial – Kim Handysides Voice Over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAiZxf4QAOE)

Creativity within a Constraint

I hanker for a good set of boundaries within which to play. I first realized this during a year long stint on a weather channel, where I had to spiel off weather report after weather report in 4 minute and 50 second chunks over and over again for hours on end. Hotter than Hades you say? I did succumb to initial tedium, for about a minute. Maybe two. But then, I realized there was a secret challenge locked in “sunny today with a cold front moving in.” Yes, the basic info was pretty much the same from set to set, hour to hour, but I could change the delivery. Experiment within it. Improv it up. Find ways to make it more natural, more serious, more conversational. Roll it around in some humor, find out how to make commercial voice over funny, get busy with it. Same thing applies for that 15 or 30 second mini-saga centered around advertising toilet paper. It’s a creative constraint I love to play in.

Helping Humanity

Seriously Kim? You’re going to say convincing people to load up on discounted toothpaste and deodorant is helping humanity? Yes. I am. Because I am genuine in my approach to retail ads. And health and cosmetic ads are not exception. What does that mean? It means knowing that for the pensioner or single mom, the money they save on those toiletries may mean the difference in being able to spend it on something nice for themselves, or in some cases, in just being able to make ends meet. So I do get excited about deodorant 3 for $5 because that is my way of helping people. Cynics may see it another way. That’s their view. This is mine.

The McLuhan Spice Blend

Marshall McLuhan, father of media theory, said “Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century.” I grew up believing this and hearing the greatest minds are not in the universities, hospitals or on Wall street – they’re on Madison Avenue churning out ads. Whether that’s true or not, as a voice over talent, I bathe in the notion that adding human sound to ads is my predominant art form. Some of them are arty ads. Some of them are family friendly ads. A lot of them are not. But they are all different. Like curry, cumin or chili powder, they all have their own flavor. They all reach out creatively to tap someone on the shoulder and send what could be a very impactful message.

Looking for a great voice to help you sell your message? I’d love to help.

How to Voice Over ELearning for Kids

eLearning

Just like this Porifera named Bob, children are like sponges. Sometimes we forget how quickly and how much they pick up and next thing we know, they’re repeating words we may not think they should incorporate into their vocabularies just yet. They absorb more information than we realize, and their education doesn’t stop when the school bell rings.

And of course, they are extremely comfortable with electronic environments. This plus the fact that schools are overcrowded and underfunded, is it any wonder close to 50% of the growth in eLearning in the US in the last couple of years

has been in the K-12 market. Ergo the profusion of ELearning courses for kids. Whether you as the narrator or a character within a course is helping kids stay on track with their studies or relaying new and exciting subjects, there are a few things voice over actors need to remember when speaking to a younger audience.

Teaching One-on-One, Not Talking Down

Voice over narration for kid’s eLearning is about finding the correct delivery to ensure the young learner is keeping up, but doesn’t feel talked down to. Kids are super sensitive not only to what we say, but how we say it. Speaking too slowly can sound condescending to little Izzy or potentially boring to young Jake. When it comes to educating the next generation our mission is to help keep them interested in and excited about the subjects they’re learning, by staying engaged with the material ourselves. Here’s where your imagination comes into play. Picture Izzy or Jake by your side. They will be super excited and feel great when they understand what you’re saying. Making it real for you, makes it real for them. Your client will read this as a student that is engaged with his or her eLearning is more likely to score better and retain the information.

The Tone, Inevitably, Sets the Tone

Your tone of voice also dictates how the learner receives the information. Kids react well to an upbeat, lively, conversational tone, but the most important thing is to keep it real. Kids are very perceptive and are used to being highly entertained (tv, social media, gaming). You may know the declaration of Independence so well it may be snore city to you, but beware of sliding into a soporific, meditative voice. Take it as a challenge. This is new info to them, make it new to you too. Bring a light undercurrent of energy to your tone. It will help you stay present. Also take the age of your audience into account. Very young children respond better to bubbly or friendly voiceovers, while older kids respond to a broader range of styles from the hip or cool, to quirky or matter of fact. (i.e. Bill Nye the Science Guy) Another possibility is hiring an adult who sounds like a kid. Friend and talented voiceover artist Lisa Biggs has done eLearning for kids with the boy voice she created, “Liam.” She also offers an excellent course on how to discover your boy voice. Many talented female voiceover artists have a couple of those in their tool kit. (Think Nancy Cartwright, a.k.a. Bart Simpson)

The thing to remember for eLearning voice over project directed to kids or any age, is that your work is a major part of the listener’s overall understanding and education. As they say in the modules, key takeaway? It’s: important.

Join the Conversational Read: 2017 and Beyond

Voiceover Styles

Want to be timely? Want to be heard? Ask your male or female voice over actor to make it conversational.

4 friends talking, conversational style voiceover — The guys and girls next door

A recent voice industry trend report says the most sought after type of narration read now and for the foreseeable future is flawed, imperfect, and sounds a lot like your best friend. It’s erratic. The words come in fits and starts, punctuated by fast flows of phrase and occasional plodding pieces of prose placed here and there for emphasis. A conversational read, also described as genuine, believable or natural, exposes the haphazard bits and bites of thought our brains let us burp out into the world.

So why not just hire Fred next door to voice your message? In reality, most conversations ain’t pretty. The trick as a professional voice actor with your text is to balance reality (or the semblance thereof) with enough sparkles and bows (technique) to make it pass as uncontrived when in fact everything has been scripted and planned. Right down to the last, “so”, “ya know” and “uh.”

Millennials. Blame ‘em. Thank ‘em. Buy ‘em a latte. The popularity of the conversational read in voiceovers, whether commercial to corporate, eLearning to explainer video, is because of the millennials. Whether you’re actually targeting them or not, the 18-25 year old market segment influences all the rest. It’s “their time.” To create songs, muck around with styles, phrases, and art. In a word, to participate. And their take on the world trickles up and colors the rest of us.

Gen Y people are extremely communications savvy. They have been sold to and targeted since birth. Remember the Teletubbies? (“Again, again”) Anything that spells sell instead of tell earns a delete, not a click. In fact, a 2014 survey called Engaging Millennials: Trust and Attention says 84% of this age group doesn’t trust traditional advertising.

social media platform logos voiceover — Image Credit: howtostartablogonline.net

So, who do they go to for advice about stuff? Not you. Each other. On YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, mostly. Sometimes Facebook. Who will they find there? The approachable expert. The peer. The peep next door.

Thus, the rise of regular people talking to regular, uh, um, you know…other people. On your website. Your ad. Your eLearning program. Well, if not yours, then your competitor’s.

As a female professional voice over talent, I chew on steady diet of this kind of read . What about you? Wanna join the conversation? Talk to me 😀

514-803-2296

kim@kimhandysidesvoiceover.com