Ask The Voice Cat

I recently received two inquiries that were similar, so I’m going to answer them together.

My name is Yolanda and I would love to do voice-overs. I have read that this is a tough business to get into, but if there is anything you can tell me or any words of wisdom, they are welcome. I have been told that I have a great speaking voice but I know that more than this is needed. So if there is any help you can offer me I am listening.

—Yours Truly,
Yolanda L.

I recently came across one of your blogs discussing voiceovers, and would love some advice on how to jump into this industry (on a part-time/freelance basis). I really love public speaking, and know that I have a great voice. I was an on-air personality while in college, I'm frequently asked to speak at/host various events, and in my current position I spend just about every day speaking to high school students. I'm extremely interested in doing commercial voiceovers, but unfortunately I don't live in the NY or LA market. Please help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Natrina C.

Yolanda and Natrina,

You couldn’t have picked a better time to try your hand at voice acting. Notice, though, that I said voice acting, not voice over (voice over is a term that began in the 1950’s, referring to the off-camera voice speaking over the music on a TV spot).

One of the key components of success in this business is the ability to act. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t make a decent living doing non-acting voice work, like some announcement, legal tags, some corporate copy, and the like; it just means that if you can’t act your opportunities are much more limited.

Before you consider getting into voice acting, however, there are some physical and mental factors that can hinder, hamper or severely impede your ability to achieve success.

I query all of my potential students with these points, so you need to be honest with yourself when assessing your overall health.

1. You’ll be reading out loud, so good eyesight is imperative.
2. You’ll be taking direction, therefore good hearing is critical.
3. Since you need good breath control, asthma, emphysema or a collapsed lung could be a big problem.
4. You also need excellent articulation, so any form of a lisp, stutter or stammer, as well as a pierced tongue or lip ring could make things difficult.
5. Claustrophobia would be another problem, as virtually all voice acting is done in an enclosed, soundproof booth.
6. The most critical problem confronting any would-be voice actor is any form of dyslexia. If you’re constantly tumbling over words as you read out loud, voice acting is definitely not for you.

Now, some of these conditions can be overcome—but they can create hurdles that are difficult, if not sometimes impossible to deal with.

That said, there have never been more opportunities for voice work than the present. Voices.com is a great site to be involved with, as they’ve been connecting clients with talent, generating thousands of jobs and creating part-time and full-time work for voice actors. But you must understand that there’s a lot of competition out there. Not just a lot of people, but a lot of very talented people who’ve been at this for a long time.

So how do you break into the V-O business? Slowly, just like anything else. You take voice-acting classes to understand what’s required of voice actors these days. You take acting classes, particularly improvisation classes, to hone your acting skills (remember, it’s voice acting, not voice over). Read as many books as possible about what it takes to be successful in this fun but anonymous field. If you get positive feedback from your instructors and you really have a flair and passion for this line of work, you’ll eventually put together a voice-acting demo that shows off your signature voice and versatility.

You both state that you have “great voices,” but you have to understand that having a great voice is meaningless unless you’re either a) a great actor, or b) you can lift the words off the page effortlessly. Remember, James Earl Jones has a beautiful voice—he actually has a stuttering problem that he overcame—but he wouldn’t be nearly as successful if he weren’t a great actor.

You can gather a ton of knowledge of this industry by reading all the articles and listening to all the V-O demos and podcasts that Voices.com has accumulated over the years. I wish you both a lot of luck, which, we all know, is when hard work and perseverance meet timing and opportunity.

Sincerely,

Marc

MARC CASHMAN creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television. Winner of over 150 advertising awards, he also instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, CA.