voiceover Archives - The Compassionate Voice

Kindness: Shared, Remembered, Returned

Business Tips, Personal VO Views, VO Business Tips, voiceover, Voiceover Bussiness Tips

I recently vacationed in Idaho and stayed at a resort hotel. Late in my stay week, I left my hotel room early one morning for breakfast. When I returned later that day, I found a note from the housekeepers thanking me for my stay. While the note could have been an indirect reminder of the gratuity, I’d like to think the note was just a sincere appreciation. Each time I encountered the cleaning staff, I made a point to greet them pleasantly and compliment them on their services. I was so moved by the note, that I left a “nice” gratuity in response. Never underestimate the power of kindness.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “kindness” as the quality or state of being kind, treating people with kindness and respect. Kindness, such as in the case mentioned above, prompted me to increase the amount of gratuity I planned for the cleaning staff. It also gave me a good feeling that I was appreciated as a guest.

Likewise, I had a different episode just a few weeks before my vacation. A neighbor in business has shown me little kindness over the past few weeks. While she has not said anything overly offensive, her short emails written in bold, capital letters and her curt responses to my emails regarding community matters, gave me the feeling that she has a low personal regard for me.

Now, this is not entirely a rant; it’s more of me pointing out a lost opportunity. I believe the services my neighbor offers could be enhanced through narrations, targeted voice marketing prompts, and information videos on her website. Moreover, I support her vision and applaud her as a successful entrepreneur. However, due to our interactions, I believe our working together would not be beneficial. Alas, the experience is a missed opportunity due to the lack of kindness.

Kindness Matters

Speaker and author Bob Burg once said, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.” Do people trust you? Do people like you (and do you care)? Are you genuinely kind to others? We all have good and bad days, but do you try to maintain an attitude of openness and kindness? Small acts of kindness can determine your business’s future, primarily as a working voiceover artist.

Don’t Miss Your Opportunity

Working voice talents interact with many potential clients throughout the day. The person that serves us in the restaurant may be the owner. The Uber driver may be part of a small company burgeoning on video success. Your neighbor, whose child has just visited your door requesting a small donation to his or her high school band’s field trip, may be in need of your business services. Voice actors are like passion ambassadors.

We have fantastic opportunities to touch the world through our human voice. The art of vocally communicating emotions that compel others to act can best be performed by a voice actor and second to no other mode of communication. It all starts with the behavior of kindness.

Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
Princess Diana

Never overlook kindness in building new friendships. Who knows, you may need the favor returned sooner than you think. Lastly, you may further be surprised as how being kind to others helps you stand out from the pack in all areas of your life.

Be kind as you break a lip.

Scammers Still Like Voiceovers

VO Business Tips, voiceover, Voiceover Bussiness Tips

If you’re a voice talent with your contact information on the Web, you may have seen rashes of email scams. Over the last few weeks, many of my VO colleagues have received emails from potential scammers. Education and awareness are the best defense for keeping your voiceover career safe. Always practice safety online and in business; it may prevent you from being scammed.

Scams are no joke, and you should practice safety on and off-line. Voiceover talent Doug Turkel writes in his April 2016 blog, Anatomy of a Voiceover Scam, about direct email scams targeting voice actors. His story is eye-opening as to some of the tactics used by these electronic predators. Unfortunately, the list of scams has increased since Doug’s 2016 article.

These Hoods are not Merry Men

You may think that times are changing, and voiceover scams are of a lesser concern today. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. The list of ways and methods unsuspecting new and existing voice talent can be ripped off is expanding.

Gravy for the Brain list popular scam methods targeted at voiceover talent. They include:

Royalty Scams
Voiceover Demo Reels
Pay to Play (P2P) Sites
Voiceover Training

In Voiceover Scams: How to Stop Getting Ripped Off (27th January 2017) Hugh Edwards writes that royalty scams are among the most common scams. “These scams are much more common and are actually worse because they happen all the time in our industry and are easily missed. They aren’t asking you to send them money, but they are conning you into not receiving the right amount of remuneration in the first place,” says Edwards.

Voiceover Demo Reel production is also an area that has been a feeding ground for the unscrupulous. In 5 Ways To Spot Predatory Demo Coaches, Dave Courvoisier notes the cues to spotting overnight voiceover production houses. “They will typically promise that a weekend’s work in their studio (usually out of town) will result in a dynamite demo you can take to any agent anywhere to get voiceover jobs.”

Voiceover Training is not based upon vague processes or promises. Becoming a successful voice talent involves understanding one’s capabilities and learning how to run a voice acting business successfully. No voiceover coach or demo production company can promise mastery of voice acting in a single weekend or through a few Web-based seminars. The business of voiceacting involves training and marketing. There is no short cut around acquiring and getting the knowledge to build and maintain a successful voiceover business.

Be Safe Not Sorry

Voiceover work is exciting and fulling, so take time to research all too-good-to-be-true jobs, training, and promised royalties that could end up costing your aspiration and passion for voiceovers. Protect what you love so you can do what you love for as long as you want.

Break a lip!

Get Ready for your On-the-mark Voiceover Elevator Speech

Business Tips, VO Business Tips, Voice over Training, voiceover

Are you ready to let others know what you do in voiceovers in a brief, positive way? Let’s say you’re out and about doing your daily rounds and appointments. During a casual conversation, you get a question about your line of work. Your response notes you’re a voiceover talent. But then, your listener looks puzzled and asks a follow-on question something like, “What do you do in voiceovers?” Do you know what to say next? Motivate others to work with you through an on-the-mark voiceover elevator speech.

Your voiceover speech doesn’t have to be a canned response. It should be something tailored to each situation and include all the essential facts about what you do. Therefore, preparation is vital. Take time to narrow down the main points you want to communicate with others in about one minute.

In “How to Write the Perfect Elevator Pitch,” Jente Kater, notes the significance of a focused message:

“A great asset forcing you to keep your pitch both interesting and well-structured is the A.I.D.A. model (Attention → Interest → Desire → Action). The model, often used by sales and marketing professionals, ensures that your story will be coherent and clear. Above all, remember to get excited. If your pitch isn’t something that gets your blood flowing, it won’t do much to elicit a reaction from your audience.”

Edge Studio’s 10 Critical Business Practices that Voice Over Artists Overlook, notes the importance of accurately describing what you do instead of just saying you’re a voiceactor. Most individuals think only of one type of voice work. Here’s more advice from Edge Studio.

“When asked what you do, don’t say, ‘I’m a voice-over artist,’ because most people don’t know what that means, and the few that do will probably think it means commercials. Instead say, ‘I help businesses sound better, by providing them with wonderful sound tracks for their voice mail and training videos so they sound more professional.’ Tailor this ‘elevator pitch’ precisely to your special strengths.”

Developing your Script

Write out your responses to the following questions and narrow down the key points.

What benefits do you provide to your voiceover clients?
What are your specialties?
What makes your services unique?
What things are you most proud of in the business?

Once you’ve covered the basics, think about what you bring to each client. With these points in mind, gage your listener to provide just the right particulars and (possibly) your business card. For more on how to write an elevator speech, review Mike Simpson’s How to Write A Killer Elevator Pitch.

Tailor the Particulars

Potential voiceover clients are everywhere. Still, choose how much to share about yourself and your business. Think through the following:

Is this person a business candidate or strictly a casual contact?
Is he or she a primary or secondary potential client?
Would sharing my contact information (business card, etc.) be a good idea?

Incorporate the above into your on-point elevator speech. Keep your information current. If you’re in business, there will always be a need for a good elevator speech. Make your interactions count toward future clients and network growth. You’ve got this.

Break a lip!

For the Love of Voiceacting

VO Business Tips, Voice over Training, voiceover

When you think of love, do you think of walking through a beautiful green meadow combed with the rays of the setting Summer Sun while carrying a commercial script in your hand? Or when you think of love do you mentally picture yourself with little chocolates, a soft cuddly teddy bear, and a bottle of Sangria in your recording space while you do an all-night 100-plus page eLearning project? Perhaps when you think of love you think of the 15 hours you’ll spend narrating an audiobook not to mention the fun you’ll have doing your edits? While some of these examples may not be your opinion of love, some people do think that performing new scripts, exciting books, and meaningful (and some not so meaningful) eLearning projects as labors of love (for profit). Do you know what it’s like to love being a voice actor? Before you go out and buy your first shotgun microphone, let’s cover a few of the basics of loving one of the best careers ever, voice acting.

Love is in the Airways

Voiceover is the process of making an announcement or reading a piece of text, which is a lot like reading aloud in school. But voiceacting is the process of bringing a script to life through peppered inflections and intonations to communicate feeling and information as one. Serious voiceover actors can be a little sensitive because they know what it takes to achieve success in the field. Not everyone will come out smelling like a rose on the other side of their voiceacting pursuits. Some will lose their shirts and be bitter about the experience, while others will look back with fond memories. Make sure you’re in the business to develop found memories.

Define Voiceacting and You

Find out if voiceacting is really for you. I know people who love to sing but can’t carry a tune in a bucket even with help holding up either side of the bucket. Now, this does not mean that the person is not sincere in his or her desire to sing. It usually means someone is unable to mentally or physically perceive musical pitch. Consult a good coach on your voice and delivery to determine if you have the basics needed for a rewarding career in voiceovers.

Read up on the life of voice actors and actors. Try to get an understanding of the typical actor’s journey to success as well as why some actors give up on the profession. Imagine your reaction in similar situations and how you would address any setbacks. Once you’ve considered the career move, decide if voiceacting is something you want to do no matter what comes with the choice.

Be Committed to Your Success

Once you know voiceover acting is a good career choice for you, the real work begins. In such a competitive field, commitment is vital. Knowing why you’re in the business will help you go for it. Backstage’ s 7 Qualities Every Successful Voice Actor Should Cultivate gives a list of key success points.

Believing in yourself while doing the hard work will help you push toward your goal. Spending all your time practicing or shopping for microphones usually won’t get you an eLearning job. You must balance your time to focus on all aspects of building from the ground up your voiceover career.

The success of your business will also require treating your business like a business. Gravy for the Brain’s, You Must Master These 4 Skills for a Successful Voiceover Business has some great take-a-ways on starting and running your professional business. There’s no shortcut for keeping good records and marketing to new clients. Remember, if you run your business like a hobby, it will pay you like one.

Being in love can make you feel alive, happy, and unstoppable. As a voiceactor, you should love what you do. So, before you go out and purchase that ring to place around the base of your microphone (to hold it correctly in the mount), make sure you and your voiceover career are mated for long-term success.

Happy Valentine’s Day and break a lip.

Time for Social Media or Voiceovers?

Personal VO Views, Uncategorized, VO Business Tips, voiceover, Voiceover Bussiness Tips

Spending time on social media is excellent for connecting within the voiceover community. The various outlets provide a unique way of keeping up with the trends, events, and innovations in the VO industry. How much time of any given day should one spend on social media? Is it possible to spend too much time socially surfing? Make sure your social media activities don’t overshadow precious work hours in other areas.

As a self-employed voiceover artist, I find time management is crucial. I know that many voice artists are versed in computer skills, which is necessary for successfully managing one’s home studio and electronic interactions. However, it is essential to plan your time wisely, so you are not spending more time on social media than in other areas of the voiceover business.

Schedule Your Time: If you share your time in many daily pursuits, plan when to check in with social media. Social media is an excellent marketing tool and provides a unique opportunity to connect with potential clients. Still, this is only one tool in your marketing plan.

Social Media and Your Business: Posting and networking are not just efforts at play. Curate your content to reduce wasted hours and individually shape your posts.

Katie Lance writes in Social Media Time Management: The Best-Kept Secrets Revealed for Curating, Creating and Promoting Hot Content “Whether you are building your Facebook presence, creating unique Stories for Snapchat, or building a community on Instagram – curating is probably going to be a part of your process.”

Make time for other Voiceover Management: Always seek ways to hone your skills. Regular practice helps you to develop a better voice delivery, so as they say, “Practice makes perfect.” Never minimize the need for practicing your voiceover skills over web surfing. Likewise, make sure you’re leaving time for client follow-up, auditions, and other necessary daily business habits.

Don’t leave out Human Interaction: Remember, you are a talent on the move. Compassion, tenderness, and kindness are great attractors within the human spirit. Let your soul show through when meeting others on and offline. Personal interactions can lead to new business relationships just as much web connections. Social media should not replace human interaction to give it a different flavor.

Okay, now go for it, and break that lip!

Shortcuts to Voiceover Success-Not Really

VO Business Tips, Voice over Training, voiceover

There are very few real shortcuts to voiceover success. When I first started attending voiceover conferences, I noticed my appearance was not like most of the well-established talent. Still, I knew voiceover is a career field that needs many types of voices and attitudes; it’s just a matter of finding the right clients. So, when I asked a colleague how he or she became a successful voice actor, I was a little discouraged by those who told me that it was “Luck.” I thought, “How do I get this Luck to work for me?” Over time, I found that Luck is not the final determiner of success. For real lasting success as a voice talent, there is no substitute for hard work, persistence, and practice.

In reading online articles and replies to comments, there seem to be a lot of people that believe voice acting is a quick, profitable path to success. With the advent of home digital audio recording and editing software plus the subsequent smartphone apps, becoming a successful voice talent overnight seems like a no-brainer. The thinking for many entering the industry is you just need an agent and the voiceover work will come rolling in. But things are not always as they appear. Paul Strikwerda, 30+ years, seasoned voice talent, gives his thoughts on the blog, “Entitled Wannabees Need Not Reply. “Take it from me: if doing voice-overs were that easy, everyone would be famous making a fortune from home because they have such a glorious voice… .”

On the other hand, I see many ads from companies and coaches promising voiceover success if you only buy their product, pay their coaches, or purchase their teachings. New and or struggling talent become fodder for the constant barrage of “you’re not quite there yet” excuses that lead to more money spent and success eluded. Like with any another business area, the desire to learn and train for this very particular creative arts field has its share of unscrupulous companies. It’s discouraging to have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on voiceover equipment and training only to be no closer to your dream.

Is this your Waterloo? At the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon met his final defeat. Your quest for voiceover success need not end in such a devasting way. Decide the boundaries on your pursuit of voiceover success.

Decide the lifespan of your voiceover career. How much time and money will you commit to your voiceover success? In his book, The Dip, Seth Godwin recommends “Quitting the things that don’t work for your carrier can be powerful. You need to know when enough is enough, so when you’re at the point of distress, you quit for the right reasons.

Let’s go. Let’s say you’ve decided you are destined to be a voice actor. Note, I did not type “fated.” If voiceover success is your destiny, it’s time to learn to run your business like a business, commit to finding and working with the best coaches you can afford, market like your next meal depends upon it (which it might), and don’t let go until you have reached your level of success. You will have many down times and good times. Your life is worth being its best, and you can indeed be a successful voiceover talent.

Break that lip!

Your Voiceover Endgame

Business Tips, Personal VO Views, VO Business Tips, Voice over Training, voiceover

My voiceover career has been one of the most exciting times of my life. For talents like me, voice acting is an expression of the innermost creative self. But, no matter how much we love our chosen profession, a day will come when we’ll have to move on. As a voiceover professional, you don’t want to suddenly fall off the radar screen. No matter the state of your career, give consideration and plan your voiceover endgame.

Build a network of succession. Many seasoned talents become coaches and mentors to novice voiceover talents. If you are a coach, note your students who have similar vocal styles and temperament, then consider including them in your succession plan. Let your clients know you are connected to other talented voice actors that you have nurtured. As you get to know a person you have coached and or worked with, you come to know his or her work ethic and what your clients can expect from the talent. This is a great way of passing along your business to other skilled persons. Even in your end game, credibility is still important.

Publicize your other skills. Before becoming a full-time voice talent, I worked as a communication manager for a scientific agency. The essence of my position was to break down complicated subject matters into everyday language for internal and external customers. Such “translation skills” (as I call writing, designing, project managing, etc.) are skills I acquired aside from voice acting.

Think about what skills you have that may come in handy during your post voiceover period. Let others know now about your skills in areas such as writing, designing, public speaking, etc. By letting your clients know about your other talents, you’re opening the door for options you may want to pursue after you have passed on the voiceover mantle.

Plan for financial changes. Start managing your finances and save for your future. If you haven’t already, consider an individual retirement account (IRA), Money Market Fund, Certificate of Deposit (CD) or other saving vehicles to prepare for changes to your regular income. The reality of money is our needs change with time. Your VO endgame should include some sound methods to keep your lights on and a roof over your head. Benjamin Franklin said, “There are three faithful friends – an old wife (or husband), an old dog, and ready money.”

Maintain good health. It’s important that you maintain good vocal and personal health throughout your life (See suggestions in my blog, “Voiceover Success: Your Mouth Matters”). No matter how long you choose to pursue voice acting or other pursuits, you’ll need good health to keep going. Take time to rest and address any changes in your voice or personal health. I recommend getting regular yearly check-ups from head to toe.

To the best of your ability, be ready for whatever “new game” is beyond your voice over career. The time is now to prepare for your voiceover endgame.

Be VO Excellent!

Business Tips, VO Business Tips, Voice over Training, voiceover

A voiceover talent has a unique responsibility in establishing a reputation for excellence. In such a competitive field, excellence has a way of narrowing down the number of talents who rise to the top and are constantly working. The best way to stand out from other voiceover talents is to establish and maintain excellence always.

It’s All In the Details

You must prepare for success. A voiceover’s proper business preparation includes demos, a website presence, and active social media. Operating a voiceover business on the side is not the same as running a successful voiceover business. A part-time business can be run successfully if the proper emphasis is placed on maintaining its parts so that they function for the activity around the clock.

Excellence also means good overall communication. For instance, make sure the texts on your website and other social media sites are as error-free as possible. In her book “The Brand Mapping Strategy,” Karen Leland says, “The words on your website need to be clear, concise and accurate when describing your business and brand.” Consider hiring an editor or using sources like Grammarly to help you edit your writing and other information representing you. Take time to carefully set up and review your online presence to make sure your site communicates the best about you.

Focus your Time and Talent

When speaking with promising voice talent, I hear a lot of “I want to do audiobooks, commercials, eLearning, …I think I can do it all.” While that sounds great, failing to focus on one’s best skill can lead to a lot of running around and getting nowhere. Focus on what you want to perform in your voice over business. There is no shame in just doing one or two genres.

Find and build on what you’re good at as a voice actor. For example, are you a compassionate person, who can quickly feel empathy for others? Perhaps you project an anthem style in your vocal delivery and may be good at fictional reads or eLearning projects. Find your style and what you do best. As your business grows, you can branch out into other genres. Start small and build.

Follow Your Plan

Developing and sticking to a business operation plan takes time and discipline. This is also the foundation of excellence. Such habits like delivering on time plus keeping good records and up with the trends related to your voiceover business solidify your position as one of the best.

Hard Work Required

Voiceover excellence means keeping your business strong by developing and maintaining good practices. This may be the hardest part of excellence. The daily work of reaching out to clients, managing your web presence, posting to social media, and delivering quality products to your clients on time is a must.

Remember, procrastination and excuses can kill the tender roots of your excellence. Work hard to build and keep your good name and brand foremost with your voiceover clients. Excellence can only be achieved by practice. But, that’s what voiceover talent do anyway!

Voiceacting At Your Service

Personal VO Views, VO Business Tips, voiceover

Voiceovers is a great way to express your creative side. If you take your acting to the next level, voiceovers as a business can be challenging as well as rewarding. For any company, adding related services can help meet more client needs. Let your voice acting business be a launch pad for developing a creative suite of services.

Audio Services

Those new to the business may start with recording and editing the dry voice. Custom recordings can include being directed in your home studio through Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or other remote audio monitoring and recording tools. The next logical step is to add music and sound effects to your voice recordings. Add-on products to your dry voice can help your client and reduce his or her need to find sperate sources to finalize the products.

Music can be purchased via the web (including licensing etc.) for adding to your project. Consider Royalty Free Music. In his blog, What is Royalty Free Music? What does it mean exactly?, Gilles Arbour explains “In a nutshell Royalty Free Music refers to a type of music licensing that allows the purchaser to pay for the music license only once and to use the music for as long as desired.” You want to make sure that you have the proper license and permission to use music when incorporating into a client’s production or demo.

Multiple Voice Actors

If you are partnered with other voice actors, you can contract out a portion of your voiceover work to a talent of another sex or talent who has a different sound for client products. Develop the partnerships and written agreements before you have that large project. Establish turnaround times and other specifics within your agreements with others to keep your plans on time and on budget.

Additional Services

Consider adding copywriting, editing or other services. If writing is a skill you can offer, consider that as a part of your business’s for-pay service. Also, add video development to your suite of services. Review the web-based programs and apps that allow you to develop a video and add your voice to the final product. Your client can provide the graphics and data, and you can produce a complete product for your voiceover client’s platforms. If that’s a service you’re not ready to provide, again partner with those with good video skills and develop a process of working together to build your projects.

Sharing Knowledge

Teaching is an excellent way of giving back and helping others along their way to voiceover and business success. Consider volunteering or giving a free seminar in your community on getting into voiceovers. You can develop blogs or papers on voice acting and related skills and post to your website and social media platforms. Not all your information has to be only about voiceovers. Companies in different genres share the need for sound business practices and keeping abreast of valuable information. Share what you know to help improve the relationship between you and your current and potential clients.

Consider writing an eBook of your business knowledge or even a subject you consider yourself an expert. For example, if you are a cyclist, you may want to write about the basics, equipment maintenance, physical conditioning, accouterments, or other related topics. Let others know that you have interest and knowledge that link back to the excellence of your voiceover services. You can even voice the audio portion of your eBook and make your final product for sale or a giveaway to those visiting your website.

Keeping Your Clients Up to Date

As you evolve to more and better services, keep your clients in the loop through newsletters and social media postings. Your clients may have a project on the horizon, and your new company services will help fill the bill.

Don’t use consumers as your test case. Make sure your expanded services are tested and tried. Your clients should receive a seamless final project in the same manner as when you provided voiceover services alone.

Be Indispensable

The voice acting business can lead to so many creative services. Possible talents can include storytelling programs, video blogs, audio newsletters, and more. Take time and research what skills and services you can add to your business. Network with other voiceover actors, see what other skills they have, and combine the right skills to expand your suite of amenities.

Lastly, infrequently poll your existing clients and see if they have new service needs. Your clients may be looking for the know-how you recently added to your enterprise. Look for ways to expand your business to a full suite of creative tools to become your clients’ one stop shop.

Ageless Voiceacting

Business Tips, Personal, Personal VO Views, Voice talent renewal, voiceover

If you’ve worked in various fields and now you find yourself exploring voiceovers in your 50s or older, you may be wondering are you too old to be a voice talent. That’s the farthest thing from the truth. However, success in voiceovers may mean that you have to work a little differently than those under 50 to keep relevant. Getting and being competitive as a voice talent involves preparation and smart work…and is not age based.

Recently, I was listening to one of my favorite podcast, and one of the co-hosts mentioned that new voice talent often asks her how old is too old to be a voice talent. Hearing the question, I had an immediate response. You see, I spent over 20 years working in communication, and in the later years of my career, noticed a change in the way employees over 50 were perceived by younger workers and employers. Many times, I witnessed older workers being labeled as out of touch, over the hill, or archaic in their careers. The funny thing is that most of these same workers were performing at peak or better in their jobs. The assumption of one being obsolete was made strictly based on age. So, I understand why new talent over 50 would question whether there is an age maximum as a voiceover performer.

I’m here to say voice acting has NO age requirement. It’s all about effectively sounding and emoting a particular age group.

Realize that Age is Just a Number: Do you remember “Rocky the Squirrel”? June Foray was the iconic voice of Rocky from “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.” June worked many years over her 50th birthday and had a total career span of 85 years. Now that’s what I call staying relevant.

What about the voice of the first Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer? Voice actor Billie Mae Richards performed Rudolph and other voices and was a working talent in 2004 at the age of 82, just six years before her death.

Solomon Hersh (best known as Paul) Frees started his acting career in 1942 and remained active for over forty years. Frees worked for major animation production companies including Walt Disney Studios, Walter Lantz Studios, UPA, Hanna-Barbera, MGM Studios, and Rankin/Bass. Paul worked well into his sixties. These actors worked into what some would call retirement years, but I call their best years.

Review your Bridges, Keep Some – Burn Some: It may be wise to decide which bridges to keep and which to burn. If you worked in a career or field for several years, some of these earlier associations could lead to future voiceover work. For instance, if you’ve worked in engineering or the medical field, you probably understand specific specializations not known to the average person. That knowledge and experience gives you a leg up as the perfect voice talent for jobs in your former career field. Let your colleagues know that you are a voice talent and available for related projects.

Use Old Profiles to Showcase Your New Business: Instead of combining your old social media professional profiles into your voiceover sites, consider rewording the information. Show how your former work makes you a perfect choice for similar voice projects. Let your voiceover profile stand alone, and let your old profiles link to your new information. This way you keep the same connections and alert them of your unique skill sets.

Embrace Technology (or hire your kids): Most working voice artists have professional home studios. Voice talents must learn about recording software and hardware, acoustics, and other related skills. Every day brings new technology into our mist, so this is indeed not an age thing. Learn what you have to through online classes, YouTube videos, LinkedIn or private coaching. It’s a necessary step, and you can do it. Just take it slow and master one new item at a time. Don’t try to learn everything at once. Master the majors like home recording (a software), editing, etc., and move on to other skills. If you have children or know of others with audio, web, or social media skills, ask them to help you or even hire them to do some of the work. You can also contract out the editing until you are comfortable with your new skill sets. Don’t let not knowing something keep you from getting what you need for running your business.

Embrace a Young Attitude: When you’re home behind a microphone, no one can see or care about how old you are, it’s all in the attitude. This is where your field work comes in. Look for opportunities to hang around younger people and listen and interact with them. Listen to the thoughts and ideas of young adults, Millennials, and Gen Xers. Note their tone, inflections, patterns, and attitude. Look for ways to add what you’ve heard and observed into your voiceover delivery. Experiment with speaking like someone much younger (or older) than yourself and review your performance. By noting the way people talk, how they expressed themselves and incorporated these attributes into your performance, you can keep current and sound almost any age you want. My cousin, who is at least 14 years older than me, has a youthful tone that reminds me of a 22-year-old and not her actual age of 60+ years.

Keep it Healthy and Moving: As we age our body and mind needs to keep engaged and healthy. Make sure to monitor your health. As we get older, sometimes we have to deal with mouth noises or diction problems. Make sure that you are taking time to go to the doctor and keeping up with proper dental care. Lastly, daily phonetic warmups can help with diction and word pronunciation.

Staying home is lovely, but it is even more critical for you to get out and move your body. Keeping it moving is whatever gets you moving. Walking is a great exercise. Don’t forget about weekend getaways. A change of scenery is also a great way to keep it moving and recharge your mind. Don’t take the fun out of your life, add a little voice acting to it.

Remember, as you age be timeless not timed. Break that lip!

Leesha

Voice Overs