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Have you auditioned for voicover jobs that you thought were perfect for you, and didn’t land? The world of voiceovers can be funny and frustrating at times. Think of all the auditions that we send out, all in the hopes of landing each and every one. There are some you think you nailed but no call back. And there are some that you don’t expect to land and you end up getting the job.

What Are The Chances?

So, funny story. Before I went full-time with my voiceover career, I worked at a few other jobs. One of them was at an online university. One day, the school put out a notice that they were holding a voice competition as they were looking for someone to help with some marketing and promotion projects. Wow! A voice contest? Here? Perfect! I was already doing voiceovers part-time and here my current employer is looking for a voice talent. What are the chances of that?! After all, I had already landed many other jobs with companies like McDonalds, Nationwide, Hewlitt Packard, Nikon, even other colleges. So, yeah, I was feeling confident.

Everyone in the building – 1000+ people – were invited to try out. Auditions were sent in and reviewed, and eventually a shortlist of finalists was made.  To help decide the winner, they held a blind listening competition for the final candidates in front of everyone who worked there.

I didn’t make the finals – I wasn’t even in the top 10. Actually I don’t even know where I ended up. And you know what? I was ok with it.

A Voice Doesn’t Fit Every Job

I don’t know the reason, nor did I really care. Just like all of the other hundreds of auditions that I didn’t land before, this was no different. You can drive yourself crazy wondering why. But it all comes down to a simple fact.

My voice does not fit every job.

My voice may not fit every client. It may not appeal to every producer, creative director, promoter, or every person. My voice may fit a certain audience for one project, and a whole other audience for a different project. Everyone has different preferences. If you think you are going to fit every one of their preferences all the time, then you need to rethink your approach.

Handling Rejection

Sure, there were plenty of jobs for which I thought I would be perfect, but then nothing.  I thought back to all of the jobs that I auditioned for that were a complete long shot, and ended up landing!  I thought back to times when clients may not have preferred my voice at first but eventually hired me.

Whatever the reason, this just goes to show that auditions are subjective and sometimes don’t make sense. The reason may not even be anything you did wrong. But don’t be surprised when you don’t land the job. Don’t get angry about why you didn’t get a call back. Don’t demand reasons. Perseverating over an audition is completely counterproductive.  Get in the mindset of submitting your audition and forgetting. Submit and forget. Let’s say that again – submit and forget. Just enjoy the jobs you land and be thankful that you do appeal to someone.  Like an old Weather Channel commercial said, “how can you appreciate the sun, if you don’t have the rain.”

~Cameron

So you’re interested in getting started in voiceovers. What is the one burning question about a starting point to voiceovers that you would ask? Think of it. Do you have it? Ok, now, DON’T ask it…yet!

If you’re new the voiceover world, do this BEFORE you ask.

Your homework!

Questions like “How do I get started in VO?”, or “How do you get work?”, or “What is the best voiceover mic?” are very common and perfectly legit questions for those new to the trade. The answers are out there in Facebook groups, websites, podcasts, Youtube, etc. You’ll find the VO community very helpful, supportive, and giving, but if you go into a group/forum asking for the secret formula without doing your homework FIRST, it may result in a little newbie jeering. I’m not a fan of that kind of treatment, so I want to help point you in the right direction.

When more folks started asking me how to get started in voiceovers, I started sending a note with tips from my experiences – I’ll share that with you below.

So You Are Interested In Getting Into Voiceovers?

“I heard you were interested in getting started into voiceovers so I’ll help out as best that I can.  In lieu of a call, I’m sending along some info for you to read through first. This is based on my 15 years of experience doing voiceovers so it will help point you in the right direction. If you have any questions not covered in the info/links below, then I am happy to schedule a consultation – just send me an email for scheduling and rates. 

My voiceover (VO) journey started on a whim after some time as a radio meteorologist and ski reporter but it took a LOT of time – like months – researching a transition into the VO world. I can’t say whether or not you have what it takes, but this info will cover just about any question that you may have.

Voice Over Research/Forums/Websites

Just about everything I learned initially about VO was from online forums so this is a great place to start. You’ll find that the voiceover community is very supportive.  Here is a real good one – http://vo-bb.com/phpBB2/  You will find a LOT of info on these forums and sites, so dig through all the threads and soak it all up. It will take some time. A particularly good area is the “Where To Start” section where you’ll find some very informative sites like these…

• https://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com/
• http://www.audioconnell.com/workshop/the-voiceover-entrance-exam-free-voice-over-e-book/
• Todd Schick has some good FAQs
• Voiceover Xtra
• World-Voices Organization

Voice Training & Coaching

After your initial research, finding a voiceover coach is absolutely key to evaluating your skills and finding your voice. Coaching takes time and commitment so be prepared to invest. Even experienced VOs use coaches on a regular basis and it’s common practice – even recommended – to have more than one coach.

If you’re looking for a hands-on, in-studio learning experience in the New Hampshire area, a voiceover friend of mine hosts a class that can help.  But for online coaching/training, Gabrielle Nistico, Julie Williams, Rhonda’s Voice, Marc Cashman, Global Voice Acting Academy (GVAA), Such-A-Voice, and are a few that offer their expertise and may have some helpful online videos and classes.  Marc Scott can help you with the marketing/business aspect of voiceovers – check out his Facebook Vopreneur page for a lot of great info. Many other coaches can be found through the Voiceover Xtra link above.  Many voiceover talents come from acting/drama backgrounds so they have those acting chops that translate well to the microphone.  Local schools/community colleges or theaters (improv) are great opportunities to develop those skills as well. 

Working with a coach will prepare you for the next step – your demo.

Voiceover Demos

A demo is a sample of what you can do. This is your “business card” or “headshot” to potential clients and is the MOST critical aspect to connect you with voiceover work.  Agents won’t even consider you without one. It depends, too, on what kind of work you’re going for, whether commercial, narration, e-learning, etc. Here is a site with some demo examples at Demos That Rock. A professionally produced demo is not cheap!  Unless you work as a sound engineer or producer, do NOT self-produce your demo!  I tried it myself early on and it most likely cost me work.

Working with someone locally would be best for in-person coaching and recording in a professional studio; however, it can be done remotely. I worked with a coach and studio in the Boston area but it tooks weeks of coaching, practice before getting into the studio to record my demo. You may even work with other voiceovers for dialogue portions of your demo.

Studio/Gear/Tech

To get started in voiceovers, you’ll need to record from a home studio.  Among the previous “getting started” sites above, there are numerous other studio/gear resources.  The Voiceover Bodyshop guys (Dan Leonard and George Whitam) have a great podcast series, “Tech Talk”, and other topics.  Here are their Youtube and Facebook pages to browse through previous episodes.

If you like videos, the Booth Junkie (Mike Delgaudio) has been making VERY informative videos on studio gear for a long time – he does a great job talking about the basics and goes out of his way on actual demonstrations.   Here’s one about setting up a studio. He does a lot of other studio/gear tutorials, microphone comparisons, and all sorts of other very helpful industry topics.

To showcase your demos professionally, you absolutely need a website to where you can direct clients. Voice Actor Websites and VoiceActor.com have great website options tailored specifically for voice actors. Check out these interviews with their team here and here. They helped me build my site and for a reasonable cost. In fact, I enjoyed the experience so much, that now I am working for them helping other voice talent build their sites!

VO Rates

Each VO has their own rates based on many individual factors. Here are some resources that give you an idea of voiceovers can charge. Here’s the Global Voice Acting Academy (GVAA) site that shows general rates – plus they have a lot of other great resources, such as studio tech, demos, etc. The Edge Studio is another good site with similar resources around rates, studio tech, etc.

Everyone’s circumstances are different so rates may vary widely, but please understand how offering rates well below industry (non-union) standards can impact the industry as a whole. There has been much debate about it over the years so take some time to read up on that.   

Getting Voice Over Work

After a LOT of homework, preparation, and a demo, you can then start marketing your voice. However, that topic is way more involved and would take more than a blog post to cover, so I am only going to touch on it briefly. Some say the business of voiceover is 80-90% marketing and the rest is actual recording so this will be the bulk of your work going forward. You could test the waters with “pay-to-play” casting sites.  These are subscription sites where you pay an annual fee, and get access to auditions for various jobs, or “leads.”  One of them is Voice 123 that I’ve had a lot of success with, but there are others like Boldago.

But most likely you will need to go directly to the source – talent agencies, video production companies, ad agencies, and marketing companies. This means emails, calls, social media, and networking in various ways to get your voice noticed. Marc Scott offers coaching on self-marketing – plus he has many videos and podcasts that cover this topic. One of my good friends, Nikki Lu Lowe, now offers a great coaching course called “The Drive” which covers the business of voiceover and setting it up for success.

I hope these tips help for now. All of the links above are those that I personally recommend based on my 15 years in the business and should help you get started. For an even more comprehensive library of reputable classes, coaching, demo producers, agents, etc, check this out!

Like I said, it takes a LOT of time reading and researching – like weeks and months, even years. Absorb as much as possible. It’s an ongoing learning experience, too, so don’t stop after hitting just a few websites.  I’m still researching because industries change and evolve.  You will eventually hear common themes and ideas about the business that will shape your approach to the world of VO so that you can start defining your path.

If it all sounds a little overwhelming, I’m happy to help you make sense of it all with a “getting started” consultation. Check out my VO Consultation page for more info.

I wish you luck in your voiceover journey!”

~Cameron Thomas

So, we’ve been through many online meetings through Zoom, Skype, etc., and we’ve seen many folks on TV speaking from their homes. And I’m sure you’ve seen the varying quality with shaky video and garbled audio – this can be a BIG distraction right?

Minimize Distractions

Now, I am not knocking everyone with general remote laptop setups – for the situation we’re in right now, we’re just trying to get by with what we have for now.

But – BUT – if you spend a lot of time in online meetings and plan to do so for the long haul, poor audio and video quality CAN BE A DISTRACTION TO YOUR VIEWERS and may interfere with your messaging.

Improve Your Audio!

But let’s say that you’re not ready to upgrade everything at once and just want to start small and piece things together slowly. That’s fine, but there is one you may want to start with – AUDIO!

Humans are more in tune with what we HEAR than what we SEE.

For example, a video that looks pretty good but with poor audio quality may not be as well received as …..

…..one with mediocre video but good sounding audio!

Having good audio may be LESS of a distraction to your viewers even if your video is not good.

So to avoid the risk of your viewers being distracted and losing their attention due to poor quality, you may want to consider upgrading your audio first.

Upgrade Audio Gear

Using an inexpensive dynamic or condenser microphone, say anywhere from $50-$150 and an external audio interface, $50 – $100, you can dramatically improve your audio from a garbled mess to clear, pleasant-sounding audio. This is more pleasing and receptive to your audience.

If you’re curious, I posted a video on my home studio setup for my voiceover recordings on my Facebook, LinkedIn, and Youtube pages, but if you’re interested in improving the viewing experience for your meetings and videos, and not sure where to start…..start with your audio.

CTV – Tried and True!