We talk about voice overs with Rosi Amador, bilingual voice talent in English and Spanish and winner of the Voice Arts Awards – known as the Oscar of the voice – for the Best Commercial Demo with a political piece “which reflects her values and her wishes to promote and support the Hispanic community in the United States”.
How did you find out that you were nominated, and how did you react?
I found out I was nominated in October 2018, when my voice over producer, recognized voice over talent J. Michael Collins, notified me. I was incredibly excited, it was my first nomination in the field of voice over. In fact, it was his idea to apply to SOVAS in the first place. The fact that the demo was bilingual made my sample different from all of the other commercial demos, so I was honestly quite surprised. Furthermore, there were ten nominees, with very experienced and successful voice over talents among them, so I was very honored for the nomination.
During the ceremony, when you heard your name as they announced the winner, what were your thoughts? What was the reaction of a person who just won an Oscar for voice over?
I have been a professional musician for the last 34 years. By sheer coincidence, the ceremony took place in Los Angeles at the same time that I was finishing a tour on Northern California, in the city of Santa Cruz, with my Latin music group, Sol y Canto (whose members are my husband, Brian, and our daughter, Alisa Amador). I was quite busy dealing with friends and family, and was packing up and preparing to go, since we were scheduled to return to Boston the next morning. Around 9:30 or 10 pm I saw my cell phone screen light up suddenly, and realized I was receiving several texts from fellow Latin voice over friends, letting me know that I was the winner in my category! My demo was the winner. I could not believe it! I was extremely happy and honored. I was jumping with joy with my family, and we took a moment to celebrate the news. Someone who was present at the ceremony kindly did a cell phone video on featuring J. Michael Collins accepting the award in my name. I reacted quite emotionally when I saw my headshot projected on a huge screen! They played the beginning of my demo until J. Michael came up the Warner Brothers Studio stage in Los Angeles and read my thank you speech out loud, taking a moment to congratulate me as well.
Tell us about the work that has resulted in this award. What’s special about this particular piece?
I was very honored to be chosen for my demo among so many other excellent voice over talents with such significant careers in the industry. What I found most surprising was the fact that the jury chose a bilingual demo, in English and in Spanish. This is unusual in the category of “Best Commercial Demo” in a contest such as this one, because this award has traditionally been given to demos in the English language. Furthermore, it was my political demo, which reflects my values and my wishes to promote and support the Hispanic community in the United States. In other words, it wasn’t just a compilation of commercials about several products or services. On the contrary, it was a demo with a very personal point of view. In my demo, I included spots for important political candidates, but I also represented the voice of a humble female immigrant, pointing out that she contributes to this country and pays her taxes, same as every other American citizen, yet she is treated unjustly. My winning demo in the Voice Arts Awards is a reflection of my beliefs and values, supporting the causes and the people who defend the rights of the Hispanic community in this country. When I recorded it, it came straight from my heart, and I would imagine that this authenticity may have played a role in its selection.
I can imagine that this award will help you promote your career as a voice talent. What do you think? Will you get more client requests for interesting project as a result?
I hope so! I am truly honored to have received it, and I believe that having done will certainly add weight to my resume as a professional voice talent. I believe it will inspire trust in potential clients’ minds. I included a big range of styles in the award-winning demo, so it is my hope that if a potential client notices my flexibility as a voice talent they will feel that they can trust me to do justice to their project. That is, after all, what’s most important to me. To voice my client’s messages just as they’d wish me to do so and to voice messages that resonate for me as authentically as possible. Listen to her award-winning demo.
Ever since I won this Voice Arts Award, I have had the pleasure of doing interviews in the United States, and even in Spain, sharing a bit of my career and experiences with other voice talents and people interested in the voice over industry. It is a great pleasure to do so, as I love helping others with their careers in the same way other fellow voice talents helped me as my mentors. You can listen to Rosi’ samples here.
If you are a voice over talent and would like to try to have your demo selected for the Voice Arts Awards, keep in mind that the nomination period opens in April. You can register on Sovas’ website.
Related article: Voice Over Tips from Debra Standing, a Voice Arts Awards Winner.
