We are not going to dress this up - we only work with lovely people and Noni, the talented voiceover artist, is in that category. We've worked with Noni for years but never got round to asking her the important questions about herself so... here we go.
How on earth did you land this awesome job?
I was always an actor and so started to do character voice acting for cartoons and animations, in fact one of my first voice acting jobs was for Aardman. It was later on that I built my own studio, and what mainly prompted that was becoming a mum and needing to be at home!
What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
I usually record something or other every day but you never know what it will be. Anything from talking tea pots, to educational training scripts to telling you what floor you're on in a lift, reassuring you how important your call is or reminding you to clear the bagging area! These days, more often than not, it's telling people to wash their hands and keep their distance. I'm so bossy! Aside from recording and editing there is a lot of direct marketing, accounts, trouble-shooting tech problems, negotiating fees, learning new areas of the business and planning growth and direction for the future. Snoring yet?
You lived and worked in America until recently - what was the best thing about that?
Oh the people. I made so many wonderful new friends and connections and I miss them all very much. (Just the same as how I missed all my friends here, while I was there... in case anyone's feathers get ruffled). I also, unexpectedly, landed up doing a lot of theatre work in the years I spent in Boston and it was wonderful! The voice acting continued and grew but there was also theatre. Loved it all!
Oh... and cheesy popcorn and turning right on red.
What do you do if you get a terrible script? Do you struggle on or insist on changing it?
Don't know what you mean? Every script I get is wonderful and I am so lucky and blessed to get them and never complain at all about any of it because I am so grateful (sorry, that was for a niche audience).
Well... as a bilingual VO, mostly the problems I get are with bad translations. I've learnt that trying to explain why it doesn't work to someone who doesn't siarad Cymraeg is a drain on vital brain function so yep, I usually send it back.
My natural state is wanting to help people but it's really best if the original translator gets it back.That is... when one has been used. (Not suggesting in any way that anyone would ever use google translate).
To answer your question more specifically, I never 'insist' on anything, merely suggest. At times strongly.
Where will we have heard your voice on air?
Lots of shops, telephone systems, radio commercials and some TV commercials and promos mainly in Wales. I recently voiced a Cbeebies promo which was cute. My friends and relatives are constantly telling me they've heard me somewhere or other!
Have you ever had to change your accent for a job?
Lots of times in the past but it doesn't happen often (if that makes sense)! Most commercial and corporate work I do either require my natural accent or neutral. Video game and character work often needs multiple accents in one session. My favorite one was back in the days when I used to record audiobooks, accent described as half Swansea, half German.
What have been your two favourite jobs to date?
Mrs Girdling in 'Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit'... and Janet the Dinosaur (obvs).
Ah yes, our little claymation dinosaur character - where did you get the inspiration for the voice of Janet the Dinosaur?
There were a lot of clues in the script and required accent, but I defo had a few characters in mind that I had met whilst doing school theatre tours in North Wales many years ago.
Who do you think has the best Hollywood trailer voice?
Got to be Redd Pepper. He also has a brilliant story behind how he got into it which you can hear on an episode of the 'Tales from the Tannoy' podcast.
What one big tip would you give someone wanting to be a voiceover artist?
Find a less crowded industry? But if that's not the answer you want to hear, think about what your niche is, what gap you can fill in the market. And no, having a nice voice is not enough. Seriously there are so many things to think about before deciding to make a career out of VO but start with research on what it actually means to make money from this.
If you weren't doing voiceover - what would you be doing?
I would still be an actor. I've also moved into writing and directing in recent years and I love working with kids in theatre too.
Last question, do you gargle with salt or is that a silly myth?
Only when my dentist said to do that to ease wisdom tooth pain!
There is a lot of rubbish information and fake knowledge out there about warming up and maintaining vocal health so I'm not going to add to the noise.
If anyone does want proper advice, just save yourself some time and look up Nic Redman. She knows all the things. Proper job.
Thanks to Noni for being a cracking person as well as a cracking voice! If you'd like to hear Noni on a beautifully crafted Sticky radio ad, get in touch.
