Voice Description

I tend to get used for projects that need a voice which is; warm, rich, exciting, sexy, friendly, caring, kind, professional, deep, sincere, resonent, inviting, straight, informative, factual, newsreader, reporter, narrator. I have a voice which is confident and I sound like I know what I'm talking about. So trustworthy and honest are also key words. A voice of reason.
I have a great range of characters aswell and will create to order. I can turn my hand to lots of UK and European/US accents and can mimic too. For documentary reads my voice carries an air of professionalism and is smooth and inviting whilst allowing the film to speak for itself. For descriptive commercials I add warmth and sincerity, sensuality, relaxation, smoothness and I can challenge a listener to get thinking. I feel the key with my voice is a good warm, honest voice with bags of scope for flexibility. It's often said 'I can't believe all these voices come from the same person'.

Voice Genders and "Ages" I Can Perform

• Child
• Young Adult Female
• Middle Age Female
• Senior Female
• Senior Male

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

• English - British

I Offer my Services for these Recording Purposes

• Commercials
• Promos
• IVR, voicemail, phone systems, and on-hold messages
• Audiobooks
• Documentaries
• Movie and game trailers
• Podcasts
• Others (on-camera, informercials, live announcers, spokespersons)

Jobs I Am Willing to Take (Union-wise)

• Non-Union Jobs

• Jobs for British Equity signatories

My Union Affiliations and Memberships

None

My Recording and Delivery Capabilities

• I have ISDN 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

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 voice direction services
• I offer radio ad production services
• I have a music library and can add music to any project
• I can add special effects to any project

My Home Base

Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, United Kingdom

Accents, Impersonations, Characters and Dialects

Liverpudlian, Italian, Spanish, Received Pronounciation, French, Scottish, Irish, Australian,

My Voice Experience

I am most wellknown as the voice of the (British Telecom) Speaking Clock in the UK. A long-established British Institution (dating back to 1936) which can be dialed via +44 123 - to hear the most accurate time. Among many, others, my clients include: Airmiles, IBM, BBC, BT, Ibuleve, Champneys Health Spas, Mark Warner, Radio stations across the UK, National Geographic, Fox Network, Discovery UK, Animal Planet, History & Biography Channels. My experience spans: TV (progs/documentaries/commercials) Radio commercials (writing & voicing), TV & Radio & live stage interviews/Keynote Speaker talks/Celebrity Roles (as Speaking Clock).IVRs/voicemail, Radio Plays, DVD's/CDRoms.I also appear in front of camera when presenting or appearing in a celebrity role. Presenting is an area I am also moving into more.

My Training

Well, I did undertake a half day voiceover course 12 years ago! But mainly I gained my voiceover skills through loads of experience. Being linked via isdn and doing masses of commercials has really helped stretch me and hone my skills. I play around in my studio recording different things that I hope will challenge me. Radio plays and generally voicing different sounds/accents etc round the house have encouraged lots of characters and having had 20 years experience in the telemarketing industry too, I learned a lot about using my voice and encouraging the listener to get what was needed. Plus I trained to Master Practioner level in NLP which gave me a huge insight & knowledge of voice communication and I actually realised I was doing a lot of it naturally. Whilst I have learned what to do and how to do it, voice wise,in many respects, I do feel strongly that honesty,integrity, openess and trust, are paramount.

My Studio Equipment

I do have my own small isdn studio. Equipment/Software: Audio TX isdn system, Adobe Audition software, AT4033asm studio capacitor microphone with shockmount, BEY DT100-100-400ohm Headphones

Additional Skills

As far as voicing is concerned, I am a good all rounder and specifically tend to be used a lot for straight/informative/trustworthy and warm/inviting reads. In the UK we have Marks & Spencers ads with a very well known, sultry, sexy, female voice attached. I am frequently asked to mimic this. Plus, if they want someone professional and 'grownup' I often get chosen. When people realise what I can actually do with my voice and the range I have they more and more often ask me to go outside the box, which is great. I really enjoy creating a project from scratch so having an idea, writing, sourcing other skills if necessary, voicing and putting things together, so that I have a finished project, is great for me. If I work with others, when possible, I love to get more involved than purely just the voice side and am often asked to edit and reword/write ads etc.Having said that, I am also very happy to put the icing on the cake and professionally voice a project that a producer has lovingly created.

Payment Methods Accepted

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

Contact Information

To contact Sara Mendes da Costa by email or phone, please click here.