Behind the Scenes of a Higher Education Voiceover: Bishop State

Exploring my recent voiceover for Bishop State Community College

What are the keys to a successful voiceover for higher education? It depends on several factors, including the overall goal of the piece, the underlying message and the brand of the institution behind it.

But often, you simply don’t know which vocal delivery will work best until you start recording.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Bishop State Community College to provide the voiceover for a new video project. The session was tremendously enjoyable and productive, so in this post, I want to give a behind-the-scenes look of what went into it.

Getting to know the client

The first key to a successful voiceover is understanding the people or brand behind it. That’s true of every VO, not just educational voiceovers.

Bishop State is a historically black community college with four campuses in Alabama. The college is known for providing a high-quality and affordable education that helps students thrive in their chosen careers or take the next step in their learning. Bishop offers Associate degrees, certifications and career-oriented training to a diverse student body of more than 3,500.

For me personally, it was an honor and a privilege to be chosen to voice a project for a historically black college. Bishop State’s dedication to openness, diversity and inclusivity is especially meaningful to me as an Indian-born American whose whole life was positively impacted by African-American culture. Their decision to work with me is further testament to their welcoming attitude toward all cultures, and I greatly appreciate that.

Understanding the message

If you watched the video above, then the message is clear: Bishop is the place to “find your path and make it happen.” It’s a motivational message that encourages students to dream big and leverage Bishop’s education to make it a reality. Make your Bishop Statement.

I love this copy. It’s energetic, inspiring and inclusive. It paints Bishop as the place for anyone to reach their potential – without providing long lists of details about the college.

I knew when reading the copy that there were multiple ways I could approach the voiceover.

Finding the right tone & inspiration

The message is clearly motivational, but there are many ways to approach a motivational voice – especially when it comes to an educational voiceover.

For example, should the voice build in excitement, volume and pace? Or should it be steady and confident?

Should it sound like the voice is coming from the dean of the college, or a student?

These are the things that a professional voice actor needs to think about, because there’s a time and place for each style. Each one produces a different effect.

As I got more familiar with the script and with Bishop State, I decided to explore a poetic voiceover style. I always like to find inspiration for my VOs, especially from poetry and music. For this one, Bishop State’s marketing director, Courtney Steele, suggested I take inspiration from the rapper Common. This was fantastic advice, because Common is known for his poetic and articulate vocal style – and he has diverse appeal to a wide audience, just like Bishop State.

Collaborating to make it even stronger

During the recording session, I explored multiple vocal inflections and emotional tones. With collaboration and feedback from the client and producer, we decided on a confident, motivational tone without aggression. The end result turned out perfect.

I specifically want to thank the following people for providing the opportunity to be part of this piece – and for making the session so enjoyable:

• Courtney Steele, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Bishop State Community College
• Jack Kerigan, Principal at Kerigan Marketing Associates

I loved working with Courtney and the great people at Bishop State. As a producer, Jack is an exceptional communicator who provides clear, nuanced and specific direction to voice talent, which I value tremendously.

The value of a professional voiceover in community college narration

Understanding the nuances and intricacies of different voiceover styles is so important for college marketing to be effective.

Hiring an experienced higher-education voice talent is crucial to effectively communicating the institution’s mission in a way that reaches and resonates with a diverse audience.

Thank you again to Bishop State, Kerigan Marketing and everyone else who helped make this project successful.