Imaging In 2018 – Lisa Keys VO
- ImagingIn2019, Opinion, Radio Imaging
- Atlas Talent, Copy, Copyrighter, Imaging, Imaging in 2018, Lisa Keys, Opinion, Voiceover
- July 15, 2018
Welcome to “Imaging In 2018” a Blog Series which looks at the developments in Radio Imaging and Production, the future and opinions from across the world.
Over the past few posts, I have focused on Voiceovers with “Voiceovers – The Producer Relationship”
Lisa Keys
I’ve never been fortunate enough to work with Lisa Keys before, however I’ve been following her Voiceover work for a number of months now and I absolutely love it.
Her fresh and vibrant voice can be heard on KOIT San Francisco, US*99 Chicago, 100.3 The Bear and 104-9 VIRGIN Radio Edmonton, B93.3 Milwaukee, NOW 100.5 Sacramento, 104.5 WFMB Springfield, the EZ Rock cluster of stations in Interior BC, BX93 London, K105 Fort Wayne as well as several other Canadian and US. radio stations.
Lisa and myself were chatting though email and it turns out we’re actually both fans of each other’s work – amazing!
1. You have voiced thousands or even millions of pieces of copy - some terrible and some not so bad. But what are the pieces that really stand out for you that ultimately end up on your Reel/Demo for marketing purposes?
Great question! I can’t speak highly enough of good writing. There are some pieces of copy where the writing is so funny or creative and so on point with the branding of the station, or it just feels so natural, that I’m able to really let loose when voicing. It’s sessions like those where I make note to bug all of the extremely kind producers in my life for that production back to save for my next batch of demos.
2. When it comes to scripting - what would you say to the copywriter in making it easier for you to really deliver your best work. (Font size, context, providing audio, live guidance?)
I’m not picky on formatting of copy – as long as I can read it, I’ll read it. I try to make PDs/producers, etc lives easier by making my files and read delivery easy for them to chop up.
Context or provided audio is always cool – would never say no to any clues on how to best deliver VO someone is looking for. Live guidance is amazing and I learn so much, but I understand how busy everyone gets and how that’s not always a possibility. Having a past piece of work of mine referenced helps me lock into a tone or feel of delivery being requested.
3. You can write something that looks amazing but when voiced it really just doesn't work. Would you provide feedback or suggest a better way for it to be voiced?
I’ll always deliver copy as requested but also throw in some takes where I might try my own version of how I interpret the script. I would never want to step on a writer’s toes or make anyone feel like the copy they sent me wasn’t great. For station VO, I’d definitely throw in some options. An audition for a commercial? Not so much.
