We recently connected with Chloe Dolandis and have shared our conversation below.
Chloe, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.
If I were starting over, I’d have been much, much kinder to myself. Treating ourselves well can be severely underrated — and when we’re kind, it’s contagious. I think I’d not have had certain perceived roadblocks and been even more enthusiastic about putting myself out there!
Chloe, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hello!
I’m Chloe Dolandis and I’m a full-time freelance voice actor, writer (copywriting and songwriting), singer, producer, and coach. Coaching has been one of my more recent business developments and I really enjoy working with other voice actors. When I received my 200 hour yoga teacher training certification in early 2022, I knew I could incorporate some of those philosophies into coaching VO.
Having a musical background, and an on-camera background (I was a TV host for several years), has helped to shape my life behind the microphone. It’s amazing to me how one form of art/creativity can lend itself to another. For example, Voiceovers (VO) are extremely musical! Recording VO is how I spend most of my time now and I absolutely love being in the studio. Hearing my voice on commercials, promos, and more, on TV/on the radio/online, is such fun. What I love about this part of the entertainment industry is that it’s less about how you look and more about skillsets and training.
Being a multi-hyphenate creator has served me in ways that I could never have fathomed. I think I’m most proud of that — having really taken the time to cultivate my abilities in multiple disciplines, and in several genres, in each arena. This includes singing, songwriting, copywriting, coaching, yoga, and of VO, of course! When I was first developing my career I received a lot of criticism that I was “going in too many directions”. The beautiful thing is that I gave myself time to grow in all of those directions. Even though it took a little longer for me to really blossom (10,000+ hours), it was absolutely worth waiting and investing myself for those years. Oh, also, I’m really grateful to have four nominations for the Voice Arts Awards in 2022.
Copywriting has been such a blessing because, sometimes, a voice has GOT to rest. Having been in the booth for so many sessions, I understand rhythms, cadences, and other specifics that go into writing a script. Being on the “other side of the glass” now is a blast.
Some of my favorite clients include Universal Studios, Toyota, HBO Latin America, Nickelodeon, and the CDC. I also love singing jingles when those come my way — it’s a great combo of VO and music!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I was a full-time musician, I was so happy to know I’d really committed to that. Given it my all. I’d moved to Nashville to pursue writing (and was singing still) but after a couple years it just didn’t feel like a fit for me anymore. Truly, I wanted a solid balance of a personal and a professional life. VO had been a part of my world since I was a kid and it just kept loving me back. It also offered me the lifestyle I’d wanted — not many late nights, working from home sometimes (often, now), and I can’t say I don’t love working in my PJs some days…Also, the VO community is very generous and interconnected. I’d not known a whole lot of people in the field but as I met more and more voice actors, it just became apparent that it was a very, very good fit.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Relationships and coaching have been the shoulders upon which I’ve stood. I’ll preach those two over and over, forever.
This world of voiceover is BIG but the community is also pretty tight-knit. We look out for each other, root each other on, and many of us are friends. I’m astounded at who has been in my corner, and who appreciates my support. Good people. Some people I grew up listening to, too! It’s also important that professionalism is stressed in this category. Even if we’re friends, we still have a job to do.
Coaching with some amazing teachers and mentors, wow. I can’t stress how important that is. The folks who’ve shown me the way have helped me develop a solid foundation. And, with that foundation, comes trust. When clients trust that you’ll deliver great reads of their scripts, sessions are so easy and everybody has a good time.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.chloedolandis.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chloedolandis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChloeDolandisMusic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ChloeDolandis/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChloeDolandis
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/chloedolandis
- Yelp: n/a
- Other: Music website: https://music.chloedolandis.com/
Image Credits
Kurt Yue, Nathalie Malpica