Keeping Vocal Cords Healthy

By: Nate Myers

If your livelihood depends on your voice, it must always be ready and in the best of health, especially if you’re performing for long periods of strain or stress.

Singing, Voice Over, Narration, there are many career paths to leverage your voice. Luckily, the ways to preserve your voice and ensure a long career are the same regardless of the industry.

A quick note before we dive in: If you have a voice made of gold and want to explore Voice Over as an additional source of income, we have a series of classes designed specifically for you: http://www.voiceshopcoaching.com/class-schedule

Exercises:

Before recording or performing, it’s important to warm up your voice. Many exercises help your voice get ready without straining or damaging it. These include:

• Yawning: Relaxes your voice and extend your range

• Lip Buzz/Motorboat: Warms up your lips for precise annunciation.

• Loosen Your Jaw: Typically, when performing or recording, your jaw will want to drop lower than usual—yawn without opening your mouth to get a good stretch.

Voice acting requires warm-up exercises to get the best vocal performance. Voice coach Mike George (right) helps to refine the voice of a voice-over student at The Voice Shop in New York City.

Diet:

In general, vocalists and voice-over artists will want to maintain a balanced diet. This will ensure better overall health and, by default, better vocal health. The average diet lacks many essential nutrients. While we aren’t health experts, we can say generally:

• Do eat protein, plants and veggies, grains, and beans

• Don’t eat high-fat and oily foods

• Drink plenty of water (Vocal Hack: room temperature is ideal before recording or performing)

Before showtime, we can provide more specific guidance. Water, toast, cantaloupe, and warm herbal tea are perfect! Foods like milk, ice cream, bacon, citrus, and alcohol will hold your upcoming performance back.

Daily Routines:

The general consensus is to be careful and avoid over-training your voice. If you feel a strain in your vocal cords, always stop, take a break, or even call it a day. Practicing singing songs or reading scripts for 30 minutes a day can help improve the strength of your vocal cords over time. Just remember to warm up first.

Medical narration specialist Anne Ganguzza talks about daily vocal practices to keep your voice at peak performance.

Tips for Longer Sessions:

If you have a big performance or recording session coming up, your work begins the day before. Stay hydrated and get a good night’s sleep. Set yourself up for success.

On the day of, drink a bottle of water an hour before your take(s). Then, warm up correctly, and don’t rush it. Don’t schedule more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. Take breaks as needed. Bring water with you into the booth.

Recovery:

Advice for recovery is more straightforward than performance. In essence, use your voice sparingly and carefully. Avoid shouting or screaming (no horror movies). Drink plenty of water (if you haven’t noticed a trend yet). With proper rest and hydration, your recovery should be quick. Please note that vocal cord damage is a real concern, and if you’ve pushed your voice too hard, we recommend seeing a medical specialist.

And that’s it! Pamper your voice, and it will serve you well!

Again, when using your voice in other ways to make money, The Voice Shop offers extensive coaching on Voice Over, different niches of the industry, and navigating the audition process. To learn more, check out our home page or upcoming classes!

The Voice Shop Home: http://www.voiceshopcoaching.com/#home-section

Upcoming Class Schedule: http://www.voiceshopcoaching.com/class-schedule

Maturity and Success in Voice Over

By: Nate Myers

Here at the Voice Shop, we are dedicated to the training and success of the next generation of voice over superstars. In our diverse voice over class offerings, one of the most frequent questions is, “What does success in voice-over look like?”

This can be a tricky question for one reason: Success, or prosperity, is entirely up to your perspective. A wise man once said:

“To be prosperous would not require much of me. Because contentment is the one thing, it entails.”

            -Matt Thiessen

And there is a lot of truth to this sentiment. Success in voice over is a personal benchmark. What are you hoping to get out of it? Self-improvement? Are you hoping to make some side income in addition to your full-time job? Are you hoping to quit the corporate hustle and be 100% self-sufficient on voice over income? Or somewhere in between?

This article will talk about setting yourself up for voice-over acting success and some essential skills/learnings you will need to pick up along the way!

Setting Yourself Up for Success

It will require self-inspection and training to get to a suitable place where you are poised for success. These two techniques will take you very far: Self-evaluation and Training.

Self-evaluation is easy enough to achieve. Simply record yourself and listen back. You can do this on any smartphone these days. You may not like it at first. The sound of your voice can throw many people off. But don’t worry. It’s important for you to contextualize how people hear you and what you can do to alter that during delivery. Can you shift your pitch higher to convey more excitement? Can you change the part of your mouth you’re using to sound completely different? Listen back and see how effective you were!

Training is the other part that will lead you down the right path at the beginning of your journey. There are helpful online resources such as other voice actors on TikTok and YouTube. If you want to take it seriously, an online or in-person class will help you progress rapidly!

Voiceover students practice reading scripts with a voice coach at The Voice Shop in New York City.

In a voiceover class, you will experience a few things: You will see other aspiring voice actors and see what they are doing to achieve a unique or better delivery. Learn from them! The other huge thing is the live feedback you’ll receive from the Voice Coach or Voice Over Artist teaching the class. With their sharp ears, they can pick up on exactly what is holding you back and tell you what to change—all within seconds. Imagine spending weeks trying to achieve a specific tone with your voice, struggling and unsure what to change—no need to suffer through that. Let someone who has walked the path guide you in your first steps!

Receive AND Respond to Coaching

So now that you’ve taken your first steps and started identifying your strengths as a voiceover artist, you can play into those strengths to deliver great takes on just about anything. So, you apply for a voice-over gig, get an audition, and deliver a fantastic take to the Director. But the Director says, “That’s way too nasally, take that out and read it again.” Crushing right?

 Voice over students receiving voice coaching lessons.

A particularly important skill to landing gigs and getting jobs is receiving feedback and responding/adjusting to match their wants. This can take years and is never fully perfected. The Director may or may not know about the technical terms for what you’re doing in the sound booth. But they will tell you what they don’t like, and it’s up to you to respond. Match what they want as closely as you can.

It’s a bite of humble pie, but it is a skill that will serve you well and lead to more opportunities and growth as a voice over artist.

Maturity: A Key Component to Success

While this section could be a whole topic in and of itself, it is of paramount importance that you recognize maturity as a necessary component of success. This is a reframing of a common misconception that affects all the arts: music, painting, voice over, singing, and musicianship; they all require maturity and time dedicated to the craft. There are common shortfalls and personality traits that need polishing, and that can only be recognized after putting in more time. These things will be impossible to see in yourself until you put in more time.

Many voice-over artists start their path in their 20s. You may take some classes, create a demo reel, and start applying for different openings/networking or even signing on with an agency. With a few jobs under your belt in your 20s, you establish a brand and identity in the voice over industry.

In your 30’s, you’ll continue this path. Continuing to not only land gigs but self-improve as the months go on. Eventually, you will start to land higher-level jobs that pay more and see some of that income become a reality.

This is, of course, a rough outline. Everyone takes their own path. But the important thing to remember for most voiceover artists who don’t get lucky right off the bat is Consistency. Continuing to practice and put yourself out there in the industry will eventually lead to more exposure and success.

Whatever that success looks like to you; we wish you all the best of luck! And if you need help with Beginner, Intermediate, or even Advanced voiceover technique classes, The Voice Shop is here to help!

Voice Over In Paradise – Edwin Oldfield

By Keith Brunson

At first glance, Edwin Oldfield looks like a tourist. He’s not.

Edwin IS living in paradise and very close to the ocean, but Lima, Peru, is his permanent residence, not his vacation. And from there, he operates his A-list voiceover business for the upper tier. Companies like Tesla. That’s right…Tesla.

“I actually made the move 12 years ago. I loved it here in South America, so I just “DID IT” and made that ex-pat move stick.”  The road as to how he got there is, of course, happenstance. “I was in the exporting business of crafts for 21 years, and I found Peru got in my heart, so I made it my new home.”

Being a voiceover artist, it didn’t matter where he lived. As long as he had the microphone and the connectivity, Edwin could have moved to the north pole because “It doesn’t matter,” he tells me.

Edwin had been around voiceover all his life in some form or fashion, but as his voice matured and his exposure increased, producers chased Edwin for his beautiful pipes, not the other way around. “But it wasn’t until things really kicked in with my voice that my independence to be “the voice” was possible from anywhere. www.EdwinOldfield.com  

And as a union SAG/AFTRA performer, the voice work Edwin did at one time would sometimes renew, which yielded yet another residual payment.

 His latest voice project is a four-episode mini-series, “EARTH X.”  Produced in 4k, Earth X, is about, well…the beauty of the earth.

“It tells the story of the planet and showcases its natural beauty.

Produced stateside, Earth X is airing on Spectrum and is an ultra-expensive production that showcases Edwin’s voice in a way that very few shows could. “It was the right place, right time.”

Of Scottish descent, Edwin, whose Father was a professor, taught him the value of enjoying the entire world, not just the beauty of being an American. “I like how my life has evolved,” says Edwin, “and I really appreciate how the business of being a voiceover artist has allowed me to live abroad as an American while I enjoy the culture of another country.”

And that’s the beauty of life as a 60-year-old voiceover artist with a trained voice and a pleasant demeanor. “The lack of limitations opens that very door…and because of it, I’ll be able to do this at 92.” 

Voice Over and ASMR

By: Nate Myers

There are videos on YouTube with thousands, often millions of views. The titles are outlandish to the uninitiated:

“ASMR Dental Face Mask”

“Satisfying Slime ASMR”

“Fastest ASMR | Dentist, Eye, Cranial Nerve, Sleep Clinic, Lice, Ear Exam, Ear Cleaning, Makeup Spa”

Let’s talk about what’s going on in the ASMR world. What it is, popular mediums, and how it may or may not be considered voice-over work.

What is ASMR?

ASMR is an acronym that stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.” It’s a term to describe a sensation people get when they watch or listen to stimulating videos. Most commonly, it’s described as a pleasurable, “tingly” feeling running down your spine. It can be powerfully relaxing and even help insomniacs with sleep.

Although the term ASMR might sound very scientific, it’s far from proven science. Many people don’t understand it, can’t experience it, or don’t even care. Despite this, some content creators garner millions of views, followers, and even dollars through the art of ASMR.

ASMR’s most common content comes from soft audio created using everyday objects, conversations, and roleplay/storytelling. It can be someone whispering into a microphone or tapping, scratching, touching clothing, glass, or the microphone itself. It can be the sound of pouring a can of soda pop into a glass. Any pleasing, quiet sound can be used to create ASMR.

These “triggers” often are the title of the video. Maybe slime isn’t your thing, but you really like the popping sounds of bubble wrap or a paintbrush. ASMR isn’t inherently sexual, and although there is a sexual ASMR audience, there are similarities between ASMR triggers and sexual turn-ons. Triggers vary from person to person, and the ASMR world can span all of that to help viewers experience something.

Popularity of ASMR

Although ASMR origins are vague, it started in the 2010s and has increased in popularity exponentially. If millions of views on YouTube aren’t convincing enough, look at these stats.

YouTube Channel Subscriber Counts:

1.    Gibi ASMR: 4.45 million

2.    WhispersRed ASMR: 2.53 million

3.    Gentle Whispering ASMR: 2.21 million

4.    Latte ASMR: 1.88 million

5.    ASMRMagic: 1.44 million subs

Twitch Follower Counts:

1.    Amouranth: 6.03 million

2.    TheNicoleT: 1.26 million

3.    Leynainu: 906 thousand

4.    IJenz: 681 thousand

5.    gonsabeellla: 639 thousand

ASMR content creators, especially female ones, are killing it online, with average viewers in the thousands every time they stream on Twitch or post a new video to YouTube. IJenz has been watched for 209,125 hours in the last seven days (November 13, 2022). Her followers are putting in some serious time.

The r/ASMR subreddit has more than 258,000 members as of the time of writing.

The numbers speak for themselves! ASMR is a popular online phenomenon, and ASMR fan counts are growing month over month.

Is ASMR Voice Over?

Here at The Voice Shop, our specialty is Voice Over. The commercial voice over industry is structurally VERY different from ASMR. Voiceovers for radio ads, Super Bowl commercials, and vodcasting are usually professional in nature and operate in the world of contracts, agencies, and networking.

However, ASMR hasn’t been commercialized in a serious sense. The business case has yet to be proven. However, there is room to play for most brands. For example, TikTok often features businesses creating ASMR content using their product. An electric guitar’s natural noises can be recorded: switching pickups, knocking on the wood, turning the volume knob, etc. Results are mixed, but the viewership is there.

Okay, so Voice Over is commercial, and ASMR is usually not. However, there are many similarities. The primary similarity is through equipment needed. Both voice-over and ASMR use microphones, pop filters, sound treatment for the room, audio interfaces, and audio-editing software (DAW).

Another significant similarity is, of course, the use of the human voice. Most prominent ASMR content creators use their voice as a primary stimulant.

Conclusion? They’re not the same, but they aren’t dissimilar either.

Will there eventually be a bridging of ASMR into commercial voice over? Time will tell. But today, all signs point to ASMR being another category among narration, animation, and the like.

Living To The Extreme, In The World Of Voiceover

By Keith Brunson

There are very few people like Sean Letourneau. Home-schooled, Sean is accustomed to being WITH himself. And he likes it that way.

Sean Letourneu as a child.

“At around ten years old, I began to wonder what it would be like to be around people.”  His childhood went fine. No negative childhood experiences. And so it was in these early formative years that Sean pondered what he could do to illustrate his alter ego. He wanted to work in a business opposite to his solitary educational upbringing.

Fast forward to three years ago, and Sean got his fill of the public.  Working as a barista, Sean began to get enough of people and their coffee quirks.  “People really love their coffee, and I’m an introvert. I’m not social; I’m inward.” So, the experience of making coffee became a whole new world for the little boy that wanted to do something creative that did not involve a team effort. Enter Voice Over. Sean, who had never worked in any form of show business, got himself a voice coach and began to study the art of the voice. He had no experience.

Sean smiles for the camera while voice acting in the studio.

“Studying the voice brought me into an entirely different world than what I thought was possible,” says Sean.  And that’s when Sean learned to take an interest in extreme voices.

“When I walk in that booth, I leave my body behind,” Sean explains; for a quiet child with limited social access growing up, voiceover offered him a chance to spread his wings.

“I do well with loud, angry characters, and in fact, it is my favorite character to voice.”

Naturally, you’d think an introvert would become an introverted voiceover artist, but the reaction was the opposite for Sean.

These loud, obnoxious voices have a place in the voiceover work. They’re typically voice used in anime and character work. “And that is exactly where I was headed until it happened.”  Sean was chosen out of hundreds of voices to be the voice of Microsoft. The work is anything BUT extreme.

“OF all the places I could have wound up given my ambitions, I would never have thought that Microsoft would want that soft, calm voice that I hear in my head.”

At 23 years old, Sean is a paradox.  To be in his early 20s and voicing for one of the most distinct brands in the world, one would think that Sean would have never been considered. “I enjoy scumbags, raspy voices, characters that upset the scene, but then suddenly, I’m voicing that mellow voice I would hear in my head as a little kid when I was homeschooled.”

So, what’s going on here? “I have no idea,” he says. I always thought Microsoft would require years of training and auditioning, yet it just showed up…with no warning.” Sean goes on to say, “All I did was look inward, and from it came a very outward experience.”

“I’ve only been in this for three years, and I can say that it is a LOT of hard work and vocal coaching, but to do well, you can’t do it for the money.”  Sean alludes to voiceover as something that wannabees want to do because they think there is a lot of money in it. “And there isn’t good money in the beginning,” says Sean. “You must simply audition daily, stay true to yourself and keep on studying.”

Sean sees the prospect of getting into extreme characters as a matter of time. “It’s true. I keep to myself that I am quiet and inward, but to become an extreme character is my destiny.” And to become that, Sean will continue his daily practice of audition, study, rinse, and repeat.  But until then, Sean celebrates three years in voiceover, he’s heard by millions, and the style is anything But extreme.

Let’s Talk About Sex And Voiceover

By Keith Brunson

Sex has always been a hot topic. It affects every area of our lives. It’s in conversation globally every day. It’s practiced by some of the earth’s 7.8 billion people. In advertising, it is the industry’s mantra, “Sex sells.” Research has proven that it does. People are interested in sex. And the naked truth is that one hundred percent of all human beings were created due to a sexual act. So, when it comes to sex, it’s a subject that is talked about a lot, every day, everywhere. It is…what makes the world go around.

You may not know, but audio plays a big role in our sexual sensory perception of women. ”If you get turned on by the sound of your partner's voice or sounds made during sex, chances are you would enjoy audio erotica,” says Anne Hoddler-Shipp, a sex educator. She understands the success of the audio-only sexual experience. “The more we explore what turns us on, the better sex we’ll have.” And hearing, seeing, and feeling are the three aspects of sex that create the experience.

Over a dozen companies distribute sexually explicit content produced for women. “For far too long, sexuality has been defined by men,” says Gina Gutierrez, creator of Dipsea, a San Francisco audio erotica firm. www.dipseastories.com “We’ve heard so many stories from women who question if something is wrong with them because they don’t get spontaneously aroused as is so often expected.” Well, enter the power of audio. From Dipsea’s site, you can listen alone, with a partner, or even before a date to heat yourself up. Sexologists confirm audio erotica for women is a long time coming. It’s been around for fifteen years, but the industry has taken off in the last few years. According to Forbes, in 2019, eight million dollars was raised to develop the genre.

So, let’s now talk about OhCleo. www.Ohcleo.com is a Swedish audio erotica company named after Cleopatra. Its distinction is that it is Very voice-over-artist friendly. Creators are charged nothing to post naughty stories on the platform. And they may do so frequently, and from that, they will develop a following. The voiceover artist is the writer and the producer. OhCleo is the distribution platform. Here’s a link, less explicit, to give you a listen so you’ll get the gist.

Celine Fierro leads OhCleo out of Stockholm.

The company’s approach is not pure raw content. What highly distinct is the quality of the storytelling before things get down to the nitty-gritty. And content comes in all story formats that deliver the fantasy. But one thing is sure: "Women like more dominant audio,” says Celine.

As it turns out, while visuals stimulate men, women are more audio-oriented. “And Americans are the most receptive of any country that listens,” Ms. Fierro says.

“And “hit audio tracks” are difficult to create.” Celine alludes to the fact that not anyone with a sexy voice can succeed at this. “Our best content creators are musicians or people who are comfortable with their sexuality.”

Dave Jackson understands this. Dave is a heavy metal singer and a voiceover artist. “A lot of the music we sing is sexual in nature,” says Dave. “And we spend most of our evening being looked at and looking back in a flirtatious way.”

Dave Jackson performs music on-stage and voiceovers in the studio.

“Our entire goal on stage is to get a reaction,” says Jackson, “and we know how to present sexuality to people, so I understand why musicians are good at this.”

Celine explains the importance of audio erotica for ladies. “As women, we spend all of this time trying to look sexy, but no time is spent teaching us confidence.” She goes on to explain that having a good, confident self-image is important for your personal growth. “But when it comes to sex education is trial and error.” And this underscores why the audio erotica platform continues to grow worldwide.

So, if you’re reading this and you’re a voice-over actor, here’s a new and original niche. Think about it. It’s just you, a microphone, and an audience that will never see you. Just like sex itself, audio erotica is a private experience.

Keith Brunson is a professional writer and host of The Voice Choice https://www.thevoicechoice.tv

The World’s Most Prolific Drug Smuggling Pilot Becomes a Voiceover Artist For His Book, “Smuggler”

The World’s Most Prolific Drug Smuggling Pilot Becomes a Voiceover Artist For His Book, “Smuggler”

By Keith Brunson

Roger Reaves was born in 1943 in southern Georgia and grew up dirt poor.

But his instincts expanded amid his poverty. He dreamed of the nice things that a wealthy man could enjoy. And farming wasn’t providing the life that Roger wanted, so he started making moonshine.

“I made thousands of gallons of moonshine, and it really paid off.” At 21, Roger got his pilot license with the intent of becoming a missionary pilot ferrying men of the cloth to Central America.

But, in 1973, Roger’s original intent changed when he agreed to smuggle 300 pounds of marijuana piloting a small Cessna 182. It paid $10,000. No handling of the product, “just an air taxi job,” No guns. No violence. “Just flying,” he tells me.  Next, Roger bought a Cessna 207 and flew 1100 pounds of marijuana, and it paid $40,000. “That sounded pretty good to me,” says Roger. And he continued flying marijuana for eight years.

But in 1980, Roger met purely by happenstance at a party, Jorge Ochoa, the brains behind the Medellin Cartel. And that evening, Jorge introduced Roger to the infamous Pablo Escobar. That chance meeting made Roger the original pilot for the Medellin Cartel headquarters out of Columbia.

From 1980 to 1982, Roger flew cocaine for the cartel. As the demand for cocaine increased, Roger hired TWA pilot Barry Seal. The movie “American Made” depicts Barry, played by Tom Cruise. “And Barry used Mena, Arkansas as his safe haven to land.”

Roger’s final load was a ton of cocaine worth $400 million, and he did that by barge in Australia. But in 1982, Roger was caught. This began what became a 33-year stint in prison.

During prison, Roger escaped five times but was always captured and, on one occasion, was punished by being placed in what we know of as “the hole,” which Roger refers to as “the shoe.”

During prison, Roger became an avid reader. He read 3,000 books, and this led to Roger becoming a writer. It was in prison that he authored his memoir “Smuggler.” Roger tells me, “I actually wrote it to tell my grandchildren the full story because I didn’t ever think I would see them again.”

But Roger had been cleaned out financially due to his crimes. The government confiscated (25) airplanes, (7) farms, a mansion worth $15 million, and all his cash. So, Roger had to create income. He did that by self-publishing the book he wrote in prison. The response was overwhelming. Then, he self-produced his audiobook from his bedroom with no post-production, producer, or knowledge of how to make an audiobook. And again, the response has been tremendous.

Roger was not always well-read, but in prison, he became a reader and developed a strong affinity for literature. “A lot of books have been written in prison,” he says, “all the way back to 200 years ago when John Bunyan wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress.”

It was in prison that Roger learned he could do more than fly. He was a natural storyteller. Writing is one thing, but narration is an art form all its own. “It was challenging to get it perfect for the listener, and so the production process took a Very long time to get it just right.”

The audiobook “Smuggler” is 25 hours of content. It includes a story about him being shot down and tortured in a Mexican prison. It chronicles his lifelong obsession with money and adventure. And it’s blunt with the treatment that prisoners endure.

Through all this, his wife, Marrie, has been with him. Born in Holland, Marrie married Roger in 1964. She never flinched at the decades of waiting for the love of her life.

“I would never do what I did all over again,” says Roger, “because no amount of money is worth spending over 30 years away from your lovely family.”

Now, as would be typical, Hollywood has come calling. Making a movie deal that is attractive and authentic has been met with challenges. “I’m ready to do it, but it has to be a producer who will do what they say, just as I always have with everything I have ever done, written or spoken.”

Roger, at this writing, is approaching 80 years old in January. “There’s more runway behind me than there is in front of me,” he says. “I would love to bring this story to the screen, but I cannot wait for years.”  Roger is right. To consummate a motion picture or documentary can take years to complete, and Roger is aware That scenario will not work. “If I’m fortunate, I’ve got 15 summers left and would like to enjoy what life God has left to give me.”

So, from a poor Georgia farmer to a wealthy drug smuggler, the inmate to a now free man is telling his story; Roger Reaves is, in fact, a fascinating man. Here’s to hoping that he’s recognized for his storytelling ability using his beautiful voice and that he can once and for all…take his storytelling abilities to the bank.

Keith Brunson is a professional writer and host of The Voice Choice https://www.thevoicechoice.tv

The Instant and On-going Success of Voiceover Artist Carrie Olsen

By Keith Brunson

Carrie Olsen was born to be a voice-over artist. She took one class, and (21) days later; she accepted her first booking. That was six years ago. Since then, Carrie has not been without a booking. “I knew nothing. I was clueless. I’d never performed,” she says.

Carrie is the voice of Disney plus.

https://carrieolsenvo.com/carrie-olsen-disney-plus/

 Carrie also is the voice of HBO Max.

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/OSA1/hbo-max-directv-give-the-people-what-they-want-watch-hbo-max

She’s a natural at big-client branding work. But let’s compliment her parents for their contribution. Her Father was a high school teacher, and her Mother was born in England. So, Carrie learned how to speak the Queen’s English at a very young age. “I fell in love with the process of communicating,” says Carrie. “And I entered the voiceover business at a time when I was able to be Me, and not a voice that I was not.”

Carrie is rare. As a full-time Promo talent for big brands, she represents a very small percentage of female voices. Only 14.4% of professional voiceover artists are Black females. It’s a corner of the voiceover market that is not in abundance. 59% are White males. 27% are Hispanic. Asians do not register on the survey; although they exist in Asia, they are not even a blip on the radar in North America.

A graduate of the University of Oklahoma in 2007, Carrie got a degree in International Business, “Of which has nothing to do with voiceover,” she says. “So, I appeared on the scene with no prequalification except an exceptional upbringing.” That voice also found its place in e-learning. https://carrieolsenvo.com/

“I was green, but after only 3-4 weeks following my first voiceover class, I began to get cast, and it hasn’t stopped.”

As a 38-year-old Mother of two, Carrie wanted a profession she could operate out of the home, as she and her husband homeschooled their children. “Voiceover work is perfect because I can record from my home studio and still be with my daughter all day.”

Carrie is at work recording voiceovers in her home studio.

Carrie alludes to voiceover work, allowing her “to come out of my shell.” She further explains that the industry served her life goals in every shape, form, and fashion. “And I really have a great agent,” she comments. “So, everything just fell perfectly into place.”

Things falling into place have been occurring for Carrie since 2017. It makes Carrie a rare talent with a girl-next-door style that continues to supply her life with creativity and prosperity. This unique life outclasses a very large percentage of the people who preceded her. So, does beginner’s luck exist? For Carrie Olsen, yes, it does, and yes, it continues to. To sum it up, voiceover was what Carrie was born to do.

Keith Brunson is a professional writer and host of The Voice Choice https://www.thevoicechoice.tv