It’s official - I did a cinema advert. It was nice to do something new and quite a thrill too! But such ‘frivolous’ matters are not really that important … Much more interesting was a voice over for Philips this month about how you can help save lives by using a Heartstart machine (in case of cardiac arrest) The whole campaign is mainly aimed at people who are not in the health service, but just anyone, like you and me. There’s more info on www.savelives.eu Apart from that I recorded the Christmas promos for the Sci Fi channel this month and did a few trips to Amsterdam for History too. The home studio is also been worked a lot, but those recordings tend to be smaller and shorter. Handy if you need something done quickly!  

It’s been a busy couple of months. The summer started with a recording for Nintendo in which I played three young Dutch female characters - good for refreshing my acting skills! Then a training course for Vodaphone, another trip to Amsterdam for The History Channel, a commercial for Flora, an educational video for a ‘digital whiteboard’ to use in schools, a voice over for an on-line Roulette game and a Dutch language course for a company called Cool Gorilla. They produce really cool Talking Phrasebooks for your mobile to take with you on holiday. As well as the usual “Can I see the menu please” there were some fun chat-up lines and jokes too. Our favourite in the studio was “I’m visiting my mother, she lives in the Red Light District!” :-) 

What a great month! I recorded a series of audiobooks (children’s fairy tales),  a commercial for Sony about ‘going green’ with their TV’s, a puppy training-video, a Dutch language course for French speakers and a corporate video for ING (the only bank left with a budget for advertising?!) I also directed a Dutch commercial for Baileys - the client decided that a deep male voice would sound more seductive to Dutch women than a smooth female. I wonder why! ….

In my back garden there are some little green shoots popping out of the ground. In a few weeks time there’ll be some daffodils which means that Spring is on it’s way. This month I experienced something similar in my work. The phone started ringing again and some great recordings came along. These may not be the ‘green shoots of recovery’ just yet, but those little green things in the garden taught me one thing. Despite the economic downturn we just need to keep going; people still need translations, sales pitches, educational projects, tv programmes and videos in a language they can understand. So we just have to carry on, maintain a high level of quality and integrity & blossom That’s what happens in nature - crisis or no crisis.

Just when you think things can’t get any worse in the markets….a great recording comes along! When times are tough and businesses are trying to save money on advertising and voice recordings, it’s not always easy to keep morale high. But as often in tough times, art conquers all! Today I recorded a Highlights tour of the National Gallery in Dutch. And the script came in……yesterday. Was up till late researching all the paintings on display, but boy, was it worth it. From Botticelli and Canaletto to Cezanne and Van Gogh, this is a great way to see the Gallery. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to it, as much as I liked recording it.

It’s been a really busy summer with voice overs for Cisco, Apple, MTV, The Sci Fi and The History Channel to name a few. Also some interesting jobs, like, to be the singing voice of a doll’s house or to announce the emergency procedure on Turkish airlines (in case of an emergency landing, please loosen your tie!) Every time you go into a studio the request can be different and to accept that challenge every time is something that makes this job so rewarding and so much fun

I’ve just come back from another trip to Amsterdam for The History Channel. I’ve been there almost a year now. It’s really nice to work for such a well-organised channel. The programmes are interesting and the people I work with are such a happy bunch. I translate the scripts from English into Dutch, direct the Dutch voice overs and sometimes I do some of the voice overs too. So tune in next time you’re in The Netherlands! Or look in my moovie gallery and click on The History Channel promos. 

For fans of…..this was really great. I was asked today to record a trailer for the Sci Fi Channel and it was all about ‘The Doctor’. I really liked recording it - hope you like it too! You can find it in my moovie gallery.

I did an interesting job yesterday. I was asked to direct the Dutch CEO of GE Artesia Bank in Amsterdam, who is taking part in the filming of a DVD about the company. We were in their (very impressive) head office on Berkeley Square in London, where a room had been reserved for us. Great experience - it’s amazing how you can help someone to look good on camera with some very simple directions.

I was called in to do a commercial for Expedia.How refreshing to get a really good script rather than a ‘wooden translation’. This clip is also in my moovie gallery. Now, where’s that holiday by the pool…!