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An RP voice over bird with a Northern accent? Well, if you read my last blog and saw the animation for Whale & Dolphin Conservation, you’ll know that this little bird has more to her beak than meets the ears on first listen.
Why a Starling with a Northern Accent?
Born in the South, I’m known for my neutral British RP accent, which you’ll hear in all my reels, from commercial to corporate, e-learning to medical. But I’ve moved around a lot. Oxfordshire, London, Cardiff, Worcester & since 2009 I’ve been living in the North. Surrounded by a huge variety of Northern accents, I put some of them to good use in my comedy podcast. Then they began to be requested for on hold scripts. So, I thought it was about time I rustled up a proper Northern voice over demo reel.
A Whippet-Inspired Northern Accent
No half-measures here! With help from a friend & colleague from the North, I spent a bit of time working out where in the vast range of ‘Northern’ felt most natural for me. It turned out to be Lancashire, so that’s where the roots for this reel were planted, polished and honed. And being as we now have a real life cartoon whippet, I thought I’d embrace the cliché and wear a flat cap for this one!
Do You Book Jobs From Your Voice Over Demo Reels?
Yes. As I so often say, life’s a magical thing! No sooner had I wrapped up this particular reel, than a message appeared in my inbox. It was from a client who was struggling to find the right Northern accented female voiceover for a corporate client. I’m always happy to recommend clients, but on this occasion, I asked if she’d like to hear my brand, spanking new Northern accent demo reel.
She did, so I sent it over. “It’s great!”, she said, “But I think they’ll want a milder accent”. No problem, I can do that. So, I recorded a brief, bespoke demo for her. The client loved it, she was relieved and the job was booked and recorded within 24 hours. Happy clients, happy Starling! Oh & I updated the reel to include a snippet of that milder accent, too.
Can You do Other Accents?
A few years ago, I might have said no. But when you learn that you have a tendency to underestimate yourself, it’s time to break out of the straitjacket. In recent years I’ve deployed a range of accents, from Scottish to various flavours of Northern, West Country, Midlands, through to Mid-Atlantic. In some cases, accents I didn’t know I could do until I had to. So, the bottom line is yes, I can offer voiceovers in a range of accents.
In Conclusion
If you don’t hear what you’re looking for, please ask and I’ll be happy to record a brief, bespoke demo. Rest assured, if it’s something I really can’t do, I’ll be very happy to recommend someone who can. Meantime, you can peruse all my demo reels and explore each genre in more depth via the Services page, tab & drop-down menu. I look forward to working with you!
Oh & Neville Longbottom the whippet pup still isn’t allowed in the studio, so fret not, there’ll be no unscheduled interruptions!
PS. News Just In….
I was about to publish this, when I received a lovely email telling me that I’d been nominated for a VOX award for best human performance in the e-learning category. If you read my Spring blog, you may remember the animation I voiced for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Well, that’s the piece of work that garnered the nomination. The Bumblebees, Wizards & this little bird, couldn’t be more a-buzz!