TANYA RICH

BRITISH VOICE ACTOR

tanyarich
tanya@tanyarichvo.com
ISDN +44 1225 330208
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How I Became a Special Guest Podcast Host

Blog

Photo credit: VOBoss.com

How I became a Special Guest Podcast Host

Tanya Rich: VO Boss and special guest podcast host. 

As titles go, it’s a pretty prestigious one.

It’s almost like the Queen has granted me a special status for my services to voice-over. Alas not (yet!).

But I was actually granted the title not by one fine lady, but two, as I joined Anne Ganguzza and Gabby Nistico to chat about my voice-over career in the UK – a journey which began more than 30 years ago and continues to this day out of my personal studio.

I must say that being on the podcast made for a jolly nice early Christmas present, so thank you for having me, girls. Next time, we’ll bring wine and chocolates!

The VO Boss podcast is produced in the US and is designed to help voice-over talent develop their careers through Business Owner Strategies and Success (BOSS). 

Click the link above to listen to the show and find out more.

And if you like what you hear in the podcast, then of course I’d love to hear from you, now or in 2019. Feel free to email me here.

Happy holidays and see you in the new year!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: British female voice-over artist, British female voiceover artist, British FVO, casting, typecasting, voice acting, Voice Actor, Voice over, voice talent

The Trouble With Typecasting Voice-Over Talent

Blog

The Trouble With Typecasting Voice-Over Talent

Why versatile VOs are MVPs

It’s not often that a British person falls in love with basketball. And it’s even less often that it happens to a British female voice-over talent.

But as another NBA season dawns, I’ve recently learned what makes LeBron James the best basketball player in the world today (and we’re not just talking about his stunning, Herculean shoulders).

LeBron can shoot from close, mid and long range (twisting, turning and fading away); he can stop and pop, kiss the ball off the glass, hammer home dunks like an assassin, rebound like a debt collector on commission, pin failed lay-ups against the backboard, slice past defenders off the dribble, pass as though blindfolded, and fire home the game-winning shot. He’s also a 3-time NBA champion and a 4-time league MVP (most valuable player).

You see, the thing that makes ‘King James’ today’s greatest player isn’t just one thing.

It’s everything.

Lightning LeBron as a Cleveland Cavalier. Photo by Erik Drost

Admittedly, we’re different types of performers. But I think it’s fair to say that LeBron and I have a bit in common. The fact that he’s now wearing purple (my favorite color) for the LA Lakers is obviously a bonus! But more seriously, isn’t it great that we both do a lot of things well?

When I first started in voice-over, traveling up and down the UK to voice dozens of radio commercials in a single session, being versatile was a highly prized skill. Today, it still can be, but sometimes isn’t always, and it depends who you’re reading for.

Values seem to be changing. These days, we’re told by some marketing experts that you should choose three words to describe your voice and put that on your business card, website, and email signature. But that’s a bit tricky when you’re a versatile, old school voice talent, who’s rich in experience, expertise and excellence, whose skills fit with dozens of adjectives, and who’s performed for all manner of voice-over genres for 30+ years. I mean, where’s the room on the page for all that?

Maybe having enough room is part of the problem. Maybe today’s voice-over market is so busy that the job is becoming less and less about having a broad skillset built on natural talent and years of experience. Maybe now it’s about doing a couple of things well (or dare I say it, just ok).

When the first ISDN lines were connected in the UK, casting experts thought it was a producer’s dream; that they could choose the right voice every time. And yet 30 years on, I don’t think things have worked out that way. As I understand it, some British radio stations have a roster of voice talent who are used for everything. Yet they’re not often right for everything, because they’re not versatile.

Lakers Showtime: Tiny Tanya dunks one home

In a competitive, perhaps overpopulated industry, typecasting, or picking someone based on the first five seconds of their demo, might make casting directors’ lives easier. But unfortunately, it discriminates against versatility. It prevents an artist from demonstrating real value by showcasing their wide variety of skills. It also means that clients have less leeway when they change their minds about a project’s sound. This is no problem for the experienced, versatile artist. But for others, it can mean recording sessions that drag, being spoonfed lines, and never getting called again.

Casting based on someone’s age, or their appearance – whether you mean to or not – is another issue. When you bear in mind that voiceover is the theatre of the mind, listening with your eyes simply can’t be done. Relying on photos and ages is biased and has nothing to do with someone’s voice. Vocal ages vary. So if you can sound millennial when you’re 40+, you should be getting work.

And last but not least, there’s suspension of disbelief. Imagination is all part of the act. Just click on my C Beebies demo on my TV & Radio Promos reel. If you think you can hear a woman with a university-age daughter there, then I will buy us floor seats to the Lakers!

So how has this trouble with typecasting come about? Have personal websites and image-conscious social media got something to do with it? Maybe. After all, once upon a time, nobody knew or cared about what their favourite radio presenter looked like. They just liked their voice and what they did with it.

Love for LeBron

Maybe values have changed.

But for me, versatility is still value.

That’s why a versatile voice will always be – like LeBron – king.

And that’s why from now on, I’ll always cheer for LeBron and why he’ll always be my MVP.

Let’s go, Lakers!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: British female voice-over artist, British female voiceover artist, British FVO, casting, typecasting, voice acting, Voice Actor, Voice over, voice talent

A blog about… Branding!

Blog

Let’s talk about Branding!

I’ve been a Professional British voice over talent for more than three decades. It’s been a time of change, ups and downs, surviving and thriving. And thanks to a fair amount of skill and a sprinkle of good luck, voicing has been very rewarding.

But I recently decided (after some professional advice), that – like a Hollywood franchise – it was also time for a reboot.
So in early 2018, I rebranded, not just to freshen up my look, but also to expand my British female voice over skills in the US and international market.
When I started voicing in the UK in the 1980s, we obviously didn’t have websites. Personal branding wasn’t really a thing. Producers cared little for what you looked like, let alone if you had a posh business card.
They wanted a great voice, punctuality, adaptability and a perfectly timed read.
Most of my work came through good old fashioned handshakes, phone calls and – fittingly – word of mouth.
So you’re probably wondering: why rebrand when you’re a voiceover artist who is a) well established b) highly experienced c) has an impressive résumé working with big brands?
Well, lots of reasons. But here are just a few:
1.  Value
Business and professionalism go hand in hand. Your branding tells the world how you value yourself, how you wish to be perceived, and why you charge what you do. I wanted not only to create a brand that was distinctly British, but also to market myself as a professional voice actor with heritage. And I wanted to build on that visual identity with a strong written statement.
My designer (designer) responded with a bold, classic design, with a stately black font (Cinzel), confident initials (a column-like ‘T’ and a flourishing ‘R’), a clean white background, and a decorative royal purple crown (to play off my last name and my Britishness). We then added a solid positioning statement, which told clients exactly what they can expect (”Rich in Experience, Expertise & Excellence™”).
2. On Trend 
The way brands are marketed inevitably changes over time. Go back into history and you’ll see countless examples of successful companies rebranding to remain current (Pepsi, Ford, Apple, and even relatively recently, Google). So I also wanted to be up-to-date, different, real, and quality-driven. That’s why my logo doesn’t have any voice-related icons like a microphone, speech bubble or sound waves. Not having icons like these tells my clients that I’m unique and that my voice alone will do the talking. Apart from anything else, the words ‘voice over’ underneath the logo make a corresponding graphic kind of moot!
3. Future-proofing
 
Business changes all the time. And if you want to stay in business, you’ve got to move with the times. For me, a new logo, website, business cards and social media presence were important shopfronts in a busy marketplace. But a new look also meant a newsy hook, which was perfect for introductory emails and social media posts. It also attracted compliments from past clients (whom I’ve reconnected with) and positive feedback and work offers from new ones.
4. Personal Investment  
 
One of the great things about rebranding is that, in the UK at least, it’s a tax deductible expense. But having a new logo, website and social media banners do much more than just reduce your tax bill.
My new branding instils me with professional pride. It also gives me a renewed sense of purpose. It’s not only helped me redefine what I stand for, but also who I want to work with. So while the design (in some respects) is a reflection of the qualities that got me this far, it’s also about where I’m going next.
Thanks for reading. If this blog has got you thinking about how your brand should speak to your clients, feel free to check out my demos: Demos and get in touch. Contact

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Branding, British, Female, Voice Actor, Voice over

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