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I'm hoping that there's at least a few people on here who can give me pointers-
How to start, what's a few good companies to work with, etc.
I get stopped literally all the time, strangers asking for me to just keep talking....
They love my voice.
Most recently was 2 nights ago-
I was asked if I could just not leave- so they could listen to me talk.
I used to do tv & film work but honestly I'm more interested
in doing voice over work or even commercials...
I like my anonymity
Oh & whatever suggestions would have to apply to the Chicago area-
I know there are various agencies for film work that are in Chi/L.A./NYC
So possibly this is do-able
If you did TV & Film work, then you already have the connections and know the people, or they know YOU! It would be pointless to post on this board.
OK, one pearl of wisdom if you are for real: VERY, VERY, few people are willing to take a chance on NEW voice-over talent because they wouldn't know talent if it bit them on their frontal. And this is the case for actor, as well. They spend tons of money to get the top VO talent (literally MILLION dollar talent in a few cases) because they are terrified of the commercial, movie trailer, ad campaign, documentary etc. failing because the got they WRONG/unknown VO talent. They would rather pay 6 figures+ for some of the best VO to come in and do their thing without anyone every DARING to direct them or in any other way communicate with them during recording as to what the producer/director might want from the VO talent. If you are lucky, the VO talent MIGHT give your a second or third take. Then the VO walks out the door having made a pot of gold in less than half an hour. Of course, those are the tops. The less expensive ones do take directing and don't mind additional takes, but they still make a bucket of money. VO is incredibly competitive and most producers/directors will only work with VO talent they KNOW, like they often work with ONLY editors they know.
Again, if people in the industry already KNOW you as an actor, then you are 5/6ths of the way there. Just let the people you presumably know that you want to do VO. They will have far more success in making a PERSONAL recommendation for you than any agent because you wold be an unknown VO talent. it is WHO you know. The VO people I know ALL had their connections on the inside before being hired and doing well enough. If you are hired, they will do all the paperwork for you to sign to make it all legal and union, and THEN you will need an agent.
Getting an agent now as an unknown is NOT going to get you any serious VO work. If you are serious, then you have to take ANY opportunity to do voice work, even for FREE at ANY event such as fairs, bars, ANY place that will let you use your voice. Sometimes someone who matters HEARS you and want you to do something locally for modest pay, but from there, it can get better, but it will take time because of the far more experienced and connected VO talent who suck up all work, and they work for EVERYBODY. Do student films, etc. anything, but don't expect to have any of this lead to a VO career that can pay the bills.
Last edited by HarryKerryJr; 10-29-2015 at 01:45 AM..
If you did TV & Film work, then you already have the connections and know the people, or they know YOU! It would be pointless to post on this board.
OK, one pearl of wisdom if you are for real: VERY, VERY, few people are willing to take a chance on NEW voice-over talent because they wouldn't know talent if it bit them on their frontal. And this is the case for actor, as well. They spend tons of money to get the top VO talent (literally MILLION dollar talent in a few cases) because they are terrified of the commercial, movie trailer, ad campaign, documentary etc. failing because the got they WRONG/unknown VO talent. They would rather pay 6 figures+ for some of the best VO to come in and do their thing without anyone every DARING to direct them or in any other way communicate with them during recording as to what the producer/director might want from the VO talent. If you are lucky, the VO talent MIGHT give your a second or third take. Then the VO walks out the door having made a pot of gold in less than half an hour. Of course, those are the tops. The less expensive ones do take directing and don't mind additional takes, but they still make a bucket of money. VO is incredibly competitive and most producers/directors will only work with VO talent they KNOW, like they often work with ONLY editors they know.
Again, if people in the industry already KNOW you as an actor, then you are 5/6ths of the way there. Just let the people you presumably know that you want to do VO. They will have far more success in making a PERSONAL recommendation for you than any agent because you wold be an unknown VO talent. it is WHO you know. The VO people I know ALL had their connections on the inside before being hired and doing well enough. If you are hired, they will do all the paperwork for you to sign to make it all legal and union, and THEN you will need an agent.
Getting an agent now as an unknown is NOT going to get you any serious VO work. If you are serious, then you have to take ANY opportunity to do voice work, even for FREE at ANY event such as fairs, bars, ANY place that will let you use your voice. Sometimes someone who matters HEARS you and want you to do something locally for modest pay, but from there, it can get better, but it will take time because of the far more experienced and connected VO talent who suck up all work, and they work for EVERYBODY. Do student films, etc. anything, but don't expect to have any of this lead to a VO career that can pay the bills.
That's also a catch 22 because it's really impossible to get a real agent in LA until you've done some actually work. Good agents usually recruit talent not the other way around. So yes, do whatever free acting work you can get and try doing some open mic stand up. I actually work in animation and I know our casting department spends a lot of time at local comedy clubs scouting talent and that is probably the only way that anyone unkown might get discovered. But even so, 99% of the voice actors they use where I work have extensive acting credits in film and tv and agents. One of the keys to casting voice actors isn't the quality of the voice, it's the how recognizable they are. That's why everyone wants to pay big money to have famous actors do voice over in commercials now. Even if they aren't touting Sam Shepherd as their spokesperson, they know that viewers will subconsciously trust them more because they sound familiar. It's the same with animation where they usually don't bill a cartoon as so and so staring in it but viewers are willing to give it a chance when they recognize the voice actors.
You can set up a studio in your home if you're technically enough inclined and can use the pro software. There are books and web sites that can help on the characteristics and sound of different mics, soundproofing your room, voice acting, and electronic sound manipulation. It's called sound engineering among other things.
Files can be compressed and sent over the net. You'd need a web page with some demos to refer people to and you'd have to actively promote yourself, join organizations, and show a resume of your works. Advertising agencies hire VO people.
You can set up a studio in your home if you're technically enough inclined and can use the pro software. There are books and web sites that can help on the characteristics and sound of different mics, soundproofing your room, voice acting, and electronic sound manipulation. It's called sound engineering among other things.
Files can be compressed and sent over the net. You'd need a web page with some demos to refer people to and you'd have to actively promote yourself, join organizations, and show a resume of your works. Advertising agencies hire VO people.
This is actually exactly what I'm looking to do
I did some research-- your advice is solid.
To the helpful responses- Thanks
Also to the third poster-
I used to do film work.....
Haven't been on a set in a few years-
So yeah- those connections aren't current.
I am in the VO industry here in Los Angeles, but I can give you advice that also applies in Chicago. I will message you, since it's a big chunk of info.
You can set up a studio in your home if you're technically enough inclined and can use the pro software. There are books and web sites that can help on the characteristics and sound of different mics, soundproofing your room, voice acting, and electronic sound manipulation. It's called sound engineering among other things.
Files can be compressed and sent over the net. You'd need a web page with some demos to refer people to and you'd have to actively promote yourself, join organizations, and show a resume of your works. Advertising agencies hire VO people.
All true. You need to get plugged into the VO community (which really is nationwide now with so much of it happening via the internet).
For those who are interested, here are a couple of places to start looking (and you don't have to live in Los Angeles):
Edge Studio (edgestudio.com), based in NYC, but has a ton of resources, including weekly talks, private study, emails with informative articles, and a great database of practice scripts.
The VO Peeps founded by Anne Ganguzza (vopeeps.com) is based in Orange County, but all workshops allow for a certain number of live internet participants. Workshops are with some of the top folks in the industry. If you live in L.A. or OC, join the Peeps and attend the meetups and workshops in person. Anne is also THE person to learn how to market yourself in the voice over industry.
Pat Fraley (patfraleyteaches.com) has not only great workshops in L.A. and NYC, but his online courses are fantastic resources. His approach to teaching technique is so ridiculously practical, but it really does give you an edge when approaching copy for everything for audiobooks to videogames.
Also, start watching the vlog that everyone in the industry watches: VO Buzz Weekly with Chuck Duran and Stacy Aswad. Everyone who's anyone is interviewed on their weekly YouTube show. They're about to do a live taping of their 200th episode this week in NoHo, and we're all turning out for the party. You will learn a LOT from their show (and they do the best animation demos in the biz, hands down.)
Look for folks like Bob Bergen, Pat Fraley, Rob Paulsen, Richard Horvitz and other top VAs doing workshops around the country. They all go to other cities besides L.A. and NYC.
Some must-read books: "V-OH!" by Marc Cashman, "Sound Advice" by Dan Friedman, "Voice Over Legal" by Robert Sciglimpaglia, any of Harlan Hogan's books, and the most important: "Making Money in your PJs" by Paul Strikwerda--warning: this one pulls no punches. It's an unvarnished looks at what it takes to survive as a freelance voice actor.
One final note: voice over is NOT AT ALL about having a great sounding voice. It IS ALL about acting skills. IF you don't get acting training, you will not succeed in the industry. Nobody's interested in your impression of so-and-so. Even today's animation mostly requires more realistic voices with strong acting skills. To break into the industry takes a BIG investment of both time and money. While there are some things you can do more cheaply at the start and upgrade as you make money, for the most part, you need to invest in the best quality you can, in training (especially!), in equipment, in marketing. And STUDY, STUDY, STUDY. Research the industry, the areas you're interested in (commercial, audiobook, animation, video game, narration, industrial, etc.), the people involved (casting directors, agents, directors, studios, actors). You need to know the industry to be able to navigate it.
If you're looking to get into voice acting, start with the above. Nevermind agents and stuff--I guarantee you that you are nowhere near ready to worry about that. Get connected, and start learning. The more you learn, the more you'll realize how much more you need to learn! And somewhere down the road, you'll be ready to take the steps, make your professional demos, and go for it!
One more thing to add... It's about how your voice sounds through a microphone. Some people have great voices in person but for some reason they just don't sound the same through a mic. Conversely I know people who have OK voices in person but once they speak into that mic they just hit all of the right frequencies, their volume is consistent... everything!
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