Voiceover Artists Discuss Their Strangest Gigs Yet
It can get pretty weird.
In a world…where voiceover actors never quite know what their next gig will look like, they are often met with some surprises.
Though voiceover work is often associated with movie trailers and animated films, the majority of voiceover work spans multiple industries, genres and styles.
Voice actors can be heard narrating a variety of projects across diverse realms, such as e-learning modules, corporate videos, training videos, sales videos, explainer and landing-page videos and other non-glamorous instructive projects.
And with infinite possibilities for project types or subject matters, most voiceover people have come across at least a few unusual, bizarre or absurd voicing requests.
Recently, David Brower, a professional voiceover artist, polled a group professional voiceover actors in a popular industry Facebook group, asking the question, “What is/was your most unusual voiceover job?”
And the responses were quite entertaining:
“A few years ago I was the (according to the company that hired me) ‘The official voice of pigeon birth control.’ We did a series of explainer videos all about… wait for it… pigeon birth control.” — Erik Reynolds
“I once recorded a spot for a crime scene clean up company.” — Efrain Gonzalez
“Training Ugandan pilots how to fly Russian MIIGs and ‘lock on target’ which I can only assume would be us! Not my favorite job but certainly unusual.” — Christi Robbins Bowen
“West Virginia Hog wrestling spot. Oink.” — Pat Michaels
“My 11 year old son Cooper was recently the voice of a human bladder.” — Vanessa Kelley Chapman
“I once voiced a demonstration video for a self insemination device that is strapped to a woman’s leg.” — Sarah Sealey
“I once played a rusty paint can in a commercial for recycling. Another time, I played the part of several different ping pong balls being tossed around in a lottery machine. Ironically, years later I was hired by the Lottery to pull ping pong balls out of one of those machines on TV.” — Lee Gordon
“I was the voice of a pogo-stick.” — Katy Maw
“I am the IVR for the Abu Dhabi Sewerage Service Company.” — Clare Reeves
“I was once the voice of a hot pretzel at a pretzel wrestling match. — Jessica Wachsman
“A cross between a cow mooing and a rooster crowing. After 3 dozen takes I was in mental shambles.” — Melba King
“I am the voice of a Yodeling Pickle. And the yodel has been used by Gorillaz on an album. And liked by Weird Al and George Takei.” — Joe J. Thomas
“I once dubbed two characters in a TV series, one of whom tried to kill the other three times. Most memorable scene was was when I had a struggle stabbing myself on a bus…” — Andy Boyns
“I performed the voice of a ‘Japanese film director’ screaming at his actor to ‘stop crying and throw more cats!’” — JD Kaye
“I once played an cranky old Asian lady for an app that tells people off when they’re talking loudly on their cell phone in public places.” — Lynna Lee
“I just narrated a video for a condom company on how to measure a penis. Good times.” — Jen Knight
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As the voice of the “Plane Train” at Jackson-Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, my gig as the smooth, cheerful, but rather disembodied guide helping passengers to their connecting flights seems quirky enough. At least I know it resonates — Dennis Miller once gave me a surprisingly random shout-out on The O’Reilly Factor, suggesting that my voice could do a better job at hosting the Oscars than the real host that year. (I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.)
But after hearing my colleagues weigh in on their truly unusual gigs, I realize I haven’t even scratched the surface of my range. I hear talking toilets are big in Japan … I’ll contact my agent right away.
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Sharon Feingold is an international voiceover actress. She is the voice of the trains at the Atlanta Airport and can be heard daily on HGTV and Food Network Asia.
