Expertise Expressed
Having worked in the voiceover industry for 20 years, lending her voice to many types of narrations from corporate to medical, commercials to documentaries, and everything in between, Debbie Irwin is often asked to share the knowledge and expertise she’s gathered along the way in the press. She is featured in many publications talking about the nitty-gritty of voice acting and the many things she values about her work. She has been interviewed for articles in trade magazines like MM&M, and on a variety of podcasts. Debbie also writes articles for Backstage, a vital industry resource, where she explains what the world of voice over entails and what it takes to be successful. Get familiar with all the ins and outs of voiceovers by reading the articles in which Debbie shares her wealth of experience.
Backstage Expert Debbie Irwin
Backstage is a website and online database crucial for actors of every medium, film, television, stage, and voiceover, who are actively working and networking in the entertainment industry. They are able to find and audition for jobs, upload an actor profile with their resume, reels, and demos, and read articles about the world of performance from experts in the field.
Debbie is a regular contributor to Backstage, writing many articles about the tricks of the voice-over trade. She has had years of experience as a stage actress and has studied with some of the best teachers and coaches in the acting industry. That paired with her prolific experience in voice-over, she is one of the best resources for those learning about the intricacies of the industry and how best to build long lasting client relationships.
What Voiceover Artists Need to Know About Contracts + Confidentiality
BY DEBBIE IRWIN | OCTOBER 30, 2018
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The Truth About Voiceover Headshots
BY DEBBIE IRWIN | MARCH 28, 2019 | LAST UPDATED: APRIL 16, 2020
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9 Online Video Etiquette Tips for Voice Actors
BY DEBBIE IRWIN | APRIL 10, 2020
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9 Questions to Consider Before Selling Yourself as a Voiceover Pro
BY DEBBIE IRWIN | APRIL 24, 2019 | LAST UPDATED: MAY 9, 2019
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7 Tips for Starting a Voiceover Career Later in Life
BY DEBBIE IRWIN | MAY 21, 2020
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A Casting Director Shares Why Voice Talent Gets Hired—and Why They Don’t
BY DEBBIE IRWIN | MAY 26, 2020
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Is it Worth It? — MedVO
BY DEBBIE IRWIN | March 8, 2017
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Conversations with Creative Women — Interview
BY DEBBIE IRWIN | October 4, 2016
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MM&M (MEDICAL MARKETING & MEDIA)
The Voices Behind Pharma DTC Ads Bring Art to Science
By Mikey Brown | April 4, 2019
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Medical Marketing and Media is a fantastic online resource for those interested in anything pertaining to medical advertising and news. Subscribers can read up on the latest news surrounding healthcare marketing and pharmaceutical advertising. They can learn about upcoming events, watch videos by experts in their fields and have access to resources such as an agency and marketing directory, ebooks, and webcasts.
Debbie Irwin was interviewed for an article featured on MM&M written by Mickey Brown and she also spoke on a podcast that can be found on the website too. Debbie spoke about the artful touches voiceover actors bring into the booth when recording direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertisements. A professional voice-over talent knows how to bring the human touch to difficult medical terminology, and make the information more accessible to the consumer. Debbie talks about how her experience in life and as an actor shapes the way she conveys a message to sound both caring and relatable.
“During the recording session, Irwin couldn’t quite match her tone to the messaging. After another unsuccessful take, the director asked, “Debbie, can you give me a little less Ginger?’” “So I’m thinking, ‘OK, ginger’s a spice. What does ginger sound like? What do they want that’s not ginger-y?’” Irwin recalls. “Then he adds, ‘And give me a little more Mary Ann.’ And I went, ‘Oh, I know what you want — less movie star, more girl next door.’”
STAT NEWS
How Drug Ad Narrators Take the Scariness Out of Side Effects
By Megan Theilking | Feb 18, 2016
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Serbin Creative
Meet the Voice of Medical Animation :: Debbie Irwin
By Rebecca Harvey | November 20th, 2019
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Debbie has been a guest on a few podcasts and welcomes any opportunity to share her extensive experience as a voiceover artist, anecdotes and all.
NPR’s The Pulse: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
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Debbie is featured at 16:57, where they explored the delicate balance of presenting Important Safety Information (ISI), or Fair Balance information in pharmaceutical ads in a way that’s audible — and not only not so fast that it’s unintelligible, but also spoken in a fashion that makes the content less scary and therefore easier to hear. She also wrote about the topic in a blog post titled, Ask Your Doctor if This Ad is RIght for You.
FRESHBOOKS: #I Make a Living
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You can listen to the Center Stage segment in which Debbie is featured on the podcast starting at 13:05 into the episode.
I Make a Living is a podcast created by the community-centric company FRESHBOOKS, which provides online accounting service to small businesses, about the world of an entrepreneur and why someone might want to work as a freelancer. The podcast highlights all the challenges and joys in the day to day lives of people who are self-employed. The podcast features a segment at the end of the episode entitled Center Stage, where the hosts highlight the hard work of someone who works as a freelancer. In the inaugural episode, Debbie Irwin was the featured artist of the segment.
Debbie has her own sound-proof studio in her New York City apartment, fully-equipped with all the latest high-quality microphones, soundboard, and software needed to produce professional voice-over recordings. Often times the clients don’t need to bring Debbie into a sound studio because she can record her own tracks from home. Debbie talks about what goes into working from how, the directed sessions in her studio, recording and editing multiple takes, staying in touch with clients and getting in contact with new collaborators. These are just a few of the things that go into being a freelance voiceover talent.
The MM&M Podcast: Voiceover actors Joey Shaljo and Debbie Irwin
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST about what it’s like to be the voice behind the DTC (Direct to Consumer) pharma ads, how she broke into the industry, the competitiveness of this voiceover genre and what some of her biggest challenges are
SANDI KLEIN SHOW: CONVERSATIONS WITH CREATIVE WOMEN
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Where female voice over actors, theatre performers, directors, writers, curators, composers, painters, sculptors, fashion designers, chef and restaurant owners, business women, scientists, investors and educators are interviewed about their contributions to the creative landscape.
I wrote a blog about it and they shared it on their site too.
Serbin Creative Podcast: On Being the voice of “Big Pharma”.
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“Based in New York City, Debbie Irwin has become known as the Medical Narrator. She’s worked with dozens of the biggest names in the medical field, including 3FX, Anatomy Blue, Cognition Studio, AstraZeneca, Baxter, Bristol Myers Squibb, Einstein Health, Infuse Med, Main Line Health, Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Northwell, Novartis, Ogilvy and more.
Our own Bryan Allen was recently luckily enough to sit down with Debbie and discuss life as a voice actor and how she ended up becoming the voice of big pharma.”
Interested in a quote or a conversation?