For Voice Over Talents

My Voice Over Experiences from the Weird to the Scary to the Sublime

May 15, 2018 by Debbie Grattan

An out-of-the-blue email really caught my attention a few months back, and it continues to puzzle me today. The email was from someone who said they worked for Cracked.com (formerly Cracked Magazine) and wanted to interview me about some of my voice over experiences in the biz. My first thought was: “Cracked Magazine? Don’t they write funny, satirical cartoons and stuff?”

But, I took a look at their site and saw a wide array of articles on many topics – topics that would generate web traffic. Since being or becoming a voice over artist is a popular topic on the internet to some degree, it made sense that they were trying to tap into an interested readership.

My website probably had come up high on a general Google search for voice over artists, and that was how they found me. Made sense.

I don’t get asked to do many interviews, so I was excited to work on this. To make things easy, the author sent me a few questions he (or maybe it was a she, hard to tell by the name) wanted me to answer in writing.

We had a little back and forth by email and I fine-tuned my answers over several revisions. After a couple of weeks, I sent off the finished interview and waited to hear details of when it would be published.

No reply. No acknowledgement of even receiving the document.

I followed up a few times by email and even tried to reach the person by phone and still nothing.

Guess I’m Not in Kansas Anymore

Was I suddenly living in a different parallel universe? Or maybe the author got hit by a bus (God forbid)! Very strange. Like having one of those “Wizard of Oz” moments where you wonder if you dreamed the whole thing.

Nope, I had the emails to prove it. Had I just been scammed in some way? No money was involved and all I had provided was a few answers to some questions. If it was a scam, it was a pretty pathetic one!

It was like this person had just dropped off the face of the planet. Maybe they suddenly left the company or got fired and the ball never got passed to someone else. That seemed like a possibility. Anyway, despite other attempts to get some contact from the company, nothing worked and I never got a reply.

So, rather than never having this interview see the light of day, I decided to post it here on my blog. Enjoy!

What would most surprise someone starting a career as a voice over artist today?

I think what would most surprise a person coming into the business today would be that the amount of time they will spend actually recording their voice for paying gigs is a relatively small percentage of their time (about 15% on average).

The modern landscape dictates a voice talent’s day is largely consumed by marketing activities, such as auditioning for agents and online casting sites, communicating with clients and prospects in social media and email, and staying in touch and top of mind any way you can.

Then there are all of the day-to-day chores you have to do when you run your own business. These include accounting, managing your technology, updating your database, and many other little things that all take significant time and attention.

I am fortunate to have my husband working full-time in my business, and he actually handles the majority of the marketing and business chores so I can stay focused on recording and the logistics of job requests and auditions. The percentage of time I spend on paid work is more like 85%, but that is only because I have a full-time employee. If you are running your business solo, which I think most voice talent are, then you’ll have to wear many hats and spend a lot of time on these other essential tasks.

How has doing voice overs changed over the years?

Many things have changed, mostly due to the presence of the internet. Home studios did not exist when I got my start as a voice actor back in the early ’90s in Southern California. The only people who could work in the profession lived around major cities that had a lot of recording studios. Los Angeles and New York were the dominant hubs in the U.S.

Now, thanks to the internet, you can have a home studio anywhere as long as you have a fast broadband connection. That development leads to what I see as the biggest change directly impacting how I run my business, and that is: The amount of competition has gone way up.

For most of my career, very few people outside of the business even knew what voice over was. Whenever someone asked me what I did for a living, I would have to explain it. Then I would still get a lot confused looks from people.

Now when I mention that I’m a voice over talent, I get, “Oh yeah, my friend/sister/neighbor is doing that, too! Can I have them call you so you can share some of your best tips?”

While there is a much larger supply of voice over opportunities in the world, there is also an exponentially larger number of voice talents all trying to win those jobs. You have to be much more strategic and thoughtful in how you get business these days.

What is the scariest thing that has happened to you in the voice over business?

There have been many scary moments along the way, which is probably true for any entrepreneur running a small business. Almost all of my most memorable scary moments involve technology failing at extremely inopportune times. It’s rare that this happens because we keep everything updated and well-maintained, but sometimes hardware or software just stops working and you have what feels like milliseconds to figure out what is going on and how to get it fixed.

Last year, my recording software abruptly stopped loading, ultimately resulting in a switch to a different software program with a significant learning curve. This happened right at the start of the year, with a full lineup of jobs waiting to be recorded. It was pretty stressful for a few days as we figured out what we needed to do to get back up and running while ensuring clients received everything they needed on time.

For a voice over talent, if you’re not recording, you’re not making money. So you have to be able to troubleshoot things quickly and come up with a solution. Beyond my husband, who has some good technical experience and know-how, I have several techs and audio experts I can call on when necessary.

Without those kinds of resources, things can get very scary very quickly. If I can’t deliver what my clients need on time, there’s always the chance they will look for someone else who can.

What is the weirdest voice over job you ever had?

My vote goes for the sexy weather forecaster gig. Several years back, I was hired on a project which involved attractive scantily clad women presenting weather forecasts for online subscribers. Subscribers would see still photos of attractive bikini models motioning to portions of the U.S. map while a voice over talent recited the day’s weather forecast.

I was hired to provide the voice for one of the models. The service was a bust (haha), but the client did pay me for several recording sessions that we completed as part of the launch.

What was the happiest voice over job you ever landed?

My happiest thing is definitely being one of the voices at the Happiest Place on Earth – Disneyland. When I was living in Southern California, I was recording some of the park announcements for Magic Music Days, holiday celebrations and special events. Then, when they opened Disney’s California Adventure (DCA), they offered me the role of being the Voice of the Park, welcoming guests with pre-recorded announcements for various activities.

I had to give up the gig when I moved away from So Cal, but for a few years it was fun being recognized by friends who heard me on their visits to DCA.

Where have I heard your voice?

That’s one of the first questions I tend to get when folks find out I do voice over for a living. While I do a good deal of TV and radio spots in local and regional markets, the most widely played spot was probably the one for the original Pillow Pets.

Many of the projects I’ve completed are for internal use by companies and not heard by the general public, although I have cultivated a niche over the years on television as the voice for many children’s infomercial products. I’ve recorded a few dozen different kids’ products and toys, as well as other direct-response advertisers, marketing everything from make-up to teeth whiteners to exercise equipment.

You might also hear me narrating a web video, directing you on voicemail options on a company’s IVR system, or teaching you something profound and useful in a continuing education course.

While I may never find out what happened to the person who sent the initial email, at least I know the interview has been put to use. In addition to providing info that could be helpful or entertaining to someone else, it also gave me a chance to think back on my happiest, scariest, and by far weirdest moment in the voice over biz.

Please feel free to share some of yours down below! What were your weirdest, wildest, scariest, and happiest experiences so far in voice over?

5 Trends Voice Actors and Voice Talent Seekers Should Understand in 2018

April 17, 2018 by Debbie Grattan

The voice over industry has changed dramatically since I first picked up the microphone in the 1990s, and it continues to evolve every year. Keeping up with the changes is essential for voice actors who want to remain successful in the business, and it’s equally important for voice talent seekers and buyers intent on producing projects that continue to have an impact.

Five voice over trends for 2018 particularly caught my attention as I was researching this topic on the internet, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on them below.

Different languages gaining ground, but English still most popular language for voiceover.

More VO jobs are opening up for specific accents, dialects, and different languages. The demand for English with an Australian accent rose by 22 percent since last year, while Spanish is the greatest in-demand, non-English language for voice over work.

Growth in demand for accents:

22 percent: English with Australian accent
12 percent: English with British accent
11 percent: Spanish, Latin American
3 percent: French, Canadian

Even though the demand is rising for different accents, dialects, and languages, English remains the top language for voice over work. If you want to get even more specific, the greatest demand is for North American English with no distinct accent.

One reason behind the rising demand for other languages and accents is the desire for companies to portray a hyper-local feel. Regional advertising in the American South, for instance, may connect more keenly with a Southern audience if the speaker has a Southern accent.

The rise may also be linked to the amount of content being produced in non-English speaking countries to teach English to school children. Voice seekers from other parts of the world can hire voice over talent to help create a myriad of learning apps, programs, toys, games and other projects geared toward teaching English to the world.

What this means for voice actors: Actors with different accents and native languages may benefit from extra work in those categories, although voice training is still an important part of the industry. Being able to remove all traces of any accent is still essential for many jobs.

What this means for voice talent buyers: In English-speaking areas, standard, North American English remains the mainstay. Choosing a specific accent or dialect may connect more soundly with a specific community, but it can also limit the effectiveness of your project for a wider audience.

For voice actors, making an emotional connection is top priority.

No matter how logical you may think your decision to purchase a new item may be, your emotions are what drive you to buy. Savvy marketers have been capitalizing on this fact by focusing on making an emotional connection with the audience, whether it’s with print, images or voice overs.

Videos and ad campaigns are increasingly being designed to engage and communicate with the audience, rather than simply talk at them. Most auditions these days are going for a voice that sounds real and authentic, or “not like a professional voice over actor.”

What this means for voice actors: New voice over talent getting into the business can have an advantage here, as they may not have developed certain habits, like perfect pronunciation or energetic deliveries that used to be more mainstream. Although voices are becoming much more laid back and authentic, developing a real sound that can also cut through with a messages isn’t always as easy as it may seem.

What this means for voice talent buyers: While an authentic voice is one part of the equation for making an emotional connection, it’s not the only part. Seeking out voice talent with a background in acting can be a bonus when looking to make a meaningful connection with the audience. Plus, hiring a voice actor who can offer a variety of vocal styles will give you more options in the recording session, and in post.

Budget is no longer the voice over bottom line.

Voice seekers are looking beyond the budget when it comes to hiring voice talent. The ability to make an emotional connection tops the list of what they’re looking for, followed by four other factors that are more important than budget.

Clients are looking for voice talent who can:

Add personality
Match the brand voice
Reflect the sound of target market
Sound aspirational to the target market

What this means for voice actors: Having the lowest rates won’t necessarily snag you the highest number of gigs. The factors listed above, as well as things like professionalism, quality production methods, and experience, can matter more than extremely low rates.

What this means for voice talent buyers: Voice seekers who continue to make the budget their bottom line may be missing out on important factors competitors are seeking. Being aware of the way voice over work is typically priced can also be a plus. Pricing can vary drastically for Broadcast audio, depending on usage, and the number and size of markets, and for non-broadcast audio, usage is also a determining rate factor, and fees can often be calculated by either word count, or hours worked, or finished audio minutes.

Voice talent agents, unions, and established rates can still work as a guideline, but in recent times, it’s more like the Wild West, where anything goes. Supply and demand play a role, and the buyer should always beware of cut-rate talent and sites. You do generally get what you pay for.

Age matters.

The actual age of voice artists doesn’t matter, as long as they can tailor their voice to align with the age group the client is targeting. And the vast majority of clients are targeting audiences in Gen X and millennial generations. A rundown on the percentage of projects targeting different age groups shows:

54 percent: Gen X
39 percent: Millennials
4 percent: Gen Z
2 percent: Baby Boomers
1 percent: Great Generation

What this means for voice actors: If you can train your voice to align with different age groups, you’ll have more opportunities for work. And there appears to be a lot of work for those with voices aligned with Gen X and Millennials. Those same age groups are also largely at the helm when it comes to making hiring decisions for voice over talent. Voice talent of any age group who can relate to these generations on a business level will likewise have an advantage.

What this means for voice talent buyers: While a voice that resonates with the target audience is important, so are other factors that go far beyond the sound. Look for a well-rounded professional for best results, regardless of the age group that professional may be in.

Real voices still beat out robotic voices.

Even though voice-activated virtual assistants and technology continue to become more commonplace, people are not as gung-ho about using virtual voices. A notable 93 percent of folks who responded to an annual survey pegged the human voice as more powerful than a robotic voice.

What this means for voice actors: You don’t have to fret about losing your job to machines, at least not yet. For me, that’s fabulous news. I wouldn’t mind staying relevant for another decade or so, and hopefully, we won’t fall into the world of AI and computer everything prior to that. Voice actors may also see opportunities to work on projects related to AI and computerized voices. I was recently part of a few projects for text-to-speech, and it’s an interesting phenomenon to see play out.

What this means for voice talent buyers: Real people provide the human touch – and emotional connection – that robots simply can’t produce… At least not yet. Hiring a real person for voice over work also comes with additional perks, such as enjoying guidance from his or her expertise and making your own mutual meaningful connections.

Keeping these trends in mind while seeking your next voice over talent or running your voice over business can help you stay ahead of the crowd. Just don’t get too comfortable with any amendments you make to accommodate them. As with any industry in this rapidly changing world, we can all expect the voice over arena to continue to evolve for years to come.

Resources:

https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2018/02/voice-over-trends-in-marketing-and.html

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inside-the-consumer-mind/201302/how-emotions-influence-what-we-buy

How Professional Voice-Over Talents Get Off Track – The 3 Stages of Failure

December 12, 2017 by Debbie Grattan

Whether they’re written by fellow voice-over talents, life coaches, artists or folks in any other industry, I read a lot of blogs. Reading blogs is a great way to gather information, gain a fresh perspective, enjoy a lot of interesting takeaways and, in many cases, relate an intriguing topic back to the professional voice-over industry. That’s what happened when I ran across James Clear’s article about The 3 Stages of Failure in Life and Work (And How to Fix Them). Clear introduces a framework that gives a solid rundown on three main areas where individuals can fail at basically anything they do, along with helpful hints for avoiding those failures.

His article definitely struck a chord with me, particularly when I started thinking about his points in relation to the voice-over industry.

Stage 1: Failure of Tactics

A failure of tactics occurs when the “how” of a situation fails. Let’s say I’m just starting out with the goal of becoming a professional voice-over talent, and I’ve had a couple of bookings with a few clients, and made a little bit of money. I decide to go after more business by posting a few voice-over demos on a well-known voice-over website, and then wait for the new clients and jobs to roll in.

But they’re not rolling in. So let’s say I decide to cut my prices really, really low to be super-competitive on the website. And the jobs start to come. I take them as quickly as they’re offered, of course, since I’m achieving my goal of getting more work. Perfect, right?

Well, maybe not. If I kept up the pace of taking every single job that came my way, even if I felt the rate was too low or the work out my scope of experience or talent, I could soon find myself overwhelmed. I may be doing five jobs for the price of one, while ending up with unhappy clients, edits I can’t fit into my schedule, and frustration at every turn. And because I’m selling my valuable time at much less than market rates, I’m setting a precedent with these and future clients that they can get my services for under market value, while also losing out on higher paying jobs, because my schedule is too full with nickel and dime gigs.

My dream of being a successful voice-over talent may tank right here due to failure of tactics, or the failure to build effective systems, to weigh my options carefully and otherwise pay keen attention to the details.

I could fix this failure by honestly assessing my rates, adjusting them to match what I feel my time is worth, and then figuring out how much time I’ll need to complete each job given. Paying attention to such details, and then planning my time and schedule accordingly, would help my dream survive.

Stage 2: Failure of Strategy

This second failure stage involves mistakes pertaining to “what” I decide to do to further my goal. In the case of a professional voice-over career, I could fail to get the results I wanted in any number of ways. Perhaps my pricing was too high to compete with other new talents. Maybe I tried and failed to find a trustworthy talent agent. Perhaps my marketing tactics were way off base, or I relied too heavily on people finding my personal website instead of networking through an industry site with higher amounts of traffic.

Maybe I didn’t even launch a personal website and instead figured I’d try to get business by calling up big-name animation firms and asking for work. Maybe I figured the compliments I received from my friends and neighbors were enough to prove I really didn’t have to enroll in any voice-over workshops, education, or training.

Building a successful professional voice-over career takes more than just a single strategy. It instead involves a combination of strategies that all work toward achieving the overall goal. Some of the many strategies I’ve used over the years include social media marketing, email newsletters, postcard mailings, industry networking, researching the market and targeting my most likely prospects, creating and maintaining a thriving website, employing SEO on my website, and continuing to work with coaches to stay at the top of my game. And it certainly doesn’t end there.

Marketing, auditions, communication, networking, writing, reading, researching, recording, delivering, editing, rewarding loyal customers, upgrading skills and equipment – are all strategies I’ve found absolutely necessary to achieve and maintain a successful voice-over career. As with any career, there are a lot of effective strategies you can use to help you succeed, and the formula isn’t always the same for everyone.

And given that success in the voice-over field is a highly competitive endeavor, sometimes it takes years to find and hone the strategies that will lead to that success. So, you have to employ patience and tenacity as well.

Stage 3: Failure of Vision

This third stage of failure is perhaps one of the most common across the board, in professional voice-over or otherwise. Failure of vision happens when we don’t set a clear direction to achieve the goal that is in our heart. We instead follow a vision that may have been offhandedly introduced when people like our friends or family members mentioned we had a great voice and should take up a voice-over career.

Failure of vision, or choosing to follow a vision that wasn’t even in our sights until someone mentioned it, can happen for several different reasons. We could be so unhappy with our current job that we see any other career as an alluring out. We’d take a career in voice-over, or perhaps even a career in just about anything, just to get out of the unsatisfying career we’re currently in.

We could also be looking only at the successful end result of a voice-over career, such as the ability to work from home, record high-profile radio and tv commercial spots, have a flexible schedule, and make good money – all while wearing our pajamas if we so please.

Two things are happening at this point. One is the desire to enter a voice-over career as a way to flee our current situation. Here we would basically be running away from our current jobs, not running toward a career we’ve been dreaming about for eons.

The second problem is our focus on the potentially fun aspects of a professional voice-over career, without realizing the 20-plus years of sweat, rejections, and extremely hard work that goes into getting there and then maintaining that stature. I know this aspect really well since I’ve been there, done that. And although I do get to record fun spots in my pajamas from time to time, there is a big lineup of other tasks that are also part of the job.

Things like marketing, client database collection and updating, blogging, key word tracking, auditions, networking, researching, audio editing, bookkeeping, collections and other not-so-fun stuff are part of the usual array of tasks that keep the business going.

Building a Professional Voice-Over Career Takes Years, Not Months

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, and many rush in without truly understanding the dedication, daily grind, and motivation required to keep the business flowing. Each week, it’s a blank slate that you have to create, and there are no steady paycheck or company benefits. The rewards can be great, but it doesn’t come easy or overnight. I find I repeat this mantra over and over for the many inquiries I receive all the time about how to start a career in voiceover. The odds are really stacked against you, so you have to have a clear vision, a strong drive, some talent, and tenacity to survive and thrive.

If your dream is to be a successful voice-over talent, by all means, go for it! Just be on the lookout for stages of failure that can trip up anyone in their chosen career. Make sure you have effective tactics in place to balance your workload and your budget. Research and implement useful strategies that can help you advance in your career. And, most importantly, make sure your dream came from deep within your heart. The sense of fulfillment you receive from a job you love is one of the true hallmarks of long-term success.

It’s Survival of the Fittest in Today’s Voice-Over Gig Economy

September 15, 2017 by Debbie Grattan

While the gig economy is nothing new, it is going through a rather new transition. It’s being flooded by an influx of workers. Millions of fresh workers entered the world of flex and freelance work between 2003 and 2013 alone. From video production to copywriting services, fitness training to photography, fields across every industry are feeling the effects. The voice-over realm is one of them.

This increase in workers leads to an increase in competition. And one of the strategies some workers use to beat out the competition is to offer impossibly low prices. While this may initially appear to clients as a great move for a business, it’s actually not. Not for the client’s business or the voice-over actor’s business.

Why Impossibly Low Prices are Never Good for Business

Since the lowest prices are typically offered by new workers with the least amount of experience and industry knowledge, the low cost of the work is likely to be reflected in the quality. On the voice-over talent’s end of things, offering impossibly low prices not only makes it tough to make a living, but can also reflect negatively on their professional reputation. Only those who are not confident about what their work is actually worth would even dare to set a price that’s ridiculously below the skill, talent, and scope of a specific project.

What Eventually Happens

Prices can’t continue their downward spiral forever. There’s got to be a breaking point. That breaking point tends to come when the workers start to thin themselves out, in a process that’s reminiscent of natural selection – where only the fittest survive. Those that are not-so-fit for the industry may bow out for any number of reasons, some of which are outlined on voice-over actor Paul Strikwerda’s Nethervoice blog:

Not booking enough jobs or any jobs
The goal of instant stardom
Can’t afford to invest in quality equipment or coaching
Hard time getting motivated
Fed up with the same old tasks, over and over
Not sure how to market self
Crushed by repeated rejections
Stressed out by freelance uncertainty
Working too much for too little
Don’t know how to stand out from the crowd

“If even pros with years of experience and an impressive portfolio have trouble booking jobs these days,” Strikwerda writes, “you need to bring something very special to the table if you wish to compete at the highest level.”

The Fittest Who Survive

Voice-over actors who can indeed compete at the highest level, who bring something special to the table, and who have paid their dues over the years are those who are likely to survive. Members of the fittest group typically:

1. Are backed by years of experience and training

2. Have full-time availability and are easily accessible when needed

3. Record on sophisticated equipment in a professional studio

4. Focus on high-quality results

5. Have found their niche

6. Are constantly learning new things, developing new skills

7. Know their worth, and charge prices that reflect that

8. Are strong, determined, and persistent enough to stick with their voice-over career/dream no matter what

No matter what’s going on with the gig economy in general or the voice-over industry in particular, the thought of quitting is not likely to cross their minds.

While the sharp plunge in price and quality may be bad news in the overall gig economy, the good news is the fittest exist in every industry. Clients can find them and hire them at any time. Evidence in the voice-over industry includes a strong portfolio, sophisticated recording equipment, versatility, skill, extensive experience, high-quality work, and a long history of happy clients.

Ready for your next high-quality voice-over project? Contact me for a quote or complimentary audition today.

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Voice-Over Websites: The Do’s and Don’ts for a Delicious Design

July 15, 2017 by Debbie Grattan

While styles, tastes, and trends may change, the fundamentals of a good recipe always stay the same. This holds true whether you’re whipping up a magnificent manicotti to serve your guests or an impressive voice over website to serve the millions of potential customers on the internet. When I went through a website revamp earlier this year, I started to really pay attention to the different ingredients that went into an effective voice-over website – along with what to leave out and avoid.

Unnecessary Ingredients to Avoid on Voice Over Websites

Just like some ingredients in a recipe, some elements of a voice over website are better off left out altogether. Most folks would probably be OK if a recipe didn’t contain duck beaks or MSG. And I am certainly OK if a website doesn’t contain any type of video or sound that starts playing the second you arrive, particularly if it gives no indication of where it’s coming from or how to turn it off.

I recall one site I once visited that even featured a little hologram of a salesperson that appeared at the bottom of the screen, walking back and forth and prattling on about how I needed to buy whatever the site was selling. Instead of drawing in visitors, such tactics are more likely to repel them. And yes, I fled immediately.

Too Much Fat

When it comes to the design of voice talent websites, the “fat” could be considered any extraneous elements that add confusion, unnecessary noise or otherwise get in the way of the core message your brand is trying to convey. This overload could come from too many different fonts, colors and styles. It can also come from an overly complex design that doesn’t give the viewer a clear focal point or path to follow.

Another buildup of fat can come from too many navigation options, too many options, period, or way too much information crammed into one place. Trimming the fat eliminates the clutter and lets the real message get through.

Mystery Meat

Ever sit down to dinner, look at your plate, and immediately wonder: “What the heck is that?!” The same sensation can arise when website sections, navigation options, or video or audio clips are not clearly labeled to let viewers know what they’re going to get.

I ran across an entire section of samples once that had absolutely no indication of what I’d be viewing when I clicked on the video clip. Website visitors are often busy people looking for a specific solution. They typically don’t have time to be guessing what they’re going to find if they click on an unmarked section or clip.

Consistent Texture

We’ve all been in the midst of enjoying a tasty dish when – bam – we end up with a different texture, taste or other strange things we had not been expecting. Prime examples include a bone in our tuna fish salad or a hard kernel of anything in our soft pudding. The experience can be rather unsettling.

The same thing can happen when sites pull their visitors away from what they’re viewing to suddenly look at something else. Pop-up menus that pull visitors to other pages and sites are one example. In the voice-over world, another example is audio or video demo options that open to an audio or video player in a different window.

Visitors may not appreciate being pushed and pulled to unfamiliar or different areas. They’re much more likely to appreciate a consistent, stable experience that becomes familiar and comfortable instead.

Dine-in Only

In this day and age, web formatting for phones and hand-held devices is as important as it is for desktops, if not more so. To attract visitors wherever they may roam, voice talent websites need to embrace responsive design, which is the ability to conform to the size and capacity of the device on which they’re being viewed. Having a site that only translates well on desktop is like having a great lineup of delicious foods, but not letting customers eat it when and where they please.

While there are tons of other tips, tricks, and ingredient suggestions for creating an effective site, I just wanted to stick with the top issues I’ve seen that can really ruin an otherwise good recipe.

And perhaps unlike a special recipe you’ve totally mastered, a website is a work in progress that you never really complete. There’s always room for adjustments, edits, and other improvements that can make it more and more effective and delectable over time.

For more useful information on this topic, please also read “How to Make Your Voice-Over Talent Website User-Friendly for Producers” which I also wrote and you’ll find that over on the Voiceover.info Blog site.

Check out similar posts for additional insights and info:

“Is Your Voice Over Talent Website Mobile Friendly?”

“When Your Voice-Over Website Keyword Search Rankings Go Missing”

“A Client’s Guide to Selecting the Right Voice-Over Talent”

Voiceover Career Readiness – A Five Question Quiz

March 15, 2017 by Debbie Grattan

The world of voiceover may be drawing you in with its bright promise of exciting work, big bucks, and loads of fame to come. But like any other industry, voiceover career readiness has a slightly dimmer side that comes with the territory.

If you’re in the midst of making a decision to jump off into the pool of voice-over actors to determine if it’s right for you, you will want to answer these five questions to ensure you’re truly prepared to climb up on that diving board.

The first question deals with an overview of your intent, while the next four gauge your overall readiness to enter the industry by examining how prepared you are to deal with specific aspects of a voiceover career.

1. What is My Purpose for Having a Voiceover Career?

Yes, a voice-over career sounds cool. But that’s typically not a strong enough reason to dive into it with abandon. Here you’d be smart to dig deep to understand what you’re really looking to get out of your voice-over profession. Perhaps you want:

• A full-time career
• A little extra money
• A creative outlet
• A replacement for your existing job
• Fame and recognition
• Impress friends, family, and colleagues
• Achieve success
• Any combination of the above

If your reasons for entering the voice-over arena include achieving success, you’ll again want further clarification. What does success in voice-over mean to you? And how will you know when you’ve nabbed it?

The only way you’ll reach your ultimate goals in your voice-over career is to know what those goals actually are. If you have a solid idea of why you’re getting into VO, feel free to move on to the next question.

2. Am I Ready to Deal with Rejection?

Rejection is a huge part of any type of acting career, so we may as well put this question up near the top of the list. Once you start moving forward with auditions, you may find only one to two percent of the jobs you auditioned for end up becoming a paid booking – and that could be a high estimate!

It’s not uncommon for voice-over talents to send out audition after audition after audition and not see a single job for an entire year. Startling, but true.

The number of rejections you may receive depends on several factors both within and out of your control. Those within your control include your skill level and experience. Those outside of your control include your gender, the competition, (both in volume and expertise), and what the voice seeker specifically wants to hear. It’s a mixed and changing bag that can largely depend on the “mood of the day” of the person reviewing the auditions.

A good word of advice is to try to find someone to hire you at the level and locality where you already are. Instead of immediately pitting yourself against career voice-over talents who have already established themselves and understand the marketplace, look into local production companies, and/or local radio and TV commercial opportunities.

You can also scout out e-learning or narration gigs for companies that need that type of ongoing work, and may be willing to hire someone new at a slightly lower rate.

3. Am I Ready to Go with the Flow, Whatever That Flow May Be?

Going with the flow in the voice-over industry means being highly adaptable to whatever may come your way… And adaptability is a must on several levels.

Every day in your voiceover career is going to be a little different, so you need to be flexible enough to accommodate an ever-changing schedule. This can mean adjusting work hours to meet deadlines, and weekends to meet workloads.

It can also mean adapting your acting abilities to meet the jobs that come down the pike. Are your acting skills savvy enough to play a harried mom one minute and a doctor sharing important medical information the next?

Adapting your budget is another must in the voice-over business. Going with the flow in acting work often means being able to survive when there is no flow of work coming in. Lean periods are typically part of the deal, and it’s essential to have a backup plan so you can still pay the mortgage or buy your kids new shoes.

Even when you establish a good foothold with clients that bring you repetitive work, you need to be constantly auditioning and looking for new gigs, as you never know when that repetitive work may dry up. With more than 22 years in the industry, I’ve seen voice over clients come and go. In some cases, I’ve had accounts that used to pay tens of thousands per year dwindle down to nothing. Not because of anything I did wrong. Business models change. Markets change. Change is constant, in everything, so you have to adapt.

Going with the flow means ensuring the flow keeps coming. It’s always a good plan to consistently bring in new clients while maintaining the clients you already have. It’s also prudent to set up a nest egg in the form of a generous savings account, or other form of investing.

4. Am I Ready to Make Substantial Investments Without a Guarantee of Reward?

Speaking of generous savings accounts, investing in professional workshops, technology, and studio equipment is typically a MUST to get started. A soundproof booth is essential for high-quality results. If you don’t have your own home recording studio, you’ll need to find nearby accommodations. And you’ll also have to adjust your schedule (and perhaps your clients’ as well) to be available when the studio is.

Additional investments of time and effort are also required. Sending out auditions daily, creating professional voice over demos, and learning new skills are part of the deal. Acting skills are one category, but you’ll also need to learn about technology, business, marketing, and trends in all of the above.

The investment of time, effort, and money doesn’t stop once you’re established in the industry, either. There are always new technologies to learn, website updates to make, marketing materials to create, print or email, subscriptions and memberships to maintain, blogs to write, branding to strengthen, and bills to pay.

The adage says it takes money to make money, and this is definitely true in the voice-over industry. But it can also be a tricky adage to follow when there’s no money coming in at the onset of a fledgling voice-over career.

5. Am I Ready to Spend Loads of Time Working Alone?

Many voice-over folks I know end up talking to themselves – a lot. That’s because there’s seldom anyone else around during our workdays, spent in our soundproof booths. While you can certainly interact with clients through phone patches, or attend workshops and industry events that put you in contact with other voice-over actors, and the surrounding community of the VO industry, a good bulk of your time is going to be spent flying solo.

In most instances (unless you’re working with a recording studio that will take your audio and create the mix on their end) you alone are responsible for producing the entire recording, inclusive of creating the vocal sound, ( i.e. being your own director,) editing the final audio, and delivering the final results.

People who are used to being in an environment with a lot of social interaction may be in for a rude awakening when they realize how rarely many VO actors (especially those working from remote-location, home studios) actually connect with the outside world during a workweek. This particularly holds true if you’re not in a large metropolitan city that offers opportunities to record or audition live, or even interact with others, except via email and maybe a quick phone call. The learning curve for voiceover self-direction, not only in the booth but in general solopreneurship duties, is a steep one to navigate.

A Voiceover Career, Ready or Not?

If you’ve clearly outlined your purpose, your definition of success, and your readiness to deal with all the side effects that come with a voice over career, then congratulations! You may be primed to get up on that diving board and take the plunge.

If you remain hesitant about any of the issues, you may want to spend some more time pondering your next move. Strategizing for success can also help, with an honest review of your strengths and weaknesses so you can capitalize on the former and get help with the latter.

Being an entrepreneur with your own voice-over business can be exciting, fun, and terrifying all at once. But it also takes time, money, resources, knowledge – and a good amount of faith. You need to have faith in your abilities, the faith you made a well-informed decision, and faith you’ll be able to go with the flow, whatever that flow may be.

Debbie Grattan has been a working actor for most of her adult life, and a successful professional voice-over talent since the mid-1990s. Check our her many diverse voice-over demos and portfolio of hundreds of video samples to get to know Debbie’s sound.

For more posts on similar topics, please check out:

“How Professional Voice-Over Talents Get Off Track – The 3 Stages of Failure”

“Voice Over Talent Alone Won’t Pay the Bills”

“The Troublesome Plight of the Working Actor (and Voice Actor, Too)”

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