Heather Lent

I love playing unique characters and am able to play with several different accents, dialects, and an infinite amount of characterizations. Accents I can do include no accent, Southern accents including: texan, deep south, virginia. I can also handle a variety of east-coast accents from Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Boston. I am also a california girl, so the west coast manner of speaking is very familiar. The generation XYZ lilt is one that I can also do well.

As a mother of two children, reading aloud is a big part of my life. I read daily to my son and daughter, but I do it in a way that will hold their attention and keep them engaged in the story. I do this with my voice, voice characterization choices, accents, voice driven sound effects and noises. From bold and brave to silly and stupid, I've voiced characters like Dora the Explorer and Darth Vader -- all in one night without blinking an eye. The Harry Potter series and other young adult chapter books have been the most fun to read to them, and a challenge to keep the characterizations consistent from day to day. If I get Hermione's pacing wrong... my kids let me know. And they are pretty brutal. I also was the go-to natural female voice for several Texas radio stations. Because the southern accent can be so abused here, my ability to read w/out accent, use different pitches, pacing, and tones was utilized often. I've spent the last year studying with Radioworks' Jim Conlan on commercial voice over, voice acting, retail voice over, and corporate voice over. In 2011, I attended IMTA Los Angeles and was ranked in the top ten in my age group for acting. I studied film/tv casting processes, worked with a variety of Los Angeles coaches and agents on auditioning and industry business workshops. I have also worked in the advertising field since 1996, as a graphic designer, copywriter, casting director, and managing editor. I am in the process of setting up a home studio, but have same-day access to recording studio and equipment at the local radio station where I used to work. I currently use Adobe Audition, and will be purchasing a dynamic mic to use at home. I'm the President Elect of my local chapter of the Junior League, a women's volunteer organization, so I am comfortable with public reporting and speaking to a group in person. I currently work for a large university in a research center, so the higher education PhD lingo is very familiar, as is anything to do with special education, psychology, and media/PR. My husband is in law enforcement, so the language of first responders, investigators, and the following legalese is familiar to me.