Voice Description

I have a cute and playful child's voice which could be used in character animation or commercials. Sweet and innocent is what my producer called my commercial voice; I'd have to say my voice shows I have emotional range. My voice is very warm and motherly and lends itself exceptionally well to children's audio books. Having a voice that is very marketable - smooth and high clarity gives me the opportunity to do voice over for professional presentations, IVR systems, etc.

Voice Genders and "Ages" I Can Perform

• Child
• Teenage Girl
• Young Adult Female

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
• Adult content

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

None

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

None

My Home Base

Des Moines, IA, Iowa, United States

Accents, Impersonations, Characters and Dialects

Unknown - Click here to ask Shawnda Poortinga

My Voice Experience

Hi. My name is Shawnda Poortinga (Spoortin) and I want to thank you for taking just a moment to read my profile.

I am in the early stages of, God willing, a long and wonderful voiceover career. During the 15+ years that I have been working in the customer service field, I have had numerous comments on how wonderful it is to hear my friendly voice. One of my business associates suggested I pursue a career as a voiceover talent.

So, in the spring of 2005 I took a class and WOW! I had no idea that I could have so much fun with my voice. The RadioGarage studio put my demo on their website shortly after the class was over. In the fall of 2005 I did a SprintPCS commercial for the Sioux City area. Goodness that was a blast! I voiced one of three twenty-somethings, oohing and aaahing over the cute little cell phones Sprint offered. I am the one and only Auto-Attendant for Sentinel Development Solutions’ telephone system (psst…that’s my day job). Most of 2006 I spent my time in acting class and working on the weekends as a reader for the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service for the Blind and Print Handicapped –whew! Let’s just say IRIS. I read the Des Moines Sunday Register across a special radio station for the blind. I found this work very rewarding and a great source for learning and gaining valuable voiceover experience. Just recently, the business associate I spoke about earlier, called to offer me a job doing voice prompts for Access Corporation’s credit card and checking telephone system. I was elated and handled myself very professionally. Ok, inside I was jumping up and down like a little schoolgirl playing double-dutch! All I kept thinking was he remembered MY voice after a two-year absence from doing business together. Now that’s leaving an impression.

My Training

I have to give special thanks to the business associate that encouraged me to pursue a career as a voice over talent. Thank you, Don.

I mentioned earlier that I took a voiceover class in 2005. This was at Radio Garage Productions in Des Moines. My instructor, Steve Matthews, is an amazing personality from whom I learned a great deal. Several years earlier I had taken an acting class at Copeland Creative Talent. Then my kids came along and they became my whole world. In 2006, I made the time to pursue acting again and began learning in Kimberly Busbee’s class at Ariesworks Entertainment. Kim is my kind of gal! I performed a monologue for the Acting Showcase in the fall. I also attended a one-time workshop by James Benedetti with SuchAVoice in February of 2007. This workshop was helpful in providing a second opinion on my voice talent, as well as lots of information on starting my own home studio. Interestingly, I found this class through the Des Moines Public Schools Community Education offerings. I have learned you need to be very resourceful if you want to get anywhere in the voice over industry....and in life.

My Studio Equipment

Unknown - Click here to ask Shawnda Poortinga

Additional Skills

My day job is a Customer Service Representative. I have spent several years on the phone and I am the residing receptionist at my office. Sentinel is a collection software development company. There are plans for an interactive DVD tutorial of our software, which I will be the voice talent for. I have two small children and enjoy reading stories to them and if I don't do the characters' voices, I never hear the end of it..."Mommy, mommy do the voices...pleaseeee."

Payment Methods Accepted

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

Contact Information

To contact Shawnda Poortinga by email or phone, please click here.