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My Dream Voice Over Jobs

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Many voice actors want to get into the business for various reasons. For some, it’s the idea of having a sustainable business where you only answer to yourself and make your own schedule. While all actors love that benefit, many also have a dream voice over job they would love to snag. 

Many voice actors were introduced to the field by various Saturday morning cartoons. They were mesmerized by incredibly dynamic characters who perfected their voices each year and couldn’t imagine their lives without these crazy personalities. This was the case for accomplished Canadian voice actor Eric Bauza. His obsession with all things Loony Toons led him to perfect the voicing of each character which eventually got him hired by top-tier Toronto and Los Angeles agents. He became the official voice of Bugs Bunny and later scored himself an Emmy award! What a career! 

Goals Lead to Success

Not every voice actor had Eric’s luck, but we work year after year to achieve the slightest amount of success. Regardless of our trajectory in the voice over world, we can all agree it’s vital to have goals! Setting annual goals allows us to achieve success and have fun in the process (see the last blog about how to goal set). Now that we understand what we want to achieve, we must have specific projects we want to accomplish in our business. 

If you’re a casting director, perhaps one dream job would be to cast on a project nominated for an Emmy or Oscar. If you’re a Film Director, maybe a goal would be to work on a project with top-tier actors or in an exotic destination. 

Be Transparent About Your Aspirations

Many voice-over coaches and mentors have advised us to consider which dream projects we would love to work on. Visualization and manifestation are significant factors in accomplishing your goals. It took me quite a while to identify my dream voice over roles or projects. Let’s outline them in detail and see if any of them come true in years to come.

Dream Job #1 Commercial Voiceover

My first dream job is to book a national television commercial! Any voice actor knows that the bread and butter of the industry are television commercials. Typically, they pay the most for the least amount of work. Any voice actor getting started gets coached in the commercial genre before any others. The commercial demo is the equivalent of earning your MBA. With that demo in hand, you can perform auditions for big commercial projects. This demo is usually required to book a top-tier agent in New York or Los Angeles.

Dream Job #2 is Brand Voiceover

My second dream job would be cast as the official voice of a brand. Companies like Allstate, Geico, Kia, and Tangerine all choose brand voices that are unique, recognizable, and consistent. The voice of a brand doesn’t necessarily mean guaranteed work indefinitely, but it can last for six months to three years on average. 

Having one voice for your brand establishes a recognizable identity, creates consistency, and helps you to stand out. There is a ton of information and statistics about why a brand voice is valuable to a business, and it’s a worthy goal for a professional. Performing as the band voice of a non-profit would be ideal, or anywhere my voice can help to make a difference. 

Documentary Narration is Voice Over Dream Job #3

My third dream job would be to narrate a documentary on a major station. I have always been a fan of documentaries. I’m not an avid reader, but when I do, I reach for a non-fiction book over a fiction one. I have always enjoyed learning about a topic or a period in history; a documentary is a great way to do that. 

Media like the History Channel, PBS, Netflix, and Amazon are all good options for channels that contain hundreds of documentary topics. Next time you watch a documentary listen to the voice and notice how it never takes over the message but perfectly balances it with the intrigue of storytelling. 

Reality TV is Voice Over Dream Job #4

My fourth choice is similar to number three; to narrate a reality TV show. HGTV and the Discovery Channel are great examples of TV narration. I have been a fan of shows like Caribbean Life and Beachfront Bargain Hunters for many years, and the voice over style helps add intrigue and excitement to the show. Other reality tv shows, such as American Idol, The Voice, or Love Island, also use an actor to help narrate the story. 

Voice Over Dream Job #5 is Character & Animation

I would love to work on more character projects. Some of my favorite projects were animation or character jobs, with other voice actors joining in the session. Playing characters is so much fun, and the creativity level is through the roof. If the other actors are there with you, the energy is unmatched. Listening to other voices is a dose of inspiration that can last for weeks. 

Experiencing Big-City Collaboration is Dream Job #6

Lastly, I would like to travel to a big city like New York or Los Angeles and be in-studio for a great voice over project. From 2020 and beyond, working from home is practical, yet getting out of my space and into a studio is an exciting idea. This business can be very technical, and most of my communication is digital. But good old-fashioned meeting in person, human-to-human contact is vitally important for creating genuine connections. Making real connections with other voice actors and clients is vital to a happy and sustainable business for me. 

What’s Your Ideal Voice Over Gig?

Reflecting and reviewing what you want is an excellent way to stay motivated and engaged and keep you on track to achieve your goals. So, this week, sit down, think about what you want to work on, and let me know. We’re more likely to achieve our goals when we share them, so let me know!

Setting Your Voiceover Goals

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We just entered a new year! Many find the start of a new year a good time to set voiceover goals. If you fall into this group, there’s no better time to start. With 365 days to make a difference, now is the time to start. Although setting annual goals are exciting, you also need commitment. The sad reality is 43% of people who start their plan in January expect to fail by the beginning of February. Almost one in four give up within the first week, and only 9% complete their annual goals.

Why is this so? Why are so many people failing at their goals? One reason could be that people lack confidence and have a poor perception of themselves. It also could be because the goals they set are unrealistic. Perhaps they fear negative thinking, failure, or a lack of patience. As a diverse millennial voice actor, I have to set goals in my business each year to achieve any success. Let’s discuss some of the strategies I’ve used and detail goal setting and how to get results.

What is Goal Setting?

Goal setting is the process of identifying something unique that you want to achieve. Goals can cover various areas of life, with personal, financial, career, and health being some of the most popular categories.

Many go through life without goals and need a clear direction or purpose. They may base their decisions on their heart, head, or gut, and nothing is wrong with making decisions based on these feelings. However, studies have proven that setting goals leads to higher performance and is healthy for one’s psyche as it gives one direction, purpose, and personal fulfillment, which can lead to a happy, contented life.

You can often tell the people who have set clear goals versus those who have not. The years can go by quickly, and without setting goals, you can become lost, depressed, and resentful for not making better decisions when you had your time, energy, and youth. That being said, even if you don’t have that advantage, everyone can create clear goals at any stage to help them succeed in their desired path.

How to Set Voiceover Goals

There are many different ways to set goals. Most will say they want to exercise more, make more money or spend extra time with family and friends. These goals are great, but details need to outline how to achieve them and when. The most researched and successful way to set your goals is to use the SMARTER method. The SMARTER approach stands for:

  • S – Specific
  • M – Measurable
  • A – Achievable
  • R – Relevant
  • T – Time Bound
  • E – Evaluate
  • R – Reward

Below you’ll see the categories in more detail and how to use them in your goal setting.

S – Be Specific. Outline what you want to achieve. The more detail, the better. If your goal is health-related, try, “I want to have toned abs” or “I want to improve my cardiovascular ability.”

M – Measurable. Ensure your goal can be measured. How will you track progress and know once it has been achieved? If your goal is to write content for your website, instead of saying, “I want to write more content this year,” try, “I want to write two articles per month for my website this year.” If your goal is for work, instead of writing, “I want to be better at planning my work week.” Try writing, “I will spend 1 hour a day planning my business.”

A – Achievable. Ensure your goal is attainable. It would be wonderful to make a goal to go to outer space. But without the right education, ability, and resources, that goal would not be attainable for most people. Running a 42 km marathon would also be a dream goal, but without the physical ability, time and resources, it is merely a pipe dream. If your goal is to increase sales, an attainable goal could be “I have worked in sales now for three years with little to no experience, I know the basics, and I want to increase my knowledge by taking courses.”

R – Relevant. The likelihood of reaching your goal can be attained if you want to make this goal happen. The R stands for Relevant. Do you truly desire this goal? What’s the point of making a goal if you don’t want it? It will be harder to reach a goal if your heart isn’t in it. Make surer this goal is relevant to your job function or personal desires. Before setting your SMARTER goals, understand if this goal will help you overall. If so, go ahead and start setting it.

T – Time-Bound. Your goals can be attained if you set a time frame attached to them. How long will it take me to achieve this goal, and when can I accomplish it?  Be specific on a time frame and state when it will be completed. If you are a creative director and you have a new goal for this year, instead of writing, “I want to manage the creative process for my projects from concept to completion.” You can try writing, “ I want to manage the creative process for my projects from concept to completion within four weeks.”

E – Evaluate. The older method of making smarter goals never included the E and R. It was just SMART goals. The new iteration includes EVALUATE and REWARD. Why? Because the idea of evaluating and rewarding yourself makes a more holistic approach to goal setting, leading to greater success. Evaluation is to check in on your progress frequently. Evaluate how you performed. What can you learn? Evaluate your progress to achieve better success.

R – Reward. At last. You’ve made it to the end of the SMARTER goal lesson. This section is the best part of goal setting. R stands for reward. You did it! You’ve met your goal. Recognize your effort, your collaboration, and the milestones. The steps you have taken deserve recognition. Companies find value in recognizing employees for their hard work. They know it helps maintain morale, keeps employees happy, and motivates them to achieve more future goals.

Keep Your Focus on the Results of Your Voiceover Goals

Think about when and how you will celebrate! Rewards help you to build sustainable habits. By reviewing SMARTER voiceover goals and implementing them in your goal setting this year, I am confident you will make carefully thought-out goals and have a much higher chance of achieving them by year-end.

Happy goal setting!!