Sounding Presidential: Voice Artist Named Winner For Obama-McCain ‘Shouting Match’
The Great Voice Co. Selects Mike Kaminski of Clearwater, Florida as the First Annual Voiceover Artist Celebrity Sound-alike Contest Winner
What would a no-holds-barred, in-your-face smackdown between Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain sound like? This year’s winner of the Great Voice Company’s Celebrity Sound-alike contest provides a hilarious look at what how such a confrontation might have gone—and what you would hear if your ear was to the wall in the next room!
The contest was announced earlier this week in the Great Voice Company’s “Inside Voice-over” e-zine. But according to Great Voice President Susan Berkley, Kaminski was the clear winner of the $150 prize.
“We had some passable Obama’s and McCain’s but Mike was the only one who did both. When I heard Mike’s dueling candidates I laughed so hard I cried, ” said Berkley.
Kaminski is no newcomer to voice-over. A professional comedian, his celebrity voice impressions are frequently heard on radio stations in the US and abroad. “To perfect an impression takes weeks” Kaminski said. “McCain is pretty similar to Bush, who I’ve been doing for the past 8 years Obama was tougher, but finally I nailed it.”
The Great Voice Company trains beginning and professional voice talent via tele-seminars and Boot camps. A famous voice herself, Berkley is the voice of AT&T and Citibank.
Berkley said voice impressions are a specialty that few people can do well. They are rarely used in commercials but are a perennial favorite on morning radio.” The world is filled with embarrassingly bad Arnold Schwartenegger imitators,” she says. ” Anyone can do Arnold’s famous ‘I’ll be back’ from the Terminator movies, but very few possess the skills to sustain the imitation with out sounding like an idiot.”
But voice-over wanna-be’s shouldn’t worry if they can’t do imitations. Most jobs are done in the talent’s “normal” street voice.”
The Great Voice Company offers a variety of free resources for those who want to explore opportunities in voice-over including a subscription to the “Inside Voice-over” Ezine and a CD entitled “5 Little Known Secrets Every Beginner Needs to Know About How To Get Started in Voice-over in 11 Months or Less.” For more information visit www.greatvoice.com
Audio of the winning submission is available
