How to Be a Voice Actor

by Alan Smithee

  To be clear: the commercial reel consists exclusively of commercial spots. This is not the place for accents, funny voices and the like. There will be separate demos for other areas of specialization, particularly animation, in which you can really stretch out and do your thing, if that’s your strong suit. But for the commercial reel, it’s important that you stay focused on your natural sound.

  Creating a reel is not a cheap endeavor. Depending on the market, it can cost upwards of $1000. It’s for this reason that we strongly recommend taking a class or two before you jump into the process. Time is money in most recording studios, so you really want to be on your game. Additionally, we highly recommend working with a coach who can help get the best possible reads out of you. Many recording studios that specialize in voiceover demos will provide this, but some do not, so you may wish to bring along an instructor to provide an extra set of ears.

  Find an Agent

  Here’s the deal: while lots of people are managing to find voiceover work both locally and on the internet, the big-money, national ad campaigns are still booked by agents. Agents establish relationships with people called “buyers,” who produce and cast commercial spots and promos. When an agent chooses to sign you, he or she will submit you to read on scripts he receives from these buyers that he or she feels you may be right for. Then you audition by reading the script, either from a home studio (more on that in a bit), from a booth at the agent’s office, or at a casting house.

  The most straightforward way to approach an agent is to submit your demo. At the end of this guide, you’ll find that we’ve included contact and submission information for nearly every VO agent in the country. While some people still take the time to print up a CD, your best bet these days is simply to email your reel. If you have a website, you can simply send along the URL. (If you don’t have a website, don’t worry—we’ll get to that in a bit!)

  After you send your reel to an agent, you may want to follow up with a quick phone call (though not more than one). Generally, if they’re interested, they’ll call, but a reminder doesn’t hurt. If you don’t hear back from an agent, you can wait a few months and try submitting again.

  In some instances, agents who are interested will sign you for full representation, paperwork and all. But more often these days, an agent will invite you to do what’s called a “handshake deal,” in which he or she will submit you for things over a few months to see how you do. From there, if things go well, you’ll get a full signing.

  Bottom line: It can be an uphill battle getting an agent. Having someone recommend you definitely helps, so if you know anyone who’s connected to the business—casting people, engineers, agency people, anybody—now’s the time to call in that favor! But even without connections, people do get signed and careers get launched. Try to keep in mind that there are a lot of people trying to break into voiceover right now. It may take a while to get the attention of an agent, so be patient. If you fail to sign with an agent the first time around, you can spend some time working on your craft, taking classes, cutting a new demo reel, and above all, listening, listening, listening. Persistence pays off!

  Ultimately, it’s all about timing. If you send your reel to an agent at the right time and they need someone who sounds like you, you’re in. So volume is in your favor. Keep at it. There really isn’t a standard way to market yourself in this business, since some agents don’t mind unsolicited submissions, and others hate them. Bottom line: be polite, don’t be pushy, don’t overload, and remember: you have a valuable skill you’re offering. Too often, we as VO people tend to forget that.

  Should I Join the Union?

  The short answer is: it depends. The vast majority of work that you’ll get online will be non-union. The explosion of online voiceover casting websites is in large part due to voiceover clients not wanting to pay union rates for voice talent. Therefore, if you’re successfully finding your work online, you won’t want to join the newly unified SAG-AFTRA.

  If, on the other hand, you wind up working with an agent, most of the jobs you’ll be submitted for will be union jobs. You can get an agent without being in the union, but once you book a union job, you’ll then have a limited amount of time during which you must join the union. (This is because of the Taft-Hartley Act. In fact, doing your first union job is called being “Taft-Hartley-ed.”) From there, if you wish to continue to work non-union jobs, you can submit to SAG-AFTRA that you would like to be declared “financial core,” or fi-core. Having fi-core status means that you’ll continue to be able to work all jobs, but you will be denied the right to vote in elections or to run for office in the union.

  There are a number of good reasons to join the union, not the least of which is the healthcare it provides. You need to earn a minimum amount each year working “on the card” to qualify, but in this day and age, having health insurance is an enormous benefit. Additionally, all union work you do goes toward a pension, which will accrue and provide you with a monthly stipend when it’s time to retire. Even if you declare your status as financial core, no work that you do that is non-union will be accrued toward your healthcare or pension.

  In the end, whether or not you join a union depends on the type of voiceover work you’re able to get. Most people let that dictate their decision.

  Auditioning

  Whether you sign with an agent or whether you choose to work with online sites (or even if you do both), auditioning will be at the center of your life in voiceover. As many voice actors are fond of saying, “We audition for a living.” It’s largely true. There’s no set ratio of auditions to jobs you will book, but there’s no one books everything he auditions for (or at least, if there is, we’ve never met him). Therefore, it’s absolutely key that you not only become comfortable with auditioning, but that you become good at it.

  The Script and Specs

  Auditions take place at one of three places: at a casting house, at your agent’s office, or from your home studio. And it all starts with the script. When a client (usually a creative at an ad agency or a producer at a network) is looking for voice talent for a particular spot, they’ll submit a script to an online site or an agency for prospective talent to read. In addition to the copy, they’ll provide “specs” at the top, which indicate the kind of person they’d like to hear (e.g., male/female, age range, attitude and sound, etc.). A typical set of specs will look like this:

  “Looking for a male voice, 30-40. Sounds like a friendly dad or neighbor. Should sound relatable, like speaking to one person. No announcers, please.”

  That last line is something of a joke in the industry, because nearly every commercial copy you get will have some variation on this. This is because, as we’ve said earlier, no one wants to hear announcers*; instead, they’re looking for a casual approach. This is what you’ll learn in any voiceover class you take. There are several ways of finding your natural sound. Usually, it’s a variation on the Stanislavsky method. Roughly, this means putting yourself in the mental and emotional place wherein you care about what you’re talking about. Very few people care that much about shampoo, so you may wish to substitute something in place of that that you do care about, in the appropriate amount. So if the script calls for you to get really excited about shampoo, they don’t want to hear fake emotion; they want to hear you to get genuinely excited. So think about whatever gets you there—music, cars, whatever it may be—while you’re reading the copy.

  The other key approach, unless otherwise directed, is to talk to one person. If you’re reading at an agency or casting house, there will usually be a casting person or engineer recording you. Sometimes it helps to talk to that person, maybe making eye contact. Another trick is to take out your cell phone and read the script with it up to your ear, as if you’re talking to someone on the other end.

  If you have an acting background, you may wish to treat the voiceover audition as a monologue. Because in essence, that’s what it is. Voiceover acting is acting. Let your training come i
nto play.

  *There are exceptions to this, of course. Sometimes a creative will want a “big” sound, which usually means an announcer voice. Often this will be for a humorous spot that parodies the Big Announcer Voice. Also, some casting directors and/or clients believe that what they really want is a natural, relatable sound… but when you book the gig and get in the booth, they instead encourage you to “sell it” a bit more, and you wind up sounding… like an announcer. Whatever the case, give them exactly what they ask for in the audition. That’s how you book the job. Then, once you’ve booked the job, give them whatever they want.

  In the Booth

  When you first receive your copy, look it over. Take some time with the specs, read it over to yourself. If you can, find a stairwell or a bathroom where you can read it aloud. Then, if you’re at an agency or casting house, you’ll be called into the “booth,” where you’ll read.

  The engineer will begin recording and point to you. This is your cue to “slate,” or, to say your name and the part you’re reading. If it’s a “group read” for a radio spot with more than one person reading at the same time, you’ll say the name of your character, in order of your character’s appearance in the script. If it’s a solo script, you’ll either simply state your name and begin reading, or you’ll say your name and then say “AVO,” which stands for announcer voice over.

  After you slate, you’ll read the copy. If it’s a particularly long piece of copy (spots are usually in the 30 to 60 second range), then you’ll probably be asked to read it just once. If it’s a short piece, you may be asked to do three in a row, or an “A-B-C.” In this situation, you’ll want to prepare ahead of time to display some variation.

  In most cases, you’ll be done very quickly. If you have experience with auditions for stage or on-camera work, you’ll notice that the voiceover audition is usually far more low-key. You can wear pretty much whatever you want (this goes for jobs, as well), and the people who will be listening to and critiquing your read are nowhere in site. So relax and have fun!

  Ad Libs and “Buttons”

  Remember how we mentioned that taking an improv class is a good idea? Here’s where that pays off. In particular cases, you will be encouraged to “punch up” or ad lib lines when reading copy. You’ll find this when reading copy for radio spots with groups of other voice actors. Or there may be a script that calls for you to be a little “over the top.” Or sometimes when reading for an animated character, a little ad libbed humor is appropriate.

  Additionally, at the end of some group reads, someone will “button” the script. That is, he or she will add an extra funny line or quip at the end. You know you’ve nailed it if you can make the other actors or the engineer laugh.

  Moderation is the key. Over time, you’ll get a feel for where and when you can ad lib and add buttons. If you’re uncertain, you can ask the engineer before you begin reading. But the bottom line is, a well placed ad lib can make the client laugh, and therefore land you the job. And that’s why you’re auditioning.

  Booking a Job

  You’ve booked a job! Congrats! Now what?

  There are only a couple very simple rules for how to conduct yourself in a job, and knowing and abiding by these will get you many more jobs to come (we hope!). The first is to be on time. In fact, show up early if you can. This will give you a few minutes to relax, get into the right headspace, and go over the script, if it’s available ahead of time.

  The other thing is to be flexible and open. Some sessions are completed very quickly, because voiceover is the last thing that needs to be added to a spot or a promo before it hits the air. When this is the case, the client generally knows exactly what he or she wants and will want to get it out of you in a few takes.

  Some sessions may last longer, for any number of reasons: The client doesn’t know exactly what it is he or she is looking for and is using you to experiment with different approaches—this is common when you’re called to do a “demo,” or a mock-up version of an ad for an agency pitch. Or there may be last minute changes to the copy, or they may want multiple people to hear a particular take you’ve done, which requires the engineer sending it off and getting approval while you wait.

  Ultimately, it’s your job to give the clients whatever they want, so stay positive and keep a good attitude. Remember, the worst day doing voiceover is always infinitely better than the best day at a real job!

  Website

  Not long ago, voice actors sent out CDs to market themselves. And not long before that, it was cassette tapes. Now virtually every working voice actor has a website. And while a website can be expensive to develop, the benefits are enormous. First, you can create and establish an entire brand for yourself online. You can also include every reel from every area you specialize in, not to mention videos, a blog, you name it. And, because it’s on the internet, you can use it as a marketing tool.

  Because a website is a relatively large expense (as much as $2000, depending on what you include), we recommend that voice actors wait until they’ve established themselves a bit before investing in one. A website should reflect your brand, which is essentially your sound, and it takes being in the business for a bit to determine exactly what that is. Also, you’ll want to have at least a couple of reels to offer, and maybe some audio or video samples of actual jobs you’ve done. The point is to create something that is compelling and that gives agents and casting people an idea of who you are as a voice actor.

  When you’re ready to take the leap, you’ll want to work with someone who can help you create the look and feel that reflects you best. Needless to say, there are thousands of web designers out there, so you’ll want to choose carefully. Interview a few and review their work to see if they have what it takes. One designer who works extensively with voiceover people is Denise Biondo, and she’s therefore highly recommended. See her work at:

  http://www.biondostudio.com/

  Also check out Bob West’s work. He does great websites, and was also the voice of Barney, the Purple Dinosaur:

  http://www.thoughtnozzle.com/

  Also, there’s:

  http://www.getcreativeinc.com

  If you can’t afford to have a website professionally designed right now, don’t let that stop you. Proceed to…

  Website Setup 101

  If this is your first website, our personal preference is that you use WordPress as a content management system to set up your website. The nice thing about WordPress is that it is very easy to use and allows you to create static web pages and blog entries, as well as being extremely search-engine friendly. This makes life easy as you start wanting to get fancier later on with your branding.

  Here is the process for getting your website set up if you don’t have one at all. We recommend that you complete these steps right away. If you already have a website or blog on a free service (like WordPress.com or Blogger), you can keep that, but you will also need to buy and build http://firstnamelastname.com so that you can take full ownership of your name and branding. You will be reading more about blogging in Chapter 7, but the answer is yes, you still need your main http://firstnamelastname.com website.

  Buy your URL.

  Choose firstnamelastname.com or the closest approximation of this that is available. GoDaddy.com has excellent prices for URLs as well as easy-to-use hosting.

  Sign up for WordPress hosting. Make sure you read the run-down on hosting companies before you sign up—there are a few security precautions you will need to put in place if you go with lower-priced hosting like GoDaddy. At this time, Zippykid is your best bet for hands-off Wordpress hosting (though, just to warn you, it does cost more).

  Set it up. Once you’ve checked out, follow the instructions that your hosting company sends you. If you’ve chosen Zippykid, they will send you an email with setup instructions.

  Pick a theme and upload it. In WordPress, a theme (or template) is a pre-built design that comes with some default pieces of functionality (widget
s). This is the “look and feel” of your website, and essentially takes the place of a graphic designer.

  In the WordPress world, themes can either be free or paid. Either way, you want to pick a good theme. Here is our spiel on paid vs. free WordPress themes:

  In WordPress, a theme (or template) is a pre-built design that comes with some default pieces of functionality (widgets). WordPress is an open-source environment, which means someone is always updating or creating something new, so this makes it easy to make your website do what you want it to do without too much hassle.

  The main difference between free and fee-based themes in WordPress is that if you go with a free theme, you give up a certain amount of functionality, plus you’re probably going to end up with an advertisement somewhere on your site for the company that made the theme. (Hey, they have to get something for making it, right?)

  Here are some reasons to go with a paid theme. (Again, just our opinion. If you feel strongly about free themes, install one and get going on your site!)