×

Customers

USA: +1 332 2131 466

UK: +44 (0)203 603 3676

sales@voquent.com

Talent

USA: 1 332 2131 466

UK: +44 (0)203 603 3676

talent@voquent.com

Voice-Over

The Year in Review: 2020 by Voquent’s Top Voices

Al Black

Al Black

12 December 2020

The Year in Review: 2020 by Voquent’s Top Voices - Voquent

“Unprecedented.”

Can you think of a year with more uses of the word ‘unprecedented’ than 2020?

Of course not!

With millions of lives lost in the global pandemic, the mass layoffs, the general uncertainty, all the people furloughed, the incessant lockdowns and tiering of restrictions and many of the high street’s most well-known brands finally succumbing to digital; yep, it’s been hard to remain positive.

Yet despite all this, many individuals and businesses are flourishing.

For Voquent, 2020 saw a surge in our growth as more customers sought online voice-over solutions. It’s thanks in no small part to the many talented voice actors we work with – some of which only equipped themselves with a home recording studio this year, during lockdown!

Below, we hear from some of the top voice actors we’ve worked with during 2020. But before you read on, check out Voquent’s Top Voice Actors of 2020 (linked below). Please give the page a few moments to load.

 

*** Top Voice Actors 2020 ***

 

Emily

Nativity: English

“I spent the entire session screaming…”

Emily headshot behind microphone.“Ahh, my favourite 2020 job is also the most intense job I have ever done! I’ve just finished recording tons of ADR for an amazing new television series that’s coming out around Easter next year. I spent the entire session screaming, shouting, crying, wailing, and laughing maniacally. It was the most fun EVER! And it seems, I have a hidden talent for turning on the waterworks. After I had finished one of my “sobbing with great sorrow” performances, my co-actor turned to me and said, “my god Emily, that was convincing, how did you manage to turn that on and off so quickly?!” I didn’t tell him but the scene on the screen was so shocking and emotional that the tears were practically real!

An actor’s job is easy when the content is incredible, and I hope every day they call me back to do some more!”

Visit Emily’s profile >

 

Jérôme

Nativity: French

Jerome headshot“My favourite voice-over project for 2020 would be a commercial for Lenovo – Gamme Yoga. It was a great experience and I’ve included a link to the finished commercial below!”

Visit Jerome’s profile >

 

Amy

Nativity: Scottish

Amy headshot behind microphone“My job highlights of 2020 was voicing some fun DLC for several characters on Playstation 4 game, ‘Age of Wonders: Planetfall’ with Triumph Studios. With everything going on in the world last year it felt like a gift to be able to escape into the world of fantasy-adventure gaming for a while! (From the comfort of my own home of course).” Amy also voiced an Adobe commercial via Voquent, check it out below.

 

 

Visit Amy’s profile >

 

William

Nativity: American

Headshot of Will“I’ve provided a link to a project that I currently voice for FanDuel. It is part of an ongoing campaign and I’d say this was my favourite project of 2020. It is a new client for me, and I really enjoy working with them.”

Visit William’s profile >

 

Margit

Nativity: German

Headshot of Margit“My favourite voice-over project this year was for Chanel, for their Beyond the Jar series. The booking came on the 2nd of January, and I somehow knew it would be a great year professionally. For me, in terms of brands, it does not get any classier than Chanel. As a teenager, I used to cut out Chanel magazine ads and stick them into my diary. To hear my voice in a film featuring the greatest top models of all time, Christy Turlington or Gisele Bundchen, was an absolute highlight for me this year. I’m proud to say that Chanel liked it so much that they have booked me for even more projects since!”

 

Visit Margit’s profile >

 

Albert

Nativity: Argentinian

Albert headshot“Whilst not denying having received some RSC training (why should I?) I still consider my voice to be a gift, a Godsend. Hence it follows I believe I should give something back in return, you know, the good old ‘what goes around comes around’. The piece I am sharing with you is a pro bono work that I did to highlight the grievous situation many women find themselves in. Hurt, abused, powerless… I wanted to give them a voice, and, lacking a better one, I gave them mine. I took pen to paper (I do use an old-fashioned calligraphy fountain pen for my first drafts), then I recorded the poem I had written, and finally edited the video I am hereby sharing with you.”

Visit Albert’s profile >

 

Maria

Nativity: American

Maria wearing headphones“There were a lot of interesting projects – both advertising & industrial – this year as companies adjusted their marketing to account for work & lifestyle changes due to Covid-19. I was very proud to voice a series of television, radio and pre-roll commercials for a major American food brand that celebrated being together as a family and finding fun things to do safely in your home. The spots were bright and hopeful, and it was an honor to represent an iconic brand across the media ecosystem.”

 

Visit Maria’s profile >

 

Jason

Nativity: Chinese

Headshot of Chinese voice actor Jason behind the mic.“My favourite project was a Facebook promo project for Istanbul Airport (linked below). It has a wonderful design, I love the graphics and video editing techniques used. What’s more, the whole workflow was smooth and enjoyable for both myself and the client. I felt I could really put feeling into my performance and I think it turned out perfectly!”

Visit Jason’s profile >

 

Huwa

Nativity: Nigerian

Huwa headshot smiling“On the second week of August 2020; I was contacted directly by the creative agency The La Casera Company in Nigeria. They asked that I write a spoken word piece and voice it as well because they needed someone who could read with the same cadence as it was written.

It was my best work because it was a lot more than just voicing a project, it was uplifting art that had been underestimated and, in that way, using that piece of poetry to inspire my community.”

Huwa drinking a bottle of La Casera wearing a yellow top.

Visit Huwa’s profile >

 

Reinaldo

Nativity: Brazilian

Reinaldo headshot“In August 2020, I recorded voices for a Netflix series (called “DEAF U“).

The client was actually located in the Philippines, but the series was broadcast in America.

I also got the opportunity to narrate the Playstation advert linked below.”

Visit Reinaldo’s profile >

 

Faye

Nativity: English

Faye headshot“My favourite voice-over project in 2020 was for a kid’s slime product! Who does not want to talk about how to make slime – especially slime that glows in the dark! It made a lovely change from the ‘drier’ explainer videos – although I didn’t actually get given any slime as part of my fee, which was very disappointing!”

 

Visit Faye’s profile >

 

Christian

Nativity: German

Christian headshot“My favourite voice-over project this year was a recent project via Voquent: a series of Finnish educational videos about how to deal with heart attacks and how to prevent yourself from suffering one. Half of the films were animated which made them nicely challenging because it was sync to picture recording. There were a few moments where timing was crucial. Plus, the role was two characters in one – a narrator who had also suffered a stroke of his own and described what happened to him and how he felt. I tried to stay close to the natural and emphatic tone of the original English voice actor who I liked. I tried to add some liveliness to entertain a little bit and give the videos a bit of pace. Great fun overall!”

Visit Christian’s profile >

 

Jessica

Nativity: American

Jessica headshot“While not the highest-profile project of 2020 for me, the fundraising video I voiced for Dreamweaver Foundation would have to be my favourite project of 2020. Dreamweaver Foundation grants lifelong wishes to senior citizens. Typically, they raise funds in person, but these are not typical times! Dreamweaver sent the video to their donors to raise funds for seniors to get Facebook portals so that they could more easily be part of their family’s events, recitals, dinners, and everyday moments. It is such a reflection of what is happening in our world right now, and I felt like my contribution was to shine a light on the challenges of isolation and loneliness seniors are experiencing.”

Visit Jessica’s profile >

 

Majed

Nativity: Emirati

Majed headshot“Recently, I was part of a film where I was only a VO antagonist. As an actor and a narrator, I have realized the tremendous freedom to act by the voice only. I, sincerely, felt the power of the character as it was concentrated at my voice delivery.  I would also like to add, I enjoyed working on a commercial for Alsafi, which is linked below. I was involved, from the development of the ideas and contributed to the copywriting given my strength in the Arabic language. Donating two-cents of my creative juice to help bring the project to perfection, so to speak.”

Visit Majed’s profile >

 

Vivian

Nativity: Kenyan

Vivian headshot“Recording a radio advert for the BBC was one of my highlights this year. It was a children storybook funded by UNICEF in Swahili. I was also asked to record scripts raising the awareness of Covid-19 in different African languages. And I recorded narration about Freedom Sunday for a Church in my local community. I really felt part of this charity work, to promote the work of God. I’m praying for better days in the voice-over industry, business, and entrepreneurs. God bless.”

Visit Vivian’s profile >

 

Ken

Nativity: American

Ken headshot“My favorite voiceover project of 2020 is still under NDA at this time, so specifics cannot be disclosed yet. It is a Netflix docuseries dubbing project, where my voice was the English-translated dub of the series’ main subject (who spoke only in Italian).  It was one of my only in-studio experiences in the year of Covid-19 and spanned 12 hours/4 sessions out of The Lair of Medium Energy (my personal studio!).  The experience introduced me to a new dubbing technique and allowed me to exercise more of my acting skills.  Bonus pick, my proudest 2020 project was donating my grumpy old man voice to When We All Vote’s “Your Vote” and “Vote Loud” online campaigns.”

Visit Ken’s profile >

 

Claudia

Nativity: French

Claudia headshot“In 2018 I was approached by a naturalist/photographer. He takes pictures of animals in the wild, in the mountains. He had asked me to voice his scripts to give life to the photos, but unfortunately, my workload didn’t permit. Luckily he came back to me at the beginning of 2020 and sent me two different projects: The way he writes his scripts, the beauty of the photos, the music are all perfect and the results are just breathtaking and inspiring! I cannot wait to receive his next script! They are low budget, but tremendously satisfying!” In stark contrast to this Covid-19/coronavirus voice-over project Claudia also narrated:

Visit Claudia’s profile >

 

Avik

Nativity: Indian

Avik headshot“2020 has been a bit tough year for me and other voice-over artists like me. Before Covid-19 I used to spend 10-12 hrs a day in the studio but now I have to work from home. My favourite work in 2020 would be a dubbed movie “Silly Fellows”, which is yet to be released worldwide. That was a bit challenging for me cause I have to dub the character completely on my own!” Here’s another project Avik voiced in Bengali. It is an explainer video about health insurance:

Visit Avik’s profile >

 

Remie

Nativity: Irish

Remie headshot“One of the things I love about being a voiceover artist is the many ways I get to learn about weird, wonderful, and niche subjects through the projects I do. This year I got to dive deep into the world of marine conservation by narrating a nature documentary about Thresher sharks. I love performing documentary-style narration and would love to have the opportunity to do more of it. I also became an AI voice for a global corporation, which gave me an insight into a different recording process. It is also very cool to be able to interact with my own voice through technology! There really is no limit to what you can find yourself voicing in this industry.” Remie also voiced this CX-30 commercial for Mazda:

Visit Remie’s profile >

 

Seraphin

Nativity: Chinese

Seraphin headshot“May 31st, 1911. The Titanic is finally complete after 2 years of construction. It will be ready for its first voyage a year later. It is the most luxurious ship in the world. Imagine you have just read the ground-breaking news in the Daily Herald and decided to treat yourself to a trip on this floating gem. You head over to White Star Line’s headquarters in London to buy yourself a ticket. You get the cheapest first-class fare for £30 (that would be around $4,500 in 2020).

Wednesday, April 10th, 1912. The day is finally here! The majestic ship in front of you is bigger than you imagined. As you board the Titanic, Captain Edward Smith himself greets you! Your trip will begin shortly. By the time the liner stops at Cherbourg and Queenstown, over 2,200 passengers and crew will be on board, embarking on their transatlantic trip. The Titanic is ready to sail, and you hear the horns from the deck as you wave goodbye to the people below. The ship is scheduled to arrive in New York a week later April 17th. But that’s only if things go according to plan…

So, could the sinking of the Titanic have been avoided? What if the Titanic never sank?”

Visit Seraphin’s profile >

 

Kelsey

Nativity: Scottish

“I think I’m a kids presenter at heart…”

Kelsey headshot“Hands down my favourite project of 2020 has been working on educational videos which will be used in schools & online throughout the UK.  I think I’m a kids presenter at heart so it came quite easily to me and it was cool to top up my own knowledge on some of the subjects too! It’s also extra special as I know my niece and nephew will get to learn from me indirectly through my voice!”

 

 

Visit Kelsey’s profile >

 

Mutale

Nativity: Zambian

Mutale headshot“So, about my favourite voice over project. I usually get some work on social media. Going through my pages, I see an interesting offer, I approach them for an advert production. One of the businesses I approached had a promotion that they had tried to have an agency work on, but they somehow could not agree on the direction. So, I had produced one based on their poster that I saw. I immediately got a call, we set up a zoom meeting where they explained how they thought I understood their offer better and wanted me to be their go to when they have products to promote. it was a profound feeling.”

Visit Mutale’s profile >

 

Christine

Nativity: Canadian

Christine headshot“My favourite project this year has been to voice the HelloFresh Canada TV Campaign.

It brought together creatives from the UK, Canada, and the US in all different time zones for the recording via Source Connect and it was a joy to work on!”

Christine also voiced the GCCR – Loss of Smell and Covid-19 explainer from PWPvideo on Vimeo.

Visit Christine’s profile >

 

Sven

Nativity: South African

“We had so much fun creating voices and boy did we laugh!”

Sven headshot“My favorite project was for a fun, young and edgy tech company. They wanted to be original and creative and they had written a clean, clear, and precise script. We had so much fun creating voices and boy did we laugh! We experienced a synergy like no other. Working with companies who believe in their product with heart, brings about a final product that shines.” Sven is also an established actor and spent time talking to YouTube star Max Fosh in November 2020:

Visit Sven’s profile >

 

Hala

Nativity: Kuwaiti

“It felt like I was doing a patriotic mission.”

Hala headshot“Despite the pandemic and the lockdowns that we have all gone through this year, I’ve done some good projects and I have worked with people from Dubai, Saudi, London, and Jordan.

My favourite voiceover project for this year was about the pandemic and the curfew that we had to abide by. In my country, Jordan, they followed a great strategy to control the spread of the coronavirus. I was proud to be chosen by our royal court to do the job because they picked my voice from many other candidates. It felt like I was doing a patriotic mission.

I am looking forward to a more abundant 2021 and to more creative projects to do during the coming year, especially with Voquent. I wish everyone prosperity and a beautiful New Year full of happiness, and bliss.” Hala also voiced this promo for Fine Tissues:

Visit Hala’s profile >

 

Nigel

Nativity: English

Nigel headshot“I was delighted to be cast in the lead role of “Brutus” for the English dub of the French comedy film “Brutus vs César”.

Dubbing live-action is a much more precise skill compared to dubbing animated media. You must bring the truth of the original actor’s performance, paying close attention to their body language, tone of voice, and eyes. Yet you’re putting completely different words into their mouth, which, aided by an artful translation, should sync with the lips perfectly!”

Here’s the French trailer for the movie:

Visit Nigel’s profile >

 

Aneta

Nativity: Polish

Aneta headshot“At the start of 2020, I was invited to narrate an audiobook project. Each audiobook was to be read by not one, but by several professional voiceover artists. I was asked to record two chapters of Anne of Green Gables and a few more chapters of two other books. I really enjoyed working on this project.” Here is a clip of Anne of Green Gables – part 1, chapter 6:

Visit Aneta’s profile >

 

John

Nativity: Scottish

“…working remotely with tremendous professionals around the world is another source of strength…”

John headshot“A personal highlight of 2020 was working on a series of projects spotlighting the incredible interactive displays and technology that are planned to surround the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

Unfortunately, the actual content of these animations must remain under wraps for now but voicing such short films offered a bright light of hope and the encouragement to look to the future when so much of our present was centred on dystopia and stasis.

It also brought me back to collaborating with people I had worked with at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games/Paralympics in 2014. Although I will always enjoy live collaborations with clients in a studio, working remotely with tremendous professionals around the world is another source of strength, I find, that enriches life as it has had to be lived and is always welcome, whatever the times may bring.”

Honey Buzz from We Make Teasers on Vimeo.

Visit John’s profile >

 

Maclovia

Nativity: Mexican

Maclovia headshot wearing headphones“2020 for me was not only about the pandemic. It was a year full of new knowledge and opportunities! I’d been trying to move to the countryside for a love of nature but my Mexican clients were not so sure about sending the work to my remote home recording studio. Suddenly it has become a new way to work!

We must trust each other and get used to this new global way of working. I continue to get lots of work from my agents, my direct clients and new international partners like Voquent.”

Visit Maclovia’s profile >

 

Flavia

Nativity: Brazilian

Flavia headshot“In 2020 I had the opportunity to participate in several incredible projects and I am very grateful for that. Among these projects, I want to highlight all the voice-overs I did for Wise Up online, an English course with an innovative teaching method. I even became a student of this course and I cannot wait to be speaking English fluently to communicate with my clients from all over the world!”

Visit Flavia’s profile >

 

Elsie

Nativity: English

Elsie headshot“The best thing I have voiced recently was an online animation called Meta Runner, where I play a villainous character called Evelyn. This was super fun to record! I also voice the main playable character, Jennifer, in the horror video game Remothered: Broken Porcelain. Voice acting in a horror game, especially as the protagonist, was one of my voice over dreams come true!” Elsie also narrated this Duolingo commercial, booked via Voquent:

Visit Elsie’s profile >

 

Noboru

Nativity: Japanese

Noboru headshot“This year, I’ve been fortunate to work for many of the world’s most famous companies. I am thrilled that my “natural” voice has been embraced by so many companies.” One of my most memorable jobs this year was continuing to work on several commercials for  Toyota. An example of one corporate video I voiced last year is linked below.

Visit Noboru’s profile >

 

Heba

“Is that really you!?”

Nativity: Egyptian

Heba headshot“During the final months of this year, I voiced an Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) for one of the top airlines and tourism companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Saudia. I love IVR projects and I feel that I am able to distinguish myself in a competitive industry. For this project, I had to voice the prompts in both Arabic and English, and it was all done within 24 hours! What really delighted me was when my Dad called me to say “I was booking a plane ticket online today and I heard a voice that sounded like you. Is it really you!?”.

Heba voices a commercial for Saudi Arabian airlines

Visit Heba’s profile >

 

George

Nativity: American

“My lungs were so constricted…”

George headshot“I’ll never forget the significance of a project I voiced on March 23rd, 2020.

Having contracted Covid-19, I was (as my wife describes) “the closest to death I’ve ever seen you.”   My lungs were so constricted, I could not even speak on the phone to my concerned family.  Walking to the bathroom put me out of breath for several minutes.

Eventually, I was fortunate enough to recover.  It was then that a client asked me to narrate a promo for the Horizon Science Academy Columbus High School.  I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to deliver a quality recording, as I had not fully used those skills in over a month.  Thankfully, it went well. The client was happy, and the video was published on the school’s website and YouTube page.

Every project is important, but this one will always remind me of how lucky I am to have survived this pandemic and continue working in this incredible industry.”

Visit George’s profile >

 

Jennifer

Nativity: Kenyan

Jennifer headshot“2020 introduced me to the world of video games and short audio stories, many of which were penned by West African authors.

Stories I voiced included: tales of mythical beings; a cute children’s story (I was the voice of a gentle mother elephant); rhyming the adventures of a budding baby astronaut; and telling the story of a great woman of Kenya – Wangari Maathai. Whom went up against corrupt politicians and suffered beatings and jail time, in her quest to restore the rapidly decreasing tree cover she had enjoyed in her childhood.

My favourite project though, because of the challenge, would be voicing a sardonic healer of ancient Rome in an intriguing video game. The excellent direction I received gave me a whole new, unexpected perspective of VO – a wonderful gift!”

Jennifer also voices this excellent charity promo for Unbound:

Visit Jennifer’s profile >

 

Oyindamola

Nativity: Nigerian 

Oyindamola“My favorite project of 2020 was an audiobook I recorded titled “The bite of the Mango” by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland.

I loved it because it’s an autobiography of a young girl who endured the most trying times during the war in Sierra Leone. It is a story of strength and courage in the face of adversity. It’s written in the first person which helped me feel connected to the character. It is hard to believe this all happened in a country not too far away from my own.”

Visit Oyindamola’s profile >

 

Bite of the Mango book cover

 

 

 

Cecelia 

Nativity: Australian 

Cecelia headshot“It’s always hard to choose one job you enjoyed most. It’s like choosing your favourite child!

If forced to pick one, I would say that the chance to create characters in an animation destined to be shown in Planetariums around the world and recorded from my home studio was a real Buzz!”

Cecelia also narrated this amazing tour of Celebrity Solstice:

Visit Cecelia’s profile >

 

And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed reading what some of the talented voice actors on Voquent have been working on during 2020. There are some very special and talented voices on Voquent and we don’t ever take it for granted. Thank you all for your continued support and we hope to see you in 2021!

 

*** Top Voice Actors 2020 ***

 

Al Black

By Al Black

Al has over twenty years of experience in audiovisual translations. A Voquent co-founder, he has produced tens of thousands of voice-overs and translations for education, advertising and entertainment projects.

More from this author

What Will It Cost to Dub My Content?

Production

What Will It Cost to Dub My Content?

By Al Black

1 February 2024

The Top 10 Translation Companies in the US & UK

Guides

The Top 10 Translation Companies in the US & UK

By Al Black

6 October 2023

Sometimes we include links to online retail stores such as Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, if you click on a link and make a
purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Read more from the Voquent Blog

YouTube’s New Policy on AI-Generated Content REVEALED

Production

YouTube’s New Policy on AI-Generated Content REVEALED

By Dylan de Koning

26 March 2024

Top 10 Fictional Languages You Can Learn!

Entertainment

Top 10 Fictional Languages You Can Learn!

By Chloe McWhinnie

26 March 2024

Master the Craft: 7 Must-Know Filmmaking Techniques for Independent Filmmakers

Production

Master the Craft: 7 Must-Know Filmmaking Techniques for Inde...

By Michelle Quill

26 March 2024

Top 10 Best Video Game Voice Actors

Entertainment

Top 10 Best Video Game Voice Actors

By Chloe McWhinnie

22 March 2024

Top 10 Best Anime Voice Actors in English Dubs

Entertainment

Top 10 Best Anime Voice Actors in English Dubs

By Chloe McWhinnie

21 March 2024