How
to Break into Voiceovers Without Wasting Your Time and Money
Nine
Keys to Success and a Scam to Avoid
copyright 2006, The Great Voice Company | All Rights Reserved
What's a voiceover?
It's the art of using the voice to sell, inform or entertain on
radio and TV commercials, non-broadcast narrations for corporate
audio or phone lines, and animation or cartoons.
I've voiced thousands of Voiceovers
for companies including: AT&T, Citibank, Landrover, Dunkin'
Donuts, Avis, Johnson and Johnson, Sprint, , and many others.
I do this full time, and have my own recording studio in Englewood
Cliffs, NJ. Here are the answers to the questions people always
ask about how to break into the field.
1. People always tell me
I have a great voice and should do Voiceovers. It sounds like
fun. How do I know if I have any talent? I don't want to embarrass
myself or waste my time.
It takes much more than
a great sounding voice to be successful in voiceovers. While clear
speech is essential, you also need:
The ability to take someone else's
words (the script) and make them sound believable and sincere,
as if they were your own. This has more to do with acting ability
and timing than voice quality. With proper training this skill
can be learned. A strong desire to do this and the ability to
persist. Some start up capital to invest in training and a professionally
recorded demo tape. A solid marketing plan and a list of people
to send your tape to. There are some people (male and female)
who are born with what I call "the voice of god"...
But in my experience, natural talent has very little to do with
voiceover success. I've seen people who I thought would never
"make it" book jobs. I've also seen those who were naturally
talented never get work. In my opinion, what most people call
talent is really a combination of desire, preparation and persistence.
2. I've heard that the
same people (especially celebrities) do all the work. Is this
true?
There are tens of thousands
of television and radio stations in the United States. Each radio
station runs an average of 12 commercials per hour and each TV
station runs about 20 commercials per hour. That means each hour
there are many thousands of commercials on the air nationwide.
It is physically impossible for
a handful of celebrities or a small group of people to do all
that work! The voices of celebrities just seem to be everywhere
because we recognize them.
Producers always tell me they are
constantly on the lookout for fresh new voices. Anyone with proper
training, a good demo tape and enough drive has as good a chance
as ever to break into this lucrative and exciting field.
3. Do I need to join a
union to do Voiceovers?
Not necessarily. One can
be quite successful as non-union voiceover talent but there are
some risks which I will explain in a moment.
There are two unions which govern
voiceover work: AFTRA (American Federation of TV and Radio Artists)
and SAG (the Screen Actors Guild). The talent unions offer many
benefits which members fought long and hard to gain. For instance,
the client must pay you scale and residuals and contribute to
a pension and welfare fund on your behalf. Should a client not
pay talent for work done under a union contract, the union will
sue for collection on your behalf.
Generally, union work is the only
work that pays residuals so your earning potential is tremendous.
Without a special waiver, union talent is not allowed to do non-union
work.
To join the unions there is a substantial
initiation fee of over $1000 for each union. This fee will vary
depending on the rates for your State. Dues are paid annually
depending on talent payments earned during the previous year.
AFTRA is an open union, but SAG is a Guild and requires a contract
to join.
There is a separate union scale
rate for voiceovers on TV, radio, cartoons, and non-broadcast
usage which differs by market size. Contact the local near you
for rates in your area. Because union initiation fees are so high,
I advise most people to wait until they book a union job before
joining.
When you work as non-union talent,
you are on your own. You negotiate your rate with the client and
you are responsible for collecting your talent payment. Residuals
are generally not paid for non-union work. Unless you negotiate
your own contract, the client has the right to use your recording
any way they like without paying you another dime beyond what
you received initially.
4. How much money can I make in this business?
A lot. Top voiceover talent
make six and even seven figure incomes. If you are lucky enough
to book a long-running national commercial you can make well over
$10,000 in residual payments for just one spot!
But don't quit your day job. It
can take years of perfecting your talent and marketing yourself
before you reach this level of success. Non-union jobs pay as
little as $50 a spot, or many hundreds of dollars a commercial
depending on market size and whether your commercial runs on TV
or radio. While these fees are not astronomical they are certainly
good pay for something that's so much fun to do!
5. Can I do this if I have
a "day job"?
Absolutely! In fact, it
will probably take a few years before your voiceover career is
established enough to be your sole means of support. In the meantime,
you'll need to invest some of the money you make at your day job
in things like classes, demo production, and marketing expenses
to get your voiceover career off the ground.
6. But how do I do both?
Do they hold auditions and bookings on evenings or weekends?
Unfortunately not. Most
voiceover sessions happen during normal business hours. But the
good news is that more and more auditions are done on line. Many
of my students record their auditions into small, portable MP3
recorders after work or during breaks and then email them off.
Before you can get work, you need
to market yourself. This is done by consistently sending out demos
and following up with phone calls. Demos can be sent after hours
and calls can be made during lunch time or breaks.
When the call comes to work, take
a day off or make some other excuse to duck out of work for a
while. Most voiceover jobs take about an hour to do. Home recording
equipment is getting easier and less expensive to buy. Many of
my students record from home.
7. Tell me about agents
and managers. Do I need one?
An agent's job is to send
your tape to casting directors and producers. Sometimes you are
booked directly through your agent and sometimes you must audition.
An agent makes 10-15% for their services. Never pay an agent before
a job is booked and paid for. Usually payment comes to the agent
and is then disbursed to you less their commission.
Agents serve a very useful function
in the casting chain. They represent a wide variety of talent
in each market. Most casting directors and producers prefer to
work with agents rather than call talent individually. It helps
save time.
Agents work with talent two ways:
freelance or exclusive signed. Agents give first priority to their
signed clients and are more willing to take an active interest
in their career. Freelance means you choose not to be exclusive.
In this case, several different agents can represent you. This
can increase your exposure but because you are working with many
agents instead of one, they are less likely to be as supportive
and loyal as they might be if you were a signed client.
If a reputable agent wishes to
sign you, its probably a good idea, as long as the contract provides
a liberal "escape" clause if the relationship doesn't
work out. Make sure you have a lawyer review the document before
signing!
Before you agree to be represented
by an agent, check their reputation with other actors and casting
directors. You should quickly be able to find the names of the
best agents in your area.
If your city has a talent union office, call SAG and AFTRA and
ask which agents have a union franchise. This is usually an excellent
indicator that the agency is reputable.
If you cannot get an agent to represent
you or if there are no talent agencies in your area, you can still
get work on your own by sending your demo tape directly to casting
directors and producers and following up religiously! Voice talent
rarely work with managers.
8. Do you need to live
near New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago to be a successful
voiceover artist?
No. However, most NY and
LA agents will only represent clients who live and work in the
same market, close enough to get to auditions and bookings quickly
when the call comes in. However, if you are a good marketer and
able to find work on your own, you can live anywhere you like
as long as you have access to a recording studio, phone, fax,
and overnight delivery service. Many voiceover artists do extremely
well in medium size markets and more and more agents are working
virtually with talent from across the country.
9. How do I get started?
First, find a competent
coach to train you in voiceover technique and help you with your
demo. Then, record your demo in a professional studio. Duplicate
and distribute the demo to casting directors, agents and production
companies. Then, follow up consistently on every demo you send.
Keep practicing and working to master your craft.
Warning!
Here's a voiceover SCAM to avoid!!
Beware of ads that advertise
for "voice talent with no experience needed" in your
local paper.
They are typically placed by fly-by-night
individuals claiming to be talent agents or managers. Answer the
ad and they'll invite you to their office. Once there, you'll
"audition" by reading a script. They will then gush
all over you, compliment you on your voice and promise to make
you a star. Then, watch out for the scam. They'll tell you that
if you give them several hundred dollars or more they'll make
your demo , duplicate it, send it out and get you work. Sometimes
they'll try to get additional money for headshots or a modeling
portfolio.
They'll send you to record a few
scripts in some equally shady studio (or maybe record you right
on the spot) with no coaching or preparation. And then they'll
take your money, and run! You will never hear from them again
and in a few weeks their phones will be disconnected and they
will be long gone with your hard earned money!!
A sad story, but one I've heard
again and again from people who were ripped off .
Here's
how to keep this from happening to you:
1. Never give any money
up front to an agent, manager or anyone who promises to get you
work. A legitimate agent or manager gets paid their 10
or 15% AFTER they get you the job, never before. There are reputable
on-line casting services who will send you leads for a yearly
fee of several hundred dollars. There is no guarantee, but it
is a good source of leads.
2. Never give money to
someone who claims to be an agent or manager for demo production.
The only person you should pay to help you with your
demo is a qualified coach or a legitimate recording studio, which
you have thoroughly investigated before you invest. (see my free
report: How to Produce a Killer
Demo)
3. A legitimate agent or
manager will never charge the talent for tape duplication or marketing
costs. To prevent any "funny business" arrange
for duplication yourself and pay the duplicator directly. Give
the agent or manager a few demoss to send out at his expense and
tell him to call you when he needs more. If you don't hear from
him after a month or so, you're out nothing more than the cost
of a few audio cassettes.
4. A legitimate agent or
manager will NEVER make promises or ask for money up front for
anything. Period.
5. Investigate anyone who
claims to be an agent or manager by:
