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Setting Your Voiceover Goals

January 10, 2023 by wadmin

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!!

How Previous Work Experience Has Helped My VO Business

September 26, 2022 by Leah Arscott

Many factors go into choosing a voiceover talent for your next project. You can evaluate them based on their experience, skills, education, rates, location, studio, voice, and what they offer as part of their business package. As a diverse millennial voice actor, I may have a particular set of skills (channeling my inner Liam Neeson voice here) that may be beneficial for your next project. I have worked full-time for 20 years ( I feel old saying that) and in many different and exciting industries. Looking back at my work experience and voiceover in detail, it’s easy to see how they have led me to my current career.

Business Experience by Working in Insurance

I worked for four years in the field of Insurance for a large well-known company. My two roles were Accounting Clerk and Risk Management Coordinator. I gained knowledge and experience by balancing books, handling checks, making daily deposits, and analyzing policies. Within risk management, I edited the rate books, worked with underwriters, and did some HTML edits on the rates on the company website.

Confidence From the Fields of Sports and Nutrition

In the past, I have always had an affinity for health and fitness. From the age of 13, I used to work out with my dad lifting weights, and I then was one of the only girls in the weights classroom. I also took high school biology and fitness classes, gaining good marks. That passion for fitness propelled me to become a personal trainer by the time school was finished, but my guidance counselor steered me in another direction. He mentioned there was “no money” in personal training and that I should pursue a business career. I took his advice with a heavy heart, but a few years later, I was still left feeling sad and disappointed.

My local gym at the time was having a 12-week weight loss contest. I entered the contest, and once the 12 weeks were complete, I lost 20 lbs and gained a significant amount of muscle. To my surprise, I won the contest, a 2-year free membership, and prizes. This result encouraged me to try a professional on-stage fitness competition. That was and still is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Waking up at 4:00 a.m., heading to the gym for morning fasted cardio, then back to the gym after work was daunting and exhausting. Nevertheless, the principles I learned from that show and the gym competition have stuck with me and given me a strong work ethic.

Sales and Trade Shows for Marketing Experience

From the fitness experience, I was a Sales Rep working for a well-known nutrition company with over 150 stores and gyms to take care of in the Greater Toronto Area. That was an excellent job where I could connect with fitness enthusiasts around the community at stores, gyms, and trade shows. I tried my hand at one more fitness competition a few years later. It was the official EAS Canada Body For Life 12-Week Challenge. This competition was the most prominent of its kind in Canada. I used the same principles I learned from my first competition a few years back. To my surprise, I won this competition as well! I won a red Audi TT convertible, cash, swag, and free products. From that experience, I was a spokesperson for the company sharing my story at competitions and trade shows.

Benefits of Technology in Work Experience and Voiceover

After selling sports and nutrition products on the road, I was interested in working back in an office environment as I found life on the road exhausting and took a job working for a technology company. I was hired as a Sales Assistant for busy reps who sold computer hardware, software, and professional services. This was a significant role because I got to be the right-hand woman learning about CRMs, Opportunities, Leads, SAAS, and more. I also learned how to run various sales reports, which were crucial to my team’s success. I was also in charge of all the hockey and basketball tickets for our company box at the Air Canada Centre, which is pretty cool!

Practicing Independence Through Government Employment

In 2008 unfortunately, the recession hit, and I was laid off. I spent the next four months traveling Europe, and when I returned in Sept of 2009, I took a job at a local government office. For the next 12 years, I worked here and was able to hone the majority of my business skills. This fostered my entrepreneurial spirit and eventually helped me go out on my own. I started in the Environmental Services Department. I learned much about how our water is used within the community, how it is treated to remove bacteria and viruses, and about the innovative water and wastewater treatment facility that handles these processes.

I then worked in the Community and Health Services Department in the Healthy Living Division. Our division worked on Substance Misuse and Prevention, Sexual Health issues, Senior Services, Elementary and High schools, Healthy Aging, Injury Prevention, Smoking Cessation, and others. I learned much about the efforts to help high-risk populations and witnessed firsthand the daily hard work our 100+ nurses did to better the community. I organized and hosted multiple health conferences with upwards of 500 people.

Community and Human Resources Experience

For about a year, I worked on the Immigration team running the largest immigration conference welcoming newcomers to Canada and getting them work in their desired field as quickly as possible once they’ve arrived. Over the next few years, I worked in the Records Department as a Records Technician, organizing and onboarding the annual summer students. This role taught me about adult education and staff training, and I became familiar with eLearning and the importance of privacy within health records.

Lastly, I worked in the transportation department for five months with various teams, such as HR and Transportation Security. Then the pandemic hit, and they canceled all my current projects and said they would call me when I could return to work.

A Voiceover Career is Launched

This was when I hit the ground running with voice-over, and within months I was on an entirely new career path. Six months later, my work called me back in, and I officially turned them down; the rest, as they say, is history! 🙂

Benefits of Secondary Education to Voiceover Work

Over the years, I have taken many business-related courses that have made a difference in my career, making me more confident and competent in my roles. These courses have included:

Accounting
Marketing
Computers
Public Relations
An honors certificate in Adult Education/Staff Training
Effective Business Writing
Suicide Prevention
Sexual Harassment
WHMIS
Project Mapping

I got experience in eLearning and the exact factors adults need when learning new material. Learning these crucial principles has allowed me to understand the nuances required to succeed in eLearning. I have also sat through a plethora of eLearning courses, some good and some bad, so I know precisely the right voiceover tone to use to help keep employees engaged and compliant.

When I took all these courses, I had not yet considered voice-over a career, but I am sure happy I took them all because the education has helped me in my business. I feel more confident when given scripts regarding the various industries I have worked in. Often, I am familiar with the industry, vocabulary, and goal of the script and feel that I can familiarly relate the information and makes clients happy. By working in many industries, I’ve learned the many acronyms and each one’s everyday speech that the average person may not understand. Because I have a wide range of experience, I can repeat the titles, acronyms, or phrases quickly with confidence.

Biggest Project That Used Work Experience and VO

My most significant project to date has been a Nutrition-based eLearning project of about 50,000 words. The segments were quite technical and mentioned phrases such as oligosaccharides, pantothenic acid, ergogenic acids, carotenoids, and other challenging words. I would have suffered tremendously with this project if I had never worked in the sports nutrition industry. It would have taken me twice the time to read, record and edit because I had to look up each word and understand the meaning. I was grateful I was familiar with the words and phrases, as it made the whole project much easier to complete.

Work History and Voiceover Equals Success

Each day I am still learning how to be a great voice actor and business person. It is no easy task, but I can say that I am grateful for those 18+ years that I have worked in various industries. Now I enjoy learning more about this incredible industry of voice over every day.

A VO North Conference Experience

September 23, 2022 by Leah Arscott

This past weekend I attended the VO North Conference in Toronto. VO North is a one-of-a-kind voice-over conference that hosts hundreds of international voice actors to Canada’s largest city for a weekend of learning, prizes, and fellowship.

This was the last VO North conference in Canada and was one for the record books. Hosts Tanya Buchanan and Dervla Trainor worked tirelessly over the last year and last weekend to ensure everyone was happy, learning lots of great information and spending quality time with other voice-over colleagues.

This year’s conference was held at the historic Pantages Hotel in downtown Toronto and the weekend kicked off with an opening ceremony held by the weekend’s hosts. There were over 35-panel discussions to choose from, and they were chock full of industry professionals speaking on various subjects and many open-forums about cutting edge voice over topics.

VO North Conference Panel Discussions

I attended a hand full of panel discussions and found them very informative and intriguing. The first panel was Show Me the Money! Understanding Rates and the Nuances of Quoting Properly led by David Toback, Petra O’Toole, and Tanya Buchanan, was fascinating and informative. We were taught to quote appropriately according to the GVAA Rate Guide and other industry-leading rate guides.

I then attended a Speed Networking breakout session which was great to meet other voice actors. Voice-over can really be such a solo gig, so it was so helpful to shake hands, fist bump, embrace other voice actors, and learn about their journey into this exciting industry.

How My Goals Had Changed Since Last Time

When I attended the VO North conference in 2019, I recall taking endless and endless pages of notes, as I was so green in the industry. I came intending to find a commercial voice over coach, a commercial demo producer, and information on how to market myself. I had very specific, clear goals and could narrow down my prospects by the end of the weekend.

This time, I had a different goal: to network and meet other voice actors and meet those I have coached with and follow on social media. I have to be honest and say I didn’t find myself taking endless pages of notes this time around. I would like to credit that to being more knowledgeable this time around. Still, I was able to have open, honest conversations with my fellow voice actors on a variety of subjects and felt that carried its weight in gold over the weekend.

I attended a panel discussion on The Art of Marketing, CRM, and Branding on Saturday afternoon with Dani States, Marc Scott, and Matt Fogarty. I am a big fan of Marc Scott and purchased his Marketing Playbook earlier this year. His marketing program is incredible, and I was happy to have sat in on this session. All speakers gave good recommendations and tips and tricks on marketing oneself, and I felt that I learned some easy action items that motivated me to continue marketing daily.

I ended Saturday’s session with an Improv class with the incomparable Elle-Ray Hennessey. Elle led the class with an inspiring poem reminding the class of the importance of our responsibility as actors to try our hardest to be honest and authentic when auditioning. She reminded us of the importance of how to play, have fun, and make people feel something when they listen to us. She helped us tap into our inner child, and every time I take a class with Elle-Ray, I am left riding high for weeks. I came into the weekend looking for inspiration and left my cup full after a coaching session with the amazing Elle-Ray.

Day one may have been over, but the party continued well into the night with the industry mixer being held at Taco Taco in Kensington Market. I could not go, but I heard from many friends that it was packed full of voice actors and industry professionals and was a great time had by all.

Another Full Day of Learning

Sunday was another full day, with lots lined up, ready to learn. I attended the panel titled Why Them and Not Me? – Demystifying the Casting Process. Industry professionals such as Alexa Magneto, Kaliopi Kuzyk, Alex Nursall, and Sam Ufret were all on the panel. This session was full of voice actors itching to learn secrets from casting directors or anything to give them a leg up on how to set themselves apart from other actors to win the big job.

I dipped out of that session toward the end and attended the “Breaking into Animation – How to Get Started Class” with – Elle Ray Hennessey, Susan Hart, Ellen Dubin, and Michael Daingerfield. Animation panel discussions are always the most enjoyable to me as you can see the attendees sitting on the edge of their seats, ready to learn all they can about breaking into an industry so many are passionate about.

The last session of the day I attended was To Infinity and Beyond! Reaching New Heights in Your Animation VO Career with David Kaye, Eric Bauza, Kim Huron, and Joe Motiki. This session I have to say, was the most inspiring of the weekend. First of all, the amount of talent on this panel was insane. The number of characters these actors have portrayed is endless. Characters such as Optimus Prime, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky the Pig, etc., are life-changing characters.

Closing Out the VO North Conference Weekend

I was looking to feel re-inspired this weekend to motivate myself for the last quarter of 2022, and I felt I was motivated in this session. I should also mention that on Saturday, in the elevator, as I was heading back to the conference after lunch, I met Eric Bauza, – the famous Canadian Voice Talent who is the current voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. It was a brief meeting, but we met twice later that weekend. He was so sweet and genuine, and we chatted about how he got started in the business. I added him to LinkedIn and Instagram, and he sent me a very kind message asking if I ever needed advice he would lend an ear.

These are the kind of conversations you hope to have at a conference. Meeting those who are further along than you in your career, looking to make connections, learning those inspiring nuggets, anything that will push you in the right direction to edge out the competition. Although I had to leave the conference early on Sunday, it was a great weekend, and I am happy that I attended. I was able to meet new ones, those I’ve chatted online with for years now, and met celebs.

There are other voice-over conferences to choose from, and I think the next one I would love to attend would be the VO Atlanta conference, the biggest voice-over conference internationally held each March in Atlanta, Georgia.

For now, I want to thank Tanya and Dervla so much for all their blood, sweat, and tears in running the conference. As a voice actor, I can honestly say I learned so much and appreciated them working so hard to bring together a wonderful community.

A Day In the Life of a Voice Actor

September 5, 2022 by Leah Arscott

As a diverse millennial voice actor for almost four years, I often get asked by friends, family, creative directors, and producers about a typical day. Do I work around the clock? Do I voice animation? Is it exhausting? I’m happy to share a typical day in the life of a voice actor.

Creating Good Voice-Over Habits

Each day starts differently depending on priorities. A typical work day starts with waking up and checking my phone for urgent emails. After sifting through the requests, I get up, wash and brush my teeth, and I like to splash my face with cold water. After getting dressed, I start my day with a glass of warm water with lemon. Sometimes I will add 1 tsp of baking soda or have a glass of warm water with Apple Cider Vinegar. I find that brushing my teeth leaves my mouth sort of dry, which translates to mouth clicks and sticky sounds that resonate in the microphone. This concoction alleviates the feeling of stickiness. These three drinks are suitable for general health, immunity, cleansing your liver, and eliminating mucous in your throat.

Next, I’ll have another glass of warm water and add 2 tbsp of flax meal. This drink is loaded with nutrients to start my day, rich in fiber, and high in omega-3 to aid in concentration. It helps reduce high blood pressure and stabilizes blood sugar. Both drinks give me a great start to my day, which helps me to wake up! Next, I will make myself a green or black tea with a bit of caffeine to wake me and my voice up. I notice that my voice is at its best around 10:00 a.m., so I try not to schedule directed sessions until that time. Fortunately, many casting directors, video producers, and agents are on Central Standard Time or Pacific Standard Time, and I am based in Eastern Time.

Let’s Hit Those Voice Over Emails

I then head to my office to review my earlier emails. If clients are looking for a response, I get back to them immediately. If a client or agent is looking for an audition, I put those at the top of my to-do list. Once I have addressed the crucial emails, I log into my online casting sites. Currently, I am registered on voices123 and voices.com. I will check both accounts to see if I have any messages from clients looking for an audition, a pick-up, or a general inquiry. Then I review the auditions on the platform and prioritize them by budget, time frame, or deadline.

Warm-Up-Time is Vital in the Life of a Voice Actor

Once my emails are out of the way, I warm up my voice. Usually, I give myself 5 minutes to warm up. It can be a combination of voice exercises, blowing through a straw, singing or even doing push-ups, stretching, or going for a quick morning walk. Anything to move around those muscles to ease any stiffness that may have occurred during the night.

Online Auditions for Casting Sites

Once I’m warmed up and feeling limber, I start to audition! I usually try to knock out 10-30 auditions a day, depending on my schedule but I find auditioning a good warm-up for any jobs I have to record later that day. I then go into my voice-over booth and record 7-8 auditions. I will say the name of the job in the microphone and let the recorder run so that later when I split the files and edit, I know which audition I have recorded. After I’ve recorded the files, I will sit back at my desk and begin editing. It takes about 10 minutes or so to edit 7-8 files.

Voice-Over Agent Auditions

I will review my agent auditions again and spend time dissecting those scripts. Agent auditions are incredibly competitive, so it requires total concentration for auditions. Agent auditions take a little longer to record, as you want to get it right, so I will record a few takes and try to sound perfect and unique. I also add a slate at the beginning or end, then one second of silence, then the take. If two takes are requested, I’ll leave a second of silence in between each take. I try to create two takes that sound distinct from each other to demonstrate range. Once I am happy, I submit it.

Essential Break Time

After an hour or so of auditioning, I will have breakfast, take a short break and head back to my office. I will review again if there are any auditions to do urgently. If not, I will begin recording any jobs I have for the day. I used to leave recording jobs at the end of the day but felt my energy was low, and it was difficult to give it my effort, so I found recording jobs around 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. the best for my attention and energy.

Voice Over Auditions Genre Breakdown

There are different patterns, flows, and rhythms for performing each genre. Voice over coaching has taught me to switch rhythms like a musician to provide a professional recording. I have gone from a crazy character in one breath to a corporate voicemail recording in the next. Most of the auditions I do daily are for:

Scheduling Marketing into the Life of a Voice Actor

Once I have completed my auditions and jobs for the day, it’s around 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. I am continually checking email for anything urgent, so it’s time to do it again. Then I start working on market projects while eating my lunch. I review my CRM for clients I need to reach out to and check my Linkedin and Facebook to accept connection requests.

This is the time of day when I feel I can relax a bit. I put on some music to help me relax, concentrate, or get pumped up if I’m tired. I am such an oxymoron with my music range. I will play Binaural Beats, Classic or Coffee-Shop Jazz, Chill House, R&B, and LoFi-hip hop if I’m in a chill/concentration mood. Or Deep House, ’90’s-2000s mix, Tropical House, Summer Mix, The Beatles, Soul Music, or Elvis if I’m looking for a pick-me-up.

After an hour or two of marketing, my brain is exhausted. I will finish by heading outside if the weather is nice and relaxing on my hammock in the backyard. Sometimes I listen to a voice-over, business, or health podcast to relax my mind. In the winter, I may relax by watching TV or doing a workout.

Variations on a Day in the Life of a Voice Actor

Some days instead of email marketing, I will focus on other tasks such as social media engagement, collecting payments, bookkeeping, and writing blogs for my website. I recheck my email in the evening, around 9-10:00. I review my online casting sites once more to see if anything else urgent, such as a private audition or an agent audition, has come in. If I have enough energy, I will quickly jump into my booth and record the audition.

Then I shut off the computer and don’t think about VO until the next day! I hope this small glimpse into a day in the life of a voice actor accurately and interestingly demonstrates my job as a professional, diverse millennial voice actor. What does a typical day look like for you?

How to Evaluate Voice Over Talent

August 29, 2022 by Leah Arscott

You’ve been commissioned to hire a voice actor to record a script for an upcoming work project. You have no idea where to choose a voice actor. How do you choose a voice actor? How much does a voice actor cost? Well, don’t worry, because this article will discuss how to evaluate voice over talent and maintain a good working relationship for many years.

What’s the Project?

The first question to ask yourself when being commissioned to hire a voice actor would be, what is the ask? What project am I working on? Is it a commercial, a corporate narration, an e-Learning project, or maybe an animation? Usually, clients have some idea of the type of voice they want for their project and their target market or audience. Companies have large budgets for professional marketers to help them determine their target market. This data helps identify the type of voice they are looking for to generate sales or assist in compliance.

I have seen copywriters write a script in mind for a particular ethnicity, age, and gender. Doing this makes it easier for the actor to help determine if they think they have a good chance of booking the job. Sometimes the writers will include clues like “voice reference: John Krasinski, Rashida Jones, Morgan Freeman, etc.” This information helps the talent know if they are close to booking the job. There also have been times when I see a generic job posting with minimal description of the ideal candidate. In those cases, every voice actor will still audition and hope they are successful. But it’s beneficial for both parties – the actor and the talent- to know the ideal voice they have in mind.

Voice Over Talent Experience

Experience is one way you can evaluate your voice talent. Is this person a professional voice actor or not? Clients want to trust the talent and see they have the chops to do the job, have a professional-sounding booth, and can deliver the file on time.

At the inception of my career, the fear that someone would discover my lack of experience was crippling. I was brand new and wondered if someone would realize I was not legit. I had to tell myself that although I was new in this field, I deserved to be at the table with other professional actors. I had to realize that although I hadn’t done any voiceover gigs, I had over 15+ years of business experience. I had won drama awards in school and done professional speaking for auditions of over 200+ people for many years.

When looking for talent, feel free to peruse their social media channels, website, Linkedin, and agent websites. Usually, when you review their auditions by email, they will have a professional signature at the bottom, with their website information and social media channels. A quick 5-10 min deep dive will reveal their experience in voice-over. If they did a good job marketing themselves, the information would be easy to find.

Which Skills Does Your Voice Over Talent Need?

Determining a voice talent’s skills will identify the voice talent that’s right for you. There are different ways to classify skills, such as artistic or technical skills. Artistically speaking, Is this voice actor a one-trick pony? Can they only provide one style of voice-over? Maybe that’s ok for the project you are working on, or do you need different character voices and accents? Do you require the actor to voice various genres such as eLearning and animation? Do they take direction well in a live-directed session? Technical skills include the ability to record and edit in a professional setting. Can they add music under the recording? Are they familiar with multiple Digital Audio Workstations?

Do they have the business skills needed to create and send an invoice? Are they set up on PayPal, Wire Transfer, Venmo, etc.? Can they provide you with competitive voice-over rates? Are they aware of industry standards? How are their communication skills? Do they get back to you on time, or are you waiting hours for their emails? Are they crafting communications effectively with correct grammar and punctuation? Are they respectful and professional? What does their social media show about their business and professional and moral standards?

Level of Education

Education is crucial in evaluating voice talent. Does this individual have any voice-over training? Self-taught voice artists can schedule work. When I first started, I got lower-level jobs and pay compared to what I achieved. If I could do it again, I would get the training before auditioning. There are various types of education that a voice talent could have. Perhaps they went to school and were taught various methods of professional acting.

Maybe they worked with a coach in various genres such as Commercial, Narration, Animation, eLearning, and Promo. Voice actors can take improv classes which help make characters quickly and find humour in a script. Many cost-effective online and in-person classes are available today that a voice actor can join, so every candidate should have some on their resume. Perhaps the talent doesn’t have voice-over coaching yet, but what is their business education? Have they taken business classes? This helps narrow the voice-over competition.

Evaluate Voice Over Talent Rates

Rates are a significant way to evaluate voice talent for two reasons. Number one, it determines the amount of experience a voice actor has, and two, it identifies how well they understand voice-over industry standards. The GVAA Rate Guide is the most comprehensive resource in the industry, and it lists the various genres of voice-over broken out by usage category and shows how to quote for voice-over projects. At first, I found this guide slightly confusing, but over the years, it has improved tremendously. Now I use it to provide quotes and educate my clients on the going rates.

The Role of Location

The location used to matter when booking voice talent, and most producers required in-person recording, so they had to find the talent and get them to the desired studio. Now that we live in a digital age, less effort is required, and most voice actors have advanced professional home studios.

I still see auditions that say “MUST BE LOCAL TO LOS ANGELES or NYC,” so there is still a demand for geographically convenient talent. Sometimes a talent with a specific dialect or accent from a particular region is preferred, or the producer wants to use their studio with perfectly tuned recording equipment. It may also be because the director prefers to work with the talent in person. Animation projects often have these requirements because directors want the whole ensemble together so they can feed off each other’s energy.

Consider The Talent’s Studio Resources

The voice talent’s quality of recording space can provide a professional edge when booking talent. Technology can improve the voice and recording space, but it’s easier if the space is designed for voice-over from the beginning. That applies to Voice-over recording spaces. Ultimately, the casting director or video producer is looking for clean audio. They want a clean, crisp, clear sound with no vibrations or echoes. The worst space to record a voice-over would be somewhere like a bathroom. The best space to get started would be somewhere like a small closet with a lot of clothes inside to insulate sound and can limit background noises resulting in clean and clear audio with no echo.

I got my voice over career started by using online casting sites. I quickly put together a voice-over recording space by dumping blankets and pillows into my spare bedroom closet. It was certainly not a masterpiece. It took me months of research to understand the science behind a good recording space. Understanding the science of how sound works is essential, and I am continuously learning more. However, I do trust the professionals and their techniques and advice.

From Stuffed Closet to Custom Sound Booth

A well-treated closet is the most basic of recording spaces, and it can work well. I recorded national television commercials from my closet at the beginning of my career, and no one would have known otherwise. Some of those commercials are still airing on TV today. The next upgrade would be a travel voice over booth made of moving blankets which can also sound entirely professional. Next would be a portable booth such as a Whisper Room or a Studio Bricks. Many industry professionals use these booths and have long sustainable careers using these coveted spaces. The most expensive booth one can have would be a custom voice-over booth. These are tailor-made to the voice actor and can do wonders for the actor and their business. It’s not common for video producers and casting directors to ask what kind of booth the actor uses, but I have seen it repeatedly. Usually, they are more concerned with what the overall recording sounds like.

Asses Vocal Qualities

The voice is a pretty obvious way to evaluate talent but not always the most important. What type of voice does this person have? Are they smooth, raspy, soft, low, high, or squeaky? Do they possess swagger, or are sound perfectly awkward? Do you like their voice, or would the sound of their voice drive you crazy after listening to a long e-learning module? You don’t necessarily have to like their voice, but is it suitable for your project? I see quite a few requests for “interesting or different voices. Many directors understand the need to pick one that stands out. I’ve also seen quite a few auditions for diverse actors with accents.

Evaluate Voice Over Talent and What They Offer

What a voice actor can offer is an x-factor in the industry. It is not required but nice to have. At the most basic, a voice actor will record a project and provide you with the file. But what else can they provide? What is their revision policy? Can they split files? What are their terms? What other bells and whistles can they offer? Could they promote your company on their social media? Can they provide a discount on the next project? These factors can help determine how to choose a voice-over talent.

Reviewing the project, experience, skills, education, rates, location, studio, voice, and each offer can help you weed through the sea of voice actors. Take your time, do your homework, and you’ll find the right voice for your project.

How to Direct a Voiceover Actor

August 22, 2022 by Leah Arscott

I have been a diverse millennial voice actor for about four years. I have worked on hundreds of voice-over projects with clients internationally and felt it would be a good idea to write an article on the exciting topic of how to direct a Voice-over Actor in a live-directed session. Most clients I work with are not professional voice-over casting directors. They may be casting directors for commercials or explainer videos, producers, or the owners of a small business. There is no perfect way to direct a voiceover actor as each is unique, but there are methods that can help make the job a little easier.

There are many ways to hire a voice actor, such as contacting their agent, social media, email marketing, or online casting sites. By the time you hire them, you will have discussed terms, usage, and budget. It is time to decide how the job will be done. Will the actor do it, or will there be a live-directed session?

Preparation is Key to Getting Started

If I am to record the job on my own, I usually provide two or three takes, depending on the length of the script. Sometimes, if the script is just one sentence, I will provide 8-10 takes varying tone, pitch, and pace. If the client wants a live-directed session, we will discuss a time and date that works for all parties and a method to connect. My clients usually connect by Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Source Connect is the more popular method with agents and prominent casting directors from New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto.

When I’m ready for a live session, I will print out my script in advance if it’s not a long script. Any script longer than two pages, I will read off the screen. But I like to read from print in advance and mark the page with areas where I would like to highlight the tone, pitch, or pace. My commercial voice-over coach Marc Cashman taught me this method, and by doing this in advance, I’ve noticed that it helps prevent a series of re-takes.

Direct a Voiceover Etiquette

After reviewing the script and making my notes, I will log onto the platform that the client has desired and wait for the casting director, video producer, and clients to join in. I make it a rule to always log onto the session on time. Never be late; always be professional and wait quietly until the participants join. As each person begins to log in, I introduce myself to the group, thank them for hiring me and tell them I look forward to working with them. As they introduce themselves, I write their names and make it a point to use them as the session proceeds and concludes.

Direct a Voiceover in a Practice Run

The client will then usually go into the project and explain the purpose, the target market, and the audience, as well as the tone that they desire. My favourite sessions are the ones where they will send a reference video in advance so you can review the video and see and hear their preferred tone of voice. This technique helps voice actors tremendously. If no video is provided, I listen and write down keywords that they provide and make a mental picture of the tone they prefer. I write words like “Professional, Engaging, Warm, Hopeful” to find the right tone and keep it in mind. After we have the tone nailed down, they will either tell me how the session will run or ask me how I would like it to go. If I have the choice, I usually say that I prefer to read the script top to bottom once, and then they can give me their general notes. If the script is long, I will read one paragraph and ask for notes.

Take One and Feedback

Once they are ready for me to proceed, I ask them to please mute themselves in case any sounds on their end bleed through my recording, and I hit record on my end. I then say thank you, take a deep breath and begin. Once finished, I remain quiet, waiting for them to unmute themselves and provide feedback.

Too Many Cooks in the Demo Booth

It’s important to note that voice actors never really know how many will join the line for the session. In my experience, there has been a minimum of one client and a maximum of 10. I appreciate that clients take voice-over-directed sessions and have their co-workers join but have you ever heard the expression “There are too many cooks in the kitchen?” That applies when there are too many people on the line. Too many opinions can feel overwhelming. I’ve spoken to many voice actors about this subject, and we all agree that the first 1-7 full reads of the script are the best. After more than that, we begin to feel tired, sometimes exasperated, and our confidence wanes.

When we begin, we are excited, energized, and confident. When too many are on the line giving their opinions, it can be a confidence killer, and we begin to wonder why they even hired us in the first place. I can’t say this always happens, but it has happened a few times throughout my career. Mostly, 2-5 takes of the entire script are enough for variety, and the client is happy. Once the client is content, they ask me how the file will be sent to them. I tell them I will bounce/save the file and can fire it off to them within minutes.

Direct a Voiceover Actor with Gratitude

Live-directed sessions usually mean the client will receive the raw file with all takes and banter. I don’t touch or split up the file. If they ask me to, there is usually a small fee attached. Most clients prefer the raw file to pick and choose the takes they like. It usually takes me 5-10 minutes to bounce and send the client the file. I send it to them either by email or through the platform on which they hired me, and I always thank them for working with me.

The beauty of live-directed sessions is that the client’s chance to ask for revisions is slim. If a new session is required, then a fee is attached to that. The voice actor also really appreciates getting to speak to clients.

If you want to hire and direct a voiceover actor, remember that we love our job and want to make you happy. We thrive on enthusiasm and affirmation, so if you are happy, let the actor know. It will help build confidence, and that will show in the recording. Contact me if you have more questions about how to direct a voiceover actor!