For Voice Over Talents

How to Master Voiceover Narration – with Ed Victor

June 30, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

The final installment in a 3-part series, female voice over talent Debbie Grattan and voiceover narration powerhouse Ed Victor touch on narration, home studios and voiceover agents.

Debbie Grattan, VO Pro: What is it like to be a heavy-hitter voice talent working out of a home studio?

Voiceover Narration Talent, Ed Victor: In a nutshell, it’s great! However, there are some geographic aspects that I get to deal with living where I live. Florida is a right to work state, which means they hire non-union people and they prefer to hire non-union people for many reasons. Even though I’m in Florida, approximately 90 percent of my work is outside of Florida.

When working remotely as a voice talent, I believe you simply must have an ISDN voice over studio because you need to be able to connect easily to stations and studios all over the country.

How to Master Voiceover Narration - Interview with Ed Victor — The Big Gun himself, Ed Victor, left an award-winning career in advertising to establish himself as an international voiceover sensation.
Today, Victor is under contract with networks and television stations worldwide and is the voice actor for commercials selling everything from beers to banks to cars.

DebbieG VO Pro: Do you find it to be a hindrance working from Florida?

Voiceover Narration Talent, Ed Victor: Absolutely. Yes, because in New York they still send voice talent out on castings, and many voiceover agencies will not bring on new voice talent unless you are able to physically be in the city. The same holds true in Los Angeles, although I think the paradigm is shifting a bit in L.A.

On the plus side, when I get an audition at 3 o’clock west coast time, I have all night and all the next morning to finish it. That sometimes gives me an extra edge on the competition.

Debbie Grattan: Do you believe you need big voiceover talent agency representation to book the big jobs?

Ed Victor: I do find that to be true. You need to be a big fish if you want to swim in a big pond. Major agencies will not use pay-to-play sites for voiceover talent because it’s sacrilegious.

To get the coveted big jobs, you need to get into a major voiceover talent agency in one of the major cities. If you’re casting for packaged goods, you go to Chicago. If you’re casting for theatrical spots, you go to New York. If you’re casting for movie trailers, you go to Los Angeles.

Debbie Grattan: Narration voiceovers are the bread-and-butter for many voiceover artists. Are you doing narration work in your studio?

Voice-Over Actor, Ed Victor: I have done some voiceover narration for National Geographic recently, a job I found through my agent in Sydney, Australia. I also do a ton of corporate industrial narration which definitely helps to pay the bills. I’m not really doing very much with documentary style voiceover narrations, at least not right now.

What makes narration different from other voiceover work is that you need to sound like you know what you’re talking about. A voiceover talent needs to have some “acting chops” if they want to be successful doing narration.

Debbie Grattan: Are certain types of narration inherently meant for a male versus female narrator?

Voice-Over Actor, Ed Victor: I think it just depends on the copy, the audience, or the market you are trying to reach.

I just did an audition for Exxon to be their new voice and the specs were for a “40-60 year old male or female.” That’s pretty wide open. I think the specs also said “endearing, friendly, voice you would listen to.” It can be tricky to try to get inside of the mind of the person casting to try to figure out just what they are wanting. I think that many times they aren’t even sure what they want until they hear it.

Debbie Grattan: Do you have any masterful tips for voiceover artists?

Voice-Over Actor, Ed Victor: Part of the reason why we hear well-known celebrity actors is because they understand instinctively what is needed to drive the spot. When you hear Peter Coyote for Apple, it sounds so simple. Everybody thinks they can reproduce it (and maybe they can), but when you’re taking just some words on a page into a booth and the director says, “Go,” you are starting from scratch, a total blank slate. You have to create it on the spot and the talent and ability to do that is what separates the wheat from the chaff.

When I get a piece of copy, I like to think it through. I try to put my own personality and spin on it. That’s one thing my agent keeps telling me to do: “Be yourself, be yourself, be yourself.” There’s going to be that person that hears some characteristic that appeals to them, whether it’s the tonality, the way you deliver, or how you inflect.

It’s no different than Peter Coyote. If you listen to his voice quality, you wouldn’t think he was a great voice talent. He just feels and understands the copy. That’s the key to bringing something to life. He does it beautifully. He’s a master.

Debbie Grattan: Thanks, Ed, for sharing your thoughts and insights. I’m sure your voiceover career will continue on to new heights and I wish you as much success as you can imagine!

If you missed part 1 or 2 of this interview you can read Ed’s marketing advice for voice actors from his perspective as a former advertising executive and learn about landing voice over actor opportunities overseas in part 2.

Landing Voice-Over Actor Opportunities Overseas

June 20, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Voice-Over Actor Debbie Grattan and International Voiceover Artist Ed Victor discuss how he has landed great paying voice-over actor opportunities in other countries. Part two of a three-part interview (read part one, “Marketing Advice for Voice Actors” here.

Debbie Grattan, VO Pro: You mentioned that you do trailer work outside of the country. Are you promoting American television shows on foreign stations?

Voice-Over Actor, Ed Victor: I do promos for CNBC in Asia, promos for sports (mostly cricket and soccer matches) in Dubai, and I do promo work for a sports channel in Singapore.

Landing Voice-Over Actor Opportunities Overseas — The Big Gun himself, Ed Victor, left an award-winning career in advertising to establish himself as an international voiceover sensation.
Today, Victor is under contract with networks and television stations worldwide and is the voice actor for commercials selling everything from beers to banks to cars.

I also auditioned for (but didn’t get) the new voice for the biography and history channel in Asia. The promos I was reading were for “Pawn Stars” and “Ice Road Truckers” in Europe.

Debbie Grattan: So these cable shows have a completely different life overseas?!

Ed Victor: Absolutely. There are divisions of HBO, Showtime, and A&E all over the world.

Another weird niche I stumbled upon is doing movie trailer work for the English-speaking Latino market. Somebody in Miami found me.

Debbie Grattan: Do you feel like you have tapped into some voice-over actor opportunities that other voice talent don’t know exists?

Ed Victor: Yes and no. It’s mind-boggling how many people do voice work, who think they can do it because they have a computer and a microphone, but it’s not that easy.

I have several agents overseas. There is a whole market over there, but you have to be patient to break into it. Start with low paying jobs, and eventually you will get to the point where you keep increasing your rates. That’s how it works.

Debbie Grattan: What have you learned from the online dialogue in the Linkedin Group you managed for a long time?

Ed Victor: Voice-over actors depend on this group as a lifeline because we do not go to the studio anymore. People like to throw ideas or job opportunities out there. They started asking advice about gear, and now they’re selling gear. It has taken on a life of its own. The other thing the group does is bring reality to the many people who want to be voice-over actors, who think they can do it.

Debbie Grattan: Do you think at some point there will be a shift in all the people running into this business?

Ed Victor: I would hope that the cream continues to rise to the top. If you have a great reputation and you do things properly, opportunities will present themselves. I think those opportunities are more in line with the veterans of the business. The people that believe the pay-to-play sites are going to make them a million dollars… it’s just not going to happen.

In part 3 of this interview, How to Master Voiceover Narration”, Voice-Over Actors Ed Victor and Debbie Grattan talk about narration, home studios and marketing yourself as a voiceover talent. Be sure to also read Part 1 of this interview in which Ed Victor gives some marketing advice for voice actors from his perspective as a former advertising executive.

Marketing Advice for Voice Actors

June 10, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Voice Actors Debbie Grattan and Ed Victor talk about his metamorphosis from advertising executive to international voiceover sensation. Part one of a three-part interview.

Debbie Grattan: Today we have the illustrious Ed Victor: writer, producer, art director, advertising executive, on-camera persona, and voice over master. Ed, how did you get started on your path?

Ed Victor: I wanted to pursue a voiceover career ever since I did high school announcements, but I was side tracked. My first really great job was stage director at WDIV, a television station in Detroit. It was a short-lived career because I wanted to be on the other side of the camera.

Marketing Advice for Voice Actors - Ed Victor Interview — The Big Gun himself, Ed Victor, left an award-winning career in advertising to establish himself as an international voiceover sensation.
Today, Victor is under contract with networks and television stations worldwide and is the voice actor for commercials selling everything from beers to banks to cars.

I went back to college, finished my degree in broadcast journalism, and took a job with a small advertising agency, filling in for somebody who was going on a two-month vacation. While he was gone, they hired me and fired him. That was my first foray into the cruel world of advertising. They knew I did voiceover work, so they thought I could do double, or triple duty.

Eventually, I landed a senior writer job at J. Walter Thompson. I was writing and directing national campaigns, shooting in Hollywood and New York, and meeting big, important people. One day, I was in the studio directing voice actors and one guy just couldn’t seem to get it. I said, “No, read it like this,” and he said, “Why am I doing it? Why don’t you just do this yourself?” I said, “You’re right. You’re fired. I’m going to do it myself!”

Within six weeks, my voiceover career took off. I was astounded how much money could be made just starting out, but the timing was right. Back then, you could walk into a recording studio and somebody would grab you for voiceover work. It was an entirely different time. There was no Internet.

Debbie Grattan: Now that the shoe is on the other foot, does all that knowledge give you a leg up on the competition?

Ed Victor: I think so. After being in the advertising business for 25 years, I understand that there is more to being a voice actor than just delivering the copy. Writing advertising copy for so many years, I’m able to give more to the producer.

I consider the broader scope and I don’t take it personally. That producer on the other end has clients to please, too. When they direct me, I get it. I truly get it.

Debbie Grattan: Your background leads you into retail copy, but you do a broad range of work as a voice actor. What do you consider your niches?

strong>Ed Victor: My niche is promo and trailer work… network promos, television station promos, radio station promos, and trailers.

I’m on contract with about eight television stations around the country and I get copy almost every day. Trailer work is probably one of the hardest things to get into in terms of actual work, but I do a ton of trailer work outside of the country.

In part 2 of this interview, Landing Voice Over Opportunities Overseas, voice actors Ed Victor and Debbie Grattan discuss his experience as an international voice actor.

The Relationship Between ISDN Voice Talent and Producer

May 30, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

In the conclusion of this interview, Professional Voice-Over Artist Debbie Grattan and Joel Newport of Harvest Creative Services talk about building a relationship between voice producer and ISDN voice talent. Read part 1 of this interview here.

ISDN Voice Talent, Debbie Grattan: How frequently do you veer from your personal “go-to” list of professional voice-over artists?

Joel Newport, Producer: More than I would like. You have to understand, we’ve had the same clients for 14-15 years, so in order for me to stay fresh as a facility, I have to continually give them new ideas and new things. Some clients will audition 40 to 50 people for a single radio or tv commercial spot and do five spots a year. That puts considerable pressure on me to keep my ears open for new talent.

Joel Newport, Harvest Creative Services - On Relationship Between ISDN Voice Talent and Producer — Joel Newport is a writer, producer, and sound designer for Harvest Creative Services in Lansing, Michigan. He has directed voice talent for radio and TV for over 19 years for clients like Meijer, Detroit Free Press, Anheuser Busch and more.

Having said that, there is always my inner circle of voice-over actors. In all cases, we try to offer our clients the best professional voice-over artists for their job, whether that’s a talent we use a lot or somebody new.

Debbie: Besides Google and pay-to-play voice-over sites, are there other ways an ISDN voice talent can market their voice over services to you?

Joel Newport, Producer: I encourage any talent that I’ve worked with to put me on an e-mail contact list to remind me that they’re out there.

For new talent, there’s nothing wrong with an introductory e-mail with an mp3 voice-over artist demo attached. I know that most professional voice-over artists have voice over demos on their site, but an mp3 demo is going to catch my attention more than a website link. If I like you, then I’ll go to your site to find more voice-over samples.

Debbie: What advice would you give a professional voice-over artist who wants to work with you?

Joel Newport: Take suggestions and criticisms, and be willing to look at yourself and use that to your advantage. We audition a lot of voice actors in order to find the right person for the job, and many times VO talent will stop communicating with me if they weren’t selected. That’s a mistake because it’s not that I didn’t like them, they just weren’t right for that particular job.

Debbie: What are your thoughts about social networking? Is that a source for new voice work opportunities?

Joel Newport: I’ve definitely discovered some voice-over artists on LinkedIn, but so far it seems the best voice-over talents aren’t the ones doing social networking. I’m always amazed when I find a great, new voice-over artist who’s been in the voiceover business for 20 years. It just shows that no matter how much marketing you do and how much you put yourself out there, there’s still more people who don’t know you than do.

Debbie: Do you have any advice on demo reels?

Joel Newport: Very few voice-over artists can do everything. Play to your strengths and only put your best work on your reel. While I won’t book a talent strictly on a demo reel, I will give them the opportunity to submit an audition if I’m impressed with their voice demo samples, and I will eliminate them if some of the work on their demo reels isn’t very good.

When it comes down to it, everybody in the voiceover business is trying to do the best job possible. I’m honest with talent, even if it’s a hard conversation. If I hear something in a voice but they’re “just not there yet,” I’ll tell them to keep practicing and send me another demo in six months. If they never contact me again, that tells me they weren’t serious about it. If they send me another demo and I hear improvement, then that’s a different conversation.

Be sure to also read the first part of this interview ISDN Voice Over Studios are Key Component for Voice Talent.

ISDN Voice Over Studios are Key Component for Voice Talent

May 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

In part one this interview, Female Voice Over Talent Debbie Grattan and Joel Newport of Harvest Creative Services discuss ISDN voice over studios and why they are a key component for voice over talent working with Harvest.

Female Voice Talent – Debbie Grattan: What brought you into the business, and what are your day-to-day workings at Harvest Creative Services?

Joel Newport, Producer: I got my first engineering job in 1991 doing voice recordings for radio and TV. Over time, I worked my way up to where I now write and produce on a much larger scale. I do most of the talent directing for sessions, and I’m involved in voice over talent casting and selection.

ISDN Voice Over Studios are Key Component for Voice Talent — Joel Newport is a writer, producer, and sound designer for Harvest Creative Services in Lansing, Michigan. He has directed voice talent for radio and TV for over 19 years for clients like Meijer, Detroit Free Press,Anheuser Busch and more. Joel has worked on over 11 films including sound design for “Escanaba In Da’ Moonlight” and “Super Sucker” for actor and director Jeff Daniels.

I also work one-on-one with new talent that I feel have the ability to make it as a professional voice over talent. There are three or four people that I’ve helped get to the point where they have a usable demo and working knowledge of the business.

DebbieG: What is the range of projects you work on in your studio?

Joel Newport, Producer: Harvest clients range from local mom-and-pop stores, to regional accounts like Meijer, to national accounts like Ford and Chevy.

We work with agencies or directly with companies. Several of our clients don’t have an agency, so they rely on us to handle the complete campaign from concept to final broadcast.

DebbieG: What’s your process for finding professional voice over talent for a campaign?

Joel Newport, Producer: Before the Internet, we would hold studio voice over auditions for talent within a 70-mile radius. Now we work with voice talent from around the world. I have a few voiceover casting services that I trust, but I also do my own casting.

DebbieG: How do you discover new professional voice over talent?

Joel Newport, Producer: I use Google or will go through sites like Voice 123, listening to hundreds of voices to see if I can find somebody unique or a good fit for a job. I do custom voice auditions so that I am confident my client is getting the correct talent for the job.

DebbieG:What role do ISDN voice over studios play when you’re searching for new voiceover talent?

Joel Newport, Producer: ISDN is still king for us, so I’ll use it to narrow the field by searching for a quality ISDN voice over talent. We rarely do phone patches because I don’t know how good the recording is until I get the file after the session. ISDN lets us hear studio problems and make adjustments. It’s really hard to produce a good spot without it.

DebbieG: Even with personal ISDN voice over studios, can you correct sound problems from a distance?

Joel Newport, Producer: At least we can hear it and make the call as to whether we want to proceed. Usually, a voice talent’s home studio is over-processed and overdone. I’m looking for the cleanest ISDN voice over with minimal electronics in between.

It’s hard to troubleshoot a system that you’re not familiar with, especially when you’re working with talent that isn’t familiar with their studio. Today’s professional voice over talent needs to have a basic understanding of their ISDN voice over studio equipment and they need to know enough to get out of a problem.

DebbieG: How often do you find ISDN voice over home studio problems?

Joel Newport, Producer: More than I’d like to say. I used to be able to narrow down the talent list and simply send the voice demos to my client. Now before I send the demos, I first test each talent studio’s sound through an ISDN line. Only then am I confident sending a demo to my client.

Read part 2 of this interview, “The Relationship Between ISDN Voice Talent and Producer” to learn more of Joel Newport’s insights and tips for ISDN voice over talent.

Secure Voiceover Jobs with Marketing Firms

April 30, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 2 of an Interview with Marketing Executive, Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc.

Female Voiceover Artist Debbie Grattan chats with marketing executive Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc. about how voiceover artists can capture the attention (and business) of marketing firms and secure more voiceover jobs.

Scott Tingwald discusses how to secure more voiceover jobs with marketing firms — As a vice president with Villing & Company, Inc., a marketing communications firm based in South Bend, Indiana, Scott Tingwald’s responsibilities range from developing public relations and marketing plans for clients to managing accounts in the higher education and financial niche markets.

DebbieG Voice Actor: How frequently do you need to go outside of your personal rolodex for new voiceover talent?

Scott Tingwald: We have several go-to people at voiceover talent agencies where we can easily secure at least a half-dozen candidates. We also like working with independent voiceover actresses such as yourself, when we know the voice and quality we’re getting is high caliber.

About four-to-five times a month we go through the process of identifying actors for upcoming voiceover jobs.

DebbieG VO Pro: Do you ever have to go outside of the box, such as Google or pay-to-play sites, where voiceover actresses and actors pay to be listed?

Scott Tingwald: We’ve been lucky in that we haven’t had to do that. I still like the fact that we work with voiceover talent and voiceover agencies who we know will get back to us quickly with the appropriate range and who can set up a session without a lot of additional effort.

DebbieG VO Pro: Do you receive unsolicited voiceover jobs inquiries or demos?

Scott Tingwald: Rarely, and since you bring it up, it’s a bit surprising. We certainly get a lot of people contacting us about freelance print and design work, but we rarely receive direct queries for voiceover jobs.

I would think a cold call introduction is a good way to go if you’re looking to get your voiceover name out there — as long as it is done right, that is, not too invasive. I prefer e-mails over phone calls, and links versus file attachments.

DebbieG Voice Actor: Do you prefer to work with voiceover actors that have their own studios or do you have a studio set up as part of your agency?

Scott Tingwald: It varies. In this day and age of digital technology, a couple hundred dollars of soundproofing will get you good quality. A phone patch is a huge plus, but we wouldn’t rule somebody out because they don’t have it.

Here again, we look for consistency. If we need to go back for new tracks, it has to sound consistent every time. As long as we feel we can get that, that is the biggest qualifier.

DebbieG Voice Actor: Have you ever had talent not be able to deliver?

Scott Tingwald: We certainly have had times when something we got from a voiceover talent wasn’t what we wanted. When we’re trying to get a certain voice, we need to have somebody from the agency monitoring and directing the session, but even then, we sometimes realize later it’s not exactly right.

DebbieG Voice Actor: What voiceover trends and opportunities do you see?

Scott Tingwald: Videos. If I were a voiceover actor, that is what I would be focused on. Show your strength in this new video medium, with strong two-to-three minute videos that have a range of emotion and excitement. There’s a particular skill at knowing how to get into something, drive it along for three minutes, and entertain people.

Radio is still part of the mix, but if you can show that you were part of this awesome viral video that got millions of hits, that is something I would say is a unique, valuable skill.

Be sure to read Part 1 of this interview which discusses how to distinguish yourself through voiceover demos.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover artist who has worked on thousands of voiceover jobs during the past 20 years. She’s the “go to” artist for many production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her voiceover demos, voice artist bio and client testimonials for more information.

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