Claire Ziegler | Courtesy
When alumna Claire Ziegler ’15 graduated from Hillsdale with a degree in music, she had no idea she would eventually be auditioning and working as a voice-over actor for national businesses.
For the past year, Ziegler has been working as a commercial voice-over actor, promoting herself nationally in a career she says she just stumbled into.
“I found the career of my dreams, but oddly enough it is not one within my major,” Ziegler said. “I woke up one morning, thinking, ‘I like to read and read aloud,’ and over the years I had friends tell me I had a great reading voice. So I figured, I love singing, reading, and speaking. What kind of career could I make this into? That’s when I discovered voice-over work.”
Ziegler had no idea how to begin a career in this kind of work, but after spending hours on the Internet was lucky to find a top training center right by her home.
“It’s a tricky industry to break into,” Ziegler said. “The toughest part is getting specific training, since it’s so different from how you speak normally in conversation. Fortunately, I found a really good company called Sound Advice Voice Over Training. The facility was in Chicago, right by where I live.”
After Ziegler connected with Sound Advice, she began auditioning for radio commercials with McDonald’s Corp., Payless ShoeSource, and Tostitos in addition to starring in dozens of others.
A normal week for Ziegler consists of about seven to 10 auditions, each one more unique than the last.
“Commercial is a great place for new voicework actors to start, primarily because there are so many jobs available,” Ziegler said. “It’s very varied and broad, which is great fun. It’s a great opportunity to stretch yourself as an actor.”
According to Ziegler, many new voice-over actors don’t know how to physically train their voices — a problem she, however, didn’t have.
“I’m very lucky to have a background as a classically trained singer,” Ziegler said. “Many new voice actors have never been faced with taking care of their voices. I’ve gotten to know my voice very well, and can tell what my limits are and change aspects of it to meet the role I’m auditioning for.”
According to Ziegler, this came in handy recently when auditioning for a realty company. She was able to adapt her voice to make the commercial have a stronger message.
“When I started working with the script, I finally realized it was kind of boring,” Ziegler said. “I wasn’t adding variety to different things on the list, so I thought I might make it sound stressful or exciting. I was able to break down the script in front of me to tell an interesting story. By thinking about what the client wants I can make my voice go higher or lower, and add emotion and inflection to sell the message.”
Senior Josiah Lippincott met with Ziegler earlier this year to discuss voice-over acting, and said her voice was memorable and unique.
“Claire has a terrific voice and a great presence,” Lippincott said. “She has a distinct sound and great diction, but she can also convey emotion well. She is a rare talent and has a great personality. Speaking in public is not an easy thing to do, but she nails it.”
The challenges of voice-over appeal to Ziegler. She said she likes that she doesn’t ever stop acting. She is always training her voice and modifying it for her clients.
“You’re always in a role,” Ziegler said. “Much of the skill of voice-over is figuring out what message you’re trying to convey. What your perspective and role is, that is how you say things that are on the page.”
Ziegler said she hopes to continue voice-over work, and wants to continue promoting herself all over the country.
“My goal is to have as many as four or five agents in all parts of the country,” Ziegler said. “That could lead to plenty of voice-over opportunities. The narration of documentaries and explainer videos really appeals to me, as well as books on tape. Even though they don’t pay well for the amount of work you do, I would love to do one as a labor of love.”
Ziegler said she is super happy, but that she wouldn’t currently have this much success or pleasure if it wasn’t for what she learned at Hillsdale.
“I am blissfully happy,” Ziegler said. “Hillsdale played a huge role in preparing me as an educated, intelligent adult for this career. I would not have all the blessings that I had if I hadn’t learned what Socrates meant by the examined life. If I didn’t have the teaching in critical thought that Hillsdale gave me, I wouldn’t have any of this.”
