CASE STUDY: CARRIE’S VOICE AND HIGHLAND VOICEOVER STUDIO
Carrie Forbes is a professional voice over artist and VO studio owner working and living in Tain, Highland. She details below the success of her business and how she manages to link in with productions across the world from her Highland studio.
“I set Carrie’s Voice, the voiceover side of the business, up 10 years ago from a converted shoe cupboard in my house. In 2020 I moved from the home studio into a commercial VO studio in Tain’s town centre. My agents and clients are based all over the world and I’ve voiced for the following brand names: HSBC, Boots, Marks & Spencer, TechnipFMC, RAF, Matalan, SGL Carbon.
In 2020 I began to hire the studio out to actors living or holidaying in the area. This side of the business has grown, and the studio will now be branded separately as The Highland Voiceover Studio.
The Tain studio has been working directly with other studios from Edinburgh, London, Madrid to Los Angeles. Actors were previously having to travel to Glasgow or Edinburgh to record their VO work, but this can now be handled in the Highlands, often working directly with the studio who previously dealt with the audio production.
Some clients want to retain full control of the audio production, in these instances I will connect the Tain studio to their studio, host their VO artist, deal with any equipment at my end and record a backup. Directed sessions are made possible via various internet solutions and a web cam is available if they want to see their actor in action.
Other client’s hand over the production side of things to The Highland Voiceover Studio, these sessions are expertly handled by my studio engineers who have years of experience in the business. Again, the client and their end clients can join the recording session online with the VO Artist – directing them throughout. Self-records are also available with one of our experienced sound engineers directing the session.
The Highland Voiceover Studio can help in the following situations:
- Studios or production houses who would like to record a VO Artist in the Highlands. They no longer need to send recording equipment for them to self-record or have all the expense of them travelling to their studio.
- Voiceover / Acting Agents – If your client is working or holidaying in the Highlands and one of their regular VO jobs comes in.
- Film Production Companies working in the Highlands – We can help with the VO side of things, while all of your actors are in the one location.
- SAG – AFTRA Approved Studio – The Highland Voiceover Studio is one of 4 Scottish studios on this approval list. This is a requirement for some jobs coming in from America.”
She goes on to discuss the challenges her business faces, how she’s overcoming them with the help of Screen Highland and her hopes for the future.
“The main obstacle that the studio faces is that hardly anyone knows that it exists. Clare from Screen Highland has been a great support. All clients to date have found it by chance. Clare came to visit the studio and has given advice on how to get the word out there. The new Screen Highland website will have a place where the studio and its facilities can be listed and also the VO side of the business.
It is very exciting that Tain can now play a small part in major productions – connecting studios across the world to actors/VO artists in the Highlands. The dream is that lots of actors will be able to live in the lovely peaceful Highlands whilst enjoying a very busy VO career.”