*Please do not call the office looking for advice*
We’ve put together this page of solid advice for anyone thinking of starting out in the voice-over business because we are constantly swamped with calls, letters and emails from young (and not so young!) hopefuls. Like the rest of the acting/entertainment industry there are many more people than there are jobs. Even professionals with many years experience can often only get a few jobs a year… Yes, it is that hard! Harvey Voices main priority is to represent the artists already on our books. However, we do have some experience with helping new talent so we’ve prepared a list of answers to a few of the Frequently Asked Questions.
Unless you are already famous for some other reason, you will probably need a good voiceover agent. Get experience using your voice in different styles and make a voiceover reel to send to voiceover agents.
Have you considered voluntary work? It’s a great way to gain experience, contacts and get in the door! Schools may accept volunteers to read to children. Hospital radio can offer unpaid work on a voluntary basis and there are many libraries and organisations for the blind that may require readers. Perhaps you could create your own voiceover content and share on social media platforms. It is also worth contacting local radio stations to see if you can do work experience.
I can only say that any experience is an advantage, delivering professional level voiceovers is highly skilled and no one workshop or course can guarantee that you become a successful voice artist. I’d recommend that if you want to do a course or work with a coach pick one that gives you a good standard of training and includes providing you with a voicereel in the price, as it’s pointless paying for anything twice. Do your research but I don’t recommend spending hundreds of pounds on any one course or workshop. A well produced / directed voiceover reel should be enough to interest an agent. There are many companies now very happy to charge expensive fee’s to help ‘train’ you, produce reels, sell expensive VO equipment, even charging for simple industry advice. Do your research and don’t part with your hard earned pennies until you are fully confident they are reputable and will be of use in furthering your career.
Many successful voiceover artists were never trained as actors and indeed not every script requires an “acted” read. However, in addition to familiarising you with many of the things you may encounter during your voiceover career, acting classes can teach you how to convey specific emotions. This is particularly useful if producers and writers want certain emotions to be exhibited in their scripts. Acting can also train you in using your voice to it’s full potential, although I would warn against specialising in theatre acting if you are considering becoming a voiceover artist. On stage it is necessary to “project”, so your voice can be heard at the back of the theatre without the need of a microphone. This can lead to a habit of over-projecting into the microphone once you get into a sound studio and failing to deliver the voice that is required. A lot of radio presenters that have no theatrical training have successful voiceover careers.
You never know what might come in useful, but voiceover is largely based on your natural voice. Listen to any documentary, telephone voice menu system or even television commercial and you’ll probably hear the voiceover speaking in their natural accent. If producers want someone with a certain accent or type of voice they will hire someone who speaks that way naturally. Make sure any training you do teaches you to use your natural voice first. Having said that, if you are exceptionally good at accents and characters, then these are used in animations, audiobooks and some video games. But, remember you have to be able to sustain the character or accent.
Harvey Voices’s main work is seeking and handling voice-over jobs for the artists on our books. We don’t directly have an involvement producing voicereels for artists we do not represent however we would recommend purchasing a copy of ‘Contacts’ via The Spotlight at www.spotlight.com for listings of showreel producers and studios. Or contact Fran at Reel Recordings http://reelrecordings.co.uk/ or Martin Fisher at Sonic Pond https://www.sonicpond.co.uk/ . ‘Contacts’ also has other useful contacts for getting into the business, such as voiceover agents. We do not recommend you submit home produced reels.
On any demo, agents require a selection of commercial reads. If you have not made any professional commercials find some magazine adverts with plenty of copy in them and read this out as it would sound on television or radio. You can also record your own version of existing adverts, but beware of sounding inferior to the original version. The second requirement is a documentary piece. For this, you will need to watch a typical documentary or reality style show and copy their script when recording. Audiobook reels, video game reels, animation reels are always welcome. Its best to tailor your reels, make them unique and bespoke to your voice, the area’s of voiceover work you are most interested in personally. More and more voiceovers are asked to give examples of their voices recording continuity reads, promos for TV and radio, telephone messaging and podcasts. Aim for nuanced delivery, we’re looking for great acting talent as well as a great voice.
Feel free to include anything else you think an agent would like to hear, such as impressions, accents or singing – but only if they are of a strong enough quality vocally and in the recording.
Agents are looking for variety, range and diversity. You must prove that your voice is strong, versatile and adaptable. An Agent will expect you to make a professional reel if they take you on.
See page on Voicereels.
Most agencies will have a specific method of receiving and processing applications for representation. Please see our page on Representation. Most agents have a very busy office and can be overwhelmed with applications creating a backlog. While wishing they could devote time to welcoming potential new artists in person, unsolicited visits, calls and emails end up being an inconvenience at best. In addition, please note that emails with large sound files attached may be deleted without being heard, especially if you get an artist who has sent their email over a weekend and has blocked up an agent’s in-box and caused them to lose mail, hyperlinks are much better.
Be aware that the chances of acceptance are slim. As we’ve already pointed out, this is a very competitive industry. The most common reason for not taking a new actor on is simply because it is too similar to a voice we already represent.
Beware!!
If you are offered work by a company or through voiceover P2P websites please do the right thing, for yourself and the industry. Make sure you’re being paid the correct fee for the job. Make sure you understand the risks of selling your voice first. @EquityAudio on Twitter is an excellent source for information about voiceover rates and your rights as a performer. Please don’t let people take advantage of your talent and hard work! We hope this has been helpful and we wish you the best of luck for the future.
