Maria Pendolino

Diverse Gen Z Voiceover Talents

August 30, 2023 by Maria Pendolino

Wondering Why Hiring Diverse Gen Z Voiceover Talents For Your Political Spots Is Important?

Let’s See Who Gen Z Is And What They Care About!

Diverse Voiceover Talent! But, Who Is Gen Z?

Born between the 1990’s and 2010s and coming after the Millennial generation and before Generation Alpha, Generation Z (also known as Gen Z) has become an influential demographic in the political landscape of the United States. Gen Z is considered to be one of the most diverse generations in US history, largely due to increased immigration and increased birth rates among non-majority groups. A Gallup survey noted that about 21% of Gen Z’ers who have reached adulthood identify as LGBT.

What Matters to Gen Z?

Andre Santana image for diverse gen z voiceover talents article — André Santana, Hispanic & Latino Bilingual Voiceover

An estimated 24 million Gen Zers were eligible to vote in 2020, making up 10% of the total voting population. An article by The Hill attributes the strong young voter turnout to a number of factors that include “racial injustice, global climate change, and voter suppression, as well as increased efforts by educators to reach students and connect them to the issues and to voting resources.” The Gen Z voter turnout will only continue to grow with coming elections.

As the most racially and ethnically diverse voters, Gen Z has shown over the past few elections to favor progressive policies and candidates, including Democratic positions on topics such as abortion and reproductive justice, and inclusion. Having grown up with limitless access to information and news through social media and the internet, Gen Z has developed a heightened sense of social responsibility and concern about issues such as climate change, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ rights. It will be critical to understand and address the key issues that matter to Gen Z who not only care about societal and cultural issues but are engaged and want to see change happen.

Authenticity in Social Media Captures Gen Z Votes

By 2028, Gen Z and Millennials will make up the largest voting demographic, with Gen Z becoming the voting majority in the next five or so years. As Gen Z continues to become a strong voting demographic, it will be important for candidates to reach this younger audience through non-terrestrial media channels such as TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube with compelling campaigns, messaging, and positioning in order to secure the Gen Z votes not only in the near future but over their lifetime.

As the generation that has grown up deeply surrounded by technology, social media, and the internet, Gen Z are often referred to as “digital natives,” easily navigating digital platforms and online communications, and becoming early adopters of new apps and social media trends.

An estim

ated 60% of Gen Z voters leaned Democrat compared to 33% who leaned Republican, highlighting a generational divide in political ideologies as compared to previous generations. According to this article, Gen Z’s voting influence led to Democratic victories in battleground statewide contests, secured majority seats in the United States Senate, and President Biden’s 2020 victory.

For progressive and Democratic candidates, this momentum offers an opportunity to secure long-term support and a strong voter base for years to come from Gen Z. Actively engaging with this population and advocating for policies that align with their values while effectively communicating stances on issues that resonate with this population will make the difference in future election cycles. Gen Z is known for valuing authenticity in all aspects, including content they consume.

Work with Diverse Gen Z Voiceover Talent for Your Next Campaign

Amplifying this message by working with a Gen Z voiceover actor who is a part of this target audience establishes credibility and builds trust in campaigns and television or radio spots. When it comes to campaign content, working with Gen Z voiceover actors who can convey genuine emotions, relatability, and sincere passion for a range of social issues that are important to this audience can enhance your campaign’s impact.

With Gen Z at the forefront of the latest trends, memes, and cultural references, the professional Gen Z voiceover artists at Blue Wave Voiceover understand and incorporate these elements to add relevance and connect with this influential audience.

The wide range of Diverse Gen Z Voiceover Talents at Blue Wave Voiceover includes a diverse group of male, female, and non-binary professionals ensuring that your campaign has the authenticity that this demographic wants. Explore demos or request samples from the experienced roster of talent including, but not limited to, Allegra Verlezza, Cherie B. Tay, Sura Siu, Javier Prusky, and André Santana.

Immigrant Heritage Month

June 24, 2023 by Maria Pendolino

Immigrant Heritage Month is an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions and impact of the diverse immigrant community in the United States on our society, economy, and culture. According to a Pew Research Report , more than 23 million immigrants in the United States were eligible to vote in the 2020 elections, representing a large and diverse voter base that continues to grow each year. In addition, a report from the National Partnership for New Americans noted that there are more than 5 million naturalized citizens–many of whom became naturalized in response to Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric–representing African, Latin American, Caribbean, Asian, and Pacific Islander countries.

It is critical to reach and connect with this voter base, who play an important role in shaping the local, state, and national political landscape, through all media channels including radio and television. In order to reach and connect with the growing voter base of immigrants and naturalized citizens, campaigns should reflect the diversity of this community. Working with a diverse roster of talent like the voiceover artists at Blue Wave Voiceover to reflect the diversity of target audiences can increase the impact and efficacy of campaign messaging. Voiceover artists who can accurately embody different dialects, accents, and languages offer an opportunity to amplify the voices of the very audiences a campaign is looking to reach. Involving professional voiceover artists gives credibility to campaigns by bringing cultural insights, authenticity, and genuine representation.

By incorporating the appropriate intonation, tone, and emotion, professional voiceover actors add authenticity and build trust with target audiences. They can communicate the complexities, struggles, and triumphs of the immigrant community to create an emotional connection and invite empathy and understanding. Hearing authentic voices that reflect their own experiences can help immigrant communities feel seen, heard, and validated, leading to greater engagement during election season. Professional voiceover artists can evoke emotions and connect audiences to the struggles, dreams, and triumphs of the immigrant community, creating an emotional connection that can inspire people to take action, especially on behalf of policy issues that impact the immigrant community.

Immigrant Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the vibrant cultural heritage and contributions of immigrants to the United States. It’s also a time to acknowledge the increasing political engagement of the immigrant community and the impact that voiceovers have in amplifying their voices and keeping them informed during the campaign and election season.

Voiceover for Podcasts

June 13, 2023 by Maria Pendolino

Podcasts are a quickly growing channel with at least 3 million podcasts and 154 million episodes worldwide. As a powerful way to increase an audience base and promote a company’s brand, a high-quality listening experience paired with compelling content can help your podcast stand out from the crowd. Working with a professional voiceover artist to serve as your podcast host adds a level of professionalism whether your podcast is a branded or corporate podcast, sponsored podcast, or short series promotional podcast. Voiceover for podcasts are becoming more popular every day, lets explore why.

While many people are eager to get a podcast off the ground, they may not bring the skills and experience needed to effectively communicate with an audience and capture their attention. A professional voiceover talent can bring their training and experience in vocal performance and even audio production to add polish and professionalism no matter the tone or style of podcast you’re looking to achieve.

Turning Podcasts Into an Experience

A professional voiceover talent knows the exact combination of tone, cadence, pitch, and articulation to not only capture the listener’s attention but also keep them engaged throughout the podcast episode. Whether it’s a corporate podcast looking to share serious business information or a branded podcast targeting a specific audience, working with a voice actor ensures that the podcast hits the mark and sounds natural and conversational so that it creates an enjoyable listening experience and gets the listeners you’re looking to reach.

Voice actors can also ensure that a high level of professionalism is incorporated into every podcast, including those addressing sensitive topics or controversial discussions. They can maintain a balanced and thoughtful approach to keep audiences engaged and, in some cases, offer a moment of reflection and a different perspective or point of view.

Bringing a Script to Life With a Voiceover Artist

Having a script or a general outline is an important element of podcasts. Voiceover artists can take a script and deliver a recording that sounds effortless and non-scripted. Whether as a host or a character in an audio drama, the professionalism and experience in script interpretation that they bring ensures that podcast scripts don’t sound like the reading of the phone book. Instead, a voice actor can take any script and turn it into lively and engaging audio content that helps listeners feel connected to the podcast hosts and discussions.

Voice actors also know how to improvise and ad-lib so that organic conversation can flow naturally, especially in podcasts where the hosts are interviewing subject matter experts. They know how to navigate spontaneous moments and ensure the podcast continues to stay relevant and engaging for the listener rather than sounding like a completely off-tangent thought that distracts from the main conversation or topic at hand.

Podcasting, Voiceover and the Professional Audio Production

The roster of talent at Blue Wave Voiceover all have access to studio-quality professional recording equipment including microphones, audio editing software, and even at-home studios. Our professional voiceover actors are highly knowledgeable and trained in microphone techniques, acoustics, audio editing, and bring not only the voice acting skills but also the technical skills to create a high-quality audio.

By streamlining the recording experience, you can avoid the separate costs of booking the talent, the studios, and post-production time. Working with a professional voice actor means that you don’t need to juggle the different elements of scheduling, budgeting, and managing a traditional studio recording. You’ll receive an all-in-one experience with faster turnaround times.

On Time, Every Time – Podcasting With Intent

Consistency is key. By building a consistent posting schedule, podcasts build trust with their listeners who may be anticipating a new episode. Our professional voice actors know the importance of meeting deadlines so that content is recorded and delivered in time for the next episode release.

Bringing in a professional voiceover talent can get your podcast launched and off to a strong start. When you work with the roster of professional voice actors at Blue Wave Voiceover, you’re guaranteed a professional and polished tone right from the start while combining the pre-production and post-production work into an all-in-one service.

AI vs. Human Voiceover

April 19, 2023 by Maria Pendolino

The use of AI isn’t new for any of us. Artificial Intelligence, or “AI” is used in voice recognition systems like Siri and Alexa and powers recommendation engines for Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok to suggest content we might like. Latest news about ChatGPT showcases how AI technology is being used to generate everything from to-do lists, travel itineraries, code and emails to messages on dating apps. On the other side, there’s AI Suit Up: an AI-powered photography that promise high quality professional headshots without needing to physically step foot in a photography studio. Therefore, it’s no surprise that AI has been used to generate text to speech voiceovers with the promise of human-like emotion. Let’s chat about AI vs. Human Voiceover.

AI voiceover generators promise quick, scalable options that can deliver the nuances of a human voice. But, many of these AI voiceover engines may not capture the depth and emotion to meaningfully connect with audiences. And with the barrage of messages folks receive today, the general public is getting VERY good at recognizing when a voice is not authentic. Just think about how you behave when you scream “REPRESENTATIVE” at your financial institution’s helpful phone system!

AI Voiceover Generators vs. Authentic Human Voiceover Actors

Working with a professional voiceover actor means working with someone who is dedicated to their craft and will work with you to deliver just the right tone and emotion to convey your message. This allows your message to resonate with audiences you’re looking to reach. You won’t need to listen for the emotion or wonder if the file sounds “human enough” especially when speaking about sensitive topics or messages that require a high level of care and nuance. The talent at Blue Wave Voiceover genuinely wants to get the right take and right delivery to help support your cause. We do this work because we want to voice content to elevate campaigns, organizations, and candidates that we actually care about!

You’ll have someone you can provide direction and feedback to so that you achieve exactly what you need in your audio–something that AI can’t offer due to its unpredictability and inconsistency.

Why Should You Use Professional Voiceover Actors Over AI Voiceover Generators?

When working with AI voice over software, it’s hard to answer the question of who you’re working with, but you’ll know exactly who you’re working with when you hire one of the talents who are a part of Blue Wave Voiceover. If you’re looking for a particular voice to reach a particular audience, you’re sure to find that voice represented at among our roster. Our collective of voiceover actors mirror the diversity of America today so that the audiences you’re trying to reach hear themselves authentically reflected in your message.

Blue Wave Voiceover offers a variety of genuine authentic voices that are real and reflect diversity in ethnicity, gender, and age. We know that the modern media buyer would need diversity in ages (Millennials, Gen X-ers, Baby Boomers/Seniors), multicultural voices (including Asian-American and Pacific Islander, African American, and Hispanic bilingual voices), and gender (including male, female, transgender and gender nonconforming).

Cheap Software Can Ruin A Spot

If you’re spending a chunk of change on your media buy, as well as the firm you hired to execute your digital strategy – don’t opt for cheap artificial voice software instead of an authentic human performer, just to save a few bucks. Our voiceover actors offer fair and flexible budgets – we understand that a spot that is only running in Montana won’t command the same rate as a spot running in the New York tri-state region. We work hard to make sure all of our clients and customers across the world can afford to utilize authentic, diverse, professional voiceover artists for their creative. You might think you’re saving a quick buck by utilizing an AI voice generating engine. AI is great at a lot of things when it comes to saving time or aggregating data – but it can’t truly bring the emotion of America to life with all of the inflection, nuance, and importance that your content deserves.

So, why waste the money on a software engine you probably can’t take to air? Chances are? You’ll listen to the final product and realize there IS value in human creativity and you’ll want to hire a professional actor to bring your copy to life in a way a piece of software never can.

Work With A Trained Professional Voiceover Performer

When you work with a dedicated and trained voiceover actor, such as the professionals from Blue Wave Voiceover, you’re working with someone–an actual person–who is dedicated to serving and supporting your cause and mission. The full-time political voiceover actors on our roster are committed to supporting mission-driven groups, non-profit organizations, and Democratic and progressive candidates for office because they believe in ushering a Blue Wave each election season.

Celebrating The New Disabled Voice Actors Database

January 26, 2023 by Maria Pendolino

Here at Blue Wave Voiceover, we are committed to presenting voices that look and sound like America. We’re proud to feature talented voice actors on our roster that span the generations and come from diverse backgrounds. When we talk about access and authenticity as a country, one thing that is frequently left out of that conversation is Accessibility for disabled people. Many advocates have emphasized the importance of explicitly including accessibility in these conversations to ensure a more comprehensive and meaningful commitment to supporting disabled folks in the workforce, media landscape, and beyond.

To that end, we’re proud to be a partner and champion of a new resource for both voice actors and voice seekers in our little production universe here.

Introducing The Disabled Voice Actors Database

On December 3, 2022, in honor of the International Day of Persons With Disabilities, voice actor and Blue Wave Voiceover collective member Maria Pendolino supported the launch of The Disabled Voice Actors Database. This database serves as a central dashboard that empowers casting directors and other voice-seeking industry professionals to source high-quality, talented voice actors who also happen to be disabled.

This database is important for a number of reasons. Studies have shown that people living with a disability still make less money and have higher unemployment rates. Even with its digital embellishment, the society we live and work in leaves little room for any interpretation that isn’t physically or mentally “able-bodied”.

Unfortunately, this is a theme that continues throughout the world of entertainment, including voice over acting. Although the industry may often cite inclusivity and progressinve-ness as values, so often disabled voice actors are looked over for parts — even when these parts involve the portrayal of a disabled character!

A New Beginning for An Important Disability & Accessibility Resource

Maria and The Disabled Voice Actors Database founder Nick Germain made it their mission to make sure that there would never be another easy excuse to pass over disabled voice talent. Inspired by similar databases serving the LGBTQIA+ community (QueerVox) and People of Global Majority (aka BIPOC/POC) (PGM VO List), they created Version 2.0 of The Disabled Voice Actors Database.

Like so many good ideas, the database started as a Google Sheet, but it wasn’t long before it outgrew those rows and columns. The Disabled Voice Actors Database 2.0 exists as a sophisticated AirTable that is free to join and only visible to vetted voice seekers. Other voice actors that were instrumental in making the Database come to life were Satauna Howery, Tony Jackson, Tyler Berman and Lindsay Sheppard — a hard working team of volunteer steering committee members.

Steering committee member Tyler Berman said “To accurately cast and give voiceover talent a chance to go out for both disabled (and more importantly) typical characters is why I feel this will help break the stigma of voiceover actors with disabilities only being able to voice disabled characters. You see on-screen actors with disabilities perform both types of characters all the time so why not voice over actors? You only hear their voice and the voice actor could be very capable for the role.”

How To Search For Talent With The Database

In order to protect the privacy and well-being of the voice actors in the database, The Disabled Voice Actors Database is only visible to vetted individuals. In order to pass the vetting process, an applicant must be in a position to seek out and hire voice talent, and must also be willing to provide a fair wage and humane and reasonable work process, which may need to include accommodations.

It’s easy to request to be vetted — simply visit www.disabledvoiceactors.com and follow the button labeled “Voice Seeker Access Request”. Once we’ve done our due diligence we’ll send you your login credentials along with a short tutorial on how to best use the database.

How To Join The Database As A Disabled Voice Actor

In order to make sure our database helps as many voice actors as possible, we’ve made it free to add your name. The only stipulation is that if you’re under 18, you’ll need to ask your parent or legal guardian to add you to the database.

If you have any questions or comments about this new endeavor, The Disabled Voice Actors Database volunteer steering committee would love to hear from you at disabledvoiceactors@gmail.com.

Why HR Is An Important Part of Running a Successful Media Company

January 25, 2023 by Maria Pendolino

If your lifelong dream has always been to run a successful media company – like producing commercials, working with voiceover artists and actors, then chances are that you didn’t lay awake at night dreaming about processing payroll and running exit interviews. Dealing with all of the nuance that comes with running a business and employing people isn’t sexy – but it’s critically important. And it can be very expensive – and even legally daunting – if you get it wrong.

Now, don’t get us wrong — we’re not saying that HR and People Ops isn’t a noble profession. It’s just not always the first thing that people think of when they imagine a future where they’re coordinating big-name TV commercials, being on an international film set, and drafting television ad copy for a Superbowl Spot.

But guess what — HR is an important part of every field, including showbiz. Yup, it’s HR’s world out there, and we’re just living in it.

Why is HR an Important Part of Running a Media Company?

Human Resources (HR) is a critical and important part of running a media company. We often like to think of creative services as being their own world. As much as this may be true — trust me when I say that things can get weird in this industry — at the end of the day, it’s a business like anything else. Yes, we get the privilege of working in a field where we can express ourselves and take creative liberty, but at the end of the day we still have to do what every other business does, like pay taxes and follow labor laws.

So where does HR come into the mix? Someone smart and old once said, “no man is an island”. We would have to agree (though we’d also, politely, amend that quote to include all humans including those who aren’t men).

The truth is, anyone who forms a creative company on their own will quickly realize that they can’t do it all alone. When this realization dawns on them, they will have to get to hiring. Which brings us to our first reason why media companies need HR:
A proper HR approach helps you find the right people.

Hiring Creative People for Creative Projects

If you’re looking for somebody to help with a creative project, like a freelance voiceover artist, you’re going to want to look for somebody with specific skills and/or interests. For example, in the world of voiceover, it might be necessary to seek out a corporate narration voice talent who has experience targeting the Millennial demographic, or a voice actor who can sing at a professional level as well as speak. You might also be looking for someone from a specific background – like a talented African American actor.

Most likely, the first thing that you’ll do when you need to find a specific person is post a job ad. Congratulations, you just took your first step into the HR world!

Find an HR Subject Matter Expert!

An HR consultant can help you find the right people for your job — not just any person. Onboarding new talent is expensive, and it’s not a mistake that any company wants to make, no matter how small you are.
HR helps you stay up-to-date with labor laws

Anytime a company hires an individual, whether it’s as a contractor or employee, they are bound to local labor laws. This can become very complicated in the globalized world of remote work, so many folks without experience in HR may choose to work with a consultant to help them through the hiring process.

Good HR Helps You Retain Employees

We all know that it’s not true that “nobody wants to work anymore” — but certainly nobody wants to work for low pay and terrible conditions anymore, and can you blame them? Life is short and work can so often be challenging.

The problem is, sometimes it can be hard to know what exactly your employees are looking for. And people can be shy! Working with an HR professional can help you stay aware of where industry trends are headed towards so that you can stay ahead of the curve and remain a place that somebody wants to work. They can also help you ensure that employees are staying challenged and avoiding boredom, an often overlooked feeling that can motivate some employees to leave.

The bottom line is simple. If you’re in the middle of making big things happen as a media entrepreneur, don’t let HR considerations fall by the wayside. There’s a reason why you’ll find an HR department at every notable company.

Things Change Every Day

At Blue Wave Voiceover, we proudly work with media production companies around the world to help bring their content to life. We’re happy to provide freelance professional voice actors for commercials, industrial videos, narrations, political spots, and more! And we know that every company that we work with is different and might be dealing with changing local, state, or federal policies that apply to hiring and working with talent. We are always happy to understand your HR policies and procedures in advance to ensure that your session and shoot go smoothly. Get in touch today if you’d like to learn more about working with our talent voiceover artists!