So, think you want to try a carrer in voice talent? Well,
hold the phone, there Fluffy. This ain't as easy as it looks....
Successful performers in this field come primarily from two places: acting and broadcasting. Its a lot easier for actors to make the transition than it is for broadcasters, however. Why? Well, Spoken word is not primarily about having a good voice. It's acting, off-camera.
Put another way, Voiceover is storytelling with a point of view . It has much more to do with attitude and emotion than voice quality.
Top voiceover performers can be found all over the pitch spectrum, and are not necessarily just those with deep or powerful voices. People with a broadcast background find that difficult to comprehend (with a few, er, notable exceptions).
Most voiceover for national media is done in Los Angeles, New York and to a lesser extent, Chicago. Digital ISDN transmission technology has made your location less of an issue in certain specialized areas, like local broadcast, but make no mistake; if you want to compete in Los Angeles or New York, you really must live here (or NYC). Everyone seems to think they are an exception, but unless you are a big honkin' celebrity, you are mistaken!
Availability on very short notice is key. The post production schedule often determines who does the job, not your convenience. Even though a producer may audition hundreds, if his first choice is unavailable at the time he needs to record, he will go with his second choice. Or his fifth. Remember, the talent pool here is very, very deep.
To compete in this arena, you will need:
1) A KILLER DEMO REEL ,
2) REPRESENTATION BY ONE OF
THE TOP FIVE AGENTS and
3) THE ABILITY TO AUDITION REALLY WELL
And, yes, all the top people audition. Even the smallest projects go out to the talent agencies for audition. So, every time you step in front of the microphone, you are reading directly against the best voiceover talent in the business. To say it is a very competitive field is a huge understatement.
THE COMPETITION: There may be as many as 10,000 people in Hollywood who are professional voice talent. The Voicecaster, one of oldest VO casting houses, tells me they keep nearly 6,000 voice demos on file. These are all working pros with agents, not beginners. Of that number, only about 600 actually work at all, and of those who do work, there are about 60 individuals who together book about 75% of all the work. Add to these numbers the hordes of celebrities who seem to have discovered the voiceover field in recent years, and, well, you get the idea. In other words, you don't quit the day job, until the volume of your VO bookings requires all your working hours!
It used to be an LA cliche that every waiter and parking lot attendant had a screenplay in his back pocket that he would try to palm off on you if he thought you were 'industry'. Now he slips you his voice demo. You think I'm kidding. Not.
READING: Still interested? Okay: For beginners, I recommend you read Word of Mouth, by Susan Blu and Molly Ann Mullin (Pomegranate Press, Ltd. Los Angeles, London, 1987. Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 87- 061591. ISBN 0-938817-10-8). This is one of the best introduction to the field I have seen. (Also, a rare old picture of me with short hair is in it!) And, for newcomers and veterans alike, a must read is: V O: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor by Harlan Hogan, one of the heavy hitters out of Chicago. It's a delightfully well -written collection of stories from the trenches, told in a way that will educate as well as entertain. Also, check out an updated bibliography of voiceover books on Howard Hoffman's really swell website, and from VORG (see below). News Flash, a great new book by my old radio pal, Gary Owens, should be out by the time you read this.
COACHING: If you are Los Angeles local, there are many fine workshops, and classes for voice actors, a list of which can be found in the very excellent periodical: The Voice Over Resource Guide. The VORG, published quarterly, includes the most up to date listings of West Coast Agents, Producers, Studios, Unions, Rates, Demo Producers, Duplicators and just about every other resource a voiceover pro or beginner might need. The guide is published by Dave Sebastian Williams (the man who introduced me to voiceover). Price of subscription is nominal, and it is an absolute must if you are to be involved in this work. Call Dave & Dave Incorporated: 818-508-7578.
AGENTS: There are about two dozen talent agencies on the west coast that have voiceover departments. Unfortunately, only about five of these agencies are really in the game in a meaningful way. The top talent agencies that represent major voiceover performers on the West Coast are: Danis Panaro & Nist (DPN - formerly, ICM Voiceover, Cunningham Escott, Slevin, Doherty (CESD) , Sutton, Barth & Vennari, TGMD and William Morris.
In New York, top shops include: Atlas, Buchwald, Access, Paradigm and CESD. All of the above generally accept tapes only on the recommendation of their client advertising agency producers or casting directors. Sending unsolicited demos is not recommended. What? So how do they expect you to get heard if they will not even listen to you? Ahh, grasshoppah, that is the zen koan you must solve for yourself. You will. Wax on, wax offf, etc.
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: All this talk about how very competitive this field can be is not meant to discourage you, but rather to inform you about the considerable challenges that face a newcomer. It is not impossible, however. New voices break through every year.
I have had lots of help along the way, but my most valuable tools, perhaps even more than natural talent, have been persistence and consistent hard work. I did the work required to get myself prepared, then I simply refused to go away. Eventually, the industry gave up and let me come in to play, and for this, I am grateful. If you love this stuff, don't let anything stop you. Good luck!
And remember: It's really not about having a good voice.
Beau Weaver | Los Angeles 2004
