Meet The Talent

We’ve started a new series to introduce you to our talents by going even more in-depth than their profile listings. So, Meet Debbie Irwin, Blue Wave Voiceover Talent!

Debbie Irwin – Mature Female Political Voiceover

Tell us a little about your broadcast-quality home studio. Where is it? What kind of equipment do you have? What do you like about it?

I have 2 studios– one in NYC and the other on the border of NY and MA. You can call it Columbia County or The Berkshires. The former is technically correct and the latter is more widely known. 🙂 In the country, where I’ve been since March 2020, I have a new Studiobricks VO One Plus, two mics: Sennheiser 416, Neumann TLM 103, two DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations): Adobe Audition and Twisted Wave, and two audio interface systems: Sound Devices USBPres 2 and Focusrite 2i2. I can connect to clients and studios via a wide variety of platforms, Source Connect, ISDN Bridging, ipDTL, Zoom, Skype, and tin cans if necessary! I love every bit about the Studibricks set-up, which I completed last summer. I wanted to be agnostic as to whether I was in the city or the country, so I have duplicate set-ups in both locations (although I don’t have a Studiobricks booth in NYC!) What’s not to like?

What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?

Take your pick!

• I was the voice of the Statue of Liberty on the landmark’s audio tour.
• Outside of the political sphere, I am an expert medical narrator and am now coaching students privately.
• I lived in Italy as a kid and went to Italian public school.
• My dad was a world-famous entomologist and considered the Father of Modern Forensic Entomology.
• I was a successful stockbroker in a past life.

How did you get into voiceover work?

Long story. But I’ve been at it for nearly 20 years.

Do you remember what your first voiceover spot was?

I remember my first in-studio session. It was for John’s Contemporary, a high-end furniture store in Philly or Baltimore. I had an out of body experience, where I was outside of myself, looking down and feeling so in awe of where I was in that moment!

Do you remember the first political voiceover spot that you did?

That was a loooong time ago! Maybe 15 years? It was for a local political action committee in Great Barrington, MA. A young kid had been locked up in jail for having some marijuana on him and he was near a school. What’s ironic is that now there is one of the most successful marijuana shops in Great Barrington. They pulled in 5 million in sales in their first quarter of being open!!!!

Why do you think voiceover will be an important part of political advertising in the 2020 election?

People from ALL walks of life need to be heard and that’s what BWVO is all about. Representing America so America can represent us!

What issues would you like to see at the center of the Democratic platform for this year’s election?

Women’s rights to make their OWN decisions about their OWN bodies. Restoring rule of law and not rule of Monarchy. Protecting our planet. Immigration. Racial inequities. Domestic violence. Opioid/Addiction Crises.

What is your biggest voiceover pet peeve?

1. People who think this work is easy to do. 2. People who ask basic questions that can easily be answered by visiting Google.

If you could tell political voiceover clients one thing that would help you do your job better, or help them get what they want faster – what would that one thing be?

Most helpful is an audio reference to my work that they liked and/or a voice sample from somewhere else. That puts me immediately into the ‘sound’ they’re looking for. Also, if music has been selected or even narrowed down to a few choices, that is HUGELY informative for every voice actor I know, and can totally change a read!

What advice do you have to aspiring voiceover talents that want to work in the political arena?

Same as any other genre. Do your homework. Research the styles that are out there. Learn from the pros who are already marketing themselves in this genre. Build a network of leads so that when you have a political demo (and yes, you need one just for this genre!), you will be ready to seek out opportunities.

What hobbies do you have outside of your voiceover work?

Gardening (flowers), collecting art, travel, theatre, museums, symphony, Jasper (my 4 year old grandson), entertaining, cooking, dancing and yoga!

If you’d like to book Debbie Irwin on your next political voiceover project, please visit her profile here and get in touch!

We’ve started a new series to introduce you to our talents by going even more in-depth than their profile listings. So, Meet Tom Test, The Blue Wave Voiceover Talent!

Tom Test – Democratic Male Voiceover

Tell us a little about your broadcast-quality home studio. Where is it? What kind of equipment do you have? What do you like about it?

I’ve had my own broadcast-quality home studio since 2003. It includes an isolation booth, industry-standard microphones like the Sennheiser 416, AT4050, Gefell M930, etc. Several studio pros have told my my sound is excellent, and I’ve recorded national TV spots from here.

The BEST part about my workspace though, is how I’ve made it my own slice of geek heaven! I’ve got 50s-60s sci-fi movie posters, 70s vintage stereo gear (including THREE turntables) and a collection of jazz on vinyl, plus my display of plastic airplane models – a relaxing, satisfying hobby I’ve enjoyed since I was a boy. I just wish I had more room for my geeky collections!

What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?

“Test ” is the last name I was born with – the original family name used to be “Testa,” which is Italian. It is a memorable name, but not so good with Google searches. Also, I have many, many problems with the fact that “test” is often used as a fake placeholder name for testing and training purposes. People and computers don’t think I’m a real person! In fact, I was the subject of a front-page article in the Wall Street Journal in 2014 about people with similar issues, with last names such as “Sample,” “Doe” or “Null.”

How did you get into voiceover work?

I discovered in my Freshman year at the University of Michigan that I had a real knack for public speaking. Then I found out that people really liked the sound of my voice. And my reading comprehension skills have always been way off the charts. After my brief-yet-miserable career as a corporate zombie, I quit that world, moved to Chicago, and started taking voice-over, acting and improv lessons. I started from absolute zero, having never done anything remotely like this before (neither had anyone from my blue-collar family). I faced total rejection at first, but persevered. The BEST thing I ever did was to organize weekly voice-over workout sessions at a local studio, which is where I got the experience to become skilled enough to compete. And after 6 1/2 years of waiting on tables, I finally managed to become full time in 1994. You shoulda been there for my apron-burning celebration after my last shift! 🙂

Do you remember what your first voiceover spot was?

A radio campaign for a sporting goods store. I played a teenager who was super-pumped about my new Adidas shoes. A nice gig, actually!

Do you remember the first political voiceover spot that you did?

I’ve been doing this over 30 years now, and sadly cannot recall. But all along, I’ve worked for Democrats only. I even turned down a chance to work for the Whitman campaign in 2016.

What has been your favorite voiceover project to date – political or otherwise?

Hmmm, so many to choose from. Well what came to mind first were the most fun sessions I’ve had. Perhaps it was the radio campaign for Embassy Suites Hotel, where I played a very sardonic character who was spec’ed as “Alex Baldwin-ish.” Great copy, which makes all the difference in the world!

Why do you think voiceover will be an important part of political advertising in the 2020 election?

For better and for worse, people don’t seem to vote purely on issues and policies. They seem to be swayed most by “who really hears my concerns? Who sounds like ME? Who can I trust?” And all of those questions are answered by the VOICES they hear in political spots.

What issues would you like to see at the center of the Democratic platform for this year’s election?

“One person, one vote.” It is the centerpiece of our democracy, and has been relentlessly attacked by the GOP. Trump himself admitted “You’d never see another Republican elected to the White House” if not for their voter suppression efforts. Stacey Abrams has done some great work in Georgia on this, and Sen. Kamala Harris has sponsored a $5 billion bill to permit a 2 week in-person voting period as well as mail-in-ballots for all on demand.

What is your biggest voiceover pet peeve?

Amateur voice talent who work for 1/10 or less than the rates we deserve

If you could tell political voiceover clients one thing that would help you do your job better, or help them get what they want faster – what would that one thing be?

Please tell me: who is this aimed at, what matters to this audience, and what is the emotional pull here – what is the “big picture” emotional need we’re trying to address in this spot? (E.g., education isn’t just about education – it is about “hope that our children will have a better life than we do”).

What advice do you have to aspiring voiceover talents that want to work in the political arena?

First, pick a side. Second, know that political ads are cast differently than other TV/Radio/Web spots, so you’re going to need to hustle to sell yourself on your own. Third, invest in a specialized Political demo, don’t just use your generic Commercial demo.

What hobbies do you have outside of your voiceover work?

Answered above! 70’s stereo gear (I have a big collection from every major brand), 50s-60s science fiction movie, building plastic airplane models. I also love my urban deck garden, and cooking (I’m an improviser, not a recipe-follower).

If you’d like to book Tom Test on your next political voiceover project, please visit his profile here and get in touch!

We’ve started a new series to introduce you to our talents by going even more in-depth than their profile listings. So, Meet Joey Schaljo, Blue Wave Voiceover Talent!

Joey Schaljo – Democratic Female Voiceover

Tell us a little about your broadcast-quality home studio. Where is it? What kind of equipment do you have? What do you like about it?

My home studio consists of a Studiobricks isolation recording booth (painted a lovely Agate Gray color), a Neumann TLM 103, an Avid Mbox Pro, a Macbook Pro computer, and I read off of an iPad. I live in a small one bedroom apartment in New York city so I don’t have the luxury that other talents have to put their booths in separate room or in their basements, mine is in my living room (but according to my sister it blends in nicely with the rest the decór…thanks sis). One of the things I love about my booth is the second I step into it I feel energized and read to conquer the day.

What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?

At 5’10” I’m one of the shortest people in my family. I basically come from a family of giants.

How did you get into voiceover work?

I came to New York to get my MFA in acting, upon graduating I began auditioning for everything I could. My first bit of success came in live announcing and voiceover. After that I was hooked and I’ve been a voiceover actor ever since!

Do you remember what your first voiceover spot was?

My very first voiceover job was a political spot! It was a positive candidate introduction spot for a person running for office in my home state of Illinois…they went on to win…so maybe I’m good luck!

Why do you think voiceover will be an important part of political advertising in the 2020 election?

Like all forms of advertising, political advertising is about storytelling and one of the quickest ways to get an audience to connect with your story is through the voice. So much nuance can be communicated in tone, cadence, and delivery style of a voiceover talent, it’s why we humans have been telling (and loving) stories for centuries. Specifically in this moment right now I think voiceover is crucial to the 2020 election because we have more channels to communicate our story through than ever before. One thing almost all those channels have in common is audio in some form, and that is why voiceover and the quality of the voiceover artist will be key.

What advice do you have to aspiring voiceover talents that want to work in the political arena?

I would recommend that voiceover talents fully recognize political as is own separate genre of voiceover and treat it as such. This means studying the different types of spots and reads, and getting good at things that political commercials require such has quick shifts in tone, speed reading end tags and disclaimers, and how to go negative without losing the listener. There is definitely an art to this type of work and sooner an new voiceover talent absorbs it the better.

What hobbies do you have outside of your voiceover work?

When I step outside of my booth I don’t stay home much. I like to travel, be outside in nature, and visit family and friends. I find knitting relaxing and therefore will force hats and scarves onto the people I love. And I have a fascination (bordering on obsession) with Abraham Lincoln.

If you’d like to book Joey Schaljo on your next political voiceover project, please visit her profile here and get in touch!