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Auditions: Why You Lose Agent
Auditions ... And How To Win More
By David Goldberg
Producer & Coach
Edge Studio
 Don't be discouraged if you're not winning auditions that your agent sends you on. Rather, ask your agent how many voice actors they send to each audition. If your agency sends 20 talent to each audition, and you've only been on five auditions, then odds have it that you will have not have won a job yet.
But if you've been on more than 20 auditions, then read on, as there are a number of issues that could be at play:
1. The agency is testing you.
They're sending you on as many auditions as possible (even if they know your voice is not the correct type for the script) to build up your confidence, experience, and / or contacts.
If this is the case, consider yourself fortunate, as it means that the agency believes in you (and your voice)!
2. You cannot perform as well as your demo sounds (a common problem).
In other words, you are misrepresenting yourself. If this is the case, you'll spend your life auditioning ... for nothing.
This could happen for many reasons:
3. Maybe you do not read with enough variety.
For example, every time you read the script, it sounds the same.
4. Perhaps you do not follow direction well.
For example, when the casting professional says, "Do XYZ", you do not. In fact, we hold a LOT of casting calls and at least a third of talent who submit auditions have NOT followed our directions.
For example, we ask for a slate, but the voice talent does not slate their audition. Or we ask for two takes, but get only one.
Sometimes we request a specific file name, but the file we receive is not named the way we requested.
5. Maybe your agency is sending you out on the wrong types of auditions.
This could be to fill up the roster. For example, if the agency's client wants to have 10 voice-over artists audition, but the agency only has eight voice-over artists who match the desired voice-type, they may send some incorrect voices to the audition.
6. Could you just be unlucky?
7. Do you ask too many questions? Act unprofessionally? Show up late?
This will certainly not help win the job.
8. And finally, perhaps it just takes you too long to "get it."
This industry moves fast, and if you require an hour of hand-holding and producing to read the script correctly, you will not get the job.
REVIEW AND WIN
Okay, let's wrap up:
Remember: It is good for you and your agent if you win the job. So be sure to foster a good working relationship with your agent. Be open with them, discuss any concerns, and work together.
You ARE a team.
Yet also remember this: sometimes it's not you or your agent - it's the client. They may simply want a different kind of voice, or they may not know what they want until they hear it.
But if the reason you're not landing auditions lies in your court, get help! Even Pavarotti didn't stop practicing and taking voice lessons when he landed his first role at the Met.
David Goldberg is a voice-over producer, coach, and the owner of Edge Studio, a major voice-over recording studio and voice-over education company based in New York City, with additional studios in Fairfield, CT and Bethesda, MD. Edge Studio offers a large variety of in-person and telecourse workshops. It also produces audio for major clients including Disney, VW, Microsoft, National Geographic, and frequently casts voice talent who have trained and produced demos there.
Email: david@edgestudio.com
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