Demos

Corporate Narration: Communicating Within, Without, and About Your Organization

July 12, 2021 by Brian Amador

Since launching Amador Bilingual Voiceovers full time in 2009, we’ve responded to hundreds of requests for bilingual corporate narrations. As the diverse Hispanic population grows in the U.S., so does the need for narrations in neutral Latin American Spanish, or Hispanic-accented English, to reach a particular demographic. As a result, our whole family has been asked to deliver:

institutional reads
diversity and inclusion training modules
product installation and use tutorials
training/onboarding
human resources initiatives
corporate culture programs
B to B and B to C branding/marketing

We always welcome the opportunity to flex our acting muscles on projects requiring a variety of voice acting skills.

Communicating in a Diverse Market

Companies have long used corporate narration for internal communication, training, building their brand, and informing audiences about their products. With the restrictions on movement and gathering brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to communicate with a remote audience has expanded. At the same time, the U.S. Hispanic population continues to increase in size and diversity. As a result, there’s an ever-growing need for narrations recorded in neutral Latin American Spanish or Hispanic-accented English.

As the demand for corporate narration increases, so does the variety of styles needed to communicate messages effectively. Different considerations dictate how a particular narration needs to be voiced. Who is the intended audience? Employees? Prospective clients? The general public? Whichever the target audience, the voice talent needs to deliver the right performance to reflect the corporation’s values and make the message connect. The narration needs to be clear, engaging, and genuine.

Finding the Right Recipe

We’ve been called on for a wide variety of narrations in unaccented English and Spanish, and we’ve also seen a growing demand for Hispanic-accented English. It became obvious that many clients wanted voiceover with an accent, but they didn’t know just how much of an accent they wanted. We saw this unmet need as an opportunity. And so, the Revolutionary Accent-o-Meter was born! It’s a handy tool we invented to allow our clients to choose the exact degree of accent they want.

Let’s review the different types of corporate narration that are most frequently requested:

Reaching Out: External Corporate Narrations

This type of narration uses storytelling to promote a corporation’s values, products or services. Corporations spend a great deal of time and money building a consistent brand. Voiceover talent needs to understand this in order to provide a performance that successfully connects with the audience. You’ll find examples in a YouTube playlist in the Corporate Narrations Services page of our website.

Brian narrated this web video in English

Reaching In: Internal Corporate Narrations

This type of narration is made for employees and/or management. The goal is usually to help members of the staff learn certain skills or practices in order to meet the corporation’s needs. Once again, you’ll find some relevant examples on our Corporate Narration Services page.

Making it Connect

For the most part, corporate narrations require a voice that can be persuasive and authoritative, yet friendly and trustworthy. Pronunciation needs to be flawless, and the pacing easily intelligible while also engaging. The voice actor’s goal is to put themselves in the listener’s shoes; to empathize with the listener. To bring the message to life. And that is always our end goal. Years of training and simply doing the work for so many brilliant companies we’ve been honored to serve have helped us get there. Count on us.

For more information about corporate narration, or to hear examples of our work, check out our Corporate Narration Services page.

A Great Year For Our Bilingual Voiceovers! 2018 In Review

December 2, 2018 by Brian Amador

Rosi Amador won the 2018 Voice Arts Award® from the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences

Thanks to all our fabulous clients and staff, Amador Bilingual Voiceovers has grown so much! 2018 was our best year yet, and we would like to take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights.

1) 2018 “Best Commercial Demo” Award From The Society Of Voice Arts And Sciences

We were thrilled that Rosi won in the category of “Best Commercial Demo” from the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences! This is her first voiceover award since becoming a full time bilingual voiceover actor eight years ago. The SOVAS Awards are frequently referred to as the “Oscars” of voice acting. Click to hear the prize-winning bilingual political voiceover demo.

Society Of Voice Arts And Sciences

2) Yo Te Apoyo – Brian & Alisa on-camera

Usually when you hear us, you don’t see us. But this year Brian was cast in an on-camera spot for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and Alisa got a non-speaking part as…wait for it…his daughter! We were fortunate this year to be able to lend our voices to many causes we believe in.

3) Alisa – Amazon Prime Spotify Ad

What can we say? We’re a wee bit proud of our little bundle of joy. In 2018, she

graduated from Bates College
got a lot of well-earned recognition for her beautiful music, including winning the first annual Rock the Hall talent competition at Tarrytown (NY) Music Hall
kicked her voice over career up a notch, recording several high profile VO jobs, and getting on the rosters of some great agencies, including the Umberger Agency, DiSanti Talents, and TAG Talent.

4) One Heart – all three of our voices

It’s always a joy when we get to work together on a project, especially when we get to play using our character voices and overdubbing into our neutral Latin American Spanish. Here’s one the three of us did for The Hospitals of Providence. Yes, the voices are all us!

5) The Debut of the Revolutionary Accent-o-Meter!

2018 saw the launch of an idea that had been percolating for a long time – The Revolutionary Accent-o-Meter™!

Much of our work is in Hispanic-accented English, but we often found that our clients didn’t know exactly how much accent they wanted until they heard some examples. This little gadget allows them to hear our voices with varying levels of accent and choose what they’re looking for, saving a great deal of back-and-forth and streamlining the production process.

Best Wishes to You for 2019!

We hope that 2018 has brought you many successes and beautiful memories, and that 2019 brings you and yours even more! ¡Feliz año! Ojalá que el 2018 haya sido un buen año y que el 2019 traiga aún más felicidad y éxitos para usted y sus seres queridos.

Producer’s Guide to PSAs for the Hispanic Market

April 12, 2018 by Brian Amador

Watch this charming animated PSA for the El Paso Streetcar, voiced by our daughter Alisa Amador. Produced by Pilgrim Animation

PSAs Image Producers of public service announcements (PSAs) for the Hispanic market know that skilled bilingual voiceover talent is a powerful weapon in their arsenal when it comes to creating PSAs that resonate with their intended audienc

ABCs of PSAs

PSAs are used to inform the general public and promote government programs, services, or activities or those of non-profit organizations. To be effective, they need to engage the audience with a relatable message and delivery.

Over the years, Rosi and I have had the honor of voicing bilingual PSAs for causes that we wholeheartedly support. We recorded English and Spanish versions of the “Ask MOVA” spots, produced for the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance. These PSAs were created to inform survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing of the services available to them.

Working with ChavoBart Digital Media, our whole family recorded the environmentally themed PSA “La Familia Verde/The Verde Family”. And in the wake of Hurricane María, Amador Bilingual Voiceovers partnered with MORE Advertising to create PSAs for the Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico Fund. We produced and voiced the spots, in addition to providing original music.

What Makes a Great PSA Voiceover?

Whether targeting the Hispanic population or a general market, producers who create powerful calls to action are looking for a specific skill set from voiceover talent. Being able to meet this need has allowed us to put our voices to work where they are most useful.

Here are some important qualities to look for in bilingual voice talent for PSAs:

1. Perfect command of both English and neutral Latin American Spanish.

Often the same campaign will be produced for both English- and Spanish-speaking media. Having voice actors who can speak both languages can streamline the process and save the producer money. Neutral Latin American Spanish, which avoids regional dialects and accents, is useful in reaching Spanish-speaking audiences of all backgrounds.

You can learn more about neutral Latin American Spanish in this post from our archive.

2. Ability to offer varying degrees of Hispanic-accented English.

Like advertising, PSAs are often most effective when the listener feels an affinity with the person talking. In Hispanic markets, this means there’s a demand for Hispanic-accented English. Finding the right degree of accent can be a challenge, and for that purpose we created The Revolutionary Accent-O-Meter.

3. Experience and an ability to take direction quickly and accurately.

The goal of many PSAs is to make an emotional appeal to the listener. To do that successfully, the voice actor has to be able to take direction, and to offer different interpretations of the same copy.

4. An understanding of the PSA’s purpose and the ability to convey it powerfully and emotionally.

Voice acting is acting. And acting depends on the ability to analyze the script and interepret it through the lens of one’s own experiences. This is a skill developed over time, and it’s painfully obvious when it’s lacking.

5. A topnotch recording studio that can deliver consistently good audio.

While many PSA producers choose to work in commercial studios, a professional quality home studio can save money and streamline the creative process. Internet-based audio platforms offer producers the ability to hear and direct the voice talent, or even to record remotely. Some of the most popular are ip-DTL, Session Link Pro, and Source-Connect.

6. BONUS! Music

The capacity to add an audience-appropriate original music bed and to fully produce the spots. This can save the producer time and money and enhance the consistency of the spot.

7. EXTRA BONUS! Translation and Script Supervision

The best way to create a PSA targeted to a Spanish-speaking audience is to create it from scratch in Spanish. But that’s not always possible. If a producer wants to create a Spanish spot based on preexisting English copy, it’s vital that the translation be accurate, idiomatic, and culturally relevant. It’s no exaggeration to say that a bad translation can ruin a PSA. We’re often called upon to translate spots or to tweak them so the Spanish sounds more natural.

Raising our Voices for Puerto Rico – Voiceover & Music

March 21, 2018 by Rosi Amador

After Hurricane María hit, my family and I decided to use our voices for Puerto Rico, to help in any way possible, as soon as possible. I believe, as do many of my closest friends who’ve chosen to remain on the island, that as devastating as this experience has been, what’s next for Puerto Rico represents a huge opportunity.

Through creativity, open-heartedness, and hard work, my fellow Puerto Ricans can create a just recovery, one that doesn’t enrich the privileged and ignore the rest. And we on the mainland have a historic opportunity to help our brothers and sisters in ways that our government has failed to do. Here are some of the things we chose to do to support Puerto Rico’s recovery:

Voces Pa’ La Isla: Singing For Puerto Rico

While I no longer have relatives on the island since my parents and abuelita passed away, I still have many dear friends that I consider my extended family in Puerto Rico. My friends are all doing okay considering the devastation on the island. Their work as creatives allows them to work globally. Many others are not so lucky, and hundreds of thousands of people have left the island for economic reasons. I felt so incredibly sad and angry for all my Puerto Rican compatriots who are still struggling, many of them sick and without resources during this crisis.

Hoping to help my island, my husband, fellow voice actor and musician, Brian and I produced two fundraising concerts with our Latin music ensemble Sol y Canto, along with special guests including our daughter Alisa. The first concert was on October 20th of last year, and the second happened just recently on February 18th. Between the two fundraisers, we raised over $12,000 thanks to the remarkable generosity of those who attended and others who sent a donation anyway. We sang our hearts out and people gave in kind! Photos and videos of the concerts (if you’re curious) are on our Sol y Canto Facebook page. (Incidentally, here’s the story of how we transitioned from music to full-time voiceover.)

PSA’s Promoting Vetted Recovery Funds for Puerto Rico

While planning our first fundraising concert, I also wanted to put my voiceover talents to work for Puerto Rico. I approached my friends and longtime clients, the award-winning Boston-based agency MORE ADVERTISING, an expert cause-oriented business whose mission aligned with ours. I asked them if they would partner with me in producing a bilingual public service announcement to raise awareness and funds for my Puerto Rico. MORE came through with flying colors, writing copy, setting up the media buy, and working with me through several iterations until we nailed the PSA’s – all pro-bono! On our end, our fabulous engineer Steven Hopkins then produced the spots, I voiced in English and Spanish, and Brian added beautiful music (yes, he’s also a talented composer).

The PSAs we created highlight the Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico Fund (MA United for PR) and aired throughout Massachusetts over many months. The fund was created under the umbrella of the Boston Foundation, and it has raised over three million dollars and counting for grassroots community organizations in Puerto Rico. While Puerto Rico has slowly been rebuilding since the hurricane first hit, funds are still desperately needed. If you’re interested in donating to help Puerto Rico, you can give to MA United for PR easily by clicking on this link. More donation options are listed below.

Sí Se Puede: How To Continue Supporting Puerto Rico

In addition to raising money at our Sol y Canto concerts (join us – concert schedule here!), we encourage everyone to donate online to continue helping the people of Puerto Rico. Sadly, thousands remain without access to electricity, food or proper medical care.
You can help by supporting NGOs such as Grassroots International’s “Just Recovery” Fund, which supports the “Comedores Sociales” (soup kitchens) and other community-based projects in Puerto Rico. You can also send a check to Grassroots International, 179 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02130 with “Just Recovery Puerto Rico” in the subject line. Your donations make a difference, we promise!

A third option is our good friend cultural promoter Benjamín Muñiz’s Saravá Foundation, which brings live and recorded music to Puerto Rico’s children as a badly needed source of healing and joy. Go Fund Me: Música Para Niños Campaign

Yet a fourth option was brought to us by our close friend in San Juan, Emmy Award-winning public television and documentary producer Caridad Sorondo, who is helping the non-profit, Puertorriqueños con Morovis, (Puerto Ricans with Morovis (town), to help with the town’s reconstruction. Caridad is producing a documentary honoring the town’s bicentennial (1818-2018). Still, only 49% have electricity and potable water is intermittently available. A check can be mailed to: Puertorriqueños con Morovis at Condominio El Centro I, 500 Ave. Muñoz Rivera, Suite 216, San Juan, PR 00918.

Through Grassroots International, the Massachusetts for Puerto Rico Fund at the Boston Foundation, the Saravá Foundation and Puertorriqueños con Morovis, donations bypass the bureaucracy and get to the people who need them.

Favor de regar la voz. Please feel free to share widely. ¡Y gracias, de todo corazón! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

A Game-Changer for Hispanic Content Producers: The Revolutionary Accent-o-Meter!

January 31, 2018 by Brian Amador

Finding the Right Accent

Producers of content for the Hispanic market often rely on Hispanic-accented English voiceover to reach their target audience. But finding the right amount of Hispanic accent can be a challenge. Well, we’ve just made that job easier with[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Want Hispanic-accented English voiceover, but you don’t how MUCH accent you need? Just use this nifty little tool to find exactly what you’re looking for! Don’t stop before you reach Level 6.

The Revolutionary Accent-o-Meter™!

Readers of this blog probably know that a large part of our voiceover work is in Hispanic-accented English. While we love doing this work, the process of determining just how MUCH accent the client wants can be rather time consuming. I love figuring out ways to solve problems, so one day I put on my thinking hat to work on this one.

Necessity – the Mamá of Invention

I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if our clients could hear the same copy read with varying levels of accent, and choose the level they want?” From that came the idea of creating an audio player for that purpose, and the Accent-o-Meter was born! Now anyone interested in hearing the different types of Hispanic-accented voiceover we can provide simply has to click on a name, a level and the play button. They can hear varying levels of accent in the voices of Rosi Amador, Alisa Amador, and yours truly, Brian Amador. Try it at
accent-o-meter.com; it’s fun! Make sure to keep listening through Level 6!

Aside from making our website more interactive and engaging (and who doesn’t love that?), this is a very practical tool. It allows producers to:

zero in, with their clients and creative team, on how much accent is appropriate for their project.
communicate clearly with voice talent how much accent they need. (Note to producers: although of course we’d love it if you hired us, feel free to use the Accent-o-Meter as a reference any time you use Hispanic-accented talent.)
save time and labor for both producers and voice talent.
hear and compare different accents in male, female, and young adult female voices.

But it Wouldn’t Have Happened Without…

Like many of my ideas, for quite some time the Accent-o-Meter existed only in my head. It wasn’t until I reached out to our friend and colleague Joe Davis of Voice Actor Websites that it began to move toward fruition. Joe put me in touch with his colleague Karin Barth, who did a phenomenal job on both the design and the functionality, creating an easy-to-use widget that looks great on our site. Kudos to them!

Using Our Voice Overs to Make a Difference

October 13, 2017 by Rosi Amador

The Amador family, Brian, Alisa, Sonia, and I, have always enjoyed doing work geared toward making the world a better place. That’s why we were thrilled to provide voice overs for both the English and Spanish versions of La Familia Verde, an environmentally-themed PSA campaign.

Amador Bilingual Voiceovers - The Green Family - La Familia Verde PSA Want to find out how to save money on your energy bills? Want to learn how to stay healthy in a changing climate? Meet the Familia Verde, The Green Family! Their enthusiasm for saving energy may seem a little exaggerated, but they’d love to be your guides to a green, healthy lifestyle.

On this project, we had the pleasure of working for the first time with ChavoBart Digital Media. They’re a media production and distribution company specializing in short-form environmental and educational content. ChavoBart created the delightful Familia Verde segments as part of a campaign sponsored by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

Hear La Familia Verde in English:

Hear La Familia Verde in Spanish:

All in the Family

As a family of bilingual voiceover artists, we love being able to work together. This is especially true when we get to record meaningful content in both English and Spanish. We hope to be able to lend our voices to many more projects like this – projects that connect our skills with our values. Given the current tendency to ignore science and promote environmentally-damaging energy policies, it’s especially important that we do all we can to protect our planet.

One-Stop Voiceovers

As a family business, we pride ourselves on providing our clients with a one-stop shop for a wide range of voices and languages. Improving the voiceover experience for our clients is something we always strive for! Producers often need to search far and wide to cast their commercials or PSA’s. Not when they come to us! At Amador Bilingual Voiceovers, we can provide all the voices they need in one location. Let our avatars tell you all about it.