How to Be a Voice Actor (6 page)

Authors: Alan Smithee

BOOK: How to Be a Voice Actor

3.93Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

The good news is that there’s
now more voiceover work out there than ever, and it’s never been easier to get
started and establish yourself as a voice actor. No matter what your focus, no
matter where you live, no matter your budget, you can have a career in
voiceover!

If you’d like more information,
check out ThatVoiceoverPodcast.com for informative interviews with voiceover
people from across the spectrum.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Should I Take an Acting Class?

Absolutely. Ultimately,
voiceover is about acting. Even if you’re one of those people with a
traditionally “great voice,” you’re dead in the water if you can’t use it
properly. An acting class will familiarize you with the fundamentals of how to
read and interpret a script, so when you do take a voiceover class or hire a
coach, you’ll be ahead of the game!

Do I Need to Spend a Fortune on
Recording Equipment?

Not necessarily. While a
top-of-the-line studio will set you back thousands of dollars, anyone with a
laptop or an iPad can get started for less than $300, and in some cases for as
little as $150. If you have a quiet corner of the house and a couple of blankets
to hang on the wall, you’re in business.

Do I Have to Live in a Big
Market City to Work in Voiceover?

It depends on what kind of work
you want to do. If want to break into animation, you’ll probably need to live
in or around Los Angeles. Similarly, if you want to get into looping and ADR or
be represented by a major agency, you’ll need to live in one of the big three
markets (LA, New York, or Chicago). But there are voiceover people with
successful careers who live all over the country. (This is especially true for
audiobook people.) If you have a reliable home studio and are able to bring in
work from online sources, you can live wherever you choose.

People Tell Me I Have a Great
Voice. Is that All It Takes to Make It in Voiceover?

Unfortunately, no. No matter
what your voice sounds like, you’ll need to learn how to use it properly. It
all boils down to acting, which is to say, it’s about taking words that someone
else has written and making them sound like your own. It’s as easy and as hard
as that. With the proper training, though, you can learn to channel that great
voice into a something special.

What’s with All the Celebrities
in Voiceover?

It’s a touchy subject among
rank-and-file voiceover people. More and more agencies are choosing to go with
celebrity voices to hawk their wares: Jon Hamm for Mercedes, Ed Harris for Home
Depot, Jeff Bridges for Hyundai, and on and on. While celebrities are snapping
up some of the more plum voiceover gigs, (not to mention starring in virtually
every animated feature film), there’s still plenty of work to be had in
virtually every other area of voiceover. Celebrities in voiceover are here to
stay, and we all have to get used to it.

Should I Volunteer to Read for
the Blind?

If you have a potential
interest in voiceover, one of the best things you can do is to volunteer to
read for the blind. Not only will you log some time behind the mic and learn
about the recording process, you’ll be helping out a very worthy cause. To
learn more about opportunities in your area, Google “reading for the blind
volunteer.”

How Much Do Voiceover People
Make?

This varies dramatically. Some
voiceover actors make seven figures yearly, while others maybe book a few jobs
here and there as a supplement to their income. The union, SAG-AFTRA, dictates
the rates for any given job (to learn more, Google “aftra sag voiceover
rates”). On the non-union side, the rate is either set ahead of time by the
client, or by the actors auditioning for an online job who place bids for their
service.

VOICEOVER AGENCY GUIDE:

Abrams
Artists Agency - LA
9200
Sunset Blvd. #11
^thFloor
Los
Angeles, CA 90069

310-859-0625

http://www.abramsartists.com

[email protected]

Abrams
Artists Agency - NY

275 7th Avenue, 26th
Floor

New York, NY 10001

646-486-4600 ext243

http://www.abramsartists.com

Access
Talent

171 Madison Avenue
Suite 910

New York, NY
10016-7919

212-331-9600

http://www.accesstalent.com

Actors
Etc. Limited
9773
Lafayette Plaza
Omaha,
NE 68114
402-391-3153
http://www.actorsetcltd.com
A
[email protected]

Affinity
Artists Agency

5724 W. 3rd St. #511

Los Angeles, CA 90036

310-359-8796

http://www.affinityartists.com

[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Affinity-Artists-Agency/167519799955725
http://twitter.com/#!/affinityartists

Agency
SGH

6525 Sunset Blvd. PH
9th fl.

Hollywood, CA 90028

323-375-1005

http://agencysgh.com

http://agencysgh.com/contact.html

https://www.facebook.com/AgencySGH
https://twitter.com/#!/AgencySGH

AKA
Talent Agency - Adult and Youth Divisions

6310 San Vicente
Blvd, #200

Los Angeles, CA 90048

323-965-5600 ext 393

http://www.akatalent.com

http://www.akatalent.com/submitting.html

Amanda
Rosenthal Talent Agency, Inc.

543 Richmond Street
West, Suite 123

Toronto, Ontario M5V
1Y6

Canada

416-925-4255

http://www.artagencyinc.com
http://www.artagencyinc.com/submissions.php

[email protected]

Ambition
Talent

487 Adelaide Street
West, Suite 202

Toronto, Ontario M5V
1T4

Canada

416-916-8340

http://www.ambitiontalent.com

[email protected]

http://www.ambitiontalent.com/ambitiontalent/contact/

AMI
- Artist Management Inc.

464 King Street East

Toronto,
Ontario M5A 1L7

Canada

416-363-7450

http://www.amiagency.ca

http://www.amiagency.ca/submisions.html

[email protected]

Ann
Wright Representatives

165 West 46th Street
– 1105

New York, NY 10036

212-764-6770

Arcieri
& Associates

305 Madison Avenue,
#2315

New York, NY 10165

212-286-1700

http://www.arcieritalent.com/

[email protected]

Arlene
Thornton & Associates
12711
Ventura Boulevard, Suite 490
Studio
City, CA 91604
818-760-6688
http://www.arlenethornton.com
[email protected]

A
Special Project

800 E Fairview Ste
119

Asheville, NC 28803

323-230-8200

http://www.aspecialproject.com
[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Special-Project-Voiceover-Agency/123509454369349
http://twitter.com/#!/aspecialproject

Atherton
Group (TAG) Talent Agency - Austin

1310 E. University
Ave.

Austin, TX 78626

512-930-9301

http://www.tagtalent.com

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Atherton-Group-TAG-Talent-Agency/40338713629
http://twitter.com/#!/TAGTalent