talent

Voice Over Knowledge Shared Updated List

January 20, 2022 by MaryMorgan

Yes folks! I’m still alive and quite busy these days. Due to the coronavirus I have a bit more time on my hands. I felt it best to update my Voice Over Knowledge Shared list as many things have changed. There are people on the old list I no longer associate with due to paying them for services that they did not deliver and thus have blocked me rather than handle the situation like a mature adult. People are scrambling to get into voice over more than ever before and competition is beyond challenging. You not only need solid acting skills and great demos. You MUST be able to record from your house and the audio needs to broadcast quality. No “ifs” and no “buts”. The biggest companies in the world are learning to record talent remotely and for a while, this is how it’s going to be until a miracle emerges for the human race.

There are numerous Facebook and Linkedin groups you can join as well in order to keep up with the radical changes that are happening at a rapid pace. Seriously. Some groups will not allow talent who are brand new or inexperienced but don’t let that get you down. Join those that are open to talent who are new or established. Everyone starts somewhere. There’s time to learn and get better, however, keep in mind the competition that’s out there.

And… take advantage of online classes and workshops NOW. Countless millions are out of work or struggling to make ends meet during this terrible time. Because of this, lots of wonderful teachers, producers, casting directors, etc have generously reduced the costs of their time and knowledge for the month of April. You don’t meed a super expensive webcam, or expensive audio equipment. Even your iPhone or android, or iPad and so on can be used. The majority of classes are taught through ZOOM which you can download for free and then click on any link sent from a VO coach through email.

Repeating what I posted last year: To be a Voice Over know first that acting is acting. I know of very few people who got into voice over work without being an actor first. Even if you only want to pursue commercials, narrations, or announcements, an acting class will benefit you in tremendous ways whether it be theater, film, or improvisation. You gain an understanding of what it means to be directed, how to use your voice correctly, and enhanced reading skills. If goals are focused towards animation, video games, anime or puppetry, acting classes are MUST. No excuses. Funny voices don’t make a character authentic, acting does. If you live somewhere that doesn’t have ongoing film, theater or improvisation classes to take in person fear not. Thanks to Skype, Zoom, YouTube and many others you can learn from a distance by attending webinars, online programs, group courses or one-on-one training with a reputable coach. Some names mentioned are people I haven’t trained with yet but through colleagues that I trust without any doubt whatsoever, I believe they’re experts worthy of notice. If there’s a name on my list of teachers that isn’t mentioned it’s due to one of two possible reasons: 1. I haven’t heard of the individual yet. 2. I have in fact trained with the individual and what they teach is false.

Everyone has a website these days so all you have to do is google their names for more info.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON DEMOS: Do not get a demo made until you’ve had enough training to start somewhere. False teachers/producers will try to talk you into letting them produce your demo when you’re far from ready. It’s an expensive mistake that can also damage your first impression to others. People remember bad demos. NEVER forget that. Visit websites for talent agencies such as like Dean Panaro Talent, CAA, VOX Inc., CESD, SBV, AVO, Atlas Talent Agency, Osbrink Agency, Coast to Coast Talent, and A3 Talent Agency. Listen to names who have representation on those sites (including celebrities). Can you do what they do and sound believable?

Teachers I have trained with, most have expertise in more than one genre or market. Google their names for more information about them: Andrea Toyias (video games), Trine Jensen (video games, acting, motion capture), Richard Dorton (video games, acting, motion capture), Sara Jane Sherman (animation), Rick Sellers (toys), Jennifer Trujillo (animation), Everett Oliver (animation), Pat Fraley (audio books, animation), Cliff Zellman (commercials and auto-motive), Carol Monda (audiobooks), David Rosenthal (animation, games, promos, commercials), Anne Ganguzza (corporate narration and e-learning), Cissy Jones (video games), Ginny McSwain (video games), Bob Bergen (animation), Dave Fennoy (video games), Joyce Castellanos (Promos), Mary Lynn Wissner (commercials), Katie Leigh (animation and ADR), Marice Tobias (commercials and narration), Richard Horvitz (animation), MJ Lallo (animation), Bill Holmes (commercials), Marc Cashman (commercials), Lani Minella (video games), John Swasey and Ned Lott (ADR Looping)

Demo Producers I have worked with or I have complete trust in: Trine Jensen, Chuck Duran, Marc Graue Studios, Susan Palyo at Voice Trax West, Rick Sellers, Cliff Zellman, Richard Horvitz, Nancy Wolfson, Roy B. Yokelson, David Rosenthal, Cristina Milizia

Voice Over Guides from Working Professionals in Animation, Video Games and Anime: (great place for beginners)

https://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com
http://www.kylehebert.com/
http://www.crispinfreeman.com/faq.html

Group/Private Training and Workouts for all kinds of Voice Over markets:

https://lonestarvo.com (great for beginners whether you’re in Texas or not)
https://www.thevopros.com/
http://www.globalvoiceacademy.com/ (great place for beginners)
http://www.voicetraxwest.com/classdescriptions/
http://www.fixinthemix.com/Voiceover_VO_Class.htm

Voice Over Blogs or Web Talk Shows:

http://www.nethervoice.com/nethervoice/
http://www.vobuzzweekly.com/
https://www.vobs.tv/

Help with Marketing and more (I spend the vast majority of my time on Linkedin):

https://www.marcscottcoaching.com/lesson/marketing-for-success/
http://anneganguzza.com/services
http://www.celiasiegel.com/ (has a published book called VoiceOver Achiever that is highly recommended for voice over branding)

Voice Over Communities:

https://twitter.com/courvo/lists/voiceoverists (Also search for a plethora of groups on Linkedin, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.)
https://voiceactingclub.com/

Voice Over Conventions:

http://www.voatlanta.me/
http://www.faffcon.com/ (working professionals only)
http://faffcamp.com/ (those starting out or already seasoned in VO)
http://www.world-voices.org (runs WOVOCON)
http://randythomaspresents.com/
http://www.midatlanticvo.com/
http://www.midwestvoiceoverconference.com/
http://thatsvoiceover.com/

Home Recording Studio Experts:

Dan Lenard – www.homevoiceoverstudio.com/
George Whittam – http://www.vostudiotech.com/
Dan Friedman – http://www.sound4vo.com/

A few examples of Professional Voice Over Websites:

http://voiceoversandvocals.com/
http://bethchaplin.com/VO/
http://www.bernadettesullivan.com/
http://www.nazvoice.com/
http://www.lorialan.com/
http://www.mikematheson.com/
https://dbcoopervo.com/

Miscellaneous Resources:

http://www.voiceoverresourceguide.com/
https://www.audiopub.org/ (for audio book narrators)
https://www.voiceoverxtra.com/

Last but nowhere near the least are Don’ts and Do’s that I’ve compiled based on my own experiences. May you all follow your dreams and find success!

WHAT NOT TO DO

– Don’t stop in the middle of a recording. If you mess up during a recording or audition don’t ask the engineer to stop recording and don’t waste time apologizing, just go back to the beginning of a line or paragraph and start again. Engineers can edit out mistakes.

-Don’t offer suggestions to the director unless you are asked

-Don’t let any coach (no matter how reputable) convince you that you’re ready to make demo after 2-3 sessions, especially if you’re a beginner.

-Don’t have a friend make an edit for you unless they have extensive professional experience. It’s very easy to tell if an audio production was produced on cheap software ore a high quality studio. You want the best to make you sound the best.

-Don’t eat dairy products or a super heavy meal before a recording session.

-Don’t spend thousands of dollars on a home studio, ask around for advice on good microphones, recording software, speakers, headphones, etc.

-Don’t show up in person to hand studios, agents, or casting directors your demo. Look at their website for rules on submissions (if there are any), then call to see if the company has a casting department or ask who casts the shows/games. Most casting directors prefer a link to your demo from a website rather than an mp3 as they take up space.

-Don’t tell everyone about a project you’ve recorded on social media unless the client is okay with it. Overzealous anime and video game fans will do almost anything to get the gossip on who voiced what character. Wait until the studio makes a cast announcement online or ask them personally if it’s okay to share news about your latest voice over job.

-DON’T EXAGGERATE ON YOUR RESUME. People in this business do look up people and places that you list and if it’s not legit, word will spread super quickly.

-Don’t call studios, agents or casting directors saying someone referred you if it’s not true. You won’t be hired and more than likely never trusted as second time.

-Don’t strike up a conversation with another VO actor at an audition in person. If there’s a script for you to look over, read it, study the available information. Afterwards, make friends, but be respectful to those auditioning after you.

-Don’t beg for a job. Ask about upcoming auditions or share news of a recent project (without bragging) or a new voice over demo, but don’t e-mail clients specifically asking if they can give you a job.

WHAT TO DO

-Do be on time when recording in a professional studio, fifteen minutes early at best.

-Do let producers, casting directors or your agent know if you’re running late (traffic, accidents, events, etc.)

-Do pay attention to all direction given to you in a session

-Do ask questions if something doesn’t make sense, don’t give the director a hard time pretending you understand if you really don’t

-Do bring your own water. Some studios have some for you but not always.

-Do practice a script if the client sends you a copy to work with. If you can look at your script the day before recording READ it and PRACTICE out loud.

-Do always keep training in some way, take ongoing acting lessons, attend workshops, seminars, watch youtube videos, read articles, listen to other demos

-Do market yourself with business cards, postcards, CDs, websites,

-Do network with others at events (see conventions list) you never know who you might meet

-Do keep up with what’s happening in the industry. So many do not do this.

-Do make friends with other VO talent. Many pass jobs to each other or recommend friends to agents and studios.

-Do keep a positive attitude, it’s a VERY competitive business and everyone goes through ups and downs. Everyone. But if you’re negative, especially around people in the business, people will not want to work with you or recommend you to clients.

-Do take care of your body with vocal warm-ups, physical exercises, and good personal hygiene.

-Do research coaches, classes, to see if they’re legit, ask around forums, get REAL opinions, don’t necessarily rely on online testimonials alone.

-Do listen very carefully to demos. Recognize what sounds real and what sounds fake. A voice actor (even a coach) may say they can sound like a baby, kids, teens, but vocally they’re incapable of sounding authentic. If you can sound like a baby, have it on your demo or be prepared to have a dynamite audition. First impressions really do matter.

-Do take criticism and learn from it.

Do you have a thick skin to work in Voice Over?

January 29, 2019 by MaryMorgan

They are out there lurking around the Internet waiting for the right opportunity to strike you down with malicious criticism. Yes, I mean the trolls. The online bullies. The ones who look for any excuse to ruin your day or your whole life. They love to linger on YouTube so they can dislike your videos and post cruel comments. And when you succeed at something they post taunts and in some cases death threats just to unnerve you.

It happens in every profession but in the arts and entertainment industry it is prominent.

Ok, bear with me. Remember Star Wars: The Phantom Menace? If you do you probably know where I’m going with this. That’s right, Jar Jar Binks. I wholeheartedly agree his character was… not good. It just didn’t work at all. A handful of people liked him but more didn’t and voiced their opinion anywhere they could.

Last year the actor, Ahmed Best, who voiced Jar Jar Binks wrote an article about the time that all took place. There was a picture of him with his son as they were looking at the water far below from the bridge they were standing on. What bothered me was when Ahmed Best said that years ago he contemplated jumping off that same bridge because of the backlash he received from his work in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. He still received work in voice over and occasionally on film. However, he would forever be known for a character most audiences hated. The criticism was severe enough that his presence was incredibly short and forgettable in the other two films. I understood his pain right away. I’ve known 3 people in my life who committed suicide, one of whom was a very close friend. What stopped Best, he says in the article, was the birth of his son. Ahmed Best isn’t responsible for the malicious reactions of the Star Wars prequels. It was the writing, direction and maybe a few misled casting choices. Yet the franchise solely belonged to George Lucas at the time (way before Disney bought it) and therefore he created what he felt worked. All Ahmed Best did was his job as a character.

I can tell you without a doubt that there are projects I sometimes wish I hadn’t been part of. But acting is acting and work is work. The scripts/stories were the main reasons. When a script is poorly written our job as voice overs is to make it sound beautiful when spoken or bring it to life.

What you have to expect is that people will like it, love it, hate it, or really hate it. Then you decide how to handle the situation in a professional manner.

Remember the infamous song “Friday” by a 13-year-old girl named Rebecca Black? She was a teenager, well behaved, had a nice smile and a good attitude despite the thousands of horrific insults flung at her. Ms. Black not only received verbal attacks, she received death threats, and a number of talk shows made fun of her.

Yet no one wanted to acknowledge that it was the song and the production that caused the problem, not her. The lyrics were amateurish. The songwriter even included a section where he rapped with no purpose for it in the song. Rebecca’s voice had been auto-tuned way, way too much. The producer was to blame for that part.

She received instant fame but also tremendous infamy, and for what? Singing a poorly written, poorly recorded song. Despite the verbal abuse, online bullies, and more, she kept a positive attitude which should be commended for someone so young entering a cutthroat industry.

Fame has a shelf life of 15 minutes, but infamy lasts a bit longer. Without a thick skin, infamy big or small can tear your soul to pieces.

Strangely though, there are occasions when a thick skin can backfire. Some celebrities are caught in the spotlight these days due to their horrible behavior, some of which has been going on for many years. And a few have destroyed their careers because of a single post, picture or video on social media that even when deleted still remains on the internet forever. When you look at a famous face who’s been in great movies, won awards, and who has done great charity work, everything changes when you find out the person committed crimes or made hateful comments online. Suddenly those movies aren’t enjoyable anymore because you see the actor in a different light, and there’s no going back. It’s especially hard on people who look up to celebrities and in some cases consider them heroes and mentors. And yet with all this drama, those big names play it cool in front of the camera. They’ve put up with criticism left and right throughout their careers. Perhaps over time the attention numbed them so much that their thick skin became a massive shield. As a consequence they think nothing can stop them with their millions of dollars, powerhouse lawyers, etc.

As performers we’re going to have admirers and, no matter what, we are definitely going to have haters. The question is whether or not you’re going to let it affect how far you’ve come.

Voice Over Classes, Workshops, Webinars, oh my!

February 7, 2017 by MaryMorgan

Now that I have your attention here’s a warning! There are lots of questions that need answering. Still want to venture forth? Good! You’re very brave. Here we go!

How badly do you want to be a voice over? Like, really how badly? Quite a bit? A lot? Really? Great, now what are you prepared to do to make it happen?

The above questions are for you to answer. Over the next few weeks I’ll post questions with my answers so that you can determine if they’re of any help in where you want to be as a voice over.

Ready to begin? Alrighty then!

-Do you train with just a few people or with lots of people?

Whether you work with 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 10 coaches in voice over, you’ll never learn all you need to know. Why? Because as I type this and as you read this the business is changing rapidly. Think about it. Decades ago (in no particular order) there were announcements, then came advertisements, then came promos, then came jingles, then came animations, then came audiobooks, then came movie trailers, then came ADR (automated dialogue replacement), see where this is going? And to add on what we have already there are also medical narrations, on-hold messages, industrials, corporate narrations, museum tours, video games, toys, award show announcers, e-learning, translations, motion capture and now virtual reality is on the rise.

So with all that said, you need to find your niche. You might be great at commercials but not comfortable with animation. You might be terrible at medical narrations but terrific with promos. Audiobooks might be too much for you to handle, yet you can rock the house with video games.

But how, you ask, do you find out? Take workshops!

As I’ve said quite a few times, if you have a computer with internet then you have no excuses not to work with others in VO. The only downside is that they do cost money, some much more than others. You also have to do some research because a person may claim expertise in something but not have nothing to show for it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen continuing education classes at colleges taught by supposed experts yet find nothing about them on the internet: No website, no LinkedIn page, no IMDb page, not even a mention in forums or message boards. But in the bio of the course taught they’ve been a VO talent for 20 years doing commercials, narrations, video games, etc.

Here’s something I do when anyone claimed to work in cartoons or video games. I search the Internet Movie Database.

For example, look at Dave Fennoy, who teaches video game voice acting workshops. http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0271965/?ref=m_nv_sr_1

Or Pat Fraley who teaches animation and audiobook voice over workshops. http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0289710/?ref=m_nv_sr_1

Or Bob Bergen, who was the first true VO talent I learned from. http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0074036/

Now unfortunately not all animation voice over talent have IMDb pages, but they have experience and knowledge with companies like Nickelodeon, Disney, and others. Lisa Biggs for example is a phenomenal voice actress with 20 years of experience. I know Lisa and always recommend her. Sadly I can’t find an IMDb page for her. But if you visit her top-notch website you’ll hear amazing demos, see video clips of various jobs and toys that she’s voiced! You can ask if anyone knows Lisa Biggs in a number of voice over groups and discover that she’s not only well known but widely respected and incredibly generous. http://lisabiggs.com/

If you’re drawn to the world of commercials you still want to work with more than one person. Why? Because you still need to find out what kinds of commercials work for you. Always use your natural voice for commercials unless the client is looking for character voices (talking tomatoes, talking pets, etc.). If your voice is young you probably won’t book many ads about banks, real estate, or automotive spots; however, you might have luck with ads for cosmetics, restaurants, fashion, or vacation packages. If your voice is older or deeper you can do sultry ads for perfumes, authoritative commercials on serious subjects, pet foods, cleaning products, wine or beer products. Get the idea?

Can you talk for hours without sounding tired or damaging your vocal chords? Then try audiobooks or narrations. The hours are long and sometimes deadlines are short, but lots of people make good money recording audiobooks and it continues to be a market in high demand. But what genres fit your voice? Mystery? Science fiction? Fantasy? Horror? True Crime? Romance? YA? Children’s books? Non-Fiction? Erotica?

Can you sound like a young and energetic little boy or girl? A hyperactive robot? A bitter old woman? A sarcastic villain? A magic creature from folklore? A foreigner from a little-known country with a bizarre accent? Then you might have a place in the world of animation, anime and video games. But keep in mind all the above as just a few examples of what you might be expected to do just for one show. These days voice actors are expected to voice at least 3 different characters for a single game or show. And they must not sound similar!

Nancy Cartwright is famous as the voice of Bart Simpson, but look on her IMDb page and see the other voices she created for the show during the 27 years it’s been airing on T.V.! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004813/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

What about Trey Parker and Matt Stone who created South Park? http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0121955/fullcredits/cast?ref_=m_tt_cl_sc

Browse Tara Strong’s list of credits and see how many shows she had to provide more than one character voice for: http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0152839/filmotype/actress?ref_=m_nmfm_1

This blog post could go on and on. Yet I imagine the info mentioned thus far is already taking its toll on your brain. You don’t have to be good with all voice over markets, but the more you can add to your repertoire, the more likely you’ll attract work and opportunities.

So after everything I said above, what do you think? Should you train with just a few VO coaches or as many as you can?

I’ve worked with LOTS of people. And I’ll probably work with more, because I never want to stop learning.

Here’s a list of people I’ve trained with as well as what I learned from them and a list of people I have not worked with but whom I trust in what they teach.

People I’ve trained with and highly recommend:

Lisa Biggs: Animation, kids voices, voice over for toys

Pat Fraley: Animation and Audiobooks

Bob Bergen: Animation

Mary Lynn Wissner: Commercials

Bill Holmes: Commercials

Everett Oliver: Animation

Marc Cashman: Commercials

Dave Fennoy: Video Games

Ginny McSwain: Video games

Lani Minella: Video games

Richard Horvitz: Animation

Marice Tobias: Commercials and Narrations

MJ Lallo: Animation

Katie Leigh: Animation

Joyce Castellanos: Promos

Ned Lott: ADR Looping

Cliff Zellman: Commercials

People or Places I haven’t trained with (yet!) but still recommend:

Anyone who teaches at Global Voice Acting Academy

Nancy Wolfson – Commercials

Angel Burch – Beginning Voice Overs, Animation, Techniques

Elaine Clark – Narration, Commercials, Video Games

Debi Derryberry – Animation, Commercials

Terri Douglass – ADR Looping

Bill Farmer – Animation, Commercials, Trailers

Marc Graue – Video Games, Trailers, Commercials, Narrations, Promos,

Often the names above will teach workshops across the USA and sometimes abroad. Unfortunately, one or two only work with talent in person. Otherwise, the majority will also teach workshops over Skype, group classes through Zoom or webinars. Take advantage of the opportunity to work with them!

Google their names and see what you find or find them on social media.

Always remember to do your research and follow your instincts!

Mary Morgan

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