DEREK SMITH VOICEOVER : THE VOICE THAT TRAVELS

ANNOUNCER / RADIO NEWSREADER

I have been writing and voicing creative continuity for over twenty five years my first gig was in 1999 at the Travel Channel which lead to me joining the Biography Channel as the “Scottish Voice” when it launched in the UK in 2000.I then moved to Radio Forth in Edinburgh as a Newsreader and from there to Living TV and STV as a Continuity Writer/Announcer and Promo Voiceover. I have also worked at QVC as a Promo Voiceover. For the past decade I have been part of the team at BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) where I script and voice continuity announcements from my broadcast quality home studio.

VOICEOVER

I have voiced for clients in the corporate sector which have included British Airways, BP, HSBC, Tailwind Solutions and Flow Training.

Home Studio

From my broadcast quality fully equipped home studio, using the Interface Mixer ZEDI 8 , Rode Mic NT2-A and Adobe Audition. I can provide live and pre-recorded voiceovers using Source Connect or Clean Feed and supply Audio File Formats: WAV and MP3.

TRAVEL

It’s fair to say I have been around the globe many times, spending short and long spells in major cities, exotic destinations and culturally different locations. I worked for British Airways as Cabin Crew/Inflight Manager for twenty five years whilst freelancing as a Voiceover Artist and Broadcaster at the same time. During my time at BA I was part of their communications team which involved presenting and reporting for BA TV and delivering talks and presentations to various groups and organisations.

Following my long career at BA, I took on the role of Onboard Coach part time with TUI at EDI base.

I was responsible for coaching the Cabin Managers and Main Crew inflight. The role was made redundant by TUI due to the terrorist attacks in Tunisia and Sharm El- Sheikh back in 2015.

BACK STORY

From my early teens, I had huge ambitions of becoming a TV Continuity Announcer. I grew up with Grampian Television, the ITV station that served North Scotland.

During several visits to the Grampian Television continuity studio at their headquarters at Queens Cross in Aberdeen in the early and mid 1980’s, I was encouraged to pursue my dream. It wasn’t until 2004 that I got to say “This is Grampian Television now at six o’clock the news North Tonight” (it was well worth the wait).

When I joined Scottish Television in 2004 as Continuity Announcer, Grampian and Scottish were still being transmitted as two separate identities until they merged to become STV in 2006.So there were many more opportunities to name check Grampian Television, which I made the most of.

I performed the first LIVE continuity announcement from the new STV Studios at Pacific Quay in 2006, Following STV’s move from their former headquarters at the Iconic Cowcaddens studios in the centre of Glasgow. When I visited STV way back in 1981 and spent the day with Senior Announcer Tony Currie in Continuity Studio E, I never thought for one minute years later that I’d be back in that very studio as the STV duty Continuity Announcer.