“I did stand-up comedy for eighteen years. Ten of those years were spent learning, four years were spent refining, and four were spent in wild success.”
Steve Martin, from his memoir “Born Standing Up“
As the writer of a fairly popular blog, this is the question I get asked the most:
“How do I break into the voice-over business?”
Questions are interesting things.
One can often tell how the person asking the question thinks the world works or should work.
Questions contain spoken or unspoken assumptions that reveal a lot about someone’s beliefs and values.
Most people just answer a question without challenging those hidden assumptions, unless they’ve been trained to do so.
QUESTION THE QUESTION
A question like “How do I break into the voice-over business?” has at least three assumptions. Before I attempt to answer it, I need to know more about what is presumed.
Read the rest of this story in my new book. Click on the cover to access the website and get a sneak peek. Use the buttons to buy the book.
Related Posts
Seven Signs You’re Not Meant To Be A Voice Over
IS BRANDING A BUNCH OF BALONEY?
Barri Tsavaris: Creating The Next Big Thing
The Magnet, the Colander, and the Clay
Dorith Hassing: Painting with Words. Communicating with Color.
Why Voice Over Coaches Can’t Guarantee Results
Whatever Happened to Critical Thinking?
The Voice Over Event You Can’t Afford To Miss
Great article Paul! Now I have the perfect ready-made article to forward to those asking me these questions, you cover all of the bases directly, professionally and honestly.
That’s great, Lynne. As they say: It takes years to become an overnight success!
Right on the nail once again Paul. Attention to detail is key if you want to succeed in any field. And perseverance. And a thick skin. Talent helps too…
@Kumar Unfortunately, very talented people sometimes fail because they lack business acumen. Some very creative artists frown upon the more analytical part of the job, required to be smart business person. In our line of work, it’s a must to use both the right side and the left side of our brain.
ok, Paul – excellent post, as always! so now when i get those e-mails, I can just send them this link, right? 🙂
thanks,
Randye
@Randye Send them this link and also the link to my video The Troublesome Truth about a Voice-Over Career!
You speak the truth, Paul. So much of this is common sense that a newcomer just doesn’t think about. I get asked about ‘breaking into’ the business as well, and while I try to be positive, I also try to dissuade the person from thinking all you need is a mic, computer, and a ‘nice’ voice!
@Matt: While we can’t stop anybody from pursuing a voice-over career, I agree that it’s wise to offer a realistic picture of what it’s really like to do this type of work. Only a few (like the fabulous cast of The Simpsons) can make a very, very good living using our voice and there’s no shortcut to success.
Congratulations Paul, this is an excellent post.Hard work is the key and sacrifice. You are a great adviser but first a great voice over talent.
@Raúl Thank you so much, Raúl. You’re very kind!
Paul- So true what you wrote about how breaking into the VO business has acquired such a heightened state urgency. The many emails I get from friends, former coworkers and strangers alike often sound like Veruca Salt “I want it NOW daddy!”. The reality is- it does take time. I had a client once tell me “You’re a 20-years in the making over night success story”.
@Moe: Sometimes it seems that we’re living in the age of entitlement. It’s the microwave society. What we do is a craft and it takes a number of years to develop that craft. As a stand-up, Steve Martin had the “luxury” of getting feedback from the audience, every time he was on stage. With that feedback, he could make adjustments and perfect his act. Voice actors don’t have that luxury. We often send our auditions into the universe and we very rarely receive a helpful response.
Paul, as usual, you are spot on in your eloquent understanding and presentation of the age-old question, and its responses. I will definitely refer folks to this when I am posed with the same question. You are a fantastic resource. All the best to you!
@Debbie: Thanks for your referrals… bring them on! Wishing you nothing but the very best, personally and professionally!
Please forgive that I did not read this piece in its entirety, but as Paul and I have had several face-to-face discussions, as well as far more email exchanges, I can say he and I are in complete agreement on this topic.
For those wanting to become a voice-over talent, I would like to stress that you will be working with words. Words specifically chosen to convey very specific thoughts by the person who wrote the scripts you’ll be reading, properly interpreting and expertly delivering (aka speaking). As such, it is *your* responsibility to know those words.
Most words will be quite common. But many will not. So one of the first words you should learn is ‘initiative.’
Whether for audition purposes or as a paid job, if/when you receive a script that contains words you aren’t familiar with, the first thing you need to do is determine if the word is jargon specific to a particular industry (such as medical, anatomical or pharmaceutical terms). If so, there are dictionaries (online or printed) you can consult to learn the proper pronunciation. If you aren’t successful that way, asking the client would be your next step.
But, if you want to come across as a professional, or someone wanting to become one, NEVER, EVER submit an audition or – for crying out loud – a paid job if you are not 100% certain that you have made every effort to learn the pronunciations of words that are new to you.
I say this because I just yesterday visited a voice-over casting site on which auditions submitted were posted publicly (something for which I don’t understand the reasoning). Roughly 20% of the auditions I played contained a glaring mispronunciation. The word would not appear in everyday conversation between laypersons, but it is not necessarily an uncommon word, either.
If you don’t take the two minutes necessary to open a dictionary and confirm what you are about to commit to, you give a prospective client absolutely no reason to hire you.
Yes: voice-over DOES involve work. And this was only a very minor example. Be prepared to swim or don’t go into the water.
@Mike: Great addition, Mike. Unfortunately, too many aspiring actors jump into the talent pool without knowing how to swim. That’s why I’m not too worried about so called “competition” from the new kids on the block. They will sink to the bottom where their rates already are waiting for them.
Paul – you hit the head on the nail. Your questions and answers are so true. La-La Land and the fact “we want the glory but not willing to pay the price.” those are all valued truths. We didn’t wake up one morning and viola` here we are…time is of the essence. I love reading your articles, because you share a wealth of information. Thank you.
@Peacock Thank you so much! Many people have accused me of “preaching to the choir” when I write stories like these. That’s no longer entirely true. More and more aspiring (voice) actors find the way to my blog and they email me questions such as the one I’m writing about in this post. Hopefully, they’ll use this info to their advantage.
Paul, I am so grateful to have found your blog a few months ago. I have learned so much from your thoughts on VO, and about this amazing business over the last 5 years. You always share such inspiring (yet truthful) information, thank you!
A lot has changed since I was that little girl on the Walt Disney Monorail. I wanted so badly to meet the woman who told us to\”step away from the doors,” and the spooky guy that welcomed us into the haunted house. How did they DO that? I wanted to be like them. Plus, I had a fascination with radio – live voices really. But, I really didn’t like to be on stage (even though I had to for plays & singing performances as a young adult because I loved the biz). & for whatever reasons the universe took me away from this passion in my 20s, it’s back now to stay.
My story is a bit different in the sense that people told me that I’d fail. & I believed them! I was trained in acting and singing from a small child, and later decided to go to college for TV & Radio. At that point several adults would actually say to me, “You can’t do that, it’s a cutthroat business. You’ll never succeed. You’ll live out of a dumpster with no money.” Ouch. I let them take my dream away. So, I went into another direction.
& now I laugh. Because I know that I AM good enough. I have 2 radio shows now with WY Public Radio looking to possibly add me on next year. I just did an iPhone app. I’ve done video games, commercials and voice mail systems. & I love doing these things! I also am the owner of a small consulting business & have tested my businesses skills in this area. & I really did this to learn about owning a business before planning my full-time move into the voice over world, which I hope to happen in the next year.
If you’re good enough, trained enough, determined enough? You will make it. & never again will anyone tell me I can’t do something! So, when someone asks me about getting into the business (which I also get from time-to-time), I can have compassion for them. It’s –LEARN the business. See if it’s right for you. –Get TRAINING. Do you have what it takes for this business? & finally –DON’T GIVE UP! If it’s something you really want? Give it your absolute all & see what happens.
The universe just might give you what you’ve always wanted . . . it did for me!
Have a happy day Paul, as well as the rest of the folks here who continue to live their VO dream everyday 🙂
@Rose Thank you so much for highlighting the flip side of the coin! As your story clearly demonstrates, one CAN make it in this business, in spite of what skeptics say. You also make clear that it can be a long, tough road to success.
I always say: “The best students get the most challenging tasks,” and just as the resistance of a spring board can propel a diver to greater hights, so can all of us grow and learn from the resistance that we might experience as we’re pursuing our dream. It makes us stronger.
Congratulations on what you have achieved!
Thanks Paul. Now, when I have friends ask me the same question, about breaking-into the vo business, I’ll just send them the link to this post. Great stuff, as always.
@Dave I am grateful for every reader of my blog, and the more, the merrier!
Thanks Paul!
I have been a Steve Martin fan for a long time. In fact, on my first radio shift in 1981 I played “King Tut”:)
Interesting to note that “a” Steve Martin, NOT “the” Steve Martin, is judging a big voiceover competition: Voice-overs battle it out to win contract
@Ralph That’s funny: two Steves. One editor of Earshot Creative and one ex-stand-up comedian. The stand-up comedian is a really great writer and actor too. My favorite Martin movie is “All of me.”
Paul, if only the people seeking your advice about “breaking into the voiceover business” would spend as much time and effort researching the topic as you do.
@Doug I agree, Doug. We still need to shake off this image of voice-overs being a fast track to fame and fortune. You’ve interviewed many of today’s VO-stars, and all of them had to work hard to get to where they are now. But, as Rose C. pointed out, if you’re hungry enough, you will find a way to make it.
Paul, this piece is so well thought out – I’m gonna keep it handy for all the folks who ask us that same question!! It truly is the “business” aspect that trips folks up. The forgotten 80% sometimes of the VO business, the expenses of quipment, web, set-up, etc. – plus financing the ups & downs of any business cycle.
Thanks for taking the time to put it all down in one place for everyone to share!!
@Tim This is what listening to Terry Gross’s Fresh Air can lead to! She interviewed Steve Martin, and our local station WHYY (where Fresh Air is produced) rebroadcasted it because the memoir was released in paperback. The opening lines of his book -quoted at the beginning of this post- were my inspiration.
Another winner Paul! Doug Turkel also hit the nail on the head.
@Dan Thank you so much, Dan. Have lots of Faffcon fun with all our friends and colleagues!
I’ll be bookmarking this and sending a lot of people to it. I get those “How do I break in” emails pretty often. I don’t know that I could ever answer them as eloquently and efficiently as you just have.
As always, thanks for the great content Paul.
@Marc Bookmark away, Marc. Here’s another good resource: http://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com Thanks to Yvonne Viner for sharing it with me.
Well said Paul .
@Dave My pleasure, Dave. As I told Tim, Steve Martin inspired me to write this piece. I’ve touched on all the points in the past, but repeating them in a repackaged form doesn’t hurt.
Great advice once again Paul .. bookmarked and ready to forward whenever I receive another ‘How do I …. enquiry. Thank you!
@Helen We all seem to get these inquiries, don’t we? Nobody ever asks: How do I break out of the voice-over business?
Thanks, Paul, for a concise and well thought-out post on the reality of voiceover. Some of the assumptions made by people exploring voiceover are truly astounding! This article and your video should be required reading and viewing for every voiceover coach and potential student. You’ve put the simple truths of our business in very clear and easy to understand terms. Love it!
@James Thank you so much for that, James. To me, your “The Art of Voice Acting” is required reading for aspiring and seasoned talent alike. Now in its 4th edition, it continues to offer a wealth of information and inspiration!
Overnight success? Oh, man… could we bump that up a few hours, say, a sometime this afternoon success? I can’t wait over night. 🙂
Love the post Paul. I’ve just added it to my quiver of arrows to fire at vo-curious peeps. Bunches of thanks!
@Christopher It’s easy to understand why people underestimate what it takes to do well in our business. If done well, a voice-over narrations sounds like the simplets thing in the world. But then again, so does a Mozart piano sonata in the hands of an accomplished performer.
Yet another great blog Paul!
Rather than the condescending rant many others have provided about new people who are interested in the business, you provide a thoughtful investigation into the question itself. Thank you for that. Thank you also for your points about the questions people need to ask themselves before they launch. Many times the question is asked not because someone thinks this is an easy industry to succeed in but rather simple ignorance of how it works.
Each week, I get at least one call from a friend of a friend or even complete strangers who have a “great voice,” “used to be in radio,” “can do celeb imitations,” etc. Always, I take the time to ask them many of the same questions you pose here. Questions that will provide a more realistic picture of what this business is. Questions people, to whom I will be forever grateful, took the time to ask me.
Everyone in our industry has a unique story of how he/she got to be where they are now, and some got there quicker than others. For me, I researched, trained, planned, and worked my tail off for a year and a half before deciding I was ready and capable of pulling that full-time trigger.
Thanks again for sharing your insights and providing a great piece of material I can share with those weekly callers who ask me “How do I break into the voiceover business?”
@Kelley We must have the same friends of friends, because they’re asking me the same questions! Some people are new and naive and have no idea what’s involved to do voice-overs professionally. Others are seduced by advertising from training companies promising a golden future to those with golden pipes. That’s where the expression “pipe dreams” comes from, I guess…
It took many of us years before we were ready to give up our day jobs and do this full-time. Every day, we’re refining our skills and we learn new things about sales, marketing, taxes, business administration, promotion, social media, audio equipment, networking, acquisition, web site maintenance and narration.
What most people are attracted to is what they hear. What most people forget is that that’s probably only 20% of the work we do all day.
Paul, I’ve just discovered your site and blog. Thank you in advance for all the wonderful things I’m sure to learn—starting today—and well into the future.
As a successful freelance copywriter/broadcast producer for 26 years, I know what it takes to work for oneself. Over the years I voiced spots for clients who didn’t have budget for a “real” voice, a 2nd voice, or maybe they just liked my voice when I presented/performed the scripts I wrote. So after giving it away for far too many years, I decided to “get real” in ’09. After all, I’d written/produced hundreds of TV/radio spots, cast them, directed the talent, this was gonna be easy! So built my demo, got signed by a local, well-respected agency, put together a decent home studio, and figured the bookings would roll in. Oh man, it was a very rude (but very helpful) awakening.
A year of no bookings told me (my agent chimed in too) I needed to learn the craft. So I took courses at Denver’s performing arts center and have been training privately with a well-known NYC VO coach ever since. Now 3 years into my VO journey, I’m starting to get bookings and most importantly, feel like I’m beginning to know what I’m doing. But I also know I have so much more to learn. And now you’ll be contributing to that process.
Altho’ I aspire to be a full-time VO one day, my creative business is thriving and I probably won’t ever give that up completely. I’m a lucky guy cuz I love both of my “jobs.”
Hi Bruce, thank you for sharing your story with my readers. You were working inside the business. You had some voice-over experience, a studio and an agent… and yet you didn’t book a single job for a year. A lot of people would have given up. I admire you for hanging in there, as you continue to learn and refine your craft. Even though it’s not easy to prepare for a full-time career on a part-time basis, keeping your other job was a wise decision. I wish you continued success!
Thank YOU, Paul.
Actually, in the end, it was more than 2 years!! before booking my first job. I now have 3 agents, audition many times a week, and the momentum is slowly building. I occasionally send my coach a “big” audition for a quick bit of feedback prior to submitting. If she tells me I “nailed” it, it’s at least a small victory, even if I don’t book the gig. It’s so subjective. (My casting decisions are based as much on vocal quality as they are on the non-directed audition I’m listening to).
The frustration-factor ebbs and flows. After all, self-doubt is part of every creative person’s personality. But, we also have to be great fans of what we do.
Thank you for the article, Paul. I’m from a different field, but it makes sense for every profession.
My pleasure, Galina! Even though many of my articles have a link to voice-overs, I do my best to make them relevant to a wider audience. Thanks for reading!
Great article! It is so true that, as you say, questions contain spoken or unspoken assumptions that reveal a lot about someone’s beliefs and values. Thank you
Hi Paul. Thank you for taking the time to write this piece. While I agree with you on most of your main points, there are a couple things I wanted to highlight. 1: The voice over industry has grown exponentially and will continue to grow rapidly. There are plenty of jobs for everyone. 2: You do not need an agent to start working. 3: While not everyone can “hit the big time,” anyone with the drive and work ethic can make a 6 figure income by simply learning how to market properly the talent, or voice, they currently have and knowing where to look where jobs are being posted. Obviously all of this can only happen if an individual has the patience and will to perfect their craft and continually better themselves daily.
Any opinion is more than welcome, Beau, and I appreciate you taking the time to add your comments.
The fact that more and more people are attracted to a voice-over career, doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be more work. If anything, more talents are competing for the same jobs. As the economy is getting out of the recession, I hope companies will start investing more and this growth can be a driver for our industry.
You don’t need an agent to book jobs, but even a successful actor/comedian/writer as Steve Martin has an agent.
Rather than dealing with the time-consuming, small potato, low-paying pay to-play jobs, an agent can get you more lucrative and prestigious work. Having one or more agents enhances your professional reputation.
Marketing is the Achilles heel of many voice talents. To them there is no “simply learning how to market themselves”. It’s an everyday struggle to be heard in a cacophony of colleagues.
Not everyone feels comfortable tooting their own horn. Some people have no business skills whatsoever. I’m not saying it’s impossible to become a six-figure voice-over star, but there are high hurdles on the road to success.
Some terrific advice Paul, shot through with your trademark spiky humour and a large dose of reality.
Of course there are far more voice over jobs around these days compared to when I started (although that was 30 years ago!). VOs are, and always have been, driven by technology. The explosion in video games, website audio content, audiobooks and IVR (not forgetting the proliferation of TV/Radio channels) has increased the demand for voice acting talent exponentially .
Call me an optimist, but I firmly believe this will continue. To those who say it is becoming more of an amateur pastime, as witnessed by fun apps such as Vine, I say just compare the pros with the wannabes.
Anyone can do a voice over, only a few can do it well enough to get paid.
Hi Gary, thanks for browsing my blog! Solopreneurs have to be realists and optimists. They need to be competent as well as confident. Unfortunately, too many people approach me with extreme confidence, but without competence to back it up. The good news is that coaching can increase competence. With increased skills, confidence will grow. I’ve also known some very competent people who never had the confidence to do what they’re good at. They were held back by fear of failure.
I do believe that as the economy is picking up again, there will be more opportunities for voice-overs in the years to come. So, now is the time to prepare, just like Steve Martin did before he became a household name.
In response to Paul’s comment, “They were held back by fear of failure”…I would say that’s spot-on with me. If I had confidence in my self image on the outside, I’d probably do reasonably well with stage or on-camera acting, but if I don’t have to use my outer image, it seems like VO is the natural way to go for me. I would be very interested in finding out if a coach thinks I have a lot of improving to do.
In my experience, Lara, even the best in the business keep on refining their skills. A career is always a work in progress. A while ago I wrote about the impact fear can have on our professional development. Click here to read the story, and let me know what you think.