Where did she pop up from?
I thought that before I ever tried to impart my ever evolving and stolen wisdom with you all, that it would be a good idea to give you a bit of a backstory to me and how my life in voice over began. Only then, can I bombard you with blog posts that you’ve been waiting for, your whole life….
I’ve chosen the revolutionary format of a timeline so you don’t get bored:
Hours old and already over - thinking
Jan 9 1984: Mother endured a ridiculous labour and after two sons, gave birth to me (third time lucky)
Box split action
Dec 1984: Learnt to walk
1985: Began to lose ability to walk properly, it was suggested without expensive surgery, I would be wheelchair bound for life
1985 – 1986: Parents found an NHS doctor on loan from the US to save my little legs and I went on to live at Westminster’s Children’s Hospital with my mum after being diagnosed with Congenial Hip Disorder….didn’t walk for 12 months
1987: Learnt to walk again
NB: Added this little sob story in there to evoke a bit of pathos…. I know, you’re in tears, it’s too much but I never grew up with a struggle, 3 to a bed, not knowing where my next meal came from. In fact, I had an incredible childhood, but no one wants to hear about that…so just focus on this struggle for now
Smug Mary & her haters behind
1988: Started Ballet class to help with my mobility and started nursery…..kicked off because I wasn’t Mary in the Nativity
1989: Cast as Mary in the Nativity
1995: Got the performing bug
That ‘living on lettuce’ life!
1995 – 2002: Lived and breathed Dance, Music & Acting
2002 – 2005: Trained Professionally at London Studio Centre, graduated with a BA Hons in Music Theatre and Diploma in Acting
2005 – 2012: Worked as a professional dancer and actor with lots of crappy jobs in between to ensure I could eat and pay for necessities like ghd hair straighteners
Crappy jobs included: Selling hair care packages on Oxford Street for 100% commission, leafleting, bar work, waitressing, cleaning bathrooms, handing out business cards, dressing as a bottle of deodorant outside Superdrug…..questioned my life a lot that day!
2007: Took a workshop at The Actors Centre in voiceover. Teacher died 4 weeks later. Took it as a bad omen, forgot the idea of voice work
2008: Lived and worked in India
2010: A producer friend kindly offered me some free studio time to see how I got on voicing in the studio. It went well. It went VERY well. I managed to string together a reel, bag an agent and get my first voiceover job. Quickly realised that this was one hell of a way to make a living!
2011 – 2018: Continued to do voice over work solely through my agent (had no idea there was any other way)
Very VERY lucky guy
2012: Got hitched!
2013: Got a cat!
2014: Got another cat!
2015: Ran the London marathon (no idea how, only place I run to now is the fridge!)
Best moment of my life
2016: Had a baby!
2018: Joined The Voice Over Network and with their help, built a home studio and my own client list, learnt how to market myself, build relationships and made a sack load of new friends
2019: Attended VO Atlanta and then ‘Thats Voiceover’ & the SOVAS Awards in LA
Looking all show bizzy on the red carpet in Hollywood, SOVAS awards 2019
SOVAS awards, Hollywood 2020
And then somehow it became 2020 and I have now been working as an Actor and Voice Over Artist for 10 years….well as much as one can during a global pandemic!
So that’s it, that’s my life in a nutshell!
If you enjoyed listening to this rambling, please do hit the LIKE button below or feel free to chat in the COMMENTS section , I’d love to answer any questions or perhaps you’d like to share your journey in to your career (I mean, keep it short, this is MY blog not yours…. *winky face)
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