Huge thanks to Marc Guss and his guest tonight on the Marc Guss Voiceover Club, Al Murdoch! Al talked about his journey from working in radio, to VO, to a PA announcer for the Vancouver Canucks and NHL special events, and as the voice of the Emmy Award winning Judy Justice.
Al shared how he was fascinated as a 6 year old when his dad brought home a transistor radio. He remembers the impact that it had on him and feeling an instant connection with the voice. After studying broadcasting in college, he started a career in radio working behind the scenes, then on air, realizing that he liked reading commercials and became interested in production and sound design. This career evolved into more voiceover work, in radio imaging and other genres as well.
Through coaching, Al learned how to “dial back” his booming announcer style that he developed in his radio work to fit other styles of VO. He said that he’s noticing a trend in radio imaging where they want two voices: a big voice, but will also have a more casual “guy or girl next door” voice. Marc invited Eric Romanowski to join the stage and weigh in on the trends he’s seeing in radio imaging. Is the big voice still relevant? Eric said that he sees a lot of big voices, and that they lean toward rock, classic rock, country, and sports. “I think there’s still room for the big voices,” Eric said.
Al shared some advice throughout the conversation:
Persistence is key. “If you can be persistent enough without being creepy, that goes a long way,” he said.
Al shared that he learns a lot by osmosis, just by listening to everything around him. It’s important for people who want to pursue this business to be patient, he said, and to listen to everything on the radio, on TV, to people’s voices in restaurants — everything is an opportunity.
Before the end of the club, Al had one more piece of advice. “As Marc said, it’s a marathon, and as soon as you cross that finish line, get ready to train for the next one,” Al said. Marc added, “Don’t lose sight and keep the journey going.”
Thanks so much to Marc and Al for their advice and insight into the industry, and thanks to the audience questions that helped everyone listening learn so much! Check out the Marc Guss Voiceover Club every Wednesday night on Clubhouse at 8:30 pm ET.