About Virginia - Why She Loves Voice Over

As the woman behind the curtain, where voice meets imagination, Virginia loves the power of disappearing into a script and becoming a character. Telling stories always brings her back to the adventures she spun for her sister at bedtime, voicing shadow puppets. She enjoys the cooperative energy of partnering with a team — creating a spot or a story together with great directors, everyone pitching ideas, sometimes finding a completely new direction to play with. For Virginia, it’s about freedom, collaboration, and storytelling. Read on to discover more about Virginia in her own words.

I grew up in Texas, spending a lot of time running through the woods and pastures on our family farm. Performing for my family at the dinner table with my little sister was a regular event. In community theatre, I developed a passion for musicals. I was in West Side Story, Chicago, and The Wizard of Oz, and loved choreographing dance performances for talent shows. I finished my high school graduation requirements early (I was a huge nerd), so I decided to audition for the acting department at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan (a Hogwarts for actors, dancers, musicians, and artists) for my senior year. I went on to star in several plays in college, at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. Balancing acting with traditional academics was important to me, so even with a full class load, I snuck into lectures just to soak up every bit of college (again, huge nerd).

As an undergrad, I spent half a year in England studying Shakespeare. I also attended the Shakespeare & Company actor training program in the Berkshires and then graduated from the University of Hartford summa cum laude with a BFA in acting. After a summer internship with Miramax, I changed gears and moved to Los Angeles for film instead of staying in New York City for the stage. I started, like most actors, performing in commercials, short films, and TV pilots. My most notable role was playing Casey Anthony in Lifetime’s Prosecuting Casey Anthony, starring Rob Lowe. Having a solid acting background has been invaluable to my work in voiceover.

For years I worked with Toyota as a product specialist to support my acting career. I had the chance to go under the hood and learn about the technical aspects of their vehicles, and I flew all over the country speaking to consumers about Toyota and presenting to convention crowds. Ironically, the first voiceover commercial I booked was a national spot for Jeep. The experience was surreal. That’s when I decided to make the permanent shift from being on camera to behind the microphone.

I love books, comic books, food!, coffee shops, and travel. During the pandemic, I picked up embroidery. It was something my Granny used to do, and I found her old basics book and became obsessed. Now I’m stumbling through needle painting. As a voracious reader, my favorite pastime is to relax in a local hipster coffee shop with the latest New York Times bestseller. I know absolutely everything about the world of Harry Potter (#Slytherin). Granny also gave me a love for cooking (I’m an excellent cook but a terrible baker.) I have two booth cats and a pup: Remy, Christmas, and Vesper, who love to hang out with me in my soundproof, professional recording studio.

As a professional, you can never stop learning. I’m continuously investing in my career by training with other industry professionals such as:

• Commercial: Voicecaster LA, TalkShop LA, Rick Wasserman, Rick Zieff
• Promo: Jeff Howell, Lainie Mumbrue, Rick Wasserman, Krickett Davis
• Trailer: Robert Redfield, Brent Allen Hagel
• Animation: Voice Masters