Student Stories
RichCrafts’s voice over students comes from many walks of life, voice related and not. Here is a selection of endorsements that will give you an idea about our unique coaching style.
Bethany Jane
I earned back my coaching and reel fees within the first few months, and I know I wouldn’t have had all this happen without having gone to Richcraft who taught me everything I know.
Audition
Graduate
I came to the world of voice over with no experience, I found Tanya Rich in a search online, listened to her work and was very impressed… then I saw she could help me make a showreel – so thought; this is the way to go. I got in touch and submitted my audition (which I thought at the time was pretty good!!…) then started up meeting with Alicia King for 1-1 sessions online.
My main aim was to just get a showreel, I didn’t think about having coaching! Alicia explained that in order to have a showreel produced by Richcraft I’d need to go through their coaching process. I thought, best go with that as I really wanted a reel. What I hadn’t realised, was the huge benefit I would get by being coached by these incredibly talented voice overs.
I started meeting with Alicia for sessions online. I had done no voice work before so was not sure what we were going to do.
Now I look back on the process and I’m just so impressed with how well thought out and planned lessons are. The team plan your lessons and work with you on exactly what you need. It’s tailored completely to you!
I decided to go a bit more intensive and have weekly sessions. With this I improved at a faster rate and could really build on my progress.
I’d always listen back to my lessons and make notes (as they send you a recording of the lesson). The coaches are literally spilling gold when they coach, and you just have to get a second listen in to catch it all! The sessions were hilarious too and so much fun, I always looked forward to them.
I loved that both Alicia and Tanya have always been totally honest, and if something is not quite there or not quite right they would say, so we could work on it and get better. This undoubtedly made me a better voice over. I worked with Greg and Bob too – and both were brilliant to work with. Working with different coaches got me used to voicing in front of new people, which was so helpful.
The process Richcraft have in place before you can make a reel is intense – but it’s this, that makes them incredible and made me a better VO. I hadn’t realised how much I would need to do, to get my reel. But as a new voice, with no experience, I needed this journey to make me the best voice over I could be – what Tanya says she wants to do for all her students.
I had many moments in my coaching journey of thinking, actually I can’t do this…it’s really hard. Especially shaking like a leaf on my live sessions with producers or sight reading a script in a coaching session and not picking up on things I needed to. However, just keeping on doing it and trusting their process worked.
In 7 months I worked through the coaching journey to make my first commercial reel and in that same month I graduated, I landed my first paid job with a major coffee chain, and month after that my first TV ad with a well-known fragrance brand, an ad which got me nominated for an award (Newcomer of the year 2023 OVC). And from there it’s continued and led on to so many more amazing projects and campaigns. I earned back my coaching and reel fees within the first few months, and I know I wouldn’t have had all this happen without having gone to Richcraft who taught me everything I know. Thank you Richcraft.
Sarah Bowers
I’m so proud to be a RichCraft graduate and will continue to work with them throughout my career to keep these skills nice and sharp!
I came to RichCraft when I was already working as a voiceover. I hadn’t been in the game long, just a few months, and I was still finding my feet.
Prior to training with Tanya, I had received 1-2-1 training with another coach. He had launched me into the world of VO and I had a commercial demo I was happy with, and getting some success from, but I just knew I could be better and I knew exactly who I needed to train with in order to get there.
Working with Tanya was the best decision I ever made in my voiceover career. She has ears of a bat and she won’t tell you that you sound great just to make you feel better. What you get from Tanya is the cold truth but that’s exactly what I wanted.
I wanted to improve as fast as possible, as much as possible. It’s not all down to the coaching though, you have to put in the work. So between my fortnightly sessions I worked my backside off practising the techniques I was being shown and eventually, I DID learn to breath out of my arse! Ha! (Among other things!)
There were some sessions that were more challenging; some techniques and styles of voicing come more naturally to me than others. But with continued sessions, guidance and practice, practice, PRACTICE!… I was so chuffed when Tanya said I was ready to record my commercial reel.
I’ve had even more success since sending that reel out; I’m absolutely thrilled with it. I don’t see myself ever getting to a point of not wanting any more training. I’m currently working towards my next corporate reel with Tanya, and after that, who knows?!
I’m so proud to be a RichCraft graduate and will continue to work with them throughout my career to keep these skills nice and sharp!
Carla Terry
Getting in touch with Richcraft is the best decision I’ve ever made to progress my career. My coaching journey began with Tanya telling me that some of my pronunciations were wrong, particularly my “ings”. After getting off my high horse of “who is this lady to tell me that I can’t say shoppin “g”, I realized she was of course correct.
Audition
Graduate
Tanya and the team at Richcraft are incredibly talented voiceovers and extremely wise coaches, each with their unique specialty. They excel in what they do and they bring out the best in you as a student.
There were times when I felt I would never get it, it just wasn’t going in. There was so much to learn, understand and take in and of course, continue to learn. If you put the work in, continue to ask questions/practice and spend time honing your craft you will get the most out of training with Richcraft. I did and still do.
They are not just teachers, they are mentors and friends who have made my life a richer one by being in it.
High- Getting my first international job in Budapest as a Voice of God to a live audience of 16,000. Couldn’t have done it without Richcraft coaching.
Low- Saying yes to a long corporate script that I wasn’t ready for. Again, a cautionary tale from Tanya, “don’t run before you can walk”. Be bold, be brave, and go for it you won’t regret it.
Lorraine Kamenou
Spending many years in the Dental Profession, raising a family and all that goes with that, when Covid hit, it made me stop and think about what I really wanted to do. For a long time, I had been thinking about doing voice- over work. I had no experience whatsoever, I wasn’t even in Drama Club at school!
Audition
Reel Sample
I researched and came across Tanya at RichCraft, and with her beaming smile and obvious wealth of experience, I contacted her. I just instinctively felt I would be in good hands. Although my audition was not good at all, she gave me a chance to start training with her and her lovely team.
Its not been an easy ride. I think all the coaches have suffered my warblings along the way, though particularly Tanya, Alicia and Bob got the brunt of it! I cannot tell you how much I have learnt along the way. I naively thought initially it was just a case of picking up a script and reading it!! How wrong was I?! Everyone has such patience and they all really want you to do well.
It was at times a struggle to be honest, I practiced hard to get things right, but what was a particular challenge for me was Meet The Producer. I was so nervous, and it obviously affected my performance. I just asked for more MTP sessions, so I could get more confident with them! Another issue was the technical side of things, that’s been a massive learning curve!
It was great when a lesson went well, and things started to slot into place. My confidence gradually grew. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed my training, but its not done and dusted, I want to keep these new skills refreshed and learn more! If you are considering training with Tanya and the RichCraft team, go for it! You will be in very good hands!
Anne-Marie Flood
An amazing part of the coaching process is the ‘Meet The Producer’ sessions which were incredibly nerve racking but excellent training for live directed sessions. The feedback from those sessions were so helpful to my progress and really helped me prepare for the real thing.
A high percentage of my work involves live directed sessions with clients across the globe, which I absolutely love doing!
I have always loved the spoken word and started my training in Speech & Drama from age 8, attending elocution lessons after school in my home town of Bolton. This not only provided me with classical training in ‘Received Pronunciation’ but also the confidence to perform on stage. I continued my training, qualifying as an Associate of the London College of Music & Drama at age 19, and performing on stage in Amateur Theatre productions for many, many years.
When the Covid-19 Pandemic happened, it gave me an amazing opportunity to consider fulfilling my dreams of becoming a professional actor. I was intrigued about the Voice Acting profession and, following research, I found Tanya Rich of RichCraft, and decided to apply for coaching. Following an audition, I was delighted to be considered suitable for coaching by Tanya and commenced my training in June 2020 on Zoom (as that was the only option at that time).
The coaching was very comprehensive, working through a huge variety of scripts, and it took a while for me to stop projecting my voice (as I would on stage). I practised religiously after each session with Tanya and realised pretty quickly that I would only improve by listening back to my recordings before I submitted my ‘home work’. My progress was slow and steady. There were times when I felt that I just wasn’t getting it. However, I had every confidence in Tanya and just trusted the process.
I was also coached by other members of the RichCraft team including Alicia & Greg, who both gave me further valuable insights into using my voice effectively.
An amazing part of the coaching process is the ‘Meet The Producer’ sessions which were incredibly nerve racking but excellent training for live directed sessions. The feedback from those sessions were so helpful to my progress and really helped me prepare for the real thing.
Finally, after 11 months of coaching, I was ready to record my voice reels and Tanya directed my Commercial Reel and Corporate Reel recording sessions in April 2021, followed by my Telephone/IVR Reels in May 2022. I launched my Voice Actor business in July 2021 and have worked with some amazing brands right from the start, including well known national and international brands. A high percentage of my work involves live directed sessions with clients across the globe, which I absolutely love doing!
I am so glad that I found Tanya and invested in professional coaching with her and the lovely team at RichCraft. It has provided me with a strong foundation and a great start to my career as a professional Voice Actor.
Matt Sykes
It was with some trepidation that I first sent my audition to Richcraft. I had been trying to figure it out on my own but I was struggling to understand what I could do better. Then Tanya sent me an email telling me that I was in and for the first time in a while, I felt relieved. As soon as I met Tanya and then the rest of the lovely coaching team (Alicia, Greg and Bob), I knew I had made a good choice.
Audition
Reel Sample
As soon as I met Tanya and then the rest of the lovely coaching team (Alicia, Greg and Bob), I knew I had made a good choice. It was just fantastic to have real time coaching with someone, not only experienced in the industry, but also engaging and encouraging. I was flying, feeling like I was well on my way, each week an improvement. A few hiccups but overall, I thought, “I’ll be ready for a reel soon.” I’m glad that it was not my decision.
When I had my first Meet The Producer session with lovely Bob, all the wheels fell off. I totally fell to pieces, falling back on old bad habits and just feeling utterly overwhelmed. I had got so wound up about it that I just psyched myself out. And I knew that the reason for it. I did not have the confidence in my own abilities. Commercial scripts were a nightmare for me. The speed, the forced excitement, all of it. So we went to commercial school.
At times I felt frustrated that I was taking so long to get to the level I wanted to be at. But I reminded myself that I came into this with basically no experience other than some drama classes in my teenage years and a love of dungeons and dragons. I trusted that Tanya and the team would tell me when I was ready. So I knuckled down, and practiced like mad. I did a few more MTP’s, which really highlighted the points I had to address. Re-listening to lessons helped me to really take in everything that was said, as often we have a good laugh as well, so its easy to forget some of the finer points.
Before I knew it, the day had arrived. First Bob (who had seen me really stumble), then the others, all telling me I was “Reel Ready”. Those two words meant so much to me. And then it was upon me and unlike that first MTP where I fell apart, it flew by and I had a blast!
My Richcraft journey is very much coming to a middle. I plan to continue learning and improving with these wonderful people for a good while yet!
Mike Cooper
Tanya has a reputation for being one of the go-to voices for IVR, and she’s been doing it for a long time. During our sessions we worked on IVR work, and the particular approach compared to corporate/commercial.
Tanya was able to tell me what I was getting right and where I needed to make small adjustments to better fit the genre. I made my own showreel and Tanya gave me feedback and advice to tweak it to where it needed to be. Once we were done, I felt much better-equipped for future work, and this gave me the confidence to put together a reel and start to approach producers. Since working with Tanya, I’ve made it onto at least two IVR producers’ rosters and I’m looking forward to working with them.
I was very happy with the coaching and would recommend Tanya as a coach. She has a no-nonsense approach and provides honest, useful feedback for improvement where necessary.
Chas Rowe
I had always wanted to be a voice-over artist because I always had a natural talent for languages and accents. I wanted voice coaching as I wanted reassurance from a professional voice-over artist that I was right in my thinking that I had what it takes to be a voice over. I was looking for one-to-one support and tutelage to help turn my potential into paid work.
When choosing a coach, essentially, I got lucky by searching for ”voice-over artist” and ”Bath”. I was living locally at the time and was looking for a professional voice-over artist to give me feedback on my voice-over demos. But I later learned that Tanya isn’t just a voice-over artist who is based in Bath. She is, in fact, a highly experienced voice-over artist and singer, who is able to teach vocal skills at a high level.
I was pleased that all the effort I had put into my first accents and characters demo (which I wrote and produced myself) had paid off and that I had secured a meeting and chat with Tanya. I was keen to get started. I was hoping to get reassurance and positive encouragement that I had the raw talent to develop and formalise my skills. I was also hoping that if Tanya personally endorsed me, I might have a good chance of getting work.
I got the confidence boost and encouragement that I needed (and I was also told what I needed to work on). I was given honest feedback, which was invaluable as I was keen to improve. During our coaching sessions we worked on straight reads and emoting. Tanya felt I was bottling up emotion and was a bit stiff, so we worked on stretching my expressiveness and finding my authentic voice. Learning to be myself – and to like myself – was a challenge, as I had been rather used to being someone else and playing around with characters for a long time.
The by-product of my voice-over coaching with Tanya was that it enhanced my radio news reading skills, making me an in-demand freelancer and full-time member of staff at radio stations in Bristol, Cardiff and London. Tanya’s tutelage sharpened my skills in tone of voice, which is important when using the right words to tell stories to different audiences. I also became a better critic of my own work and was able to identify areas to work on, without having them pointed out to me. Effectively, Tanya’s coaching kept me in radio news for another 10 years, after I had initially reached out to her.
I was happy with my coaching sessions. I would [also] be happy to do more to check where I’m at with my skill level. Since working with Tanya I have been able to secure professional voice-over work for several years.