Voiceover News July 2011

Here is what our Voiceover Artists have been up to in July 2011. Apart from improving the look and sound of the voiceover studio from scratch and doubling the size of our office, that is! (see previous blog)

You can now see our latest completed video on our video production page. It was for the LBRO, a Government QUANGO. We now offer Life Coaching as well as Voiceover Training.

First of all the girls: Michelle recorded a voiceover for Digital Hive, Jill recorded a voice-over for a web video for Vodafone, Alexandra recorded voice-overs for two TagMan videos, Hannah recorded voice-overs for British Gas E-Learning modules and Natalie voiced for the IbidItrade website.

Now the boys: Graeme has recorded a sales promo for Xerox, Richard recorded a voiceover for B.A.T., Peter O voiced a video for Premier Bathrooms, James K recorded four web videos for GolfingBreaks.com and Andy was the voice-over for a trail for "Cowboy Builders" on Five.

Ricky recorded on-hold voice-overs for AVM Solutions, was the live aptly-named Voice of God at the Supermeat and Fish Awards at the Hilton Hotel in London alongside impressionist Alistair McGowan and recorded a voice-over for commercial for Regatta Radio.

We welcome Voiceover Artist Steffan, Radio legend and Voiceover Artist Nicky, American Voiceover Artist Bobbin and young Voiceover Artist Nathan.

And Duncan Woodhouse and Faye Carruthers has joined our Voice-over Directory.

Our New Voiceover Booth

As part of our building works to create a new larger office for our voiceover agency we have also refurbished the Voice Booth to give much-improved audio quality. And it also looks so much better!

Here are the before, during and after photographs. First of all, how the studio has looked for many years:

After removing all the technical kit, a window, pipework and the acoustic tiles, the room was stripped back to the ceramic tiles.

Then I had an enjoyable ten minutes stripping the ceramic tiles, which having been in place for decades, just fell off the wall. Then I got bored and left the rest to a professional.

An electrician chased in the light switch and sockets. Now the voiceover booth was ready for plastering.

Then the booth was in it's Friday night state: completely plastered.

After a quick slap of paint, the microphone and other technical kit was put back in but still there was a little something missing:

Ah yes - that's better.

Now, once the halogen lights in the voiceover booth have been replaced with LEDs which don't emit any heat, we'll be laughing!

Voiceover News for June 2011

Here is what we have been up to in June:

Mike recorded a voiceover for a video for Finning Power Systems, Viv recorded a voiceover for a video for NHS employees about how to cope with stress at work, Steph recorded a  trail on BBC Radio Scotland: "Ski-ing for Ghana", Sara voiced more on-hold prompts for LG, Graeme recorded a video for Ballantines, Sue recorded the voice-over for a video about the Dudley Canal, Peter O recorded the final batch of voice-overs for Prince 2 E-Learning videos, Helen S updated her voice-over recording for a video for the MoD and Michelle recorded on-hold prompts for Able Debt Recovery Services.

We finished editing a video production for the LBRO, a Government QUANGO.

We now represent young American Voiceover Artist Jessica, Italian Voiceover Artist Max, French Voiceover Artist Cecile, experienced UK Voiceover Artists Jacky and Sue.
Ricky recorded voiceovers for a commercial for Mood FM in Jordan, a video board for SMART, a podcast for Covance Bio Analytical and on-hold prompts for Major Housing Association.

And we made a voicereel for Australian Broadcaster Russell.

How do I move a Voiceover Studio cheaply?

Building work has begun on our new voiceover booth - well the chaos for the building work has begun - even if the actual work hasn't  yet. Planning, organising, moving things, thinking 3 steps ahead etc.

Anyway we had to dismantle the production office and and move it so that it could be made larger. Unfortunately I am not the most technical person in the world so I asked the guy who built the studio and supplied all the kit for the booth for an idea of how much it would cost to move the studio temporarily  while the building work goes on.  Answer: Around £1,000. A Thousand Pounds!

So I thought I would have to put aside a day or so and do it myself. Which I have. Everything has been carefully labelled so that part A connects with part B etc. That's all fine but I had to find two very long cables to keep the PC connected to the studio. A few quick calls later and I found a great place around the corner - 5 minutes away.

After the technical guys managed to de-code my layman speak, an hour later one of them was round at BigFish Media towers with two 15 metre cables. And they work! So apart from the short time when the voiceover booth is being refurbished, we are still very much in business.

Oh and the cost? £50!

A Voiceover Artist feeling ripped off

For months now I have bravely battled to use an ageing pair of headphones. I have been using them regularly since I started reading the news on BBC Radio 2 in 1998, and - apart from repairing one of the "ear cushions" - the Bayer DT100's have given sterling service.

I have a separate - and much newer pair - for use by me and other voiceover artists in the Voice Booth -  but I like to have a pair just for broadcasting mainly so that they are always ready to go in my Radio 2 bag rather than having to remember to take them out of the studio to London with me.

Anyway back to the old pair. Finally I got fed up with having crackling headphones and decided to get them repaired. I struggled but finally found somewhere close who said they could do it. So I took them in and a week later collected them. I didn't have any cash on me (or a cheque book - who does these days?) so I offered the business credit card.

However the company's credit card machine wasn't working - and neither was the cash machine outside (which charges £0.95 for cash withdrawal).

So what to do? Very kindly the shop's staff said I could take away the headphones and just pop in with some cash when I was next passing. How unusual! How trusting. But....

...when I next get into Radio 2 to use them I find that they haven't been repaired at all!

I don't think I will be passing that particular - so-called repair shop- any time soon.

Voiceover News May 2011

This is what we have been up to at our Voiceover Agency and Recording Studio  in May:


We had our first client for Voice Training. Our voice coach Sandy helped a client with her lack of self-confidence.


We filmed some additional interviewees at our TV Studio in Surrey for a video for the LBRO, a Government QUANGO. Peter O narrated an eight part series of "Crime Stories" for the Crime and Investigation Network and Steph recorded a voiceover for a TV Trail on BBC1: "Tonight's The Night with John Barrowman" 

Nicola recorded a voiceover for an instructional web video for Fujitsu's Kofax. David V recorded a voiceover for a radio commercial for La Pinta Beach Club. Helen S recorded a voiceover for a video for the MoD  and Michell evoiced on-hold prompts for Auto Direct


We welcome Radio 3 Presenter and Voiceover Artist Jill, Spanish Voiceover Artist Stella and Italian Voiceover Artist Lorella

We have made a voicereel for BBC Radio London Newsreader Katy Dartford and Sky TV Sports Presenter Vicky Gomersall. Rachel Brooker 


Rickyrecorded the voiceovers for two more videos for Chiltern International Fire, an occupational health video, more videos on the Pen Warehouse website and a  video for Spendtrax from PRGX 

Voiceover Man: Getting Old or Important?

A few weeks ago one of our Voiceover Artists asked me if I could countersign his passport application. Nathan was in a rush as he had lost his current passport and was about to take his girlfriend to France for a week.

I remember when I had to get my own passport application and get the photo signed on the back by someone important (Solicitor, Teacher, Doctor etc) who has known you for five years and isn't related to you. Apparenlty I was the only person he could think of who was available!

Anyway I told him that I wasn't important enough but apparently I am. I didn't know this - mainly because the Passport Authorities don't put it on the information they send you - but anybody who is the Company Director of a VAT-registered Limited Company is able to to this. Nathan got his passport and is looking forward to his holiday

Then today - for the second time - another of my voiceovers asked me for a personal reference, which I was more than happy to supply.

I must be important these days - either that or getting old. Probably both.