I answer 10 jobs a week and never get a response. I do VO's for local radio stations any advice?

1 Answer

0 votes

DON"T GIVE UP! Voice Acting is just like writing or actually any other job you go for. The person doing the hiring has a CERTAIN voice in mind and if you don't fit that - no matter how good you are- you won't get hired.

There are things you can do to up your success rate, but not really enough room to go into it here. Contact me off-line if you want a little more help, I'd be glad to do all I can. There really are so many voicing jobs out there that everyone can have a big piece of the pie.

answered by GConnolly (260 points)

It takes talent, tenacity and luck. Talent: being the type of read someone is looking for - and there are types which go in and out of style, i.e.: the "non-announcer." (The "Morgan Freeman.") I've had agents over the years who would run from RADIO types as they sounded like announcers, not actors. Tenacity: prepare to demo demo demo. It can take months to get one job, then the dam seems to burst and you get several gigs, but the ratio can be from 100 to 1000 to 1 (demos to job)... and the 1000 estimate was from a seasoned multi-decades agent! Luck: will your perfect demo even be HEARD by the right person? If the average voices reply is over 100 demos, who'd listen to each, when numbers 12, 37 and 43 are just what they were seeking. Then there's pricing. 12 wants $350. 37 wants $100, $43 wants $500. If they all are close enough for the client, what do you think will happen?

commented by robertwood (420 points)

I submit an average of 3 auditions a day, 7 days a week. I have been doing this for about 90 days. In that time I booked 2 jobs. I've become very selective, too. If it looks like I can't get my audition submitted before number 25, I don't bother. The two jobs I booked I was in under the 10th audition. I don't understand why people submit auditions when they can see that over 50 or 60 have already done so. It's frustrating to think that voice seekers are not listening to auditions past 15 or 20 but I believe that is the case. I wish voice seekers would fess up in the description about this.

commented by Michael-Manion (1,980 points)

I assume you're using Voice123 - or something like that. The best thing to do is to go out and find the jobs. Don't sit back and wait for them to come to you to audition for them. It also depends upon what type of voicing you want to do. I voice for the pure love of voicing, so I will do most anything. If you're looking to get famous and all you'll do (not saying this is your case) is games or cartoons or commercials, then you ARE going to have lots of competition, but if you voice house tours, web sites, computer and web based trainings, etc. the pay is great and you get to do what you enjoy. There are LOTS of places out there in the hidden voice market where the competition is almost nonexistent. It takes a bit of work and marketing to find and secure it, but once you do, you get repeat clients and THOSE are the ones to have, then you can just concentrate on improving your craft and not trying to find the work.

Hope this helps - Gary http://www.navag.com - North American Voice Actors Guild

commented by GConnolly (260 points)