Valeria Washington | Voice over actor

About Valeria

Member sinceMar 20, 2013

Since 2008, I work with voice over, branding, phone systems, interactive systems. I have done jobs for TTS (text to speech), interactive intelligent communication systems and automated phone systems that encompass the whole company from sales to support to users both domestic and commercial. When my voice doesn't come from a phone, it can also be found in intelligent automobiles both for navigation and voice controlled commanding. Training and corporate videos are also my specialty. My voice has been trained in many different ways. I had formal training in classical (chamber and choir) singing and also in pop music (Brazilian bossa nova and jazz mostly). I had extensive use of voice in courtrooms delivering sometimes long speeches to sleepy justices. I also had four years of drama school when the voice acquired the volume and projection necessary to reach the back of the theatre. Both in Brazil and in the US, I also have used my voice for teaching. In Brazil I was a lecturer in grade school and my students were grads coming from Medicine, Psychology, Law and Social Services. In the US I taught preschool, ages 4 and 5, and that requires a lot of creativity in the use of the voice: it's the toughest crowd I have ever had to "entertain" (actually teaching and managing) and for doing it I had to do different voices for the many different characters in their books and to use puppets to establish a fast communication with the children. Presently, I still use my voice in court rooms, as an Interpreter for Immigration Courts in Portuguese, both Brazilian and Portuguese. I have excellent grasp of the Portuguese language and a very accurate accent-free reading. I love to put my creativity in coming up with the exact persona that must become real through the sound of my voice. I can fully translate to Portuguese any text in English.

Skills and services offered

- Language
  Portuguese - Portugal
  Spanish - Latin American Neutral
  Portuguese - Brazilian
  Italian
- Voice gender & age
  Female senior
  Female adult
  Female young adult
  Child
  Baby
- Creative services offered
  Script writing
  Translation
  Audio editing and clean up
  Mixing and mastering
  Music production
  Special effects
- Recording and delivery options
  Digital delivery
  On-site recording
  Phone patch
  Location
  N/A
- Additional vocal abilities
  Brazil, like the US, is huge country and accents vary depending on the region. I can do most accents, north to south, and I can also make a few different accents of Portuguese being spoken by foreigners, specially Italian, Iberian Portuguese, American, French and German accents. I am from São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, where all the accents meet. When I think about accent I like to speak as the person with the accent and not as the caricature of the person with the accent and that makes it more realistic and convincing. I can do many different characters specially in the area of children's entertainment: the voices of the muppets, sesame street's characters and many cartoons have been a resource throughout the years in grabbing the attention of my students in the classroom and my daughters at home.
- Experience, training, and equipment
  My voice over experience includes big name companies with business in Brazil. From computers to video streaming, hospitals to credit cards, global communications and applications for automobiles and personal telephones, my voice has been exposed to all different requirements. I have impersonated a perky attendant that promises a wide array of fun as soon as we are done with bureaucratic details, I played the efficient busy secretary for the person who doesn't have one be proud of their virtual office. I am the compassionate voice explaining all I can do for the sad tourist that had a major health problem while travelling. I am the coordinator who is going to put the caller in line for an important conference or job interview. Each one of these industries and some more, have chosen my voice to be the bridge between their products and their clients. I have a Law degree, obtained at the University of São Paulo in 1985, where I also did some graduate studies in Sociology of Law (1989 - 1990). I also had formal training in singing, both Lyric (operistic and chamber) and Popular (jazz and Brazilian pop music). I sang in some gigs - never as a professional - as solo main attraction and as background singer too (1980-1982 and 1996-1998). For three years I attended Macunaima Drama School learning interpretation, body language and vocal techniques (1987-1989). Pro Tools Software Audio Technica AT 4040 Cardioid Condenser Microphone JoeMeek 3Q Pre-Amp. I am perfeccionist and always thriving to deliver the best of what is expected from me. The clients that I have had in all my years of voice over are completely satisfied in having me as the voice for their products and services and I think that speaks more about me than anything else. My other jobs are Translation and Interpretation. My delivery language is Portuguese and I can translate and interpret from English, Italian and Spanish, languages that I am fluent in speaking and proficient in writting and reading.

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About Valeria

Skills and services offered