Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 12/17/2007

Question
i have been told that i have a very nice voice and i was wondering how i could get involved in a voiceover career?

Answer
Hi William,

I took voiceover classes at a University in the evening continuing education course schedule. I do not attend the university. The first class was an intro class to basically introduce you to what you are getting into. The second, a class that delves into getting you trained and a demo CD made. The first class was cheaper of course, and the second was almost $400. because you used a studio and an engineer to record the demo.

Whether you attend a university class or an independent, it should be the same. What they shared with me was that you can make a couple hundred bucks here and there making local jingles, but that you have to work up and have a distinct voice to become a voiceover star like Don Lafontaine and make really big bucks. You might want to read Joan Baker's book "Secrets to Voiceover Success" among others.

What is required of the job is to read through your lines (or "sides" as they are called) and be able to deliver them with the correct character and inflection within 1-2 takes. Studio time costs money and they don't like to spend money on someone who can't "get" what they are reading quickly. That requires strong reading and intuitive skills. You also need to be free of regional accents unless you only want to do parts with that region's accent. Although I grew up in Texas, I watched a lot of midwestern news reports and have been told I sound like I'm from California, or other places, but not Texas. Try practicing by reading articles and books out loud. Listen to your pronunciation and see how it sounds when you try to recite the words on tape and play it back. Chances are, you will see it is harder than it looks. Don't give up though. Anything worthwhile takes work! You also need to be aware that when you record, it will likely be you, and engineer and maybe 3-7 other people listening to you while you "perform, so you need to be cool and collected and not a nervous wreck. ("They" would be ad agency reps, etc. and they might be in other cities listening in by remote.) The last commercial I did ADR (additional voice recording)on, I was in a studio in Austin with an engineer, while they listened in Dallas and Los Angeles.

Once you have gone to school, you can submit your demo to agents and see if you can get one to represent you and get you auditions. The good thing is that you can often record "demos" at home on MP3 files and forward them to your agent instead of driving somewhere. The bad news is, you'll need a good (expensive) microphone and sound card on your PC as well as a good file converter to produce the MP3 file, if you don't have one.

Best to you,

Taylor