For Voice Over Talents

Distinguishing Yourself as a Voiceover Artist with Voiceover Demos

April 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 1 of an Interview with Marketing Executive, Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc.

Female voiceover artist Debbie Grattan and marketing executive Scott Tingwald of Villing & Company, Inc. sit down to talk about the criteria he uses when hiring voice talent.

Voiceover Artists and Voiceover Demos — 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.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: Scott, can you give us some background regarding your role at Villing & Company and how you got started?

Scott Tingwald: My roots in public relations go back 15 years, starting as a PR account executive. About five years ago, I became Vice President at Villing where I work with a number of different clients on different fronts. Included are radio and TV spots, which have always had a special interest for me.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: Do you have a typical client that you serve, whether that be specific industries, budgets, etc.?

Scott Tingwald: Our clients run the gamut in terms of business-to-business and business-to-consumer, but we do cater to a few niches. Generally, they include banking, financial, higher education, and healthcare. We also have fairly good expertise in the RV industry.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: How does a marketing agency market themselves to their clients, and how could those same strategies be used by a voiceover artist marketing to your agency?

Scott Tingwald: Momentum. Once you get a name for yourself in a niche, it gets a lot easier for you to become known and accepted within the industry.

For example, we do a decent amount of work for credit unions, Purdue Federal Credit Union and more recently, the University of Iowa Community Credit Union. When approaching Iowa, it was easier for them to accept us because they knew we worked with their peers. They could call Purdue and ask, ‘What’s it like to work with these guys?’

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: You mentioned earlier that you do TV and radio spots. Are there differences when producing voiceover for radio versus television?

Scott Tingwald: I don’t think so. We’re big believers in keeping the voice consistent for a brand over a set period of time, so we’re just looking to find the best voiceover artist for that product or that brand. Video is becoming a huge area for us. Years ago, it used to be TV. Now it’s viral videos and videos on web sites. Our video department is doing very well.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: When listening to voiceover demos, are there criteria that you hear that says, ‘This is a voiceover artist I’d really like to work with?’

Scott Tingwald: Flexibility. When we listen to voiceover demos, we want somebody who demonstrates a wide range of talent; somebody who sounds like a different person with their delivery in each example on their demo. If we know this voiceover artist has a fairly wide range, then we feel comfortable that we can tell them what we want them to sound like.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: So not only is range important, but also the ability to take direction. Do you encourage voiceover artists to use improv in their delivery?

Scott Tingwald: It’s a benefit if they do that, and a lot of times what is suggested by the voiceover artist is better. We would rather work with somebody that has ideas, but we prefer the ad lib section of the session take place after we’ve already gotten a safe read.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie G: How do you decide whether a male or female voiceover artist is right for a job? Are there gender-specific jobs?

Scott Tingwald: This is something we consider when we’re scripting. Generally, it has to feel like the brand and image the company wants to project. Sometimes it’s obvious we need an authoritative male or reassuring female voice. Other times it could be either.

To learn more about how a professional Voiceover Artist can land voiceover business with marketing firms, read Part 2 of this article, How to Secure Voiceover Jobs With Marketing Firms and find out what Scott Tingwald would do to distinguish himself as a voiceover artist in today’s crowded voice market.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover artist who has been doing voice over work for over 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.

How to Get Steady Voiceover Work from Online PA’s

March 30, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 2 of an Interview with Lowell Christensen of Spotworks Creative

In this second installment, professional female voiceover artist, Debbie Grattan interviews Lowell Christensen of SpotWorks Radio Creative and Production to discuss the attributes that male and female voiceover artists need to get steady work from online production agencies. Read Part 1 of this interview here.

Getting Steady Voiceover Work from Production Agencies - interview with Lowell Christensen — Lowell Christensen is the founder of SpotWorks Radio Creative and Production, an online advertising agency and production house serving clients worldwide. A writer who loves production and a producer who loves to write, Lowell has been providing radio copywriting, voiceovers, and radio commercial production for almost two decades.

Voiceover Actor – Debbie Grattan: How do you discover new voice artists?

Lowell Christensen: I set up a subscription-based voiceover online talent site because I get so many voiceover artist pitches. The site gives male and female voiceover artists an opportunity to promote their demos, and I use it to promote voice talent to my clients.

That said, there are still two or three times each year when I go to voice talent online sources like Voice123 for specialty talent not in my roster.

Voiceover Actor – Debbie Grattan: What are the most important qualities that a female voiceover artist needs in order to get voiceover work from your agency?

Lowell Christensen: After meeting the price criteria, which I’ll talk about in a bit, it’s the ability to do VO production on their own within a couple of hours and do a revision in the same amount of time.

Eight times out of ten a client will say, ‘I need this voice within the next hour, who do you have?’ The voiceover talent who get regular work from me are the ones I know I can count on to voice things right away and turn projects around within 24 hours. At the very least, if they get back to me quickly, we can arrange to have the audio delivered overnight. Communication is key.

Voiceover Actor – Debbie Grattan: Do you feel it’s important for voiceover artists to have certain voice over studio equipment?

Lowell Christensen: The actual equipment isn’t important to me a long as the voice talent can deliver decent sound quality. ISDN is beneficial for voice talent online who want higher-level voiceover agency jobs, but the lower price point usually expected for hiring a voice talent online doesn’t always fit with the client who wants to sit in on a phone patch or ISDN session and do 50 takes.

Voiceover Actor – Debbie Grattan: Given the mid-level market you cater to, what do you consider to be the industry standard for a 30-second radio spot?

Lowell Christensen: A voiceover talent can expect to make $100 for a 30-second spot, $150 for a 60-second spot, which unfortunately is the same price it was when I went online in 1997. That said, I have regular voice actors who are doing vo production services for $75 for a 30-second spot, with the understanding that these are rip and read: You give me one take, and these are regular clients that like what I give them. I don’t last long with clients who pick things apart.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but I try to educate voice talent and build trust that I’m not marking my jobs up 500 percent. Voiceover artists need to wrap their head around the fact that for online voice-over work, they don’t have to drive to a recording studio, sit for hours, and do 25 takes to earn $400. They can make $100 for 15 minutes of work sitting at their computer. I don’t want to downplay the value of getting paid for your talent, but the online world has changed the face of our industry. It’s important to be flexible.

In Part 1 of this interview, Lowell Christensen talks about online voiceover marketing tips that can work well for voiceover artists.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voice artist who has been doing voice over work for over 20 years. Check out her female voiceover samples, voiceover talent resume and voice acting bio and ISDN recording studio specs for more information.

Voiceover Internet Marketing Tips for the Voiceover Artist

March 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 1 of an Interview with Lowell Christensen of Spotworks Creative

Female Voiceover Artist Debbie Grattan interviews Lowell Christensen of SpotWorks Radio Creative and Production about how to market your voiceover artist talents and services on the Internet.

Voiceover Artist Marketing Tips from Lowell Christensen — Lowell Christensen is the founder of SpotWorks Radio Creative and Production, an online advertising agency and production house serving clients worldwide.
A writer who loves production and a producer who loves to write, Lowell has been providing radio copywriting, voiceovers, and radio commercial production for almost two decades.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie Grattan: Can you give us some background as to how you got started in the radio creative and production services business?

Lowell Christensen: I started out in 1989 writing copy for radio stations. Later, I got into production and voicing.

When the Internet came along in the late 1990s, I saw an opportunity to sell my services from a web site. That suited me because I don’t have a sales background and I really don’t have a sales bone in my body to sell face-to-face. I started my web site in 1997, but didn’t go full time at it until I quit my day job in 2004.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie Grattan: Did your day job help you establish connections or did you forge new ground with all new clients?

Lowell Christensen: It really was an Internet marketing venture because I didn’t deal locally with anybody and I actually still don’t. Everybody that came to me was brand new. I had to learn how to get ranked online by search engines, which in 1997 wasn’t even in our vocabulary.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie Grattan: How is working with an online talent production agency different from working with a traditional agency?

Lowell Christensen: The thing that drove people to the Internet was cost savings. Traditional agencies, especially larger agencies, have overhead like wining, dining, and a large number of employees. The other alternative is to go to a radio station, but they often lack the resources to provide what clients are looking for. I’m that middle ground for clients that want creative and production without paying a higher price.

Smaller to mid-level production agencies will outsource their radio production to me because it’s cheaper, as do agencies that need audio for in-house TV spots. On my end, my audio for TV doesn’t look much different. I produce it like a radio spot, keeping in mind subtle nuances. For example, the background music and sound effects on a TV spot can be a lower volume than a spot that airs on radio.

Voiceover Artist – Debbie Grattan: What can a voiceover artist do to take advantage of online trends?

Lowell Christensen: It is tougher for voiceover artists than for full service agencies like mine because that seems to be where there is the biggest competition. If your market is online, put up a web site, do what you need to get ranked, and consider pay-per-click. In terms of trends, Google is still the best source for new clients. Voiceover artists should also get their voiceover demos listed on as many voiceover talent sites as possible, not just pay-to-play sites like Voice123. After that, send your voiceover demo via e-mail to production companies on a regular basis. Keep your name out there.

That said, I find the greatest success is achieved when you take into account that with the Internet everything is instant. You have to be able to respond to an e-mail in minutes. It’s unnerving if I e-mail a voiceover artist about an opportunity and don’t hear back for hours.

In Part 2 of this interview, Lowell Christensen shares how he discovers voiceover artists and what they can do to ensure steady work.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover artist who has been doing voice work for over 20 years. She’s been a “go to” voice talent for many corporations, production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her female voice samples, voiceover resume and acting bio and ISDN studio specs for more information.

Practical Home Studio Advice for the Voice Over Talent

February 28, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 2 of an Interview with David Louis of Audio Images Kauai

In the second installment of this series, Voice Over Talent Debbie Grattan and Dave Louis of Audio Images Kauai discuss the practicalities and working relationship between producer and voice over talent.

Dave Louis and Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush are all smiles after a four hour ADR session for “The King’s Speech” at Audio Images Kauai. Tom Hooper directed the session via a phone patch from London, England.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: For people that have their own home voice over studios, what kind of advice can you give them from an audio engineering perspective?

David Louis: Ambient noise is probably the number one problem as far as quality, so soundproofing is the most important thing a voice over talent should do in their home voice over studio.

There is nothing worse than working remotely with a male or female voice over talent and having to pause the session because a dog is barking or a car is driving by.

Secondly, make sure you have a really good microphone. The Sennheiser 421 Shotgun and the Neumann U87 are the standards of the industry as far as voice over talent recording goes.

If you have a good microphone and a good quiet room, then all of the other peripheral stuff is just fluff.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: How do you like to run a remote audio recording session?

David Louis: I really like it when voice over talent truly listens to my direction and takes it. If a voice over talent comes to the session with preconceived ideas, I have to stop and bring them down and get them onto my page. If I can give you direction and you can perform and do what my client and I need you to do, that’s far better than telling me what you’ve been doing. I don’t have huge problems with this, but it does happen.

Also, don’t let technical aspects and timing distract you. There is a continuity — a rhythm — that’s lost when talent worries about these things. Make sure your VU meters are looking good in advance and then just let it roll. During the voiceover session, all I want you to do is focus on the script.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: Is there anything else you expect male and female voice talent to bring to the table?

David Louis: Aside from your talent and the ability to take direction, give me all of the takes. Don’t bother editing or cleaning it up because I may use something in there.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: Would your answer to this question be different if you were addressing a voice over talent just starting out in the business?

David Louis: To sum it up in two words, my advice to new voice over talent is to be professional. Be open, be on time, be prepared, and be totally dedicated to doing that particular project at that particular time. When there is professional talent on the other end, I really don’t have to do much. It makes the session easier and the performance is better, which is the most important thing to me.

Check out Part 1 of this two part series which touches on the impact of technology on the voice over business for the typical female voice over talent working from a home voice over studio.

Debbie Grattan has been a professional voice over talent for 20+ years, collaborating on thousands of projects and partnering with hundreds of production companies, marketing and advertising firms, commercial voice-over recording studios and corporate/business clients around the United States and throughout the world. Check out her Professional Voice Over Talent Demos and request a Custom Voice Over Talent Audition for your upcoming project.

Technology’s Impact on Professional Female Voice Talent

February 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 1 of an Interview with David Louis of Audio Images Kauai

Professional female voice talent Debbie Grattan chats with Dave Louis of Audio Images Kauai about how technology has changed the voice over business

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: Dave, we’ve known each other a long time, but I don’t know if I’ve ever heard the story of how you got started in the business as an audio engineer and producer.

David Louis: I got my first job in radio around 1974 doing everything, including voice overs, writing commercials, and learning what to do in terms of production from some very talented people.

Before long, I left KEZY, my last radio job in Southern California, and went to work managing a production studio that catered to advertising agencies. I started meeting, learning, and dealing with professional female voice talent (and male talent as well) and creative directors. As time went on, I bought the business, and my clients started to rely on me for directorial support. I became less an engineer and more a producer and director.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: How has the audio recording business changed since the advent of home recording studios, ISDN, and the phone patch?

David Louis: Technology is what made my move to Hawaii possible. Everything I’m doing here is the same as what I was doing when I was back in LA because everything is digital, everything is Internet.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: How has technology changed the way a professional female voice talent works?

David Louis: It has dramatically changed for male and female voice talent because they don’t have to be on the road anymore. Suddenly, they’re making more money and doing more work because they don’t have to drive from studio to studio.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: Are there any downsides?

David Louis: Fifty percent of the concentration for voice talent is now on the technical aspects. It’s distracting and they don’t realize how much it’s affecting their delivery and performance.

Likewise, directing is not as easy when you’re on a phone patch. If everyone else is in a “real” studio (as opposed to voice over talent alone in their own home studio) that’s the worst because I’ll hear this phantom voice in the background saying, “We’re making a couple of changes.” I actually prefer home studios as opposed to talent working in a different recording studio, since the connection is more direct.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: Do you handle a session with a male or female voice over talent on a phone patch or ISDN the same as you did when they were in your studio, along with the creative director or ad agency person?

David Louis: Absolutely not. Every studio has a specific sound, and I had the luxury of controlling everything from the room temperature to microphone adjustments. I could save mixer board settings for every male and female voice talent that came into the studio, which is important for continuity.

My standard operating procedure is to play back to talent what we did last time, unless delivery and pacing has changed, joking, ‘This is the guy I need you to do.’ Voice talent gets it, and therein lies the continuity. When talent records on their end, maybe the microphone or EQ isn’t the same, but most of the time we can adjust. Playing those lines back to them really makes a difference. It works every time.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: Do you find that end clients are less picky now than they used to be?

David Louis: Absolutely, but I’m speaking from my own experience and the kinds of clients I’ve dealt with. Quality has suffered because it’s not consistent anymore. I’m dealing with male and female voice over talent in different parts of the country and different studio setups, and so it takes a little bit more work on the producing and engineering part to ensure that the continuity is there and everything is sounding as it should for the end client. If the male or female voice over artist can leave thinking they did a great job, then I’ve done my job.

In the second installment, Dave Louis offers more advice for female voice over talent working in a home studio.

Debbie Grattan has been a professional female voice talent for 20+ years, collaborating on thousands of projects and partnering with hundreds of production companies, marketing and advertising firms, commercial voice-over recording studios and corporate/business clients around the United States and throughout the world. Check out her Professional Female Voice Talent Demos and request a Custom Voice Talent Audition for your upcoming project.

Voiceover Career Success Helped by Attitude and Perspective

November 15, 2011 by Debbie Grattan

Female Voice Actor Debbie Grattan shares why attitude and a positive perspective are critically important when trying to build a successful voiceover career.

In reading blogs from other voice actors, I’m noticing that lately I am hearing a good deal of complaining. Discussions about the negative state of the economy, how the market is flooded with “wanna-be” voiceover talents, and that those who used to be able to make a good living as voice actors, without a lot of effort, are now having to either work much harder, or settle for a smaller piece of the pie.

All of these points are valid and true to some degree. However, I have learned that in order to stay on track, I have to align myself with a truth that allows me to feel good and keep moving forward in my voiceover career.

The perspectives and points of view that sound like complaining will actually cause me to become stuck in a whirlpool of negativity, because the way I see the world is how the world will be reflected back to me.

Another saying I’ve found to be true is, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Change the Way You Look at Your Voiceover Career and Your Voiceover Career Will Change

I truly believe that attitude plays one of the most important roles in being successful in anything one chooses to pursue, not just in having a voiceover career. I believe if there is something “unwanted” in my experience (a perceived problem), the best and most effective thing for me to do is usually to NOT give it very much attention, but notice it, allow it to be, and move forward toward what I want. Perhaps there is valuable information contained in this unwanted experience.

For that reason, it is always worthwhile to look at the problem long enough to see it clearly. But, once I’ve “mined the gold out of it,” I have no reason to keep thinking about the problem. This too shall pass, as long as I don’t get fixated on it and cause it to hang around longer than it needs to!

Indeed, by focusing on the things that we don’t want (i.e. “The economy stinks”, “there aren’t enough jobs out there”, “I’m not making enough money”) we put ourselves into alignment with a state of “lack,” and we actually become creators of the very things we are attempting to avoid.

Positive Thinking Alone is Not Enough

There is a lot of New Age thinking in the world today, which gets labeled as “Pollyanna-ish.” I agree that positive thinking alone is not enough. Beliefs and thought patterns can be ingrained very strongly within us, and are often extremely resistant to change.

My husband has worked for several years as a life coach helping people to dismantle their limiting beliefs, and choose to have the lives that they dare to dream. It’s entirely possible to achieve a more desireable life experience, but the thinking and beliefs need to get lined up properly to support that outcome.

I find that: What we focus on, expands in our awareness. Where our attention goes, energy and consciousness flows, and the object of that attention grows. Energy and consciousness has awesome creative properties which we are only beginning to understand.

So, to actually achieve success with a VO career, and the manifestation of thing we WANT — to be a successful, constantly working voice actor, it is important to have the proper positive perspectives, and eliminate the obstacles that can derail our thinking and ultimately our actions.

It’s a lot easier to think of ourselves as a failure, than to actually achieve success, so it’s critically important to disregard the limiting thoughts that roll around in our heads. They’re just thoughts, after all.

Tips for Changing Your Focus

In addition to focusing on what you WANT instead of what you don’t want, you can get your thoughts headed in a positive direction by using few techniques noted by SourcesofInsight:

Ask yourself questions instead of making statements. Rather than telling yourself “Don’t focus on the gig I didn’t get,” ask yourself something like, “What do I want to go for next?”
Ask HOW rather than WHY. Instead of asking, “Why don’t I get these gigs?” try asking, “How can I improve my auditions?”
Ask questions to change your frame of mind. If you catch yourself wondering things like, “What was the worst voiceover workday I’ve ever had?” turn the tables to wonder “What was the best day I’ve ever had?”

I believe that universally, there are laws and principles in place, that will support us, and allow us to materialize the life and reality that we choose on this physical plane, regardless of any circumstance we can point to, that appears to be in the way – i.e. the economy, overpopulation of voice over actors, computer generated voices taking the place of actual voice actors, etc.

But, we must live in alignment with those laws and principles so that they can act as a tailwind rather than a headwind. And we must be willing to adapt to the constantly changing environment we now live in and step into the opportunities that are presented to us, even though it sometimes feels a little uncomfortable to take that step.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover actor who has been building a successful vo career for over 20 years. She’s been the “go to” artist for many production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her voiceover demos, female voice actor bio and home recording studio specs for more information.

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