Great Voice

How to Find a Voice Over Agent Who Cares By Susan Berkley Thinking of getting started in voice over? Made your demo and ready to launch? No matter where you are in your career, the right talent agent can really give things a boost. But how do you find an agent who can really help your career? What A Talent Agent Can Do For You Let’s review what a talent agent does. A talent agent’s job is to sift through all the “wanna-be’s,” classify the talent and then present qualified and appropriate talent to casting directors, producers, ad agencies and companies who are looking for actors (on and off camera) for their productions. The Screening Process A good talent agency will screen their talent. To be considered, you will have to send a professionally produced demo tape, a cover letter, and an acting resume. Most will not work with inexperienced newcomers, so you will have to show that you have had experience or at least good, solid training to prepare for auditions and studio work. If they like what they hear, they will call you in for an interview or agree to represent you if you live out of town. But even if they like you, there is no guarantee that they will get calls for your type and send you out. The House Reel If they agree to represent you they will generally put excerpts from your demo on a “house reel,” which these days is usually a CD containing the voices of all the talent they represent. They then market this CD to producers and others who might require voice talent. Even if you are not on the “house reel,” an agent may send you on auditions. Auditions When a call for a particular type comes in, they will either audition the talent they represent by having them read the client’s copy or submit talent demos (for voiceover) and head shots (for on camera work). Should one of their talents book the job, the agent handles the details of the booking and negotiates the fee, makes sure you are paid in a timely manner and receives 10-15% of your talent fee for their efforts. Some agents, who are also managers, take a 20% commission. Generally the check comes to the agent who deposits it and pays you your percentage less their commission. Be Wary of This Never pay an agent in advance for agreeing to represent you. I believe it is unethical for an agent to produce your demo or ask you for money to help pay their marketing costs . There have been several scams of this nature. If someone purporting to be an agent asks you for money up front, run for the door and report them to the consumer affairs department at your state attorney general’s office. How to Submit Your Demo Submission instructions are usually found on the agency website. Your submission package should include your voiceover demo and a personal cover letter. Agents will tell you they would also like to see a head shot and an acting resume, but if you don’t have a head shot or an acting resume, just send your demo with a cover letter. How to Follow Up It can be frustrating to get an agent to listen to your demo or take your phone calls, but like anything else, persistence pays off. Follow up with weekly phone calls until you get feedback. If they like what they hear they will call you in for an interview. What to say on a follow up call Whatever you do, don’t ask them what they think of your demo. A professional never would. You are either right for their agency or you’re not. It’s best to just ask if they think there’s a fit. Experience the thrill of recording in a top professional recording studio at our next Voice Over Bootcamp Recording Studio Immersion Experience April 5-6 in New York City. For more information contact us at 800-333-8108 or bill@greatvoice.com Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice overs artist

HOW TO MAKE A FORTUNE IN HIDDEN VOICE OVERS By Susan Berkley Did you know that there is an entire world of “hidden” voice overs that are never broadcast on television or radio? They are used in corporate audio-video, internet and e-learning platforms; for all types of instruction and training; for sales programs; for phone systems (voice prompts); point of purchase displays (those videos you see in the store that show you how to use a product); travel and tourism; in cars; elevators; and inside a variety of talking appliances and gadgets. Non-broadcast voice overs come in all sizes. The typical script is about 20 pages long, but they can be as short as several sentences or hundreds of pages long. I recorded all 1,440 minutes of the day for AT&T (“The time where you’re calling is 4:45 PM”) and once had to read 20,000 drug names for a major pharmaceutical company. You don’t do this type of thing in a single day, of course, but it still requires a tremendous amount of stamina and voice control. Non-broadcast voice talent should have clear speech; a warm, yet authoritative tone; and the ability to make boring technical copy sound interesting. How much can you make voicing a non broadcast script? Rates vary widely but are typically several hundred dollars per job depending on the length of the script and the experience and negotiating abilities of the voice talent. Larger jobs can pay several thousand dollars. If you do a good job, your corporate clients will keep coming back for more and they can have a huge lifetime value of many tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars How to prepare for a large non-broadcast voice over job Arrive well rested. Nothing beats a good night’s sleep to improve stamina. Eat before the session. The studio microphone will pick up the rumblings of a hungry tummy. To minimize mouth noise, avoid dairy products or oily, fried foods. Start hydrating early. It takes a while for the fluids to cycle through your body and hydrate your vocal folds. Dress in comfortable quiet clothing. Avoid noisy fabrics like starched shirts or nylon. I recommend wearing a knit t shirt as your base layer in case the voice booth gets too hot Ask for the script before the session. Flag any unfamiliar terms and look up any pronunciations you don’t know. The producer or client will be happy to help if you have questions. Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice overs artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors.

Are audio book voice over narrations for you? By Susan Berkley Would you like to narrate Audio Books? This month I answer subscriber Nick Curtiss' question about how to become a literary voice. Nick asks: "I've enjoyed your Inside Voice Over newsletters. How do audio publishers select books? Do they use 'in-house' talent or audition or otherwise select individually for each book? How might I get some of that sort of work?" Susan Berkley answers: Audio books intrigue many voice actors. Recently I had the opportunity to attend a conference sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association and picked up many tips about how to break into this business. Here's what I learned. 1. AUDIO BOOK NARRATION IS A SPECIALIZED SKILL Different from commercial voice over or industrial narration, the actor must voice all the characters in a work of fiction, giving each a distinctive voice and attitude. He must keep each character separate and consistent. Acting experience in theatre or movies is helpful. In fact, many big name actors enjoy recording books on tape because they are so challenging and interesting to do. 2. IT REQUIRES STAMINA Depending on whether the work is complete or abridged, finished running time can range from 2 to 6 hours or more. It takes an average of 2-3 hours to record one hour of finished narration. The typical book takes about 8 or 9 hours to record. Most producers like to do this over a day and a half. It takes a lot to maintain your voice and your energy level in a marathon session like this! 3. BUDGETS ARE GENERALLY TIGHT Audio books pay by the project, not by the hour. An experienced narrator can make several thousand dollars per book. Audio book producers say they are very receptive to skilled beginners who are willing to gain experience in low-budget projects. 4. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF AUDIO BOOKS Fiction, non-fiction, instructional, children's, dramatic, how-to, business. Some actors specialize in a particular genre. Not every voice is right for all types of books. 5. YOU NEED A SPECIAL DEMO Your regular commercial or industrial tape will not do. First check out a number of audio books on the market. Pay attention to style and genre. Publishers say they like to hear at least 3-5 minutes of a book. Choose 3 of these segments and make sure they are professionally recored 6. TO MAKE CONTACTS JOIN THE AUDIO PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION They will send you a list of audio book publishers and producers across the country that you can send your tape to. Visit www.audiopub.org for details. Here is an additional link for audio book opportunities: www.acx.com: Audible.com's new site for authors who want to produce audio books and narrators who want to meet them. Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors.

Time Management for Busy Voice Over Talents By Susan Berkley   Busy? Me too. Yet if you're like me, you want it all and you're always thinking ahead, looking for ways to make your life more enjoyable and productive. Problem is, where do you find the time to work on your new voice over career? In this week's Inside Voice Over, I've got some great advice.It's from a very busy friend of mine Julie Steinbacher, an elder law attorney and mother of three. Julie developed a method she calls 'Chunk It' where she divides her time into focused 90 minute blocks of productive activity. Here's how it works. Face the facts Let's be realistic here. The day will never come when you'll have long interrupted stretches of days or weeks to work on your voice over career. To start getting real results, all you need is 90 focused, uninterrupted minutes a day to work on your voice over career. But the key here is that time must be focused and uninterrupted. I believe anyone can find that time. Get up a little earlier or go to bed a little later. Turn off the TV. Order take out dinner once or twice a week. And then make the commitment to sit down and do it. Ramp up Time All tasks require ramp up time to get focused and gather your thoughts. When you switch from one task to another, you waste precious time getting ready. 90 minutes is just enough time to get focused and really get some work done. Optimal Concentration Brain research shows that 90 minutes is an optimal amount of time for your brain to focus. After that it starts to get tired. In fact, researchers recommend that for optimal concentration, we take a short break every 90 minutes or so before returning to our desk for our next 90 minute chunk of time. No Interruptions When working in a chunk, nothing should disturb you. Don't go to the bathroom, don't check email, don't answer the phone, don't talk to family members. This is a completely uninterrupted chunk of focused time. According to Julie, anything can wait for 90 minutes. Your productivity will really soar when you discipline yourself this way. Use a Timer Stick with your task and don't leave your seat until the bell goes off I'm always amazed at how much I can get done in 90 focused minutes when I concentrate this way. Hang in there! An author recently completed a book in only 6 months working in 3 uninterrupted 90 minute chunks of time each day. She started early, finished work by 3 PM and still had time to go for a run in between two of her chunks. Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors.

The #1 Mistake Made by Voice Over Beginners By Susan Berkley   Today my mission is to save you from an innocent beginner's mistake that could cost you years in your path to voice over success. It's a common, but near fatal error many people make before they even start their training and do their voice over demo. But actually, this mistake has nothing to do with your voice. It has to do with the customers you'll choose as you market your business. You see, most new and emerging voice talent never give a second thought as to who they'll ultimately be selling to, and that's a big mistake. They spend their time perfecting their home studio, their demo, their logo or their website without stopping to consider WHO they are for and then they complain when they don't get the results they need. People try to present themselves as a versatile talent with a something for everyone, the man or woman of a thousand voices. But this type of positioning can actually backfire and keep you from booking work! First off, no one is equally skilled at all types of voiceover, you only want to put your best stuff on your demo. And second, showing too much variety can confuse your customer Haven't you ever gone into a store and become so confused you just walked out the door without buying anything? I know I have. Big brands in crowded marketplaces solve this problem by niching their products for a specific market segment. Consider 1-A Day Vitamins, for example. This legacy brand has specialty products for different customers including: Women's Essentials, Men's Pro-Edge, Women's 50+ Advantage, Women's Petites, Teen Advantage and Vitamin Gummies, to name just a few. To get started in voice overs the right way, you must become a specialist, not a generalist. As a voice over specialist you can charge more because you bring expertise and a targeted solution to a specific group of customers who can listen to your demo and look at your marketing materials and say "that's for me!" Here at The Great Voice Company, whenever start with a new beginner, the first thing we do is take a look at their voice type and their life experience and help them determine their specialty market right off the bat and that's why our students get such great results without the nail-biting frustration many voice over beginners face. For example private mentor client Fred Meseck does this brilliantly with his demo and marketing materials for E-Learning producers. We've helped Eric Saunders position himself for animation work and I've helped others niche themselves for audio books and medial narrations. Some people even get so targeted that they release specialty demos for retailers with Santa Clause and Halloween voices! I'd love to help you too. Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors.

HOW TO GET PAID F0R YOUR VOICE OVER WORK By Susan Berkley You might be wondering why I am stating the obvious here. I mean, you record a voice over, you get a check, right?   Well... not exactly. An Inner Circle member who is just starting out told me she had gotten "stiffed" on her first three voice over jobs from three different clients. How frustrating! And let's face it, she is not alone. Many talents, even some experienced ones, have a hard time getting their clients to cough up the bucks. Here's how to prevent it from happening to you. SEND A BILL Also known as an invoice, you've got to send a bill if you want to get paid. It sounds obvious, but many voice talents have never had to worry about this in their day job where their pay is deposited right into their bank account. A woman in one of my seminars once told me she realized several months after her first job was done that the reason she never got paid was because she hadn't sent a bill. Too embarrassed, she let it slide. If it were me, I would have sent an invoice marked FINAL NOTICE. SET YOURSELF UP TO ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS AND PAY PAL Credit cards are easier than ever to accept with Square, a free card reader and app that hooks up to your Smart Phone. There are no set up charges and a nominal processing fee per transaction. In most cases you'll see the money in your bank account the following day. To set yourself up with a Pay Pal account go to www.paypal.com. Again there's a small service fee but many customers will happily pay quickly that way. CLARIFY BILLING PROCEDURES UP FRONT Make sure you get the name, address, email address and phone number of the person in accounts payable. It will often be different from the person who hired you for the job. Some clients will issue a purchase order number which you must include on every invoice in order to get paid. Others require job numbers or other specific information. Failure to follow billing procedures can really delay payment, so ask questions and keep careful notes before you send the bill. KEEP CAREFUL RECORDS As your business grows, accounting software like Quickbooks will help you keep track of who owes what. At the very least keep an accordion style tickler file so you can follow up with a call and an email on the day invoices are due. File a copy of your invoice on the day of the month it's due and move it ahead accordingly to remind you to call. BE NICE! Make your collection calls every week, calling as soon as the invoice is over due. Never be rude or demanding, even to the slowest payers. Be persistent, be polite. Politely tell your contact you are following up on a past due invoice and would like to know when you can expect payment. You may have to resend your invoice and call several times before you get paid. But if you are pleasant and friendly during your follow up, your check will be on the way in no time.   Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors. The Great Voice Company is an international leader in voice over training and in providing top quality voice over recordings in all languages to discerning businesses and marketers. For additional information visit www.greatvoice.com Copyright 2013, The Great Voice Company. All Rights Reserved.  How To Get Paid For Your Voice Over Work.

How to Find the Time To Start Your Voice Over Career By Susan Berkley Busy? Me too. Yet if you're like me, you want it all and you're always thinking ahead, looking for ways to make your life more enjoyable and productive. Problem is, where do you find the time to work on your new voice over career?   In this week's Inside Voice Over, I've got some great advice. It's from a very busy friend of mine Julie Steinbacher, an elder law attorney and mother of three. Julie developed a method she calls 'Chunk It' where she divides her time into focused 90 minute blocks of productive activity. Here's how it works. Face the facts Let's be realistic here. The day will never come when you'll have long interrupted stretches of days or weeks to work on your voice over career. To start getting real results, all you need is 90 focused, uninterrupted minutes a day to work on your voice over career. But the key here is that time must be focused and uninterrupted. I believe anyone can find that time. . Get up a little earlier or go to bed a little later. Turn off the TV. Order take out dinner once or twice a week. And then make the commitment to sit down and do it. Ramp up Time All tasks require ramp up time to get focused and gather your thoughts. When you switch from one task to another, you waste precious time getting ready. 90 minutes is just enough time to get focused and really get some work done. Optimal Concentration Brain research shows that 90 minutes is an optimal amount of time for your brain to focus. After that it starts to get tired. In fact, researchers recommend that for optimal concentration, we take a short break every 90 minutes or so before returning to our desk for our next 90 minute chunk of time.. No Interruptions When working in a chunk, nothing should disturb you. Don't go to the bathroom, don't check email, don't answer the phone, don't talk to family members. This is a completely uninterrupted chunk of focused time. According to Julie, anything can wait for 90 minutes. Your productivity will really soar when you discipline yourself this way. Use a Timer Stick with your task and don't leave your seat until the bell goes off I'm always amazed at how much I can get done in 90 focused minutes when I concentrate this way. Hang in there! An author recently completed a book in only 6 months working in 3 uninterrupted 90 minute chunks of time each day. She started early, finished work by 3 PM and still had time to go for a run in between two of her chunks.   Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors. The Great Voice Company is an international leader in voice over training and in providing top quality voice over recordings in all languages to discerning businesses and marketers. For additional information visit www.greatvoice.com Copyright 2013, The Great Voice Company. All Rights Reserved.  How to Find the Time To Start Your Voice Over Career.

  Good News For Emerging Audio Book Voice Over Narrators! By Susan Berkley Would you like to narrate Audio Books? This month I answer subscriber Nick Curtiss' question about how to become a literary voice. Nick asks: "I've enjoyed your Inside Voice Over newsletters. How do audio publishers select books? Do they use 'in-house' talent or audition or otherwise select individually for each book? How might I get some of that sort of work?" Susan Berkley answers: Audio books intrigue many voice actors. Recently I had the opportunity to attend a conference sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association and picked up many tips about how to break into this business. Here's what I learned. 1. AUDIO BOOK NARRATION IS A SPECIALIZED SKILL Different from commercial voice over or industrial narration, the actor must voice all the characters in a work of fiction, giving each a distinctive voice and attitude. He must keep each character separate and consistent. Acting experience in theatre or movies is helpful. In fact, many big name actors enjoy recording books on tape because they are so challenging and interesting to do. 2. IT REQUIRES STAMINA Depending on whether the work is complete or abridged, finished running time can range from 2 to 6 hours or more. It takes an average of 2-3 hours to record one hour of finished narration. The typical book takes about 8 or 9 hours to record. Most producers like to do this over a day and a half. It takes a lot to maintain your voice and your energy level in a marathon session like this! 3. BUDGETS ARE GENERALLY TIGHT Audio books pay by the project, not by the hour. An experienced narrator can make several thousand dollars per book. Skilled beginners make several hundred dollars per book. Audio book producers say they are very receptive to skilled beginners who are willing to gain experience in low-budget projects. 4. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF AUDIO BOOKS Fiction, non-fiction, instructional, children's, dramatic, how-to, business. Some actors specialize in a particular genre. Not every voice is right for all types of books. 5. YOU NEED A SPECIAL DEMO Your regular commercial or industrial tape will not do. First check out a number of audio books on the market. Pay attention to style and genre. Publishers say they like to hear at least 3-5 minutes of a book. Choose 3 of these voice over segments and make sure they are professionally recorded. 6. TO MAKE CONTACTS JOIN THE AUDIO PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION They will send you a list of audio book publishers and producers across the country that you can send your tape to. Call Visit www.audiopub.org. for details Here are some additional links for audio book opportunities: www.acx.com: Audible.com's new site for authors who want to produce audio books and narrators who want to meet them. www.natf.org HEAR Now : The Audio Fiction and Arts Festival, premiering June 20th - 23rd, 2013, in Kansas City, MO. HEAR Now is the audio equivalent of a film festival for contemporary audio story-telling in all its forms: live and scripted solo performances, multi-voiced, classic radio drama, experimental narrative, and much more. www.audiopub.org: information on APAC, the 2013 Audio Publishers Association Conference May 29 at the Javitts Center in New York City   Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors. The Great Voice Company is an international leader in voice over training and in providing top quality voice over recordings in all languages to discerning businesses and marketers. For additional information visit www.greatvoice.com Copyright 2013,

Will you be ready for your first professional voice over studio session? By Susan Berkley   These days most of your voice over jobs will be recorded from your home studio, but every once in awhile a client will ask you to record in a professional studio outside your home. There, you'll work with a recording engineer who will direct you with possible input from a director and the client.Will you be ready? Here are my best tips for recording studio etiquette to help you perform like a pro. Don’t touch the microphone! After you’ve greeted everyone and gone through the script, you’ll be invited into the sound isolation booth. The audio engineer will follow you to adjust the microphone.  Whatever you do, don’t touch the mic. This is the engineer’s job and he or she will get very nervous if you start messing with this expensive piece of equipment. Get into a comfortable sitting or standing position, adjust the copy stand so you can see the script, and let the audio engineer do the rest. They’ll be happy to adjust the lighting or bring you water if you need it. Setting levels Next the engineer will return to the control room to set your levels. Never tap on the mic and say “testing one, two, three”! Simply read the copy the way you think it should be read at a comfortable volume level.  I suggest starting from the middle of the script so the client and engineer knows you’re just warming up. You haven’t been given direction yet and if you read it from the top they might think that’s your best read. It’s not. Your headphones While setting levels, keep your headphones off your ears or around your neck. This way you’ll protect your hearing if there’s feedback, an all too common event.  Once the levels are set, you can put the headphones back on your ears, although I like to keep one ear off. It keeps me from listening to myself and helps my voice acting. Multiple takes Once the session begins, don’t be alarmed if they ask you to read certain portions of the script again and again. This doesn’t mean you’re doing poorly. The director is merely trying to get several options for post production. Avoid Talk Back Paranoia You’ll likely be recording your voice over in a sound proof booth and the only way you will hear the people in the control room is when they push the ‘talk back’ button. Sometimes they’ll ask you to hold on a minute while they talk among themselves. You’ll see their lips moving but you won’t hear a thing. It’s common to assume they’re dissatisfied and talking about you. They’re not. They’re probably just ordering lunch! Experience the thrill of recording in a top professional recording studio at our next Voice Over Bootcamp Recording Studio Immersion Experience! We still have a few seats available for our next Bootcamp March 15-17, at Cleartracks Studio in beautiful Clearwater, Florida or at Avatar Studios in New York City June 21-23. For more information click the following link: http://www.voiceoverbootcampsale.com or contact us at 800-333-8108 or bill@greatvoice.com   Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety and include the following: Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors. The Great Voice Company is an international leader in voice over training and in providing top quality voice over recordings in all languages to discerning businesses and marketers. For additional information visit www.greatvoice.com Copyright 2012, The Great Voice Company. All Rights Reserved.  Will you be ready for your first professional voice over studio session?

How to do Voice Overs for Movie Trailers