Geoffrey (Chip) Gross

Voice Description

One thing I appreciate greatly is the opportunity to make somebody laugh. A good laugh can take away stress and provide perspective in the midst of hard situations. I've found that the way I use my voice has a great impact on how a joke is received.
I am generally soft-spoken, but sometimes occasion calls for an outburst. My register is typically low, but when necessary, I can cover a range of about five octaves.

Of course, humor is not the only environment in which to expand the capabilities of one's voice. In a professional setting, for instance, one may be called upon to produce the "movie preview guy" voice, or the voice of Kermet the Frog. Perhaps even both in one sitting. I believe I could accomplish this fairly easily.

The bottom line: I do not sound like a lady, but I could imitate the voice of one for humor, or otherwise. I do not sound like a child, but the same possibilities exist as above. I can alter the register, color, rhythm, accent, and pace of my voice for any situation. It is up to the producer(s) of the recording in question to deem my performance acceptable.

Voice Genders and "Ages" I Can Perform

• Teenage Boy
• Young Adult Male
• Middle Age Male

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
• Videogames
• Documentaries
• TV shows and movies
• Movie and game trailers
• Podcasts
• Songs
• Others (on-camera, informercials, live announcers, spokespersons)

Jobs I Am Willing to Take (Union-wise)

• Non-Union Jobs

• Jobs for ACTRA (Canada) signatories

• Jobs for AFTRA (US) signatories

• Jobs for British Equity signatories

• Jobs for SAG (US) signatories

• Jobs for Union des Artistes (Canada) signatories

My Union Affiliations and Memberships

None

My Recording and Delivery Capabilities

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

Pre-, Post- and Production Services I Offer

• I can deliver edited and finished voice tracks

My Home Base

Redlands, Greater Los Angeles, Inland Empire, California, United States

Accents, Impersonations, Characters and Dialects

Australian (veggimite, anyone?), Irish (saints preserve us), British (God save the queen), Movie preview guy (in a world...), Mexican TV announcer (Sabado Gigante, manana!), Flamboyant (Like, omigod, you guys)

My Voice Experience

Since I was about seventeen, many people have asked me if I do voice over work. When I tell them that I do not (professionally, at least), they invariably suggest that I should.

I called my car insurance company recently. After talking with the woman on the other line for two or three minutes, she told me, "You have a great voice. I could just imagine hearing you on the radio. Have you ever thought about doing that?" And I replied, "I've thought about it, I suppose, but never seriously. It's funny you mention it, because I get that from people a lot." And she answered, "I'm not mentioning it as a suggestion; you should go into that line of work. You just should."

So, here I am. It's up to the guys that hire me to decide. I just thought I should give it a try. It would make sense; I definitely don't hesitate to talk.

My Training

My father worked in radio for a number of years, and had aspirations to be in cartoon voice work. While it never panned out for him, it always seemed like a lot of fun - and he encouraged me to speak well and take care of my words. I would say that's been a kind of informal training. Aside from that, I have no standard training, although I do have a sense of what is required for speaking with microphones and reducing hisses and sibilance somewhat, etc.

I have been in the performing arts, music and theatre in particular, for ten years. I graduated recently from the University of Redlands with a Bachelor of Music in Composition after only five semesters of classes. I have studied music for much of my coherent life, from elementary school on;I have performed principal roles in both scholastic and community theatre productions. Most recently, from March 29 to April 1, 2007 I played the title role in The Blue Moose Opera, a children's opera commissioned by the University of Redlands for its centennial celebration.

All of these, while volunteer, have provided me with a wealth of experience in vocal performance of various manifestations.

My Studio Equipment

STUDIO

Space: 10'x4'x5'

Carpet flooring; bass-traps on walls, as well as wooden slat unit for mid-high frequencies; ceiling traps. Overall, a sufficiently dry space.

Microphone: Neumann TLM 103 Condenser


CONTROL ROOM

Space: 12'x12'x10'

Carpet flooring.

Board: M-Audio ProjectMix I/O
- 8 Tracks (Stereo capability)
- 1 Master
- 8 line-in/mic-in
- real-time sync with software

Software: Pro Tools 7 LE
- record
- edit
- mix/master

Additional Skills

I am a composer/songwriter and a vocalist, as well as a creative writer. I have written a few short plays and several monologues, as well as over thirty pieces of poetry, many of which have been featured in international publications. If desired, I could not only read a narrative, but also write a jingle and perform it myself.

I am currently teaching voice lessons privately at the Redlands Vocal Academy, and working in their recording studio as an engineer. I have had the pleasure there to work with different personalities from all walks of life, engaging them with performance practice of an art that gives me life. I figure, if you're able to do what you enjoy, you've hit the nail on the head.

Payment Methods Accepted

• Personal checks, cashier's checks, or money orders in my local currency

Contact Information

To contact Geoffrey (Chip) Gross by email or phone, please click here.