Behind The Mic with Steve Kamer
If voiceover was an Olympic sport, Steve Kamer would be the gold medalist. And while VO work may not have made the cut for the 2016 Olympic games hosted in Rio, currently airing on NBC, Steve’s golden voice is THE VOICE of Olympics! Try this…turn on NBC/The Olympics, listen for Kamer’s voice, then read his answers in this feature. Pretttyyyy cool right?!
1) What are you up to presently? I absolutely LOVE working with radio stations and radio shows, helping them create the unique sound and branding they are looking for. I work with WLS-FM/Chicago, WOMC-FM/Detroit, KLUV-FM/Dallas, WRBQ-FM/Tampa, WSM-FM/Nashville, KKLZ-FM/Las Vegas, “NASH Nights Live”, and a bunch of interesting and terrific radio stations. Some begin with “W”, some begin with “K”, some begin with “C”, and some begin with “X”!!
2) What do you love about your job? What I LOVE about my job is the ability to help people with their imaging, at radio stations in all size markets, and various formats.
3) How did you get started as a VO actor? What was your first gig? I got started as a VO actor around the same time I started as a jock (in high school). Little did I know at the time, but my radio station “production work” was the beginning of my VO career!
4) Have you ever had a voice coach? Would you recommend it? I believe that voice coaches are a necessary part of a thriving VO career. David Lyerly in New York City “gets it”. He is a wonderful coach who knows what is needed to have a diversified VO career.
5) Who are your VO idols/mentors? Who influenced your work as a VO artist? My VO idols/mentors were the “cream of the crop” as I was growing up and learning about the business. I always loved Ernie Anderson, Chuck Riley, Danny Dark, Mark Elliott, Hal Douglas, and Don LaFontaine.
6) What is your dream gig? I have several “dream gigs” already…voicing the Olympics for NBC, voice of the New York Yankees’ YES Network, and the signature voice of “Inside Edition” for the past 20 years!
7) Can you offer 3 helpful tips for newbies trying to make it in the voice-over industry? My “3 helpful tips” are simply “practice, practice, practice”.
8) If you weren’t doing voiceover, what else do you think you’d be doing for a career? If I weren’t doing VO, I would love to help people with their VO and on-camera careers, as a coach and mentor.
9) How do you schedule/prioritize your work? Like many other VO folks, I prioritize my work, based on everyone else’s deadlines. As breaking news happens, and priorities shift, I adapt.
10) How much time do you spend auditioning for new work? Most of my new work comes from “word-of-mouth”, and from the kind folks I have worked with in the past, referring new opportunities to me.
11) Which production system do you use and why? I learned on Pro Tools many years ago, and I tend to be a creature of habit I guess.
12) What are your favorite plug-ins? I tend not to use plug-ins, but rather to send my work flat, for the producers to do their “magic”.
13) What gear do you use? I use a Sennheiser 416 mic with a Focusrite Red 7 mic pre.
14) How has new technology changed the way you work? Technology has made life very easy as far as recording my audio, and immediately getting it to the client, anywhere in the world.
15) What did it feel like the first time you heard your voice on the radio/television? Wow, the FIRST time I heard my voice on the radio, was when I was a kid calling into the local radio station to win a contest. Hearing my voice on the radio, along with the jock asking ME on the air if I was a jock (upon hearing my voice), was very exciting!!
https://youtu.be/0teOW_kQzFo
Contact Links:
Website: http://www.stevekamer.com/
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2bdtVUN
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2b0ZYCQ
Atlas Talent Agency: http://bit.ly/2aK6iAi
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