John E Bertrand

I have done British accents in the past although I'm sure any true Brit would die laughing or become totally incensed if they heard me and I do a fair southern impression having lived in Mississippi for a goodly number of years.

I did several TV commercials, on camera, in the 80s for the window company I was working for and after I took over their branch in the town in which I lived I did my own radio commercials for a number of years. In 1991 I became the male talent for Unity Church in Lee's Summit, MO recording several video voice overs, one book on tape and for 18 years or so was the reader, on tape, for the Daily Word devotional magazine. I also, at various times did radio commercials for the Association of Unity Churches. I just stopped doing work for Unity when I moved away from Kansas City, MO to my present location in Norfolk, NE. in November 2008. Their audio visual engineer/supervisor, Lane Turner, was the person who directed me to Voice123. I have been a story teller, on stage, in a number of venues in the Kansas City area telling from just a few people to 2000 or more. I studied with the Columbia School of Broadcasting radio course in Kansas City in the 90s until the owner/instructor died. And I've spent a lot of time telling or reading stories for various audiences, as mentioned above. I did study voice for a short time with a voice teacher at the University of San Jose in the 60s until he was killed in a car accident. Sounds like I'm hard on teachers doesn't it? He was convinced that I was good enough to go on stage as a singer but I didn't pursue that. I was married with two kids at the time and didn't have the necessary time. I sang with the SPEBSQUSA chorus (that's Barbershop, eh?) in Mississippi in the 80s. I have a small acoustically baffled studio dedicated to recording with a CAD U37 USB Studio Recording Microphone connected to a 15" Macbook with the latest OS and using the Amadeus recording/editing program to record and edit my work. From this setup I can send MP3 files via email or burn to disc. Other then the items listed above I have mostly been reading aloud several books a year to whomever, mostly my wife, and while this isn't any sort of professional activity it does keep my voice in shape.