CONTACT
The Team
The team at SPEEECH is highly experienced, qualified and creative. Each one is an expert in his or her field; frequently, our staff members have turned their hobbies into their profession. Perhaps that’s why we channel everything we have into delivering the best results for your production. Come and visit us! We look forward to meeting you.
TEAM
STEPHAN KLEINSCHMIDT
Founder and Managing Director
Music and sound are my life’s great passions – and have been ever since I was a child. As a drummer, I set up a school band with my friends. As a result, even when I was still at school, I spent every free minute in recording studios. I began my professional career as an assistant sound engineer for the Kirch Group in Munich. Later, working for the RTL Media Group, I was responsible for dubbing foreign language programs for RTL. In 2003, I set up my own localization business. It wasn’t easy, and involved lots of collaborations and restructuring but in 2011 I found my perfect project – SPEEECH. The international approach has been immensely successful, and SPEEECH has grown consistently since day one – with a team I’m really proud of.
Oliver Wiegand
Head of Production
I spent a large part of my childhood in film studios, since my mother worked as a production designer for commercials. Although I studied political sciences, I found working with people in creative arts more exciting. When Stephan approached me at the beginning of the millennium and asked whether I’d like to work at SPEEECH, I didn’t hesitate. I’ve never regretted it. We have amazing resources here – a global network, state-of-the-art studios and highly motivated colleagues. We are absolutely passionate about our work!
Miriam Hackl
Production Manager
Growing up, I got lost in the woods of Lothlorien, wandered through Hogwarts, or flew through the sky as a dragon rider. Later, I wanted to be part of making these worlds accessible for everyone. After studying English and Media, and eventually doing my MA in Creative Media Practice in Scotland, I was introduced to the great world of Dubbing. Years later, I am now part of this amazing team and can actively help create new dimensions.
Alexander Schulz
Head of Casting
When I was just nine years old, I did the voice-over for one of the children in Volker Schlöndorffs “The Tin Drum” a film that went on to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film as well as the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Later, I started a new professional life in the dubbing industry. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the nuances of voices and the magic of voice acting. My passion is in discovering new dubbing talent and casting people in roles that really allow their talent to shine. At SPEEECH we maintain a catalog of the top professional voice-over artists around the world.
Volker Schmidt
Head of Controlling
A good friend recommended SPEEECH to me and what started as a part-time job has become a full-time career and passion. I now manage Finance and Business Administration for our company. Our biggest challenge is managing accounts for an enormous (and growing!) roster of international talent. But even when things get hectic, the team here remains calm and professional; I’m convinced that this is one factor that contributes to exceptional quality of SPEEECH productions.
Florian Faltermeyer
Senior Audio Engineer
From an early age, I was surrounded by music. My great-grandfather, my grandfather, and my father Harold were all unbelievably talented musicians. Instead of hanging around with peers, I spent most of my time in recording studios. I think that creating an alternative language version of a film or series and ensuring the new version is emotionally close to the original is like creating a miniature work of art. Perhaps that’s why I love my job so much. I look after the studio, pre-production, voice recording, and sound mixing—and learn something new every day.
Alexander Meister
Senior Audio Engineer
I actually ended up in the dubbing industry a bit by chance. After finishing school, I was given the opportunity to visit a dubbing studio. The studio later offered me an internship and I completed my apprenticeship as sound engineer. Stephan and I have been working together for many years. At first, I was responsible for the studio technology and later I was able to become more involved in the creative side of the productions. We always give our very best for each production. In keeping with this motto, I follow my second passion and play drums and trombone in a band. I can do so every evening after a recording day at our studios.
Maxi Forster
Audio Engineer
Ever since my earliest childhood, picture and sound have been playing a major role in my life. As an active DJ, producer and singer, I soon discovered my love for the sounddesign of movies and series. At SPEEECH I found a great place to connect these passions in a working environment, with a great team with amazing talent and heart.
Every day is a new experience.
Jesse Sank
Junior Audio Engineer
The audio world has always been fascinating and alluring to me. Growing up in a multicultural environment, with multiple musicians and passionate music lovers in my family, one could have predicted that the worlds of language and audio were destined to coalesce in my future career. However, it would take several improbable, unpredictable and lucky turns to lead this Ami to his current position at SPEEECH.
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Pia Troger-Abée
Editor
My favorite television series as a child was “The Persuaders”, a cult series from the 1970s starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. Inspired by the witty lines of the two lead characters, I knew I definitely wanted to work in the dubbing industry. Due to my bilingual high school degree and the studies of German philology, I have developed a good sense of the intricacies of the german and english language. Therefore my job as an editor for SPEEECH is a dream come true.
Patricia Zeh
Production-Assistant
Thanks to my multilingual father, I developed an affinity for languages at an early age. This eventually inspired me to pursue a degree as a state-certified translator. During my studies I repeatedly came into contact with the topic of dubbing and I consider myself very lucky to now be part of the SPEEECH team and to actively explore this multifaceted world.
Marion Schmidt
Video Editor
As a child, I enjoyed watching my father editing films. In those days, it was a laborious job. When “Lord of the Rings” came to the cinemas I was fascinated, not only by the story itself, but also by the thought of how many creative minds were behind this epic film. I was motivated to obtain my accreditation in film editing. The main focus of my work here at SPEEECH is the editing, localization and adaptation of the film material utilized in the dubbing process.
Insights
Although the atmosphere at SPEEECH is informal and cheerful, our shared objective is to have a consistently professional attitude and bring all of our creativity to bear. Some of our team have been working together for many years, some are brand new. But in each case our care and attention to detail is our many strength. We understand the power of a team where each member contributes towards the success of each production and thus to the success of SPEEECH.
