MANNY VAZQUEZ

Animated TV
The most common form of voiceover acting is likely animated TV. Think of children’s programming series on networks like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and PBS; there’s a voiceover actor behind each and every one of those lovable, colorful characters. And that’s not to mention adult offerings like “BoJack Horseman,” “Bob’s Burgers,” and “Family Guy,” all of which employ some of today’s most sought after voice actors week in, week out.

Audiobooks
Audiobooks have always been an incredible resource for road trips or a day spent cleaning the house (not to mention being an inclusive instrument for the visually impaired), but they’ve especially seen a recent boom in prevalence thanks to outlets like Audible, where a great digital novel is just a click away. There are times when a book’s author will read for the audiobook herself, but the medium has also taken on a life of its own, often employing voiceover actors to play various characters and to really enliven the drama and action.

Movies
Voiceover talent is of course tapped for major animated releases like Pixar’s “Finding Dory” or Disney’s “Moana,” but with astounding advances in CGI and green screen technology in film, it’s also become commonplace for voice actors like Andy Serkis to be cast as CGI characters, as seen in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” among many others.

Documentary Television and Film
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know that Sir David Attenborough of “Planet Earth” and “Planet Earth II” is your favorite documentary narrator, and we don’t blame you. But what about the hundreds of other documentary films and series out there? From the prestige to the pulpy––as if Investigation Discovery’s melodramatic gotcha narrations aren’t a delight!––it takes an expert voice actor with a measured cadence, exquisite pronunciation, and dramatic chops to really sell a doc as it’s laid out on screen.

Commercials
Think about it: When was the last time you saw a commercial without a voiceover? In selling a product or service, one of the most effective ways to get a message across is to overlay an ongoing scene with a voiceover providing additional information—and guess who provides those voiceovers? That’s right! Professional voice actors.

Video Games
In certain circles, the biggest video game releases in a given year are just as buzzy and eagerly anticipated as the year’s biggest blockbusters––and the voice talent behind these gamers’ beloved characters is just as revered. There have previously been bits of contention in this realm, with a strike from video game voice actors, but one thing is certain: This field and this profession is not going anywhere.

Multimedia
And that brings us to perhaps the most exciting frontier in voice acting: multimedia entertainment. We live in a time where VO and VR are colliding; as virtual reality capabilities are expanding their influence on the gaming industry, so, too, do the opportunities for voiceover actors everywhere. While VR is just one frame of the ever-expanding multimedia entertainment umbrella, it’s the one to keep an eye on with regards to VO.