Interview
Jenna Birmingham
Audacy, United States
Jenna Birmingham is a celebrated award-winning voice over actor and audio commercial producer among others and has had voice over training from various top industry coaches and voices!
1 Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your creative background.
I am an Award winning Voice Over Actor and an Award winning audio commercial producer. I've had voice over training from various top industry coaches and voices. My production education was more of a trial by fire for the first year. In my youth I was always encouraged by my parents to sing, play a musical instrument, act. I sang in the church choir on occasion, I went to various acting camps, went to band camp, took as many classes in school relevant to those fields all throughout my school years as well as participating in community theatre programs, participated in California State Honor Choir and as an adult even sang in Carnegie Hall. ?I began learning basic editing in Cool Edit Pro and Soundforge and have been using Adobe Audition for years. When I was in college pursuing a certificate in Radio Production she spent a semester as an Adobe Audition tutor and then another semester as a volunteer in the Beginning Radio Production class where I coached reads, helped with microphone technique and helped students learn the basics and work with Adobe Audition. In 2019 I started producing demos for voice talent and has already gotten international clients. In 2020 I became an Award Winning Producer for the first time and in 2022 I became an Award Winning Voice Over Talent. These days I am a guest speaker at a couple Colleges a couple times a year, I occasionally mentor new voices, I do freelance voiceover work and for my day job make/edit well over 2000 commercials for radio/streaming stations per year.
2 What made you become/why did you choose to become a creative?
I don't think it was ever a choice, it's just something that was always in my nature.
3 Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.
I am a Commercial Producer and Voice Over Actor for one of the 4 production hubs for Audacy. I produce, voice, occasionally write, dub, edit/trim commercials for air on our over 250+ radio stations and streaming stations.
4 What does “creativity” mean to you?
Following and trusting your feelings when you make something. Being playful is a part of it and so is having an imagination. I think creativity is freedom of self- expression.
5 To you, what makes a “creative” idea and/or design?
Something that comes from out of nowhere, a tweak on an old or new idea and as you are in the process if you pay attention, you recognize it.
6 Tell us about your creative and/or design process.
I don't know that I have a process exactly. I will sometimes look at a piece of paper or the screen, look at the bullet points that a client wants and then I just think... what would I want to listen to/ what would get my attention. There are times that I will wake up in the morning with a commercial idea, I make a note, and then hopefully sometime it will come in handy and I will be able to make it.
7 What's your favorite part of the creative process and why?
My favorite part it, probably when I hear everything put together at the end, especially when it matches what I hear in my head, is entertaining and I get that warm feeling.
8 Describe your creative style and its main characteristics.
I like making things sound as real as possible, I don't like using lots of eq and fx on voices, I want things to sound authentic.
9 Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your creativity process?
This is a great question, and I have no idea.
10 Congratulations! As the winner of the 2022 MUSE Creative Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
This was the first time that I have entered my work for consideration for a Muse award and to get an award the first time entering is awesome! I'm really proud every time my work is recognized because it further validates the quality of producers and voices on my team.
11 Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2022 MUSE Creative Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
This is a client that I make commercials for several times a year, and it was just a lot of fun to make. I got to have a conversation with myself on the phone, I got to reminisce on the chaos of being a stay-at-home mom and what that can sound like from time to time, I really tried to make it sound organic and I even added a clip of my own dog barking to it. This spot made me tense and happy all at the same time, I figured it would be entertaining for others to listen to (and not change the channel if it was on the air)
12 What was the biggest challenge with this project?
Convincing the client about what the voice on the phone should sound like (there were a few iterations)
13 How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?
I don't know exactly, I mean there's no real way to measure it, but it absolutely helps in marketing myself.
14 What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
Re: Producers and Voice Over Actor/Talents -I love the people and their willingness to share, support and encourage each other. I love that there is the occasional client that will give you the opportunity to think outside the box. I love that I get paid to pursue my passions.
15 What makes your country specifically, unique in the creative industry?
Unique? I don't think we are as much these days. The world has gotten smaller, especially when it comes to media creation, consumption and trends.
16 Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?
I think authenticity will continue to be the goal... even if it's imagined authenticity.
17 If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Creative Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?
Listen to your intuition, if it's something you are proud of, share it. Odds are if it still evokes a response to you after you have been hearing/watching/looking at it for as long as you've been working on it... you've got something truly good.
18 What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the creative industry?
Get a coach, vet that coach. Focus on what you want to learn about- don't try to learn everything at once.
19 Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
On occasion, I sing in my sleep
20 Who has inspired you in your life and why?
I don't know that I've been inspired by anyone actively in my life, outside of family. I think people like Lilly Tomlin, Tracy Ullman, Betty White, as well as many other women in the entertainment industry (a very long list) are people that I have admired and have had an influence on me.
21 What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Don't give into fear, don't buy into the way you are "supposed to do things" or "you should have started years ago" Start now, who cares how old you are or if you may not be what is on trend right now, follow your passion and worse case you are true to yourself... you aren't really losing anything.
22 Do you have anything else you would like to add to the interview?
I mean... if you want to follow my socials that would be cool - Facebook: JennaAnneBirmingham IG: Jenna_Birmingham_official tiktok: JennaBirmingham_official
