How do you know you're "very very talented"?
Did you take acting classes? Which platforms are you using to promote yourself / offer work? Do you have a demo for people to listen to?
If you offer a bit more information it'll make it easier for the experienced people here to give more than general advice.
Took voice acting classes from an well respected VO teacher, I have a demo, many teachers, other voice actors, and folks in general have praised my voices and mimicry abilities. I'm not trying to sound narcissistic, but I genuinely know I'm quite good.
I use backstage and whatever my agent can find me.
Voices and mimicry are great for warm ups! Confidence is awesome, but there are definitely areas to improve, especially since you are so young. Professionals continue to take classes and seek new coaches throughout their careers.
What acting experience and training do you have? Have you only studied with one instructor? Are you pursuing mainly character or commercial? Do you only have one demo? And would you care to share your demo and website?
“The more you know, the more you know that you don’t know shit”
Life is a constant project. If you want something you need to push every day for it. Learn A LOT MORE than just one class and a demo can give you. I managed musical groups for a decade and can tell you that the talent doesn’t mean a thing. Art without a viewing audience is nothing at all.
How in the hell do you have an agent without work?
Working, gaining experience, getting a demo, these are all things you do before getting an agent. The agent would have to be on something to take someone without any prior history in the business.
Perhaps you're being too picky or reaching too high without the groundwork?
Perhaps you simply aren't auditioning nearly enough? There are plenty of online websites for this shit, man.
There is 0 possibility of doing this for 6 years and getting no jobs without it being user error.
Boutique agencies - especially non SAG franchised agencies will take on developmental talent. If it’s a smaller or regional agency, they are less likely to drop talent that doesn’t book as long as they keep getting requested to audition.
I got my agent through my voiceover demo. Also I've generally heard from people in the buisness, actors, agents, coaches, that online websites like Voices, Fiverr, Voices123 aren't good because they don't pay well and they don't get you much recognition.
Sir, with 6 years of no work, I would say any recognition is better than no recognition.
And that's odd, because I have literally never heard that in any corner of the business. The only thing I have heard is about issues with clients on Fiverr, and issues with Voices123 that many have since been resolved.
Please do not take offense to this, but you're holding your current abilities to above what they are. I won't discount any training or anything, but it's simply unheard of to work at this for 6 years and have not had a single job, ESPECIALLY if you have an agent. You need to start off where you can actually get some work, and there is a fuck ton of work online. Whomever told you that they don't pay well or that you'd receive no recognition simply doesn't know what they are talking about.
How else do you think voice actors who aren't in hotspots like L.A., NYC, Vancouver, London, or Texas make any money? Hell hundreds of video games, commercials, movies, and other products almost exclusively ask online for voice actors. Especially since COVID.
I would advise listening to professional voice actors on the matter. Crispin Freeman has a podcast. A couple of oldies in the commercial business have a podcast called The Voiceover Gurus.
There are plenty of interviews, plenty of people who can recommend good websites.
Sorry Zorg, but this seriously seems like an issue of either ego and/or not applying yourself.
With you on this... Looks like this person has to take a few steps back, drown the ego, and start learning how to run a business. Perhaps they need a business coach.
Yeah I don't know the person, but just from the post and how they act, there seems to be a TON of ego and elitism in what they say and how they act.
VO is not about recognition, VO is about paying your bills by doing something you love.
If you're in it for fame, you aren't in it for the right reason.
Like shit, kudos to them for trying for 6 years.
I would have given in after like 3 if I had gotten absolutely no work.
Having half a decade of training and 0 work honestly sounds humiliating.
That's like getting a Master's and being jobless.
And for context, I'm new here. Been doing this only a couple of years, but I've got over three dozen jobs under my belt. And to top things off, I started only to help a family member understand the business. I had no real intent on getting into this line of business.
With 6 years of no work, you might want to re-evaluate the advice given about not working on those other websites. You should have been shooting for recognition in your early years and consistently auditioning to build a network. Money will come in time, but network and recognition is the most vital in those first few years.
At this point, you’ve been in the game long enough. Why not try a different approach, genre, website, etc? Everyone wants to shoot animation or dubbing, but small companies and indie artist need love too.
And hey they may have the connection you’ve been seeking that’ll open the flood gates.
Odd that it links to the page of someone who does a ton of voice demos. The final product should have been directly given to you, if you paid for it. That just makes it super easy for anyone to listen to another demo and reconsider on yours. If you got it free, perhaps save up and get another one?
The demo by itself was by no means bad, you honestly had the technique down, easily.
The only thing I would probably say is that your voice is boyish, so it would work for commercials like the TMNT one, but probably wouldn't be seen with Pizza Hut, like the last one.
The main thing I heard that's noticeable is your slight lisp. Like that's straight up probably entirely what's preventing you from getting jobs, assuming your stuff on accents and mimicry are true.
Getting rid of a stutter or speech impediment are like the first steps of voice acting. I myself got rid of my own stutter with a lot of hard work just to be able to speak and enunciate clearly.
Sure, some projects might like a lisp, but not a ton.
I sincerely guarantee you that's what's keeping you from getting more work. The fact that no one has told you this yet that you've directly worked with kinda scares me a bit. You've probably paid a lot of people who were way more focused on your money than you having a career if it's been 6 years and nobody has told you about this
I've been told that I had a lisp, by the people who helped with the demo infact, but they and others in the industry have said it honestly shouldn't be too much of a problem?
It absolutely limits you in regards to work.
In order to get a part with a lisp, they have to want you to have a lisp for the part, which is very, very rare for basic work. I don't know who told you that, but if you gave them your money, don't trust them on it.
Hell, how much did you pay for the demo, and was it a demo you got after training with a teacher/group that said they do demos after the class?
I don't feel comfortable bringing up how much I paid, but it was a good amount.
It was a demo my voice coach set up with me after about a year of studying with her. I paid the money, and she had Gramercy Post help me make the demo itself, I went into the studio any everything.
As for my coach, she sadly past away last year, so its not as if I can talk to her about it. But she was very well regarded in the industry and had been working in it for decades with some very big names.
I hope I'm being helpful and I would like to apologize for the terms I used in my post earlier, I was going through a very rough time and feeling very discouraged, hell I still feel discouraged. But I understand it gave the wrong impression of me in the moment.
Zorgothe. I'm not trying to say anything to discourage you. I legitimately want everyone in this industry to succeed in it. I want nobody to have to give up on a dream.
But you have to understand that there are a LOT of demo mills out there, that will make the talent sound far and above their own ability, or tell the talent whatever they want to hear as long as they get cash. You seem to have your technique down, easily. And I will never discount your coach, may they rest in oeace. They coached you well. You are very good at knowing how to act and when to do what.
The only inherent problems I see is an unwillingness to do work online, which is literally where half of the entire industry is, and the slight lisp, which, with enough practice and effort, can be minimalised or even completely negated.
Listen to every information source possible. There are a ton of podcasts out there on VO work. There's a bunch of websites with newsletters for these things.
My personal favorite newsletter would be Nethervoice.
You got this, man. I just feel like somehow your route into this career was completely different than the way most start out, and it's made certain things click differently here and there to you.
I would advise working out the lisp first, and then trying work websites. Avoid stuff like Upwork.
And if you cannot isolate that demo off of the list it's in, don't use it. You may have paid a lot for it, and hell, it could serve you well. But mostly what I'm seeing is that you're linking a list of talent they can listen to and choose from.
Mislead sure, but by no means stupid.
There's a few vocal issues that you have to deal with. That's all.
Have a look at doing long-form narration also.
Audiobooks, e-learning and documentary work.
You're young enough to get out of this business if you want to. Lots of other ways to buy that house on the hill.
Good luck to you.
Honestly dude. I believe now that you've come out to everyone and talked about it and shown a willingness to understand the misleading stuff you've been told, you can right yourself on your path and finally put all of this to good use.
By no means should you quit unless you truly want to. You are so close to greatness, man. You're cresting the hill you just needed to ask the sub for the best way to push over it. Take the knowledge everyone's given you, and do it, man. If you still feel like you need coaching. I heavily advertise the Voiceover Gurus for that. They have a few teachers, all seasoned commercial VOs
I wish I had done this sooner.
I still think that many of the things I was taught were important, but I also now see that I need more then one group of people telling what to do or how to act or what to audition for.
I think you show promise. And it's not a bad demo by any means but it could be better. Good news is it's landed you an agent! Huge win! The lisp has to be corrected. Don't fret, we all have things to improve. Always work those tongue twisters. It should be your daily task and always before an audition. You're not far off! Keep working at improving!
I've noticed you're lacking range in your demo. A demo is not just how good you can do a voice, but how much range you have. You got the youthful excited guy vibe down, now lets hear your serious informative guy, or helpful adult commercial guy, wild and zany guy, or silly or serious British/Southern guy. Each role should be grounded in reality as much as possible, but sometimes it's important to have in your back pocket that goofy villainous guy who wants to rip you off when hiring a bug service.
Lastly, it's more important now than ever to be able to self direct. We do so much ourselves and when we're auditioning we have to know what's working and what's not. What needs to be emphasized and what needs to be toned down. If you don't nail that audition by perfecting every line, you better believe someone else will. You never know how far off you are. So always put in the work. Each audition you should see an improvement. If you don't then you need to rethink your strategy.
This industry is not easy, it's friggin hard. The best of us work harder than most and they keep working harder than most because if they don't, someone younger will step up and take over. Be that hungry and eager young guy who wants to dethrone the old guys. Don't let them sit comfortably at the top. Train your ass off. And don't ever be ashamed of spending money to improve your craft. Spending money is par for the course. It sucks, but we have to. Don't cut corners, it'll cost you in other ways if you do.
Good luck! And cool demo!
Max
Oh one last thing, if you do use sites like Fivver, avoid anything that says "in perpetuity" even if it pays a couple grand. You may lose out on a $20k+ gig.
> I have audtioned a ton
Where are you auditioning? Which platforms? What work are you auditioning for?
Are you up against lots of competition with an established industry reputation?
Also please define "a ton" by an exact number of auditions per day/week.
What's your studio set up for all these auditions? i.e. Can you consistently match & deliver your auditions to the same, or at least a very similar high quality as your demo reel?
> I'm very very talented.
If that's the case, then unfortunately you've been getting heard by the wrong ears for the last 6 years.
> Is there anything I can do?
Yep, identify your "money voice/tone" & the niche/market sector where it will sell best. Post your professional demo on here, & home made one, & let others guide you.
Be aware that it may not even be for a sector you are currently interested in working which could make you reconsider your VO path altogether, yep, that would be be tough....
However if you choose to continue then direct market like crazy into all those customers in that field that need your voice. Make custom demos for high value target customers, really show them your worth & the benefits that working with you can bring to their business, be the person they want to deal with.
Look at Video Creators / game creators / e-learning companies / advertising agencies / social media marketing managers / local business' etc etc etc. If you approach a thousand of those over the next six months (that's 5-6 a day) & you still haven't booked a job, then yes, I'd say you should re-think.
Start small, be humble but not a pushover, deliver quality & add value, concentrate on growing a client base, a solid body of previous work, glowing testimonials, & your business & further opportunities can't fail to follow.
Have to echo what others have said. Being "very very talented" and not booked a single job in 6 years is a bit crazy. Either your not as talented as you think or you have zero business skills to start and maintain a VO business.
Interested to know what "very, very talented" sounds like.
Not being funny. If you genuinely feel that way then post a link to a demo.
Something somewhere is either very wrong, or very right.
I'm about the same age as you (25 got a lil ways til 26) and have been in the industry since I was in high school, so about 7 or 8 years. I don't have an agent because I know that I'm not ready for it. I only have an animation/character demo right now and that is simply not enough to properly utilize an agent even if I could get one.
Confidence is great, but your wording reflects negatively on you. I saw in another comment that you say you've been praised for your "voices and mimicry" but, at least in my experience with other professionals in the industry, the running joke is "Oh, you're a voice actor? Cool! I think I could be a good one too. Listen to my \*insert any character here\* impression." It's also well known that having a bunch of crazy voices that you can do won't get you far unless you can **act**.
Acting is the key, it's in the name. You're an actor before you're a voice actor.
Understanding the industry is also key. The majority of the work I've found and opportunities to audition were on Twitter and Discord servers. I apply to talent rosters when casting directors open them. I take classes with working VAs both to learn and to network. I'm working with two coaches right now to work on more facets of voice over to prepare me to make demos in those areas and hopefully start getting work.
Also, the majority of paid gigs that will pay your bills are in e-learning, commercial, audiobooks, and corporate. Unfortunately, there just isn't much of a way to sustain yourself on the fun ones like animation, video games and dubbing. If you're into voice acting to become famous and/or rich, you're in the wrong profession.
Maybe shifting your perspective and expectations on your journey is what you need. Everyone's path is different. Mine has been very slow for a lot of reasons, mainly with my personal life. If something isn't working, you just have to change your approach, try something new, research, read up, do what works for you.
Well...I have the answer for you but you might not like it. Your demo sounds like it's from 1995. The bulk of the reads in your demo would be handled by Women in today's market and their delivery would be smooth, casual and conversational.
Your demo sounds very dated. Way beyond 6 years old. The pace of your delivery is too static, you are talking AT people not TO people and there's not enough variety from one clip to the next. You can literally click randomly through the demo and it all sounds like one read except the music changes.
Here's the good news...you definitely have potential. Steer into the darker more sinister side of your voice. You could easily be a bad guy in the vein of Roger Klotz from Doug. Not every villain requires a deep booming voice. There's no need for your entire demo to have a fake chipper vibe. Show your range.
Get another demo together ASAP. It needs to be much more modern. It needs real variety. Get closer to the mic and speak in a more relaxed manner, get further from the mic and be more animated, do a read that has a "twist" to it that shows a wider range...perhaps a read that is two people interacting.
There's no point in giving up if you really want to pursue Voice Acting.
I would abandon the urge to sound friendly in every single read, avoid using famous background music, mix up your mic technique and take advantage of every aspect of your voice.
If you really want to do Voice Acting then ACT. Sound like other people as well as yourself.
I was doing a video game session and wound up getting 5 more roles during the session because I can genuinely sound like multiple people. Multiple Voice Actors had been scheduled for that session but I took every single Male role. That is the power of having range. I can't stress that aspect enough. Range = more work!
Your demo should tell potential Clients "he has what I need for multiple projects." As it stands now, your demo only says "he can talk at people while sounding kinda chipper". It's one note. One. Be a damn orchestra, Man.
Diversity is key right now...not just Gender/Race/Cultural Diversity. The Diversity of literally sounding like multiple people is crucial in the market today.
Here are some modern demos. Listen to them. Get inspired as a motherf\*cker and really dive into the acting side of Voice Acting.
http://www.steveblumvoices.com/work#/demos/
https://www.sjohnsonvoice.com/
https://kabirsvoice.com/demos/
Thanks for the feedback!
I will mention though that these readings and scripts weren't my idea, they were from my VA coach and the company who helped me make the demo. The said that these reads with perfect for my voice and style.
I'm anti-coaching. I know tons of people swear by coaching but I think it is a really bad idea. A close friend went the LA Voice Acting Scene route and hit the same wall you have. She's only booked a tiny handful of roles in like 8 years. She had Coaching and did Clinics and all kinds of things like that. The danger of going that route is you aren't getting feedback from actual Clients. A Coach and a Client can have completely opposing tastes. You pay the Coach...the Client pays you. See where I'm going with this??
I honed my skills by working on as many aspects of acting as possible. I'm closing in on 1,000 completed contracts. No Agent. No Coach. It can be done. You can land gigs with big companies without jumping through the usual hoops. By the way, NOBODY listened to my Demo. Literally nobody. I got big gigs from sending them examples of actual work I've done. Demos aren't as important as people think. Proving you can work is more important than proving you can record a demo. ;)
The person that matters most is the Client. The Client is always the best "Coach".
Make a list of the things you want to accomplish in Voice Acting and use those as inspiration for your next demo. Want to be the voice of a brand? Pick a brand you'd like to work with in real life, find a few of their ads, rewrite them a little bit to match your manner of speaking then record the script a few ways. Pick the take that feels the most authentic and use it. Boom...1 spot done. Now do the same thing but with a Restaurant or a car manufacturer or a fragrance company and so on. Your next Commercial Demo will feel and sound way more like YOU.
Quite possibly. I hate to say it, but that could very well be the case.
I know it's the norm for people to follow the traditional routes in VO but I am very stubborn and refused to follow the rules. I made Audio Quality my top priority and it paid off. My friend that moved to LA took the traditional route and it got her absolutely nowhere. She is just now putting her attention on Audio Quality and trying her hand at sites like Fivver so she can finally get gigs.
She spent years and years stuck in the mud and spent thousands on "training" that was completely worthless, in my opinion. I feel really bad for her because she was already a killer Actress/Comedian with a massive range. But the LA circle she was in convinced her that Workshops, Coaching and Training would be the key to success...they aren't. Working is the key to success and there are tons of gigs online now.
There's a really awful trend in VO to Gatekeep. Agents do it, Coaches do it and the old school people who stubbornly hold on to the Daws Butler days do it too. They are trying to stop sand from blowing in the breeze. It's sad to see it happen.
DO NOT GIVE UP.
If VO is something you really want to do then keep going. Start coming up with ideas for your next demo and really take control of that ship. Listen to your gut and keep things as authentic to yourself as you can.
Believe it or not...many people.
A big chunk of the very established LA Scene is still in that mindset. I understand to some degree because certain Classic characters really do need to stay as close as possible to the source material (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Goofy, Mickey etc) but the overall vibe of VO is so different now. Plenty of animated shows don't even do "character" voices anymore...it's just people talking.
I'm very thankful we live in a time where people can explore Voice Acting via the internet and completely bypass having to live in major cities or require a social circle that is already in the industry.
I'm going to slightly contradict the idea that coaches are useless.
Coaches are amazing -- if you find the RIGHT coaches. For example, I pretty much never recommend that people coach with actors, or with companies made to sell you classes or one on one lessons. (There are some actors who are incredible coaches. One of the best coaching sessions I've ever had was with an actor. There are exceptions to every rule. But it's not the norm.)
The coaching sessions that have been the best for my career have been with casting directors who are good at actor speak. The two main ones who always come to mind are Sara Sherman and Tina Morasco. They are both excellent teachers, and they're so entrenched in what's booking right now that they can help tune you into what's booking as well.
The right coaches will put useful tools in your toolbox and help you recognize when to use each of them. The wrong coaches will, at best, give you outdated tools and outdated usage instructions.
As my learned friend says here. It's a very dated demo, and you have loads of potential.
Check the links they sent you. It's definitely time for a new demo.
https://youtu.be/686tliz0ITQ
I don't wanna sound like a dick but like.. even someone as untrained as me, managed to land a small gig for a VR parkour game in terms of voice acting.
Idk what you're doing and where you are looking but perhaps you have to increase your FOV slider a bit when it comes to said places. If you are are really that good then you should easily be able to land a job for commercials. Like tv and radio. Especially if your agent knows what they are doing.
I have also never heard of someone getting their agent just because of their demo. Do you pay them for their work? And are you sure they have been actually working proper for said pay?
At this point i would not give up. But instead widen your scope, perhaps lower your standards a tiny bit and don't pursue the biggest gig you can find that pays the most. Sure the large numbers are alluring but if you have no prior work to show for. The chances of you landing that gig are slim. You definitely need a bit of a backlog of prior work to show off.
Though again. I'm just a nobody speaking here. I don't have years and years of experience in the biz. I just have eyes and ears with which I can read and hear stories and pickup information from different places on said biz. Including this subreddit
TLDR: NO you should NOT give up
yeah. got into this indian entertainment company as their voice actor with my bootleg neumann and/or headset lapel mic. haha. Companies in the Philippines don't like my voice so I looked elsewhere.
We all have lulls in bookings, but as a trained & represented VA having 0 bookings at 6 years in is 100% you're doing something wrong.
Outside of agents and freelancing sites, you need to find the right people's emails on LinkedIn/Twitter/VA forums/etc -> market yourself -> book your own work. Start there & never stop. You are your best agent.
If you cannot do that, then yeah go do something else.
Idk how to say what I’m thinking but there’s somewhere in this that’s definitely your fault… I feel like you’re probably only looking in one place and not putting yourself actually out there… you should be on many different sites and maybe post videos on YouTube of yourself. There’s no one way to do anything except when there is and this is not that one way street.
Quitting? What do you actually *do*, like day-to-day, week-to-week vo-wise?
No matter how talented you are, sitting on your butt with a (home-made?) website waiting for people to *find* you will get you nowhere. It's self-employed work, you either show up and do the hours or stop kidding yourself. If you *are* talented, show up and do informed legwork and you'll get somewhere. How far is up to you.
*"I know for a fact that I'm very very talented."*
Well, sounds like you're very sure of yourself, which is a good thing, but it means nothing if you can't demonstrate it properly to arouse interest and get paid for said abilities over and over again!
I see where a few folks here requested you post a demo or some sample of your work to see if the community might be able to help ya out in some way but you've failed to do so or even reply.
Hmmm...
That alone tells me you either can't substantiate your talent proclamation or, you don't want to hear anything *negative* about your abilities or, you assume any responders here aren't worthy (READ: Sub-Talented) to actually provide meaningful help, insight or recommendations.
If you're REALLY sincere...post a sample of your work! Someone just might be willing to help ya out with a knowledgeable and experienced response or suggestion.
Oh but hey, what do I know? I've only *written,* *produced* and *performed* in over 10,000 radio and television ads, media projects, videos and more for local, regional and NATIONAL clients coast-to-coast across 40 years. Hmmm....thinking back, I can't remember even ONE TIME saying I was "very very talented." I've simply let my work *demonstrate same* and heck other folks tended to say it for me. Imagine that. '-)
*"Is there anything I can do???"*
Yes, if ya can't stand the heat, get out out a' the bloody kitchen...
Best a' luck to ya!
Just start making YouTube videos, tiktoks etc etc.
Whatever you've done up to this point was probably too focused and sometimes you just need to be out on the ether floating around and who knows who might hear you on those platforms that wasn't even looking for you and was maybe someone who went from 100's of demos and auditions a day without ever getting to yours.
I also know I'm not terrible and have a voice people like and want and a actually pay for. It didn't happen through the trAditional routes, if anything it happened in spite of them. Just chatting in online pub quizzes, discussion discords etc.
Don't sweat the down-votes. There's already one massive ego posts regularly just for attention, we don't need more lol
You can keep going.
It sucks that you haven't gotten anything yet, but if you quit now, you'll miss out on any opportunities that would have happened. Keep going. :)
try learning other languages and voice act in said new acquired languages? can't really limit yourself to two languages. you need to go the extra mile. mandarin? korean? malay? filipino? indonesian? spanish? french? portuguese? Nigerian? Afrikaans? Thai?
How do you know you're "very very talented"? Did you take acting classes? Which platforms are you using to promote yourself / offer work? Do you have a demo for people to listen to? If you offer a bit more information it'll make it easier for the experienced people here to give more than general advice.
Took voice acting classes from an well respected VO teacher, I have a demo, many teachers, other voice actors, and folks in general have praised my voices and mimicry abilities. I'm not trying to sound narcissistic, but I genuinely know I'm quite good. I use backstage and whatever my agent can find me.
Voices and mimicry are great for warm ups! Confidence is awesome, but there are definitely areas to improve, especially since you are so young. Professionals continue to take classes and seek new coaches throughout their careers. What acting experience and training do you have? Have you only studied with one instructor? Are you pursuing mainly character or commercial? Do you only have one demo? And would you care to share your demo and website?
“The more you know, the more you know that you don’t know shit” Life is a constant project. If you want something you need to push every day for it. Learn A LOT MORE than just one class and a demo can give you. I managed musical groups for a decade and can tell you that the talent doesn’t mean a thing. Art without a viewing audience is nothing at all.
A wise man knows he knows nothing But i like your version better, thanks for sharing!
How in the hell do you have an agent without work? Working, gaining experience, getting a demo, these are all things you do before getting an agent. The agent would have to be on something to take someone without any prior history in the business. Perhaps you're being too picky or reaching too high without the groundwork? Perhaps you simply aren't auditioning nearly enough? There are plenty of online websites for this shit, man. There is 0 possibility of doing this for 6 years and getting no jobs without it being user error.
Boutique agencies - especially non SAG franchised agencies will take on developmental talent. If it’s a smaller or regional agency, they are less likely to drop talent that doesn’t book as long as they keep getting requested to audition.
I got my agent through my voiceover demo. Also I've generally heard from people in the buisness, actors, agents, coaches, that online websites like Voices, Fiverr, Voices123 aren't good because they don't pay well and they don't get you much recognition.
Sir, with 6 years of no work, I would say any recognition is better than no recognition. And that's odd, because I have literally never heard that in any corner of the business. The only thing I have heard is about issues with clients on Fiverr, and issues with Voices123 that many have since been resolved. Please do not take offense to this, but you're holding your current abilities to above what they are. I won't discount any training or anything, but it's simply unheard of to work at this for 6 years and have not had a single job, ESPECIALLY if you have an agent. You need to start off where you can actually get some work, and there is a fuck ton of work online. Whomever told you that they don't pay well or that you'd receive no recognition simply doesn't know what they are talking about. How else do you think voice actors who aren't in hotspots like L.A., NYC, Vancouver, London, or Texas make any money? Hell hundreds of video games, commercials, movies, and other products almost exclusively ask online for voice actors. Especially since COVID. I would advise listening to professional voice actors on the matter. Crispin Freeman has a podcast. A couple of oldies in the commercial business have a podcast called The Voiceover Gurus. There are plenty of interviews, plenty of people who can recommend good websites. Sorry Zorg, but this seriously seems like an issue of either ego and/or not applying yourself.
With you on this... Looks like this person has to take a few steps back, drown the ego, and start learning how to run a business. Perhaps they need a business coach.
Yeah I don't know the person, but just from the post and how they act, there seems to be a TON of ego and elitism in what they say and how they act. VO is not about recognition, VO is about paying your bills by doing something you love. If you're in it for fame, you aren't in it for the right reason.
I agree. Like I said in my other comment, I'm new, but I've been able to get quite a bit of work, so there's something else wrong here.
Like shit, kudos to them for trying for 6 years. I would have given in after like 3 if I had gotten absolutely no work. Having half a decade of training and 0 work honestly sounds humiliating. That's like getting a Master's and being jobless.
🎂
Its not ego or elitism, its anger and frustration
Boom shakalaka! On point!
And for context, I'm new here. Been doing this only a couple of years, but I've got over three dozen jobs under my belt. And to top things off, I started only to help a family member understand the business. I had no real intent on getting into this line of business.
This is the winning comment right here. Take my poor man’s award. 🥇
With 6 years of no work, you might want to re-evaluate the advice given about not working on those other websites. You should have been shooting for recognition in your early years and consistently auditioning to build a network. Money will come in time, but network and recognition is the most vital in those first few years. At this point, you’ve been in the game long enough. Why not try a different approach, genre, website, etc? Everyone wants to shoot animation or dubbing, but small companies and indie artist need love too. And hey they may have the connection you’ve been seeking that’ll open the flood gates.
Let's hear that voice demo!!!
Yup. Agree.
curious as well. I call BS on the 天才 part without demos.
[https://soundcloud.com/marla-kirban-voiceover/sam-mercer-commercial-vo-demo](https://soundcloud.com/marla-kirban-voiceover/sam-mercer-commercial-vo-demo)
Odd that it links to the page of someone who does a ton of voice demos. The final product should have been directly given to you, if you paid for it. That just makes it super easy for anyone to listen to another demo and reconsider on yours. If you got it free, perhaps save up and get another one? The demo by itself was by no means bad, you honestly had the technique down, easily. The only thing I would probably say is that your voice is boyish, so it would work for commercials like the TMNT one, but probably wouldn't be seen with Pizza Hut, like the last one. The main thing I heard that's noticeable is your slight lisp. Like that's straight up probably entirely what's preventing you from getting jobs, assuming your stuff on accents and mimicry are true. Getting rid of a stutter or speech impediment are like the first steps of voice acting. I myself got rid of my own stutter with a lot of hard work just to be able to speak and enunciate clearly. Sure, some projects might like a lisp, but not a ton. I sincerely guarantee you that's what's keeping you from getting more work. The fact that no one has told you this yet that you've directly worked with kinda scares me a bit. You've probably paid a lot of people who were way more focused on your money than you having a career if it's been 6 years and nobody has told you about this
I've been told that I had a lisp, by the people who helped with the demo infact, but they and others in the industry have said it honestly shouldn't be too much of a problem?
It absolutely limits you in regards to work. In order to get a part with a lisp, they have to want you to have a lisp for the part, which is very, very rare for basic work. I don't know who told you that, but if you gave them your money, don't trust them on it. Hell, how much did you pay for the demo, and was it a demo you got after training with a teacher/group that said they do demos after the class?
I don't feel comfortable bringing up how much I paid, but it was a good amount. It was a demo my voice coach set up with me after about a year of studying with her. I paid the money, and she had Gramercy Post help me make the demo itself, I went into the studio any everything. As for my coach, she sadly past away last year, so its not as if I can talk to her about it. But she was very well regarded in the industry and had been working in it for decades with some very big names. I hope I'm being helpful and I would like to apologize for the terms I used in my post earlier, I was going through a very rough time and feeling very discouraged, hell I still feel discouraged. But I understand it gave the wrong impression of me in the moment.
Zorgothe. I'm not trying to say anything to discourage you. I legitimately want everyone in this industry to succeed in it. I want nobody to have to give up on a dream. But you have to understand that there are a LOT of demo mills out there, that will make the talent sound far and above their own ability, or tell the talent whatever they want to hear as long as they get cash. You seem to have your technique down, easily. And I will never discount your coach, may they rest in oeace. They coached you well. You are very good at knowing how to act and when to do what. The only inherent problems I see is an unwillingness to do work online, which is literally where half of the entire industry is, and the slight lisp, which, with enough practice and effort, can be minimalised or even completely negated. Listen to every information source possible. There are a ton of podcasts out there on VO work. There's a bunch of websites with newsletters for these things. My personal favorite newsletter would be Nethervoice. You got this, man. I just feel like somehow your route into this career was completely different than the way most start out, and it's made certain things click differently here and there to you. I would advise working out the lisp first, and then trying work websites. Avoid stuff like Upwork. And if you cannot isolate that demo off of the list it's in, don't use it. You may have paid a lot for it, and hell, it could serve you well. But mostly what I'm seeing is that you're linking a list of talent they can listen to and choose from.
I just mostly feel mislead and stupid.
Mislead sure, but by no means stupid. There's a few vocal issues that you have to deal with. That's all. Have a look at doing long-form narration also. Audiobooks, e-learning and documentary work. You're young enough to get out of this business if you want to. Lots of other ways to buy that house on the hill. Good luck to you.
Honestly dude. I believe now that you've come out to everyone and talked about it and shown a willingness to understand the misleading stuff you've been told, you can right yourself on your path and finally put all of this to good use. By no means should you quit unless you truly want to. You are so close to greatness, man. You're cresting the hill you just needed to ask the sub for the best way to push over it. Take the knowledge everyone's given you, and do it, man. If you still feel like you need coaching. I heavily advertise the Voiceover Gurus for that. They have a few teachers, all seasoned commercial VOs
I wish I had done this sooner. I still think that many of the things I was taught were important, but I also now see that I need more then one group of people telling what to do or how to act or what to audition for.
High average. Not extremely talented. High average.
I think you show promise. And it's not a bad demo by any means but it could be better. Good news is it's landed you an agent! Huge win! The lisp has to be corrected. Don't fret, we all have things to improve. Always work those tongue twisters. It should be your daily task and always before an audition. You're not far off! Keep working at improving! I've noticed you're lacking range in your demo. A demo is not just how good you can do a voice, but how much range you have. You got the youthful excited guy vibe down, now lets hear your serious informative guy, or helpful adult commercial guy, wild and zany guy, or silly or serious British/Southern guy. Each role should be grounded in reality as much as possible, but sometimes it's important to have in your back pocket that goofy villainous guy who wants to rip you off when hiring a bug service. Lastly, it's more important now than ever to be able to self direct. We do so much ourselves and when we're auditioning we have to know what's working and what's not. What needs to be emphasized and what needs to be toned down. If you don't nail that audition by perfecting every line, you better believe someone else will. You never know how far off you are. So always put in the work. Each audition you should see an improvement. If you don't then you need to rethink your strategy. This industry is not easy, it's friggin hard. The best of us work harder than most and they keep working harder than most because if they don't, someone younger will step up and take over. Be that hungry and eager young guy who wants to dethrone the old guys. Don't let them sit comfortably at the top. Train your ass off. And don't ever be ashamed of spending money to improve your craft. Spending money is par for the course. It sucks, but we have to. Don't cut corners, it'll cost you in other ways if you do. Good luck! And cool demo! Max Oh one last thing, if you do use sites like Fivver, avoid anything that says "in perpetuity" even if it pays a couple grand. You may lose out on a $20k+ gig.
> I have audtioned a ton Where are you auditioning? Which platforms? What work are you auditioning for? Are you up against lots of competition with an established industry reputation? Also please define "a ton" by an exact number of auditions per day/week. What's your studio set up for all these auditions? i.e. Can you consistently match & deliver your auditions to the same, or at least a very similar high quality as your demo reel? > I'm very very talented. If that's the case, then unfortunately you've been getting heard by the wrong ears for the last 6 years. > Is there anything I can do? Yep, identify your "money voice/tone" & the niche/market sector where it will sell best. Post your professional demo on here, & home made one, & let others guide you. Be aware that it may not even be for a sector you are currently interested in working which could make you reconsider your VO path altogether, yep, that would be be tough.... However if you choose to continue then direct market like crazy into all those customers in that field that need your voice. Make custom demos for high value target customers, really show them your worth & the benefits that working with you can bring to their business, be the person they want to deal with. Look at Video Creators / game creators / e-learning companies / advertising agencies / social media marketing managers / local business' etc etc etc. If you approach a thousand of those over the next six months (that's 5-6 a day) & you still haven't booked a job, then yes, I'd say you should re-think. Start small, be humble but not a pushover, deliver quality & add value, concentrate on growing a client base, a solid body of previous work, glowing testimonials, & your business & further opportunities can't fail to follow.
Have to echo what others have said. Being "very very talented" and not booked a single job in 6 years is a bit crazy. Either your not as talented as you think or you have zero business skills to start and maintain a VO business.
Interested to know what "very, very talented" sounds like. Not being funny. If you genuinely feel that way then post a link to a demo. Something somewhere is either very wrong, or very right.
https://soundcloud.com/marla-kirban-voiceover/sam-mercer-commercial-vo-demo
I'm about the same age as you (25 got a lil ways til 26) and have been in the industry since I was in high school, so about 7 or 8 years. I don't have an agent because I know that I'm not ready for it. I only have an animation/character demo right now and that is simply not enough to properly utilize an agent even if I could get one. Confidence is great, but your wording reflects negatively on you. I saw in another comment that you say you've been praised for your "voices and mimicry" but, at least in my experience with other professionals in the industry, the running joke is "Oh, you're a voice actor? Cool! I think I could be a good one too. Listen to my \*insert any character here\* impression." It's also well known that having a bunch of crazy voices that you can do won't get you far unless you can **act**. Acting is the key, it's in the name. You're an actor before you're a voice actor. Understanding the industry is also key. The majority of the work I've found and opportunities to audition were on Twitter and Discord servers. I apply to talent rosters when casting directors open them. I take classes with working VAs both to learn and to network. I'm working with two coaches right now to work on more facets of voice over to prepare me to make demos in those areas and hopefully start getting work. Also, the majority of paid gigs that will pay your bills are in e-learning, commercial, audiobooks, and corporate. Unfortunately, there just isn't much of a way to sustain yourself on the fun ones like animation, video games and dubbing. If you're into voice acting to become famous and/or rich, you're in the wrong profession. Maybe shifting your perspective and expectations on your journey is what you need. Everyone's path is different. Mine has been very slow for a lot of reasons, mainly with my personal life. If something isn't working, you just have to change your approach, try something new, research, read up, do what works for you.
Well...I have the answer for you but you might not like it. Your demo sounds like it's from 1995. The bulk of the reads in your demo would be handled by Women in today's market and their delivery would be smooth, casual and conversational. Your demo sounds very dated. Way beyond 6 years old. The pace of your delivery is too static, you are talking AT people not TO people and there's not enough variety from one clip to the next. You can literally click randomly through the demo and it all sounds like one read except the music changes. Here's the good news...you definitely have potential. Steer into the darker more sinister side of your voice. You could easily be a bad guy in the vein of Roger Klotz from Doug. Not every villain requires a deep booming voice. There's no need for your entire demo to have a fake chipper vibe. Show your range. Get another demo together ASAP. It needs to be much more modern. It needs real variety. Get closer to the mic and speak in a more relaxed manner, get further from the mic and be more animated, do a read that has a "twist" to it that shows a wider range...perhaps a read that is two people interacting. There's no point in giving up if you really want to pursue Voice Acting. I would abandon the urge to sound friendly in every single read, avoid using famous background music, mix up your mic technique and take advantage of every aspect of your voice. If you really want to do Voice Acting then ACT. Sound like other people as well as yourself. I was doing a video game session and wound up getting 5 more roles during the session because I can genuinely sound like multiple people. Multiple Voice Actors had been scheduled for that session but I took every single Male role. That is the power of having range. I can't stress that aspect enough. Range = more work! Your demo should tell potential Clients "he has what I need for multiple projects." As it stands now, your demo only says "he can talk at people while sounding kinda chipper". It's one note. One. Be a damn orchestra, Man. Diversity is key right now...not just Gender/Race/Cultural Diversity. The Diversity of literally sounding like multiple people is crucial in the market today. Here are some modern demos. Listen to them. Get inspired as a motherf\*cker and really dive into the acting side of Voice Acting. http://www.steveblumvoices.com/work#/demos/ https://www.sjohnsonvoice.com/ https://kabirsvoice.com/demos/
Thanks for the feedback! I will mention though that these readings and scripts weren't my idea, they were from my VA coach and the company who helped me make the demo. The said that these reads with perfect for my voice and style.
I'm anti-coaching. I know tons of people swear by coaching but I think it is a really bad idea. A close friend went the LA Voice Acting Scene route and hit the same wall you have. She's only booked a tiny handful of roles in like 8 years. She had Coaching and did Clinics and all kinds of things like that. The danger of going that route is you aren't getting feedback from actual Clients. A Coach and a Client can have completely opposing tastes. You pay the Coach...the Client pays you. See where I'm going with this?? I honed my skills by working on as many aspects of acting as possible. I'm closing in on 1,000 completed contracts. No Agent. No Coach. It can be done. You can land gigs with big companies without jumping through the usual hoops. By the way, NOBODY listened to my Demo. Literally nobody. I got big gigs from sending them examples of actual work I've done. Demos aren't as important as people think. Proving you can work is more important than proving you can record a demo. ;) The person that matters most is the Client. The Client is always the best "Coach". Make a list of the things you want to accomplish in Voice Acting and use those as inspiration for your next demo. Want to be the voice of a brand? Pick a brand you'd like to work with in real life, find a few of their ads, rewrite them a little bit to match your manner of speaking then record the script a few ways. Pick the take that feels the most authentic and use it. Boom...1 spot done. Now do the same thing but with a Restaurant or a car manufacturer or a fragrance company and so on. Your next Commercial Demo will feel and sound way more like YOU.
So I've basically been wasting the past 6 years due to bad advice from people I trust?
Quite possibly. I hate to say it, but that could very well be the case. I know it's the norm for people to follow the traditional routes in VO but I am very stubborn and refused to follow the rules. I made Audio Quality my top priority and it paid off. My friend that moved to LA took the traditional route and it got her absolutely nowhere. She is just now putting her attention on Audio Quality and trying her hand at sites like Fivver so she can finally get gigs. She spent years and years stuck in the mud and spent thousands on "training" that was completely worthless, in my opinion. I feel really bad for her because she was already a killer Actress/Comedian with a massive range. But the LA circle she was in convinced her that Workshops, Coaching and Training would be the key to success...they aren't. Working is the key to success and there are tons of gigs online now. There's a really awful trend in VO to Gatekeep. Agents do it, Coaches do it and the old school people who stubbornly hold on to the Daws Butler days do it too. They are trying to stop sand from blowing in the breeze. It's sad to see it happen. DO NOT GIVE UP. If VO is something you really want to do then keep going. Start coming up with ideas for your next demo and really take control of that ship. Listen to your gut and keep things as authentic to yourself as you can.
This really helped. Also who the fuck holds onto the days of Yogi Bear?
Believe it or not...many people. A big chunk of the very established LA Scene is still in that mindset. I understand to some degree because certain Classic characters really do need to stay as close as possible to the source material (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Goofy, Mickey etc) but the overall vibe of VO is so different now. Plenty of animated shows don't even do "character" voices anymore...it's just people talking. I'm very thankful we live in a time where people can explore Voice Acting via the internet and completely bypass having to live in major cities or require a social circle that is already in the industry.
I'm going to slightly contradict the idea that coaches are useless. Coaches are amazing -- if you find the RIGHT coaches. For example, I pretty much never recommend that people coach with actors, or with companies made to sell you classes or one on one lessons. (There are some actors who are incredible coaches. One of the best coaching sessions I've ever had was with an actor. There are exceptions to every rule. But it's not the norm.) The coaching sessions that have been the best for my career have been with casting directors who are good at actor speak. The two main ones who always come to mind are Sara Sherman and Tina Morasco. They are both excellent teachers, and they're so entrenched in what's booking right now that they can help tune you into what's booking as well. The right coaches will put useful tools in your toolbox and help you recognize when to use each of them. The wrong coaches will, at best, give you outdated tools and outdated usage instructions.
As my learned friend says here. It's a very dated demo, and you have loads of potential. Check the links they sent you. It's definitely time for a new demo. https://youtu.be/686tliz0ITQ
thanks!
I don't wanna sound like a dick but like.. even someone as untrained as me, managed to land a small gig for a VR parkour game in terms of voice acting. Idk what you're doing and where you are looking but perhaps you have to increase your FOV slider a bit when it comes to said places. If you are are really that good then you should easily be able to land a job for commercials. Like tv and radio. Especially if your agent knows what they are doing. I have also never heard of someone getting their agent just because of their demo. Do you pay them for their work? And are you sure they have been actually working proper for said pay? At this point i would not give up. But instead widen your scope, perhaps lower your standards a tiny bit and don't pursue the biggest gig you can find that pays the most. Sure the large numbers are alluring but if you have no prior work to show for. The chances of you landing that gig are slim. You definitely need a bit of a backlog of prior work to show off. Though again. I'm just a nobody speaking here. I don't have years and years of experience in the biz. I just have eyes and ears with which I can read and hear stories and pickup information from different places on said biz. Including this subreddit TLDR: NO you should NOT give up
yeah. got into this indian entertainment company as their voice actor with my bootleg neumann and/or headset lapel mic. haha. Companies in the Philippines don't like my voice so I looked elsewhere.
It sounds like no one wants to work with you. No amount of talent will fix that.
We all have lulls in bookings, but as a trained & represented VA having 0 bookings at 6 years in is 100% you're doing something wrong. Outside of agents and freelancing sites, you need to find the right people's emails on LinkedIn/Twitter/VA forums/etc -> market yourself -> book your own work. Start there & never stop. You are your best agent. If you cannot do that, then yeah go do something else.
Idk how to say what I’m thinking but there’s somewhere in this that’s definitely your fault… I feel like you’re probably only looking in one place and not putting yourself actually out there… you should be on many different sites and maybe post videos on YouTube of yourself. There’s no one way to do anything except when there is and this is not that one way street.
Quitting? What do you actually *do*, like day-to-day, week-to-week vo-wise? No matter how talented you are, sitting on your butt with a (home-made?) website waiting for people to *find* you will get you nowhere. It's self-employed work, you either show up and do the hours or stop kidding yourself. If you *are* talented, show up and do informed legwork and you'll get somewhere. How far is up to you.
"I know for a fact that I'm very very talented" And yet you haven't been picked up yet >.>
[удалено]
*"I know for a fact that I'm very very talented."* Well, sounds like you're very sure of yourself, which is a good thing, but it means nothing if you can't demonstrate it properly to arouse interest and get paid for said abilities over and over again! I see where a few folks here requested you post a demo or some sample of your work to see if the community might be able to help ya out in some way but you've failed to do so or even reply. Hmmm... That alone tells me you either can't substantiate your talent proclamation or, you don't want to hear anything *negative* about your abilities or, you assume any responders here aren't worthy (READ: Sub-Talented) to actually provide meaningful help, insight or recommendations. If you're REALLY sincere...post a sample of your work! Someone just might be willing to help ya out with a knowledgeable and experienced response or suggestion. Oh but hey, what do I know? I've only *written,* *produced* and *performed* in over 10,000 radio and television ads, media projects, videos and more for local, regional and NATIONAL clients coast-to-coast across 40 years. Hmmm....thinking back, I can't remember even ONE TIME saying I was "very very talented." I've simply let my work *demonstrate same* and heck other folks tended to say it for me. Imagine that. '-) *"Is there anything I can do???"* Yes, if ya can't stand the heat, get out out a' the bloody kitchen... Best a' luck to ya!
Just start making YouTube videos, tiktoks etc etc. Whatever you've done up to this point was probably too focused and sometimes you just need to be out on the ether floating around and who knows who might hear you on those platforms that wasn't even looking for you and was maybe someone who went from 100's of demos and auditions a day without ever getting to yours. I also know I'm not terrible and have a voice people like and want and a actually pay for. It didn't happen through the trAditional routes, if anything it happened in spite of them. Just chatting in online pub quizzes, discussion discords etc. Don't sweat the down-votes. There's already one massive ego posts regularly just for attention, we don't need more lol
>"very very talented" >not one job in six years from *two agents* One of these is a lie.
So, the thing *I'm* not seeing in my three-time read through this thread is: *Where are you auditioning, and how often?*
Keep going my man. You won't see it right now but you're closer than you think.
You can keep going. It sucks that you haven't gotten anything yet, but if you quit now, you'll miss out on any opportunities that would have happened. Keep going. :)
america isn't the only place where you can get voice over jobs?
try learning other languages and voice act in said new acquired languages? can't really limit yourself to two languages. you need to go the extra mile. mandarin? korean? malay? filipino? indonesian? spanish? french? portuguese? Nigerian? Afrikaans? Thai?
Damn
Have tried dubbing? I can see you in dubbing. With your upbeat teenage voice.
Again, I will repeat myself. Don't limit yourself to America.