Lou Hecker

Having a trained singer’s ear gives me a huge advantage in learning to mimic and in creating new voices. I confess, I am a Mel Blanc devotee. As a kid, I always mimicked cartoon voices and am delighted to make my living talking “funny”. I’ve got a pocket full of Loony Toon-like voices. My favorite character voice is Granpappy Amos McCoy from the old TV show, "The Real McCoys" played by Walter Brennen. Dialects come easily and my British, Russian, French, Eastern European and Mexican voices are well rounded and convincing. As an Irishman, I’m more of a “Lucky Charms” kind a guy. Years of professional singing have given me a strong upper range of falsetto voices and I’ve got a pile of “cartoonish” voices that can be varied and designed to your liking or project. I do a mean contralto! I can talk for days as a west Texan and love doing the lilting swing of Oklahoma and Tennessee. Conversely, Arty Johnson’s old man voice from the Laugh-In days and the Muppet's old man comes naturally to me.

Coming from a varied background in education and work experience gives me strong resources from which to draw. Music and singing have also played an important role in shaping who I am. I got my first “professional” singing job at age 18 and went on to work full time in that area for many years. As a result, this has greatly complemented and enhanced my ability to create believable voices in the VO industry. In 1984, I did my first "real" voice over work, narrating a documentary shot in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I was hooked! Through the 80's, I narrated many industrial and trade videos. In 1992, I branched out into the medium of radio. Using high-tech gear, I still produce and DJ a morning show five days a week as the “Manna Man” on Christian radio KVIP Redding, CA and KMWR Brookings, OR. The program airs Monday-Friday from 6-9 AM on 98.1 KVIP Redding, CA and 90.7 KMWR Brookings, OR and KNDZ McKinleyville,CA as well as via 31 translators in AZ, CA, NV, OR and WA, broadcasting to over 2,000,000. Since 1992, I have read fresh copy daily on my radio program and as a result, have very strong sight reading skills, and can often do a word perfect read on the first take. I am a college trained theater arts performer, and spent two years under the coaching and direction of Robert Eley of Los Angeles and studied voice with Gloria Grace Prosper for many years. I've been in and directed many stage plays, done cable TV and done lots of public speaking, and acted as emcee. Most recently, I've studied with Pat Fraley in Hollywood and had personal one-on-one booth directing for audiobook work by Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki and Hillary Huber. I have had my hands on recording gear since I was a teen. I record daily in my home digital studio which includes a Rode NT1000 quality condenser mic, a Saffire 6 USB In / Out box direct to my computer... a short, very clean and quiet recording chain. Mixers are a no-no in VO work...too noisy. I'm very comfortable with current digital technology and can provide the client with aiff, wave and mp3 files. Audio files can be delivered via email, uploaded to an ftp site or via standard US mail on CD, DVD or thumb drives. I am very comfortable with public speaking and leadership within a seminar / board meeting / press conference format. I enjoy communicating verbally as well as in writing which enables me to smoothly transfer concepts and negotiate difficult situations, resulting in enjoyable business management relationships. I am currently “in process” with several writing projects, including two fictional novels and have submitted a children's book for publication. I take great pleasure in seeing a job done right; from the beginning to completion. My ability to get the job organized at the start and keep it that way makes me a valuable asset to any organization. Rather than "micro-manage", I enjoy being a team player and find great satisfaction in motivating and encouraging others in what they do. However, I consider each person and project important; requiring personal attention and care. I think of myself as an efficiency expert and find it challenging to develop methods within my environs to maximize time, effort and productivity.