Everybody has a story… here’s mine!
Voice
How does one get into the world of voice? Well, for me, it’s a story of timing, being open to taking a chance, and surrounding myself with a network of really great people who do great work.
Some may call it luck, but it takes a lot of work to be ‘lucky.’
When I first started working and had a desk phone with a voicemail system, I made a point of refreshing my message on a daily basis in order to keep callers informed of when they could expect a call-back. I thought nothing of it.
However, colleagues and others would often leave a message starting with a comment on the quality or ‘sound’ of my greeting, saying I could be on radio or that I had that ‘airline pilot’ voice. Word slowly spread among my colleagues and network, and people started to take notice.
Then one day, an executive in the department I worked for asked me to record the greetings for a telephone hotline that was being set-up to provide immigration information to the public.
Part of my ‘normal’ work involved events such as conferences, conventions, and trade shows, and these events called for someone to be the ‘Voice of God’ to ask attendees to take their seats, to introduce presenters to stage, and to make other administrative announcements. One time, there was a mic placed in my hand, and I dove in with both feet.
Fast forward a few years… I was running a major event for our company and I had continued my informal role as the guy on the mic. The production crew from FMAV (now Encore Canada) who were working the event took note, and at the end of the day, the account manager on my file said they were looking for a new male voice for events and asked if I’d consider taking on the work.
I said, ‘let’s give it a shot!’
Now it’s more than 60 events and projects later, and it’s still a blast lending my voice to industry leading clients and their projects.
Words
I’ve always loved language and all that it can do. I was the kid who didn’t necessarily like English class, but I loved to read and write, and I loved to experience the language throughout life.
I appreciate how precise the language can be and just how powerful it can be in communicating messages and images to an audience. I also appreciate how flexible the language can be and how I can take control of it.
I’ve been writing for various outlets throughout my career, including websites, briefing documents, reports, funding applications, case studies, magazine features, promotional materials, and blogs. Audiences have been wide-ranging, and subjects have been from soup to nuts.
Let’s tell your story
You have a story worth telling. Contact me today to explore how we can tell yours together.