As my voice cracked mid-sentence as a kid, I never thought I would be making a living using my voice. I certainly was
not a singer ! I did try to sing in a band...but I digress.
I knew however that I loved to imitate my favorite cartoon characters, AND I knew I wanted to become a broadcaster.
Well, with all the right courses throughout my career... and no thanks to the school guidance counselors...
I forged my way into producing radio shows and eventually becoming an on-air personality as well!
Living in Montreal helped my get a perfectly bilingual education and hone my skills with several accents, dialect and ....dare i say it ... faux pas! (missteps).
But that is what makes up experience, polishing our skills, carving out bad habits etc... With more specialized training in voice work, acting classes, some theater volunteering...it all seemed to make sense!
When I am asked, what was the decisive moment that triggered my love for voice overs... I have to say, watching The TRANSFORMERS cartoons a s kid!
Since becoming a professional voice talent in Montreal, I have supplied countless voice over jobs throughout the world! Working with studios and artists, comedians, actors and sound engineers that are out of this world ! I would not trade this profession for any other !
The commitment to do this job on a full-time basis was not easy. It took the right guidance from folks like Harland Hogan... courses, workshops, and so much more from the likes of producer / casting director Deb Munro, endless hours or reading books and articles about voice overs (which were not easy to come by pre-internet, you know !)
Among many others, I have been fortunate to voice jobs for Reebok, Ray-Ban, RBC, Disney, EB Games, Toyo Tires, Lasik, Rockwell, Breast Cancer Society, Amarula, Just for Laughs, Mazda, Expedia, Permacon, Tostitos, Hoover... and to be associated with great sports teams like the USL Cometes, The Montreal Impact SC and more recently, the Laval Rocket an AHL Hockey team owned and operated by the Montreal Canadiens !
(See and hear more here)
All this to say, its absolutely TRUE!
I owe my great career to many events gone right and wrong, lots of hard work... but mostly understanding the market (as an entrepreneur) and always keeping an ear to the ground ....with a leg up ready to cross the road for the next gig!
PS :
Would I scare anyone if I told you, auditions were ALL held in studios and in person back then !
In a sense ...Its much easier now, but the competition grows every day. So take the time to invest on yourself, your skills and your business sense, before buying a mic and creating a website!
GRATEFUL.... ALWAYS!
LINKS
www.cnvoiceovers.ca
www.claudiovoiceovers.com
vimeo.com
Since becoming a professional voice talent in Montreal, I have supplied countless voice over jobs throughout the world! Working with studios and artists, comedians, actors and sound engineers that are out of this world ! I would not trade this profession for any other !