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Mary Morgan

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10 Reasons Why You Won’t Make It As A Voice Over part 1

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Due to this post being quite long I’ve made it into two parts. Before criticizing the negative title of this post please know that it’s not meant to discourage; it’s meant to explain what you need to be doing today to be a voice over and the reasons that MIGHT be stopping you.

More and more my colleagues and I are encountering people who ask how to get in VO. And that’s nice. It’s perfectly normal. I encourage it. Now there are times when I might get too busy to answer, but one thing I’m hearing from my friends is the lack of work people should be doing to stay active in this business. If you want to treat it as a hobby that’s great. I guarantee there’s always a need for volunteer voice over artists. You can record books, magazines, or newspapers for the blind. You can donate time to recording some free e-learning programs or PSAs. However, if you want to compete with professional talent that you hear in commercials, promos, anime, video games, cartoons, narrations, audiobooks, industrials, political ads, etc. You HAVE to do the work!

Yes, that was blunt, but for a good reason. My colleagues and I get emails and messages on social media time and time again from people wanting to enter the world of voice overs. As I said above, that’s nice, nothing wrong with that whatsoever. The downside is once they learn all that’s involved just to get started, they either quit, ask for free help at “getting in” or say they don’t need training or demos (yes some have actually said this!). The last two excuses are what irks the professionals, including myself. Working VO talent have worked really hard to get where they are and a lot of us are still working hard to stay in the game. If you’re not willing to work just as hard then you’re wasting our time, which is not free. I will gladly donate time for a letter with links or suggestions on where to start, but wanting free lessons or leads into projects I’m working on? The answer is a flat no.

If you’re truly willing to commit the time you have to training, getting a good home studio set up, networking like a boss with a solid website and auditioning hundreds or thousands of times before booking something, then you’re welcome in the VO Community. And it is definitely a wonderful community. A lot of VO talent compete for the same jobs, and a few don’t like to acknowledge those who are starting out or who are capable of eventually booking jobs they normally get. The vast majority though become like family over time. You can have a place in all of it if you’re willing to do the work. If you think you don’t need to do any work, see a list of reasons why you won’t make it as a voice over.

  1. Training: It’s a must. I know Talent who have worked for Disney, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., major TV networks and national commercials who still attend workshops and classes to stay sharp and keep up with what’s current. If you think you’re too good for all that, see ya!
  2. Taking direction: ALWAYS leave your ego at home. ALWAYS!! (you’re going to see this word a lot). Your job is not to like how the script is written, your job is to show up at the studio prepared for feedback and sometimes long hours in a booth. If you won’t acknowledge what the director or client wants out of your read, you’ll be fired and likely not hired again or worse, blackballed.
  3. Egos: As said above, ALWAYS leave your ego at home. I know of people in the industry who think they’re God when it comes to voice over. It’s almost literal. They’re demanding when it comes to projects (lead roles only, no minor parts and no background voices) and disrespectful to those who aren’t as elite as they like to think they are. One person I hear NONSTOP horror stories about will refuse to work on shows that don’t have a high-profile presence among viewers. Nor will this person perform as a supporting or minor character, it has to be a lead. This person has been seen first-hand by working professionals as well as fans behaving like a diva with ridiculous demands, loving the attention he/she gets from others and won’t hesitate to take advantage of it. Instead honoring the opportunities he/she receives with gratitude, he/she is purely in it for the fame, and the money received for making appearances. On the internet, however, you find people posting all kinds of negative comments which in due time could stall or end your career. If you become like this person, eventually it WILL come back at you.
  4. Not having a solid space or recording equipment at home: Folks, this is the age we live in. You have to have a home studio. If you live near recording studios and are willing to pay money per hour to audition or record sessions then by all means stick to it. However, clients these days don’t want to pay a studio fee. So, consider finding a place in your house or apartment that’s really quiet. Talk with recording engineers about ways to dampen or sound proof the area (a corner, a closet, even a bathroom) so there’s no echo. You can totally have a good studio on a low budget. Do your research online. Some great people I recommend for help are George Whittam, Dan Lenard and Dan Friedman. Google their names, and email them. Be aware though, their time isn’t free. Time is money, so don’t expect free evaluations or advice.
  5. Marketing: If you assume people will find you right away on social media you’ll be waiting a LONG time. Even if you sign with an agent, you still have to do your part. Never call an agent to ask why you’re not getting any work. You can, however, ask what you can do to help your agent get you noticed. If you won’t take their advice or give them a hard time, you could be dropped and then your name would get around as someone difficult to work with. I’ve seen it happen. The internet is a goldmine of great info and assistance but also a curse. Use it only for good. Join Facebook VO groups, Twitter Chats, create a YouTube page, get a nice website (HTML is recommended, not flash), create a LinkedIn page and join groups there. Find out if there might be a meet up group in your area. Or join online VO workout groups who use Zoom to interact. Be a positive role model and not someone who belittles others.

Part-Time Careers While Pursuing Voice Overs

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I’ve been away a while. Apologies, apologies and more apologies. But I’ve been VERY busy, which is what I like. And I’ll be glad to share the progress in posts yet to come. Still with me? Bless you!

Believe it or not only a certain amount of people can have the luxury of making voice over a full-time business in a matter of a few short years or even decades. Because of this, I decided to write a blog post about part-time careers or jobs that my colleagues have had while working their way to full-time.

For those who have asked, I have quite a few part-time careers going on, not just to make money but to have back-up opportunities when VO work is slow, or when I need more training, more demos, studio upgrades, etc. Because, let’s face it, we need money to keep VO going in our lives.

It got me thinking about other VO talent and how their journeys led them to where they are. So I asked quite a few talent and here’s what they shared with me:

Yoga Instructor (I’m certified)

Emergency substitute teacher

Educational technology

Nanny/Babysitter/Music Broker

Independent Contractor at Radio Promotions

Social worker/Supervisor/Guidance Counselor/Rare Book Dealer

Baker/Pastry Chef/Cake Decorator (I’m experimenting with this)

Jeweler/Jewelry Designer; Interior (re)Design/Staging; Copy Editing/Writing

Being an extra in movies and on TV shows (I’ve done LOTS)

Real Estate Agent (I know many actors in this field)

Tutor for kids with learning disabilities

Client Relations for a Creative Agency

Freelance Food Stylist

Radio Traffic Reporter

Historical Consultant for a Heritage Organization

Travel Writer for tours and content provider to their websites (something I’m very interested in as a hobby and part-time career)

Assistant at Conventions and Fundraisers

Massage Therapist (I’m considering adding this to my resume)

Photographer

Dog Walker/Pet Sitter

Mystery Shopper

Professional Mermaid (I’m on my way towards this as well)

Or reviewer of free items on apps like Influenstar

Extra for movies (sometimes $58 to $75 per 8 or 12 hour days with meals provided) or commercials filming in town – You don’t necessarily need a talent agent for finding extra work. However, quite a few casting directors I know who book extra work on SAG commercials (which usually pay a little over $300 for 10 hours on set) use talent agents because they trust the professionalism of the actors with that agent. There are people who can make a decent living being professional extras for movies and commercials. But you have to be available for a full day, possibly an overnight shoot or multiple days at a time. Often you’ll be asked a day or two before production and saying “maybe” can cost you future opportunities.

Pretty much the key word to hold to is: freelance. However, also keep in mind that freelance isn’t for the faint of heart. You work every day trying to attract business opportunities which is the absolute same in voice over. Depending on what you want to do, remember that some part-time careers and jobs require certifications, licenses, and expenses for advertising (websites, business cards, attending conventions, etc.).

Yet again, like in Voice Over, in order to succeed, you MUST know your competition. There are always going to be others who are not necessarily better but definitely more experienced. Then ask yourself questions like: What do you do differently than other brands? Why should the client put their trust in you? Will it support you through bills, taxes and family members?

Build your reputation by being a trustworthy source to those who need your talents, and then keep in touch with them with an occasional email asking how they are, and politely offering your services if they ever have a need for them. They might provide you with testimonials for your website or referrals which can lead to greater jobs.

If none of the above interests you in part-time work, then research some more. Google can be your friend if you let it. And yes, it’s easy to be discouraged, we all go through it. But know that life isn’t meant to be comfortable. Comfortable is the death of creativity. Without challenges, we as artists and human beings don’t grow and change to better ourselves and our talents.

I love discovering new hobbies and I encourage others to take leaps into unusual territories, not because I want to discourage you from pursuing voice over, but because whatever you learn outside of voice over might help you in your journey. If you love reading books aloud, maybe volunteer as a reader for https://www.learningally.org/. If you love art make a montage of screenshots and share bits of trivia through narration, then put it on YouTube. Or if you love talking about crafts, make up, recipes, then make instructional videos and put them out there!

Using Linkedin for Voice Over

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The internet is a treacherous playground, but it’s also fantastic and an absolute necessity for any business in general. And not only that, Voice Over work is more plentiful than ever because of ads, interactive games, industrials, web series, and so much more being broadcast online. It’s the perfect time to take advantage of pursuing VO work. You’ll most definitely need to make friends, build relationships and research, research, as well as research some more. By that I mean finding ways to connect with people if they don’t want to connect online (there are quite a few), so you’ll have to explore other ways to approach them without making them feel uneasy.

Now please understand that I make no guarantees whatsoever at having expertise in social media. I’m still learning the best ways to try and build connections. This means whatever worked for me may not work for you. So again, research, research and research some more. By the way, having an open mind wouldn’t hurt because EVERYONE has opinions and while you may not share them, it’s best not to antagonize others. It can backfire severely and never be forgotten. In the end, you’ll have to be the judge of what feels right for you.

Do you have profiles on Twitter? Facebook? Linkedin? Do you have a personal website? If yes, great. I’ll share some tips below on how to use them to your advantage. If not, I strongly advise that you create profiles for all the above. Social media is exhausting to keep up with and sometimes it REALLY sucks. But this is the age we live in. If you’re not keeping up with the times, you won’t get far.

So for this week’s post let’s start with Linkedin:

This is one of my favorites because I make it all about business. I strongly advise that you do the same. Warning: there’s a TON of research involved. Don’t use it as you would Facebook. I’m also picky with who can see my connections, because there are people out there who will use you for your contacts. And before you join any groups or connect with industry specialists, make sure your profile is as super-professional as possible. I recommend a good headshot for your profile pic and not something silly or the photo of a celebrity who isn’t you. My page isn’t perfect, but I have an honest picture of myself, some referrals, endorsements, links to other social media sites, and of course a website with links to my demos.

When your page looks good, find groups that interest you and try joining them. If you want to be in music join music-related groups and try connecting with musicians, composers, audio engineers, jingle producers, lyricists, etc. If you want to be in film then join film-and acting-related groups and then try connecting with producers, casting directors, production crew, screenwriters, etc. If you want to work in video games then find video game groups that focus on your area of interest (audio, programming, development, design, artwork, etc.), then try connecting with coders, designers, producers, creative directors, HR recruitment staff, and more. Now in voice over you have a plethora of choices when it comes to groups and even more choices with whom to try and connect with: audiobook companies/producers, animation companies/directors/producers, video game companies/directors/audio designers/sound designers/audio engineers, advertising agencies/creative directors, and yes there’s still more. Also, don’t limit yourself to one city, state, country or continent.

Voice Over is universal, so take advantage of opportunities to search for all the above at locations across the globe. Start with big cities. If you’re in Texas the cities would be Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and El Paso. If you’re in Louisiana then search New Orleans, Shreveport, Baton Rouge. If you’re in California (Lucky you!) then search the mother of all cities for entertainment: Los Angeles. Then search San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego.

Or if you’re wanting to focus on certain markets then you must research where the jobs are plentiful. For instance you’re based in the USA and want to focus on commercials, fortunately they’re everywhere, but think of places like New York City, Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Portland, Atlanta and so on. For audio books, the Audio Publishers Association is in New York, but audio book publishers are located on the East and West coasts. For narrations, primarily the East coast. For video games, the major cities would be Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, New York City and in Canada (Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto.) For animation, it’s most definitely Los Angeles, but also look in Atlanta, New York City, Austin and elsewhere. Thanks to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and more networks on the way, original animated series and animated movies will be on the rise.

But don’t forget to search other countries. I’ve worked with clients in Slovenia, Russia, and other locations. I have friends who have worked with clients in India, Ireland, South Africa, Dubai and beyond. Important note: dollar values will be different everywhere. Be prepared to negotiate.

After you’ve connected with someone, send a brief message saying “Thank You”, but personalize it so that you don’t end up looking like someone sending the same note to everybody. By personalizing, look at the person’s page, who they’ve worked with, their experience and then compliment them on their skills. Then end by saying something like, “Please keep in touch”, your name and a link to your website. DO NOT ask for a job. The goal is to connect and build relationships, not to beg. These are human beings with emotions like everyone else in the world, please be respectful of them.

On the subject of groups, you have more than a plethora of choices. Some will accept you, and some may not. As always, try not to take it as an insult. Give it time for people to get to know you on social media or in person at a workshop or convention.

Here are some general VO groups to join:
Voice Over Professionals
Global Online Voice-Over / Dubbing Artistes, Studios, Agencies
Voiceover Casting Directors and Agents
All Star Voices
International Voiceover Bank
Radio, Television Broadcast and Voice-over Professionals
Voice Over Talent Needed: VoiceoverTV.net
Social Media for Voice Actors
Voiceover Gigs
Voiceover Marketing Strategists
World-Voices Organizations

E-Learning:
eLearning Voice Over Group

Animation:
Animation Army
Animation, Media and Entertainment
Characters Engage
Character Voice Actors

Video Games:
People in Games
Game Audio

Gamevoices:
Video Game Voice Acting

There are many more groups. You could even type in animation, video games, e-learning, audiobooks, narration, promos or such when looking for groups to join. See what you find!

Voice Over and Recording from Home

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Do you record at home in a small closet or room, buy a whisper room, build a home studio from scratch, or invest in a booth?

I’ve recorded in all kinds of spaces at my house and in professional studios, but these days you MUST be able to primarily record at home. No excuses, no exceptions. There’s no need to spend thousands of dollars; however, that can also depend on your location and outside environment. If you live in a nice quiet suburb, then a good closet space will do fine. But if you’re able to hear a 60 Hz hum in the walls from electricity, planes flying over your house or leaf blowers and lawn mowers every other day, you’ll need to find ways to work around them. [Read more…] about Voice Over and Recording from Home

Voice Over Classes, Workshops, Webinars, oh my!

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vo-success

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.

mary-and-dave

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

mary-and-bob

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!

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

marymorganvoice@gmail.com
817-845-7862