Erica Risberg - Inflections, Quirky, Mellow, Wry

Inflections, Quirky, Mellow, Wry

• Erica Risberg is registered with Voice123 since Mar 14, 2005.
• Erica Risberg started his/her voice over career in 2003.
• Currently Erica Risberg is a Premium subscriber.
• Auditions and proposals submitted through Voice123 during the past six months: 27
• Erica Risberg was last active on Voice123 4 days ago

Voice Description

Sexy, sultry, warm, friendly, and perky for commercials

warm and low for narrations and phone messages

smooth and professional for presentations

Voice Genders and "Ages" I Can Perform

• Young Adult Female
• Middle Age Female

Language(s) of Which I Am a Native Speaker:

• English - North American

I Offer my Services for these Recording Purposes

• Commercials
• Promos
• IVR, voicemail, phone systems, and on-hold messages
• Training, business presentations, sales, and web sites
• Audiobooks
• Documentaries
• TV shows and movies
• Movie and game trailers
• Podcasts
• Adult content
• Others (on-camera, infomercials, live announcers, spokespersons)

Jobs I Am Willing to Take (Union-wise)

• Non-Union Jobs

My Union Affiliations and Memberships

None

My Recording and Delivery Capabilities

• I will go to any designated studio in my area
• I have ISDN in my studio
• I can record and then deliver the audio files via Email
• I can record and then upload the audio files via FTP
• I can record and then deliver the files by regular mail

Pre-, Post- and Production Services I Offer

• I offer copywriting services
• I can deliver edited and finished voice tracks

My Home Base

Issaquah, Washington, United States

Accents, Impersonations, Characters and Dialects

Russian - used as an Eastern European doctor for a locally-produced television show in Bangor, Maine; as an On-star like operator for a film, as a sales pitch for a beauty product

French - used in a conversational tone, for humor, for emphasizing something with enthusiasm

New York (Yonkers, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Jewish) - used primarily for humor

a non-descript Connecticut accent for narrations, radio announcing

My Voice Experience

On-star-like operator for locally produced film in Redmond, WA 2009

Announcer, Maine Public Broadcasting Network - November 2003 - 2006

opening announcer for "Strange America", television production in Bangor, Maine - 2003-2004

Reader, Maine Audio Information and Reading Services - January 2001 - December 2002

My interest in voiceover work stems from my childhood, when my mother, a kindergarten teacher, read stories to me changing the voices of the characters. As I grew older, she and I developed commercials for non-existent products and recorded them for fun. I was immediately hooked, and have spent my life developing character voices, narrating stories, and looking for opportunities to use my voice for the benefit of others. My official experience in the world of disembodied voices started as a volunteer with an audio service for people with visual impairments, called Maine Audio Information Reading Services. From there, I started working with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network as an announcer, a position I held for 3.5 years until I left Maine. I have written and narrated an audio documentary, provided voiceover work for a television series and locally-produced films in Maine and Washington, recorded voicemail recordings, and been a live announcer for the Great TV Auction for MPBN. I was a sound preservationist for 4 years, converted analog to digital sound, and have written scripts for a radio documentary series.

My Training

Announcing seminar in Portland, ME 1998 - it was a one-evening seminar sponsored by the Portland Adult Education Program and introduced me to the basics of the industry. The instructor had us all do demos, and called us later in the week to let us know if we made the cut - I was told I was among those that could succeed, but had to put my efforts on hold as I pursued a run for state senate, and a subsequent enrollment in a Ph.D. program at the University of Maine in Orono.

Announcing class, New England School of Communications, Fall 2000 - I enrolled at NESCOMM the same semester I started my Ph.D. I found the course very interesting, but again, had to drop that interest in pursuit of the reason I moved to Bangor, Maine. As mentioned above, I did pursue a career in voice work through volunteering with Maine AIRS, which led me to a radio announcing position with MPBN.

I have been a sound preservationist for the Maine Folklife Center for 4 years while obtaining my Ph.D., and worked as a production assistant for an oral history documentary series, where I selected audio clips from reel-to-reels and digitized them for potential broadcasting. I have used Sound Forge for 5 years and Pro Tools for 2. My Ph.D. revolved around radio studies in the 1930s and 1940s, so I'm well versed in the development of media in American society, and have been exposed to the changes in broadcasting and commercial formats through my studies.

While my degree is in History, I have two minors - in New Media and Journalism and Communications. I have interned with the media department at the University of Maine, produced two films, recorded concerts, and spent countless hours cleaning analog sound filles through digital systems. I am currently working on gathering audio and video clips about home life in Maine for an exhibit created by the Maine State Museum.

My Studio Equipment

At home - Shure PG58 microphone; Garage Band.

Additional Skills

Able to edit multiple tracks
Able to clean sound files

I have two skills I feel are relevant to put down here. The first is that I've had the opportunity to answer phones on and off for about 8 years while I obtained my degrees. During that span, I learned how important it was to greet clients over the phone with a pleasant and professional voice. I know that the first voice being heard by potential and existing clients completely effects subsequent relationships, so I pay attention to my voice to make sure it conveys warmth and attentiveness.

The second is that through working with a public broadcasting company, I've endured several, nay, countless hours listening to narrations on both radio and television. There are too many individuals who do not get the importance of keeping the audiences' interest by use of inflections, pacing, and articulation. As a listener and viewer, I have found that I am completely uninterested when someone doesn't bother to capitvate me with their voice, and have applied that lesson to my own broadcasting experiences.

Payment Methods Accepted

• PayPal
• Credit cards
• Personal checks, cashier's checks, or money orders in my local currency
• Personal checks, cashier's checks, or money orders in any currency
• Wire transfers