I grew up with a grandmother who could REALLY TELL STORIES! Made up stories-- totally off the cuff! When I got to the place in life where I had a choice of what to do next, I mentally went right back to jumping in bed with my grandmother and siblings in the early morning hour. My grandmother would ask one of us to pick an object- any object. Gran then cleared her throat, got a far away look in her eye, and started in on the most fantastical, utterly spellbinding journey of a button, an orange, or a house key. The objects, of course, were animated with intelligence and wit, traveled the world and inevitably found themselves in the most harrowing of circumstances... and somehow lived to go on to the next adventure.
Every commercial is a story, every narrative, and every piece of voice work. I want to be as good as my grandmother in telling a "story"; drawing people in, imparting feeling, sharing moments of pain and triumph. It seems to me the reason I love story is because, in the end, stories are about connection- one human being connecting with another human being.
I have worked with five voice over coaches and producers in two voice over companies. Two years ago I started working with Michelle Falzon from Such-A-Voice, produced with Talia Gonzales from the same company, then went on to study audiobook technique with Michael Yurchak, also with Such-A-Voice. Early in 2014 I started coaching with Kate McClanaghan, owner of Sound Advice, in Los Angeles for commercial work, then worked with Jeff Finney of the same company for narrative work. I am ready for the world!
Years of improv work with Chris Soldevilla and numerous acting classes with Tony award winner Dinah Mantoff ("Grease") have given me a wonderful foundation for voice over work. I feel lucky to have worked with all these talented people.
I will be up front here! I am an artist, not a technician! However, I have managed to produce high quality demonstration tapes from my home studio, in which "Source Connect" was used to connect with the producer (please listen to my commercial and narrative demo.)
I have a Mac computer, Audio-Technica 2020 USB mic, and Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Monitor headphones. I use Twisted Wave for recording.
Here is what you want to know about me as a prospective talent: I am easy and pleasant to work with! My coaches all commented on the fact that I had the ability to change a read in a specified way when asked to so.
My age is also a big win-win factor! Having just approached the "middle years", I have had a broad range of life experience. I have traveled a fair amount, earned a 5 year degree from the University of Washington in graphic design, and held numerous jobs from catering to library cataloging to reception work at a veterinary clinic. Backpacking with my dog keeps me in shape. What does this have to do with voice over? Broad experience allows me to speak from the "knowing" place about such things as pristine mountain rivers, or about working hard to achieve something, or about long travel journeys to remote places.