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Guides

How to Become a Voice Actor – The Community Speaks

Al Black

Al Black

16 November 2020

How to Become a Voice Actor – The Community Speaks - Voquent

Making a living from home, using your voice and choosing your own hours. It sounds like a dream. But for thousands globally, it’s a daily reality. 

If you are an aspiring voice actor, asking yourself the question: ‘how do I become a successful professional?’.  This article has been written for you.

With the great strides in media, technology, and communications in recent decades, voice acting has been growing in popularity as a career choice for many professionals of all ages and backgrounds. In the last two decades alone, there has been an explosion of hopeful voice actors joining the industry, driving down the barrier to entry. Still, competition is now fiercer than ever before.

If you’re reading this, you may have been told by family or friends that you ‘have a nice voice‘ and that you should capitalise on it. While possessing a good voice is definitely essential in voice acting, it will take a lot more than to carve out a successful career in this competitive field.

Getting started is so hard.

There are thousands of online coaches, voice acting classes and books, all purporting to offer the best path to success.

Their path.

But what does ‘success’ as a voice actor look like anyway?

There is a lot of misinformation around the web, and many unenlightened businesses are eager to capture growing voice actors in their way of doing things. They’ll tell you what you want to hear and take your hard-earned money in the process.

So, rather than having Voquent – as a business – provide all the answers to you, we asked the talented and experienced Voquent community of voice actors for their own tips and insights to help to provide you with a grounded guide on how to become a voice actor.

Don’t just listen to one source; learn from many and decide for yourself.

 

German voice actor Silke.Pictured: Masterful voice actor Silke, hailing from Germany.

 

It is so vital to hear the opinions of those who’ve actually made voice acting work a successful income stream, and as you’ll see, there is no single path to ‘making it’.

You will learn from the best of the Voquent community, allowing you to form your own opinion and forge your own path.

Let’s get started!

Becoming a successful voice actor means having an amazing voice reel – kick start your career the right way with Voicereels.com.

Q: Did you complete any voice-over courses or training to become a voice actor?

The answers are pretty diverse from the Voquent community. Some of our respondents indicated that they had no formal training when starting in their careers. Still, almost all have booked sessions or classes with experienced coaches or mentors eventually.

One of the respondents, Richard Savage, said:

 

In contrast, Mikael Naramore has had extensive training before becoming a voice actor:

 

 

Notably, many of the voice actors who responded didn’t actually take voice-over courses but instead took acting or improv classes.

Some of them took these classes when they were younger, while others, it was the opposite. A few indicated that it’s important to jump right into it and that they eventually found people who were more than willing to mentor them. Others responded by saying that many of their techniques are self-taught and that they learned them through imitation and observation.

As evidenced by their responses, there’s no one size fits all approach nor even a uniformity in what classes the voice actors who responded eventually took. Given the diverse possibilities in terms of work in the industry, it’s quite understandable, which can range from voicing e-learning resources to video game characters. Additionally, some of the voice actors didn’t have access to particular schools and training. They honed their skills personally.

Nevertheless, most of them eventually took classes or attended workshops once they got their voice acting careers rolling shows the importance of further training and education to improve their skills. Some went on to train under notable voice actors in prestigious voice acting academies. Meanwhile, others took lessons from YouTube tutorials and online courses. Whichever form their further education took, this led them to advance their skills and up their confidence.

With various online and offline resources, voice actors have an arsenal of tools that they can use for continuous improvement. Just be careful about choosing the right training for your speciality; there is no one size fits all approach.

Read more responses on Twitter >

 

Q: How long did it take you to get your first acting job?

As with our previous question, the responses to this question are pretty varied, with some voice actors indicating that they could book a gig in just a month or less, while others said it took them decades.

Quarter Life Crisis Lago (@OrangeJulisuVA) replied

 

 

In contrast, we have Garnet Williams Voiceovers (@WilliamsVO), who was able to book a gig in “2 weeks.”. Well done!

 

 

While there’s a huge disparity in the timelines, most respondents indicated that they scored their first acting gig in a span of few months to a year. It’s important to note that some of these roles were unpaid, and for their first paid gig, some voice actors mentioned it took them longer.

Considering the diversity of roles in the voice acting industry, it is no surprise that there’s no one common answer to this question. There are many factors to consider, such as the type of role you’re auditioning for and the contacts and platforms you utilize to help get your name out.

Additionally, there may be some lull in between gigs. While some voice actors managed to book their first gig relatively quickly, they found it difficult to score their next one.

 

 

This shows that getting a steady stream of work requires a combination of strategizing, hustling, and luck.

Read more answers on Twitter >

 

Q: How important is your professional show-reel/Demo Reel to getting cast for voice acting projects?

Many of the responses stressed the importance of Reels in catching the attention of prospective clients. It lets you get a foot in the door, so to speak. Some voice actors said that they were able to land projects with their professional show-reels alone.

One voice actor, Mimi Barker (@MimiBarker), puts into words why show-reels are important:

 

 

While the majority of the responses agree that Demo Reels are important, a few pointed out that they’re just one of the many factors that can land you a gig.

Taher Chy (@khobis_VA) highlighted the significance of both Demo Reels and auditions:

 

 

The importance of sending relevant Samples is also mentioned by Ken Marsiglia (@KenMarsigliaVo):

 

 

Based on the responses, it’s clear that Demo Reels are essential to get your name out in the industry, but one should also prepare for auditions and deliver relevant Samples to prospective clients. And with the amount of competition in the industry, clients may only be looking at the first 10-15 seconds of your Reel, so it’s best also to consider this.

This is why here at Voquent, we go one step further. We believe strongly that individually crafted Demo Samples with one vocal sound are really what clients want to hear. This reduces the need for posting and managing projects with lots of auditions to find a read that may work.

Read more answers >

 

Q: When do you think it is ok to do a voice-over free of charge?

Some expressed willingness to do gratis work for friends who don’t have much money to pay and for student projects.

One voice actor, Tim Chessman (@TimChessman), enumerated three situations where free voice-over work is okay:

 

 

As a word of caution, one must always be watchful with the last point since unscrupulous clients can easily exploit this. Meanwhile, some expressed willingness to do free work for passion projects and as a way to beef up their resumés.

Stephen Weese (@steveracercom) has some words of wisdom for those who are just starting:

 

 

Overall, the majority of the voice actors who replied to our question indicated that they would be willing to do pro bono voice-over work for non-profit organizations, charities, and local initiatives for people in need.

Read more responses >

 

Q: How much did it cost to set up your own home recording studio?

The responses of the Voquent community ranged anywhere from $200 to more than $15,000, depending on their setup, including the booth, gear, and recording software subscriptions.

Stephen Carlock (@Stephen_Carlock) helpfully gave a cost comparison between his first and current studios:

 

 

Sometimes the environment becomes an important factor in determining the type of equipment you want to get, like in the case of Jeff Savage (@jeffsavage). Jeff responded to our question with:

 

 

Many of the respondents who set up their home recording studio for under $500 could do so by scoring secondhand equipment and utilizing available home space, such as their coat closet.

 

 

The responses show that many professional voice actors start with a simple studio setup for a small budget. Then they move on to better equipment and software as they gain experience.

Of course, with a better studio environment and higher-end gear, you’ll get more professional-sounding recordings. This will make your Demos and your work sound at their best helping you to attract better-paying clients.

As our own Alex Harris-MacDuff points out in his blog post at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, it needn’t cost the earth.

Read more answers >

 

Q: What kinds of businesses give you new opportunities?

 

Most of the respondents from the Voquent community answered A: Online Platforms. This comes as no surprise considering that more and more of our interactions and transactions are digital. The internet makes it easier to connect with potential clients.

Besides online platforms, production companies and creative agencies also provide new voice actors opportunities.

 

 

Others mentioned their agents and their own websites and SERP ranking, but some of the more notable answers indicated the importance of actively searching out potential clients.

Adam Rosenbloom (@AdamRosenbloom2) explains his strategy in reaching out to clients and the importance of building up one’s portfolio:

 

 

Additionally, Lynette Wortham (@WorthamLynette) presents a fresh way of looking for work:

 

 

Read more answers >

 

Q. What does being a ‘successful’ voice actor look like to you?

For many of the respondents, success comes in being paid enough that you can devote most of your energies to voice acting.

Jeff Savage (@jeffsavage) adds to this by highlighting the relationships that you’re able to cultivate with the clients you’ve worked with:

 

 

In contrast, Stephen Weese (@steveracercom) offers a different way of framing success:

 

 

For others, success comes in the form of people recognizing your work. Mexi (@mexiwastaken) puts this into words:

 

 

Because the definition of success varies from person to person, it isn’t easy to pin down just a single answer. Ultimately, if you can find joy and satisfaction in your work, what else is there?

Read more answers  >

 

We hope you’ve enjoyed this article, and if you’ve read an answer that resonates with you, why not follow the writer and retweet their comment. There is no better way to say thank you and show your appreciation.

The Voquent community on Twitter is an exceptional place; get involved and join the conversation!

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Al Black

By Al Black

Al has over twenty years of experience in audiovisual translations. A Voquent co-founder, he has produced tens of thousands of voice-overs and translations for education, advertising and entertainment projects.

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