Introduction to the Voice Over Industry

Meet The Industry

Free career resources and advice is available, job opportunities are bountiful, and the costs associated with getting started and building a home recording studio are at the lowest they have ever been thanks to online marketplaces and the global village.

• Broadcasters from the old school of presenting are using their highly developed instincts and production skills to land jobs from other radio and television stations around the world.

• Singers and stage actors from the theatre are exercising their vocal versatility, performing as voice actors in animation, film, and documentary narration as well as producing music beds and jingles for commercials.

• Salespeople, former telephone marketers, and educators with great voices are flexing their persuasive musculature in commercials, telephony, and educational voice overs with the gusto and ambition of jockeys at the gate, waiting to unleash their voices on the world.

These are just some of the people who make up the voice industry. This guide will help you to make the leap into voice overs develop your career.

What is a Voice Over?

A voice-over is the voice of an unseen narrator, in a movie or a television broadcast. It is a recording performed by a voice talent that gives life to characters, tells a story, guides you on a tour, or directs your telephone calls.

Usually, professional voice talents are enthusiastic, funny, charming, are flexible, and interact well with other people. They have the ability to take direction or criticism from others and can interpret copy to sell a product, concept, or a message.

Who is a Voice Talent?

A voice talent is a voice-over professional who interprets a script to meet a specific commercial, leisure, or educational goal. Voice talents provide the voices that you hear during a commercial on television, imaging on the radio, podcasts, narrators for film, voices for movie trailers, telephone systems, educational resources, and a wide assortment of web and kiosk applica- tions.

Another name for a voice talent is a voice actor. A voice actor (or voice artist) is a person who provides voices for computer and video games, puppet shows, amusement rides, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, and animation works (including cartoons, animated feature films, animated shorts), and radio and television commercials.

The Online Voice-Over Industry

"Client" is a generic term that includes producers, casting directors, advertising agencies, marketing executives, and independent businesses or organizations - basically anyone that desires to purchase a product or service is a client. You will find that most clients have similar needs. Their voice over projects are well defined, including an idea of the voice type they are looking for, a sample of the script to be read, their budget range, and their deadline. Most clients understand that you are a professional and will treat you with respect when it comes to communications and payment.

How Clients and Talents Interact

Gartner Research has shown that 80% of online business transactions start with a search. These clients either click through natural/organic search listings or paid advertisements that are relevant to their particular search query. Clients search the Internet looking for voice over talent and are led to either a voice over marketplace or to an individual voice talent website. Once a client has all of the information they need to make an informed decision, they will hire a voice talent for their project.

Voice-Over Marketplace

A voice-over marketplace is a site that facilitates interaction and transactions between buyers and sellers of voice-over services, also known as clients and voice-over talents. Marketplaces offer a wide range of voice-over talent for clients to choose from, often allowing them to post a job for talent to audition for. Clients are drawn to marketplaces because they can gather a significant amount of data quickly while accessing a generous database catered to meet their voiceover needs. Explore each marketplace and the opportunities available to you to make an informed decision before joining. Voices.com is a great example of a voice-over marketplace.

Key Points to Remember

The key objectives of this chapter were to introduce you to voice-overs, the voice-over marketplace, and how to conduct business online. There are many reasons to become a voice-over talent, including the opportunity to work from home and realize a dream.

 

Next: Learn from Instructors