Pirate Radio & Television

pirate is one of the biggest recording studios in canada and whether you are there to audition, to record voice over, or as a client, itll be a pleasurable experience.
the décor is very chill; they have couches in the front to lounge and pour over your script, glass doors overlooking the hallway so it feels open and comfortable studios to record in.
i took a commercial voiceover workshop there that was fantastic and taught by a woman named tracey hoyt, who herself, was fantastic. she was very efficient, funny, and supportive. the way it worked was that, as a student, youd be given 2 commerical radio scripts based on your preferences (ie./ narration, straight, comic/​character, announcer, etc.,) that you gave tracey beforehand. everyone listened to everyone else’s reads, tracey’s comments and got to do it again so there were a few reads from which to choose. the best reads were recorded on a demo and later given to the pirate casting directors for the potential of getting future auditions. great setup. one voiceover job more than pays for the course.

I’ve not been doing voice work for very long, but for the amount of work I’ve done, I have these folks to thank or blame, depending upon your look at it. Not only do they run their own full-​on agency to produce commercial voice work, they also provide courses for you, the uninitiated, to step into the world of voice acting.
Courses can be taken in a group setting or one-​on-​one, depending upon your preference. Once you’re done, you get a demo with your first ever (I’m guessing) voice tracks. This you can shop around, put on your website, all that fun stuff. The courses are informative, informal, and fun. If you’ve ever thought about giving voice work a try, this is definitely a place to go.
As mentioned, they also produce some fantastic work, and is worth simply auditioning just for the relaxing waiting area that has comfy couches, magazines, and friendly reception staff. There’s also fish you can stare at that will calm you down before you go in for your audition. For voice work this is a great place to start.