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About Maria Pendolino, Professional Female Voiceover Artist

A trained actor since the age of 11, Maria Pendolino is an internationally recognized award-winning voice actor. Trained initially in musical theatre, television, and film acting, Maria has proudly worked as a professional voiceover actor for more than eleven years. She has had the opportunity to work on various projects, from commercial work medical & pharma narration, eLearning, telephone IVR phone menus, and more. Casting directors and clients describe Maria’s signature voice as youthful, bright, sassy, friendly, relatable, and conversational. Her voice is very on-trend: perfect for speaking to Millennials and Gen Z as they become the most significant part of the coveted 18-49 purchasing & advertising demographic.

Why Voice Acting?

So how does somebody get into voice acting and become a professional female voiceover talent, anyway? For Maria, voice acting and all things voiceover definitely constitute a lifelong passion.

But she’s come a long way since her days of entertaining her family with character impressions at the dining room table. Gone is her childhood pastime of performing a solo interpretation of all of the numbers from The Phantom of the Opera in one swift act deep in her parents’ basement. (Don’t worry; she won’t try to sneak any operatic pieces into your voiceover assignment unless you want one. She is still fully off-book on the entire musical.)

After studying creative writing and theatre in college at Binghamton University in New York, Maria followed the classic path of the theater lover by moving to New York City and auditioning for Broadway shows, television, and film projects—all while sustaining a demanding international banking job. While she ended up landing roles here and there (including even filming an episode of National Geographic’s hit binge-worthy show, Locked Up Abroad, that found her filming on location in Colombia), this path led her into voice acting.

At first, voice acting was a way to earn extra income between her TV and movie filming schedule. Voiceover commercials typically audition and cast quickly and could be squeezed between other gigs. But it wasn’t long before Maria developed a passion for the voiceover industry. She landed her first voiceover acting gig in 2010 – a radio commercial for a local college in Buffalo, NY – and hasn’t looked back since.

A Voiceover Artist with a Quality Home Studio

Today, Maria Pendolino is one of the industry leaders in the voiceover acting world. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS), The One Voice Awards, and The Reed Awards, and she was also awarded the coveted “40 Under 40 Award” from Business Journals. Maria records daily from her state-of-the-art home recording studio in her hometown of Buffalo, New York. Using high-quality state-of-the-art industry equipment allows Maria to be in control of her daily assignments and produce polished projects in a flexible time frame. She’s never more than a few steps away from her booth and studio.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, many companies pivoted to a remote, work-from-home format. Maria was already well-positioned to accommodate this hyper-online way of doing things. The main difference is that it now seems less weird to others when she explains that she works completely out of her home studio! She was pandemic-proof before anyone knew we’d have to be.

Advantages of Hiring a Female Voiceover Artist

While once the domain of men, voice acting is becoming increasingly female-dominated. While there could be many factors behind this, one is likely because marketers are taking note of how warm female voices instill trust in an audience (we’re not just biased—there is even scientific research to back it up).

Popular Kinds of Voiceover Work

When you think of what a voice actor does, the chances are that you think of one of these top popular categories:

• Commercials
• Radio Imaging (the station identification announcements and sweepers you hear in between songs)
• Medical narration
• Explainer and e-Learning videos and modules
• Movie Trailers
• Animation
• Promos
• Voice of God

Maria works in all of the above categories. Anything that needs a voiceover – she’s ready to perform. She’s always up for a challenge, though—if you’re working on a quirky or unique project, she wants to hear about it!

Do you need a voiceover for a student project? Maria is always interested in working with the bright minds of tomorrow. If you’re a student working on an animation, storyboard, commercial, or film for your college career or portfolio, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Maria is happy to donate her time to assist students in creating portfolio work and projects for their degrees and training.

Less Obvious Kinds of Voice Acting

Although it’s helpful to note common voice acting genres, there are other areas where voice actors work that are less immediately obvious, including:

• Corporate Narration
• Political Campaigns
• Video Games 
• Automated Kiosks and Self Check-Out Lanes
• Telephone Menus
• Elevator Announcements
• Pre-Recorded Presentations or Webinars
• Airport and Train Station Announcements
• Health and Safety Announcements (PSAs)

Maria has the advantage of industry experience—it’s hard to surprise her with a voiceover request. You can count on Maria to work her magic anywhere you need a friendly voice (or unfriendly—that’s not her natural state of being, but she can deliver any tone on request).

Celebrity References

While not an impressionist by trade, Maria can use celebrity voices and voice performances as guides when completing voice acting jobs. Suppose your client has referenced a celebrity like Scarlett Johansson, Tina Fey, Allison Janney, Kristen Bell, Aidy Bryant, or others as their “north star” voiceover performance that they might not be able to afford. In that case, Maria can assist you in delivering a read in their styles.

Get In Touch Today!

If you’re considering hiring Maria, feel free to check out her demos to get a sense of her recent work. Or, if you’d prefer, you can request a live audition where Maria can read your script under your guidance. If you can dream it, Maria can voice it—get in touch today. Maria can be reached directly via e-mail at maria@voicebymaria.com.

Maria Pendolino is a trained voice actor whose work has appeared across the country and the globe. Maria is up to the challenge whether you’re looking for a voiceover artist for your commercial, video game, explainer video, or something entirely unconventional.

From her home studio in Buffalo, New York, Maria can quickly and expertly complete projects on a timeline that works for you. With more than ten years of industry experience, she is well-versed in managing clients and works as a voice actor full-time. Get in touch today to see how Maria can bring your next project to life with her cheerful, approachable, professional voice.