The story is sponsored by WhiteTop Productions.
How does a Yorkshire man in this late 50’s, who works in property, set about a career change to become a voiceover artist?
David Waterhouse recently worked for the Stray Ferret Business Awards in Harrogate voicing up videos of all the finalists and winners for the big night. His voice work is a far cry from his day job in property, but he puts his success partly down to a rise in popularity for his ‘soft northern tones’.
In 2016, David fell into the voiceover industry after requesting to record an advert for his property company on a local radio station. After some pushback from the station, they eventually agreed – and lo and behold a star was born.
After falling in love with voiceover work, David trained with RichCraft in Bath.
His big break came when he was hired by Pixel House Media, who worked with a university in the North East, which turned into a series of voiceover jobs thereafter. Following that, David has also done work for the AA, The Virtual College and many more.
He said:
“I did something for an AA product launch during covid.
“Apparently it was one of the most successful launches they’d had to date”.
David previously owned Angus Roberts, an Ilkley-based lettings agent, and is currently the Director of Fresh Approach Management. Property is still his main occupation, but he hopes that one day voiceover work may become a big part of what he does.
It could be as a VO…but then maybe an MC, for events like the Stray Ferret Business Awards!
David has since launched WhiteTop Productions to further his new career venture and showcase his work.
It hasn’t all been bright lights and Hollywood signs, however, as David has faced challenges in the industry. David described it as “so competitive” and explained “covid brought an influx of artists entering the marketplace, and has driven prices to be even more competitive”.
Despite this, David’s love for voiceover remains a constant. He said:
“I’m not doing this to feed my kids.
“I’m doing it because I love it…and apparently ‘soft northern’ is very en vogue at the moment!”.
Speaking about the inaugural Stray Ferret Business Awards, David said it was an opportunity for him to showcase his talent to hundreds of attendees.
“I really did enjoy the Stray Ferret Awards.
“I was so proud to be associated with it”.
Visit his website to find more information and to listen to David at work.
Oh, and if BBC Sounds needs a continuity announcer, or a northern bloke on The Archers, David is “definitely available!”
Find out more:
David Waterhouse is professional voice over talent for TV & radio ads, online corporate videos, IVR, e-learning, narration and more.
For more information, go to whitetopproductions.co.uk or for a conversation about your project, call David on 07917 807784.