Recently in Debbie’s Voice
Are You Ready for a Voice-Over Career? A Five Question Quiz
The world of voice-over may be drawing you in with its bright promise of exciting work, big bucks and loads of fame to come. But like any other industry, a voice-over career has a slightly dimmer side that comes with the territory.
If you’re in the midst of making a decision to jump off into the pool of voice-over actors » Continue Reading.
Changes in VO Styles Over the Years: From Big Booming Voice Overs to a More Natural, Conversational Style
Once upon time, the big thing in voice-overs was that big, booming voice – the very polished, voice-over announcer type, with a strong kind of yelling-at-you delivery and feel. People listened. People purchased. That was simply how sales were made.
As times have changed, so have selling strategies. Most folks are no longer apt to listen to the very » Continue Reading.
When You Need More Than Just a Voice-Over Actor
Some seekers of voiceover talent may say they’re looking for a voice-over actor. But what they really need or expect may be someone who is much more than just a voice-over actor. It’s someone who can do double or even triple duty. In addition to playing a variety of roles in front of the microphone, professional voice-over actors often have » Continue Reading.
Looking for Free Voice-Over Talent? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t
While the concept of “free” anything is often attractive, when it comes to using free voice-over talent, the downside risks will usually far outweigh the upside cost savings.
Head into a store, any store, and bring your selected item up to the cashier. Then tell him or her you’d like to have this particular item for free, with the promise of » Continue Reading.
The Most Annoying Speech Patterns You Hear All the Time Now
So, you probably already know about vocal fry, valspeak and uptalk, right? I mean, everyone has heard plenty of examples of those speech patterns that have made perfectly well-educated college grads (mostly female) sound like Kardashian wannabes.
Vocal fry refers to a low, glottal, animal-like sound that speech pathologists consider a vocal disorder.
8 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Halloween
Halloween is the third-biggest party day, the sixth-most popular card-giving day, and totally beats the pants off Valentine’s Day when it comes to candy sales. This ancient celebration has a history that stretches back some 6,000 years, rich with tradition, ghoulish trivia and plenty of candy corn. Check out some other fun and creepy facts about this howling holiday.
6 Reasons People Trust a Female Voice Over Male Voices
The question of hiring a female voice over talent vs. a male voice over talent has pretty much joined the ranks of other age-old debates. The topic has been covered by many, myself included (“Exploring the Decision to Hire Male vs. Female Voice-Over Talent”).
Despite the numerous discussions on the topic over the years, I felt » Continue Reading.
Voiceover Talent Alone Won’t Pay the Bills
Mozart wasn’t born great. And the same holds true for any phenomenal musician, artist, engineer, writer, party clown or voiceover talent you may want to be or hire. While great talent was once thought to be innate, research psychologist Anders Ericsson argues it is something most people can achieve, in just about any area, » Continue Reading.
Is Debbie Grattan the Voice of Ooma?
The Internet can do some pretty strange things. Like cut out in the middle of your favorite Netflix series. Or send your emails off into cyber nowhere land. Or shuttle search traffic to your voiceover talent website when users search for the “voice of Ooma.”
If you’ve landed here searching for the voice of Ooma, you already know what » Continue Reading.
5 Reasons to be Wary of Cheap Voice-Overs
My husband recently took my 11-year-old son to get a new pair of shoes. He just needed some all-purpose, everyday sneakers to wear to school, so they headed to a popular brand name shoe store known for discount prices, hopefully to get a deal around half of what the mall stores would cost. They came home with the same » Continue Reading.