voice over actors

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.

How Professional Voice Actors Break Down their Prices

Voiceover Business

Hands in mud Kim Handysides Voiceover — Credit: Karen Maes

What’s the first question I’m asked along with how fast can you get this back to me? “What are the prices?” I, like most voiceover artists will answer with a clear as mud, “It depends.” So, let’s demystify this. Professional voice over actors base their rates on three major parameters: use, population and time. Geography also sometimes enters the picture. But other factors also weigh in heavily in on how we cost out the licensing of our work and determining voice over fees. Let’s break it down.

Hourly Rate + 30 years

A buyer trying to haggle with my friend Eileen Raucher-Sutton a brilliant watercolor painter in the art world, asked her, “Come one, how long did it take to paint that?” She glibly answered, “Oh, about two weeks. And 30 years.” Voice over, like other art is rarely bought by the actual time it takes us to do it. Like athletes, we work long and hard for decades to be able to tickle the ears of a target audience. To be able to make written words flow, sound conversational, upbeat, or however else you might want them delivered. To be able to roll out two or three different characters in one job or imitate Jennifer Lawrence or George Clooney. To rattle off 10K eLearning words before lunch, a directed commercial session and 25 prompts for an award ceremony before quittin’ time, because it never rains but pours and Mama’s bills are piling up.

athlete running up stairs Kim Handysides Voice over — Credit: Clique Images

80/20 rule in VoiceOver

Most professional voice actors only get to narrate twenty percent of the time. The rest is spent chasing down the next gig. Like pro athletes, there is a lot of time between games. There’s auditioning, filling out NDA’s, drawing up specs and (shudder) paperwork like invoicing. There’s collecting, oh, and marketing. There’s the constant care and upkeep of craft, updates to software and sound booths so we can improve and hopefully be in demand. Most who hear how much we make per job for the relatively short amount of time put into it don’t take these factors into consideration. And of course, unless the job is a Union gig (in which the rates are non-negotiable) the voice actor is not getting any contributions to their insurance or retirement with that job. Flat in, flat out.

Voice Acting is My Day Job

A professional voice actor, doesn’t moonlight on the side. Or work anywhere else. This is their main source of income. Day after day. Decade upon decade. We will be there if you need pickups in a week, a year or ten years from now.

Voiceover Rates Per Use

Voice acting has tons of applications. Well, maybe a hundred anyway. Apps, toys, and events, games, eLearning and commercials, VR, audiobooks and inflight announcements, corporate explainers, web shows and medical animations. The list goes on and on. Curiously, some of the most difficult and technical work (gaming, audiobooks and dubbing) is paid less. Broadcast has always landed the biggest dollar, although its market is sliding away to a growth in digital ads.

Crowd in city Kim Handysides Voice Over — Credit: Meric Dagli

Voiceover Fees Per Population

Simply put, the more eyes and ears exposed to your project, the higher the voice over prices. In the Unions, this parameter is cut into population units. A city of 3 million might have 7 units. A city of one million would have 2 or 3. Each unit brings a certain amount of money. A college campus program, awards ceremony, or local play are on one end of the spectrum, a national commercial or TV narration are on the other.

Voiceover Prices Per Unit of Time

How long will the voice over be used? Typically an ad runs 13 weeks. That’s the Union model definition of one cycle. A year is four cycles. If you need to license the voice over in perpetuity (aka forever), you need to purchase a buy-out. In Union world, buy-outs are 1-5 years and then residuals kick in. That’s another consideration. I collect a few bucks a year for a cartoon series I did in the ‘90’s. Another time consideration is the length of the session in which you do the work. A commercial session may be 2 hours whereas narration on a television series may last 8 hours. VO’s who work from their home studio often offer a free one hour session included in their price.

Voiceover Production Costs

Who will be editing and mastering the recorded voice tracks? Is that voiceover service included? A voice actor who works remotely from their house already comes with built in savings in not charging you studio costs. Studios range from $100 per hour to thousands in the big cities. Some voice talents offer post production themselves, but busier ones subcontract that. Which means that cost ($20-30/hour on a 1:3 clean to unedited ratio) comes out of their pay. Most voice actors amortize the costs associated with their sound studios into the regular cost of doing business.

I’m a female voiceover artist who’s happy to work in either my studio or yours. Although I get to take my dog to my studio, so there’s that. I hope this outline has helped.

Voice Over Work for eLearning Courses Promises Steady Income

eLearning

Narration jobs for eLearning courses are a great source of income for voice over artists looking for steady work. This is no surprise considering that online or distance learning is becoming a mainstream and accepted form of education. People can receive entire degrees from the comfort of their home, and further careers in their field of study.

Voice over actors can benefit from this growing trend in modern education, by bringing their talent to course curriculums. If you’re considering a career in voice acting, or you’re thinking about adding eLearning to your voice actor’s toolkit, here are a few reasons to take advantage of this steady demand.

Factor in the Student’s Education & Learn Something New Yourself

The beauty of eLearning is that it’s in a—wait for it—learning environment. Your audience isn’t a consumer, but a student. Your voice over work helps inform, underline, and focus on important topics and highlight the most relevant bits while guiding the student through their course material. Your voice acts as the timekeeper and sets the pace for the curriculum. You are partly responsible for teaching the pupil and ensuring they retain the subject matter (no pressure!).

Super cool bonus point: you learn something along the way, too; as voice over artists follow the course work right alongside the student, receiving an education is a pleasant perk.

Follow the Money

Ever since the invention of radio, voice over actors have been in business. Our profession evolves with technology. From radio to television to the web, our livelihood depends on communications technology, which reaches audiences best with a human touch. ELearning represents an expanding vehicle for voice over actors. Radio may have dominated the first half of the 20^th century, but in this era digital forms of entertainment and education prevail. It only makes sense to hop on board this vehicle and follow the technology wherever it goes —keeping in mind, how much it is enhanced when given a human touch via your voice.

Also learn about Kim Handysides e learning Work

514-803-2296

kim@kimhandysidesvoiceover.com