Paul Strikwerda, the Flying Dutchman of Voice Acting

English is very much in demand for voice-overs. Certainly. But hold on a minute, not necessarily British or American English, big multinationals prefer a neutral English that is not attached to a particular culture or country. Even the so called Mid-Atlantic English is not appropriate for corporations that sell in India or Africa.  So the continental, neutral non country-based standard English, today’s lingua franca of many Europeans is the right choice for many producers. That’s the niche of Paul Strikwerda. He tells us his fascinating story in this fascinating interview full of insights for any voice talent.

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Paul,  the flying Dutchman of voice acting, is a man with many talents. First and foremost a great communicator as an experienced radio personality. The interview I did with Paul is captivating, like talking to an old friend, because we are both journalists and also worked for the same employer back in the 80s and 90s: Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, the Dutch International Radio Service.

These are the main highlights of the interview with Paul Strikwerda:

ON  HIS CAREER

• Paul started his career on the radio at the age of 17 after a successful audition at a Dutch public station
• He worked for several Dutch broadcasting corporations, Radio Netherlands International (WERELDOMROEP), the BBC and an American station…
• Paul quit news reporting when he left the Netherlands, then he moved to the US in 1999
• Paul participated in a casting call by an agency in Philadelphia together with 600 people. He was selected!

 

PAUL’S MAIN RULES IN VOICE ANNOUNCING: THE THREE Rs

• Reading
• wRiting and
• aRithmetics

READING live without mistakes and pretending you understand. The art of cold read: sound as you know what you are talking about »

WRITING after doing a research and making a complicated story accessible for a large audience. I use those writing skills when I write my blog Nethervoice.com

ARITHMETIC: a sense of timing to fill with words the time you have left

 

PREPARATION IS THE KEY IN VOICE ACTING

• It usually takes longer to prepare a script than to actually read it.
• Do your homework and start practicing the script ahead the recording date, then you can sound natural.
• It’s better to  scrutinize every word and every sentence before stepping into the recording booth.
• To pronounce a word you can look it up online, using howjsayit.com or forvo.com
• For brand names and terminology, better ask the client to provide a pronunciation guide

 

A BILINGUAL (DUTCH – ENGLISH) VOICE TALENT

• Paul started learning English with a shortwave radio, listening to the BBC. Summer camps in the UK also helped
• Start learning languages as soon as you can
• Being in Holland is an advantage, because Dutch public are exposed to different languages on TV and cinema. Foreign movies are not dubbed
• Living and working in different countries also helped improve his English
• Paul refused to seek out a coach to make his accent « more American
• I didn’t want to sound like everybody else in the United States, because I wouldn’t find work
• The reason I found work is because I sound like myself in neutral European accent
• For a multinational it makes more sense to use a neutral accent not associated with one culture
• Producers prefer a neutral accent for a more global appeal. Providing neutral European English is my niche in the market

 

ON HOW TO MARKET VOICEOVERS

• You have to offer a good product, because the best sales strategy falls flat if your product stinks
• I spend a lot of time during the day making sure people can and will find me
• Use a website. Neithervoice.com is my window to the market and it’s one of the ways to promote my business
• Paul does content marketing with his blog drawing visitors who read and interact. That increases ranking of his site in search engines
• You have to promote yourself, but don’t overdo it, don’t talk too much about you
• Unlike Holland where modesty is a virtue, you have to toot your own horn in America but not too loud, at the right time and at the right place
• Whenever you have a major accomplishment in your career you should tell people, because you don’t know who might be behind your shoulders, it might be a agent, a client or a colleague
• The secret to making friends on social media is to be there for other people and to be a resource
• It’s not about you, it’s about the client. If you keep him in mind, you will have the best success

 

POWERFUL ADVICE FOR ASPIRING VOICE TALENTS

• In this age of home studio you have to be OK with being by yourself as an independent contractor
• You need to know your strengths and weaknesses. You don’t need somebody to hold your hand
• But you still need feedback which you can get on trainings, coachings and seminars »
• A one day seminar can be very refreshing an give a new dimension to your career
• Ultimately the best feedback you can get is from your clients »
• You never should allow that your work dominate your life, because work it’s a means to an end
• I think the quality of life is determined by the quality of our relationships
• If they are solid you can get the feedback you need and you will never be lonely »
•  It’s never about the voice. It’s about how you use it
• The voice is nothing but an instrument. It’s potential
• Just because you own a nice instrument doesn’t mean that you know how to play it
•  Most beginners underestimate that every voice actor runs a business
• You need start-up capital and should be prepared to spend on quality equipment
• If you don’t have a home studio  you may well pack your bags
• You need to know how to run a business. If you are self-employed nobody is going to do it for you
• This business will  give you a lot of freedom, but with freedom comes uncertainty
• Most of the jobs you go after you will never get and nobody will ever tell you why
•  But when you get the chance there is nothing like voice acting

If you have questions for Paul, don’t hesitate. You can contact him at his website & blog Nethervoice.com