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VO NEWCOMERS News Articles About A Voice Over Career Can Mislead About Challenges July 15, 2013  Note: The author is the Virtual Emcee at Voice Over Virtual, the giant three-day online conference presented by VoiceOverXtra September 18-20, 2013. Learn About It Here.By Dave Courvoisier Voice Actor & TV News Anchor Recent articles from two well-known national publications will no doubt swell the ranks of voice over wannabe’s. I mean, this stuff is easy! All you do is talk … how hard can it be? READER'S DIGEST DOES IT ... A June 2013 article in Reader’s Digest is titled: These High-Paying Jobs Are Definitely Not for Everyone, but luckily mentions in the subtitle: "While these high-paying jobs definitely aren’t typical, those who have them claim they’re worth the bucks." And sure enough, of the eight jobs mentioned, voice overs is there at #7 with the the write-up: "Showcase your pipes in a quirky cartoon or comical radio commercial and, after five minutes, you could earn $325. Even lesser-known voice-over artists can pull in $50,000 to $80,000 per year.”I suppose there’s nothing factually wrong with that claim. It’s just what they leave out that misconstrues the promise. You know, the equipment, the coaching, the marketing, the time spent practicing …inconvenient truths, I suppose. AND NEW YORK TIMES ... Then there’s the vaunted New York Times article of June 29th: Actors Today Don’t Just Read for the Part. Reading IS the Part. This article is about audiobook narrating, and features a headline picture of the highly-accomplished Katherine Kellgren. Again, the factual article quotes several successful actors, talks to the founder of Audible, and mentions the high-paying per-hour sums the best actors receive for their dedicated work. Please don’t mention the word "voice over” to these folks … this is the high-brow cousin of VO, even though plenty of people do both, as was evidenced by a workshop at the recent Audio Publishers Association Conference where people like Pat Fraley and Jeff Kafer offered instruction on how to segue from one to the other. Again, the NYT article failed to reference the distinct challenges of breaking into audiobook narration - a different kettle of fish entirely than mining for, say, eLearning producers in the corporate world. BREAKING THE BARRIER If all this caterwauling about the promise of using your voice to make money causes you to roll your eyes … good for you! YOU KNOW the reality of breaking the $50-80-thousand-per-year barrier. You’ve lived through the lean months. You’ve struggled to find your freelance legs. You’ve experienced the rejection. Let me be the last person to discourage anyone to take the first or second step in this business. I had plenty of encouragement when I was starting, and I doubt I’d still be standing if that had not come my way. What I worry about is a resurgence of unscrupulous "weekend demo” coaches, a tsunami of over-exuberant responses to cattle-call online casting sites, and a dumbing-down of rates in the marketplace. WHAT TO DO? So what can you do? Be courteous to those who approach you for advice. Tell them about VoiceOverXtra ... Doug Turkel’s Learn from the Voices of Experience…or Peter O’Connell’s VoiceOver Entrance Exam. Warn newbies about grasping, misleading, and over-promising demo mills. Contribute sound counsel when asked - just don’t become a crutch for someone who needs to stand. Refer serious candidates to resources on the web, including groups, forums, and communities that can answer questions. Encourage interested parties to do their research, and get experience doing pro-bono work for charitable organizations. Note:I want to thank voice actor, coach, producer, narrator, and icon Bettye Zoller for providing the inspiration for this article. ------------------ ABOUT DAVE
Dave Courvoisier is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, writer, producer, voice actor, and the main weeknight news anchor on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate. He also writes Voice-Acting in Vegas, a daily blog of voice over adventures, observations and technology. Email: CourVO@CourVO.com Web: http://www.courvo.com Blog: http://www.courvo.biz Twitter: http://twitter.com/courvo |
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The most successful voices today are those which resonate with the listener. It's not all about making the big bucks because "all you do is talk!" You have to be believable, have conviction and stick to it. Get professional training again and again. Kick out the bad habits and stay fresh and be aware of changes and trends. Be yourself, and be current. Become a part of a workout group.
A little luck along the way doesn't hurt...it's often said luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Get out there and make it happen. Making 50-80K/year requires stamina and hard work. Period.
Thanks for listening.
Bobbin Beam, Voice Actress www.bobbinbeam.com
I'm waiting for the article for VO people with the title, "If I were you I wouldn't believe ..." the content would be myth killers as opposed to dream crushers.
There are VO people I like, love and some for whom I would wrestle a Great White Shark to save them from adversity, but they write and talk utter nonsense. It does the business no good and, if they believe they are promoting themselves, they're not fooling the people who matter one bit.
For people who are new to the business, here's something that may encourage you. If, since you started you have been hired and paid three times, just three times ...You have performed a miracle!
Excuse me while I go and find job number 3.