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Mary Morgan

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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!!

Reasons why Voice Over can be hard work

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Please forgive me for such a long delay. October is my busiest month, not just for voice over but for my other careers. I am a severe workaholic, but I’ll my best to keep up with posting every 1-2 weeks.

So for today’s post, as always, please read but keep an open mind. The information here is based on my own experiences and that of some of my colleagues and friends. I don’t speak for everyone. And don’t let what I have to say discourage you from your VO journey. My only goal here is to share knowledge.

“I’m a Voice Over and I feel like I haven’t worked a day in my life.” When I first started in VO, a teacher actually said those words at the beginning of the workshop. Looking back, I would have started laughing out loud if I knew then what I know now.

To my knowledge this person is still using that phrase as she/he continues teaching waaaaayyyy more than actually performing VO. It also doesn’t help that more than too many have little to nothing good to say about the person as a talent.

Why won’t I say their name? I keep it confidential on this blog because it’s really unprofessional and quite tacky to denounce a person so publicly. It’s also slander, which is wrong. You’re going to encounter lots of people like that, though. If you do, here are signs to watch out for:

  1. A demo is guaranteed after the workshop: The majority of those working in VO frown at this, especially if you’re just starting out. It’s not recommended these days. However, I’ve seen posts now and then that pop up where a demo is offered as credit for attending a workshop. But before considering, you must do your research on the producer. Listen to audio samples if any are available. Ask opinions of fellow VO talent.
  2. They coached “big name” talent but have nothing to show for it. I knew a woman who liked to boast on her website that she coached American Idol finalists, the Dixie Chicks and others, yet she had no proof. She also claimed to be a jack-of-all-trades, yet again, where’s the proof?
  3. They put down other VO talent and producers openly then insist only they know the business while trying to sell marketing materials. Or, they say, “I normally charge this much, but for you I’ll only charge this.” If it’s too good to be true, trust me, it is. Ask questions, lots of them. If the so-called coach/demo producer gets impatient or frustrated or gives shady answers, those are major red flags. Don’t ignore them!

Voice Over isn’t easy. When you find your niche it becomes more comfortable because you develop skill and confidence. But there are still jobs that require hours of using your voice, or taking direction from others. If the latter takes too long, it won’t look good on you. Directors don’t want to hire someone who doesn’t instantly take direction. Never ever forget, time is money. You’ll be reading this a great deal in my blog because it’s brutal honesty.

People who to this day still go around teaching the idea that as a VO they feel like they’ve never worked a day in their life is a false teacher. Beware of them!

VO is wonderful and yes it’s great fun, but there is in fact work involved that quite a few people don’t realize.

Please bear with me. The list is examples of what I’ve seen and experienced. Not everyone will say the same.

Here’s why VO can be hard work:

  1. If doing video game work you might be screaming for hours which means you’ll be hoarse for days or possibly weeks.
  2. If doing animation you might be required to voice 3, 4, or 5 different characters that MUST NOT sound the same.
  3. You could be in a small booth for 3-4 hours at a time.
  4. If reading audiobooks you must have a good flow with the words, understand where and when to take breaths and make the characters stand out without sounding cartoonish (unless it’s a kids book)
  5. Recording a commercial? Do you know the product? The intended audience? The right words that make the meaning of the copy standout to listeners? How to sound natural and believable instead of like an announcer?
  6. If doing an elearning project can you sound engaged with the copy given to you without sounding bored out of your mind?
  7. Can you build a good space to record at home with? Do you have a website to showcase your demos?
  8. You’re reading a commercial that involves an energetic pace. Can you record a number of variations while keeping the energy high for multiple takes?
  9. Do you understand recording software? Audio gear? Working on both PC and Mac?
  10. Do you understand microphone technique? Editing? Adjusting the gain on your audio interface?
  11. Are you prepared to dedicate time to marketing EVERYDAY? Are you prepared to keep up with all the current events in VO?

I could keep going, seriously I could. But I’d probably wear you out. Here’s the point. VO is something you do out of passion, without expecting guarantees. If a teacher brags about living the good life because they barely have to do anything except talk into a microphone then they’re scam artists. Chances are they make more money convincing others to take their VO workshops and then telling them they’re ready to have demos made after one lesson.

Do your homework. If you find a name look up everything you can find. They’re experts at animation or video games do they have an IMDb page? If they’re known for commercials do they have a website with demos? If they’re experts at audiobooks are they listed as narrators on Audible.com? Are they on LinkedIn? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? YouTube? Do they share connections with well known VO people?

Research and research some more! Be careful out there!

Embrace the Art of Learning Voice Over

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Patience is a virtue often underrated due to a fast-paced society we live in. People want to be famous right now so that others will grovel at their feet and pay money to see them at a convention. They want to be rich so that they never have to get a 9 to 5 job or splurge on ridiculous luxuries. The list goes on of course.

However, if everything happened quickly, how would you handle the consequences of what comes after?

Quite a few celebrities are dealing with harsh realities nowadays of getting heavily in debt due to their overspending and poor decision making. Some have turned to taking roles in B, C and D movies just to make money. Audiences used to glorify their names in movies, and now they taunt them on the internet and in Cards Against Humanity. At the same time, if the celebrity is happy to perform in poorly received films, then so be it. Let them use the sources that work to pay their debts.

Back to us, though; what’s wrong with learning? Here’s what people have shared with me so far.

It’s expensive. Think of college. A great number of people are still paying off their college tuition. Some say college is worth it, others say it isn’t. For actors, it depends on what you want out of your life. Not everyone who went to Julliard made it big. I’ve even met a few who flat out told me it wasn’t worth it. But what I found myself asking was, what did they want out of it? An immediate job in a Broadway play? An invite to audition to for Steven Spielberg? Or an education at one of the finest performing institutes in the world?

Time. Some of us are late bloomers. Including myself. Who cares? I may not make it as a romantic leading lady in a Hollywood film like Jennifer Lawrence, but I don’t care because it’s not something I want. I’d rather be a highly respected performer like Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, or Helen Mirren. They’ve been working steadily for years and age hasn’t stopped them. As I’ve grown in my career I’ve discovered that my interest in performing is also awakening my interest in being creative elsewhere: writing, producing, maybe directing, maybe even game design. These days rather than realize that the clock is ticking as an actor and a VO, I’m looking to expand my horizons. How do I do this? NETWORKING! I’m getting to know all kinds of people in other areas of entertainment like music composers, game designers, coders, writers, producers, directors, and on and on. I don’t look at who is more likely to get my foot in the door, but more of what can I learn from their experience. If I die before accomplishing any of my dreams, I can at least look back and know that I tried and hopefully inspire other generations to do the same. Morgan Freeman is a great example. He’s been acting since he was a child, but believe it or not, he didn’t get full recognition until he was in his 40s-50s. He didn’t stop learning and didn’t stop believing in himself.

 It’s hard work, all of it. Wouldn’t it be great to have a mother, father, aunt, uncle, cousin, brother or sister or grandparent working in this industry? They could open doors in a heartbeat. A lot of times they do. But even that can backfire. One actress I know of has a terrific fan base, has close to one hundred thousand followers on Twitter and worked on incredible projects. Yet her ticket in was through her brother because of how established he was in the industry. This actress has earned her place with respect due to proven talen; at the same time, it’s not surprising to see quite a few trolls on the internet blasting the fact that she got in through nepotism. But folks, that’s life. It’s not going to change, ever! Get over it! You can spend hours on the internet griping about a situation you can’t control or move on and work on YOUR potential success, if you want it. If it takes a long time, then embrace the journey. Acknowledge how far you’ve come. In the end people will admire you for it and look up to you instead of bashing your name on forums for getting in through nepotism. Read books, take Udemy courses, watch tutorials on YouTube, attend workshops, listen to podcasts, audition for plays, be an extra in movies, TV and film, get to know ALL kinds of people, even production assistants! Take criticism with a grain of salt and move forward with the promise of continuing to learn. You might surprise yourself with results.

Now, I’m blunt in my posts nowadays because this business is blunt. It’s unfair, it’s ruthless, it’s not for the faint of heart, it’s tough to break into, but also, not impossible. It depends on you. If you don’t make it on Hollywood, make it happen in hometown. YouTube is all the rage now. Even celebrities have YouTube pages just to keep up with what’s current in the world. Make a short film, sing a cover version of a well-known song, open your mind and be creative with your skills.

At the same time, expect criticism and trolls because they’re everywhere and not going away. If some people give you genuine, helpful advice, take it! If others put you down, shrug your shoulders and move on.

***This post was written last Friday which also was the day I received some devastating news in the VO community. A “Pay To Play” site known as Voices dot com bought Voicebank. I don’t want to go into the subject too much but if you need to read more about this and why it’s bad news then start by visiting these sites:

http://www.nethervoice.com/2017/08/09/a-deal-with-the-devil/

https://tomdheere.com/voiceovers-voice-bank-and-voices-dot-com-the-not-silent-blog-81517/

http://www.bryansaint.com/voices-com-reviews-major-update/

10 Reasons why you won’t make it as a voice over part 2

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Continuing from last time on 10 Reasons why you won’t make it as a voice over. Please remember it’s not about saying you will never be a voice over, it’s what you’re not doing that’ll keep you from being a voice over.

  1. Demos: This… is the most important thing you WILL need. No excuses!! You can ever ask around about how important it is to have demos. If you don’t have at least one demo, you’ll be tossed aside. Recording demos on your own is frowned upon, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing (surprisingly, people still try). And keep this priceless piece advice with you: You get what you pay for. If you spend $200-$500 on a demo and it sounds like it was produced in an echoey room with noise in the background, poor sound effects, terrible reading or awful acting, you could not only lose opportunities to audition for projects, you could be remembered for your awful demo and denied a second chance. I’ve seen this happen too. I’ve been to studios where the engineers play horrible demos for everyone just for fun and they literally cringe after 8 seconds then make fun of the person’s name or such. Now some demo producers are generous by keeping fees under $1000, but listen to samples of demos they’ve worked on and decide if you like the quality. Have doubts about what sounds good? Visit Voicebank.net, go to demos and clients, click on agencies like Atlas Agency, DPN, Vox, Inc. SBV, Abrams Artists, AVO Talent or CESD. Play demos under some of the actors listed with the agent. Do you think your demo can stand out from theirs? I have a list of producers I recommend on my VO Knowledge Shared post.
  2. Performance: If you’re pursuing commercials can you read copy without sounding like you’re reading? Can you talk about a product like you’re sharing news of the product to your friend or family? Or if you’re pursing video games, are you prepared to do lots of shouting if it calls for it? Can you put yourself in the mind of a character in a bizarre or hostile environment and sound believable? Can you create voices for 3-4 different characters? If you want to work in animation, the info above still applies. But if you want to pursue anime, can you match the speed of lip flaps on one screen while seeing the script on another? Can you get the work done without lots of errors? Most of all, do you sound awesome on your polished produced demo and are able to reproduce that exact performance?
  3. Respect: This is crucial, not just for others but for yourself. Many entering voice over are offering their “services” for as low as $5 for work in commercials or narrations and so on. If you accept this payment and word gets around, you won’t be popular in the community. And word WILL get around. I see it all the time on social media. Websites and names are mentioned of those who charge little to nothing to book jobs that SHOULD pay more for use of your voice. If you join Pay 2 Play sites, beware of others who audition and offer low fees. Then there are the sites themselves. Some are very dishonest. If you get paid just $100 flat for recording a commercial that’s airing 10-20 times a day on TV or Radio, you’re missing the opportunity to negotiate for residuals (payment for every time it airs). You also risk damaging your reputation. If word gets around you’re willing to work cheap for one company but not for another, how will you handle the situation? Word travels fast.
  4. You won’t take advice from working professionals: There are some who have this idea that they’re good at everything. I’ve seen folks who have potential for corporate or industrials spend years trying to break in animation and games. I’ve also seen announcers attempt audiobooks, and video game VO talent try commercials. But when the pros (super established VO talent or producers, directors, casting or booth directors) give subtle advice and the talent either rolls their eyes or bashes their name on social media for suggesting ideas that could help, it means wasting an opportunity to find a niche that truly works for you. Don’t try to do everything. It’s ridiculous. My strength is animation and games, I believe I have potential in other markets but if a respected pro tells me otherwise I’m totally ok. You may find you have a gift when it comes to long form narration even though you yearn to do video games. Embrace what comes naturally first, then try other genres. However, learn to take any and all advice that’s freely given. Now if it’s a put down or negative comments (even from a pro) then yes, toss it aside. I’ve only encountered maybe 4 people in the voice over community who I won’t recommend as a talent or a coach. They’re long time VO talent with lots of credits in various genres, at the same time they’re grouchy, egotistical, and in some cases VERY insecure about others pursuing voice over. I won’t take their advice because it’s often negative and in a few cases incredibly rude and belittling. Anyone who acts in such a way is a bully, and believe me when I say word travels fast.
  5. You want to be famous like so-and-so and that’s all: If fame is all you want, then VO may not be what you’re looking for. I know plenty of famous VO talent and I’ll tell you this, most weren’t thinking about having thousands of Twitter followers, or interviews in magazines or invites to conventions all over the world. They love acting and they love Entertainment. They got as far as they did through hard word and luck. They’re the nice talent who are respectful even to beginners. I also know talent who are known for a few shows yet play the same kinds of characters over and over. Then they brag about having lots of fans, convention appearances, and money that comes from charging for autographs or pictures taken with them. They may be famous and have lots of fans, but the stories I hear from those who’ve seen the voice actors in person are far from positive. And worse, those who select certain individuals as idols they want to be like (I’ve met a good number of them), end up sabotaging themselves due to trying to be someone they’re not or modeling themselves as the next so-and-so. I’ve seen YouTube videos of a person doing this and constantly mispronouncing the voice actor’s name. This person unfortunately only wanted fame. He/she wanted the worship and praise of others clapping and screaming and throwing themselves at his/her feet. Here’s what’s ironic. The person isn’t a famous VO, he/she is an infamous wannabe. I see their name mentioned now and then, and I read unpleasant stories about them on blogs, message boards, and other social media sites. Do you want fame or infamy? The best kind of “fame” to aim for is respect from other VO talent and clientele. Be someone who is patient, dependable, understanding, easy to work with, joyful, honest, and hardworking. Then your name will spread around the community with compliments and praise. And in time clients (producers, agents, directors, etc.) will seek you out. I’ve gotten some great work just because someone I trained with in a workshop, auditioned for on a project I didn’t book, or met through colleague recommended me.

I could go on with more reasons that would prevent you from becoming a VO talent, but you’ll likely find tips on other blogs that are either similar to all the above or expanded to up to 20 reasons.

And as I said before, don’t use this list to be discouraged, use it to prevent obstacles from happening in your journey to discovering yourself. VO may not be for you after all. Don’t treat the news as a bad thing. Use it to figure out what you can do and where to go from there.

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

marymorganvoice@gmail.com
817-845-7862