I'm Ben McCulloch
your conversation designer
(with audio superpowers)I’ve been told my story is unique
I’ll research, design and test your bot
+ give it a voice that speaks to your audience
+ create sounds that engage and spur users onwards
conversation design
I was awarded an Advanced Conversation Designer certificate for designing a multimodal assistant
Psst! Want to know more?
Check out my superpowers!
Remote work
I’ve worked remotely throughout my career. I’m a self-manager, a helpful team-mate and I can lead projects too.
I learn software fast
It doesn’t take me long to familiarise myself with a new tool.
Here’s some I’ve learned already;
Design – VoiceFlow, Miro, IBM Watson, Figma, Lucidchart
Office – Microsoft Office365, Google Suite, Libreoffice
Audio – Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Reaper, Izotope RX, CEDAR suite, Waves plugins, Melodyne
Dialogue Editing
I edited voices in films, tv shows and videogames so that the story was told the way it was supposed to be told; the characters were consistent and believable, their emotions felt right for their character’s journey and there were no tell-tale sounds that might pull the audience out of the experience.
I worked with massive teams. On any given day I worked closely with film editors, screenwriters, directors, producers, actors, voice coaches and the entire sound team.
I was also an ADR recordist; working with actors to record vocal performances.
My work provided the backbone for the film’s soundtrack. I learned to hear nuances in verbal communication – how paralanguage affects the meaning of what people say.
Audio Localization
I was the first Audio Lead at RWS Moravia. I defined processes for this new role. I managed a remote team of sound engineers and voice talent, worked with a small army of project managers, graphic designers and video editors, and had regular meetings with Fortune 100 clients to keep rapid turnaround projects on track.
Here’s just a few details I had to consider:
- If a tv commercial is 30 seconds long will the localized voiceover fit?
- How do you pronounce the American brand’s name in Germany?
- What’s seen as a sexy speaking style in Malaysia?
You can’t assume anything in localization. If you do, messaging that worked in one culture may fall flat in another, or even worse – cause embarassment and shame to the brand.
Sound Design
I’ve designed sound for tv, apps and videogames including an indie title called Ministry of Broadcast.
Customer Service
“A Gewürztraminer from Alsace will pair perfectly with spicy Thai food!”
I was a wine recommendation system when I worked part-time in a wine shop. It’s funny how useful those experiences are for conversation design!
Before that I was a contact centre live agent. I saw the pitfalls of scripted conversations and when cold-calling can go wrong.
Music and Teaching
My music studies lead to teaching – I taught drums in schools and community groups.