In all likelihood, you’ve probably heard Chad Letts and Tony Tee Neto’s voices more than your own. Voice-over work can be a thankless job, characterized by long hours, tight turnaround periods, and numerous edit sessions. But the hard work and technical prowess of a voice actor can be the difference between a highly performative audio campaign and one that just fades out into the background noise. 

Here at SMI, our Creative Team works diligently with voice actors to craft an experience for listeners that conjures images, emotions, and most importantly, the desire to purchase our client’s products or services. We spend a lot of time combing through auditions for the perfect inflection, collaborating in directed sessions, and building spots that hit those just-right notes to emphasize the copy on the page. 

Every second counts in your audio ad, so every word, detail, and human voice you hear matters. That’s why we wanted to take a bit of a deep dive into the life of a voice actor. 

With hundreds of thousands of hours of work between them, Chad and Tony graciously hopped on the phone with Strategic Media to talk about the ins and outs of voice-over work.

Real Characters

Chad starts out our interview with an apology. 

“Sorry, I’m going to bump up the sound—I was just screaming about an Ed Sheeran concert.” A veteran voice actor with over 20 years of experience, Chad has worked with clients across various industries, including Amica Insurance, NHL on ESPN, Charter Spectrum, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Hallmark+, and more. He’s recorded promos for How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, and The Cleveland Show, and is currently the voice of Charter Spectrum nationwide.

“I’m going to tell you how I got into this, but you have to promise not to laugh,” starts Chad, “I was working as a lifeguard at a waterpark where I met a guy who told me he’d been doing voices for a video game. I was like, okay, in small-town northern California, how big of a video game could this possibly be?”  

The game? Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete; the second-highest-selling role-playing game of 1999. The gig was recording dialogue for the Japanese game in English for the U.S. markets. Chad landed the role of Tempest, while his friend, Ashley Parker Angel of O-Town, voiced the game’s lead. So began Chad’s career as a voice-over artist. 

“I was 17 years old, and went on to be the lead in Lunar Two, at least the American voice.” Soon after, Chad met someone during a shift at The Olive Garden who worked in radio. 

“We struck up a conversation and he gave me my first opportunity in radio,” says Chad, “And at 19 years old, I was doing a radio show in Redding, California. And it kind of went from there.” Chad built experience by regularly reading commercials during his radio shifts, instilling in him a sense of what sounded good on air. 

In 2010, Chad’s voice acting transitioned from a side hustle to a full-time career. Catering to a mix of small‑market radio spots, national TV promos, and high‑profile brand campaigns for clients, he describes his work as “entrepreneurship at its hardest” because, as a solo talent, there’s no one else to hand things off to. 

Chad starts his day with his family before heading into his studio — a walk-in closet-turned-recording booth lined with rigid fiberglass. From there, his day revolves around reading and recording scripts, auditioning for new projects, handling administrative tasks such as billing and reconciling records with agents, and responding to emails from clients and managers.

Even when traveling, Chad brings a mobile booth so his recordings sound exactly as they do at home. This structure keeps him at the center of every project. 

“I am the product,” says Chad. “The interpretation of the copy is all here [in my voice].”   

Remember to Breathe

For Tony Tee Neto, his day begins with the three Cs: cappuccino, cats, and cooking for his wife. 

“I was doing live events and weddings for 20 years,” begins Tony, “so I never had weekends to myself.” Tony’s workload revolves around a mixture of foundational work, strategic planning, and hands-on execution, balancing long-term projects with the immediate demands of day-to-day operations. These days, the bulk of his day revolves around recording content for streaming platforms like Alexa, Spotify, and Google Home, which often have a 24-hour turnaround. 

“The big thing isn’t recording and cutting vocals,” he explains. “The important part is treating it like a business. I prioritize what is most time sensitive.” Tony meticulously lays out his schedule to maximize his potential, focusing on auditions, marketing, client outreach, and general relationship building. 

“I am by no means taking it easy,” says Tony, “but I need to remind myself to breathe.” Like Chad’s story, Tony’s leap from a professional wedding host/DJ to a voice-over artist occurred through a blend of serendipity and a relentless drive for greatness. 

“I am a lifelong learner,” adds Tony, who puts his artistry, technical prowess, and entrepreneurial rigor to produce spots alongside recording. Technology has long been a core tenet of the process. He uses Cubase Pro 14 on a three-screen iMac Pro, recording in a custom-made soundproof booth with a Sennheiser MKH-416 microphone. 

“It’s overkill for voiceover,” he admits, “but I produce full-on spots, so I stick with what gives me exactly what I need.” 

For Chad and Tony, the heart of voiceover work is human connection. Their voices reach millions of people every day on the radio, podcasts, and streaming services, spreading a myriad of messages in ways advertisers sometimes underestimate. A recent Insideradio study highlighting AM/FM radio’s extensive reach demonstrates that a real human voice resonates in ways no algorithm or automated system can replicate. Their work proves that in a world filled with noise, real human voices still resonate.

Stand Out From the Noise

For over 25 years, Strategic Media has been at the forefront of audio advertising and we’ve developed deep relationships with talent alongside a set of best practices—while remaining nimble enough to respond to the ever-evolving dynamics of the channel. In essence: we know what works. 

As SMI’s Audio Production Engineer, Lewis Gillies says, “The hard work, dedication to the craft, and amazing talent of the voice actors we work with is integral to the creative we produce here at Strategic Media. On top of being able to bring any script to life they are all audio engineers, audio editors, business owners, networking experts and much more! Above all, they are wonderful humans that make my work both easier and greatly more rewarding. 

The next time you hear an ad, watch a nature documentary, enjoy an overdubbed film, play a video game with dialog, or hear any of the many art forms that need narration or voice—remember there is a human who has poured their heart and soul into making that project come to life.”