By: Nate Myers
Voice Acting is a multi-million dollar per year industry. And it is growing! There is no shortage of voice-over projects coming down the pipe for an aspiring or experienced voice-over artist. There are opportunities in Animation, Podcasting, Radio, TV, Audiobooks, AI, and more! If you fall into the bucket of "Aspiring Voice Over Talent," this article is for you.
Sometimes it can be hard to get started. If you haven't taken your first baby steps, it feels like you must do everything at once. We hear it often from our students. Not to worry, this isn't the case.
First, let's answer the obvious question: "There's no better time than now." If you get hung up on the first step, it becomes a dream rather than a goal. Let's make it more concrete and lay out the steps you'll need to take starting with:
Voice Over Training and Personal Coaching
For the truly uninitiated, a class or two or three can make a world of difference in your comfort level with voice over, but even more importantly: define your path. As mentioned at the beginning, there are many sub-genres or niches in voiceover. You may like one or not know which is the best fit for your voice. This is where classes come in. The Voice Shop offers many voice classes covering diverse aspects such as audiobooks, podcasting, and the like. Check the up-to-date class schedule here: https://www.voiceshopcoaching.com/class-schedule
Voice training classes are offered in-person or online
at the Voice Shop in New York City.
With a few voice classes under your belt, you've got solid footing and have a basis to put together something that shows off your voice talents and attach it to your job applications to showcase you at your best. We're talking about:
A Voice Over Demo Reel
A Voice Over Demo Reel is like a highlight reel of you and your best moments. It can be diverse to cover a wide range of voiceover opportunities, or you can have several with catered clips to appeal to different job openings. At least one solid demo reel is instrumental to getting started. And luckily, The Voice Shop doesn't leave you stranded after voice over class completion. We offer professional demo reel mixing services to draw out your voice's subtle nuance. It's a surefire way to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
Building an Online Following
Another thing you can do to stand out from the crowd is to build an online following which could include:
· A Professional Website
· TikTok or Instagram followers
· Client Reviews
Potential clients will check you out on the internet when actively applying for voice-acting jobs. Make sure you're easy to find and that you put your best foot forward when they see you!
We can't give you the key to social media fame. But usually, the best path to success is steady and consistent posting. Slowly your followers will come to expect and look forward to the latest content from you. Keep up a regular pace, once a week or even daily, if you can. Film longer videos and split them into several reels. There are many ways to keep a content drip going, and this is the best tip we have for you at this point in the game.
Land Your First Gig
Getting your first job under your belt is a major milestone. There are many paths to landing the voice job. Still, most voice actors find their first break by finding an agency to represent them, volunteering and auditioning for voice-over work in your community (use your network), or the sign up for an online platform like Voices.
While no path guarantees viral success, we've seen our graduating voice acting students take these steps and go on to conquer their world in the voice over industry!
Best of luck to you!
