Dear Melissa,

Thanks for writing in with your question. Jingle singing is a weird business. There are no auditions, no agents, no instructors. It's definitely word-of-mouth, and very much a who-you-know kind of business. And you've got to be a phenomenal singer, a terrific sight-reader and have the gift of being able to sing multiple styles of contemporary music.

If you have a demo, it better be a killer, or no one will give you the time of day. And the production quality has got to be pristine.

You have to send your demo to music production houses that produce jingles and hope they call you in. Forget ad agencies--they're the ones that hire the music houses for production. The competition's fierce, and you've got to have a lot on the ball to work yourself into the business, even with tremendous talent. And don't worry about SAG or AFTRA membership. If you start working, the union stuff will work itself out.

Good luck!

Sincerely,
Marc Cashman

Cashman Commercials © 2009

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, and is now also offering one-on-one coaching via email or phone. He can be contacted at cashcomm@earthlink.net or his website, www.cashmancommercials.com.