voice actor

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

January 23, 2018 by MaryMorgan

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!

Reasons why Voice Over can be hard work

October 30, 2017 by MaryMorgan

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:

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.
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?
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:

If doing video game work you might be screaming for hours which means you’ll be hoarse for days or possibly weeks.
If doing animation you might be required to voice 3, 4, or 5 different characters that MUST NOT sound the same.
You could be in a small booth for 3-4 hours at a time.
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)
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?
If doing an elearning project can you sound engaged with the copy given to you without sounding bored out of your mind?
Can you build a good space to record at home with? Do you have a website to showcase your demos?
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?
Do you understand recording software? Audio gear? Working on both PC and Mac?
Do you understand microphone technique? Editing? Adjusting the gain on your audio interface?
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

August 17, 2017 by MaryMorgan

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/

Using Linkedin for Voice Over

March 20, 2017 by MaryMorgan

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

February 13, 2017 by MaryMorgan

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!

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

Reasons why Voice Over can be hard work

Voice Over and Recording from Home

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