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10 Questions with ... Scott Matthews
September 26, 2017
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started out as a jock and commercial producer in Williamsport, PA, when I was 19 years old. I had answered a job listing in the local newspaper's classified section, "weekend radio announcers wanted." A highlight for me in the summer of 1990, was rocking the mic ... unlike a vandal ... as the stadium announcer for the Williamsport Bills, a minor league baseball team best known for something called, the "Potato Incident." It may or may not be worth a wiki.
I really learned how to do it right in Harrisburg, PA. First nights, then afternoons in 1993 at WRVV. I enjoyed the weekend commutes to Philly for union paying shifts at WYSP and later at WMGK. In 1996, I transitioned to mornings at WRVE/Albany, NY before moving on to WEQX in Manchester, VT and settling back in Harrisburg at what would become Clear Channel/iHeartMedia.
In 2008, I left full-time radio to become a freelance voice artist.
1) Where can you currently be heard?
I've been the voice of KRBE/Houston, WNCI/Columbus, KLUC/Las Vegas and the E Street Radio Channel on Sirius/XM for the past 10 years. Listen for me on WFLC/Miami, KKWF/Seattle, WDVE/Pittsburgh, WDAF/Kansas City and other great broadcast stations worldwide. I've served as the in-show announcer for iHeartMedia's Jingle Ball concerts in both Atlanta and Philadelphia ... the commercial voice of concert tours for Bruno Mars, Beyonce, U2 and more ... as well as TV promo and narration VO for channels including History, Nickelodeon, Food Network and IFC.
2) When did you first come to the realization that you could be a voice talent?
I fell in love with radio as a kid. I was creating my own radio shows and commercials on a portable cassette recorder as early as 10 years old. So after getting into the business, I spent countless late-night hours in the prod room experimenting and working on my delivery. In 1995, I met Paul Turner at WYSP/Philadelphia. He was the Creative Director and then voice of the syndicated Howard Stern Show. He was also building his own production company at the time and had invited me to audition for some potential radio imaging clients. This is where I first gained the confidence to really put myself out there. Thank you, Paul!
3) Do you specialize in a particular kind of voice work (radio, TV, commercials, trailers, corporate)?
Radio imaging, of course! It has afforded me so many other opportunities in voiceover and given my family a great life.
4) How did you get your start? What was the first voiceover job that you landed?
The very first station I landed as a client was KMCK/Fayetteville. My buddy Jerry Ramsey was the PD and was kind enough to hire me as station voice in 2005. Still owe you beers-n-tacos, Jerry!
5) What's the most unique project that you've been involved with?
I'd have to give this to my friends at The MIX Group in Miami. Jason and crew are known for their elaborate promo videos. I spent 12 hours at the MIX studios dangling from a harness in front of a green screen, along with Programming Diva Extraordinaire Jill Strada of WFLC and Voiceover Goddess Vanessa James. The storyline for this mini-movie included having us parachute from 10,000 feet in the sky, while voicing and producing an urgent promo for HITS 97.3 before landing in the drop zone. The original idea was for us to be filmed while actually parachuting from a plane. We hastily opted for the green screen.
6) What's the most challenging project that you've been involved with?
I narrated a car makeover series on History Channel called, Leepu & Pitbull. It was a reality show based on an "odd couple" relationship between an altruistic but tough-talking auto mechanic from Long Island and his flamboyant auto body fabricating partner from Bangladesh. The sessions took place over Source-Connect, with me in a booth at Philadelphia Post's studios, the director and show runner on location in NY, while the sound engineers were recording in London. It was my first series narration job and it truly was baptism by fire.
7) Tech Set-Up... what kind of mics/processing/software/plug-ins, etc. are you using?
- Mics: MKH-416 & TLM-103
- Pre's: VoxBox & ISA One
- DAW: Adobe Audition & Pro Tools
- Plug-ins: Waves Gold
8) Who are your mentors?
Radio mentors include my first boss, Scott Masteller (current PD WBAL/Baltimore, who would later go on to head up ESPN's radio division) along with Tom Benson, Chris Tyler and Randy McCarten ... all talented radio minds who helped show me the way.
Those who directed me early on, giving me valuable experience are producer friends Mike Miller, Steve Sykes, John Kerber, Freddy Cruz and the one and only Jeff Thomas of Killer Hertz fame.
9) What other voice talents do you have the most respect for?
I grew up listening to the powerful radio imaging voices of Mitch Craig, Charlie Kendall, Scott Chapin, Joe Kelly and Bill Young. Then came the next wave of inspirational creatives. Voice and production powers like Eric Chase, Chris Corley, Keith Eubanks, John Frost, Steve Stone, Kelly Doherty, Jude Corbett, Ned Spindle, Jeff Berlin and just too many to list!
10) What advice would you give to people who are trying into voice work?
Invest in proper gear. Save money. Do the research and find out what successful voice talent are using in their studios. Seek advice from these artists. Join Facebook groups and connect with others on social media. Be willing to wave your talent fee when first starting out in order to build an archive of content for demos. Have patience. Make friends. Push yourself to try things which are outside of your comfort zone. Be kind, be humble and always be open and willing to learn.
Bonus Questions
What was your last non-industry job?
Man, I've been fortunate to not have to work a "real" job in almost 30 years! The last job I had before I began in radio was as an undercover investigator for a detective agency in South Florida. One of their clients was Bloomingdales department store in Boca Raton. So, with my orders to try and flush out an in-house theft ring, I was placed in the Women's Department, working undercover as a stock boy. I lasted about 6 months. Although I never cracked the case, I did however learn how to properly outfit a mannequin. Those were heady days.
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