VOICE OVER AUDITIONS
The Other Side Of The Glass: How An Ad
Becomes A Voice Over Agent Audition

By Kathleen Puls Andrade
Voice Actor, Actor, Improviser & Coach

Ever since Covid hit, we’ve been holed up in our basements, or closets, or offices. Being a VO
can be a solitary existence so it’s a treat to go into the studio.

Covid has changed the recording landscape. Now we have to invest in equipment, be engineers
and editors along with voicing the script. Despite all of this, we still need to know how to
conduct ourselves and relate to the people on the other side of the glass at the studio (and yes,
even on Source Connect), because we still go in from time to time.

So, let’s talk about the people on the other side of the glass. Who, exactly, is in there?

THE AD AGENCY

So, a client, let’s call them Kruft, will go to an ad agency like, say, “Bo Gurnett” because they
want to start advertising their new product Mac and Queso. They meet with the account
executive and writers and go over all of the delicious concepts and selling points they want to
include in the ad.

Like: Delicious, creamy, family, homey, cheesy, affordable, quick, Mexican flair, etc.

We, as VOs, might call them keywords and concepts that we want to emphasize when reading the script.

The writer(s) runs with these and writes the commercial and a brief, or everything you want to know about the spot. The specs, the script(s), what the scripts are about, what the product is and what the company is about and everything else you need to know about giving
them the best read. This is called a brief, which you may or may not see.

Most of the time, they just send out the script, so it’s your job to be familiar with pronunciations and what the company or product actually does - and most especially, how they advertise. That means going to iSpot.tv or YouTube and checking out their latest commercials for tone, wording, style, etc.

FOR EXAMPLE ...

Let’s use this real script for Georgia Power as an example:

“This film is part of an evolving series to share Georgia Power’s positive impact on the community through narratives. These stories
portray the Georgia Power initiatives and hard-working Georgians making “home” a better place.”

What I see in this copy is that they want tell a story, and in this story they want to emphasize community, home, hard-working people, reliability etc. That gives me an idea of how I should interpret the copy and what the client wants to convey. If you don’t have any specs, pay
attention to the context.

The client, Georgia Power, approves it or asks for changes. This can be a short process or a long, laborious process depending on the client.

The more money the client has, the easier the process tends to be. The lower the budget, the more difficult the process can be. Some of you will understand what I mean.

CASTING BEGINS

Once the client approves, the casting process begins.

The agency will send the script out to agents and/or casting platforms depending on how many auditions they want to listen to. Six hundred auditions can wear on the agency and clients and yes, with the advent of VO casting websites, that number isn’t unusual.

Or, they’ll ask for a curated list of talent from different talent agents. The agents pick the most appropriate talent in their roster and send it out to be auditioned.

The agency and client will listen and make their selection and you’ll either get the job, or you won’t.

Most of the time, you won’t. After all, only one person can get the job. But don’t take it personally. It’s a numbers game and, who knows, maybe you sound too much like their mother-in-law and they have … feelings. It’s all subjective. Most of the time, they’re shopping and they don’t know what they want but they’ll know it when they hear it.

Then, when you hear the finished product, you might think “That’s who they picked??” or “Yeah, that makes sense” even
though we still think it should have been us.

It’s all subjective! So never, ever take it personally unless you know the creative hates your guts. (They don’t.)

So, this is just a little bit of what the agency does before we get the script. Get to know what the agencies do and how they do it. It’ll make your job a little easier.
------------------------------
ABOUT KATHLEEN
Kathleen Puls Andrade is a voice actor, actor, improviser and voice over coach with numerous voiceover and on-camera credits. She created and runs the Voiceover Gymnasium, a monthly VO workout at kpandrade.com. She has also created and currently teaches the Beginning Voiceover for Improvisers and Advanced Voiceover programs at the Second City Training Center, Chicago, New York, and Toronto. The Beginner class prepares her students to perform, and the Advanced class prepares them for their careers. Her Voiceover Audition Essentials class is available on demand, allowing work at your own pace. Kathleen has also taught voice over and more at Bosco Productions, Baylor University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, In Forte, Discover Card, along with individual clients. She has been heard on Kraft, Allstate, Quaker, Fisher, Morton and more, and on Mortal Kombat X, 11, and 1 along with Watchdogs, and more. She also teaches a Video Game Voiceover class with the VO Director for Mortal Kombat, coming up in October.

Email: kathleen@kpandrade.com
Web: www.kpandrade.com

ALSO SEE THESE HELPFUL VOICE OVER AUDITION ARTICLES

Your Daily Resource For Voice-Over Success

Follow News & Features