Debbie Grattan

Part 3 of an Interview with Marketing Expert, Cheril Hendry of Brandtailers

Professional Female Voice Over Actor Debbie Grattan chats with Marketing Exec Cheril Hendry of Brandtailers about which specific qualities of a voice over actor stand out most from her perspective, including what to do and what NOT to do when working with producers.

Debbie Grattan, Voice Over Actor: Are there particular qualities of a voice over actor that really stand out (not only in the voice and the delivery, but also in the person and their professional abilities) that make you want to hire them over and over again?

Cheril Hendry: Well, it’s always nice to have some good variety on their voice over demo, to hear their versatility, because that gives me the safety of knowing that if what I need is slightly different from what is on their demo, they can still deliver a read that will be on target.

I would suggest you always put that natural sounding delivery (discussed in previous article) at the top of your demo. If that’s really what 80% of the people are looking for, then that’s what I want to hear first. I don’t find that is done on most demos that I listen to. Usually it’s more of the traditional, classical type, character voices at the beginning of demos and I recommend you adjust that.

Debbie Grattan: Is there anything that a voice over actor does that really annoys you or is a big “no-no” in your book?

Cheril Hendry: I’ve noticed one thing that seems to be fairly common with some voice over actors and it’s innocent but it’s a little frustrating. We’ve moved to voiceover talent having their own home recording studios, and you can literally do a series of spots and get it done with really talented people in 10 or 15 minutes. Sometimes I think that the talent feels guilty for being able to do what they do so quickly, so they keep me on the phone for 30 minutes talking about, “how is this and how is that” and “I traveled here and I traveled there” and they just want to have a conversation.

So, I would prefer a voice over actor who’s like this: “Hi, how are ya? Great! How’s the kids? Fine. Let’s do this. Ok, great! Have a nice day! Bye.” It seems that I get so many of these people who just want to talk for 20 minutes! I don’t want to be rude, but, they don’t need to do that!

Debbie Grattan: I think in the old days when voice over actors used to go into a studio, there was that sense of sitting around, having a cup of coffee and chatting a little bit then you get the work done. We are so isolated now-a-days, sometimes those ISDN sessions are the only opportunity during a day when we get to hear another person’s voice besides our own! But, that’s a good word of warning and something I’ll have to watch myself!

Are there any other general trends that you think would be useful for voice over actors to be more aware of or to implement?

Cheril Hendry: Obviously, you have to have your own website. But, it’s a combination of search and keeping your name out there. I recommend you have a blog. I don’t know how much voiceover talent thinks that way, but that’s a great way to expose your skills through something other than just a website with demos on it.

You can tell stories (get the clients’ approval, of course) about why the voice was done the way it was, what the product is about, things of that sort. Especially for larger products and bigger budgets, you’ve got people out there who really want to understand how that works.

The other thing is there’s a basic expectation that if you’re dealing with a professional voice over actor, you expect them to have their own recording studio, you expect them to be able to coordinate their own work, etc. The more of that they can do, the more convenient and easy it is for the producer. I like working with voice over actors who make my job easier.

I actually had to have a talent go into a studio last week and we had to do all the coordination with the studio and I thought, “Wow, it’s been a long time since we’ve had to do something like that.” I wasn’t even sure those studios were out there anymore. Now it’s all about speed and how much we can produce in the shortest timeframe.

Debbie Grattan: What is your opinion on newsletters, postcards, email newsletters and those types of marketing activities for voice over actors?

Cheril Hendry: Sometimes a newsletter feels like too much of a burden to read. I wouldn’t mind getting an email maybe once a month from talent saying, “here’s my latest work… did this for Coke, did this for Ford, or whatever.” Just to keep your name in front of that person and to know that you’re successful and you’re busy and you’ve got a lot of clients calling on you.

It’s always nice to see the face behind the voice, so I do still like getting postcards that have a picture of the voiceover talent. It just makes it a little more personal.

Be sure to read parts one and two of this interview:

Part 1: “Marketing Trends to Watch for Voice-Over Talent”

Part 2: “How a Voice-Over Actress Can Approach New Producers“

Part 2 of An Interview with Marketing Expert, Cheril Hendry of Brandtailers

Professional Voice-Over Actress Debbie Grattan chats with Marketing Exec Cheril Hendry of Brandtailers about how a voice-over actress can best position herself to take advantage of the current marketing trends (discussed in Part 1 of this interview) and good ways voice over talent can approach new producers with whom they’d like to form a working relationship.

Voice-Over Actress Debbie Grattan: How do you see Voiceover Talent Services fitting into this new marketing paradigm?

Marketing Exec, Cheril Hendry: I can answer that two ways… From a creative perspective, what I’m really seeing is the style of messaging is becoming a lot more down home, natural, that focus on truth, trust and transparency. It’s less slice-of-life in narrative versus trying to make something feel real.

So from a voice-over actress perspective, there’s a certain quality that good voice talent has these days which is, “Don’t give me the announcer voice, give me a voice that tells me you’re talking to me like a real person talking to a real person.” And we’re seeing a lot more spots coming to fruition that way and being more successful.

Debbie Grattan: I know that at Brandtailers you do a lot of automotive advertising, which traditionally tends to have a more hard sell announcer voice over style. So, are you seeing this trend even in the automotive industry?

Cheril Hendry: Not as quickly as we’d like! We’re trying to lead that charge. But, it’s interesting, when you look at almost any automotive manufacturer at the national level these days, it’s always a celebrity that’s the voice over talent. And, they’re very low key, very natural. You usually have to listen to the spot a few times to even recognize who it is. They’re trying to use the credibility of who the celebrity is and then just do a natural low key spot.

Debbie Grattan: Let’s talk about a voice over talent in relationship to producers like yourself. I presume you have a stable of “go to” voice talent that you work with more frequently, but for a voice over actress who has never worked with your company before, what’s the best way for them to approach you as a new producer?

Cheril Hendry: What advertisers and people like me want to know is, did the prospective voice over talent take the time to really search us out? Do they really know what we’re about and what we might be looking for?

So, instead of doing the generic email that looks like it’s been sent to a giant list of producers, to really take the time to scope out who Brandtailers is, the types of clients we have. Send me an email from that direction with some kind of a teaser saying, “I really think my voice over style, my type of performance would work well with your type of clients.” It’s a more personal approach. An email and then follow it up with a phone call. That’s good enough for me. That will get me to listen to their voice over demo at least.

Debbie Grattan: How many voice over actress and actor inquiries do you receive? Is it a fairly regular thing or not so much?

Cheril Hendry: Not so much. I think it’s gotten into a mode where a lot of the voice over talent just posts their content on the right places online on the web and they let it be found rather than going out and pursuing production company contacts.

Debbie Grattan: Does that work for you if you’re looking for a specific voice over actress that you don’t already have in your talent pool? How would you go about searching for the right voice?

Cheril Hendry: Usually, we do the John and Joe thing (discussed in part 1 of this interview “Marketing Trends to Watch for Voice Over Talent“). I would call you and ask you who you might recommend as a good voice over actress or actor talent. I would call our producer and ask him who he would recommend. And we might go to a few of the different websites and listen. But, you’re right, we do have our slew of voice over talent we’ve found we like over the years. But it’s always nice to get a fresh voice and hear something new. And, that type of person needs to be a little more proactive in getting their information to us.

Read parts 1 and 3 of this interview:

Part 1: “Marketing Trends to Watch for Voice-Over Talent”

Part 3: “Voice Over Actor Marketing Do’s & Don’ts“

Professional Voice-Over Talent Debbie Grattan chats with Marketing Exec Cheril Hendry of Brandtailers in Irvine, California, on how marketing has changed in the past few years, the newest trends for social media and viral advertising, and how voice-over talent marketing will benefit from those changes.

Part 1 of an Interview with Voice-Over Talent Marketing Expert Cheril Hendry of Brandtailers

Debbie Grattan, Voice-Over Talent: Cheril, can you give us an overview of how marketing has changed over the past 5 to 10 years?

Cheril Hendry: It has changed quite dramatically. I love to tell this story because I think it really explains a lot. When you look at the world that existed before advertising, you will make your purchase decisions by talking to your friends and neighbors. For example, you’ve got John and Joe, who are farmers, and they’re talking over their mutual fence about where John got his tractor, and John tells Joe, “You gotta go down to the local place in town and buy there because they have the best tractors, they take good care of you, have great service, etc.” So, Joe buys his tractor primarily based on John’s opinion and recommendation.

Then the world of advertising comes along, and you have ads in newspapers, radio, television, and now the internet that are all trying to tell you where to go, how to buy, and what you should buy. But, with the internet and the way that social media especially has changed things in the last few years, it’s really come full circle. Advertising as we know it is almost no longer in existence. It’s very weak in terms of its being able to influence people. And, really, what’s happened is we’ve gone back to John and Joe talking to each other over the fence and asking for opinions of who you can trust and who has the best services or products. The only difference is, instead of it being one John and one Joe, John can ask ALL of his friends, and all of his friends can respond to him. So, that’s been a very interesting shift to watch happen over the past several years.

Debbie Grattan: Does that shift concern you, given the business you are in?

Cheril Hendry: As much as that reality might sound frightening for the owner of an advertising agency, I actually think it’s wonderful because there are still opportunities for smart marketers. This trend feeds into the whole “truthfulness, trust, and transparency” approach that businesses can use for marketing themselves more effectively in today’s environment.

Debbie Grattan: How does that change the way you do business then? If you’re looking at broadcast advertising (newspaper, radio, tv), are you now moving more to social media forms of advertising?

Cheril Hendry: We are doing a lot of social media, but it’s beyond that. Actually, my agency doesn’t like the term “social media” we call it “online brand management” – I think that gives a better picture of what it’s really about. Everybody is going online now to get information about products and services before they make a decision, so the online world is really where marketing exists these days. You need to be able to manage, protect and grow your brand online just as businesses have always had to do offline.

I’ll give you an example from a class I was teaching last night. We were looking at the top ten most shared commercials online in 2011, and most of them were very virally oriented and were something that people would want to share with a friend because it was something that they believed in or it was something that they thought was funny, or something they thought was very truthful and open and trustworthy. Many commercials were more than 30 seconds long, which is a refreshing thing for the voiceover business and for advertising, where you don’t have to be limited to 30 or 60 seconds anymore. Some of the production quality was not nearly what you would see in a Super Bowl commercial, but that almost added to its credibility.

The shares were huge! When you look at the numbers and the way these types of messages are going around online… To pay for that kind of viewership on television these days would be hundreds of thousands of dollars, but with viral videos, there’s no media cost in doing that right now.

So, it is a huge shift still in its infancy as far as I’m concerned. I think right now we’re probably the equivalent of when television first came out, and people are trying to figure out “how do we advertise on this new medium?” We’re still trying to figure that out with the online world. There is a lot of opportunity for our agency and for our clients.

Read Part 2 of this interview, “How a Voice Over Actress Can Approach New Producers”, in which Cheril gives some specific voice over talent marketing tips and talks about market positioning for voice talent.

The final installment in a 3-part series, female voice over talent Debbie Grattan and voiceover narration powerhouse Ed Victor touch on narration, home studios and voiceover agents.

Debbie Grattan, VO Pro: What is it like to be a heavy-hitter voice talent working out of a home studio?

Voiceover Narration Talent, Ed Victor: In a nutshell, it’s great! However, there are some geographic aspects that I get to deal with living where I live. Florida is a right to work state, which means they hire non-union people and they prefer to hire non-union people for many reasons. Even though I’m in Florida, approximately 90 percent of my work is outside of Florida.

When working remotely as a voice talent, I believe you simply must have an ISDN voice over studio because you need to be able to connect easily to stations and studios all over the country.

DebbieG VO Pro: Do you find it to be a hindrance working from Florida?

Voiceover Narration Talent, Ed Victor: Absolutely. Yes, because in New York they still send voice talent out on castings, and many voiceover agencies will not bring on new voice talent unless you are able to physically be in the city. The same holds true in Los Angeles, although I think the paradigm is shifting a bit in L.A.

On the plus side, when I get an audition at 3 o’clock west coast time, I have all night and all the next morning to finish it. That sometimes gives me an extra edge on the competition.

Debbie Grattan: Do you believe you need big voiceover talent agency representation to book the big jobs?

Ed Victor: I do find that to be true. You need to be a big fish if you want to swim in a big pond. Major agencies will not use pay-to-play sites for voiceover talent because it’s sacrilegious.

To get the coveted big jobs, you need to get into a major voiceover talent agency in one of the major cities. If you’re casting for packaged goods, you go to Chicago. If you’re casting for theatrical spots, you go to New York. If you’re casting for movie trailers, you go to Los Angeles.

Debbie Grattan: Narration voiceovers are the bread-and-butter for many voiceover artists. Are you doing narration work in your studio?

Voice-Over Actor, Ed Victor: I have done some voiceover narration for National Geographic recently, a job I found through my agent in Sydney, Australia. I also do a ton of corporate industrial narration which definitely helps to pay the bills. I’m not really doing very much with documentary style voiceover narrations, at least not right now.

What makes narration different from other voiceover work is that you need to sound like you know what you’re talking about. A voiceover talent needs to have some “acting chops” if they want to be successful doing narration.

Debbie Grattan: Are certain types of narration inherently meant for a male versus female narrator?

Voice-Over Actor, Ed Victor: I think it just depends on the copy, the audience, or the market you are trying to reach.

I just did an audition for Exxon to be their new voice and the specs were for a “40-60 year old male or female.” That’s pretty wide open. I think the specs also said “endearing, friendly, voice you would listen to.” It can be tricky to try to get inside of the mind of the person casting to try to figure out just what they are wanting. I think that many times they aren’t even sure what they want until they hear it.

Debbie Grattan: Do you have any masterful tips for voiceover artists?

Voice-Over Actor, Ed Victor: Part of the reason why we hear well-known celebrity actors is because they understand instinctively what is needed to drive the spot. When you hear Peter Coyote for Apple, it sounds so simple. Everybody thinks they can reproduce it (and maybe they can), but when you’re taking just some words on a page into a booth and the director says, “Go,” you are starting from scratch, a total blank slate. You have to create it on the spot and the talent and ability to do that is what separates the wheat from the chaff.

When I get a piece of copy, I like to think it through. I try to put my own personality and spin on it. That’s one thing my agent keeps telling me to do: “Be yourself, be yourself, be yourself.” There’s going to be that person that hears some characteristic that appeals to them, whether it’s the tonality, the way you deliver, or how you inflect.

It’s no different than Peter Coyote. If you listen to his voice quality, you wouldn’t think he was a great voice talent. He just feels and understands the copy. That’s the key to bringing something to life. He does it beautifully. He’s a master.

Debbie Grattan: Thanks, Ed, for sharing your thoughts and insights. I’m sure your voiceover career will continue on to new heights and I wish you as much success as you can imagine!

If you missed part 1 or 2 of this interview you can read Ed’s marketing advice for voice actors from his perspective as a former advertising executive and learn about landing voice over actor opportunities overseas in part 2.

Voice-Over Actor Debbie Grattan and International Voiceover Artist Ed Victor discuss how he has landed great paying voice-over actor opportunities in other countries. Part two of a three-part interview (read part one, “Marketing Advice for Voice Actors” here.

Debbie Grattan, VO Pro: You mentioned that you do trailer work outside of the country. Are you promoting American television shows on foreign stations?

Voice-Over Actor, Ed Victor: I do promos for CNBC in Asia, promos for sports (mostly cricket and soccer matches) in Dubai, and I do promo work for a sports channel in Singapore.

I also auditioned for (but didn’t get) the new voice for the biography and history channel in Asia. The promos I was reading were for “Pawn Stars” and “Ice Road Truckers” in Europe.

Debbie Grattan: So these cable shows have a completely different life overseas?!

Ed Victor: Absolutely. There are divisions of HBO, Showtime, and A&E all over the world.

Another weird niche I stumbled upon is doing movie trailer work for the English-speaking Latino market. Somebody in Miami found me.

Debbie Grattan: Do you feel like you have tapped into some voice-over actor opportunities that other voice talent don’t know exists?

Ed Victor: Yes and no. It’s mind-boggling how many people do voice work, who think they can do it because they have a computer and a microphone, but it’s not that easy.

I have several agents overseas. There is a whole market over there, but you have to be patient to break into it. Start with low paying jobs, and eventually you will get to the point where you keep increasing your rates. That’s how it works.

Debbie Grattan: What have you learned from the online dialogue in the Linkedin Group you managed for a long time?

Ed Victor: Voice-over actors depend on this group as a lifeline because we do not go to the studio anymore. People like to throw ideas or job opportunities out there. They started asking advice about gear, and now they’re selling gear. It has taken on a life of its own. The other thing the group does is bring reality to the many people who want to be voice-over actors, who think they can do it.

Debbie Grattan: Do you think at some point there will be a shift in all the people running into this business?

Ed Victor: I would hope that the cream continues to rise to the top. If you have a great reputation and you do things properly, opportunities will present themselves. I think those opportunities are more in line with the veterans of the business. The people that believe the pay-to-play sites are going to make them a million dollars… it’s just not going to happen.

In part 3 of this interview, How to Master Voiceover Narration”, Voice-Over Actors Ed Victor and Debbie Grattan talk about narration, home studios and marketing yourself as a voiceover talent. Be sure to also read Part 1 of this interview in which Ed Victor gives some marketing advice for voice actors from his perspective as a former advertising executive.