The Voiceover Social Podcast

Find out what all the hoo-haa was about in the last episode.   Spoiler alert: we say goodbye to Nic and Leah and welcome our new hosts Rob Bee and Helen Bee from B Double E.   We get a brief introduction to Rob and Helen, and a promise for a fuller intro next month.[...]

Find out what Leah learned on the BBC Radio Drama Company and hear all about Nic's ongoing conquering of the entire world in this quickfire catchup episode! Our Goal Setting Masterclass is on the 5th December 2023! Here's the link (don't forget to use the discount code PLOG5 to get £5 off) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/planet-plan-it-is-back-tickets-756140294977 Also, join[...]

This is one for people who love working in animation AND for people who want an update on the very exciting collaborative episode we’re making with Spotlight in 2023! Book your ticket for our planning party: https://www.gravyforthebrain.com/event/youre-invited-to-a-planning-palooza/ Get your copy of the VO Career Planner: https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ Find out more about Scripts Out Loud: https://scriptsoutloud.com/ Many[...]

Find out about the six big things that Equity needs you to know, Leah's mad news, Nic's thrilling new project, and some VERY dramatic gossip about the future of the podcast... Also, here are some links: PLANNER: Get 10% off your Voiceover Career Planner with the code XMAS10 here: https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ VO SOCIAL NORTH: Here's the[...]

Well howdy pardner! For this episode we’ve got the world’s leading expert on the General American accent to describe its features, talk us through common mistakes people make when learning it and help us figure out how to adjust for age, gender and ethnicity. We also hear from a bunch of fantastic, real-life American voiceovers[...]

Come with us on the trip of a lifetime as we hunt down the New Yorkiest New York accent AND the best pizza in the whole of NYC! We also popped into VOcation to run a workshop and talk on a panel while we were there, so we recorded a bunch of lovely VOs talking[...]

It's the clash of the branding titans! Committed anti-branding cynic Leah goes head to head with branding evangelist Clare... who will win? Will referee Nic Redman's blatant bias sway the match either way? Find out in our first episode back after a summer away... oh how we've missed you!  Also in this episode, a brilliant chat with[...]

In this very quick last hurrah before we disappear for the summer, find out what sort of antics we're planning for later this year, including stuff in AMERICA, another big accent investigation, and a return to an old favourite but with a brand new live element just to keep things spicy... Get your Voiceover Career[...]

All the very best bits of the One Voice Conference in one bumper edition of the VO Social! Get your Voiceover Career Planner here: https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ Speakers Friday Keynote - Dirk Maggs Saturday Keynote - Debbie Arnold Instinctive Audio - Sam Crowther Effort Sounds - D’arcy Smith Emote Strings - Stephane Cornicard Radio Commercials - Jack[...]

MOOO! WOOF! SQUIRK! It’s time for some animal noises! Join us in the Voiceover Zoo to find out why it’s a great idea to practise your donkey impression in the shower AND how to think technically about the things your voice is doing. Get your Voiceover Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ With enormous thanks to: The[...]

Breathing. It's the most basic of all the necessary functions, but if it's even a little bit out of kilter it can have a catastrophic effect on your voice... In this episode we have: Nic chatting to breathworker Hannah Kendaru (https://inspire-breathwork.org/) about why breath awareness can be key to a successful voice career  A whole[...]

Fancy sharpening up your editing game? A bit nervous of all that technical business? Well guess what! We've brought in expert Rob Bee to tell us exactly what we need to know as voiceovers to keep things tight.   Get your Voiceover Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ Find out more about...  Nic's "Ultimate Voice Getaway" Retreat: https://nicolaredman.com/voice-coach/courses-and-retreats/ultimate-voice-getaway-retreat/ [...]

Right then, let’s all cheer ourselves up a bit! After last month delve into some of the worst experiences anyone can have in a booth, it’s time to turn our attention to some of the very BEST. This episode is produced in collaboration with the Talking Creative podcast, and features a live workshop stacked with[...]

A couple of updates from the union about AI and gaming that we couldn't fit into the big episode at the start of the month...  Get your Voiceover Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ Tickets for the workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-direct-and-be-directed-tickets-223282984417 #SendItToShannon: ssailing@equity.org.uk Gaming Agreement: https://www.equity.org.uk/news/2021/december/uks-first-ever-agreement-for-voice-artists-engaged-on-video-game-recordings/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevosocial/message

What do you do when things go wrong? How about when they go really, really wrong?  Find out what YOU can do if you see or experience abuse in any of its hideous forms, plus tales of the worst directorial notes VO Socialites have ever received, and even the odd spot of singing...   Get[...]

Do you want to make this year your best professional year yet? This episode is going to help you do exactly that! Find out how to create great habits that stick, and why everyone's talking about the VO Social's new Voiceover Career Planner... Get your Voiceover Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ Find out more about Dan[...]

Rates. It’s a constant question - are we quoting high enough? Are we quoting TOO high? Will we lose work if we push for usage? How do we convince clients we’re a better prospect than someone off Fiverr who’ll do it on the cheap? Too often, voiceovers feel like they're on the back foot in[...]

Regional accents are every commercial producer’s new best friend lately, so in this episode - recorded live at the One Voice Conference - we look at why showing off your native accent could be the most powerful, career boosting choice you ever make! Get your Voiceover Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ This episode features the superb[...]

Nic goes on and on and ON about lip trills, so in this episode we explain how they fit into the world of SOVT exercises, when to use them, why they work, and why adding a straw into the mix might be just the thing!  Get your Voiceover Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ Enter our competition[...]

As the official podcasters at the One Voice Conference we are delighted to bring you this jam packed hour of highlights, quite a lot of swearing, and all these wonderful people: Keynotes - Rory Bremner and Jess Robinson Continuity - Pete Nottage and Danny Cowan Africa’s VO Industry - Emeka Onunkwo Agents Panel – Natalie[...]

We've done it! We've chosen our top five (with just a few extra ones surreptitiously sneaked in at the end)...  The link to buy them through Blackwells (if you're based in the UK) is https://www.blackwells.co.uk?a_aid=TheVOSocial. Also, huge thanks to our in-house Boltonian Dave, more of him here: www.davejonesVO.com. Dramatic Adventures in Rhetoric, by Giles Taylor[...]

So you probably think the Geordie accent has something to do with the Vikings, right? Well wor lass, you think wrong! Nic’s had a poke around in some serious historical research and has made some very surprising discoveries. Also in this episode –  four voiceovers at Newcastle’s recent VO Social chat about how their accents[...]

Recorded live at the British Podcast Awards; how actors and voiceovers can deal with the dreaded brain lurgy #begreatnotperfect Get your Voiceover Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ Listen to our friend Nat's podcast at https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/ Get 15% off your Studiobricks booth with the secret password "VO SOCIAL POD CATS" at https://www.acousticabins.com/vocal-booths-studiobricks-vo-edition/ Theme tune written and performed[...]

Less than a year after our enormous investigation into the AI invasion, we are back to report on its first big battleground. A VO in Canada is suing social media giant TikTok over the alleged theft of her voice, and as she womans the barricades, we take a second look at how the UK government[...]

At the risk of turning all Pop Will Eat Itself, we've decided to share the award entry that got us nominated for Best Business Podcast in the British Podcast Awards 2021! (And if you’re wondering where the AI update is that we promised you, it’s coming on the 1st July).  Big thanks to VO Socialites[...]

Podcasts are a relatively new avenue of work for voiceovers, which sounds exciting but can also be a bit infuriating - in this episode we take a look at what sort of jobs are available, as well as the HUGE inconsistencies in rates. Also, find out what happens when we challenge a podcast branding specialist[...]

Get ready to go into battle with the algorithm! Join us for a big chat about how to conquer social media without being annoying.  Get your Voiceover Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ This episode is the third and final instalment in the Shine Online With the VO Social series, and it's sponsored by Black Cat Music[...]

We've somehow managed to make an episode about SEO that isn't boring!   In the second part of our "Shine Online With The Voiceover Social" series, we wheedle recent search terms out of producers from animation, commercials, audio drama, IVR and gaming, find out from branding and web design expert Helen Bee exactly how to make[...]

If a casting director was looking for your exact voice, right now, how easy are you making it for them to find you? Leah's been dabbling in a spot of casting lately and was so horrified by what she found she's turning the experience into a whole three part series. We won’t let our beloved[...]

This rummage around in the world of commercial demos was recorded live with an audience of pro VOs, and features: An interview with expert commercial demo producer Martin Fisher from SonicPond  Sample demos by Sarah Paul and Mark Oxtoby  Competitive performances by Elizabeth Price, Natalie Chisholm, Alice King, Natalie Winter, James Brown and Dave Jones[...]

Peaky Blinders may have gone some way towards helping the magical Birmingham accent out of the pit of scorn it's been abandoned in for decades, but many Brits still confidently pick it as their least favourite, without necessarily knowing why. WE know why, though, thanks to the extremely well informed and universally respected linguist David[...]

Snogging the back of your hand is one way to do it, but sound designer Eloise Whitmore from Naked Productions says if you want intense and honest intimacy in audio drama, there are a lot more things to think about... Pack your Fairy Liquid and your baking trays, VO Socialites, we're going on an adventure![...]

Astonishingly, the actual King and Queen of voice teaching have been listening to the The Voiceover Social and like it so much they asked us to be guests on their podcast! What a lovely surprise! Anyway, we had such a nice time appearing on This Is A Voice that we thought we'd share a little[...]

Sure, you THINK you know what RP is, but do you? Do you REALLY? In this episode we ask the most marvellous linguist in all of the land to tell us where it came from, and how it’s progressed through the ages. We also had a brilliant response to our call for your RP samples,[...]

Five years after the VO Social’s innocuous start as an audio invitation to the pub, it’s now become a thriving monstrosity featuring award nominations, regular involvement from our talented listeners, and – VERY EXCITINGLY - a treasured collection of hand picked sponsors! In this episode, find out exactly how we convinced them to get involved.[...]

At some point you might have to scream as part of your voiceover work, and the very idea that you might not have warmed up properly is filling us with a cold dread, so we've talked to the lead singer of the metal band Impavidus about how screaming and growling can be a safe, expressive[...]

A collection of some of the best bits of the VO Social podcast's lesser known episodes, in case you've missed them. Also, while you're here... get your Voiceover Career Planner at https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ ! The Cocktail Party 29 - The Continuity Announcer 27 - The Promo Voiceover 25 - Doc Brown 23 - The Puppeteer 22[...]

We decided it was about time animators and voiceovers got to know each other a bit better, so we joined forces with the world famous Manchester Animation Festival to put everyone in the same room! In this episode: Animation Director Kitty Taylor (Charlie and Lola, Dennis and Gnasher, Tree Fu Tom etc) helps us figure[...]

There's been quite a bit of good news around recently, (90% effective vaccine! All the other stuff!) so we thought we'd celebrate by bringing you this previously unheard, teeny-tiny clip of Mr BBC Radio 4, Zeb Soanes. We spoke to him back in May for Episode 29. The Continuity Announcer, but saved a few minutes[...]

Learning gender-switching techniques for your audiobook characters or animation work is one thing – but what about when the character is you, the audiobook is your life and people can’t hear you properly without the techniques? In this episode we talk to delightful Trans creative Kate O Donnell about her relationship with her voice, and[...]

Our Nic doesn't hold back in this handy bonus episode... find out what her most challenging job has been to date, whether she's ever turned down a client, and what "do your research" ACTUALLY means.  Get your VO Career Planner here! https://thevosocial.myshopify.com/ Theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license.[...]

If you’re from the North West of England or thereabouts you’ll probably already know about Buzz Hawkins; his series, The Bradshaws, is a cultural beacon for Northerners wherever they live in the world.  He's got some highly useful things to say about finding and developing characters that can be sustained over three decades and 700+[...]

Expert gaming voice director Kirsty Gillmore explains How To Get More Work In Gaming in front of a live zoom audience! Includes: What to put on your demo Where to find work  How to submit an audition that gets you the job A couple of highly revealing anecdotes from Nic and Leah that possibly should[...]

Things are much less gloom and significantly less doom than we thought! Listen to this episode and be filled with the golden glow of optimism.   Huge thanks to Natalie Winter, Dave Jones, Sara Starling, Mark Ryes, Marcus Hutton, Katy Maw & Hugh Edwards for your contributions. To everyone else - we really appreciate you getting[...]

They say “But AI sounds so robotic!” Then they say “There’s no expression! No emotion!” And then they conclude “It will never take over from a real human.” But they are wrong. In the latest episode of the Voiceover Social, we hear from the company that created "Faith, The First AI That Can Cry" and[...]

Voiceovers of the world who are thinking of starting a podcast! Here’s a very brief overview of some of the things that have worked for us, pitfalls to avoid, and recommendations for a couple of creative shows already being made by our fellow VOs. Note: There are two separate incidences of the word "w*nker" in[...]

Sure, we’ve all got lovely voices – but imagine if your voice was EXTRAORDINARY. What if every time you spoke, people properly paid attention? What if really, truly, no one else could do what you do? For this episode, we have a lovely chat with Ralph Ineson and Krystal Dockery about how their lives and[...]

The One Voice organisers call us up to report some serious shuffling of the diversity deck for One Voice USA since we had a big chat about it in episode 30. Also, since it turns out everyone spent the 90s watching Eurotrash in their bedrooms with the volume turned right down, you'll be glad to[...]

Come with us behind the scenes at One Voice 2020! We’re bringing you a rather frank chat with the organisers about the tribulations involved in shifting the entire thing online, their response to concerns that there wasn’t enough diversity among conference speakers and some ground-shaking predictions about MASSIVE changes in the VO industry. We’ve also[...]

We're having a bit of a soirée round at ours, so fling on your best outfit, grab a nice drink and marvel at the extraordinary voiceover party tricks our talented listeners have sent in.  With immense thanks to:  Chris Clarkson, Emma Stannard, Kenny Blyth, Liz Drury, Marni Penning Coleman, Sara Starling, Simon Jackson and Simon[...]

And now on The Voiceover Social… Some of Britain’s most recognisable continuity voices (including the ultimate reassurance-delivery-system Zeb Soanes) tell their tales of high drama and general catastrophe. Also, in the Panic Room - Nic lays out how to use breath control to organise your shattered nerves. Infinite thanks to Philip Banks, Amanda Carlton, Trish[...]

Here it is! The breakdown of the Mid-Atlantic accent we've been promising you for MONTHS. We have nailed down exactly what the term used to mean versus what it means now, as well as how to do it - and why it might be time to consider adding it to your repertoire. Huge thanks to[...]

Leah made an appearance on the very funny podcast Drunk Women Solving Crime earlier this year, so we've nicked the clip of four comedians solving the mystery of her missing car to play to you. Other mysteries dealt with in this bonus episode; the curious disappearance of Leah's Manchester accent, and Nic on the difference[...]

One of the most famous promo voices in America lives in a tiny Scottish seaside village, an hour and a half north of Aberdeen. We went to see him to find out what life is like if 30 million people hear your voice every day – but none of them knows your name (it’s Philip[...]

Coco Mbassi is a VO from London, but is originally from France and has lived in Cameroon... niche, you might think. But her story will be disconcertingly familiar to any non-native voiceover... how do you get out of that pigeonhole - and do you even want to?  If you have something to add to this[...]

Are all Americans voiceovers these days? Does being British there make it easier or harder to make a living? And what the bejinkers is a Mid Atlantic accent anyway?!  The VO School podcast host (and indisputable Brit) Jamie Muffett joins us from his US studio to answer all our questions  In the Panic Room... How[...]

If you're an actor who's expanded from in-vision performance to voiceover, there are plenty of pickles you can get yourself into. You might have found yourself projecting so hard your mic is popping all over the place, or maybe you're phenomenal off book but your sight reading lets you down. In this bonus episode, Nic[...]

Doc Brown (AKA Ben Bailey Smith) is famous for being a rapper, comedian and actor among plenty of other things - but what many people don’t realise is that he’s also been working as a voiceover this whole time! In this extended episode (in honour of the arrival of 2020), we cover racism, classism, feminism[...]

We've tracked him down! In our Child Voiceovers episode, Tracy Nampala (animation casting director) mentioned Louis Ashbourne-Serkis' extraordinary performance as Noddy, Toyland Detective (season 1), so we thought he'd be the perfect person to talk to about what being a CVO is actually like. Lucky for us, despite recently starring in The Kid Who Would[...]

Ever wondered what being a child voiceover’s like? The kindly and wonderful animation director Tracy Nampala (Noddy, School of Roars, Ricky Zoom) shares how she gets the best out of the children she casts and top children’s casting site coordinator Joanne Lamb reveals the worst practice she’s seen from some surprisingly crap producers. Also -[...]

Once upon a time, there was a three year old who was puppet MAD. Warrick Brownlow-Pike watched them, drew them, made them, moved them and gave them great big muppety voices. Now he's a grown up major-league puppeting superstar - Gonger on Sesame Street, Dodge the Dog on the BBC, and The Chamberlain in Netflix’s[...]

Our Leah was nominated for two VOX awards this year, but did she win them? Does it even matter? What’s the difference between awards in the UK and the US? And what if you have to pay to enter? Does that make it worth less? We bring you all the answers - or at least[...]

We’ve cornered studio engineers Tom Rowbotham, Kirsty Gillmore, Rob Bee and Rich O Donoghue and asked them what on earth they're twiddling with. Featuring: A fancy new(ish) way to get rid of mouth clicks Ten things you really need to know about studio etiquette Some truly heartwrenching answers to the question "What's been your most[...]

Ladies and Gentlemen, this episode is about to begin! VOG specialists Katie Flamman and Lorraine Ansell tell us everything they know about getting the sound exactly right, Nic tackles a mysterious squeak in the Panic Room, and Equity's Audio Committee makes a big announcement! Got a voice question? Send it to the Panic Room using[...]

We’ve dragged ourselves out of a sluggish 38 celsius funk to bring you the sparklingly musical (and non-musical too) impressionist Jess Robinson.  In this episode, Jess reveals who has the trickiest of all the voices to get right as well as which ones do her the most damage, and in the Panic Room - ARG[...]

Did you know there are VO Socials across the UK? Join us on a whistlestop tour round three of them – Bristol, Scotland and Hull - for advice on tricky clients, VO horror stories, and a surprising amount of nudity…  Get involved in real life:  NEWCASTLE 5th August at the Town Wall opposite Central Station[...]

EXPLICIT CONTENT! Be warned. This interview with radio commercial producer Adders from LBS has absolutely zero bleeps in it. That’s despite it containing an extraordinary, previously unbroadcast recording of one of voiceover’s most famous mavericks raunching up a car dealership, and TWO whole OTHER swear words as WELL. If you feel you can manage all[...]

   It’s the One Voice Conference 2019 in podcast form! Featuring keynote speaker Hugh Bonneville, voiceovers from all over the world, and the Northern winners from the One Voice Awards. Don’t forget to leave a review, and send your questions to our brand new Panic Room by clicking on the "Send Voice Message" link below[...]

 It’s a bonus episode! Join Nic, Leah, Paul Brown and special guest Natalie Silverman for a quick jaunt back in time to find out if things really were better in the olden days of commercial voiceover. Plus, find out how YOU could be the proud owner of the preposterous number plate A1 MVO!  Also, the[...]

Paul Brown is one of the most well known radio commercial voices in the UK. He’s been at it since the 70s, and now works from his home studio near Macclesfield for a floor-moppingly long list of huge name clients. We popped round his gaff to find out what he knows, and have a nosey[...]

This time around,  we have an avant-garde bash at getting the levels right and then expert In-Store Radio producer Toby Huggins from KVH Media takes us on a trip all over this under-lauded industry. He also reveals the details of a party he's planning in the aisles of a high street store near you, AND[...]

In this episode we chat to Judith from Manchester/London voice agency The Voiceover Gallery about how being based up North makes a difference, current casting trends, and what to do if your client's "being a nob". There's an absolutely lovely chap featured in Show Offs Corner, and Nic tells you how to get tickets for[...]

The North played a blinder at the VOX awards 2018, with a load of nominations and an outstanding TWO wins by Cumbrian lad Jack Oddie, so we called him up to get his perspective on regional accents taking over the commercial mainstream. Also in this episode, Manchester based video production company Bearded Fellows smash through[...]

Boz talks in this bonus episode about casting, music, sound design, authenticity and purpose in Holy Mountain's "Billie Homeless Dies At The End", "Saving The Blue", "Hay El Matar" (back on BBC Radio 4 from November 19th) and "The Good Listener" (which is being repeated on BBC Radio 4 on 12th September 2018)  Episode 14[...]

Here, have an interview with the man from Holy Mountain; Leah's favourite creator and award winning, industry disrupting megatron, Boz Temple Morris. The most Northern of our VO Social attendees features in Show Offs' Corner, and there's a clip of one of the Guardian's "Best Shows To See" at the Edinburgh Festival at the very[...]

This VO Social meets… episode features major UK animation casting and voice director Dave Peacock (who says some frankly astonishing things), a bag of shiny voxes from the One Voice Conference 2018 AND we introduce our new segment, Show Offs Corner. Send VO related MP3s of stuff you’re proud of to vosocialnorth@gmail.com, also email us[...]

In this episode, we meet extraordinary Manchester based sound designer Eloise Whitmore, find out what a half decent radio drama actor sounds like, learn what the future holds for our ears, and Leah says two things she probably shouldn't. ALSO, we announce some HUGE NEWS for the social on the 10th March! We don't say[...]

In this aggressively festive episode, Leah and Nic explain exactly what's expected of the next social's attendees, and award winning audiobook reader Dave Thorpe tells Plog what's what when it comes to reading those audiobooks. Email vosocialnorth@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list, and follow us on Twitter @VOSocialNorth. Ho ho ho! --- Send[...]

In this Plog Meets... episode we journey out to a little stone cottage in the countryside to chat to our Melissa Sinden Gray... She's been a pro voiceover and a radio drama regular for ages and has some extremely interesting things to say about all of that. Sign up(if you haven't already) for more interviews[...]

The 8th edition of the ever popular VO Social North PLOG. This month we brag unabashedly about the excellently talented people who come to hang out with us at our voiceover social meet up in Manchester. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevosocial/message

To celebrate April Fool's Day, we've compiled ludicrous voiceover stories from the professionals that attend our socials. Also featuring a coordinated attack by the swarming street sweepers of Salford. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevosocial/message

The talented and well established voiceover industry folk who come to our dos share the most useful secret tip they're prepared to give away. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevosocial/message

Find out all about the astonishing shenanigans Nic got up to when she turned one, feel the birthday love in stereo and open your special birthday present from us. All in under two minutes. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevosocial/message

We take a stroll through the grimiest bit of Manchester's Northern Quarter and talk about how nice it's going to be when we all see each other at Mr Thomas' Chop House. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevosocial/message

...also pingpong. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevosocial/message

The first ever social went so well we're going to do it again! So we go for a walk in the wind to discuss why and how, also when, although not where. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thevosocial/message

Nic is a voiceover and vocal coach, Leah is a voiceover and radio person. We met on the internet over a wayward apostrophe, accidentally both moved to Salford and then set up a thriving social for voiceovers across the North of England. This is the first episode of the podcast we make to promote it.[...]