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The Power of a Raspy Female Voice in Commercial Advertising

July 27, 2026 by Leah Arscott

You’re scrolling through casting submissions for the fortieth time this week, and every voice starts to blur together. Clean. Polished. Safe. Then one file stops you mid-scroll — a female voice with a little grit in it, a little warmth, a texture that sounds like she’s lived a life and isn’t afraid to let you hear it. That’s the moment a raspy female voice over earns its place in your campaign, and it’s exactly the moment I want to talk about.

I’m Leah Arscott, a voice over actor with a naturally warm, slightly raspy tone that’s landed campaigns for brands like Google, Amazon, Apple, Barbie, Xbox, BMW, Porsche, Sephora, TikTok, Deloitte, and Salesforce. I didn’t train this texture into my voice — it’s just how I sound. And over seven-plus years in this industry, I’ve learned exactly why creative directors reach for a voice like mine when a script calls for authenticity over polish.

Why Creative Directors Choose a Raspy Female Voice Over

A raspy voice does something a pristine, “announcer-clean” voice can’t: it signals real. Audiences are exhausted by ads that sound like ads. The moment a voice has texture — a little rasp, a little breath, a slight imperfection — it reads as unscripted, like a friend telling you about a product she actually uses, not a script she’s reading for the fortieth take.

This is why raspy voices show up so often in categories built on trust and lived experience: wellness and health brands, home goods, food and beverage, financial services aimed at real people rather than institutions, and lifestyle brands trying to sound like a person, not a corporation. A raspy female voice over carries built-in credibility. It sounds like someone who’s been through something and came out the other side with a good story to tell — which is exactly the emotional register a lot of modern advertising is chasing.

There’s also a sonic branding advantage that’s easy to overlook. In a media landscape saturated with the same three or four “commercial voice” archetypes, a distinctive raspy tone stands out in a media mix. If your brand is running audio across TV, streaming, podcasts, and social, a voice with a recognizable texture builds recall in a way a generic, interchangeable voice simply can’t.

Ready to hear it for yourself? Send me your script and I’ll put together a custom read so you can hear exactly how this tone lands against your copy.

Where a Raspy Voice Over Works Best in Advertising

Not every project calls for this texture, and knowing where it shines is part of what makes casting decisions easier. In my experience, a raspy female voice over performs exceptionally well in:

Wellness, health, and self-care advertising, where warmth and lived-in honesty outperform polish
Home and lifestyle brands going for an approachable, “your smart friend” tone rather than a corporate one
Food and beverage spots that want comfort and indulgence rather than a hard sell
Financial and insurance advertising aimed at everyday consumers, where trust matters more than authority
Documentary-style and testimonial-driven commercials, where the read needs to sound unscripted
Podcast advertising and audio-first platforms, where texture carries even more weight without visuals to support it

If your brief uses words like “authentic,” “real,” “relatable,” “girl next door with an edge,” or “warm but confident,” a raspy tone is very likely the sound you’re actually picturing.

Where it tends to work less well: ultra-luxury brands chasing pure aspiration, children’s content, or campaigns that specifically need crisp, hyper-articulate clarity above all else. A good casting director already knows this instinctively — I just want producers newer to voice casting to have the shorthand.

Have a script you’re not sure fits this tone? Send it over and I’ll give you an honest read on whether a raspy voice is the right call, or point you toward what might work better.

How Rasp Reads Differently Across Regions

One thing I hear often from European producers and agencies I work with is a question about whether a raspy North American voice will land the same way with a UK, European, or global audience. In my experience, it translates remarkably well — arguably better in some markets, where a slightly imperfect, human voice is already a more established creative choice than it sometimes is in North American commercial work.

Because I work regularly with both North American and European brands and agencies, I record every project from my own broadcast-quality home studio, so time zones and geography are never a barrier. Whether you’re in Toronto, London, Milan, or anywhere in between, I can deliver via Source-Connect or any major conferencing platform for live-directed sessions, or turn around a fully produced file on your timeline.

What a Raspy Voice Actually Sounds Like on a Script

Rasp isn’t one thing — it exists on a spectrum, and where a voice sits on that spectrum changes what it’s useful for. A light rasp, just enough texture to sound human, works beautifully for approachable brand narration and corporate storytelling that still needs warmth. A more pronounced rasp — deeper, huskier — leans into confidence and edge, which works well for bolder brand positioning, streetwear, and lifestyle brands trying to sound a little rebellious.

Knowing where your brand sits on that spectrum before casting saves everyone time. If you’re not sure which end of that range is right for your script, that’s exactly the kind of thing a quick custom read can settle in five minutes instead of a week of back-and-forth casting notes.

Let’s talk about your project — tell me the brand tone you’re going for and I’ll send a read that shows you exactly how the rasp sits against your specific copy.

Recording Quality Matters as Much as the Voice Itself

A great raspy tone can still get undercut by bad audio, and this is where a lot of buyers get burned working with voice talent who don’t have proper studio setups. My home studio runs on a Neumann TLM 103 microphone, a Focusrite Clarett preamp, and Logic Pro X for editing — the same broadcast-standard gear used across the campaigns I’ve recorded for global brands. That means every file arrives clean, properly leveled, and ready to drop straight into your edit, without a second pass for noise or inconsistent levels.

For agencies and production companies who want to direct the read live, I’m fully set up for remote sessions through Source-Connect and standard conferencing platforms, so you get the same control as an in-person studio session, wherever you’re located.

Working With a Voice Actor Who Understands Brand Voice

The best raspy reads don’t happen by accident — they happen when the voice actor understands not just how to sound warm and real, but how to modulate that texture to match a brand’s specific personality. Over the past seven years, I’ve worked across commercial, animation, corporate narration, and documentary projects, which means I know how to dial rasp up for edge or down for approachability depending on what a script actually needs, rather than delivering the same read regardless of brief.

If you’re building out casting for an upcoming campaign and want a voice that brings warmth, authenticity, and a bit of unmistakable texture to the table, I’d love to be part of the conversation.

Get a custom quote for your project, and I’ll make sure you have everything you need to move forward quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a “raspy” voice over actually mean in advertising?
A raspy voice over refers to a voice with natural texture or huskiness rather than a clean, polished tone. It’s often used to convey authenticity, warmth, and lived-in credibility, which is why it shows up so often in wellness, lifestyle, and trust-driven advertising.

Why do brands specifically request a raspy female voice for commercials?
Brands request this tone when they want to sound relatable and human rather than corporate. A raspy female voice can make a script feel like a genuine recommendation from a real person, which builds trust faster than an overly polished, “announcer” read.

Is a raspy voice over suitable for luxury or high-end brands?
It can be, depending on the brand’s positioning. A lighter rasp often works for approachable-luxury brands wanting warmth alongside sophistication, while ultra-aspirational, exclusivity-driven brands may prefer a cleaner, more refined tone instead.

Can a raspy female voice work for European or global ad campaigns?
Yes. A naturally textured voice translates well across markets and often reads as even more authentic in regions where imperfect, human-sounding voice work is an established creative choice. Remote recording via Source-Connect makes time zones a non-issue.

How do I know if a raspy voice over is right for my script?
The easiest way is to hear it against your actual copy rather than guessing from a demo reel. Sending your script over for a custom read will show you exactly how the tone lands before you commit to casting.

Why Brands Choose Canadian Female Voice Actors for Commercial Campaigns

July 12, 2026 by Leah Arscott

If you’re casting a national or international commercial campaign, you’ve probably noticed something. A disproportionate number of the voices you’re drawn to keep turning out to be Canadian. That’s not a coincidence. It’s not just a casting trend either. More brands are making this choice on purpose. Once you understand why, it gets a lot easier to know what to listen for in your next audition round.

I’m Leah Arscott, a Canadian voice actor. I’ve recorded commercial work for brands including Google, Amazon, Apple, BMW, Porsche, and Barbie. I work with agencies and production companies across North America and Europe. So I’ll be honest with you: I have a stake in this conversation. But the reasons brands keep landing on Canadian talent hold up whether I’m the one saying it or not.

What Makes a Canadian Accent Work Across So Many Markets

Here’s the practical reason first. Canadian English sits in a genuinely useful linguistic sweet spot. It’s clear, neutral, and largely free of strong regional markers. It doesn’t carry the specific coastal or regional inflections you’ll hear in some American accents. It’s distinct from British, Australian, or Irish English too, without sounding foreign to any of those audiences.

For a brand running the same commercial across the US, UK, and mainland Europe, that neutrality carries real value. The read doesn’t pull focus. Audiences don’t spend half a second placing where the voice is “from.” They just listen to the message. When you’re paying for a campaign to run in multiple markets, a voice that doesn’t need re-casting per region saves real money and builds consistency.

Get a custom quote for your next campaign — I’ll tell you honestly if a neutral Canadian read fits your specific market mix.

The Trust Factor Behind Canadian Talent

There’s a perception element here too, and it’s backed by more than casting folklore. People widely perceive Canadian voices as warm, trustworthy, and unpretentious. Those qualities matter enormously in advertising, where the voice’s entire job is to make a stranger believe what you’re telling them in fifteen to thirty seconds.

This isn’t about sounding bland or safe. It’s about a voice that doesn’t work against the message. A commercial voice that reads as too polished, too aggressive, or too regionally specific can create small, subconscious friction for the listener. It creates a sense that something’s being sold at them, not told to them. Canadian delivery tends to lower that friction. This matters most in categories where trust is the entire sale: finance, health-adjacent brands, insurance, and family or lifestyle products.

National Vs. Global Campaigns: Why This Matters More Than Ever

A few years ago, agencies cast “national” and “international” campaigns separately more often than not. That’s changed. Streaming platforms, connected TV, and social ad targeting mean the same commercial frequently runs across multiple countries at once, sometimes with only minor language or localization edits. This shift has made the “neutral but warm” quality of Canadian voice talent more valuable, not less. Brands increasingly need one voice to do the job that used to require three or four regional casting rounds.

If you’re an agency managing a campaign running in more than one country, build this into your casting brief from the start. Don’t try to solve it after the fact once a regional voice fails to translate to a second market.

Send me your brief — I’ll tell you straight whether your campaign fits this approach, or whether regional casting makes more sense for your goals.

What a Neutral, Trust-Worthy Commercial Voice Actually Sounds Like

It’s worth getting specific here, since “neutral and trustworthy” can sound vague on paper. In practice, this means:

Clear, unhurried pacing that doesn’t rush the listener through information.

Natural pitch and inflection, rising and falling the way real conversation does, not a scripted “announcer” cadence.

Warmth that comes through in tone, not just word choice. It should sound like advice from someone you trust, not a pitch from someone chasing a sale.

The absence of overly hard consonants or exaggerated vowel sounds that can read as regionally specific, or worse, performative.

This is also where a lot of casting goes wrong. Brands sometimes ask for “neutral” and get a read that’s neutral to the point of forgettable. Flat, safe, and instantly skippable in a crowded feed. The actual goal isn’t blandness. It’s a voice that’s neutral enough to travel, but textured enough to stay memorable. That balance takes skill. It usually separates a voice actor who’s technically Canadian from one who’s genuinely working this angle on purpose.

Commercial Work Across Time Zones and Borders

One practical note for agencies outside Canada: hiring Canadian talent doesn’t create logistical headaches. I record from a broadcast-quality home studio equipped with Source-Connect. Directors in London, Berlin, or Los Angeles can join a live session in real time, exactly as if I were down the hall. Turnaround typically runs within 24 hours. I’ve delivered work for European agencies with zero friction around time zones or file formats. The geographic advantage of a neutral, globally-resonant voice doesn’t come with a geographic hassle attached.

How to Cast a Canadian Voice Actor For Your Brand Campaign

If you’re considering this direction, keep a few things in mind:

Ask for a custom read on your actual script before committing. Don’t rely on a demo reel alone. Neutrality and warmth are easier to judge in context.

Be specific about which markets the campaign runs in. A voice built for a US/UK/Canada campaign may need slightly different calibration for one also running in mainland Europe, where English is often a second language and extra clarity matters even more.

Don’t confuse “neutral” with “personality-free.” The best Canadian commercial voices still carry a distinct warmth or texture. They’re just calibrated not to alienate any one regional audience.

Have a multi-market campaign coming up? I’d love to see the brief and talk through whether this approach fits what you’re building.

The Smart Casting Choice for Multi-Brand Campaigns

Casting a Canadian voice for a commercial campaign isn’t a trend or a shortcut. It’s a specific strategic choice. It solves a real problem for brands running work across multiple markets: how do you sound trustworthy, warm, and clear to as many people as possible, without sounding like you’re from any one specific place? Done well, it’s one of the most efficient casting decisions you can make for a campaign with real geographic reach.

Frequently Asked Questions for Female Canadian Voice Actor Commercials

Why do brands choose Canadian voice actors for commercials?
People widely perceive Canadian English as clear, neutral, and free of strong regional markers. This makes it effective across multiple markets without separate regional casting.

Is a Canadian accent noticeable in commercial voice over work?
Generally, no. Canadian commercial delivery is calibrated to sound neutral and broadly relatable rather than regionally distinct. That’s part of why it works well for national and international campaigns.

Can a Canadian voice actor work with European brands and agencies?
Yes. Remote recording technology like Source-Connect allows live-directed sessions with agencies anywhere in the world. Many Canadian voice actors, myself included, regularly work with European clients with no logistical friction.

What industries benefit most from Canadian female voice talent?
Categories where trust drives the message tend to benefit most. Think finance, health-adjacent brands, insurance, family products, and lifestyle brands. The warmth and approachability associated with Canadian delivery serves these categories especially well.

How do I know if a neutral voice is right for my campaign?
Request a custom read on your actual script. Evaluate it against the specific markets your campaign will run in, rather than judging from a general demo reel alone.

The Modern Guide to Hiring a Canadian Female Voice Actor for Commercials

July 6, 2026 by Leah Arscott

If you’ve ever watched a Google ad, scrolled past an Expedia spot, or heard an Airbnb campaign and thought “that voice just feels right” — there’s a reason for that. It wasn’t an accident. Someone made a deliberate casting decision, and that decision shaped how you felt about the brand in the next three seconds.

Hiring the right commercial voice actor has always mattered. But in today’s advertising landscape, where audiences skip, scroll, and tune out faster than ever, it matters more than it ever has.

This guide is written from the inside — from the perspective of a working Canadian female commercial voice actor with seven years of experience across broadcast, digital, streaming, and social platforms. Whether you’re a brand, an agency, or a creative director casting your next campaign, here’s what actually drives great commercial voice over in 2025 and beyond.

Understanding Commercial Voice Over in Today’s Advertising Landscape

The commercials of fifteen years ago lived in a different world. They aired during appointment television, competed with a handful of other spots, and had the luxury of a captive audience. The delivery style reflected that — polished, projected, and unmistakably “announcer.”

That world is gone.

Today, commercials live everywhere at once — connected TV, YouTube pre-roll, Spotify, Instagram stories, TikTok, streaming audio, mobile apps. Audiences encounter brand messaging dozens of times a day across a fragmented media landscape, and they have become extraordinarily good at filtering out anything that feels like an ad.

The result? Brands have shifted almost entirely away from the big, booming announcer read toward something far more difficult to pull off: a voice that sounds like a real person.

Over the past seven years, the direction I hear most consistently from clients is some version of the same thing: conversational, authentic, don’t sound like you’re reading, give it energy, really connect with the script. That’s not a coincidence. That’s the industry responding to what audiences actually respond to.

What Brands Actually Gain When They Work With the Right Commercial Voice Actor

A strong commercial voice does more than sound pleasant. It shapes how a message lands, how a brand is perceived, and how quickly a project moves from first take to final approval.

When the voice is the right fit — for the script, the audience, and the brand personality — a few things happen consistently:

Revisions drop. When the delivery matches the intent from the first session, there’s less back and forth, fewer pickups, and faster turnaround for everyone involved.

Messaging becomes clearer. A voice that understands the material doesn’t just read words — it communicates ideas. The difference between a line that lands and one that feels flat often comes down to performance, not copy.

Emotional connection increases. Audiences don’t remember taglines. They remember how something made them feel. The right voice creates that feeling without the audience ever noticing it’s happening.

Brand consistency builds over time. When a voice becomes associated with a brand across multiple campaigns, recognition grows. Audiences start to feel familiar with the brand before a single word is spoken.

The difference between a voice that checks the boxes and a voice that actually works isn’t always technical. It’s about fit — and fit comes from understanding the audience you’re speaking to.

Why Canadian Female Voices Are in Demand for Commercial Campaigns

This is a question I get asked more than you might expect, and the honest answer is nuanced.

Canadian voices carry something that’s genuinely difficult to manufacture — a quality that sits at the intersection of neutral and warm. There’s no strong regional accent pulling focus, but there’s also an emotional genuineness that comes through, particularly in longer form brand spots and campaigns that require trust.

When I think about what makes a Canadian voice identifiable — especially in sectors like airlines, government campaigns, and national consumer brands — it’s not the accent. It’s the tone. Canadian voices tend to read as emotive, genuine, and comforting without crossing into performance. They feel like someone talking to you rather than at you.

That quality travels well. It works in the US market. It works internationally. For brands running national or global campaigns who need a voice that doesn’t carry strong cultural or regional signals, Canadian talent consistently delivers a sound that feels inclusive and broadly appealing.

For campaigns targeting young adult audiences in particular — the kind of prime time spots you hear for brands like Google, Alexa, Expedia, or Airbnb — Canadian female voices are regularly cast precisely because they bring that combination of down-to-earth authenticity and natural energy.

Matching Voice Style to Brand Personality and Audience

One of the most consistent mistakes I see brands make in the casting process is prioritizing a voice they personally like over a voice that fits their actual target audience.

The example I come back to most often is beauty and cosmetics. A big, mature, authoritative voice might be genuinely impressive in a vacuum — but put it over a skincare campaign targeting a 24-year-old and the disconnect is immediate. The voice signals the wrong thing before the words even register.

Great commercial casting starts with a clear answer to two questions: Who is this for? and What do we want them to feel?

From there, voice styles break down roughly like this:

Conversational and relatable works well for apps, lifestyle brands, and wellness products — anywhere the brand wants to feel like a trusted friend rather than a company.

Warm and reassuring fits financial services, healthcare-adjacent brands, and any category where the audience needs to feel safe before they’ll engage.

Confident with a light attitude lands well for fashion, beauty, and campaigns targeting younger audiences who are fluent in irony and don’t respond to anything that feels like a hard sell.

Calm and grounded is the right choice for national brand spots, long-form storytelling, and any campaign where the message needs to carry weight without pressure.

The voice style isn’t decoration. It’s strategy.

Why Authentic Voice Over Performs Better in Modern Advertising

Here’s something that surprises people when I explain it: authentic delivery isn’t the absence of technique. It’s the result of a lot of it.

Sounding like you’re not reading from a script while reading from a script — hitting the right emotional beat on a line you’ve never spoken before — making a client’s copy feel like your own natural thought — none of that is accidental. It’s a practiced, deliberate performance skill.

What audiences respond to is a voice that feels emotionally present. Not perfect. Not polished to the point of distance. Present — like someone who means what they’re saying and understands why it matters to the person listening.

In a media environment where audiences are overloaded with content and under-impressed by production value alone, that quality of genuine human connection is what cuts through. It’s what makes someone stop scrolling. It’s what makes a brand feel trustworthy before the viewer even processes what the ad was selling.

How Brands Can Get the Most From a Commercial Voice Over Partnership

The best commercial voice over results I’ve been part of have one thing in common: the creative team came in with a clear sense of tone and audience, and then trusted the performance.

That doesn’t mean hands-off. Good direction matters enormously — it’s the difference between a read that’s close and a read that’s exactly right. But the most productive sessions happen when direction feels like refinement rather than correction. When both sides are working toward the same emotional target.

A few things that make the collaboration stronger from the start:

Share reference points early. A brand spot you love, a tone you’re trying to avoid, a description of how you want the audience to feel — all of that context is useful before the session begins.

Be specific about your audience. Not just demographics, but mindset. Are they aspirational? Skeptical? Already bought in? The voice performance shifts depending on where the listener is starting from.

Think beyond the single campaign. The brands that build the most recognizable audio identities are the ones who invest in consistency — using the same voice across multiple campaigns so audiences start to recognize the sound before the message.

Why Hiring the Right Canadian Female Voice Actor Matters

Hiring the right commercial voice actor is a creative decision with real business consequences. In a landscape where audiences are harder to reach, faster to tune out, and more responsive to authenticity than polish, the voice you choose either earns attention or loses it in the first three seconds.

The best commercial voices today don’t just sound good. They understand brand language, audience psychology, and the difference between reading copy and communicating an idea.

That’s what modern commercial voice over looks like — and it’s what the right casting decision brings to every campaign.

The Road to SOVAS: How a Mental Health PSA Became an Award-Winning Voice Over

March 3, 2026 by Leah Arscott

In 2024, I submitted an audition. It was for a mental health awareness video supporting the Royal Breakfast initiative for the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. At the time, it was simply another audition. I didn’t know it would become an award-winning PSA or one of the most meaningful projects of my career as a Canadian voice actor.

The Live-Directed Session

After being hired, we scheduled a live-directed recording session with Lee Pakala and James Hanington.
The direction was clear:
Grounded.
Compassionate.
Trustworthy.
Never performative.
Mental health narration requires emotional precision. It requires restraint. The voice must feel safe. Together, we shaped a tone that supported the message without overpowering it, the kind of compassionate corporate narration that builds trust rather than commands attention. When we wrapped, everyone felt good about the spot. But it wasn’t until I saw the finished animation that I understood the full impact.

Seeing the Story Come to Life

When I watched the final PSA the animation, pacing, music, and message working in harmony, I was moved. Not because of my performance. Because of the cause. The Royal Breakfast campaign represented something larger than a typical commercial project. It was about mental health advocacy. It was about dignity. And I believed it deserved recognition.

Taking Initiative: Submitting to SOVAS

With permission from the production team and client, I submitted the PSA to the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS). The submission process required detailed credits, category selection, and a formal entry fee. I entered the category:

Outstanding PSA – TV or Streaming – Best Voice Over

I didn’t submit because I was confident I would win.
I submitted because I wanted to elevate a Canadian mental health initiative on an international stage.
Then I waited.

The Nomination — and the Win

Two months later, I received the email: Nominated. I couldn’t attend the ceremony, so I asked my agent to act as my proxy in case of a win. On the night of the awards, I received a message that stopped me in my tracks: “GIRL! YOU WON!!!”

The Royal Breakfast PSA won Outstanding PSA – TV or Streaming at SOVAS. As an award-winning voice actor, that moment was surreal. Not because it validated me. But because it validated the power of thoughtful storytelling.

What This Award Represents

This SOVAS win represents more than a trophy.
It represents:

The impact of mental health narration delivered with authenticity
The importance of PSA voice over work
The power of collaborative storytelling
The global recognition of Canadian creative excellence

Months later, when the physical award arrived, it felt like the closing chapter of a journey that began with a single audition.

From Audition to Advocacy

As a Canadian female voice actor, I’ve voiced commercial campaigns, corporate narration, and branded content across industries. But projects like this remind me why I do this work. Because sometimes, voice over isn’t about selling. It’s about supporting. It’s about amplifying causes that matter. And sometimes, it’s about taking initiative when you believe in a story enough to push it forward.

Looking Ahead

If your organization is creating meaningful content, whether it’s a PSA, healthcare messaging, or compassionate corporate storytelling, I would be honoured to collaborate. Award-winning voice over begins with intention. And sometimes, with one audition.

Quality Character Voiceover with Leah

April 25, 2025 by wadmin

Character voiceover is a popular term in the industry and refers to playing the role of a specific personality for a project. Characters are frequently found in eLearning and corporate narration, and eLearning voice-over often has a general narrator and multiple characters speaking to various business scenarios.

Creating a Signature Character Sound

Typical character styles include animation personalities such as Disney princesses, cute, cuddly animals in educational videos, or wise men or women in gaming storylines. The character sound can also include authentic audio to mimic babies, children, teenagers, adults, and senior citizens. Even an inanimate object such as a shoe, an apple, or a pencil can have a character voice. The possibilities are endless and up to the creative director, writers, or producers’ innovative vision.

The voice actor must be creative and imaginative when thinking of a character’s voice. They must have a wide vocal range and take care to protect their vocal cords. They may laugh, cry, scream, or make odd sounds for hours to perfect the character. Leah has learned many tips and techniques from voice coaches and directors to tap into the actor’s psyche and draw out characters based on previous life experiences, people they’ve met, and pure imagination.

Places You’ll Find Character Voiceover

Character voiceover is more demanding than eLearning, promos, trailers, and corporate work because it requires the use of your whole body. Leah expertly delivers character voiceovers for:

Animation
Commercials
Audiobooks
Gaming
Avatars
Role Play
Films
Cell Phone Apps
Virtual Assistants
And more!

The video games market is one of the largest consumers of character voiceover in the fastest-growing market within digital media. In 2022, the worldwide revenue was US$197 billion and is expected to grow to US$285 billion in 2027.

Examples of Leah’s Character Work

Leah has performed character work for many clients and companies, such as Air Jordan, Xbox, Motorola, Barbie, Sam’s Club, Brawl Stars, TD Bank, Yotta Games, and more. She enjoys performing many vastly different characters and finds it thrilling and exciting. Her previous acting experience makes her highly qualified, with the skills to make each character unique. She’ll create a backstory for each character so they come alive in the audio. Picturing where these characters live, how they grew up, what fears or aspirations they have, and what each one looks like are all building blocks used to animate each personality. She will write a full brief on the character first, then explore various voices.

Leah can manipulate her voice from alto-soprano to a tenor, allowing her to bring many characters to life. She can also perform a multitude of accents if the character is from New York, the Southern Caribbean, Jamaica, Africa, Spain, Canada, the UK, Eastern European, and many more. She has also worked with industry great Elle-Ray Hennessy to draw out over 20 characters showcased on her Animation demo for your listening pleasure. Leah would love to work with your team to create and perform your character and story. Feel free to contact her anytime and learn more!

The Evolution of Commercial Voice Over

March 4, 2025 by wadmin

COMMERCIAL VOICE OVER: A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

From Jiffy to Juicy Fruit, from the sad and sappy commercials of the 80s to the loud, bright Old Navy and iPod commercials of the 2000s — one thing we can all agree on: those were memorable examples of commercial voice over.

WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES A COMMERCIAL MEMORABLE?

What makes a commercial voice over memorable? It’s probably not the product itself. Instead, it usually comes down to how the product or service got advertised — how it caught our attention and burrowed into our memory. Maybe it was a song, a funny character, or a distinctive voice. Whatever the ingredient, decades of marketing research and psychology go into making an ad memorable, and more importantly, into driving sales.

Voice over plays a major role in that process. Why? Because we’re all human. Listening to a voice that speaks to our mind, heart, and soul genuinely shifts buying power. In a world surrounded by AI, there’s still something about the human voice that creates a real, personal connection. Maybe it makes us laugh. Maybe it tugs at our heartstrings. Whatever it does, it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

WHY HAS COMMERCIAL VOICE OVER CHANGED?

The style of commercial voice has shifted dramatically over the years. When most people think of commercial voice over, they picture a loud, boomy voice shouting “This deal won’t last long, buy now before it’s too late!” But is that what we actually hear today? Not really.

Notice how the style has toned down significantly over the years? Try this test: next time you turn on the TV, listen to five or ten commercials in a row and mentally note the style, gender, and tone of each voice. You’ll notice something interesting.

So why the shift? Never before in history have humans absorbed so much information at such lightning speed. From the moment we open our eyes and grab our phones, to turning on the TV, listening to Alexa run through our schedule, tuning into the car radio, or switching on our work computers — information never stops coming at us. It gets exhausting, doesn’t it?

That’s exactly why most commercial voices today aren’t “selling” us anymore. Instead, they’re simply “telling” us about the product, letting us make our own buying decision. We hold the power now, not the brand.

Interestingly, the most expensive commercials on TV tend to have the least “selly” or announcer-style voices, while local or budget commercials often lean the opposite way. Think big bank commercials versus Joe’s Buy and Sell. Can you hear the difference?

A NEWBIE’S GUIDE TO COMMERCIAL VOICE OVER

When I got started in voice over, I fell into the classic “announcer read” trap. I wanted to yell, shout, and pile on the inflection. It was a rude awakening when my coaches told me to stop projecting, get close to the mic, and just talk like I was chatting with my best friend over coffee about some cool new thing I’d discovered. That’s the conversational read.

Trust me, it wasn’t easy at first. It took time to adjust. But the more I paid attention to television and radio, the easier it became.

NAILING THE CONVERSATIONAL READ

This concept took me a while to fully grasp. Isn’t all voice over technically conversational? Not even close. It’s genuinely hard to sound like you’re not reading when you actually are.

This is where the old saying “practice makes almost perfect” comes into play. Think about how we actually talk — on the phone, with friends, in business meetings. We don’t speak perfectly. We flub words. We speed up, then slow down. We stutter here and there and use all kinds of inflection without thinking about it. That’s the real art of the conversational read.

Look at actors, for example. They don’t deliver lines perfectly either — they lean into those small, human nuances to keep a performance feeling real. Voice over works exactly the same way.

IS THE ANNOUNCER READ GONE FOREVER?

A great voice actor needs the ability to perform across styles, not just the trendy one. Just because announcer reads aren’t dominating the airwaves right now doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. You’ll still hear them occasionally, usually tongue-in-cheek and intentionally over-the-top. Honestly, I love hearing it — especially in pizza commercials. It still makes me laugh every time.

MY LINE OF VOICE OVER COMMERCIAL WORK

In my day-to-day work, I perform a wide range of commercial styles. Conversational reads remain king, but I’ve also played the announcer role, along with warm and empathetic (think non-profit), millennial (think Whole Foods), anthemic (think banks), quirky and sarcastic (think tech), and luxurious (think expensive cars) — among many others.

Honestly, I don’t have one favorite over another. I love that no two days look the same. One moment I’m playing a character, and the next I’m delivering an empathetic, heartfelt read. That variety makes the work more fun, plain and simple. Ultimately, the product or service sets the foundation for the style of read, and it’s the actor’s job to figure out exactly what that style needs and deliver it.

I’d love to collaborate with your team to find that perfect style and tone for your next commercial. Feel free to drop me a line, and let’s talk about it.