Brian Amador

Our NEW Voiceover Website for Producers of Hispanic Content!

July 31, 2017 by Rosi Amador

Meaningful Content For the Hispanic Market

¡Bienvenidos a Locuciones Bilingües Amador! Our brand new Spanish voiceover website, www.locucionesbilinguesamador.com, created for producers of Hispanic content, is now online! ¡Estamos encantados de anunciar que finalmente hemos lanzado nuestra nueva página web completamente en español, www.locucionesbilinguesamador.com!

Honoring our Mission

Amador Bilingual Voiceovers‘ mission is to be the foremost provider of Spanish and English voiceover services for clients who create content related to Hispanics and the Spanish language, and who serve Spanish-speaking markets. Being a one-stop voiceover shop for commercials and narrations in perfect neutral Latin American Spanish or North American English, our goal has always been to make our clients’ lives easier through every aspect of our business.

Getting the Word Out – Twice!

One of the most important pieces in building a voiceover business is making yourself known to the people who are looking for your particular skill set. Our new Spanish site enables us to connect with Spanish-speaking content producers in the language in which they’re most comfortable.

Paired with our new whimsical animated, 90-second explainer video, “Somos los Amador – La Familia Latina de Locutores Bilingües” (gracias to the talented team at the Boston University AdLab!), the new site lets us introduce our family of voices to anyone in the U.S. or Latin America looking for voiceover services in North American English, Hispanic-accented English, or neutral Latin American Spanish.

We’re also excited to announce that we’ll be posting the same informative articles you find here on our bilingual voiceover blog in Spanish on the new site moving forward.

It’s All About the Client

Having a wide range of services, languages, and voices to meet our clients’ needs is our raison d’être. Our fully bilingual staff (our studio manager, engineer and social media director are all bilingual, too) are always happy to help make your customer experience a pleasant one.

Let us know what you think of the new Locuciones Bilingües Amador website! Whether in English or Spanish, we invite you to read the latest blog post by Brian, Making Lemons into Limonada.

Haz clic aquí para leer este artículo en español.

Hispanic-Accented English Voiceover: Turning Lemons Into Limonada

May 10, 2017 by Brian Amador

“What? I have an accent?”

My name is Brian Amador. I was born in the great state of New Mexico, and until I moved away, I never thought I had an accent in English. I spoke like most of the people around me.

It wasn’t until I moved to the East Coast that I discovered that yes, I do in fact speak with a slight Hispanic accent when I’m not thinking about it.

After having this pointed out to me by too many people to ignore, I concluded that my accented English might be affecting my ability to land voiceover jobs. I decided to try some accent-reduction coaching.

My coach gave me specific feedback about which letter sounds gave me away, and I worked on being able to neutralize my accent. But one of the things she told me, which I’m glad I heeded, was “DON’T lose your accent! It will come in handy sometimes.”

How right she was! As we broke down last year’s voiceover work by genre and language, it became clear that Hispanic-Accented English voiceover represented a small but significant share of my work.

Work with what you’ve got.

It turns out that there is a market for Hispanic-accented voiceover, and it’s quite broad. We’ve been hired for accented English VO for Commercials, eLearning, medical and corporate projects. There’s never been a greater demand for voiceover that reflects the diversity that is the U.S.A.

About the time that I decided to learn to neutralize my Hispanic Accent, I also decided it would also be a good idea to learn to emphasize it, or to vary it. There are many types of Hispanic accents, and someone born in the U.S. won’t speak like someone who immigrated.

How much accent, and which?

While being able to faithfully reproduce all the Hispanic accents in this country would be impossible, it made sense to study certain characteristics of a few of the more common ones. I listen to the differences in speech patterns between East Coast Hispanics of Caribbean descent and Chicanos from California, and how those are both quite different from the accent that I heard growing up in New Mexico.

It’s an ongoing study that’s become kind of a game. When I get an audition or job request in Hispanic-accented English, I consider whether to use my Rubén Blades, my Cheech Marín, my Grandma, or something else.

Meanwhile, my wife Rosi and my daughter Alisa have also been able to parlay accented English into profitable work. Rosi’s big discovery was how just a touch of British accent can make a Hispanic accent sound more Chilean, and for Argentine, she just channels her Papi.

The Payoff

While Hispanic-accented English voiceover doesn’t represent a huge percentage of my work, I have to say that it has brought some of my most fun jobs, and even some recognition in the Industry.

I recently got to do a commercial for a major sandwich chain in the style of a soap opera, playing a Latin lover type. Then a colleague notified me that I had won a prestigious Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine for an accented read of the beloved children’s book THE STORY OF FERDINAND. These are two really fun, rewarding projects that never would have come my way if I had lost my accent!

Our Voices in the Smithsonian’s NMAAHC Mobile Audio Tour App!

February 23, 2017 by Rosi Amador

Happy Black History Month!

In September of 2016, the Smithsonian Institution unveiled the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C., an important and overdue addition to the Smithsonian museum system. It’s the only national museum devoted entirely to African American culture, life, and history, and we’re proud to announce that our voices are featured in the Spanish version of the museum’s Audio tour app.

Established by an Act of Congress in 2003, the NMAAHC is an important contribution to the preservation of our national history, and an architectural wonder! As construction of the museum was underway, my family and I were honored to receive a request for our voices for the innovative NMAAHC interactive mobile audio tour app. I’ll never forget the excitement I felt when it was confirmed that we would be “the” voices of the app that brings this extraordinary museum to life. When I first became a full-time voiceover actor, one of my hopes was to record audio tours for significant national museums, so this truly is a dream come true.

Audio Tour App Expands Access to Exhibits

The history of African American innovation in the United States isn’t always adequately represented in the media. Now, thanks to the Spanish mobile app, the vast wealth of information at the museum is now accessible to Spanish-speaking visitors from all over the world. My husband Brian, my daughter Sonia, and I are proud to have lent our voices so that others can learn about the impact of African Americans on the history and culture of our nation. The Smithsonian continues to rely on us for updates for the app and I recently recorded some additions for the 2017 version of the app, so stay tuned to hear more.

You can download the app on your mobile devices or tablet by visiting this link and take a virtual tour even if you’re unable to get to the museum at this time.

We’re deeply grateful to Mary Ann Findlay and Patricia Musariri of Intrinzinc, for choosing our voices for this project and to Clearly Innovative, the designers of this amazingly interactive app that is one of a kind. We hope you enjoy the sample audio tours that we recorded for the app as much as we loved recording them.

Shiny New Voice Over & Music in 2017

December 16, 2016 by Brian Amador

NEW Music & Production Services and NEW Commercial Demos!

New Musical Production Services Just Launched! — **New Music & Production Services for our Clients**

Bringing Our Musical Roots Into Voiceover – After 27 years of singing, composing and performing our Latin music, Brian and I stumbled into our current career as happy bilingual voiceover actors who get to build cross-cultural bridges using our voices day in and out. We launched ABVO in 2010 and haven’t looked back. We’ve gone and done it. We’ve married our two loves – music and voiceover!

Announcing the birth of our favorite new “shiny thing,” our Music and Production Service! Just launched by composer/guitarist Brian Amador and ABVO senior engineer/ music producer/composer Camilo Gómez. Listen to samples of their awesome original music, now available for spots, documentaries, web videos, corporate use and more, from Latin music genres to electronic, pop and solo Spanish guitar. And we can handle production, too. Read all about it here.

But that’s not all….. BRAND NEW SHINY COMMERCIAL DEMOS FOR 2017!!

Check out Rosi’s English & Spanish Commercial demos, and Brian’s English commercial demo. Fun, right? From real person, conversational to authoritative, sensual and upbeat/high energy, we love to mix it up for the brands who put their trust in us, whether in English or Español! Let us know what you think. Incidentally, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and your loved ones. Gracias – thank you for joining us here. We wish you a peaceful and prosperous 2017.

Guest Blogger – Allison Schneider of StudySync

November 4, 2016 by Brian Amador

allison schneider guest blogger It’s our great pleasure this month to feature a guest blog by one of our favorite clients, Allison Schneider of StudySync, developers of digital Language Arts curriculum. The entire ABVO family (Rosi, Brian, Sonia and Alisa Amador, plus our honorary Amador, engineer Camilo) have had the pleasure of recording a LOT of wonderful literature for Allison and her team in English and Spanish.

About StudySync

Allison here with StudySync. It’s a joy to share a bit about the work that StudySync and the Amadors do together. As a digital English Language Arts/English Language Development curriculum, StudySync engages students with media and technology. One of the foundations of our product is a growing library of over 1,200 text selections, many of which include voiceover readings to help students better access and understand the text. That’s where the Amadors fit into the StudySync picture, and it’s where they’ve made a lasting impact on students across the country. I’d like to share a couple of particulars about what makes our collaboration with them so rewarding.

Engaging Students Through Literature

In their work with StudySync, the Amadors engage and inspire students through great works of literature in English and in Spanish, exposing them to the works of prominent multicultural authors including Sandra Cisneros and others. The voiceovers provided by the Amadors help bring Spanish-speaking students along on Tom Sawyer’s adventures by voicing a Spanish translation of Mark Twain’s beloved work. They’ve contributed several dozen voiceovers to StudySync, and with each one, they strengthen our ability to inspire students of diverse backgrounds.

A Shared Passion

StudySync’s work with the Amadors is especially strong because they share our passion for education. That shared commitment shows in every voiceover that they create for StudySync. It makes every project that we work on together meaningful.

A Family Affair

When you work with the Amadors, you’re working with family. Working with the Amadors and their team is a true family experience. First, you don’t get just one talented voiceover artist—you get five! Second—and most importantly—they make you feel like you’re a part of the family. The Amadors don’t just bring talent to the table. They bring friendship and a collaborative spirit.

As StudySync’s curriculum continues to grow, we look forward to having the Amadors along for the journey. Gracias, Amadors, for sharing your talents with us!

Have Accent, Will Travel: Projects We Love

June 21, 2016 by Rosi Amador

South America Travel Video Voiceovers

Argentine Accent — Jaime Andrada, on set in the 1940’s.

This past Father’s Day, like so many others, I was remembering my papi, Argentine theater, movie and radio drama actor and businessman Jaime Andrada, (1919-2001). I am his daughter in many ways, including my, ahem, “willful” nature and love of entrepreneurship. He never lost his charming Hispanic accent in English. And I happily channel that accent on a regular basis for my clients! In fact, one quarter of the voiceovers Brian and I are asked to record are in varying degrees of Hispanic-accented English.

One of our favorite clients requests this accent for an ongoing series of voiceovers that truly feeds my soul – narrating travel videos! Traveling is one of my passions. When we can’t indulge that passion, Brian and I can dream about it from our studio in Cambridge. And we can put those dreams to work when we get to record for stunning Expedia Travel videos featuring amazing destinations all over Latin America and even the Canary Islands. These virtual mini-vacations come to us thanks to Tourism Media of Brisbane, Australia, world leaders in travel content and content management and delivery systems.

Both Rosi and Brian have spectacular voices and their work ethic is outstanding. They received the brief and delivered the exact voice we were looking for. We were lucky to find such a talented pair who are so easy to work with. – Matt Sawyer, Post Production Supervisor at Tourism Media

How Clients Benefit from Voiceover with an Accent

Our four most common requests for Hispanic-accented English are:

ELearning voiceovers, Industrials, Web and Explainer Videos that reflect the Hispanic demographic of a diverse America, including correct Spanish pronunciation of proper names, for clients such as Carhartt and the Centers for Disease Control.
Overdubs of Spanish dialog in documentaries. I recently worked on a PBS NOVA episode on the alarming rise of Alzheimer’s in Colombia. You can watch a short video snippet here.
Commercials and marketing videos intended for first and second generation Latinos who identify with and trust a voice that sounds like theirs (or their parents’).
Voiceover for corporate narration, non-profit organizations and travel/tourism, e.g. World Vision and Expedia Travel, featured in this post, adding a touch of international flavor.

Our mission at Amador Bilingual Voiceovers is to build cross-cultural bridges by bringing compelling messages to life bilingually. Brian and I are so grateful to be able to use our creative juices on projects like these, and put our voices to work to educate, motivate, inspire and entertain. I hope you enjoyed traveling with us through the videos. ¡Buen viaje! – Bon voyage!