Do You Have What It Takes To Become A Voice Over Artist?

Story Highlights:

• You have to show strong commitment.



• You should believe in what you’re doing.



• It helps to be provide what they want: then you’re irreplacable.

Of course you need to have a powerful voice and an amazing demo reel to get a voice-over job. But to make this your career, you need to be able to handle extreme pressure, know the kind of work you’re willing to do, and become a highly valued employee.

1. Don’t Fold Under Pressure

When I was selected to be the voice of Mancini’s Sleepworld’s broadcast ad campaign, I’ll never forget the first time I went into the studio. I would deliver a line and he would ask for it a different way. So, I would do it the way he asked - or so I thought - then he would correct me and give me a “reading” of exactly how he wanted it to sound. I did my best to repeat it the way he said it. But nothing impressed him. I began to wonder if I was in over my head. “I don’t know if I can do this,” actually went through my mind. It was a very painful audition. Eventually, I discovered that it was all a test. When the talk-back mike was accidentily left open, I heard the producer explain to the engineer that since it was my first time recording with him, he wanted to see what I was made of! It was tough, but I survived his test. After the session was over, he said I did great. That experience tested my ability to take direction and maintain composure under pressure. In this industry, you can’t fold under pressure. You have to believe in your work and stick with it.

2. Make Good Judgment Calls

Deciding whether or not to do some jobs is somewhat a matter of personal ethics. For example, the way one producer of an animated short described the characters left me speechless: “we need a poor angry black girl, a stupid southern hick chick, and an obnoxious money-grubbing middle-aged Jewish lady. Can you do those?” He was basically asking me to perpetuate stereotypes through character voices. I simply told him I wasn’t the right person for his project. In hindsight, it may have been a great production that had some positive social or political message. If that happened today, I would ask more questions and read the script before deciding not to do it, but sometimes you just have a gut feeling.

Always get details about the program. Know what you’re getting into. And you don’t have to do every job that comes your way. You should believe in what you’re doing, or else you’ll start to distance yourself from it. You should be excited about your work.

3. Become A Valuable Asset

I was having trouble commuting to the company Voxify, Victoria’s Secret phone system. I had to drive for over an hour on the horrible I-880 freeway to Alameda, do the recordings, then drive another hour to get home to San Francisco. I got really sick and tired of it. But I loved the work. They were extremely professional, and even have linguistics experts on staff. I didn’t want to quit, but hated the drive. So I finally met with someone on the staff. He shared the results of a survey Voxify conducted with their staff that rated all of their voice talent, both male and female. The staff listened to recordings and rated us in various categories, like friendliness, trustworthiness, clarity, and so on. In the end, I was ranked number one overall, which made me very proud. So Voxify liked working with me as much I liked working with them. They offered to pay a transportation cost for each session, which I agreed to. I have never looked back. The situation only worked out because they really liked my work, I catered to what they needed and wanted, and I became an employee they simply could not lose.