Random Thoughts for Newbies

[Scott Pollak]

This was posted over on the "General Chit Chat" forum, but it seems appropriate to bring it over here, too. Julie... maybe you could make this a sticky?

Random thoughts. …
Feel free to add your own.

I’ve been toying with the idea for a while now to compose a sort of general, all-encompassing, J.S. Gilbert-esque pontification on this business that may provide some eye-opening clarification for the many newcomers to this business who happen onto this forum.

We often see many of the same remarks on these threads over and over from first-timers:
“I’ve been told I have a nice voice…”
“I’ve always wanted to do this…”
“My customers tell me I have the most pleasant voice…”
“I’ve been told I should be on the radio…”
“I’ve never really done this before…”

Now, before I get into this, please understand that everyone in this business had to start out at the beginning, so my goal here is NOT to discourage newcomers. It’s to provide stark honesty and clarification from someone who has been knocking around in professional broadcasting and voiceovers for over 30 years.

1) Being told you have a ‘nice voice’ or you ‘should be in radio’ doesn’t qualify anyone to do voiceovers for a living. There are, quite literally, tens of millions of ‘nice voices’ in the world and, quite literally, WAY too many radio voices (that most clients do NOT want any more). There are tens of millions of super nice looking people out there, too, but only about 1/1000 of 1% of them are models.

2) If you have absolutely no experience, know nothing about the technical or business side of voice work and/or voice production, have had no training in acting or delivering copy, then you need to get some. You may ultimately be able to make a dent in this business, but not without experience and training.

3) If you post a read or a demo here and ask for a critique, be prepared to receive it. Everyone here, and I mean EVERYONE, pulls for everyone else. This is the most supportive group of professionals you’ll ever meet in any profession, bar none. Heartfelt and QUALIFIED feedback will come to you from folks who know, from professionals who make their entire living doing this stuff. If you really DON’T want to hear it and learn how to get better, then please don’t ask for the feedback.

4) This is a business. It requires hard work, skill, the right equipment, training, business acumen, savvy, and relentless determination. If you lack any single one of those elements, the odds are heavily stacked against you.

5) While this is a tremendously fun career to be in, it’s not something to be taken lightly. If you happen to mess around on your home computer and make funny sounds or a great impersonation of George Bush or Sylvester Stallone, we’ll all smile with you as we listen. But please don’t think that it will gain you entry into this business. It won’t. Just because it can be fun doesn’t mean it’s not serious. You would never, EVER, walk into the offices of Smith-Barney and expect them to hire you as a stockbroker simply because you can balance your checkbook. Like it or not, the same is true in voiceovers (and pretty much any other legitimate business out there).

6) Most people will fail at this business. Here is where I acknowledge the many excellent posts by my friend J.S. Gilbert who has – time and again – shared the stats of the cruel realities of this business. The vast, VAST majority of people will make no money doing voiceovers. Most will, at best, make a few thousand dollars. As in other ‘entertainment’ types of fields (e.g.: acting, singing, dancing), a tiny, tiny few will make a career at this… some making just enough to pay the bills, and even less making a very comfortable living. The sad truth is that this is an extremely hard business to make a living at.

All newcomers are welcomed with open arms. We love to hear from you, talk to you, listen to what you have and provide feedback and suggestions, but you have a responsibility, too. You must be honest with yourself as to whether you should be attempting this. Aunt Sally and Mister Pipkin and your regular customers telling you what a nice voice you have means nothing. Ask those in the business who know… those you’ll find trolling these forums… and they’ll tell you whether they think you have the chops or not. You’d be smart to listen to them.

Do everything you possibly can to learn about the business. Buy books and read them! Take classes: voice classes, voice acting classes, acting classes. When the time is right and the budget allows, get the right equipment (it doesn’t have to cost a fortune… you can have a GREAT set up for under $1000). Learn how to use the equipment and software properly. Be humble and really know and believe that none of us – NONE OF US - ever knows it all or ever reaches the top or ever hits a place where we can’t get better or learn more.

From the bottom of my heart, if you’ve read this far, I hope this helps clarify where you are and what you need to think about and do (or NOT do!). Welcome to the wonderful world of voiceovers and best of luck.

[JoeActor]

Good post, Scott - it is now a "sticky" in the forum...

Cheers,
Joe J Thomas
www.JoeActor.com

[chrisslone]

Scott,

I'm new to this site. I've been in radio for quite a while, doing voice work and production. There's not a single thing you've said on here that I don't agree with. I'm new to voice acting, and I've spent quite a bit setting up a home studio and receiving voice acting lessons. I certainly can tell you, there's a difference. A BIG difference. I'm here to learn, and hopefully to help. All the best to everyone for success and learning.

[ranalanricard]

Well said indeed.

I'm new to this business also and have assumed the mindset of vacuum cleaner. Upon completion of my professional VO courses, if I haven't learned anything else, I've learned to "shut up and learn --- so I can speak up and earn" (Oh how I scare myself when I begin to wax poetic )

Though I've been blessed (stress the blessed part) ... and am getting a real start with a three audio book deal (that is if the first is accepted well) ... that contract will ultimately be filled and I'll still be a rookie. So it's practice, practice, practice ..... listen, listen, listen .... learn, learn, learn ... until you turn off your mic for good.

Well there you have it ... all the 'sage' advice this rookie can muster.

Ran Alan Ricard

[Gaialvr]

Scott,
This is from the reply to an email I wrote to an established VO talent asking how to break in, how much to spend on lessons/training, gear for a home studio; etc.
This is the reply....
Beware of those who would take your money in this business. They are many and varied and will have little to offer other than taking your money. I thought about making some "easy" money by offering some training classes, but thankfully I was too busy actually working. Besides, the only people that tend to teach in this business are those who can't do much themselves.
Teaching somebody to do voiceovers is mainly unnecessary; if you have the chops, things will happen naturally. I know you're excited about entering the business, but be prepared for a lot of disappointment and very little income for several years at least. The odds of someone successfully breaking into the business are extremely small. The competition is fierce and the good jobs don't go to those with the most experience, the best studio or the most talent. They go to those who sound best and read best. Period.
I would strongly suggest always pursuing other work and making sure V/O is a sideline, a hobby and a secondary means of income. Start by offering your services to those who produce on-hold messaging or something like that and see how you do.
That is pretty well all you need to know. I've just saved you some money. Get a mike, paste some promotional copy from any web site(s) and start practicing.
The people who charge you to "train" you won't tell you this, but it's the truth. I think the only thing you deserve is the truth; it's a tough, dirty, mean and ultra competitive business and anybody who tells you different is not telling you the truth. A good voice is worth about 25 percent; the rest is business savvy and various other intangible qualities. I hope I didn't discourage you, but who knows, I might have done you a favor if I did.

Scott, how much of the above is true and how much is just wasted negative energy?
Thank you for your time and attention,
Steven Garrett
gaialvr@att.net

[Scott Pollak]

Hey Steven,

I don't know how long your question has been hanging up here in cyberspace as I tend not to notice the Newbies forum that much, so I'm sorry if it's taken a while to get this response.

For starters, don't hang your hat solely on my opinion. I'm just an average v/o guy who happens to be making an average living doing this, with my own set of opinions and thoughts. I will try, as best as I can, to respond, but I'd also invite the MANY other extremely knowledgeable v/o 'experts' that frequent this forum to chime in, most of who are more qualified than I to respond.

Nonetheless...

Originally Posted by Gaialvr

Beware of those who would take your money in this business. They are many and varied and will have little to offer other than taking your money. I thought about making some "easy" money by offering some training classes, but thankfully I was too busy actually working. Besides, the only people that tend to teach in this business are those who can't do much themselves.

Yes, beware, but don't avoid them. For one thing, none of us can ever self-teach ourselves everything we need to know. We never stop learning. Or at least we shouldn't. And how do we learn? Primarily from others. That being said, do diligent research before taking a class. Learn about who the teacher(s) is/are and their qualifications, experience, background. Consider other learning environments as well, in particular theatrical, especially improv classes. Yes, there ARE unqualified charlatans out there who will gleefully take your money while giving you little of any real value. But there are also many excellent instructors who can help you hone your skills in ways you could never do yourself.

Originally Posted by Gaialvr

Teaching somebody to do voiceovers is mainly unnecessary; if you have the chops, things will happen naturally.

I could NOT possibly disagree more. What are 'the chops'? A nice voice? A sound that happens to be in vogue? Some acting skills? I don't care who you are, no one goes into this business with nothing but pure skill out of the box and makes a go of it. This goes right back to what I talked about above. There are TONS of things EVERYONE still needs to learn and they have to learn it via any number of venues/teachers/opportunities/experiences. And as far as things happening 'naturally', experience tells me MOST folks don't have that innately built into them.

Originally Posted by Gaialvr

I know you're excited about entering the business, but be prepared for a lot of disappointment and very little income for several years at least. The odds of someone successfully breaking into the business are extremely small. The competition is fierce and the good jobs don't go to those with the most experience, the best studio or the most talent. They go to those who sound best and read best. Period.
I would strongly suggest always pursuing other work and making sure V/O is a sideline, a hobby and a secondary means of income. Start by offering your services to those who produce on-hold messaging or something like that and see how you do.

Yes. Mostly true.

Originally Posted by Gaialvr

Get a mike, paste some promotional copy from any web site(s) and start practicing.......it's a tough, dirty, mean and ultra competitive business and anybody who tells you different is not telling you the truth. A good voice is worth about 25 percent; the rest is business savvy and various other intangible qualities. I hope I didn't discourage you, but who knows, I might have done you a favor if I did.

Again, yes. mostly true.

[Gaialvr]

Scott,
I posted it a few hours ago, and it was quite the internal battle for me to do so.
My background is in sales, everything from Ginzu knifes to $300,000 dual engine 34 foot long floating peices of....fiberglass, called Magic Power Boats.
The VO industry doesnt seem anymore cutthroat than any other biz; and much much less so in so many ways. For example, I asked DB Cooper for advice on training and instead of sending me to an associate of hers for training, or, trying to sell me some training, she recommended that I search through the VO blogs, websites, MessBoards, (are there still 'newsgroups' out there?) read some VO books, etc, which cost her time and energy and she made not a skinny dime off of it. Same with a few other people. Pat Fraley has almost a dozen mp3's posted just for free and just for us newbies. We are all a product of Nature; beautiful in our own unique way, struggling with survival the best we know how, but it's not always beautiful or pretty. The newborn gazelle, in the middle of the African savannha, trying to stand up on it's shaky legs for the first time, but, to no avail. A lion comes by and snatches it up in her jaws, takes it to her cubs and rips it apart for them to eat. Not pretty at all. Nor would the lion cubs slowly starving to death be a beautiful sight.

[ChrisMezzolesta]

I think the fact that there are so many on here who give of their time and talent pretty much for the camaraderie, speaks volumes for the kind of VO folk populating this little corner of the business (here and the other "bb" mentioned) - these are good folks and luckily there has been no (that I know of) visit from anyone of the snake oil variety to these forums...So I would give a lot of credence to what the folks here say. It's clear as water to me. Pretty much a revival of old style values.

Sorry, I had to go there :-D

[connieterwilliger]

I posted this recently on another forum and it was suggested that I post it here in the Newbie section...

You need 4 Basic Skills these days...

1. Talent - know what you have and where you fit
2. Technology - the ability to capture good clean professional sound
3. Business Skills - Negotiation, Bookkeeping, Invoicing, Collection
4. Marketing Skills - this could be the most important thing of all.

This is the Final Evaluation for the 16-week Introduction to Voice Acting Class I teach at San Diego City College.

Self-Evaluation Step 10: Final Evaluation

Carefully review what you have learned over the semester and give yourself a critical self-evaluation in both the talent and the business side of the voiceover business.

1. Do I have a unique or unusual “voice”? If so, what makes it unique or unusual?

2. Do I truly have the ability to read and interpret copy using my unique “voice”?

3. Do I know how I compare to others with similar range and abilities? (Do you truly believe that you can compete?)

4. Am I prepared to spend the time and money required to attend classes and workshops to learn the basic techniques of voiceover or acting in general?

5. Am I prepared to spend the time and money required to produce a demo that compete? Do I know when to even attempt to do a demo?

6. Am I prepared to invest the money required to outfit a small digital studio?

7. Do I have enough technical ability to make my digital studio work on a professional level?

8. Am I prepared to invest the time and money required to market my abilities and operate as a business?

9. Am I prepared to do audition after audition without landing any jobs?

10. Am I prepared to land one job and then no more for three or more (perhaps many more) months?

11. Am I prepared to survive financially during the time it takes to establish a reputation and start earning regular money?

12. Am I prepared to face the fact that I may never be able to compete in the industry?

13. Am I prepared to face the fact that I simply don’t have what it takes to be a free lancer wondering from day to day if I’ll be working?

The reality of the business is that very few people will make a living doing VO. And as each day passes the ones that will, must have a good grip on those 4 Key Skills.

[Lee Gordon]

Great stuff, Connie. I don't know if this is a separate point or merely an addendum to item #10, but I would suggest "Do I understand that even if I do a killer audition and 'knock it out of the park,' I am not the only talented VO artist out there and somebody else's audition could be just as good as mine, resulting in their landing a job I was perfect for?"