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I will never forget the first job I landed\u2014for Alltel, the local phone company that was the cellular provider <\/span>for all those antiquated bag phones that was the latest rage. I remember getting all tongue-tied when I <\/span>would say \u201ccellular\u201d in the script (a word that didn\u2019t roll off everyone\u2019s tongue as it does now), but <\/span>somehow I managed to get through it and they actually hired me again! <\/span><\/p>\n As time went on, I landed a local <\/span>gig reading regular radio spots for a local high-end furniture and interiors store. My first regular work <\/span>made me $30 a spot back in 1991, and I thought I was living high making that kind of money!<\/span><\/p>\n SONY DSC<\/p><\/div>\n Then, as time marched on, I became the official voice for Alltel. I was the voice you heard when you tried <\/span>to call a cell phone and no one answered. \u201cThe cellular customer does not answer. Please try your call <\/span>again later.”<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for calling Alltel…message 1.\u201d I will never forget that script! Yep, I was the voice <\/span>you wanted to throw tomatoes at because you wanted to actually reach the customer that wasn\u2019t <\/span>answering! The most notable part of that job was the frustration my teenage kids would experience when <\/span>they would call my cell phone and instead of getting me live, they\u2019d get my recording. <\/span><\/p>\n That made me <\/span>somewhat of a local celebrity, but I think I was more infamous than famous because of my role in letting <\/span>everyone know they had failed to reach the intended recipient of their call.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The voiceover was good to me, and I ended up doing a lot of on-camera work as a result, traveling nationally <\/span>to do everything from product-demo gal for Maytag appliances, to live-announcer at the Consumer<\/span><\/p>\n Electronics Show in Vegas. I was doing what I did best\u2014talking\u2014and getting paid to do it. Life was g<\/span>ood!<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thevoicerealm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Karen-DeBoer-headshot-225x300.jpg\")
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