Commentating/Presenting
Chris Dawes got his first chance to commentate on motorsport at his local circuit; Castle Combe; but was quickly picked up by more circuits, championships, and organisers, and thus can now be heard somewhere in the UK and abroad pretty much every weekend. He may not have had the opportunity to race (“chose University instead”), but has been on/in many spectator banks/grandstands since the age of 5 with his father. It is this passionate, excited, in awe young fan that we find in his commentary style, which makes it captivating, exciting, and entertaining according to those who have heard him in action.
“It is an absolute honour to be able to commentate on a sport I have loved for so many years, and I have to pinch myself that I am lucky enough to get paid to do it. I do not have the innate knowledge or experienced understanding (or pretend to) of those who have raced or have the mechanical expertise (although I always do lots of research before each event), but I seem to have been able to have had success by being the passionate and overexcited fan who has broken into the commentary box… I have been told by spectators that they are able to relate and connect with it and that it is entertainment as well as factual sport narration, so I will continue to do what I do and see how long I can get away with it; but I have locked the commentary box door so they will have to break the door down to get me out…”
“I am keen to get involved in more commentating opportunities throughout the world, and not just motorsport. Whilst most of my work is live commentating at the venue, I have also done voice-over commentary for recorded TV footage, radio commentary/presenting, and live TV feed presenting/commentating. Therefore, my experience levels across the board are continuously growing, and I would very much welcome discussions about more opportunities.”
“The same applies for presenting in general, and I am actively looking at and working on various things that could enable me to present on TV or radio in various countries; both live and recorded, and I am always keen to speak to people about other possible exciting projects. I have even managed to add chat show style presenting now (which you can see in the “Show Reel” section of the website – “Pint in the Paddock”), and I thoroughly enjoyed it.” Commentating/Presenting page
To discuss the potential of hiring Chris Dawes for commentating, hosting, presenting, voiceover or training, please contact on enquiries@chrisdawescomms.co.uk, 01793 238259, or in writing to Chris Dawes Comms (a trading name of Open Dawes Training Ltd), Nexus Business Centre, 6 Darby Close, Cheney Manor Industrial Estate, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK, SN2 2PN
“Chris approached us in 2011 following an appeal for a new “voice of Castle Combe” following the retirement of one of our long term team of commentators. As a motorsport fan Chris impressed us with his enthusiasm and knowledge and we invited him to guest call a couple of races. We were immediately impressed as he spent time at other events getting to see how our team worked, meeting other officials and mingling with the drivers and teams so that he could bring background to the race commentary itself.
He quickly progressed and is now an established part of our regular team and we are confident that in Chris we will have a very capable commentator who will grow and develop into a favourite here and at other circuits throughout the country.
Over some 40 years employed in Motor Racing I have listened to a lot of commentators and have been fortunate to work with several including the legendary Brands Hatch commentator Brian Jones and current BBC voice of F1 Ben Edwards and believe that in the future we could well see Chris regarded in these same circles”
“Chris has a naturally calm presenting style, which reflects his knowledge and enthusiasm for motorsport. His reliability and flexibility has seen him do a good job at short notice for both four and two wheel events.”
Event Hosting/Master of Ceremony
Chris Dawes’s business & IT degree involved providing lots of presentations, which his post-university roles in Sales & Marketing further exercised. As a result, Chris soon found out that he relished the opportunity to stand up in front of rooms full of people and present in a manner that kept the audience’s attention, created contagious enthusiasm, and made it an enjoyable experience for all, rather than a necessary evil. This included him being accused of making IT interesting and entertaining; which is going some to the majority of us!
When Chris started his motorsport commentating, this exposed him to not only the motorsport world but many people in all walks of life that heard his voice and style. As a result, he has hosted lifestyle events, awards evenings, after dinner speeches and club events (sports and corporate). This has been either the main presenter for the entire event, compèring/Master of Ceremony for events to bring it together. As always, Chris brings his professional yet entertaining style to these events, and the biggest testimony is that he gets re-booked for events he hosts.
“I really enjoy hosting events, as it is a group of like-minded people gathering together to enjoy and/or get the most out of an event, so I like to make sure that everyone gets everything they are supposed to out of it, and find it to be entertaining (which they aren’t always expecting it to be in some cases), in the required time frame stipulated. It can be tricky sometimes with varying levels of sobriety and attention levels, but once everyone feels it is inclusive and that is being hosted WITH them, rather than AT them, it more often than not becomes a mutually enjoyable experience; or at least so I have been told. I really enjoy how it mixes my professional sales/marketing experience with the entertainment side of my commentating and presenting.” Event Hosting page
To discuss the potential of hiring Chris Dawes for hosting/compèring events (of any kind), please contact on enquiries@chrisdawescomms.co.uk, 01793 238259, or in writing to Chris Dawes Comms (a trading name of Open Dawes Training Ltd), Nexus Business Centre, 6 Darby Close, Cheney Manor Industrial Estate, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK, SN2 2PN
“Chris did an excellent job hosting our awards dinner for us last year, so much so we immediately booked him for this year – a great host with an engaging and energetic style demonstrating his clear enthusiasm and passion for motorsport.
Chris took charge of the whole evening from start to finish, working in tailored interviews with our award winners along with an amusing introduction of our guest speaker, Steve Parrish, all with a great natural flow and timing.
Overall an excellent evening, due in no small part to the efforts and skills of Chris.”
"On behalf of Club & Circuit, Big thanks for hosting awards evening last night. All comments I received were complimentary to you and the style and tempo of the evening. Put simply, you never let the evening get out of your control and the presentations were completed in a timely, light-hearted and enjoyable style."
Voice Over
As a result of Chris Dawes’s voice being heard constantly doing his commentating or hosting work, he was approached to provide voice-over work for a number of requirements. Due to time constraints when all of this was in addition to a full-time job, this side was only ever work that came to him, rather than proactively looking for and auditioning for voice-over work. Now that Chris has moved away from that demanding full-time job and set up Chris Dawes Comms Ltd full time, Voice Over work is something he is intending to actively pursue now. This has and can include commentary voice-over, narration to pieces, adverts, training videos, health & safety videos, public announcements; and so the list goes on.
Whilst his style is not necessarily about being characters (yet), he is able to understand the targeted audience and message, and therefore the required tone and style. Whether this is serious and professional, humorous/whimsical, or excited and energetic; Chris is able to work with the client to establish and provide the piece in a suitable manner, and within the necessary timescales. Chris Dawes Comms Ltd has facilities to enable VoiceOver pieces to be recorded and provided electronically, thus removing the need for geography to impact the contract, but is also able to travel should it be required or more suitable.
“I really enjoy voice-over work, because there is a lot more to it than I naively thought when I first started doing some of this work. The scope of work will not just include the script, but a description of who the target audience is, and what the message is that is trying to be portrayed or emphasised. It, therefore, makes it feel rather more artistic than simply reading a script, and you have to dig deep to get it over in the manner that does the finished piece the justice that it deserves.” Voiceover page
Chris Dawes Comms Ltd can provide individual Voice Over pieces or retainer contracts for multiple pieces as and when required.
To discuss the potential of Chris Dawes providing a sample Voice Over for your project, please contact on enquiries@chrisdawescomms.co.uk, 01793 238259, or in writing to Chris Dawes Comms (a trading name of Open Dawes Training Ltd), Nexus Business Centre, 6 Darby Close, Cheney Manor Industrial Estate, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK, SN2 2PN
"Having collaborated with Chris on a number of commercial briefs, I can confirm his upbeat enthusiasm for every challenge we put his way. His total professionalism to deliver nothing but the very best content in the voiceover arena makes him an absolute pleasure to work with."
Voice Reel Highlights
Public Speaking, Presentation Skills, and Media Training
Chris Dawes has also co-founded Open Dawes Training, which is a Public Speaking, Presentation Skills, and Media Training organisation. Using the skills and psychology perfected over two decades in university, business, and sports media commentating/presenting, he is able to provide valuable training for others to speak in front of others; no matter what the reason/requirement.
Click Open Dawes Training to find out more about how we can help you/your organisation.