Professional Voiceovers: Icing on the Cake?

by | Mar 13, 2018 | Saturday, Session11

Professional Voiceovers: Icing on the Cake?

Debbie Irwin –

This presentation is designed to inform and instruct medical illustrators involved in the development and production of medical/surgical/anatomical/cellular animations and videos about the value of using professional voiceover artists in their productions.

Even with an excellent story and compelling visuals, if there is no audio it can feel like something is missing, without you necessarily knowing why.  A professional voiceover artist who has skills in presenting complicated technical medical language adds credibility and polish to the end product. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and the more senses that are engaged, with imagery, text, music, sound effects and voice, the more impact the message has by being easier to understand and remember.

Bad audio on the other hand can ruin good video! Hear examples of both and begin to develop your ear for the difference quality can make in the overall presentation.

The more professional each element is — the writing, illustration, animation, art direction, voiceover— the better the completed video or animation will be, resulting in greater engagement, and ultimately the work being taken more seriously.

Speaker Bio

Fifteen years as a voice actress, a history of stage acting, a Semiotics degree from Brown University, a stint in the International museum world, a career on Wall Street, and the experience of raising a family in NYC. That’s what I bring to the microphone. My background is art and business. Now my art is my business. Originally from Chicago, I’ve lived in Rome, Mexico City, Providence and for many years now, the Big Apple. Starting as a theatre actress, then managing events at The Guggenheim Museum, I later worked as a stockbroker on Wall Street, then switched to ‘Sesame Street’ when I decided to stay home and raise three kids. Over a decade ago I found a new outlet for an old passion — acting.   So I took my stage skills and transformed them into studio skills, traveling the world from my recording booth in NYC. Along the way medical narration and I found each other— and it’s become my area of expertise. Tongue twisting terminology excites me. Gorgeous medical animations inspire me, and I’ve been hired to voice projects for clients like 3FX, Anatomy Blue, AstraZeneca, Baxter, Biomedical Visuals, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cognition, Einstein Health, Johns Hopkins, Infuse Medical, Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Northwell, Novartis, Ogilvy Commonhealth Worldwide, Publicis, The National Library of Medicine, The Smithsonian, Tami Tolpa Studios, The University of Illinois, The University of Toronto, and more. My sound is intelligent and elegant, charismatic and compelling. I’m responsive, client-focused and play well with others. It’s one of the benefits of having been around the block — more than once.