KRISTEN SIMOES
Voice Actor and Reporter
STORY CORE VOICE AND VISUALS.
CAPTIVATING COMMUNICATION.
VOICE OVER NEWS
THE LATEST NEWS FROM KRISTEN SIMOES
Conquering my Demons. What scares me most as a voice actor … and how I get over it!
As we approach Halloween the air (and the grocery stores) are filled with spooky sights and hair-raising experiences. Yet I can’t help but think that the scariest monsters aren’t lurking under my bed or hiding in the closet; they’re the fears that reside within me (although if you’ve seen my daughter’s closet floor … now that’s scary)!
In this blogpost, I’m doing something truly chilling. I’m confronting what keeps me up at night when it comes to working as a professional female voice over actor and on-camera talent in a world filled with AI options and iPhones that do it all (and faster … and younger).
The Power of Lifelong Learning: How to Thrive as an Adult Learner
Okay, here’s a little secret. I don’t think I’m alone in this. I LOVE Back-to-School time! Not only are a plethora of colored pens, fancy to-do lists and new
filing systems on sale everywhere … but my daughter goes back to school. With this comes a return to my routine that is SO much more productive than the summer, when I’m scrambling to set up play dates and shooing my child away when she interrupts during a zoom call. Whew.
The other beautiful thing about back-to-school time is the reminder that we should keep learning, too. Every voice actor is well aware that the trends change, sometimes the technology changes, and certainly your clients change. It’s so important to always be learning, but at back to school time, I feel a natural kick-start inspired by the change in seasons and certainly by sending the kids back to school!
Balance while Working on the Road
Travel has always been a part of my DNA. As a child, my mother worked in the travel industry and instilled in me a passion for finding new adventures and seeing other places. In college, I spent a semester studying abroad through a program called Semester at Sea. We circled the globe on
a ship, going to class while at sea and learning through field excursions in the ten differ
ent countries we visited. Many of them are places I likely never would have seen otherwise. Spending time in third world countries, meeting people whose lives were so different than mine, made me realize that there’s so much more to life than the little corner of the globe I was growing up in. read more…
What to Wear for Your On-Camera Appearance!
I once wore a beautiful, unique, colorful eight-strand necklace with tiny fluttering silver coins on live television. It was my great-grandmothers and is still a piece of jewelry I love. Never have I received so many viewer comments on something I was wearing. From “what was that jingling sound every time you spoke” to “your neck was so bright I had to wear shades”. I’m pretty sure none of those viewers actually heard what I was saying. They were too distracted. read more…
5 Reasons Voice Actors Need Coaches
I often have people who are interested in getting into the VO world ask me … why do you work with a voice coach? If you’re getting the work and pulling in a paycheck, why take classes or participate in workshops?
Similarly, I have clients who respond in surprise when they learn that voice actors regularly work with coaches. In their minds, do they wonder if we’re not qualified because we’re taking a class or working with a coach?
read more…
Turning Career Commitment Issues into Multiple Revenue Streams
Do you find yourself loving your work, but avoiding the prospect of working for someone? Or craving variety in your work life, rather than pounding away at the same project for the same company every day?
All my life friends and family have given me a hard time because I don’t like to be tied down by a traditional “report-to-someone” job. They’ve said I have “career commitment phobia”. Working in television news, I was required to sign contracts that often outline what you can and can’t do, even what you can and can’t wear on camera. Needless to say, I haven’t worked full-time as a journalist, with a contract, since 2001 (even though I’ve been fortunate to work as a reporter and producer for some great stations, consistently, the entire time). read more…
The Pursuit of Life-Long Learning
“Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.”
— Brian Tracy
With VO Atlanta fast approaching, I find myself reflecting on my experiences both on-camera and in the voiceover industry, and the many interesting places a career in video and voiceover has taken me. Before the pandemic, I loved attending conferences to stay up to date on the latest corporate and commercial trends and connect with other people in the industry. But, there’s no doubt our world looks different now– COVID has impacted every part of our lives and kept us all apart for longer than we could have imagined. read more…
Voice Acting and Video: Combining Career Passions
As a reporter and a morning show host for nearly two decades, I spent much of my career in front of a camera. There was so much I loved about the job – covering everything from federal murder cases to celebrity interviews to home and garden trends. Mostly, I loved telling stories that people could connect with.
When I segued from being primarily on-camera to spending more time behind the microphone with voice acting, I still felt passionate about communicating powerful stories and messages. But, I wasn’t sure what to do with all the on-camera experience I had. read more…
Flipping the Script on VO Bias
As humans, we’re wired to make assumptions about others– what they wear, how they talk, even who they are connected to, all plays a role in who we think they are. Part of the picture we paint about another person may include what they do for a living. For instance, a doctor, a construction worker, and an athlete all come with pretty strong generalizations that may lead you to draw conclusions about that individual’s personality, values, and intelligence. read more…
In Search of Creativity …
Creativity is a funny and sometimes elusive thing. It never strikes when you need it to. Like when you’ve blocked out 8:00am to 10:00am for writing, when you’re on a tight deadline and have 800 more words to whip out, or when you have the perfect picture for Instagram but not a single inspiration for the caption. Unfortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it) creativity is not only important, it’s also what makes you feel smart, witty, genuine, happy. Interestingly enough, many of those same feelings, particularly happiness, have been known to help to support creativity.
Despite what you may think, a recent Forbes article pointed out that creativity is not a rare gift only endowed upon the artistically inclined. It’s not more prevalent in children, people with mental disorders or the right side of your brain. It’s something that’s accessible to all of us, but admittedly takes a little more effort at some times than others. read more…
Kristen Simoes Voice Actor & Reporter | Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
Recent Comments