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Faye does most of her voiceover work at home, coinciding with two-year-old Suki’s nap schedule. Image © Nicola Jane Photography
BRISTOL AT WORK We shine a spotlight on the local folk that help make up the fabric of city life
B
eing a working mum is no mean feat – late nights, early mornings and a hectic schedule – but local freelancer Faye Dicker has got it down to a tee. Balancing voiceover work, radio presenting, media masterclasses and her ‘Freelance Mum’ networking site with looking after two young girls, Faye encapsulates the busy lives of 21st-century parents up and down the country. Sure, we can do more than one thing at once (does eating and watching television count?) but this is taking things to the next level... “I think the trick is – particularly as a freelancer – to see it, as much as anything, as a lifestyle,” says Faye. “There’s no such thing as a Monday to Friday nine to five, it’s more a blended work/life balance. I have two clear child-free days a week, when I try to shoehorn in as much as possible, but inevitably, work falls on days when I have the girls. Then it’s a case of working wonky hours or calling on friends and family. I’m lucky in that voiceover work is typically short sessions, and usually from my studio at home. I’ve become a dab hand at doing some serious multi tasking while my two-year-old naps!” Faye came across voiceover work following her role at BBC Radio Bristol, and now works for companies including NPower, Very and most recently Great Western Railway, lending her dulcet tones to a variety of advertising and marketing campaigns. 58 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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MARCH 2017
“As a radio presenter, I quickly realised it would always pay to have another string to my bow. A friend of mine, who I went to college with, had started out in voiceover and I couldn’t help but wonder if I could turn my hand to it. My background was in acting – I’d done quite a lot as a child, so it was a case of bringing scripts to life with a wider range of talking. I took a gamble, or rather my parents did – and lent me the money to buy the equipment and set up a studio. I’ll never forget it – it was a broom cupboard with a light, power point and just enough room for me to get my knees under the desk and shut the door behind me! It was one of the best investments I ever made and the most lucrative cupboard in the house!” Now, possessing so many strings to said bow she could be mistaken for a one-woman orchestra, Faye has been passing her expertise on through a series of masterclasses for businesses and individuals – also pretty nerve-wracking, we would imagine? “I think the main thing is to be yourself, or better still, be the best version of you. Be authentic. If you take some deep breaths before you start talking, it always helps calm the nerves and if you think you’re nervous, try and pitch your voice a little deeper than usual. You instantly sound more confident.” Managing the nerves is one thing, but we wonder how voiceover artists and presenters manage to maintain professional decorum at all times – surely there have been times when the giggles took over?