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From Latin America to the United States:

A Revolutionary Voiceover Connection

 

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–By Kayla Bowles, November 24, 2024

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My guest for today’s article is multi-award winning voice actor, director, and producer in both English and Spanish markets—Fabiola Stevenson. A winner of two Voice Arts Awards in 2020 and 2021, Fabiola is hosting Speed Dating with Your Demo Reel for Spanish, Portuguese, and accented English speakers at That’s Voiceover! Career Expo for the second year in a row. 

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It’s such a pleasure to sit down with you! First, I have to say, I’m a huge fan of all things voiceover. Second, you are a key part of an international voice acting community that delivers some of the most engaging, challenging, and even glamorous work in the industry. Today, we’re talking about Speed Dating with Your Demo Reel, the incredible networking event you’re producing for That’s Voiceover!™ Career Expo, presented by SOVAS™. Tell me a little about your background and why you’re the perfect person to bring this one-of-a-kind event to life.

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Fabiola: Hello! Thank you!! Yes, I am part of an amazing international VO community and have been for the better part of my life! I started my career at the age of ten, and was lucky enough to have been born into it. Both my parents were well-known actors. My father, Guillermo Romano, lent his voice to amazing characters such as the Spanish voice for Adam West’s Batman, Mr. Phelps in Mission Impossible, King Triton in The Little Mermaid, and Ratcliffe in Pocahontas. My mother, Beatriz Aguirre, was a worldwide recognized Mexican actress who starred in 40+ Telenovelas (that were dubbed into several languages) over 80 movies, several plays, and dubbed the voice of Angela Lansbury on Murder She Wrote for 10 years, as well as the ladybug in James and The Giant Peach, Perdita in 101 Dalmatians, Empress Marie Romanov in Anastasia, and Baylene in Dinosaurs. So, the only logical path for me was dive right into it! And I am so grateful I did! There is nothing like doing what you truly love! Aside from my career as an actress, I was Creative Manager of Disney Character Voices, in charge of dubbing Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Toy Story among others. Creative Supervisor at DreamWorks SKG, where I supervised the dubbing of The Prince of Egypt in 7 languages, and Antz, and Creative Manager in charge of dubbing for Latin America, Asia and Canada at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

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Kayla: You certainly have the perfect background. And you’re also producing this event to connects bilingual voice actors who speak Portuguese or Spanish, along with English, expose them to employment opportunities in the U.S. Tell me what it is and how it works.

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Fabiola: Yes! And I’m super excited about it! This is a unique and amazing opportunity that is being offered to bilingual or trilingual talent from Latin America. They will converge in Los Angeles at the That’s Voiceover!™ Conference, to meet face to face with recognized Producers, Talent Agents, Dubbing Directors, Studio Owners etc., and let them review your demo, in Spanish, Portuguese, and accented English. In voice acting, your demo is a ultimate calling card. Not only will the voice actors receive valuable and wide-ranging feed-back on the demo reel, they’ll receive expert career guidance, targeting their unique status in the industry.

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Kayla: What does this experience entail for voice actors?

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Fabiola: For one, it’s a joyful, high-stakes, adrenaline rush and it’s about as deep as networking gets. They don’t have to dance around with small talk. The producers are looking for talent, and the voice actors are looking for opportunity. Everyone gets to jump right into the heart of expanding careers. The voice actors bring their demo reels on a listening device that can connect to the standard wired headphones our producers will have. It can be a tablet, a laptop computer or a phone. They have about 5 to 6 minutes to put their best foot forward, and then they’re off to the next producer. It’s exciting, loud, energetic and fun. The experience is unforgettable!

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Kayla: What does overseeing the Spanish/Portuguese/Accented English Speed Dating mean to you, personally?

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Fabiola: This is my second year curating and hosting this event, and it has been a great experience, the process of carefully selecting qualified producers that will contribute with their knowledge and the prospect of opening doors for VO talent is extremely rewarding!

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Kayla: How would you describe the opportunity for the voice actors, and why is this opportunity so meaningful to their careers?

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Fabiola: It’s like when people ask: If you could have dinner with someone you admire, who would it be? The difference here is that this is not a fake scenario, this IS a reality! And we have done the work for you! We’ve gathered incredible industry players who can make a difference in your career!

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Kayla: Why should multilingual/accented English-speaking voice actors participate in Speed Dating?

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Fabiola: First, it’s the ultimate networking event for career advancement on many levels, but this event is opening doors for multilingual/accented English-speaking voice actors to work in the United States Getting work in the US takes knowing people who live it every day, and those are the people these voice actors get to meet with.  For producers to know about their existence, they need to show up, share their demo, be heard, and showcase their talent!

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Kayla: What do you hope participants take away from this experience?

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Fabiola: I hope they walk out feeling confident, knowing that their voice has been heard and that they’ve gotten honest and valuable feedback on their work, enabling them to continue improving their skills. And I fully expect, though I can’t promise it, that some of them to walk away with an opportunity that didn’t exist for them when they walked in the door.

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Kayla: Tell me about the nature of the voiceover community in Latin America, vs the marketplace in the US?

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Fabiola: According to a new TikTok study, “Bicultural Consumers Expect Bicultural & Bilingual Messages on Social Media,” As the Hispanic consumer segment continues to grow, its importance relative to other segments becomes more evident to marketers. This is even more relevant when it comes to the younger share of the segment, since approximately 23% of all Millennials, 24% of Gen-Zers, and 26% of Gen-Alphas today have Hispanic backgrounds.

Despite significant similarities uniting all young consumers under a similar cohort, marketers are taking note of one of the most important expectations of young Hispanics: to be seen as fully bicultural consumers. These consumers are proud of their heritage, love to connect to elements of Latino culture, and, most importantly, expect brands to recognize them as such by offering messages highlighting their unique cultural identity and backgrounds.

One of the industry’s many misconceptions is the one-size-fits-all approach. Our voices ARE making a difference!

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Kayla: What would surprise people to know about the multilingual voiceover community?

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Fabiola: There are a great many talented professionals who speak perfect neutral Spanish, Portuguese, or accented English! As our world continues to shrink and globalization impacts every facet of business around the globe, companies are looking for more than just English voiceover. More and more brands are looking to break into non-English-speaking markets to expand their reach. And the smart producers recognize that your accent has value too! That’s an evolving trend that’s opening more space for opportunity.

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Kayla: Are there events like the one you’re producing anywhere else in the world?

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Fabiola: Not that I’m aware of, that is why this is a unique and amazing opportunity!

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Kayla: For anyone interested in the world of voice acting, whether newbies or seasoned professionals, is there anything additional you want to say to encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity?

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Fabiola: Make sure you stop and celebrate all of your successes, big and small. Building and sustaining a voice-over career is a marathon, not a sprint and events like this one, can help guide you in the right direction!

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Kayla: One thing I love about this project you’re producing is that it truly gives the producers, casting directors, and talent agencies the opportunity to find new talent, something these people don’t often have the time to do as effectively as they would like. Would you agree that you are offering something that truly enhances the outcomes in the search for new talent, and with the potential to help shape the future of the voice acting in a positive way?

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Fabiola: Absolutely! The odds of meeting all these producers, casting directors, dubbing directors, and talent agencies in one room, was nil before this experience was created. On top of that the voice actors have the opportunity to introduce themselves to all of them, one-on-one, in a very meaningful way. Replicating an experience like this in your everyday work life is not possible for either side of the table. That is why this event is truly unique and important!

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Kayla: Before we wrap up, do you have any final thoughts, and can you tell exactly how to sign up for Speed Dating With Your Demo Reel?

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Fabiola: It’s very easy. Visit SOVAS.org, and look under the “Audition” tab. Better yet, here’s the direct link to sign up: https://sovas.org/speed-dating-espanol-portugues/ To be clear, this opportunity is an exclusive bonus for That’s Voiceover!™  ticket holders. You’ll need your ticket number and a an demo reel (mp3) to complete the short application. Their demo goes through a vetting process to determine the professionalism of the voice actor, and if they are selected to participate, they will receive an email notification. That’s it. It’s that simple.

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Kayla: It truly is exciting. I’m a student of the Japanese language, And I can imagine a time when I my be sitting in that bilingual chair discussing by career expanding in Japan!  Thank you again for talking with me!

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Kayla Bowles is assistant to Rudy Gaskins and Joan Baker, founders of the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences™ (SOVAS™), creators of That’s Voiceover!™ Career Expo, and the Voice Arts® Awards. She currently studies the art of voice acting with Joan Baker, and has studied with Real Voice L.A., The Acting Studio, and Broadway Evolved. Though new to the voiceover business, Kayla has already booked a local TV commercial, a role in an indie animated series (in development), and has lent her voice to various passion projects. She is currently an undergrad at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY.

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From Society of Voice Arts and Sciences:

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