Kelvin Tsao

Voice Description

I have a bass/baritone voice which can be heard as Authorative or sexy, moving up my range a little I become the knowledgeable guy next door or maybe your supervisor. I have great comic timing as well and can adjust my voice to suit that also.

My voice is suitable for anything from narration and commercials for healthcare products or insurance, and business presentations to light entertaining commercials.

Voice Genders and "Ages" I Can Perform

• Middle Age Male
• Senior 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
• Others (on-camera, infomercials, live announcers, spokespersons)

Jobs I Am Willing to Take (Union-wise)

• Non-Union Jobs

• Jobs for AFTRA (US) signatories

• Jobs for SAG (US) signatories

My Union Affiliations and Memberships

• AFTRA (US)

• SAG (US)

My Recording and Delivery Capabilities

• I will go to any designated studio in my area
• I have Phone Patch 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

None

My Home Base

Rancho Cordova, California, United States

Accents, Impersonations, Characters and Dialects

French, German, Italian (studied it in college), Chinese and Thai in various productions from Stage to Screen. New Orleans accent (lived there for a spell).

In one show my character was accused of being several different European nationalities (well, of passing myself off as several) and had to change accents to suit in the space of a few exchanges. Thai? well, I learned that from a grad student at UCLA for a role on "What's Happening." A true and heavy Naw Lins accent can be incomprehensible to outsiders, you just want a taste of that one. I was told in grade school, in French class, that I had a great accent, but had no idea what I was saying. Chinese? I grew up with it. My Dad had a slight accent, but all his brothers and sisters had very distinct ones.

My Voice Experience

My first professional gig was a voice over for a documentary called "The Holy Shroud of Turin" which was narrated by Richard Burton.

Then I narrated a promotional slide/tape program (I know, ancient technology) for American River College in Sacramento. I also produced and directed this program. It was a promotional piece for their Vocational Education Programs.

I also narrated an informational video for one of the State Parks about the risks of drinking untreated water and how to treat it before drinking the water from the streams in the park.

Then there was the wildtracking for an American Electric Power commercial (as a Budhist Monk) and as the main character's Sensei for a low budget film "Enter the Blood Ring" (which hopefully you've never heard of).

Decades of acting surround these jobs.

I've been hosting a Classical Music show on KXPR in Sacramento since July of 2001. I've been voice tracking it since 2003. Part of the job has been producing 30 second promos for the show. Now lest you think, "My God, he sound like an announcer," well, I can, but I don't. I've mastered the art of sounding conversational on the air.

My Training

I spent the years of 1976-1981 knocking around Hollywood trying to get into pictures and studying acting with Harry Mastrogeorge. Then I went to University from 1981-1984 studying Dramatic Art at UC Davis. While in college I worked in Instructional Media, running various pieces of A/V equipment and performing in some of their productions. I also CoProduced and CoDirected an instructional video for the Academic Peer Advisor program at UCD.

I sang with the Davis High School Madrigal Choir in 70-71 season. And I sang with the UC Davis Chamber Choir from 1974-1976 (toured Europe) and again from 1981-1984.

I've been an actor since 197something and have done such musicals as Man of La Mancha, Annie Get Your Gun, Tribes and The Canton Jazz Club.

In 1986 I was a runner, PA and sometime Video Editor for Harmony Pictures, then in Burbank.

Since 2001 I have worked at Capital Public Radio in Sacramento as a Classical Music Host and in operations. I've worked with Adobe Audition 1.5 and Cool Edit Pro, and Audacity.

My Studio Equipment

I have access to studios with EV20 microphones, Wheatstone boards and Adobe Audition Software.

I also have a Rode Podcaster Microphone with my PC set up at home. Audacity is the recording software I use as well as Cool Edit Pro (forerunner of Adobe Audition).

Additional Skills

I have directed video and stage productions (don't ask for copies of these, I don't have them ... alas). I've been a shift supervisor, so I understand management issues, such as deadlines and how to meet them.

Payment Methods Accepted

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

Contact Information

To contact Kelvin Tsao by email or phone, please click here.