If you’ve been watching Euro 2016 this summer, you may be wondering who the mysterious woman is that does the voiceover work before and after ESPN’s commercial breaks. The woman that’s one of the first and last voices you hear when you listen to ESPN’s Euro 2016 broadcasts. If the following sounds familiar, “Welcome to UEFA Euro 2016. ESPN’s pre-match coverage is presented by Progressive. Here’s your host, Steve Bower,” you’re addicted to ESPN’s coverage as we are.
Who is this mystery woman? And where is that accent from?
The mystery can now be revealed.
Marie-Pierre Beausejour is a voiceover artist who lives and works in New York City. Her past work has included voiceover work for Grand Theft Auto V as well as being the French voice of the Baby Einstein toys.
Her clearly enunciated words, spoken in a beautiful French lilt, have been a perfect frame to the openings and endings of every Euro 2016 broadcast. There’s something magical about her voice that’s other-worldly. So where does her accent come from?
“It’s part of my heritage as a French-Canadian speaker,” Beausejour said while taking a break Wednesday in between pre-recording more audio for the upcoming Euro 2016 games. “I wanted the voiceover to be a warm welcome to Paris. I wanted it to activate people’s imaginations.
“The voiceover has a French flavor, but I like the idea of it sounding like a world traveler. The voiceover has an accent, but there’s a certain mystery and warmth about it.
“With the voice, you try to connect with people.”
While recording the audio, Beausejour wanted the vocals to sound like she was there in the stadium in France with other soccer fans and ESPN’s talent. During her younger years, she backpacked through Europe and spent her time watching plenty of soccer games.
“It’s exciting to connect with so many people who are passionate about soccer,” she said.
When Beausejour initially began preparing for the recordings, ESPN coached her on the energy they wanted. The goal was to bring energy to the promos with a distinctive French accent that would also translate well to an American audience.
“It’s a great, fun project,” she said. “It’s nice to bring an exotic context to the broadcast.”
With 7 games remaining in the competition, expect to hear Beausejour’s voice several more times between now and the final. And if you haven’t noticed her voice yet, indulge yourself and listen to her beautiful words on ESPN’s Euro 2016 coverage.
Marie-Pierre’s portfolio can be found on her website.
