William Sarris

Client Comment

2011-11-08T10:43:00.005-05:00

I just finished a project for Burnt Peaks Productions, Inc. and I thought I would share what James, the producer on the project, had to say!

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Dude...you have a great voice and did it flawlessly. Nice work... Client was very happy with the vid and you have a great voice.
--
James Mairs,
Burnt Peaks Productions, Inc.

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Yes, this post is a little self serving, but I do appreciate hearing that I do good work!

Riskalyze Welcome VO

2011-10-19T10:11:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine is the CEO of a new financial/tech startup called Riskalyze. Riskalyze is an algorithm that helps you analyze and pick investments that fit your risk tolerance.

It's a pretty cool concept. Anyway, he asked me to "host" the welcome video for the launch of their public beta version.

I was only too happy to oblige!

Summer and Tastykake

2011-08-25T16:58:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been a while. I've been busy, and busy enjoying the summer! Fishing in Minnesota, the beach here in CT, concerts, plays, the list goes on.

And of course, the cookouts. I love grilling (especially because it keeps the oven off!). We grill quite a bit, everything from traditional meats to veggies and even pizza! I haven't tried baking anything on the grill, but I bet given enough patience I could "give it a go" as they say across the pond.

Speaking of baking, I recorded the announcer VO for this Tastykake ad recently. I think it is a pretty fun ad. I had never personally had a Tastykake. They are okay. Nothing to write home about, but a nice, reasonably fresh and reliable baked treat.

Till next time...

Home sweet recording studio...

2011-06-08T17:34:00.004-04:00

I had an interesting thing happen today that highlights the usefulness of a home studio.

I had a recording session this morning. No big deal, drove down, the producer and engineer got everything set and we did the session. They wanted a certain read, I delivered it and everyone was happy.

Everyone but the client apparently. The client had given somewhat confusing instruction, and what they thought and the producer thought were apparently different.

So I get a call later on in the day saying "would it be possible, somehow, to get a different read from you today?"

And that's where the home studio came it. In this case, it wasn't quite in my home, but it is a studio I have access to on a regular basis and can use almost any time I need it. I was able to record the VO again, in a different style, and send the files on to the producer. And everyone is happy!

I'll see if I can get a copy of the finished product to post later!

Four Points Craft Beer ad

2011-03-08T11:33:00.001-05:00

I've been privileged to do a decent amount of work for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. It's mostly been more internal pieces, but this past month they asked me to record an ad for Four Points by Sheraton, on of the hotel brands owned by Starwood. I also recorded an ad for the Canadian market last year.

They wanted a more relaxed, conversational read, which I think turned out quite nicely. And the ad looks great too. I know I'd want to stay in a hotel that has great local beer on tap!

Big River ad

2011-01-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

A great digital media company I have done work for just posted a bunch of work to You Tube, and a project they used me on is featured!

The Summer Theater of New Canaan featured a production of Big River this season. To promote it, they created a simple ad to run on cable, and I was hired to voice the production.

Turned out pretty well!

Wow... I've been busy!

2011-01-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

I just checked my blog, thinking, "hey, I haven't updated in a month or so..."

Was I wrong! It's been over 3 months! I've been so busy, I just haven't had the time to update.

Unfortunately I don't have much I can post. I've recorded a few things for Starwood Hotels, promoting events and hotel openings. I recorded the promo for a TV show that is looking to get off the ground.

I recorded promotional material for a children's TV show that is looking to get various promotional deals, and I recorded a couple local commercials.

I also recorded narration for a couple projects Sikorsky Aircraft has going.

I was saddened to hear that TastyKake isn't doing so well. I was part of a promotional push they did over the summer, but I guess the economy isn't treating them too well.

Anyway, I'll try to get copies of work and post it more often than every 3 months!

Summer, Baseball and Tastykake

2010-09-06T15:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a great summer! Summer is the beach, cookouts and... baseball!

I got the chance to record a VO for Tastykake, a sponsor of Phillies baseball. I have to admit, I question the main statement of the ad. I'm much more of a hot dog and a pretzel kind of guy. But I will admit I've never had a Tastykake or been to a Phillies game, so I could be wrong. I did get to go see the Yankees lose to the Red Sox, and the Twins beat the Rangers this season, which was quite a bit of fun!

I guess I have to head out and find a Krimpet or KandyKake somewhere soon, because baseball season is almost over.

Here's the ad...

Character VO for Toasted Snow

2010-05-20T14:49:00.000-04:00

I had a chance to do some character voices for a series of "webisodes" for a new product that Toasted Snow is launching soon that will "revolutionize the Ad Agency world". They just posted a preview of one of the videos.

See if you can tell which voice is mine!

Torso // Broadcast 6

2010-04-22T15:58:00.000-04:00

So... about a month ago I was called by a gentleman in New York to audition for character voices for a sci-fi short film.

Character voices are a lot of fun. For one thing, they are not usually hard selling a product. They also require more emotional depth and variance.

I ended up getting the job, and recorded the VO from my studio here. We had a great working relationship, and I think the end product turned out pretty well.

Check it out!

TORSO // Broadcast 6 (Brooklyn Collective Edit) from Jesse Corinella on Vimeo.

Busy Spring...

2010-04-20T13:39:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted, but I've been busy (a fact for which I am extremely grateful!)

I had the chance to record two pieces for Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford. Both were produced by Joe Sullivano and Video Production Associates for Sikorsky. Both turned out quite well (even though there was a fire drill during one session!).

I also provided two character voices for a short film that debuted on April 16th in Brooklyn. I haven't been able to see the finished product yet, but it was quite a bit of fun creating characters, and I hope to be able to post a short clip or two in the future.

I've also done some other work for various clients, mostly on the corporate side.

So, hopefully I'll have a couple clips to post!

Till then, if you need a voice, let me know!

Do a VO while on vacation? Check!

2010-01-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

I had the opportunity to go on vacation over the holidays. However, one day I recieved a phone call from a client. He needed a voice, knew I was out of town, but wondered if I had brought any of my equipment with me.

I hadn't, but I didn't let that stop me! I said I'd see what I could do and give him a call.

As it happened, one of the people I was visiting had a microphone that was adaquate, a quiet place to record, and I had my recording software on my laptop. Badda bing, badda boom, we're in business!

From the time I was called to the time I delivered a file, it took probably 1.5 hours.

While this result isn't always an option, I do like to try to do whatever it takes to work with my clients, even if it means doing some legwork while on vacation!

The Voice of Marilyn Monroe...

2009-12-04T09:33:00.001-05:00

This was an interesting post from advertising guru Sally Hogshead on Marilyn Monroe's voice. As a voice actor, I appreciate the nuances in a voice, though I admit, I hadn't paid much attention to hers! I knew she made it breathy, but I didn't know about this...

Her voice has been described as “cotton candy, smoke, wind, lollipops and velvet.” “Champagne lava.” “The slow folding and unfolding of a pink cashmere sweater.”

Psychologist David Huron uses a different word to describe Marilyn Monroe’s famous voice.

He calls it “wet.”

“When we see something we want to eat, when we receive praise, and even when we hug our children, our mouths literally water,” says Huron...

Oral wetness is a subtle and involuntary reflex; however, it broadcasts our emotional state by causing distinct change in timbre of voice. “Oral wetness offers an unspoken invitation to move closer,” says Huron. “It says, ‘Hey, over here, something good is going on. Want to join me?’ We become fascinated by the prospect of moving closer and sharing that experience.”

It is interesting to me how little things cause the voice to "work" in a particular way. Energy can make a difference, which isn't always tied to speed but can be. A certain amount of deepness translates into authority, and can make a voice sound older and wiser than it is. By the same token making the voice higher in pitch and taking out that authority can make it sound younger.

One big part of voice acting really is acting. Getting into the mindset of whatever the piece requires.

Now add wetness... not sure if I'll need that one, but hey, you never know!

IceNetwork.com Promos

2009-11-18T10:10:00.001-05:00

If you were watching figure skating on NBC recently, you may have seen promos for IceNetwork.com, the online home for all U.S. Figure Skating events.

Yeah, I'm the voice... Byron Campbell of Firelight Media Group was the engineer, and James Cunsolo was the producer for the spots. Executive producer was Rob Dustin of Red Brick Entertainment.

I've put the two back to back, since they are quite short.

U.S. Figure Skating Promo

2009-10-14T13:10:00.001-04:00

A few years ago I recorded the VO for a PSA for U.S. Figure Skating. That PSA has been featured on network TV during figure skating events, and was shown during the ISU International Figure Skating Championships 2009.

I was called in recently to re-voice the spot (the original is on my website), and to also voice a 15 second version.

I think they turned out pretty well!

Pilot FriXion in the wild!

2009-08-25T09:59:00.000-04:00

I happened to be in a Walgreen's the other day with my wife. She suddenly stopped and said, "is that you talking?"

Sure enough, there, in an aisle, was the display playing the Pilot FriXion ad I had recorded a few months ago!

Here's the video:) The agency was Amplitude Marketing Group. The recording and mixing was done by Byron Campbell of Firelight Media Group.

Starwood Hotels promos 2

2009-08-10T16:08:00.001-04:00

Just thought I'd post a copy of a piece I recorded for Starwood on the new Westin hotel openings, similar to the one I did recently.

The different Starwood brands each have a different style read. The Westin sound is sophisticated, like it's clientele, with a slight softening of my voice.

Starwood Hotels promos

2009-07-20T17:51:00.001-04:00

Starwood Hotels and Resorts is a name you may not know well. But you have probably heard of their hotel chains. Westin, Sheraton, W and a few others that are less known are owned and operated by Starwood.

Starwood has a great guest rewards program called Starwood Preferred Guest that spans all those hotels. The program has it's own TV station in every Starwood owned hotel. It has helpful information about the SPG program, interesting segments on fitness, interesting things to do at or around specific Westin hotels, and information on other hotels in the chain among many other things.

This is where I come in. I am the voice for the segment on new hotels Starwood has added within the last 3 to 6 months.

It is updated every so often, which results in a semi-regular paycheck for me (always a nice thing for a freelancer!) and usually those sessions are accompanied by other promos or for events for one hotel or another.

I just recorded the latest set, due in the hotels soon. So if you hear my voice in your Starwood owned hotel room while on your vacation this summer, don't worry, I didn't follow you, it's just the promo!

Summer Grilling!

2009-07-10T12:58:00.000-04:00

Hey, it's summer. Summer means having people over and firing up the old grill!

I have had variable results with the grill. Sometimes meat was to rare, other times it was overcooked.

But, I now get great results... and it's all because I was the narrator for a series of videos for Bush's Beans on grilling!

Check em out, and get great results every time!

The videos are basic narration; fun, but not overly peppy; informative, but not dry and boring.

The videos were produced by Bob Altman of HandmadeTV, and the recording was done by Steve Hansen of Hi-Top Productions.

MarketWatch.com Video

2009-06-19T10:07:00.000-04:00

So I figured I should share some of the work I've been doing on here, instead of just telling you about it:)

Check this out... this is a promo for MarketWatch.com that was used at a convention, highlighting the service it provides.

It was a fun read. They wanted intense, but not harsh, and they didn't want it to sound like a used car commercial. They also wanted it to sound sophisticated because their audience is affluent and well educated.

I think it really came out well!

I was recorded by Chris Nelson at Palace Digital (who also did all the post work.)

Voice over business

2009-06-15T11:59:00.000-04:00

Well, last Wednesday I got a phone call to do a VO record the next day. No big deal, happens all the time:)

So, sometime in the not to distant future, if you go into a Gamestop you will hear me asking you to participate in a cool gameing idea:)

But the day wasn't over. I got a call an hour or so later asking if I could do a VO record for Sikorsky Aircraft that day!

Again, not a big deal. That video is for a trade show happening in Paris right now.

The life of a VO. Days of nothing, followed by busy days of last minute sessions!

Going to the CMA Music Festival?

2009-06-10T09:01:00.000-04:00

Hey, if you are at the CMA Music Festival and see an add on buses or around town for Tetley Iced Tea... yeah, that would be my voice:)

The piece was produced by Steve Kline and Byron Campbell of Firelight Media Group LLC, a full service production house. They can shoot, edit, sweeten audio, do CGI work, you name it.

Byron is a 3 time Emmy winner; he won for sound effects editing for the Olympics in Athens and then in Beijing!

Most Recently...

2009-06-09T11:26:00.000-04:00

I voiced a piece that is in Walgreens (and may be on TV later) for Pilot Pen on the new FriXion pen, which can write, highlight and then erase due to "thermo sensitive" ink of some kind.

So, if you happen to be in Walgreens (and a few other stores) and see and hear a display for the Pilot Pen FriXion pen... that's me:)

Hey There...

2009-06-09T11:23:00.000-04:00

Hi, I just started this blog. I'll try to post links to current work I'm doing, as well as thoughts on voice acting.

For now, check out www.GrillU.com for a set of 10 or so videos I voiced for Bush's Beans on grilling!