Bev Standing, a Voice Arts Awards Nominee for Outstanding Voiceover
It is an exciting time for Bev Standing! Bev is nominated amongst a great list of talented men and women in the voice over industry in the upcoming Voice Arts Awards as Best Voiceover in the Consumer Sales Video category. We caught up with Bev to share what it is like to be part of this prestigious event.
Bev grew up surrounded by media. With her dad working as an Advertising Executive when she was young, they would spend hours listening and watching commercials, and critiquing them for fun. She then spent many years in the CBS studios as production assistant and then got involved in marketing for almost 10 years. These experiences allowed her to have a great understanding of what the voice over industry is like, making her successful in her 8-year career as a voice over talent.
Even with the experience in marketing and production, Bev dived into the voice over industry in your not so usual reason. “I got started officially in September of 2008, while going through an extremely sad time in my life. I was looking for something to keep me busy on a certain special day that I decided I would take a course, any course, to keep me from focusing on the negative.” And with her background in radio drama working as a production assistant, she gravitated towards a two-day voiceover workshop that she came across with.
After that workshop, it opened Bev’s eyes to the numerous possibilities of the voice over industry. She took on more voice and acting workshops and training in Toronto, and worked with notable industry trainers like Elley-Ray Hennessey, Pat Fraley, Joan Baker, Mike Kirby and Tracey Hoyt. Eight years after, Bev achieves a great milestone in her career – being nominated as Best Voiceover in the Consumer Sales Video category for her work with Meeyoo.
“I came across this project through an online voice casting site. When I first read the name I thought it was going to be about cats (ha ha ha). But Meeyoo is a beautiful handwoven baby wrap made by Cameo and Angel who work from their homes in rural Ohio. I worked with Jeff Cooney of Studio58Media for this project. And with his excellent direction, the project turned out to be a great success. It was a very pleasant and memorable experience indeed,” shared Bev.
“Though it wasn’t a huge national spot, nor a well-known brand, I have selected this project for submission as this video stood out in my mind. It was simple, delicate and beautifully done,” she added.
It was a surreal moment for Bev when she learned about being nominated. “I was watching TV in the evening with my partner Mark, and as always, I checked my emails on my phone. When I read it, I said something like ‘no, this can’t be real!’ and thought that this is just them telling me I was moving on to the next phase. I had to pause for a moment to let it sink in, and when I got a message from one of the nominees congratulating me, it was then that I knew what it meant. What a night!”
“I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I still feel like a giggly school girl just talking about it now. I am just so excited!”
2016 marks the 3rd year that SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts and Sciences) gives tribute to the best talents in the industry. Bev is truly honoured to be part of this line-up of excellent talents and industry movers. “SOVAS is all about education and opportunities. I feel their importance grows every year with technology changing so rapidly. Ensuring people who are new and also veterans in the industry are given the chance to keep up and be well informed by the right people. When I say ‘right’ I mean honest, hardworking folks that care about the industry in general. Receiving a Voice Arts Award is a motivation to do better, work harder, to strive for goals that we set yourselves. It encourages us to continue on our journey, and I also believe it provides validation in the industry.”
Voice Arts Awards Gala Night happens this 13th of November at the Steven J. Ross Theatre in California.
