Here at The Voice Finder, we don’t want to just prattle on about ourselves, our lives, and our own experiences.
“BORING, GRANDAD. GET STUFFED.”
We can literally hear you shout that from across the room. It’s ok, we get it.
That’s why we are catching up with some of our favourite people from around the Voiceover world to learn a little more about what’s going on, and to get some insights into some areas you might not have given much thought.
First up, the wonderfully human, Jane, over at Granite Creative Productions!
TVF: Who are you?
Jane: We’re Granite Creative Productions. A small creative house focusing on radio commercial production for local, regional and national advertisers. We worked in Manchester and Birmingham for many years before setting up Granite. Stuart is the ideas man and writer while I, Jane, head up all the production elements. We see ourselves as a friendly, modern thinking company that offers our clients effective ways to stand out on radio. We refuse and have turned down selling cheesy ads. Oh and we’re pet friendly and huge fans of cake!
TVF: What is your process when choosing a VO?
Jane: I’ve been in the industry for many years and I know a lot of the VOs on the circuit. New ones I come across either from The Voice Finder, through them contacting me, or through word of mouth. We work a lot with agencies so often the client is sent 3 VOs to choose from. As a company we prefer more natural conversational VOs – they fit in with the no cheesy radio commercials that we produce.
TVF: What makes you want to work with a VO?
Jane: They must have good availability, be ON TIME for a session, see me as a colleague and therefore want to chat and build up a good relationship. They should have an ISDN connection ideally, if not, they should be willing to have me listen in on the phone.
TVF: Why do you prefer ISDN over some of the newer connection methods, like Source Connect?
Jane: We’re based in the middle of the countryside and therefore broadband can be a bit poor at times. The idea of Source Connect and Ipdtl are interesting but as a business we need to look into the set up more as my machine in particular is focused for Protools with ISDN. I don’t mind WAV / MP3 providing it’s left totally raw and unedited by the VO artist.
TVF: What can Voiceover Artists do to help make your life easier?
Jane: Don’t send availability emails and certainly don’t just add me onto their mailing list. Send unavailability emails. I expect you to be voicing as that is or meant to be your day job. Have up to date showreels that are good and DOWNLOADABLE. As I said we work for various agencies and quite often have no direct contact with the client. We send 3 vo showreels that we feel fit the script. Know your station lists and pricing as well – I understand there have been so many changes to station names, etc., but you should have all the information on your equity pay.
TVF: Why social media is so important for Voiceover artists?
Jane: It’s a massive platform that everyone needs to be using even if you don’t like it. It gives us an opportunity to show what we do and build a sense of community within the industry. It keeps us as a production company up to date in an instant, and humanises our business.
TVF: Any last thoughts before we let you get on with your day? Y’know, your Jerry Springer moment.
Jane: We work in a industry that is very isolated in our studios, under the stairs, spare rooms, etc., and it’s just nice to be nice. Don’t see producers just as a tool for your working life. The more relaxed you are the better your voice will come across. This probably explains why I always try to chat before hitting the record button. Don’t worry about pick up’s and stopping for a sip of water, or tripping over that one stupid word. What we do is not a matter of life or death, so enjoy it.
A huge thank you to Jane from Granite Creative Productions for her time on this interview, and you can check out some of her other top tips here.
Keep your eyes peeled on The Voice Finder for more insightful interviews over the coming weeks.
Share :
