Valeria Washington

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.

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.