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Voice Over Actress Tips From Producers Who Hire Voice Talent – Part 2

Female Commercial Voice Over Actress Debbie Grattan reviews the highlights from her ongoing “Think Like a Producer” series of articles. In Part 1, she looks at the tips that have been shared around the Art of Voice Over.

As a working voice over actress, I have a pretty fun (and extraordinarily challenging) job and I get to talk with a lot of very interesting people. It’s been a great experience to have the opportunity to interview several professional producers, marketing and advertising execs, recording engineers and voice over pros during my “Think Like a Producer” series. I plan on continuing this series through the end of 2012 and perhaps beyond. Looking back over all of the interviews we’ve completed to date, I was struck by how much knowledge, wisdom and good advice has been shared. So, I wanted to take stock of what we’ve covered so far and provide a summary of the best voice over actress tips and advice we’ve heard to this point.

Some of these items might seem a bit obvious, but just because they are obvious doesn’t mean you should dismiss them. Sometimes, one little tip can make a world of difference for a humble voice over actress.

Tips On How to Be a Successful Voice Over Actress

1. Be professional: Be open, be on time, be prepared and be totally dedicated to doing that particular project at that particular time.

Consistency is very important. Especially when being hired for a project that may require changes made weeks or months down the road. Everything has to match and line up pretty seamlessly. (Dave Louis of Audio Images)

2. Video production is where it’s at these days. As a voice over actress you need to be able to show your strength in two to three minute videos that have a range of emotion and excitement. There’s a particular skill in knowing how to get into something, drive it along for three minutes and be entertaining at the same time. (Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc.)

Tips On How to Be a Successful Voice Over Actress3. Producers love to hire a voice over actress who can deliver a read that’s even better than what the producer had in mind. This usually requires solid training, experience, versatility and good instincts.

When in a session, keep things business like and don’t spend unnecessary time trying to socialize and chit-chat with the producer. It’s fine to do that a little bit, but many times that producer is very busy and has several things to do after your session, so don’t keep them on the phonepatch or ISDN line longer than you need to. (Cheril Hendry of Brandtailers)

4. Very few voice talents can do everything. Play to your strengths and only put your best work on your reel. Develop a thick skin so that you can easily take suggestions and criticism. There is a lot of competition and an enormous amount of rejection built into the voice over actress profession. You have to be able to deal with that on a daily basis in order to have a successful voice over acting career. (Joel Newport of Harvest Creative Services)

5. Be yourself as much as possible when reading copy, whether it be for an audition or for a job. The more truly authentic and real you are, the more attractive you’ll be to the listener. 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.

Part of the reason we hear well-known celebrity actors doing so much voice over work is because they instinctively know what is needed to drive the spot and they understand the copy. They have the acting training that delivers the nuance advertisers are looking for. There is also, the credibility factor, which is huge. (Ed Victor, Voice Over Talent and former Advertising Exec)

Read Part 2 of this recap “Voice Over Marketing Tips From Producers Who Hire Voice Talent”, which covers some specific marketing tips that have been shared.

Marketing Advice for Voice Actors

Voice Actors Debbie Grattan and Ed Victor talk about his metamorphosis from advertising executive to international voiceover sensation. Part one of a three-part interview.

Debbie Grattan: Today we have the illustrious Ed Victor: writer, producer, art director, advertising executive, on-camera persona, and voice over master. Ed, how did you get started on your path?

Ed Victor: I wanted to pursue a voiceover career ever since I did high school announcements, but I was side tracked. My first really great job was stage director at WDIV, a television station in Detroit. It was a short-lived career because I wanted to be on the other side of the camera.

Marketing Advice for Voice Actors - Ed Victor Interview
The Big Gun himself, Ed Victor, left an award-winning career in advertising to establish himself as an international voiceover sensation.
Today, Victor is under contract with networks and television stations worldwide and is the voice actor for commercials selling everything from beers to banks to cars.

I went back to college, finished my degree in broadcast journalism, and took a job with a small advertising agency, filling in for somebody who was going on a two-month vacation. While he was gone, they hired me and fired him. That was my first foray into the cruel world of advertising. They knew I did voiceover work, so they thought I could do double, or triple duty.

Eventually, I landed a senior writer job at J. Walter Thompson. I was writing and directing national campaigns, shooting in Hollywood and New York, and meeting big, important people. One day, I was in the studio directing voice actors and one guy just couldn’t seem to get it. I said, “No, read it like this,” and he said, “Why am I doing it? Why don’t you just do this yourself?” I said, “You’re right. You’re fired. I’m going to do it myself!”

Within six weeks, my voiceover career took off. I was astounded how much money could be made just starting out, but the timing was right. Back then, you could walk into a recording studio and somebody would grab you for voiceover work. It was an entirely different time. There was no Internet.

Debbie Grattan: Now that the shoe is on the other foot, does all that knowledge give you a leg up on the competition?

Ed Victor: I think so. After being in the advertising business for 25 years, I understand that there is more to being a voice actor than just delivering the copy. Writing advertising copy for so many years, I’m able to give more to the producer.

I consider the broader scope and I don’t take it personally. That producer on the other end has clients to please, too. When they direct me, I get it. I truly get it.

Debbie Grattan: Your background leads you into retail copy, but you do a broad range of work as a voice actor. What do you consider your niches?

strong>Ed Victor: My niche is promo and trailer work… network promos, television station promos, radio station promos, and trailers.

I’m on contract with about eight television stations around the country and I get copy almost every day. Trailer work is probably one of the hardest things to get into in terms of actual work, but I do a ton of trailer work outside of the country.

In part 2 of this interview, Landing Voice Over Opportunities Overseas, voice actors Ed Victor and Debbie Grattan discuss his experience as an international voice actor.

Voiceover Internet Marketing Tips for the Voiceover Artist

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.

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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.

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.