The Voiceover Social

This month we interview 2 veterans of the Voiceover Industry in the UK. Paul Brown and Emma Clarke have over 80 years of experience between them, and they join us to share their wisdom.

Emma Clarke is an award-winning voice actor and writer who works across multiple types of performance and media. She can be heard in radio and TV commercials, corporate presentations, toys, games, apps, public transport and almost anything that needs a voice. Her clients include Astra Zeneca, BBC, Bauer Media, Chevrolet, Classic FM, Coca Cola Enterprises, Global Media Group, Google, L'Oréal, KIA, Transport for London, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Nike, Sky, Sony, Tesco, Toyota, Unilever, Virgin. She is best known as one of the Mind The Gap voices on London Underground, and played the part of the Starship Avalon in the Hollywood blockbuster movie 'Passengers' alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. She is also a PhD student at RNCM where she is researching how her background as a voice actor influences how she composes music.

VO has been Paul’s sole source of income for decades, despite which he has a nagging suspicion that he’s been somehow ‘getting away with it’ for 46 years. After all, how can anyone get paid just for reading aloud into a microphone for that long without someone smelling a rat? In that time the world of audio recording has changed out of all recognition, but Paul has remained doggedly the same. He even uses the same microphone. And the same underwear. He doesn’t know what SEO is, can’t maintain a website, is hopeless at selling himself, thinks that computer games are still loaded from audio cassettes and is utterly baffled by the success of podcasts. Let’s find out how he’s still alive.

For more information about The Voiceover Social visit:

Find us online:

Podcast sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠B Double E⁠⁠⁠.

Theme tune by Rob Bee.

All audio production by Rob Bee.

Self-Promotion with Karen Webber

Marketing is a phrase that often brings people out in a cold sweat, but it's also an essential part of running your voiceover business. Put simply - if you don't

Karen runs Goodness Marketing: coaching and training for small businesses with big hearts who want to do marketing that feels good, does good and gets good results.

Invisible to Invincible

Marketing

STARTS: Thursday 13 June

All sessions are recorded so don't worry if you can't make them live and there's a private pop-up Facebook group for everyone who joins too!

Find out more here

For more information about The Voiceover Social visit:

Find us online:

Podcast sponsored by ⁠⁠B Double E⁠⁠.

Theme tune by Rob Bee.

All audio production by Rob Bee.

This month we've handed over to Bhavnisha Parmar (aka Bhav) to interview us both so you get to know us a little better. Bhav is an award-winning actress and voiceover artist. Among other things, she's appeared on-screen in Doctor Who Seasons 11- 13 and is currently the voice of Oral B and Nivea, is playing a range of roles in AAA games due to release in 2024, is the voice of Apple India, a resident Calm App narrator, and is the host of the Chill Show on BBC Asian Network.A HUGE thank you to Bhav for joining us!

Find out more about Bhav here.

The blog about the theme tune can be found here.

The Goals for Girls animation is here.

Your presenters are ⁠ ⁠Rob Bee⁠ and ⁠Helen Bee⁠.

For more information about The Voiceover Social visit:

Find us online:

Podcast sponsored by ⁠B

Theme tune by Rob Bee.

All audio production by Rob Bee.

Find out what all the hoo-haa was about in the last episode.

Spoiler alert: we say goodbye to Nic and Leah and welcome

We get a brief introduction to Rob and Helen, and a promise

If you have any questions for them for the next episode you

Also revealed is the new audio branding and we get a playback

Your presenters are Nic

For more information about The Voiceover Social visit:

Find us online:

Podcast sponsored by B

 Opening theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license, with violin by Alice Gilmour.

Closing theme tune by Rob Bee.

All audio production by Rob Bee.

Find out what Leah learned on the BBC Radio Drama Company and hear all about Nic's ongoing conquering of the entire world in this quickfire catchup episode!

Our Goal Setting Masterclass is on the 5th December 2023! Here's the link (don't forget to use the discount code PLOG5 to get £5 off) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/planet-plan-it-is-back-tickets-756140294977

Also, join us for an announcement of GREAT MAGNITUDE on the 16th December at 3pm GMT!

But as you've now missed it, you can read the Big Announcement HERE

Or watch it Here complete with very patchy internet

---

Theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license, with violin by Alice Gilmour

This is one for people who love working in animation AND for people who want an update on the very exciting collaborative episode we’re making with Spotlight in 2023!

Book your ticket for our planning party: https://www.gravyforthebrain.com/event/youre-invited-to-a-planning-palooza/

Get your copy of the VO Career Planner: https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/

Find out more about Scripts Out Loud: https://scriptsoutloud.com/

Many thanks to organisers Julie Ann Dean and Sarah Jane Rose, (plus co-founder Rhian Marston) director Barry Purves, writers Fintan O’Higgins and Hannah Rose Smith, actors David Holt, Nic Redman, Amina Koroma and Julie Ann Dean and Elena Wurlitzer from Jellyfish Pictures.

Theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license, with violin by Alice Gilmour

Find out about the six big things that Equity needs you to know, Leah's mad news, Nic's thrilling new project, and some VERY dramatic gossip about the future of the podcast...

Also, here are some links:

PLANNER: Get 10% off your Voiceover Career Planner with the code XMAS10 here: https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/

VO SOCIAL NORTH: Here's the event page https://fb.me/e/3H4j3WtfJ but you'll have to join the VO Social North group here first: https://www.facebook.com/groups/409394646729749

SIGN UP TO NIC’S MAILING LIST: https://nicolaredman.com/newsletter/

Everything Annette mentioned:

https://www.equity.org.uk/news/2022/october/shape-equity-s-audio-action-plan/

The survey

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Equity-Audio-Action-Plan

Sign up to the Mailing List

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-to-equitys-audio-mailing-list

The updated Audio Guide:

https://www.equity.org.uk/media/6272/equity-audio-guide-170622.pdf

Stop AI Stealing the Show

https://www.equity.org.uk/getting-involved/campaigns/stop-ai-stealing-the-show/

Write to your MP

https://equity.eaction.org.uk/StopAIStealingtheShow

Theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license, with violin by Alice Gilmour

Well howdy pardner! For this episode we’ve got the world’s leading expert on the General American accent to describe its features, talk us through common mistakes people make when learning it and help us figure out how to adjust for age, gender and ethnicity. We also hear from a bunch of fantastic, real-life American voiceovers about their experiences with using it, and even a little bit about the psychological impact of conforming to a geographically non-specific standard.

Find out more about Rebecca Gausnell here, including a page where you can buy her book, Mastering The American Accent: https://www.gausnell.com

Here’s the American dialect website Rebecca mentions: https://aschmann.net/AmEng/

Thank you so much to our lovely contributors:

Anna Klein https://www.annakleinactor.com/

Robynne Orr https://www.vororr.com/

Thomas Wynn https://www.thethomaswynn.com/voice-acting

Zara Hannaford https://zarahannaford.com/

GET YOUR VO CAREER PLANNER: https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/

Theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license, with violin by Alice Gilmour

Come with us on the trip of a lifetime as we hunt down the New Yorkiest New York accent AND the best pizza in the whole of NYC!

We also popped into VOcation to run a workshop and talk on a panel while we were there, so we recorded a bunch of lovely VOs talking about what the most interesting and useful things were that they learned at the conference. Also featuring an appearance from the accent expert's accent expert Mr Erik Singer! Who's walking where? We're walking here!

GET YOUR VO CAREER PLANNER: https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/

Theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license, with violin by Alice Gilmour

It's the clash of the branding titans! Committed anti-branding cynic Leah goes head to head with branding evangelist Clare... who will win? Will referee Nic Redman's blatant bias sway the match either way? Find out in our first episode back after a summer away... oh how we've missed you! 

Also in this episode, a brilliant chat with our partners Spotlight about everything they’re doing to help voiceovers with their careers! 

This episode is sponsored by Spotlight, the Home of Casting. 

Theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license, with violin by Alice Gilmour