"My life's work is my heart's work."
"My life's work is my heart's work."
Michele Spitz
Michele Spitz
Audio Description Narration
Michele both produces and narrates audio description media accessibility assets. She
delivers the specialized voiceover style required
for audio/video description; the service that makes media accessible for people with vision loss. This prerecorded secondary audio track serves as a visual description of key elements, essentially painting a picture with words to supplement the existing visual media. This complementary paired narration track is available in movie theaters via headsets, TV broadcast, streaming, VOD, SVOD, DVD, Blu-ray, and mobile apps. Over the past 7+ years, she has narrated over 80 projects including cinematic and independent films, digital media, museum tours, fundraising and promotional videos, educational and advocacy content,
and audio newsletters that provide access to information for low vision and blind audiences.
Categorized Voiceovers
Michele is a professional voiceover artist
whose signature voice brings warmth and
vitality to museum and destination audio tours, public service announcements,
fundraising videos, and VOG for events.
The professional tone of Michele’s voice
also supported corporate phone systems,
as well as promotional videos in the real
estate, resort, and tourism industry.
Speaker & Presenter
Michele most recently curated and moderated
an audio description panel for Sundance. She served as a panelist on media accessibility
for DOC NYC, International Documentary Association and Film Independent. She has
been the VOG announcer for the 2018 and 2019 New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) Muse Awards. Michele was also the awards presenter for San Francisco Superfest International Film Festival from 2014 through 2016. She participated as a speaker for the inaugural LA ReelAbilities Film Festival in
2018, as a moderator for the 2017 NY Film Festival Media Accessibility Panel, Q & A
panelist for the 2017 Mill Valley Film Festival,
and conducted cinema conversations at
Rialto Cinemas in 2019. Michele initiated and
participated on panels for NYWIFT in 2016,
2017 and 2021 on incorporating post-production accessible media assets including audio description and captioning. She conducted the same for Women in Film (WIF) in 2018 and 2021. From 2019 - 2021, she instructed media lab classes for RespectAbility, and is a guest lecturer in film schools. Michele continues to pursue her mission to educate the public, current and future media makers, distributors, exhibitors, and the entertainment industry about implementing accessible media practices.
Philanthropy
Because of Michele's conviction that no physical
or financial limitation should be a barrier to participating in education and cultural pursuits
meant to strengthen the mind and uplift the soul, she began her dedicated journey of creating and launching various outreach programs. In 2012,
she began with the Jewish Community Center
San Francisco by underwriting four hundred
performance tickets annually, followed by her initiating a new ticket underwriting program at SFJAZZ designed for LightHouse for the Blind,
as well as donating annually to the Osher
Marin Jewish Community Center Senior Arts Excursion Program. Michele is a supporter of
other organizations such as Broadway Dreams,
The Miracle Project, Positive Exposure, Deaf
West Theater, Deaf Film Camp and other organizations that enable integration of life
and disability through various artistic outlets.
She has put in place scholarships for individuals with disabilities for BAFTA/Feirstein Graduate
Film School, and American Council of the Blind's ADP Audio Description Institute. Annual Audio Description Production Grants are allocated to various film makers, organizations and museums as part of her ongoing philanthropic endeavors. She has initiated and instated media accessibility grants for NYWIFT, WIF, ReelAbilities, Superfest and New Day Films. Michele is currently exploring
the potential of designing future media accessibility impact campaign fellowships.
News & Press
Stay current on Michele's multiple endeavors including audio described media projects, speaking engagements, education and consulting pursuits, and philanthropic programs. To experience media coverage
of the scope of Michele's work, you can explore various categories below.