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High Notes

High Notes

By: Melissa Thom
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High Notes is a podcast featuring conversations on the art and business of voice, hosted by voice actor and BRAVA CEO, Melissa Thom. From Mongolian throat singing to vocal health, accents, gaming, and more, HIGH NOTES uncovers the craft behind the business.


Brought to you by https://www.brava.uk.com/








Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melissa Thom Art Economics Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • Across All Sectors: AI in Games, Dubbing, Ads and Animation, with voice and screen actor, David Menkin

    Across All Sectors: AI in Games, Dubbing, Ads and Animation, with voice and screen actor, David Menkin
    Oct 29 2026
    AI isn’t hitting every corner of the voice industry in the same way, or at the same speed.David Menkin is a London-based actor and voiceover artist whose credits include Lego Star Wars, Final Fantasy XVI and Pragmata. In this episode he takes us sector by sector through commercials, dubbing and localisation, animation and games, and explains where synthetic voices are already replacing human performers and why.David shares his view on how corporate and medical voiceover have been hit hardest, on how short-form ads are the easiest to replace with synthetic speech, and how dubbing is under pressure from the sheer volume of content being produced. He also looks at how Italy has used contracts and transparency measures to limit AI training.David considers the real harm caused when voices are gathered and cloned without permission, and talks us through his advocacy for UK protections that go beyond the 1988 copyright law, including a “transformative right” over your voice and likeness. He discusses the red flags he spotted in an AI games casting call and shares what he’s learned about due diligence, agents and contract negotiation. He closes with his three Cs: consent, control and compensation.What we coverHow AI disruption differs across commercials, dubbing and localisation, animation and gamesWhy corporate and medical voiceover have been hit hardest, and why short-form ads are easiest to replaceThe volume pressures driving AI in dubbing, and how Italy is using contracts and transparency to limit AI trainingThe harm caused by unauthorised voice aggregation and cloningWhy UK protections need updating beyond the 1988 copyright law, and the case for a “transformative right” over voice and likenessRed flags in an AI games casting call, plus due diligence, working with agents and negotiating contractsWhy this matters beyond performers, and David’s three Cs: consent, control and compensationChapters00:00 Season Four Kickoff01:21 Meet David Menkin01:43 From Stage to VO02:54 Pragmata and Activism04:00 Which Sectors Got Hit06:24 Dubbing and Localisation08:20 Commercials Under Pressure10:58 Why He Became an Advocate14:25 BRAVA Sponsor Break15:26 AI Casting Call Red Flags19:00 Due Diligence and Agents21:56 Contract Negotiation Lessons24:59 Beyond Performers to Everyone30:59 Hope and the Three Cs35:41 Wrap Up and Next EpisodeLinks & ResourcesDavid MenkinDavid Menkin:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0579696/David Menkin - HatchUnions, associations and campaignsEquity AI toolkit and template contract: Understanding AI | Equity (see also Episode 2, Cloned Without Consent, with voice actor Faye Dicker and Equity’s Shannon Sailing: https://www.brava.uk.com/podcast/episode/1bb455dd/cloned-without-consent-with-voice-actor-faye-dicker-and-equitys-shannon-sailing)Previous episodeEpisode 3, UK AI Law and How to Protect Your Voice, with Dr Mathilde Pavis:https://www.brava.uk.com/podcast/episode/2415dd5e/uk-ai-law-and-how-to-protect-your-voice-with-dr-mathilde-pavisBRAVAhttps://www.brava.uk.com/Sign up to the BRAVA newsletterhttps://www.brava.uk.com/subscribeThis is Season 4 of HIGH NOTES. Where every conversation is a performance.**This episode is for general information and isn’t legal advice. For your own situation, speak to a lawyer, your agent or your union.** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    37 mins
  • UK AI Law and How to Protect Your Voice, with Dr Mathilde Pavis

    UK AI Law and How to Protect Your Voice, with Dr Mathilde Pavis
    Oct 21 2026
    In this episode Melissa talks to Dr Mathilde Pavis, an expert in intellectual property law, ethics and new technologies, who helped build Equity’s AI toolkit and has worked directly with AI platforms including ElevenLabs. Melissa asks her why the UK currently has no personality right for voice, how that compares to other countries, and whether the law is catching up in time. The real value here is practical: exactly what to check, ask and do to protect your own voice, as things stand today. The landscape is changing fast, so staying informed matters more than ever.What we coverWhy recorded voices are suddenly so valuable, and why that leaves performers and workers exposedThe UK’s patchwork of protections, and how buyout contracts and platform terms can waive themHow to protect yourself now: read contracts and terms, search them for “rights”, “waive” and “AI”, ask for carve-outs against cloning and AI training, and opt out of platform data-use settings (or contact support)Digital twin dealbreakers: ask early whether AI will be used, and make sure any replica is project-specific, time-bound and agreed in writing. Know who builds it, who uses it and who can access it, prevent it being sold on, and secure the right to have it deletedHow the UK compares with the US, the EU and Denmark, and why UK policy keeps stallingChapters00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro01:06 Mathilde’s Background01:53 Why Voice Is Valuable Now03:40 Workplace Voice Protection07:00 AI Clauses and Transparency08:07 Performers and UK Patchwork Rights11:22 Contracts and Consent Basics12:48 Pay-to-Play Platform Risks17:35 Opting Out and Taking Action19:29 Why UK Law Falls Short24:21 Digital Replica vs Personality Rights29:17 UK vs US and EU Protections31:22 EU Transparency Rules33:37 Denmark Leads on Likeness36:14 Contracts Need Safeguards37:47 Why UK Policy Stalls40:02 Consent and Data Rights42:13 Is It Too Late?43:57 Workplace Voice Precautions45:08 Performer Contract Basics47:39 Digital Twin Dealbreakers53:05 AI Riders and Agents55:40 Final Takeaways and the FutureLinks & ResourcesDr Mathilde PavisDr Mathilde Pavis, Legal Counsel & Policy Adviser on AI: https://www.mathildepavis.com/Agents Counsel: https://www.agentscounsel.comFree resources for agents: https://www.agentscounsel.com/resourcesPolicyUK Government Report on Copyright and AI (18 March 2026), Impact Assessment: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-and-impact-assessment-on-copyright-and-artificial-intelligence/copyright-and-artificial-intelligence-impact-assessmentUnions, associations and campaignsEquity AI toolkit and template contract: https://www.equity.org.uk/advice-and-support/know-your-rights/ai-toolkit/understanding-ai (see also Episode 2, Cloned Without Consent, with voice actor Faye Dicker and Equity’s Shannon Sailing: https://www.brava.uk.com/podcast/episode/1bb455dd/cloned-without-consent-with-voice-actor-faye-dicker-and-equitys-shannon-sailing )NAVA (US), National Association of Voice Actors: https://navavoices.org/Save Our Voices Now: https://saveourvoicesnow.com/‌BRAVAhttps://www.brava.uk.com/Sign up to the BRAVA newsletterhttps://www.brava.uk.com/subscribeThis is Season 4 of HIGH NOTES. Where every conversation is a performance.‌**This episode is for general information and isn’t legal advice. For your own situation, speak to a lawyer, your agent or your union.** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Cloned Without Consent, with Voice Actor Faye Dicker and Equity's Shannon Sailing

    Cloned Without Consent, with Voice Actor Faye Dicker and Equity's Shannon Sailing
    Oct 14 2026

    Last week, Mark Graeme (OCX UK) and Mark Eaves (Gravity Road) took us inside the decision brands now face every day: AI voice earns its place for content at scale, while a human voice wins when a brand wants to connect with its audience through trust.

    This week, we hear from the other side of that decision: what it’s like to be on the wrong end of AI. Voice actor Faye Dicker discovered her voice had been cloned and sold via a US platform without her consent. It was downloaded more than 900 times before it was taken down. Faye tells us how she found out, what it felt like to hear her voice saying things she never agreed to, and the steps she took to get it removed.

    Then we ask what can be done about it. Shannon Sailing, Industrial Official for Audio and Games at Equity, the UK’s trade union for performers, dealt with Faye’s case and is now handling a wave of similar claims. Shannon explains who to contact if it happens to you, what Equity can do, and why the union pushes for the same four things every time: consent, control, compensation and transparency.

    Next week, we turn to the law, with intellectual property lawyer Dr Mathilde Pavis on what current UK law says about your voice, and what you can do to protect it today.


    Explore the companion notes to this episode here...


    Faye Dicker

    Faye Dicker Voiceover Artist | Presenter, Host & Public Speaker | Bristol

    Equity

    Equity – the UK’s trade union for performers

    Audio Committee | Equity

    Save Our Voices Now

    Save Our Voices Now

    Sign the petition – UK Parliament

    Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas among stars backing AI voice cloning campaign – ITV News


    Sign up to the BRAVA newsletter

    https://www.brava.uk.com/subscribe


    00:00 Season Intro and Stakes

    01:13 Meet Faye Dicker

    01:25 Career Highlights

    03:15 Discovering the Clone

    04:33 Testing the AI Voice

    06:52 First Steps and Evidence

    09:43 Equity Support and Aftermath

    12:38 Takedown Speed Debate

    14:13 BRAVA Sponsor Break

    15:12 How Faye Feels Now

    16:47 Human Voice and Advocacy

    18:02 Meet Shannon from Equity

    19:38 Patterns in Voice Theft

    21:37 What Equity Can Do

    24:18 UK Law Gaps and Fixes

    27:24 Defining Success Outcomes

    28:59 Advice if It Happens

    33:32 Campaigns and Pressure

    38:01 Future of Human Voice

    40:50 Wrap Up and Next Episode

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    42 mins
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