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Mary Morgan

Learning

Why do I have a Voice Over blog?

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Two weeks ago I was part of a marketing group led by a well-known VO talent. When I was asked what I was doing to get my name out there I mentioned my demos, my website, my rapid growing list of connections on LinkedIn and my blog. The leader of the group stopped me and said that blogging was a huge waste of time and that I needed to abandon it and focus more time on marketing myself. “Blogging won’t help your career. No one cares what you have to say,” She said. That’s ok. Everyone is entitled to an opinion; however, it was the verbal approach that caught me off guard. Her tone was harsh and her criticism malicious. I wanted to explain why I blogged but she quickly moved on to someone else. Some time later I combed through the auditions I had to get done for the day and found myself thinking about my blog. Could this marketing expert be right? Was it worth continuing?

Did people really believe that I had nothing to contribute? I don’t have thousands of followers on Twitter or YouTube. I’m not famous by name or appearance. Why would anyone bothering visiting my website to read my blog?

Then… I got an email from a person telling me that they appreciated the info I was sharing about voice over and they looked forward to new posts. And then two days later I received a message from a young woman who said she found me through one of my recent posts about the #metoo movement and the CNN article about Peter Rofe. She had a story of her own and needed to know where to turn to. Immediately I messaged my friend Heather Costa and asked what email I could use of hers so that the woman who had similar experiences had someone she could talk to. I don’t know if the woman actually used them yet but she reached out nonetheless through what she read in my blog. That’s when it dawned on me. The leader of the marketing group kept saying that “I” needed to do this and “I” needed to stop doing that. It was my responsibility to take my career as seriously as she did. It has to all be about me!

But, the thing is, all my life I was taught that if everything is all about me then that makes me selfish and self-centered, yes? It also makes me think about the clients I’ve worked with and how I related to them on a personal level. It wasn’t just “I’m a voice over and I want to work for you” it was, “Sure I’d love to help in anyway I can, even if I’m not a good fit for the project. I can send you some names of people who are also professional VO talent with their own home studios, or I can help you find a sound designer if you need one”, and my favorite: “Voice over is my greatest passion, but I saw you enjoy cooking which is something I love too. What kind of cuisine do you enjoy? Indian? Italian? I’d love to know from one food lover to another.”

Making everything about “me” is not why I have a blog, because I don’t want it to be just about me. I have a blog to help readers like you who want to get into voice over. I include situations I’ve been in, articles I’ve read, and current events happening in voice over. I’ve worked with some great coaches I want to recommend, I’m part of quite a few terrific groups and get-togethers that welcome new talent and nurture them. I want to guide you as best I can without charging you an arm and a leg. I don’t call myself expert and I will NEVER call myself better than anyone else. I call myself experienced. There are no guarantees in this business because it’s changing day by day. In short, I blog to share all that I can for anyone who dreams of being a voice over.

Keep in mind, what worked for me may not work for you. Don’t expect to join a marketing group with the idea that it’ll work out exactly for you as it did for the creator of the program. And if he/she doesn’t welcome ideas or even opinions with an open mind (instead of an ego-driven one), then you may have to look elsewhere or just follow your heart. I don’t sugar coat situations, I’m honest and blunt because more than just a few people I’ve known for years are the same way. However, I also believe in encouraging others and providing concepts. Your journey has to be your own just as all life lessons are yours to learn. I can be a guide, but the decisions must be yours to make.

A good friend shared an interesting quote just yesterday which fits pretty well into my blog post:

The difference in dialogue between leaders and bosses:

Bosses: Tell you, “Do it because I don’t feel like doing it myself.”

Leader: Tell you, “Let me show you, or let me help you with this.”

Beware of those who call themselves leaders when they are better off as followers.

I’m by no means accusing the marketing leader to be “bossy.” But there is a difference between having an opinion and then forcefully telling someone to stop doing this or that because “they” believe it’s a waste of time. I’ve received emails from up and coming talent who find value in what I write and what I share. I don’t expect to make money from the few posts on my blog. It’s my way of sharing my knowledge (thus far) and my experience in voice over. It’s also so that I don’t have to rewrite the same answers to questions that I get asked continuously about “how to get in” to voice over. It’s far too much of a common thing these days that I’m hearing from those interested in VO and asking what to do to “get in.” Then I spend a great deal of time crafting a letter with what it’s like today in VO, what’s required of you and how you can’t let excuses get in the way of having a home studio, learning to direct yourself and be your own engineer, and the absolute must-have above all else to get into this profession – demos! Afterwards, I never hear from them again, not even a simple “Ok, thanks for the info. I appreciate it.” Gratitude can go a long way; however, lately most don’t think it’s necessary because they expect it to just be given. So, my blog is the best “free” information I can give.

You will probably be overwhelmed (as too many claim when I send them information about what’s required to work in this industry), but I will never stop saying in every post if I have to, that the entertainment industry is NOT for the faint of heart. The VO community is welcoming, but you’ll come across bullies who will do anything to discourage you because they themselves fear competition (or have psychological problems that they never got over as kids and can only find solace by being trolls–they’re out there in VO, too) and even find a way to step all over you in order to book a job. It’s happened to a lot of people. It’s just how it is.

I do all I can when it comes to staying up-to-date with what’s happening in VO such as technology, workshops, networking, new genres (VR and AR), and if I get to know you really well and trust that you have a home studio, demos and a good amount of training, I’ll keep you on my list of VO talent for when clients ask me to help them find more to add to their project or roster. I’ll try to answer questions as best I can, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll guide toward a source that can.

While some people charge hundreds of dollars for workshops teaching “old school” material (as some of my colleagues put it) and expecting you to follow only what they say instead of learning all that you can on your own, keep in mind, the internet has LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of free info. Take advantage of it!

A VO blog I enjoy reading is on www.nethervoice.com by Paul Strikwerka.

Or, if you prefer a podcast, subscribe to www.voboss.com hosted by Anne Ganguzza and Gabrielle Nistico. Those are just a few. There are more. Find as many as you can, read and listen to them. Learn to be your own boss, ignore those who thrive on ego and let nothing stop you no matter how long it takes.

VO Atlanta 2018

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So this was my first time at VO Atlanta and much like my favorite VO blogger Paul Strikwerda whom I finally met in person, I freaking loved it!

Good heavens I seriously don’t even know where to start. The people I met, the sessions I attended, the knowledge I absorbed, and the inspiration shared by veterans of voice over is worth every single penny!!!

If you truly want to be part of this profession, then you should know there are serious investments involved. I’ve also met quite a few people who insult VO conventions because they want to get work from attending it. But it’s not about that, even though I met people who have been signed by agents and got work with visiting casting directors almost right after the convention. You attend to build relationships with working professionals and get to know your VO family and friends. They’re the ones who welcome anyone and everyone with open arms whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced talent. Egos are left behind as smiles and support flood the atmosphere.

I even brought some of my homemade macarons to share with guests!

The first day is nerve wracking for all of us, but once we’re all settled in and have our schedules in place people either go to an X-Session (a class of no more than 12 people that involves 3 hours of intense training and microphone time with a working pro, casting director or talent agent), or a breakout session (hearing advice, insights and helpful tips from pros who keep up with what’s current in the industry).

The only real downsides to the convention were not having enough money to buy an X-Session (unfortunately they have an extra fee), and having conflicts when one breakout session started at the same time as another.

There were VO specialists with decades of knowledge and experience giving discussions on video games, animation, audiobooks, automotive spots, radio imaging, narration, commercials, promos, elearning, automated dialogue replacement, and more. Agents and casting directors hosted panels for anyone wanting to ask questions about voice over and how they work with talent. A talent screening was held for anyone who wanted five minutes to audition for an agent or casting director. And last, a small exhibit hall displayed various products or advertised services for voice over actors.

For anyone totally new to voice over, this convention can be a bit stressful for the brain due to the endless amount of information passed around for four days. Even worse, the industry changes constantly and sometimes at the drop of a hat. If you can’t keep up, you may not last long. Time is money and no one likes to have their time wasted.

And as I mentioned before, there are serious investments which are not cheap. This means buying a sound booth (or adapting a space to record in like a closet or basement), or building your own (recording at home is not optional anymore and quality matters more than you may think), purchasing recording software, a proper microphone, an audio interface, subscribing to the latest technology that clients require for communication (Source Connect, Idptl, etc.), training nonstop with coaches who specialize in whatever genre interests you, then having a professional demo made (one per genre, never all on the same file). If you try producing a demo yourself with little or no experience you’ll ruin a first impression and won’t be forgotten for it. Don’t even think about ruling out marketing. No one is going to do it for you unless you pay good money. If you want to be taken seriously you need to find a brand for your voice and advertise your demos on a nice website (html is preferred, not flash). A pay 2 play site is optional (I only recommend Voice123 or Bodalgo and that’s it).

Then there’s the need to devote time to your craft. Many voice over talents have a second job to help pay bills while they’re building their career. With research you can find some good employment opportunities to fall back on that are flexible with VO.

Now don’t let despair override your enthusiasm. There’s room for possibilities if you look for them. And the convention does include some fun activities for those who need to unwind. On the third day there was a 70s theme party where everyone got dressed up and partied till close to dawn. I’m usually not crazy about parties but when surrounded by colleagues and friends I can easily let loose on the dance floor.

Now I’d like to briefly discuss the hotel itself. I’m told locations change now and then regarding the hotel of choice to hold the convention. I shared a room with two others which I highly recommend if you want to save costs. The room was nice and clean, the staff were helpful, but the restaurants were… not too great. Menu items are expensive, which is not unusual, but the service time was ridiculous. Perhaps the hotel was understaffed, or perhaps too many people attending the convention overcrowded the space. Whatever reasons, the hotel restaurant experience was unfavorable. Even worse, not everyone could afford to pay for a $22 breakfast buffet for 4 days straight. Some could not afford the $13 small Caesar salad every night. I knew of other restaurants close to the hotel but most took 15 minutes to walk to without a rental car (which I didn’t have). If you calculate the time to walk there, the unpredictable time it takes to get seated, then wait on your food, order, then eat and walk all the way back to the hotel, it can heavily affect your schedule throughout the day. With luck the convention did include some meals but not for each day which was unfortunate. If the rooms included kitchens I would have gladly cooked meals not just for myself but for friends as well since I love it. This is not to say it was a horrible hotel, far from it. But for anyone who isn’t used to staying hotels, prepare for the inconvenience of slow food service if attending conventions which are also held there.

Last to mention was the fourth and final day. The conference founder presented an inspiring speech, then gave out lots of great raffle prizes (one of which I won, was an hour marketing with a highly successful colleague), but what I remember most is something called the Unicorn Award. It’s an award reserved for people in VO who have experienced hardships and loss. More than 20 colleagues who included agents, casting directors, branding experts, marketing professionals, demo producers and so many others donated their services for free to one lucky individual who suffered due to disappointments in health or finances. Remember, it’s a tough industry! The person selected received all kinds of valuable help such as demo productions, agency representation for a whole year, marketing help, branding help, all from multiple, generous sources. That’s the other thing I love about my VO family and community. We can truly come together and support one another.

So, of all the VO conventions I’ve attended thus far, this is one of the best. If VO is your dream career goal and you want to learn all you can, consider attending VO Atlanta at least once. I network daily with other voice over talent as well as producers, directors, etc. Some great projects are in development to help others no matter where they are in voice over. Stay tuned for more posts in the future!

Warning Signs

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Not everyone approves of the #metoo movement, but the fact is, it’s real and it’s happening. What does this have to do with voice over? A sad fact is that predators also prey on voice over talent. A recent story has come to light about a highly respected coach by the name of Peter Rofé. I’ve been fortunate to work with TRUE coaches who are masters at the craft and helped me get where I am. However, I know that only so many other VO talent can claim the same thing. It really made me angry when I learned a horror story that happened to my friend Heather Costa, an amazingly talented voice. And because I’ve been a victim of sexual harassment twice I my life, I felt compelled to make sure this story was shared everywhere, especially to new potential talent reading my blog.

NEVER do anything that makes you uncomfortable! You’re going to hear that a lot. Think about this: A new, inexperienced voice over talent versus a respected, well-known professional voice over talent and coach. Which side are the top pros in voice over likely to take? The new talent not only risk being humiliated and taunted by top professionals, they risk getting blacklisted or sabotaged like my friend. As a result, so many innocent women have been forced to abandon their dreams of working in voice over.

My friend fought back and is now a super-respected, admired and successful voice over. Not only that, she’s working to make sure this won’t happen to others:

“We know there are more victims out there. The dates we know of go back to 1999. We are working with a detective and a lawyer.” she says. ”

I’m so very, very proud of Heather for being brave and fighting back. But it hurts to learn that lots of other women were forced to walk away from their dreams and that no one came to their defense. We all know this happens everywhere in all professions, at schools, etc. And yes, it doesn’t just happen to women, it happens to men, too.

Rather than continue ranting about the situation as a whole I’m going to list things that a true coach has taught me and warning signs to run not walk from a bad coach/predator.

TRUE COACHES

-kept a respectable distance while directing me.

-the only touching allowed and respected is a handshake or a hug (which I reserve for people I know well after various workshops). Some prefer a fist bump, and some don’t want contact at all for health reasons.

-if a script required a ‘sexy’ read I was given references to voices from characters like Jessica Rabbit as just one example. I was never told to sound like I wanted to $&#^*€> someone’s brains out.

-if I didn’t want to be all alone I was allowed to bring someone with me. I have worked with producers alone when it came to demos, but they NEVER made passes or such. Always ask if you can bring someone with you if you’re uncertain.

BAD COACHES/PREDATORS

-encouraging you to remove clothing for a “convincing” read.

-exposing themselves!

-touching without permission!

-suggesting only sexy reads.

-Saying VO acting is no different from real acting and real actors have to get naked in movies for their art.

-telling you how sexy you look or how your voice turns them on.

-Tells you that if you “aren’t selling sex” you’ll never be a respected voice over talent.

-stays with you in a tiny booth when no one else is in the studio and tries to touch or assault you. Booths are sound proof and your screams won’t be heard.

-turns the lights out when it’s only the two of you.

-gets angry when you don’t follow their directions even when they make you uncomfortable or threatens to “ruin” you.

If you have doubts or uncertainties, ask for opinions on voice over social media groups. Please read this entire article from CNN and if any of this has happened to you, don’t be silent, because you’re not alone.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/08/us/metoo-voice-coach-peter-rofe/index.html

Workshop Review: Ned Lott’s Singing in Character Class

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How many ladies have ever dreamed of being Disney princesses, or leading ladies in an animated musical? How about guys? Ever wanted to be a Disney prince or singing sidekick? Well, first, please understand that taking this workshop won’t guarantee you anything, but it will help educate you into what’s involved when singing as a character, any character, really! You don’t even have to sound like a famous pop star or opera singer or a Tony award-winning performer. However, you do need to be able to carry a tune which for some people is easier said than done. Reading music is a HUGE plus as well or having some familiarity with it. But in a couple of cases having a good ear is enough.

Ned Lott has worked with the best in the business on films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and even more award-winning movies, shows and games. So by taking his workshop, you’re in the greatest care. I’ve also worked with Ned one-on-one in person and via Skype, and I’ll be learning from him more and more.

The only homework before the class is finding a song of your choice from an animated film, TV show or musical, and being prepared to sing it from beginning to end with karaoke music.

DAY ONE

All of us were a bit nervous of course since not everyone had the ability to sing with proper vocal care or experience, but Ned encouraged us to give it our best shot, directing with guided patience and allowing more than one opportunity to sing as part of a chorus. Some of the fun included singing some difficult yet fun music pieces from a little known anime film by Studio Ghibli. The hard part was not having any music to follow on paper, just the lyrics. As a result we had to listen to the short songs played in the movie multiple times to memorize the rhythm, the key they were sung in, and even matching our voices with lip flips. There were occasions when only the guys sung together, then only the girls sung together and finally all of us sung together.

DAY TWO

With so many students the class had to be divided up. I joined 7 others attending on the second day, while the rest would attend on the third day. First we were each assigned one 15-second song from a learning game for kids.  One after the other, Ned sent us into the studio to sing individually into the microphone. Like the day before, we only received lyric sheets to look at and no music notation. This meant hearing the original song over and over, singing with it a few times and then singing only with the music track and no vocal.

After that it was time for us to sing our chosen solos that we picked a week before the workshop. Ned provided superb direction during this process and allowed several opportunities to sing the whole song using his suggestions for staying in character.

A few highlights were hearing a young man sing as Miss Piggy, another good singer performing as Kermit the Frog, and a lovely lady sounding five years old and holding a high note for more than a minute!

You also learn how and why some songs weren’t always sung by the voice actor who spoke the dialogue in various film/Tv programs. A great example is Jeremy Irons who voices one of my favorite villains, Scar from The Lion King. Irons only sang a few lines from the song “Be Prepared”, but the majority was sung by a super-talented voice actor named Jim Cummings. Jim also created Ed’s hyena laughter an is known for voicing more than 500 projects in film, Tv and games: http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0191906/filmotype/actor?ref_=m_nmfm_1

Ned also explained how difficult it can be to not only find a voice actor who can sing, but also cast voice actors in other countries who can sound identical to the original vocalists. An example is the song “How Far I’ll go” from Disney’s Moana sung in 24 different languages by various singers from other countries.

DAY THREE

Ned asked all of us to show up as a group for one more hour near the end of the workshop so that we could all partake in the last exercise. We took two songs from Disney’s Moana and divided the lyrics line by line. So the guys were  paired as a group, then the girls. All the guys stood next to each other by the microphones and sung one solo line at a time, then the girls.  At the end we heard both songs with each line being sung by different person.

All in all, it’s a workshop experience you won’t find anywhere else. I’ve taken more than plenty commercial, animation, audiobook, promo, and video game voice over workshops and Ned Lott’s is the only one so far dedicated to singing in character.

There’s no need to sound as perfect as Jodie Benson (Ariel in The Little Mermaid), or Idina Menzel (Elsa from Frozen), or necessarily mimicking other voice actors and vocalists from famous projects. It helps a lot to be able to mimic them, but it’s really about having fun, discovering your artistic abilities in voice over as well as music, making the song YOUR performance and not like the original, and finding whether it’s something you feel comfortable exploring as a performer. If it isn’t, no worries! Again, it’s not for everyone and that’s ok. Keep in mind, at least, that the more unique talents you have, the more likely you’ll stand out from others.

At the beginning of the workshop, I fantasized about being a Disney princess, but I left deciding that I’d rather be a Disney villain!

Voice Over and the importance of Marketing, Marketing, Marketing!

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This is a topic that goes on and on and on and on because there’s just too much information and commitment involved. Thus, it’s the reason why every year new books are published on the subject of marketing with hundreds of pages of new data collected.

Few people want to hear about it because it’s a lot of work. Finding names, emails, or phone numbers is one thing, but these days it’s not enough. With the internet you have a plethora of options to help in your quest of building a good client database. This means finding a company by name, and finding who’s the creative director, production director, casting director, audio director or producers in audio production. Then it’s finding a contact number or email for the specific name associated with one of the titles above, and putting together a clever introduction by phone or letter. If you choose the latter DO NOT use “Dear Sir or Madam”. That’s long gone and guarantees your note to the trash before the potential client can bother reading the next sentence. Remember folks, time is money in this industry. And don’t make your letter all about you:

“I’m a voice over. I’m the voice of this brand. I’m known for this and that, but I’ve also done this, this, this, this..”

Things have changed now and the absolute best way to get notice is to show you care about the client as a human being, not a prospective paycheck. Here’s where the research starts.

Let’s say you want to work in commercials; start by googling advertising companies in your area. Don’t search all over the country, start simple, the nearest city (even if its more than 150 miles away). You might start a search like this, for example: “advertising agencies” + Houston

As you can tell from the screenshot, you have some places to start, and that’s just one page. I experimented further by finding a company name: Adhere Creative.

Next, I want to find who’s in charge of creative direction or production. You can try googling such as: Adhere Creative, Creative Director; see what happens. You can also use LinkedIn which is a great way to find direct names to contact. Here’s another snip shot to show what I mean. I type the name of the company, then search under people associated with it. The first that comes up is a name with the profession of Executive Partner/Director of Marketing. Perfect! Alas, here’s where it’ll get tricky.

Here are your options:

Attempt to connect with the name on LinkedIn. Chances are they may not accept but you can try.
Call Adhere Creative and ask what’s the best way to get in touch with the name you’re looking to get in touch with. You might get a phone number, you might get an email, and you’ll more than likely get an answering machine. Either way, prepare how you want to present yourself and be sure to get to the point.
If you find an email address and prefer to use that instead of calling them then pay attention to all the info below before you send an email.

Try to find out what you can about the person you’re emailing. Don’t look at it as stalking, this is research. Let’s go back to the example on LinkedIn.

The name associated with Adhere Creative is Matt Lee (I don’t know this person. It’s just an example). I click on his page seeing there’s a summary of who he is, what he’s done, his knowledge and work experience. Browse the whole page, don’t skim. Is he part of any groups on LinkedIn? Yes: Social Media Marketing. Continue down the page and you notice he’s got an impressive resume of who he’s worked with in the past and present. He’s been a PR intern, a Digital Strategist, an Artist Manager, a Marketing Manager and now a Partner. This guy knows what he’s doing and has the background to prove it. What kind of skills have people endorsed him with? He’s a many of many talents! Contact information is usually only visible if you’ve managed to connect with the individual. But you can sometimes find websites, social media pages or birthdays. Lastly, does he care about anything outside advertising? Yes, he cares about arts and culture, children, poverty, and alleviation. Here’s a clue. He’s not just a busy executive, he’s a human being who cares about important causes.

Now, all that was a ton of work but it’ll do you wonders in the long run. When you email this person, you start with your introduction (this is an example only, NOT a template):

Dear Matt Lee,

Greetings (or Hello), my name is (insert your name here). I found your information through google and wanted to get in touch with you because I’m a voice over and I’d like to help with any upcoming projects that need a voice.

I’m stopping there because after that, it’s your job to put together a short paragraph acknowledging the person as a human being. “You have an impressive resume on LinkedIn”, or “I really enjoyed how thorough your summary is on LinkedIn” or “It’s mighty impressive that you’re a Partner at one of the coolest ad agencies in (insert city name)”.

(Continue praising their accomplishments for 2-3 more sentences, then get to the point of why you’re contacting him. What can you offer that would help him on future projects. Do you have a website? Referrals? Demos? A home studio? Don’t ask for a job, explain that you’re interested in being a service to them).

(Then end with how you’d love to discuss more of how you can help them as a Voice Over by including a good email address, or phone number and that look forward to hearing from them.)

Sincerely,
(Your name)

I know what you’re thinking. Good heavens that’s soooooo much work for one person and there are potentially hundreds of thousands of names in this ocean of advertising. Well guess what, that’s just one market. Do you want to work in animation? Audiobooks? Narration? Political ads? Video Games? Automotive? Radio Imaging? Promos? Elearning?

Pick the markets you want to be part of and spend 3-4 hours (or at the very least 1-2) a day finding companies associated with them. Create a LinkedIn page, try making connections there. Don’t treat it like Facebook or Twitter. I’m very, very strict with whom I accept as a connection on LinkedIn because it includes my contact info which is for business only. I only connect with Voice Over talent who share a certain list of names that I trust above all else. The rest are people who work in the markets that I’m interested in. Do you have a Facebook business page? If not, make one. But don’t turn it into a personal page. YouTube? Make a page there too. You never know when you may have a commercial, video game footage, narration clips, animation clips, or other samples to share (remember to get permission first unless the client has already posted on YouTube already). Twitter is an absolute must.

Social media is where it’s at my friends. You can find people easily and they can find you. If you don’t want to be on social media then clients can’t find you and they won’t be interested in hiring you.
I don’t advise posting anything political, judgmental or negative of any kind on your pages. It WILL come back on you. I’ve seen it happen more than enough times and it’s not pretty or pleasant. Look at what’s happened recently to actors like Kevin Spacey. He completed a movie that was scheduled to open in a month and after misbehaving was revealed online he was replaced by another actor who filmed all his scenes in less than 6 weeks. Years ago that would cost too much money and seem impossible. Now it’s not. Don’t jeopardize future opportunities!

Get to know potential clients as people first. Acknowledge and show respect for them and all they’ve done. Make it about them, not all about you. Be open to ideas and discussions. If they’re not interested, be courteous and wish them well.

Make 2018 your best year!

VO Negotiations

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It’s a new year now! This means more info, lots of upgrades to software, new bookings and a plethora of experiences to share, so let’s get started.

As a talent you always have rights. Having a talent agent negotiate on your behalf is terrific, but not everyone has an agent and a growing number of clients prefer to work with talent one-on-one instead since most have home studios to work from.

I encountered a new client who was GREAT to work with. But at first I was a little wary. Here’s why. She was inexperienced at hiring Voice Over talent and in the beginning wanted me to sign a highly unusual contract. Non-Disclosure Agreements are more than totally normal and even I admit that in the super early stages of my career I didn’t understand them very well. Since then I have matured significantly with quite a few clients able to vouch for my loyalty as well as professionalism. But this situation proved a bit freaky. It occurred to me that anyone new to VO reading my blog would need to know a few things before signing away their freedom.

My new client was a woman who self-published a book for young readers and wanted a narrator. By all means I was excited and honored. However, she said I had to sign an NDA that would include the following:

-Keeping quiet about the project and not sharing info about it on Social Media without permission.

-Committing to a 4-year warranty of re-recording the project in case the author faced legal issues of my voice sounding too much like a famous person (I’ll explain this below.)

-Agreeing to multiple retakes free of charge across a minimum of 90 days.

Now, I had major issues with 2 out of 3 of the rules above. Can you guess which ones?

Again, this person was new to hiring professional VO talent, so it was important to show patience as well as respect when it came to explaining of why I refused to sign the NDA.

First, I don’t know anyone in VO who has EVER signed a warranty of any kind that held them responsible for fixing recording files if their voice sounded like a celebrity. To see how I politely explained why it wasn’t necessary, fair warning; it’s long:

“There are many, many Voice Over talent who are hired to sound like famous people. Some make a great living off it. No voice no matter how alike they sound can be trademarked and no one can be sued. Please view the following from this website: https://secureyourtrademark.com/can-you-trademark/trademark-a-voice/

“If an impersonation misleads the listener to think they are hearing a real celebrity ‘endorsement’ (commercials, political ads) then the real celebrity can take legal action. Theories include appropriation of personality, and passing off to advertise a commercial product like a weight loss product, skincare, or jewelry. So, anything that suggests a celebrity endorsement, and/or derives some commercial advantage for it, should not be done. If the voice is clearly an imitation or parody, and not the actual celebrity, it doesn’t apply to legal worries. Nobody has a right to a specific voice, otherwise many people would have to go mute for their entire lives. Also, impersonators would be banned legally and there are more than enough who make a living doing so in Voice Over, in film, on TV (Saturday Night Live), on stage, or in person at carnivals, fairs or theme parks (Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, etc.). I know hundreds of clients who look for voice overs who can sound like Morgan Freemen, Sigourney Weaver, Scarlett Johansson and others because they can’t afford to pay 6 or 7 figures to hire the celebrities themselves. In some movies voice overs are hired to come in to record a few lines or vocal reactions if the producers can’t arrange for the lead actor to come back for retakes. In animated movies there are some occasions when celebrities don’t want to make exertion noises (screams, sighs, dialogue while running, funny sounds, and so on), because they were unable to make them sound authentic. And don’t forget about characters who sing. Few celebrities can hold a tune in an animated show or movie, so they hire singers who have the same vocal quality to sing for the character instead. Need examples? Look up the singing voices for Aladdin and Jasmine, then look up the voice actors who spoke the dialogue. That’s just one example out of hundreds. Here’s another, remember classic film versions of musicals like The King and I, My Fair Lady, or West Side Story? Believe it or not, the lead actresses in those films didn’t do their own singing for the musical numbers. Producers hired a “Ghost Singer” to perform the songs and the actors lip synced them. I kid you not. Google Marni Nixon and you’ll learn more about this amazing woman who many never knew was the singing voice for a number of leading ladies in musicals and as well as dubbing their voices occasionally on film.

“As long as they don’t say ‘I’m Morgan Freeman and I endorse this movie/message/product’ then they’re safe. There is not copyright or trademark right to a voice.

Having said that, phrases associated with characters, real or fictional, may be legally protected such as ‘Hasta La Vista Baby’ (Arnold Schwarzenegger), or ‘Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!’ (Michael Buffer, wrestling and boxing announcer). But if your dialogue is your own for a product or your story, you’re safe.”

The client read my email, was fully impressed and agreed to remove the warranty part out.

Then, instead of the 90-day agreement to record retakes of lines as needed, I agreed to a specific time frame. The product was scheduled for release near the end of January, so between now and then I offered retakes free of charge but only for a couple of times. If the client goes over the limit of 5-10 (depends of length of project) then I’ll have to charge for my time. Remember it’s not just the voice over, it’s the editing too. I’m not sharing the price I negotiated because that’s a personal matter that’s going to be different for everyone. The factors that weigh in are my experience, my use of equipment, my time, and the use of my voice for a paid product.

It all worked out and the client was very happy.

So ALWAYS ask questions when it comes to contracts and NDAs. Know your rights as a VO talent. Research all you can. Study blogs, visit forums, browse message boards, look at social media pages on voice overs (FB groups, LinkedIn groups, etc.) and ask for advice from other talent you find. If you have more questions, consider this book by attorney/voice artist Robert Sciglimpaglia: https://www.amazon.com/Voice-Over-LEGAL-Robert-Sciglimpaglia-ebook/dp/B00998J7JO

Happy 2018!!

©2026 Mary Morgan // Voice Over Site by Voice Actor Websites

marymorganvoice@gmail.com
817-845-7862