Description
Introduction
Unlike, Kleenex or Clorox, Peter Dickson is not a household name so while he may not be very effective at or indeed remotely interested in cleaning under your rim or around your U-Bend, his voice is heard in every household in the United Kingdom and beyond; every hour of every day, of every year. From selflessly lending his vocal talent to: radio and TV commercials, video games, documentaries, radio programmes, interactive telephone systems, corporate audio and video productions, game shows and family friendly TV broadcast entertainment behemoths, he is quite literally all over the ruddy place!
‘VOICEOVER MAN’, is a fascinating insight into the life of one of the world’s most prolific voiceover artists. From barking like a dog on pet food commercials and shouting about pizzas and furniture to his universally recognised work on the world’s biggest talent shows – ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, to yelling “Come On Down!” as Bruce Forsyth’s sidekick on ‘The Price Is Right’ on TV in the UK and putting the ‘spring’, into Jerry Springer – to the whacky world of ‘Mr Mad’ ‘Voiceover Man,’ and other characters on BBC Radio 1, he recounts the highs and lows of his deeply unconventional career.
This is a book which will appeal to anyone, who has ever wondered what actually goes on behind the scenes on TV and radio. It’s a frank and very personal account of a life lived in the media. Not in the full glare of the spotlight on the shiny floor in front of the camera, but in the dark spaces the public never get to see; the voice booths, control rooms, offices, dressing rooms and dimly lit corridors backstage. If you liked; ‘The Larry Sanders Show’ ‘W1A’, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and ‘Toast of London’ – you’ll love this!
Peter Dickson has been a professional voiceover artist for forty-five years. He has worked in all sectors of the entertainment industry and alongside many of its biggest stars. He has been: the voice of over 200 TV series – many of them multi award winning, the promo voice for over 60 TV channels, he has acted on over 30 of the world’s top selling AAA game titles and has voiced over 30,000 TV and radio commercials. He founded and co-owns GravyfortheBrain.com – the world’s biggest online voiceover training school and mentoring resource for established and aspiring voice talent, founded and co-owns ReAttendance.com – the global virtual events platform, he has an honours degree in psychology, is a member of British Actors EQUITY and the Chartered Institute of Journalists and is understandably, ever so slightly knackered.
Preface
I have wanted to write the story of my professional life for quite some time but kept putting it off. I was just too busy. Friends and colleagues however, urged me to write it and so over a period of about four years, I completed what you now hold in your hand. An account of the amazing career I’ve enjoyed, in the incredibly niche world of voice acting.
It’s a love story in many respects, because it’s a career I adore and one that has afforded me so many wonderful opportunities, many of which are chronicled in the book you now hold.
Writing this book has also given me the chance to recognise the help and encouragement I have received on my journey, from those who went before me and I hope it will act as a guiding light for those who come behind.
So, this book is dedicated to the one million professional voice actors in the world today, who sit in small airless rooms day in, day out, reading aloud the carefully crafted words of others. Their names and faces you will never recognise or indeed know – but their familiar, comforting voices will continue to inform, entertain and move you throughout your whole life.