Merlên Hoekstra

Voice Description

A polyglot since childhood (English,French, Tagalog, Japanese) I learned Italian and Russian as an adult. In French I can speak in either the southern French accent or Parisian accent. My Russian is Moscovite. My natural English is of a mid-Atlantic, not easy to place, world voice. I can speak English with Russian, French, Japanese, Aussie (Sydney) and Philippine accents, as well as a west-coast USA dialect. I'm told my voice is soothing, clear, calming. It can also be sassy, flirty, sexy, serious, silly, charming, healing, caring, persuasive, intellectual, and more. I take direction very well and am a great mimic.

Voice Genders and "Ages" I Can Perform

• Baby
• Child
• Young Adult Female

Language(s) of Which I Am a Native Speaker:

• English - British
• English - North American
• French - European
• Japanese
• Russian
• Tagalog

I Offer my Services for these Recording Purposes

• Commercials
• Promos
• IVR, voicemail, phone systems, and on-hold messages
• Audiobooks
• Documentaries
• Podcasts
• Songs
• Others (on-camera, infomercials, live announcers, spokespersons)

Jobs I Am Willing to Take (Union-wise)

• Non-Union Jobs

• Jobs for AFTRA (US) signatories

My Union Affiliations and Memberships

• AFTRA (US)

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 upload the audio files via FTP
• I can record and then deliver the files by regular mail

Pre-, Post- and Production Services I Offer

• I offer copywriting services
• I offer translation services
• I can deliver edited and finished voice tracks
• I offer radio ad production services
• I can add special effects to any project

My Home Base

Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, California, United States

Accents, Impersonations, Characters and Dialects

In English: west coast USA, Australia (Sydney accent), mid-Atlantic, British (London), Japanese, Philippine, Russian, French

In French: southern France accent from the Basque region and Parisian accent

My Voice Experience

At the age of 7 I did my first radio-spot. In my primary-school years my voice was used on language learning tapes to accompany children's text books in English (Longmann Publishing, Sony English Cassettes, Sonopac, etc.) and tapes to help Japanese speakers learn English. I love to sing and did commercial jingles (in Japanese and English)which aired on TV and train stations. At age 8 I played the role of Tom Sawyer for radio and had fun playing a "boy." After my 1st year of University in Manila, I returned to Tokyo and worked in Television as an on-camera announcer (local news, events, topix, weather, information, program guide, flight info.) for TV-Asahi's English Language Station, JCTV, for a year before moving to Europe (Rome, then Paris) and USA (Mpls.) to continue my studies. After graduating from University I again returned to Japan where I enjoyed working as a voice actor doing looping/dubbing of Japanese movies into English for Japan Airlines, narrations, instructional videos, commercials (KFC, Fujitsu PocketBell), and was also an on-stage theatre actor for Tokyo International Players (TIP). I moved away from voice-acting and acting and worked in Russia as an interpreter for two years, then to Sydney (I'm also an Australian citizen) for 10-years where I worked full-time in massage therapy and part-time in various vo and acting projects. I'm new to the United States, and eager to use my voice-over and acting skills here. I look forward working with you on your projects!

My Training

My training began at home, with my father (himself a TV news anchorman and well-known voiceover talent in Japan) making me read into a tape-recorder from the age of 5. As I progressed, a video-camera was used instead of a tape-recorder. I have a Diploma in Phonetics from the Sorbonne (Paris) and a BA in Broadcast-Journalism/ Speech-Communication from the Univ. of Minnesota with minors in Theatre Arts and Languages. I keep my voice-acting skills up to date by continuous studies and workshops with wonderful teachers such as James Alburger, Penny Abshire, Ed Asner, Pat Fraley, Bob Bergen, Andrew Carlton, Don LaFonteyn, DJ Sullivan, and more. I am currently studying singing with Daniel Hendrick.

My Studio Equipment

Unknown - Click here to ask Merlên Hoekstra

Additional Skills

I also write/edit copy and can do interpreting/translation work.

I currently teach piano to children.

I'm playing with composing using GarageBand.

I'm actively studying Interactive Multi-Media (video and audio editing) using Final Cut Pro, After Effects, the Adobe Creative Suite...

I'm also a dancer (jazz, tango, chacha, tap, folk, etc...).

Payment Methods Accepted

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

Online Payments Via PayPal

Contact Information

To contact Merlên Hoekstra by email or phone, please click here.