Ana Schofield,  Dubai 92 presenter and founder of School of LittleVoice. Courtesy David Dunn
Ana Schofield, Dubai 92 presenter and founder of School of LittleVoice. Courtesy David Dunn

UAE's little voices with big ambitions



If you have heard a UAE radio advert featuring a child, there is a good chance he/she was trained by School of LittleVoice (SLV), a business created by Dubai 92 presenter and voiceover artist Ana Schofield.

The British mother-of-two, who lives in Dubailand, is the global voice for Emirates airline, as well as Yas Waterworld, L’Oreal, Scholl, McDonald’s, ADIB, Dettol and Johnson & Johnson in the UAE, and previously for Harrods store in London. Here Ms Schofeld, 39, who can also be heard announcing stops on London’s famous red buses and two London Underground lines, talks to The National about her career and business.

What prompted you to start School of LittleVoice?

I arrived from London eight years ago. It was very different because London is a mature, competitive market. I kept getting asked if I knew kids for VO [voice over] jobs and quickly realised there was nowhere for the region to access professional child talent. I immediately trained my own children. My little boy was shy so I taught him everything about studios and microphones so he wasn’t nervous; from four years old he was advertising Wild Wadi waterpark and Lifebuoy soap for TV commercials. School of LittleVoice now has 50 professional child voice artists aged four-18.

How does it work?

They’re all extensively trained in studios, on mics, audio acting, who the client is, what a sound engineer does; they speak the audio language used in studios. The course is eight weeks/sessions, consisting of one-on-ones with me, studio sessions, professional photographs and a tailor-made audio show reel. I work around their schedules. The children become part of the SLV Agency and we represent them for all professional work. Other than a new demo to update how they sound - especially as children grow - there are no other costs.

How do you recruit candidates?

I’ve never advertised or marketed the training; everything has been word and mouth. Any child can be a VO artist. I trial all children before accepting them on the programme; most of that is about seeing if the child responds positively and likes and enjoys it. If they don’t I will say no to the parent.

By enrolling their child in a course are parents investing in a potential career path?

Absolutely. I have made a fantastic career out of using my voice. Parents can spend thousands on their child’s education and then it could be training through SLV that launches them into a high-earning career, which, like acting, transcends age; roles change with age. Through Jon Briggs (the voice of Apple's Siri) the London market has started recognising the LittleVoices as premium professionals.

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He now represents them in the UK as I do his talent here in Dubai. The LittleVoices are asked to do singing in radio and TV commercial jingles, acting and presenting. I realised as long as kids understand what’s going on even the shyest can enjoy it. And because they start to get used to the sound of their own voice it naturally builds confidence. Many parents have said their children are more confident; some started excelling in school due to putting their hand up more and answering more questions in class.

What opportunities are available to successful candidates?

Voiceovers are the ‘new cool’; with the success of Pixar and huge A-list actors voicing animated characters, a new breed of acting was born just through voice. I’ve been amazed and delighted by the work LittleVoices have attracted, ranging from Dubai radio commercials to Yas Waterworld’s new 5D movie experience, voiced by a 12-year-old LittleVoice, to Apple TV launching computer games and using a LittleVoice to voice the lead character Bittu the TigerCub. On a normal day LittleVoices lend their voice to radio ads, TV commercials, apps, YouTube advertisements, Dubai Tram information films, phone systems, corporate films for washing powder companies, disinfectants and more.

Is there a growing demand for voiceover artists in the UAE?

Not a ‘growing’ demand but there is a constant demand. Clients like their talent first-hand and tangible, especially children. A voice delivered via email isn’t the same; the client can’t direct emotion or delivery, speed or feeling. UAE and GCC clients are very hands-on with their brands and like to be involved in the representation of it. That’s wonderful for us as voice actors because there’s nothing more fun than doing the job live, being directed, getting it right, impressing the client and hearing your work played out across the UAE or, in the case of Apple TV computer games, globally.

Following the success of LittleVoice you created a school for adult voice talent. Why?

It was more that BigVoice came to me. Adults interested in a career change, frustrated performers or even people who had done VOs but didn’t quite know the ins and outs properly kept asking for extra training. As a result we have a portal for new adult voice talent that studios can tap into. From that I teamed up with Excellent Talent in London and we created Celebrity BigVoice. This houses some UAE household names, like Virgin’s Kris Fade, but also some big UK names from radio and TV that UAE media can hir.

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Key Points
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The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

RESULTS

Lightweight (female)
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Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
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Bantamweight (female)
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Welterweight
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Middleweight
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Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Honeymoonish
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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
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Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Brief scores:

Southampton 2

Armstrong 13', Soares 20'

Manchester United 2

Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

About Krews

Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Founded: January 2019

Number of employees: 10

Sector: Technology/Social media 

Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support

 

The specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: nine-speed

Power: 542bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh848,000

On sale: now

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm

Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh317,671

On sale: now

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%20and%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20700hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720Nm%20at%202%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330kph%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1.14%20million%20(%24311%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)