Hang in There and Work On Your Skills

I always get a lot of questions about success; What's the best way to network? Whats the best way to get an agents? How to make more money and get more jobs?  There are many correct answers to these important questions. I would like to point out what, in my opinion,  is one of the most important factors in achieving "success". Improve your voiceover skills.
I know a lot of people who do good work and at the same time complain  that they'd like to achieve "more". Very often the limiting factor is they don't work on improving their skills as a VO artist. They do the same thing year after year and get the same results year after year. It's important to be on a lifelong quest to improve ones speaking skills and voice development which includes breathing skills. The are thousands of really talented voiceover artists. You are competing in an olympic size market and have to prepare with the same in intensity as those athletes do, If you want to make A-List money, you have to have A-List skills:)

- It's Never Just About The Words in VoiceOvers or Life

I think maybe the most important thing people taught me when I was starting out, was the absolute importance of "tone of voice". It was emphasized that first contact with clients and casting directors and everyone in ones world use tone of voice to figure out what we mean and if they want to engage with us. Words are important of course, but they are only a small part of the communication at best.
We naturally want to tip a personable server in a restaurant more because it contributes to our experience. It's the same when a salesperson is helping us that seems present and engaged; we are more likely to make a purchase.

The same principle applies not only to doing great voiceover work, but also to getting voiceover work. People hire the people that they like the best. The most important talking you do occurs before the job is even offered. Always take time to listen to new clients needs and to make sure the conversations are centered on them. Being easy company that is well spoken with a tone of voice that is attentive can do a lot to improves the number of jobs one gets.

- The Importance of Authenticity

There are many qualities that make up a successful voiceover career. There are many ways to look at the success of any voiceover artist. Different vocal qualities create different kinds of appeals.
There is a recurring quality that I've noticed over the years that has a major influence on a persons success. That quality is authenticity.
Many people are very well spoken and have learned the various styles of voiceovers. There is an issue however that in some cases the voice is stuffed into the style instead of figuring out how that voice and personality can best represent that style without going outside of the compass of the voice or personality. In other words there is a loss of authenticity. Some times casting directors will write notes like, "Nice voice...doesn't mean it". If something isn't idea driven, if it does't sound like you're speaking spontaneously to a close friend, it lacks authenticity.
It doesn't sound like a person "means it"
Exploring the dynamics of your voice when you are most authentic and natural can pay big dividends in taking your voiceover career to the next level.

- Where Do You Fit In? What Should You Look For?

It is very important to have a business plan in any endeavor. Especially in the voiceover industry there is a subjective element that can feel elusive and very arbitrary. This presents a bit of a dilemma.
How do you keep from getting depressed? How do you find your niche ? What should you be looking for? Here is one point of view that I personally have found very helpful. when I was very young, an old timer said this to me. "Ok, you're going into this crazy business...just find one person/company that likes your work and stay there...then find two more people that like your work and stay there ...AND don't waste an ounce of energy on anyone that doesn't want to hire you! THEY AREN"T your people ya big dope!" We don't need everyone to like us/cast us. We fit in with the people who do like our work and that is simply what we should look for and not worry about the rest.

- The Best Way to Get Voiceover Work

There are a million people doing voiceover work and a lot of them are really great. What can you do to get work in this sea of voice actors? It's easy to talk about knowing the various styles and having good cold reading skills for bigger projects, but there is one quality that seems to me to be the most important. It is my opinion that the ability to personalize voiceover copy is the most important skill. It's obvious that the copy has to be idea driven, not merely "read". Sounding like you are "Present" when reading the copy makes it sound intimate...as if you are speaking to only one person who has your undivided attention. Many people do good "Reads" but the ones who seem to get the most work are the ones who personalize copy the best. The ones who sound like they're speaking to a close friend. The ones who sound the most "Present".

- Is There Room For You in the VoiceOver Industry?

I hear  people saying, "I'd love to do voiceovers, but everyone says it's way to competitive".
If you stop and think about it and ask yourself to make a list of high paying jobs that aren't really competitive, there won't be anything on the list.
Of course everything is highly competitive. If you wanted to be a lawyer, teacher, or open a carpet cleaning business, you would have to deal with the same issues. You would have to network, have great skills and be good with people. The other important thing to remember is everyone does not have to like you. You are looking for a number of people who like your voice and natural style.
You are not looking to be hired by everyone.
Things take time to set up and develop. Most people who are well trained and who feel like they just have to do voiceovers do, over time,  find clients who are happy to pay them for their work.
People who make a living doing voiceovers have been trained and have built up their careers over time because they love doing it, not because they were an instant success. Work hard, be patient, and don't give up:)

- Partial Thoughts On Getting a Voiceover Agent

This is a chicken and the egg business. You need an agent to get the big union jobs and you generally need to have gotten some big jobs before an agent will be interested in representing you. There are many exceptions to this, but it will do as a gross generalization. If you start by getting corporate narratives you can land some extensive work. There are no gates to getting this kind of work. All the HR department cares about is, do you have a good natural delivery and can you deliver on time and on budget. When an agent likes your vo demo and says "What have you done", you can refer to your corporate narratives. No one likes to go first. Agents generally aren't interested in talent development per se, they are interested in how much money they think they can make from you booking jobs. They will be more interested in you if you can show that other people have hired you.