Inclusivity is important… Hire a genuine British Voice Talent from the LGBTQ+ community for your project!
As a seasoned Voiceover Artist who’s also openly gay and HIV positive, I fully understand the importance of inclusivity and representation in media production.
Using voice actors from the LGBTQ+ community is crucial in promoting diversity and inclusivity in the media industry. It gives an opportunity to showcase our community's talent, and eliminates the stereotypical perception the audience might have.
Let me help you reach your DEI goals and support equality and inclusion in the industry by being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Together, we can create powerful and meaningful media that reflects everyone's experiences and celebrates our differences.
Click the “Genres” tab at the top of the page to explore my work,
then read on to discover more and get in touch!
How can I help you with DEI?
As a versatile, LGBTQ+ British voice actor, I excel in various genres, including commercials, audiobook narration, documentaries, corporate narrations, telephony recordings, e-learning, and more.
Embracing diversity, I bring a unique perspective to my work as an openly gay, HIV+ man. By incorporating my voice into your project, we can collaboratively enhance your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals. Representation matters, and by choosing a voiceover artist who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, you demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity.
My ability to authentically connect with diverse audiences allows me to deliver narratives that resonate and engage effectively. Together, we can create impactful content that not only meets your project objectives but also fosters an environment of acceptance and understanding. Let's amplify diverse voices and champion DEI through the power of storytelling.
My personal JOURNEY to here…
In a career spanning 35 years in broadcasting and voiceover I’ve seen huge changes around representation, attitudes and integration regarding the LGBTQ+ community and the media - both on screen and behind the scenes.
I grew up watching TV and film in the UK with my only reference points being people like Danny La Rue and John Inman (Mr Humphries in “Are You Being Served?”) Coincidentally he was the second gay man I ever knowingly met, when I collected him from a pantomime in Wolverhampton and whisked him to the Radio WM studio for an interview. (The first gay man I met was Dale Winton, who in those days was a host at my local commercial radio station!)
Fortunately, we’ve moved in the right direction regarding stereotypes on screen, and nowadays we’re much more likely to see LGBTQ+ characters and hosts who look and sound like the real people we know, love and can identify with, rather than the effete caricatures of the past.
Being on the receiving end
When I left school and started work (at the BBC in the late 1980s) it was still acceptable - at least outside London - to openly discriminate against gay people, and to victimise them with cruel jokes that would today be considered unacceptable and abusive. At a time when I was desperate to come out and move on with my life, I was forced to hide my sexuality for several more years.
Coincidentally or not - opinions still remain divided - when I did start to edge out of the closet, I lost my job (the joys of being a freelance) and ended up working in a call centre, where I was passed over for promotion because the team I wanted to join there didn’t want to have to do their night shifts with someone who was gay. Fortunately when I knocked on the door of Central Television in Birmingham, my next boss turned out to be a gay man. I got taken on as a continuity announcer, and things began to shift…
After moving to ITV in London, in the mid-90s, I found myself on the receiving end of sexual harassment by a producer who intimated that yes - I could be his next network promo voice, but only if I performed certain “other” duties too (I declined). And around the same time, I came into work one day and found a copy of my online dating profile from Gaydar pinned up in the break room in my department, complete with NSFW pictures and a checklist of the things I liked to do in bed. (And although a closeted colleague was my prime suspect, I never found out who posted it.)
The words no one ever wants to hear…
In 2002 I was diagnosed with HIV; the result of one poor decision at the start of a relationship, to whose red flags I was blinded by love before I realised I was in an abusive situation… It took me another ten years and two more relationships before I decided that enough was enough and that I was ready to come out again - this time as an HIV positive man - and begin doing my part to advocate for awareness and education.
Taking back the power
In 2012, my American husband Marc and I found ourselves the unexpected cover stars of London’s QX Magazine, for a piece around sero-discordant couples (the term for where one partner has HIV and the other doesn’t).
I say unexpected, because the other eleven couples who were meant to take part lost their nerve and bailed on the project at the last minute. Ironic really, as the very idea of the story was to educate readers and break down prejudice…
You can click here to read the piece in full.
Marc and I were married in Marc’s home state of Massachusetts back in 2010, at a time when the US Federal Government did not recognise our union. That changed in 2013, and in 2014 Marc and I became one of the first couples to emigrate to the USA as a result of our same sex marriage. In 2017 I became one of the earliest naturalised US Citizens to gain citizenship by virtue of the same reason.
These are things I’d never dared imagine as a young, scared teenager - and of which I’m immensely proud.
© 2017 The Lancet
Changing the world!
Around the same time as the QX article, Marc and I enrolled in the PARTNER Study: a pan-European medical research project that regularly tested sero-discordant couples to discover if a man on successful HIV treatment could pass on the virus to his negative partner during unprotected sex.
Eight years later, we were the only couple from the original cohort to complete the whole study - but the results were conclusive: across the whole of Europe, and thousands of couples, there was not a single case of transmission.
Marc and I were proud to be part of the research that conclusively proved that “U=U” (Undetectable means Untransmittable) - changing the very advice that doctors and healthcare practitioners give to patients all over the world.
Today, I’m happy to be completely out and open as a gay, HIV+ man and to do what I can to help fight ignorance and prejudice in the world.
Can you hear that I’m a gay man in my voiceover work?
No. Why would you? (And what assumptions do you have about that might sound like anyway?)
Does it matter that I bring my experience and sensibility to your project, and that I represent my community when I’m using my voice to deliver your message?
Yes. Absolutely.
Now you know my story, click the “Genres” tab at the top of the page to explore my work,
then read on to discover more and get in touch!
What is DEI?
In today's dynamic business landscape, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become crucial pillars for modern businesses. Embracing DEI values not only promotes fairness and equality but also fosters a culture of innovation and creativity.
By embracing diversity, businesses gain access to a wider range of perspectives, experiences, and ideas, leading to more robust decision-making and problem-solving. Moreover, customers increasingly value brands that prioritize inclusivity and demonstrate genuine commitment to DEI. Engaging with diverse customer bases requires understanding, respect, and representation. By championing DEI, businesses build trust, loyalty, and relevance, attracting and retaining a diverse customer base in an increasingly interconnected and socially conscious world.
Ultimately, embracing DEI is not just a social imperative but a strategic advantage that propels businesses forward and drives sustainable success.
Why is using a genuine LGBTQ+ voice talent important for DEI?
Considering DEI and utilizing LGBTQ+ voiceover artists is crucial in promoting authenticity, representation, and inclusivity in media and marketing.
By incorporating LGBTQ+ voices, businesses demonstrate their commitment to embracing diversity and creating an inclusive environment for all individuals. It allows for more authentic storytelling, ensuring that diverse voices and experiences are accurately represented. This not only resonates with LGBTQ communities but also fosters a sense of belonging for all audiences.
Additionally, by featuring LGBTQ voiceover artists, businesses send a powerful message of support, acceptance, and allyship, which can help attract and retain customers who value inclusive and socially conscious brands. In a world that celebrates diversity, using LGBTQ voiceover artists helps businesses connect with a broader audience, foster empathy, and contribute to positive social change.
How to hire an LGBTQ+ Voiceover Artist
Good news! You’re already in the right place!
Getting a professional voiceover for your commercial project, which meets your DEI requirements, is as easy as getting in touch. Just fill in the form below (or send me an email if you’d like to include an attachment with the script) and give me some basic details. It’s helpful to include an some information about the project, the length of the script, where the finished work will be used, your timescale for completion and your expected budget.
I’ll record the narration in my professional home studio, either alone or with you on the line so you can direct and offer feedback. I have a number of ways of connecting for a live directed voiceover session, including everything from Source-Connect Standard/Pro, to Zoom or Google Meets, anything that runs in a web browser, and even down to the humble old telephone. (Basically, if you can talk to me on it, I can probably patch it into my studio.)
The audio will will be uploaded to my secure storage site on WeTransfer or Citrix Files, ready for you to download when you’re ready.
We’ll agree fees and terms for payment before I begin work. Payment will usually be required before final delivery of audio for first projects and overseas clients. When you come back for your next project (which I hope you will - most of my clients do!) I’ll be happy to discuss post payment terms.
The fee we agree on will usually be in your local currency (pick from USD, GBP, EUR, AUD, NZD, CAD or SGD at time of writing) which can be paid to a local bank account held by Wise* in your local banking area. This avoids any senders fees for you, keeps my fees to a minimum, and means your payment isn’t subject to credit card/PayPal fees or exchange rate fluctuations.
Any mistakes I make during recording are always corrected free of charge. Any changes you request to your script, or errors in copy not notified before start of recording, will incur fair fees for recuts. If you believe you will require multiple rounds of recordings and approvals, please let me know when you make your booking, and we can agree a suitable fee structure in advance.
MIKE COOPER
Mike Cooper is a British, gay, HIV-positive, cisgender male voiceover talent who swapped big city life in London for log cabin life in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with his American husband, Marc.
Mike is recognisable from his many years on air with the BBC World Service, and as the narrator of countless television documentaries and a growing library of audiobooks. A disruptive influence in school, Mike's first break in narration came at age six, when his teacher realised he could tell the afternoon story better than her (and she could get a nap by way of a bonus!)
When he's not in his home studio, you'll find Mike enjoying hobby farm life and tending to a small herd of charming pet goats, an adorable mini horse called Annie, and a hornless unicorn called Melodie (among others…)