FEATURING ELIAH
TRACY-ANN LEITH
PLEASE KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
My name is Tracy-Ann Leith, and I'm a bilingual voice actor living in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. My voiceover career started in September 2011.
After taking a 6-week voice acting course at the Mon- treal Radio & Television School, the owner gave me my demo with the email of a Toronto-based non-union talent agency and said, "Get in touch with them, you're good". In 2012, I signed with PN Agency.
That same year, my demo made its way to a radio sta- tion by January 2012, I became a co-host for a morning weekly radio show called "Réveil Tropical".
Talk about the challenges you face in the voice over and how do you overcome them?
When I was diagnosed with ADHD in June 2022, it was a major turning point that helped me to better understand myself, which was the missing piece that I needed to make sense of my life. With proper medication, I was able to get the proper treatment to fully life my life.
What in your life experience was most helpful to you in becoming a voice actor?
When I decided to sign up for the Voice Acting course, that's when I made the choice to change my life. It was an inner calling that motivated me to do more with my life.
ny classes, books or programs you recommend?
Anything that helps you learn more about yourself and bettering your craft, go for that. Recently, I heard something that resonates with me "Words. Don't. Teach". Words have the ability to inspire, mo- tivate, and move others to become better versions of themselves.
Can you give an example of a project you have worked on as a voice-over artist?
Having voiced hundreds of different, from TV and radio commercials to corporate promotional videos to doing live event announcements, I was fortunate to have worked on several TV spots for Raymond James.
How do you approach a voice-over script?
Every script is unique. That being said, I'll start with looking over the specs, to get a sense of how they wanted it sound. If I have any questions, I'll ask the client to provide additional information. Always keeping in mind that I'm there to work with the client to help give them a great final product.
What do you recommend? Sett up a home studio or using a commercial recording facility?
In having an at-home studio, you're able to position yourself better in the interests of providing fast and high-quality turnaround. It's also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the local recording studios, in case you receive a project that offers different types of services (i.e.: dubbing, large-scale projects).
Do you have a specialty in voice work, or do you have several types?
The bulk of my work is in IVR (Interactive Voice Recognition) or telephony systems. That being said, I've worked on various types of voice projects: Corporate E-Learning, promotional videos, radio & tv commercials, and live announcements (Voice of God)
What's a typical day like in the voice-over busi- ness?
Daily life as a voice actor can be quite different, one day to the next. Being an entrepreneur means that you are responsible for every aspect of your business: accounting, marketing, social media content management, IT expert, administration, customer service, and voice talent at any given time. It's quite challenging, but very rewarding at the same time.
Every day, there's always something new and inter- esting to learn about and do.