For Voice Over Talents

ISDN Voice Over Studios are Key Component for Voice Talent

May 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

In part one this interview, Female Voice Over Talent Debbie Grattan and Joel Newport of Harvest Creative Services discuss ISDN voice over studios and why they are a key component for voice over talent working with Harvest.

Female Voice Talent – Debbie Grattan: What brought you into the business, and what are your day-to-day workings at Harvest Creative Services?

Joel Newport, Producer: I got my first engineering job in 1991 doing voice recordings for radio and TV. Over time, I worked my way up to where I now write and produce on a much larger scale. I do most of the talent directing for sessions, and I’m involved in voice over talent casting and selection.

ISDN Voice Over Studios are Key Component for Voice Talent — Joel Newport is a writer, producer, and sound designer for Harvest Creative Services in Lansing, Michigan. He has directed voice talent for radio and TV for over 19 years for clients like Meijer, Detroit Free Press,Anheuser Busch and more. Joel has worked on over 11 films including sound design for “Escanaba In Da’ Moonlight” and “Super Sucker” for actor and director Jeff Daniels.

I also work one-on-one with new talent that I feel have the ability to make it as a professional voice over talent. There are three or four people that I’ve helped get to the point where they have a usable demo and working knowledge of the business.

DebbieG: What is the range of projects you work on in your studio?

Joel Newport, Producer: Harvest clients range from local mom-and-pop stores, to regional accounts like Meijer, to national accounts like Ford and Chevy.

We work with agencies or directly with companies. Several of our clients don’t have an agency, so they rely on us to handle the complete campaign from concept to final broadcast.

DebbieG: What’s your process for finding professional voice over talent for a campaign?

Joel Newport, Producer: Before the Internet, we would hold studio voice over auditions for talent within a 70-mile radius. Now we work with voice talent from around the world. I have a few voiceover casting services that I trust, but I also do my own casting.

DebbieG: How do you discover new professional voice over talent?

Joel Newport, Producer: I use Google or will go through sites like Voice 123, listening to hundreds of voices to see if I can find somebody unique or a good fit for a job. I do custom voice auditions so that I am confident my client is getting the correct talent for the job.

DebbieG:What role do ISDN voice over studios play when you’re searching for new voiceover talent?

Joel Newport, Producer: ISDN is still king for us, so I’ll use it to narrow the field by searching for a quality ISDN voice over talent. We rarely do phone patches because I don’t know how good the recording is until I get the file after the session. ISDN lets us hear studio problems and make adjustments. It’s really hard to produce a good spot without it.

DebbieG: Even with personal ISDN voice over studios, can you correct sound problems from a distance?

Joel Newport, Producer: At least we can hear it and make the call as to whether we want to proceed. Usually, a voice talent’s home studio is over-processed and overdone. I’m looking for the cleanest ISDN voice over with minimal electronics in between.

It’s hard to troubleshoot a system that you’re not familiar with, especially when you’re working with talent that isn’t familiar with their studio. Today’s professional voice over talent needs to have a basic understanding of their ISDN voice over studio equipment and they need to know enough to get out of a problem.

DebbieG: How often do you find ISDN voice over home studio problems?

Joel Newport, Producer: More than I’d like to say. I used to be able to narrow down the talent list and simply send the voice demos to my client. Now before I send the demos, I first test each talent studio’s sound through an ISDN line. Only then am I confident sending a demo to my client.

Read part 2 of this interview, “The Relationship Between ISDN Voice Talent and Producer” to learn more of Joel Newport’s insights and tips for ISDN voice over talent.

Secure Voiceover Jobs with Marketing Firms

April 30, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 2 of an Interview with Marketing Executive, Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc.

Female Voiceover Artist Debbie Grattan chats with marketing executive Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc. about how voiceover artists can capture the attention (and business) of marketing firms and secure more voiceover jobs.

Scott Tingwald discusses how to secure more voiceover jobs with marketing firms — As a vice president with Villing & Company, Inc., a marketing communications firm based in South Bend, Indiana, Scott Tingwald’s responsibilities range from developing public relations and marketing plans for clients to managing accounts in the higher education and financial niche markets.

DebbieG Voice Actor: How frequently do you need to go outside of your personal rolodex for new voiceover talent?

Scott Tingwald: We have several go-to people at voiceover talent agencies where we can easily secure at least a half-dozen candidates. We also like working with independent voiceover actresses such as yourself, when we know the voice and quality we’re getting is high caliber.

About four-to-five times a month we go through the process of identifying actors for upcoming voiceover jobs.

DebbieG VO Pro: Do you ever have to go outside of the box, such as Google or pay-to-play sites, where voiceover actresses and actors pay to be listed?

Scott Tingwald: We’ve been lucky in that we haven’t had to do that. I still like the fact that we work with voiceover talent and voiceover agencies who we know will get back to us quickly with the appropriate range and who can set up a session without a lot of additional effort.

DebbieG VO Pro: Do you receive unsolicited voiceover jobs inquiries or demos?

Scott Tingwald: Rarely, and since you bring it up, it’s a bit surprising. We certainly get a lot of people contacting us about freelance print and design work, but we rarely receive direct queries for voiceover jobs.

I would think a cold call introduction is a good way to go if you’re looking to get your voiceover name out there — as long as it is done right, that is, not too invasive. I prefer e-mails over phone calls, and links versus file attachments.

DebbieG Voice Actor: Do you prefer to work with voiceover actors that have their own studios or do you have a studio set up as part of your agency?

Scott Tingwald: It varies. In this day and age of digital technology, a couple hundred dollars of soundproofing will get you good quality. A phone patch is a huge plus, but we wouldn’t rule somebody out because they don’t have it.

Here again, we look for consistency. If we need to go back for new tracks, it has to sound consistent every time. As long as we feel we can get that, that is the biggest qualifier.

DebbieG Voice Actor: Have you ever had talent not be able to deliver?

Scott Tingwald: We certainly have had times when something we got from a voiceover talent wasn’t what we wanted. When we’re trying to get a certain voice, we need to have somebody from the agency monitoring and directing the session, but even then, we sometimes realize later it’s not exactly right.

DebbieG Voice Actor: What voiceover trends and opportunities do you see?

Scott Tingwald: Videos. If I were a voiceover actor, that is what I would be focused on. Show your strength in this new video medium, with strong two-to-three minute videos that have a range of emotion and excitement. There’s a particular skill at knowing how to get into something, drive it along for three minutes, and entertain people.

Radio is still part of the mix, but if you can show that you were part of this awesome viral video that got millions of hits, that is something I would say is a unique, valuable skill.

Be sure to read Part 1 of this interview which discusses how to distinguish yourself through voiceover demos.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover artist who has worked on thousands of voiceover jobs during the past 20 years. She’s the “go to” artist for many production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her voiceover demos, voice artist bio and client testimonials for more information.

Distinguishing Yourself as a Voiceover Artist with Voiceover Demos

April 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 1 of an Interview with Marketing Executive, Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc.

Female voiceover artist Debbie Grattan and marketing executive Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc. sit down to talk about the criteria he uses when hiring voice talent.

Voiceover Artists and Voiceover Demos — As a vice president with Villing & Company, Inc., a marketing communications firm based in South Bend, Indiana, Scott Tingwald’s responsibilities range from developing public relations and marketing plans for clients to managing accounts in the higher education and financial niche markets.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: Scott, can you give us some background regarding your role at Villing & Company and how you got started?

Scott Tingwald: My roots in public relations go back 15 years, starting as a PR account executive. About five years ago, I became Vice President at Villing where I work with a number of different clients on different fronts. Included are radio and TV spots, which have always had a special interest for me.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: Do you have a typical client that you serve, whether that be specific industries, budgets, etc.?

Scott Tingwald: Our clients run the gamut in terms of business-to-business and business-to-consumer, but we do cater to a few niches. Generally, they include banking, financial, higher education, and healthcare. We also have fairly good expertise in the RV industry.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: How does a marketing agency market themselves to their clients, and how could those same strategies be used by a voiceover artist marketing to your agency?

Scott Tingwald: Momentum. Once you get a name for yourself in a niche, it gets a lot easier for you to become known and accepted within the industry.

For example, we do a decent amount of work for credit unions, Purdue Federal Credit Union and more recently, the University of Iowa Community Credit Union. When approaching Iowa, it was easier for them to accept us because they knew we worked with their peers. They could call Purdue and ask, ‘What’s it like to work with these guys?’

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: You mentioned earlier that you do TV and radio spots. Are there differences when producing voiceover for radio versus television?

Scott Tingwald: I don’t think so. We’re big believers in keeping the voice consistent for a brand over a set period of time, so we’re just looking to find the best voiceover artist for that product or that brand. Video is becoming a huge area for us. Years ago, it used to be TV. Now it’s viral videos and videos on web sites. Our video department is doing very well.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: When listening to voiceover demos, are there criteria that you hear that says, ‘This is a voiceover artist I’d really like to work with?’

Scott Tingwald: Flexibility. When we listen to voiceover demos, we want somebody who demonstrates a wide range of talent; somebody who sounds like a different person with their delivery in each example on their demo. If we know this voiceover artist has a fairly wide range, then we feel comfortable that we can tell them what we want them to sound like.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: So not only is range important, but also the ability to take direction. Do you encourage voiceover artists to use improv in their delivery?

Scott Tingwald: It’s a benefit if they do that, and a lot of times what is suggested by the voiceover artist is better. We would rather work with somebody that has ideas, but we prefer the ad lib section of the session take place after we’ve already gotten a safe read.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: How do you decide whether a male or female voiceover artist is right for a job? Are there gender-specific jobs?

Scott Tingwald: This is something we consider when we’re scripting. Generally, it has to feel like the brand and image the company wants to project. Sometimes it’s obvious we need an authoritative male or reassuring female voice. Other times it could be either.

To learn more about how a professional Voiceover Artist can land voiceover business with marketing firms, read Part 2 of this article, How to Secure Voiceover Jobs With Marketing Firms and find out what Scott Tingwald would do to distinguish himself as a voiceover artist in today’s crowded voice market.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover artist who has been doing voice over work for over 20 years. She’s the “go to” artist for many production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her voiceover demos, voice artist bio and client testimonials for more information.

How to Get Steady Voiceover Work from Online PA’s

March 30, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 2 of an Interview with Lowell Christensen of Spotworks Creative

In this second installment, professional female voiceover artist, Debbie Grattan interviews Lowell Christensen of SpotWorks Radio Creative and Production to discuss the attributes that male and female voiceover artists need to get steady work from online production agencies. Read Part 1 of this interview here.

Getting Steady Voiceover Work from Production Agencies - interview with Lowell Christensen — Lowell Christensen is the founder of SpotWorks Radio Creative and Production, an online advertising agency and production house serving clients worldwide. A writer who loves production and a producer who loves to write, Lowell has been providing radio copywriting, voiceovers, and radio commercial production for almost two decades.

Voiceover Actor – Debbie Grattan: How do you discover new voice artists?

Lowell Christensen: I set up a subscription-based voiceover online talent site because I get so many voiceover artist pitches. The site gives male and female voiceover artists an opportunity to promote their demos, and I use it to promote voice talent to my clients.

That said, there are still two or three times each year when I go to voice talent online sources like Voice123 for specialty talent not in my roster.

Voiceover Actor – Debbie Grattan: What are the most important qualities that a female voiceover artist needs in order to get voiceover work from your agency?

Lowell Christensen: After meeting the price criteria, which I’ll talk about in a bit, it’s the ability to do VO production on their own within a couple of hours and do a revision in the same amount of time.

Eight times out of ten a client will say, ‘I need this voice within the next hour, who do you have?’ The voiceover talent who get regular work from me are the ones I know I can count on to voice things right away and turn projects around within 24 hours. At the very least, if they get back to me quickly, we can arrange to have the audio delivered overnight. Communication is key.

Voiceover Actor – Debbie Grattan: Do you feel it’s important for voiceover artists to have certain voice over studio equipment?

Lowell Christensen: The actual equipment isn’t important to me a long as the voice talent can deliver decent sound quality. ISDN is beneficial for voice talent online who want higher-level voiceover agency jobs, but the lower price point usually expected for hiring a voice talent online doesn’t always fit with the client who wants to sit in on a phone patch or ISDN session and do 50 takes.

Voiceover Actor – Debbie Grattan: Given the mid-level market you cater to, what do you consider to be the industry standard for a 30-second radio spot?

Lowell Christensen: A voiceover talent can expect to make $100 for a 30-second spot, $150 for a 60-second spot, which unfortunately is the same price it was when I went online in 1997. That said, I have regular voice actors who are doing vo production services for $75 for a 30-second spot, with the understanding that these are rip and read: You give me one take, and these are regular clients that like what I give them. I don’t last long with clients who pick things apart.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but I try to educate voice talent and build trust that I’m not marking my jobs up 500 percent. Voiceover artists need to wrap their head around the fact that for online voice-over work, they don’t have to drive to a recording studio, sit for hours, and do 25 takes to earn $400. They can make $100 for 15 minutes of work sitting at their computer. I don’t want to downplay the value of getting paid for your talent, but the online world has changed the face of our industry. It’s important to be flexible.

In Part 1 of this interview, Lowell Christensen talks about online voiceover marketing tips that can work well for voiceover artists.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voice artist who has been doing voice over work for over 20 years. Check out her female voiceover samples, voiceover talent resume and voice acting bio and ISDN recording studio specs for more information.

Voiceover Internet Marketing Tips for the Voiceover Artist

March 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 1 of an Interview with Lowell Christensen of Spotworks Creative

Female Voiceover Artist Debbie Grattan interviews Lowell Christensen of SpotWorks Radio Creative and Production about how to market your voiceover artist talents and services on the Internet.

Voiceover Artist Marketing Tips from Lowell Christensen — Lowell Christensen is the founder of SpotWorks Radio Creative and Production, an online advertising agency and production house serving clients worldwide.
A writer who loves production and a producer who loves to write, Lowell has been providing radio copywriting, voiceovers, and radio commercial production for almost two decades.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie Grattan: Can you give us some background as to how you got started in the radio creative and production services business?

Lowell Christensen: I started out in 1989 writing copy for radio stations. Later, I got into production and voicing.

When the Internet came along in the late 1990s, I saw an opportunity to sell my services from a web site. That suited me because I don’t have a sales background and I really don’t have a sales bone in my body to sell face-to-face. I started my web site in 1997, but didn’t go full time at it until I quit my day job in 2004.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie Grattan: Did your day job help you establish connections or did you forge new ground with all new clients?

Lowell Christensen: It really was an Internet marketing venture because I didn’t deal locally with anybody and I actually still don’t. Everybody that came to me was brand new. I had to learn how to get ranked online by search engines, which in 1997 wasn’t even in our vocabulary.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie Grattan: How is working with an online talent production agency different from working with a traditional agency?

Lowell Christensen: The thing that drove people to the Internet was cost savings. Traditional agencies, especially larger agencies, have overhead like wining, dining, and a large number of employees. The other alternative is to go to a radio station, but they often lack the resources to provide what clients are looking for. I’m that middle ground for clients that want creative and production without paying a higher price.

Smaller to mid-level production agencies will outsource their radio production to me because it’s cheaper, as do agencies that need audio for in-house TV spots. On my end, my audio for TV doesn’t look much different. I produce it like a radio spot, keeping in mind subtle nuances. For example, the background music and sound effects on a TV spot can be a lower volume than a spot that airs on radio.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie Grattan: What can a voiceover artist do to take advantage of online trends?

Lowell Christensen: It is tougher for voiceover artists than for full service agencies like mine because that seems to be where there is the biggest competition. If your market is online, put up a web site, do what you need to get ranked, and consider pay-per-click. In terms of trends, Google is still the best source for new clients. Voiceover artists should also get their voiceover demos listed on as many voiceover talent sites as possible, not just pay-to-play sites like Voice123. After that, send your voiceover demo via e-mail to production companies on a regular basis. Keep your name out there.

That said, I find the greatest success is achieved when you take into account that with the Internet everything is instant. You have to be able to respond to an e-mail in minutes. It’s unnerving if I e-mail a voiceover artist about an opportunity and don’t hear back for hours.

In Part 2 of this interview, Lowell Christensen shares how he discovers voiceover artists and what they can do to ensure steady work.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover artist who has been doing voice work for over 20 years. She’s been a “go to” voice talent for many corporations, production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her female voice samples, voiceover resume and acting bio and ISDN studio specs for more information.

Practical Home Studio Advice for the Voice Over Talent

February 28, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 2 of an Interview with David Louis of Audio Images Kauai

In the second installment of this series, Voice Over Talent Debbie Grattan and Dave Louis of Audio Images Kauai discuss the practicalities and working relationship between producer and voice over talent.

Dave Louis and Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush are all smiles after a four hour ADR session for “The King’s Speech” at Audio Images Kauai. Tom Hooper directed the session via a phone patch from London, England.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: For people that have their own home voice over studios, what kind of advice can you give them from an audio engineering perspective?

David Louis: Ambient noise is probably the number one problem as far as quality, so soundproofing is the most important thing a voice over talent should do in their home voice over studio.

There is nothing worse than working remotely with a male or female voice over talent and having to pause the session because a dog is barking or a car is driving by.

Secondly, make sure you have a really good microphone. The Sennheiser 421 Shotgun and the Neumann U87 are the standards of the industry as far as voice over talent recording goes.

If you have a good microphone and a good quiet room, then all of the other peripheral stuff is just fluff.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: How do you like to run a remote audio recording session?

David Louis: I really like it when voice over talent truly listens to my direction and takes it. If a voice over talent comes to the session with preconceived ideas, I have to stop and bring them down and get them onto my page. If I can give you direction and you can perform and do what my client and I need you to do, that’s far better than telling me what you’ve been doing. I don’t have huge problems with this, but it does happen.

Also, don’t let technical aspects and timing distract you. There is a continuity — a rhythm — that’s lost when talent worries about these things. Make sure your VU meters are looking good in advance and then just let it roll. During the voiceover session, all I want you to do is focus on the script.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: Is there anything else you expect male and female voice talent to bring to the table?

David Louis: Aside from your talent and the ability to take direction, give me all of the takes. Don’t bother editing or cleaning it up because I may use something in there.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: Would your answer to this question be different if you were addressing a voice over talent just starting out in the business?

David Louis: To sum it up in two words, my advice to new voice over talent is to be professional. Be open, be on time, be prepared, and be totally dedicated to doing that particular project at that particular time. When there is professional talent on the other end, I really don’t have to do much. It makes the session easier and the performance is better, which is the most important thing to me.

Check out Part 1 of this two part series which touches on the impact of technology on the voice over business for the typical female voice over talent working from a home voice over studio.

Debbie Grattan has been a professional voice over talent for 20+ years, collaborating on thousands of projects and partnering with hundreds of production companies, marketing and advertising firms, commercial voice-over recording studios and corporate/business clients around the United States and throughout the world. Check out her Professional Voice Over Talent Demos and request a Custom Voice Over Talent Audition for your upcoming project.

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