Behind The Mic: Beth Cameron
Beth Cameron is a force to be reckoned with in the VO world. She has quite the impressive background in the industry and we’re pretttayyy lucky to have her on Team BZ!
What radio VO work have you done in the past? I started doing imaging VO when I worked at KISS 108 in Boston voicing intros and an occasional promo. From there I voiced WYSP in Philly, KISS in Hartford, Triple X in Vermont, BOB and US 95.7 in San Diego, Star 93.7 and MIKE-FM in Boston, KC-101 in New Haven among of others. I was also on about 80+ stations as the female voice for Dial Global’s HotAC stations.
What are you up to presently? I currently work full time doing VO of all types, but radio imaging is still my favorite. I voice stuff for Beasley Broadcasting in Boston. I’m also the imaging voice for Westwood One’s HotAC stations all over the the country, as well as the voice of the nationally syndicated Zach Sang Show. Most exciting, I’m now working with Benztown! I’m thrilled to be part of this great group of people who haven’t forgotten that radio’s supposed to be fun!
What do you love about your job? I love that every day is different and you never know what any day is going to bring. It’s still exciting to me when I get email out of the blue from a new client who just found me online, because I never know who I might meet (even if it’s virtual) and what new opportunity might come from it.
How did you get started as a VO actor? What was your first gig? My first VO was as an intern at KISS 108. The infamous Jeff Berlin pulled me aside one day and asked me to say one word, “faces” (the name of a former nightclub) as many ways as I could. Once I heard the spot on air, I was hooked.
What is your dream gig? Anything with good writers behind it. I always like when people write the way I actually talk…and have a great sense of humor. There’s nothing better than writers who make you sound funnier than you really are!
Can you offer 3 helpful tips for newbies trying to make it in the voice-over industry?
1. Take a class in audio editing before you even start to work on VO
2. Take a class in web marketing
3. Don’t read too much about trying to “make it in the industry” because it can be discouraging. All of the people I know who are doing voice-over full time took a different path to get here, so you just have to find the one that works for you…but it takes a LONG time.
If you weren’t doing voiceover, what else do you think you’d be doing for a career? Something in educational media. I actually went back to grad school and got my masters in education when I was just starting to do VO full time…but now I’m having too much fun with VO to actually use it!
How do you market your services to potential clients? I think there’s no better resource than the web. Anyone, anywhere can hear and hire you…as long as you do your homework and figure out how to make sure they find you. Also, giving great customer service to existing clients. Fast turn-around…taking direction…giving them what they want with no drama is great marketing….because then they tell others. The majority of my clients are people I’ve worked with in the past who suggested me to their boss when they landed a new gig. It’s nice to have solid long-term working relationships like that.
What are your favorite plugins? I can’t live without Metric Halo’s Channel Strip.
How has new technology changed the way you work? In every way possible, but mostly I would say in terms of delivering files to people…which has opened up a whole new pool of clientele. I remember (not too long ago) driving out to FedEx at the airport every night at 10:00 to drop off a CD so it could be overnighted to a client in San Francisco. It’s amazing to think how far things have come…not to mention how many new people I now work with all over the world.
Do you have a different approach to reading radio imaging copy as opposed to TV/Radio commercial ads? It seems like these days everyone wants commercial reads to be super laid back and conversational. I like doing that kind of read, but I really like that with imaging you can still be over-the-top, or edgy if it calls for it. There are just more things to experiment with in imaging.
If you could go back to any decade and hang out which one would you go back to and why? The 70’s. Just seems like it was simpler times…plus, better music.
If you were on a deserted island and could only have one person with you who would it be and why? My 6 year old son…because we crack each other up like nobody’s business (not sure what that says about my maturity…let’s just go with he’s very mature for his age). Plus, that face!
What’s your guilty pleasure? OK, so it’s not exactly guilty…but my greatest pleasure is listening to re-runs of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 from the 70’s and 80’s on TuneIn on the weekends. I’m that much of a radio geek…plus, I suppose it’s a nostalgia thing. And Casey…you can’t beat Casey.
Where’s your favorite place in the world to go to and why? You mean travel? My clients don’t let me travel! Honestly, right now my favorite place in the world is my home. A few years ago I bought the house I grew up in, and I’m now in the process of fixing it up. It’s a true labor of love!
Links:
Benztown: https://www.benztown.com/brigade/beth-cameron
Personal Website: http://bethcameronvo.com/
