Acting : Any Advice On Getting Started in Voice Overs? by Rhonda Green

How did blogtalkradio go? I am interested in starting a show

There are many radio talent that have transitioned to voice over. The first step in voice over is always training. If you want a good resource for your situation specifically visit Bill Dewees' youtube page http://www.youtube.com/user/VoiceOverExpert He has some great insight about transitioning from radio to voiceover because the process is soooo different. Voice over is about talking with the audience and sounding believable where radio is more about talking to the audience. If you want to excel in voice over, you have to train and keep training. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the feedback. Jackson Blogtalk was an excellent service (when I used it about 3 years ago). You will need to do a lot of work to build a following but that is with any avenue you take. Show topics, and scheduling guest was very easy because we aimed for individuals who had a positive message about their business, book etc. Good luck!

www.voiceacting.com is another great resource, and it is where I got my start in voice acting...though I segued into the writing side of things and am now writing copy for voice over artist demos. I would strongly urge you to go to www.voiceovervirtual.com, as there will be many resources there for you....and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. There is also what I would consider the "Gold Standard" of books called "The Art of Voice Acting", which you can find on Amazon.com. It was written by my coach, James Alsburger. http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Voice-Acting-Performing/dp/0240812115/ref=... Good Luck!

Training is the beginning; which is an expensive process, but worth it (with the right training, of course). Go to www.voiceoverresourceguide.com for mucho info. Go to www.voicebank.net to hear some of err'body that's out there. You want training AND success? Go to www.braintracksaudio.com and tell Nancy I sent you. She's the truth. She has an 87% or greater, turnover rate of getting her students signed to an agent, working or BOTH. Make sure you stay by your computer when you email her, she's good to respond within minutes.

Best place to go for research in www.vo-bb.com . This web site is not full of people trying to sell you something. The archives are a gold mine, really.

A couple of suggestions: http://www.edgestudio.com and "There's Money Where Your Mouth Is: A Complete Insider's Guide to Earning Income and Building a Career in Voice-Overs (Third Edition)" @ Amazon: amzn.to/15a5mYH.

Thanks for the posting this info Karen. I'm in the same boat as Rhonda. I've been active in community theater for the last 2 1/2 years, but voices have always been my passion.

Thanks Phil. I've been doing different cartoon voices since I was a little kid. I've been told by numerous people that I have a powerful voice, and I have fun changing it. I may never go farther than local community theater, but it won't stop me from trying.

Hello Rhonda, There is a well written e-book and a number of blogs that cover getting into voice work, which should answer a number of your questions. My top-level advice is to research the business, talk with a number of voice talents and don't quit your day job.  With that said, start with the free e-book written by working voiceover talent, Doug Turkel - http://voiceovertalent.com/blog/2012/05/voiceovertalentebook/. Next, check out Peter K. O'Connell's "The Voiceover Entrance Exam" at http://www.audioconnell.com/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=thevoiceoverentran.... Audiobooks are a popular segment for many voice talents. If this area interests you, watch narrator Sean Pratt's video, "So... You Want to Be an Audiobook Narrator?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPzPi-_0Xi8&feature=youtu.be And then take a look at the following blogs… Great Voice dot com http://www.greatvoice.com/how-to-break-into-voiceovers Voice Actors Notebook dot com http://www.voiceactorsnotebook.com/voice-over-actors-like-to-read I Want to Be a Voice Actor dot com http://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com Blog of J. Christopher Dunn http://jcdunnvox.wordpress.com Finally, do a Google search on voice-overs, voiceover, "voice over".  I'm sure you'll have questions as you read so feel free to contact the article writers for answers or suggestions.  Good luck with your future endeavors! J. Christopher Dunn

Hi Rhonda, all of these comments are well worth heeding, and kudos to j Christopher Dunn, with a great list! If the research gets overwhelming, you might want to start with a 4-hour class, tele or in person, by edge studio , called ”Investigate Voice Over." It's really inexpensive and a great overview. Go to edgestudio.com, click on education, or just call them 212 868-edge May I add 2 more great resources? VoiceOver garden by Jonathan Tilley, and there's money where your mouth is, by Elaine Clark. And do make sure you want to run a business! That said, VO is a great business!

I agree, the Edge Studio "Investigate Voiceover" is inexpensive ($99), you get a little time in the booth and read copy. Within a day of two, you are sent an email with the instructor's assessment of your voice and a possible niche for your voice type.

As one who has done a fair amount of voice-over, I've had a number of people ask me this question. As far as I can tell, the best way is to insert yourself into the stream of projects that need them. I am an audio engineer, composer and producer. The way I've ended up getting voice work is by being there when they identified the need. The reality is this: - Think of all the people who are producing projects. - Of those projects, how many need voice? Of those projects, how many need a [male/female] voice. Of those, how many need one that sounds like you? - Of the sea of people looking for voice work that sound like you or can sound like you, why would I pick you over, say, me? I'm always available to fit into my own schedule, and I get to keep the money. You need to find projects that need voice, and you need to kick butt when you find one that you can do. Then maybe the producer will call you back. I'm not saying this to depress you or discourage you. Learning to record your voice is an extremely small part of breaking into the industry. You need to connect with people who do projects. Also, voice-over is absolutely not the same as doing radio. Every once in awhile I do something that you would consider "retail announcer" but most everything I do is much more natural and matter-of-fact, and is much more difficult to do. I do audition people for voice work, usually have them read the script I'm producing, but of all the projects I do, only a fraction of them need voice. At one point I subscribed to Voice123, which is a clearing house for voice artists. You get your own page, and you can put up demo files. You get leads, and you respond by sending audition material or recording an audition specifically for the project. I was a member for a year (I think I paid around $300) and never got a single gig. Most of the leads were looking for folks to give them finished tracks and they would pick the one they wanted. Interestingly, about 3 years after I let my membership lapse, I got a film voice gig from my audition files (because my page was still there) and a repeat gig from the same filmmaker. That filmmaker still keeps me in mind, but has not needed a voice artist since then (about two years ago.) The one thing I would say is that if you want to get into it, spring for a decent mic and figure out how to create a decent recording. It doesn't take a ton of money - I would recommend the Blue Yeti Pro - it is a great voice mic with a USB interface. A fairly dead and quiet room, and you're good to go. Start making voice tracks for your friends, and try to find people who are doing production work. It's helpful to get some experience editing so you get a feel for what the editor can and can't cut together. Good luck to all of you!

Great information, thanks. I've been going back and forth on signing up for Voice 123; doesn't sound like it's worth the cost.

I think it depends on how much time you want to put into it, and which leads you choose to respond to. Some of them seem to be looking for free production. There seem to be legitimate leads, but it seems like you would have to spend a fair amount of time every day recording new auditions. Without direction, it's often hard to understand what they are looking for. It also seemed like there might be some correlation between the number of leads I responded to and the quality of leads I received. I just couldn't afford to spend the time. I know some voice talent that is very successful and makes tons of $$. I think connections are the absolute most valuable part, and niche is the second most important. I know a guy who has nailed down the brit voice gigs for the Hispanic voice market. Go figure. They love him.

There's another site called Voices.com. Have you worked with them?

nope. After my Voice123 experience, which as I said was several years ago, I haven't tried another clearing house. Plus I'm too busy to mess with it!

That's great! One day I hope to be too busy as well.