Talent Spotlight: Brooke Evans

What were you doing before you started thinking about VO? Did you have any background in acting/theatre/etc.?

Before VO was on my “to do” list or even on my radar, I was an actor and a singer. I started singing in 3rd grade and doing theatre in high school and college. Shortly thereafter, I moved to New York and I’ve been a professional theatre actress (and singer) for almost 20 years since. Much of my theatrical work has been in musical theatre and I’ve done a lot of character work including a lot of work with accents and dialects. 

When did you first encounter Such A Voice? What were your initial impressions of the intro class?

About 9 or 10 years ago, I was back in my hometown, in Pennsylvania, and I saw a Such A Voice class being offered at the local high school. I always loved doing voices and accents and thought it might be something I would enjoy but I knew nothing about voice-over, so I decided to check it out. I was really interested in everything the teacher was talking about and I enjoyed all of the exercises and practice copy readings we were doing. The coach, himself, told me, afterward, he was really impressed with my reads and would be interested in personally being my coach for the program. It all sounded amazing EXCEPT for the part about the cost of the program and equipment and the fact that I didn’t even have a computer. I was living paycheck to paycheck at that time, as is often the case with young actors, and there was no way I could afford all of that so the idea went on the back burner, but it was always at the top of my list of directions to go in. I started saving for equipment with the focus of ONE DAY being able to do the program. 

What finally made you decide to join the program?

What finally led me to joining the program was years of slow preparation, one really big random VO casting, and a sudden huge stretch of free time. For starters, a friend of mine in NY ran a small radio station and asked if I would be willing to record a few mini station break ads. He wasn’t able to pay but would take me out to lunch in return. I figured it would be worth it to get some experience. It became a tradition every year or two: 10-12 mini commercials and lunch. To date, I think I’ve recorded about 50 of them. Over the years I acquired a mic and interface but they sat in their box staring at me and occasionally reminding me that I wanted to get into voice-over and so I would take VO classes from time to time in the city. Unfortunately, I always held back because of the technical aspects. I’m not tech savvy and recording and editing myself really intimidated me. In the process of taking those classes and doing those radio spots, however, I learned not to be nervous in the recording booth and that made a really big difference for my mental game. Still, I didn’t do much to pursue VO at the time, because I just wasn’t sure how to get my foot in the door and learn the computer side of things.

I continued to do theatre and then one random day, a former cast member of mine sent me info on a VO audition for a new project with a major auto brand. My first thought was, there’s no way I can do this. THEN I looked at what it would pay! I won’t mention the number but let’s just say it would get me out of a lot of debt, FINALLY get me a new computer, and have rent to spare for a while. So I IMMEDIATELY set out to do whatever I could to audition. I had a day and a half to get it in. I called the studio tech who had done all of those mini commercials over the years and he had me come in first thing the next morning to record (and said, “If you get the job, you can toss me $50.) The project required me to do a voice for a little girl and one thing lead to another and I got the job! That was a HUGE boost for me and my confidence. This was for a major American car brand and I landed the job, not really knowing what I was doing. I figured if I could do that, some real training and a great demo might actually provide me with a career. The other big kicker was that I actually enjoyed recording just as much as being onstage. That really shocked me. It just seemed like a perfect fit. Still, finding the time to dedicate to it was a problem.

That VO job led to another non-VO job and had me traveling all over and voice-over went on the back burner again for a few years. So “what FINALLY made me decide to join the program?” The pandemic. I had all the time in the world and three jobs that were all shut down with no sign of them starting up again. I was still hesitant about investing in something that cost so much when I had no foreseeable income, but I was never going to have this much free time again, (I assumed) and I didn’t want to waste it. After all those years since that first class, I was still on the SAV mailing list and would randomly get email updates. I didn’t read them but I also didn’t stop them from coming. One day, early on in lockdown, I saw one such email that said they were offering a free Zoom class and I thought, “let’s just see if the program has changed after all this time” and I did the class. I was really impressed by, not only the coaching aspect but, even more, the prospect of having someone teach me how to record and edit AND the marketing side of things. As an actor, that was always the side of the business that I struggled with and was intimidated by the thought of failing at that, in another side of the entertainment industry. So, with a good chat over payment plans and an overview of the program, I decided now was the time. I know myself well enough to know that although some people would be able to research and figure out the tech and marketing themselves, I wouldn’t. I needed a program to give me direction and focus and this was exactly what I needed. 

What was your favorite part of your training?

It’s hard to say what my favorite part of the training was. Every step gave me more confidence and peace of mind that I COULD, in fact, do this. For actors (a notoriously insecure breed), confidence in yourself and your abilities is often elusive and a true gift when attained so that was probably the best part. Actually recording the demo was a very close second. It was like a really fun graduation day. After weeks of being in my closet and working with a great coach and producer, and learning so much, it was a blast to be back in a professional studio (which, due to the pandemic, I wasn’t sure would actually happen) and to be working as an artist again with my producer and the sound tech. For an out-of-work actor who had been shut in for months, it felt amazing to be creating again. 

Was there anything in your program that you found unexpectedly useful?

This may sound off but what I found to be unexpectedly useful was how much of the program I was able to access or do on my own timeline. For example, during the time that I was going through the program, I decided to give up my apartment in NY and move home with my parents since I had no income. However, I knew that wasn’t where I would be staying permanently and I didn’t want to use my personal studio setup session on a temporary studio space. I was told I could schedule that whenever I wanted to and when it suited me best. So much of the program was flexible while still providing structure to the path toward VO. That, especially during a time of so much uncertainty, was/is incredibly helpful!

How did your first paid gig come about?

My first paid gig came about almost immediately after I recorded my demo, thanks to my amazing producer! She contacted K12, one of the top eLearning companies in the country. I received an email literally a day or two after I recorded my demo, from the company, saying I had been recommended to them by my producer and requesting I send them my demos ….which I didn’t even have back yet! Thankfully, the demo turnaround was very quick and I was able to send them along. After another quick submission with a sample of copy from K12, I got the job! I was originally told I’d get about 2 hours of recording time a month. However, thanks to that good ole pandemic, it turned into about 2-3 hours of recording time per WEEK. I’ve now been recording for them for almost 6 months and it’s been so much fun!

Talk a bit more about the work you’re doing with K12.

For the most part, I’ve been recording 2nd grade English lessons, which has been a lot of fun. No, REALLY! True, the lessons about vowel sounds aren’t the most exciting, but I also get to do a lot of character voices while reading from lots of different children’s books. This job has combined a lot of things I really enjoy. I taught an art class for a few years at a public school in NY and loved doing it. I get to teach children, again, through this. I also hope to get into audiobook recording and I really enjoy working on youth literature, so I’ve been getting to do some of that as well. I’ve even had a chance to do some singing in character voices for one of the stories and that was a lot of fun. And, as of last week, I’ve been signed for a new contract with K12, doing 3rd grade science. I’m truly thankful, not only for the work and the experience, but I’m also thankful to be able to say that this job has actually paid for my whole SAV program, already, in 6 months! That is huge!

What is your all-time dream VO role?

My ultimate goal / dream role is to voice a prominent character in a full length Disney feature, preferably a musical role. 

If you could travel anywhere right now, pandemic notwithstanding, where would you go?

If I could travel anywhere right now, it would be to Okinawa, Japan. My dear friend, and former roommate, has been there for the last few years as an English teacher and I promised I would come visit. I’ve always wanted to see Japan and he hasn’t been home since he moved so it would be great to bring a little of home to him. I had been saving for the trip, pre-pandemic, and I had to use that money to move to a new job. I still hope to go.

Anything you’d like to plug?

I’m now living outside “The Motor City”, working for that same auto brand that hired me for VO several years ago. I still work with the casting agency that cast me for it and, now that they know I do VO, they send me project submissions as they come in. I’ve been shortlisted for a couple, which is great. I still struggle with technology but seeing income on a regular basis is a great motivator. I’ve also been introduced to new software for the eLearning job so I’m still broadening my voice-over horizons. I’m truly grateful! 

 


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