One Secret To "Making It" Ok, More Than One:)

All these years I've looked at the successes and failures of people I've known and that includes myself. Sheesh, there are so many issues that contribute to any outcome. Having said that, there is one main thing that seems to be the most important.

The factor that I see determining outcome more than anything is follow through. Following up on opportunities seems to have more to do with success than almost anything, including talent. I'm not talking about obnoxious pestering of people. I am talking about following up on opportunities in a responsible timely manner. I have met legions of people who drop the ball on things that present themselves that are there for the taking if they would engage in a timely manner. But time after time I see people not following through. This is the reason for the most disappointing failures in my own life as well. The successes I've had have rarely, if ever,  been because I was the most talented person in the world.  The successes I've experienced have been because I was alert to opportunities or potentialities and followed through to monetize that moment, that intersection of possibility.

The companion to following through is appropriate manner of interaction. We must be unforced and natural in our communications with people. Our efforts to follow through must not be a display of our own insecurities or distorted egos. We have to be the kind of people we want to work for. We have to be the kind of person who seeks opportunity and then thanks the universe by making use of it when it appears.

Getting Voiceover Work

There is always a lot of discussion about networking to get voiceover work and that is of course very important. It is even more important that ones reading ability in the booth be A- List. There are many stories about people who get hired with great VO demos and then get fired because they just can't do clean reads in the booth. Remember time is money and the people running the jobs count on us to do great clean reads in an efficient manner. Practice relentlessly :)

- The Fuzzy Logic of Getting Voiceover Work

So, how the heck do some people get so much work? It's all extremely competitive of course. How do people find their way in a trade that has so much stuff going on? One must remember that the only thing that you have control over is your skill level and how you behave.

Big opportunities will not present themselves every day. When they do, you must be able to perform at the highest level in order to take advantage.

You do not start training after you've been invited to the Olympics, you train so you will make it to the Olympics. Being able to read awkward or difficult copy in a natural way can win friends in a session. Even if the copy is great, being able to personalize the copy in an authentic ways can separate you from others who would read very well. It is not so much about how competitive the industry is, it's really about your own skill level. Train like you're going to the Super Bowl, because thats what you're trying to do. Be casual, be friendly, be good company and prepare like your livelihood depends on it, because it does:)

- How You Could Make Big Money Doing Voiceovers & How To Get There

I get many many inquiries about how the voiceover business works; how to break into the voice acting and what kind of training is needed. What are the voice and breathing exercises I talk about all the time? and how to set up an affordable training  program that is home study and downloadable.
Here is our video to take you there:)
Voice Over Training Series | How To Break In To Voice Over | How To Make Money In Voice Over - YouTube

- Follow Us On Twitter:)

So you can follow us on Titter at:

@masteringVO

Some Thoughts On Reading Inspirational Copy

Aside from all the regular corporate narrations, voiceovers for How To Videos and commercials, there are Inspirational Narratives. We spend a lot of time pitching, talking and explaining everything from healthcare benefits to how not to get your arms ripped off while using certain machinery.
All of those voiceovers serve a necessary function. An even more important human necessity is inspiration.
There is a vast market for reading inspirational copy. The source may be religious, new age, leadership, communication, relationship, or success. The important thrust is always inspiration to live a more spiritual life, a more fulfilling life, a more complete life, a better life and whatever that means to you personally.
When we receive the copy for one of these projects it's important to really think through who the audience will be. How do they view life and their own hopes and dreams. No one likes to be lectured or talked down to, we all want to feel like we are in it together and the ideas are being shared. The tone of voice used in sharing great ideas is never condescending or patronizing. It is always warm, friendly and very personal.
In order for the message to be "heard" we have to be the story teller who is devoid of any affect. Everything must be "idea driven" and sound like it's the most reasonable conclusion.
There is hardly anything more important or a voiceover job that is more satisfying than inspiring or comforting people with uplifting text that contributes to their spirituality and peace  of mind while they navigate their lives.

- It's Important To Have a Dedicated Place To Record

People ask me what they can do to feel more inspired to practice and pursue voiceover work. I think one of the answers is to have a place that stays set up if at all possible. I know there are many situations where space is tight so it may not be possible for everyone, but if at all possible dedicate a corner or space that is always set up so you can just go over and lay down some tracks and play them back whenever you have time. You'll be able to practice anytime you want and you'll feel more inclined to keep practicing. The more you practice and develop your reading and recording skills, the more likely you are to get work:)

- How to break into the Voiceover Business - Short List

The main question I get all the time is how does one break into voiceovers.

It’s not surprising because every year it’s a multi billion dollar industry.

Think about it. All of those off camera voices that sell you cars, insurance, laundry detergent, TV shows, cartoons, and tell you in movie trailers when the next film is coming out. Science channel, history channel, Corporate narratives and audio books. An endless stream of projects that need an off camera voice.

There are so many ways to give advice about how to start. There are many ways to look at how one begins. A lot of it depends on your personality and how one deals with the unknown. Having said that, here are some thoughts to encourage and support you in this wonderful world of voiceovers.

Do not over estimate everyone else's intelligence. I tweeted last week that an old time voiceover guy told me when I was 22 years old and nervous about trying to get into voiceovers, " People dumber than you are making a fortune, just get out there and do it."

Never worry about what everyone else is doing or what "the odds are" it's completely besides the point. The question is do you love it enough to develop a great set of reading skills and start doing it.

Training and great reading skills are how professional voiceover artists make all that money.

Training is the first and most important place to start. No one in a recording studio is there to run a trade school. You have to know what you're doing.

 It's been my experience that a lot of people seem more interested in how to network than they are in developing the skills necessary to be hired and then re hired because they've done a good job. Learn the trade and what’s required. That is the first thing you’ll need to have a voiceover career.

So, you’ll need training. You’ll need a great voiceover demo. You’ll need a good computer and internet connection. You’ll need basic recording and editing equipment

These are some things you should know in order to break in and have a voiceover career. I’ll also tell you where work comes from and where to look for work when you’re starting out.

It’s true its just talking, but there is way more to it than that. You have to know the different styles for different products. For example cheaper cars are sold in more of an excited voice  Hurry on down zero percent financing!! Luxury cars are sold in a more relaxation audio book voice..the new infinity QX 4…its all the best thinking”

You have to develop your breathing and phrasing, because a lot of voiceover copy is pretty awkward.

On longer narrations like corporate or audio books, you’ll have to train your eyes to read about 3 words ahead of where your speaking so everything will sound idea driven. That means it should sound like you’re talking to a best friend and not just plodding through  like you’re just reading copy. When you take a catch breath you should dart your eyes to the right so you know whats coming up next. Voice and breath development is essential so your voice always sounds fresh and never tired.

You must a have a great voiceover demo. Casting directors only want a 60 second demo, Corporate video and other media producers often want 2 minutes because they sometimes feel tricked by people that only have 60 second demos.

Peoplesometomes send me terrible demo pieces auditioning saying “I know the audio is bad but hope you’ll like my voice” That is truly insane!!!  Don’t teach people that you have no idea what to do.

You have to have a computer that is new enough to handle media. If it’s no older than 5 years it should be ok. Mac or PC is fine. Everything is cross platform nowdays.

Recording equipment is very cheap now days. You can get completely set up for roughly $500 to $1200 depending on how you configure it all Check out ProTools

We use ProTools with United Audios Apollo for the hardware connection.

Also check out Audacity software its free and is ok to start with.

How to find those first jobs??? Once you have your voiceover demo you can call video production companies and ask if you can send them your vo demo to be on file for their corporate narratives. Do no, I repeat do not send your voiceover demo to anyone without asking permission. Most demos are sent by email as an MP3. Some companies will still ask for a CD but there are fewer of these every year. Media production companies do an endless series of Power point Presentation that all need to have voiceovers.

If you’re interested in audio books, sign up at audible.com ACX and look for books you’d like to voice. Pick books that have topics you’re interested in and your reads will be more naturally convincing

You can post your voiceover demo on internet casting sites like Voice Registry. It’s under the umbrella of voicebank.net which is one of the largest voiceover talent sites.

This is a great place to start and has a lot of support services as well. I like these guys a lot.

Alright, that’s the quick tour of how to break in. Get training, get your voiceover demo ready and don’t rush to put it together. It has to be authentic and not go outside the compass of your voice or personality. If it’s not great it’ll just convince people they don’t want you.

And finally do lots of searches on the internet on all aspects of voiceover. You have to become familiar with whats out their so you can form your own opinions based on your personal experiences. Other peoples advice is just a starting point so be curious, find out all that you possible can. And practice endlessly. Pick up a magazine and read out loud to practice your cold reading skills. Take the time you need to read it perfectly.

Look at it as an adventure a career puzzle that you can and will solve

And remember, people dumber that you are making a fortune.
Click here to get started
Click The Link Below For The Ultimate Voice Over Training Course - YouTube

- More Voiceover Work Than Ever. This and other True Things

It is true that it's all very competitive. It's true that online casting sites has reduced some of the compensation that independents will pay for voiceover work. It is true that you will probably not be discovered and made rich all of a sudden.

It is also true that there is more work than ever before. It is true that fewer live instructors are being paid to coach corporate people because they are having voiceover people narrate power point and video tutorials, It is true that the voiceover industry is changing very rapidly and you shouldn't let it scare you at all. Pay attention. Take notes. Form a plan, reinvent and go get some work.
It's true, you can do it:)

- Voiceover Jobs in Your Own Backyard:)

People naturally wonder about getting a voiceover talent agent. It's not how most people start though. Careers don't usually go from nothing to having representation. It's important to build up some job experience because no wants to go first. There are always people in everyones circle who might need an on hold message, friends who need a short voiceover for their web site, HR departments perhaps where you work that need a VO update on company policies. Make a list of everyone you know and think through who might need a little voiceover work that will help them and give you some real job experience.  Keep in mind that you can also do Reading for the Blind. It's done for free, but they are always very appreciative and it's great experience

- How To Start Your Voiceover Career

There are so many ways to give advice about how to start. There are many ways to look at how one begins. A lot of it depends on your personality and how one deals with the unknown. Having said that, here are some thoughts to encourage and support you in this wonderful world of voiceovers. Do not over estimate everyone else's intelligence. I tweeted last week that an old time voiceover guy told me when I was 22 years old and nervous about trying to get into voiceovers, " People dumber than you are making a fortune, just get out there and do it."
Never worry about what everyone else is doing or what "the odds are" it's completely besides the point. The question is do you love it enough to develop a great set of reading skills and start doing it. Training is the first and most important place to start. No one on a job is there to run a trade school. You have to know what you're doing. It's been my experience that a lot of people seem more interested in how to network than they are in developing the skills necessary to be hired and then re hired because they've done a good job. Learn the trade and whats required. Develop your skills so you know what you're doing. Be good company on the job and always, always be on time/ deliver on time and a voiceover career will treat you very well.

- Five reasons why you can succeed as a voiceover artist

1. All Kinds of voices are needed to communicate with different people.

We all like people who are like ourselves. We also like people who sound like us. Ever year the advertisers and project producers use a greater variety of voice talents to sell their products and narrate their projects.

Advertisers and casting directors need a wide range of voice types in order to sell to all kinds of people. The demand for a wider variety of voices is greater every year.

Sometimes there is a misconception that only dramatic or impressive voices can do voiceovers. That simply is not true. There was a time in the 50’s and the 60’s when the sound of the “announcer” , big deep voices, was completely dominant but not any longer. So, if you love speaking and playing with words, if you like language and expressing yourself, you could be part of this very lucrative industry.

Your own uniqueness can be the reason you make a lot of money. Often, people try to be like everyone else. In voiceovers, being different can make you rich. Of course you have to fit in to the various styles, but your individual sound can bring a richness to someone’s project that will be perfect for them. Think how many times we haven’t understood an explanation until some one who is more like our self explained it to us.

Different people are needed to explain things to different people. One type of voice might not be able to convey the ideas to one person, that another person saying the exact same words can explain with perfect clarity.

Many times a less dramatic voice is perceived as more accessible.

Obviously this depends on the person who is listening, what is being talked about, and what they are drawn to. But having said that, if we are seeking assurance or affirmation, then we tend to prefer a more authoritative voice. On the other hand, if we are trying to learn new concepts, or instructions in a new field, a more gentle voice can often help us understand better. Why? Well we sometimes feel slow or foolish if we don’t understand something new right away. It’s a basic human tendency to want to understand and to be impatient about the learning process. Consequently a more gentle, less dramatic voice allows us to relax more and not feel as impatient or embarrassed if we are having trouble grasping a concept.

So, there is not only room for all of you, but a need for all of you and your voices.

2. It’s more about persistence than anything else. This is always an interesting fact of life that I never get tired of musing over. The main question really isn’t… is there room for you in this competitive field. The question is how badly would you like to do this for a living. Everything is a result of process and process requires focus and commitment. We all have to do the work to acquire skills and develop a familiarity and proficiency in the world of voiceovers and voice acting. It is a life long sport and a fun and rewarding one at that. So I’m pointing out that too often people thing of persistence only in regard to making an effort to obtain work. Well of course that’s important, but that isn’t where it ends. I have always found that the more I develop my skills in all areas: cold reading skills, the ability to do different reads, voice development and breathing exercise’s, marketing skills, networking skills, and technical skills, the luckier I am at getting work. It isn’t just persistence, it’s persistence in all of the related and necessary areas that are a part of the whole. That’s important, because a partial effort, will not lead to success and you don’t want to mistake an unsuccessful partial effort for failure, or a lack of talent. That is just natures way of saying there is more to do. More often than not it isn’t a lack of talent as much as it’s a lack of preparation. It is very easy in Los Angeles or any other city for that matter to get a little training and jump into networking to get those jobs. It is important that you don’t unintentionally run around in your enthusiasm teaching people that you have underdeveloped skills. Persistence in all areas will lead to you getting work.

3. The market is growing and needs more voice talents. Now we have talked about how clients and advertisers need all kinds of voices to communicate with all kinds of people, but the other fact is that there aren’t enough voiceover artists with great technique to satisfy all the different needs out there. Sure there are many, many people doing voiceover work, but just go to any medical convention in the country, for example, where suppliers are selling goods and services to doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers and listen to the video presentations. It always amazes me that about two thirds of all the video presentations and power point presentations are narrated in an old school dry boring style. I think it came from a philosophy that if it’s medical it has to be serious. It has to be authoritative. We’ll from my point of view that doesn’t automatically mean dull and boring. It is exciting and fun to figure out how to deliver medical presentations in an interesting way that is easy and fun to listen to and still be completely respectful of the topic and he audience.
4. Non Union Freelance jobs are the rule. The vast majority of all the voiceover work is non-union. All you need is someone who likes your work. In the non-union world it is just between you and them. As long as you are being paid an amount of money that you think is fair and you agree on where and when, you’re in business. Most of these places will ask you to record in you own studio and deliver it via ftp upload. I’ll explain that process in a different session. It is cheaper for most of the places of business to not have and in house engineer and studio and to just have us do it. There are just so many areas of corporate voiceovers and narrated that it’s mind boggling: on hold messaging, power point presentations, corporate narratives, healthcare infomercials, new sales training videos, training videos of all kinds, quarterly report presentations, just to name a few. So by all means go to conventions that interest you and start learning how you can do it better than they do by watching all the different presentations. Take that inspiration and practice, practice, practice. Non-union jobs are much less intense than major jobs like a national commercial or jobs through voiceover talent agencies. God bless them for all the work they do they contribute so much to the success of many major projects. But it is the “NFL” so to speak so the intensity and the competition takes place at the highest level. In the non-union world it is just you and them, there is less money involved of course. It is a good idea to work in the world of non-union in order to prepare yourself for representation with a voiceover talent agency.
5. Good Service is hard to get. You just can’t even imagine how hard it is to get good service consistently. There are horror stories everywhere about poor audio quality, poor service, poor voiceover work and bad attitudes. There are also a lot of fine professionals who take enormous pride in every aspect of their work. You want to be one of those. When you get new accounts often people will thank you for solving their voiceover problems and tell you how much they appreciate your professional work and always delivering on time. You want to join the ranks of people who take pride not only in the quality of their work, but also the quality of their service. All you have to do is think through how you would want a voiceover artist to behave if that artist was doing work for you. This is one of the best and most inspiring ways of figuring out what your business profile should be. How do you want to be viewed by your clients and what things can you do to earn that perception

- VoiceOver Artist - Maybe the Best job Ever - Why Not You?

As we start 2015 we know anything can happen. This includes you having a voiceover career. I get a lot of emails, a lot of inquiries on Twitter @masteringVO  regarding starting a VO career. Most of the questions have to do with how competitive it is and how difficult the training might be.
EVERYTHING is competitive and everything requires lots of training. Any career takes time to learn and has professional standards that have to be met. If it didn't take a high level of vocal skill, no one would work at Sears. Control over tone of voice, breathing, nuance, and an ability to vary cadences to solve problems of meaning and/or articulation, take time and practice. If you wanted to be a lawyer, a teacher, a dentist, a plumber or a sales person, you would have to commit your time and money to have a career. The real question isn't how competitive or difficult it is, the real question is do you want to be a voiceover artist? You can do it if you feel it's the path for you. If your friends tell you it's impossible get new friends:) It is wonderful fun to do things that others think can't be done.

- No One is Going To Tell You To Be a Voiceover Artist

I knew a famous singer when I was a guest artist at San Francisco Opera that I conducted Master Classes with. Singers would ask her if they should continue on and try and have a career as an opera singer. She would always say NO! I asked her over dinner why she always told everyone NO. She responded that a real singer would go ahead and sing no matter what. Any one who needed approval to have a career didn't belong in the business anyway. Have a happy New Year and follow your dreams, whatever they are:)

- Getting The Most out of Your Voice and Career

There are several related questions that people ask me: How do I make my voice authentic? How do I get everything out of my voice? How can I read any style of copy better than anyone. How can I get to a higher level in my career? How can I make more money? How can I have a successful voiceover career?
There are many more questions than these that come in all the time. Some of the questions are good ones and some maybe not as well thought out. Nevertheless, here are some related answers.
Even the questions that seem more superficial are inspired by legitimate worries and or concerns.
How does voiceover success work and whats  the relationship of YOUR voice to it?
First of all, you have to be easy company to be around. Learn to be casual and social in the studio. Don't talk too much!
Practice ALL the time. There are really a lot of great VoiceOver Artists, make sure your practice schedule will make you one of them. A part time or random effort will produce an incomplete set of skills. Remember that NO ONE person can read all the different kinds of copy. The compass of your voice and personality has range and flexibility but it has natural limits that must be obeyed in order to maintain authenticity.
You can take your career to a higher level by developing a higher standard for the work you send out. I'm not talking about perfectionism, that has nothing to do with great work. It has everything to do with endless self criticism, which is different. Make sure you deliver pristine clear natural vocal renderings of the copy.
You can have a successful voiceover career by doing what we all have done; work hard on your skills because you love it so much, network with many people, use good business practices in all your dealings, and do what you say your going to do. Always remember, you can do do it. We have and so can you!

- If You Want To Make More than Most people You Need better Skills than Most People

Everything is relative to the context you're in, but generally if you can read better than most people you have a good chance of making more than most people. What does that mean actually? Here are some generalizations that have lots of exceptions, but are  useful to make a point. You have to work on all of your skills from reading to cold reading to marketing and networking. No one is simply going to "discover you". It rarely works like that. People are often "over night" successes after many years of training and personal development until they "break through". One example is that the people directing a voice over session may just ask you to give them a half dozen different reads with some direction, but not much. You have to be able to do subtle variations of cadence and melody to give them true variations of the copy that still sounds natural and still remain within the general directions they have given. This is harder than it sounds. I do know a number of working pros who don't work on that and wonder why they can't climb higher on the food chain. We are never done trying to improve our skills so we can have "fewer gigs and bigger checks" :)

- Very Real Sounding Is Often Very Dull. It Still Has to be Compelling.

People will rightfully tell you that you have to sound more real, more like the person next door. Well of course that makes sense. The person directing the project wants the voiceover artist to sound sincere and honest and authentic. But there is a funny flip side to all of this. I hear a complaint from many pros that I coach, that people will say to them... “No its gotta sound more real!” and then they tell me about their frustration that when they try and sound more real, they then often get criticized for sounding lackadaisical or uninspired, or unenthusiastic about the topic.

So what the heck is going on? On the one hand a director says be more real, more conversational, on the other hand they then seem to be complaining about the tone of voice when the person follows the directions that are given.

The answer is this: Often when a person backs off to become more conversational or more real, the energy drops so much that the pace is a little too slow... the cadence looses its bounce... and the melody a little too flat...

Because it’s a wholesale drop in energy it really just does sound unenthusiastic. So it seems like the read has lost all of its life.

When a person tries to be more conversational, not hard sell or not announcery, the effort should focus on smoothing out the delivery and tumbling the speech more so it feels a bit more like a stream of ideas. 

This makes the energy in the vowels and consonants more even and that is exactly what makes us sound MORE REAL AND CONVERSATIONAL.

When we try and become more conversational we are often just backing off on the energy we are using. This usually flattens the amount of rise and fall in our voices, which is what happens when we aren’t passionate about something. 

So the proper approach is to talk at low levels but to maintain a slight urgency. There is a greater rise and fall in the melodies we use when we are excited about a product or story. This will usually restore the rise and fall of the voice.

- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are all working, Why Not You?

This is to say that all types of voices are working and making money. Casting agents sometimes use voices that just sound like the"person next door" who is "unpolished" because it sounds more sincere to them. Other times a more polished voice IS needed. There are many ways of looking at casting and voiceover success and there is no one right way. This doesn't mean you shouldn't practice and have good skills for reading copy so you can take direction. The meaning is don't let anything stop you. Develop your skills, concentrate on what your unique personality brings to the table and FOCUS!!!
It is simply one of the most wonderfully ways to make a living for people who love to talk:)

- How To Figure Out The Length of a VO Script

Voiceover artists tell me quite often that a client will ask for a price on a narrative that they say is a half hour long. They then discover that it's much longer. Yikes! Here's the easiest easiest way to find out the length. Ask the client to send you the narration as a Word Doc.  Open the document and select all. Go to tools and select word count, this will tell you how many words there are. The general rate of speech is about 120 to 150 words per minute depending on the material of course. Simple divide the total number of words by 150 (or whatever number represents your rate of speech) and that will give you a rough idea of how many minutes or hours of finished audio there will be. Do this before you quote a price:)

- 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.