Voice-Over Pro Tip Client and Lead Information Hey Reader, If you are just starting out, this might not apply to you quite yet. But at some point not too far into your VO career, you're going to want to have some sort of CRM system. This is the place where you will store information about your clients and leads. Think of it like a big database with all the information about the people you've worked with or discussed VO with over the years. It can even be a simple spreadsheet to start, but...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Voice-Over Pro Tip Staying in Touch Hey Reader, You probably already know how important it is to keep communication with past clients and leads. If you're like me, you probably have struggled a bit with finding the balance between doing so often enough that they remember you for work, and not overdoing it. I think there is a balance there, and admittedly in the past I think I've leaned too heavily into my fear of becoming annoying. You probably can relate. I used to only reach out once or...
16 days ago • 1 min read
Voice-Over Pro Tip Don't Lean on Post-Production Hey Reader, With all the amazing editing tools we have at our disposal these days, it can become really easy to use them as a crutch. You might not worry about pacing because you'll just adjust it when you edit. You might not worry about those clicks and pops because you'll just take them out in post. You might not care that you left the window open outside your booth and there's some ambient noise, you'll just de-noise after recording. While...
23 days ago • 1 min read
Voice-Over Pro Tip Do Your Homework Hey Reader, While job postings can give you a good idea of what the client is looking for in auditions, oftentimes they leave a lot to be desired. In these situations there are still a few things you can do to get a good idea of what to do in your audition. The first thing I'd recommend is going to the client website or social channels and looking for past examples of their content. Even if the VO is a different style/tone/age/gender than what they want on...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Voice-Over Pro Tip Organization for VO Hey Reader, When you're working for yourself you may find it easy to get a little careless about things like file organization and backups, but these are incredibly important to keep your business running smoothly. I recommend keeping at least a few prior years of files readily available on your computer and anything older than say 4-5 years shouldn't be deleted, but can be backed up to an offline drive and stored somewhere in case you may need to go...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Voice-Over Pro Tip Post-Production for VO Hey Reader, Audio Processing technology these days is pretty crazy. There is a lot that you can enhance or repair after the recording process to get your VO's in tip top shape. But before we discuss some of them that you may want to consider - it's worth noting that the best course of action is always to get things right at the source and only rely on processing tools if and when needed. The goal should be to get a sound from your mic right into your...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Voice-Over Pro Tip Comparing Auditions to Finished Work Hey Reader, Unfortunately, getting feedback on your auditions as a VO talent is pretty rare. You may have been way off base or the second runner up who just lost out on the job by a hair, and the feedback from the client is the same - nothing. This can make it hard to do some analysis and figure out why you aren't booking or missed the mark on certain auditions. To help with this, one thing that you can try is to start keeping an email...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Voice-Over Pro Tip Comping Takes Hey Reader, If you are not familiar - "Comping" refers to the process of taking the best pieces from multiple takes of the same line and combining them to make a master version. It comes from "Compilation" When you are doing this, how do you know which piece you should be using to contribute to your final "master"? Well there really is no rule, you should use the pieces that you feel are the strongest. For me, here are some things I look/listen for. Uniqueness...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Voice-Over Pro Tip Keep track of where your demos are Hey Reader, As you advance in your VO career, you end up sending/posting/sharing your demos in more and more places. They may live on your personal website, P2P Profiles, agency rosters, production company rosters, professional listing services, etc... It's important to keep track of all of these locations so that when you update your reels you can make sure to send/post the most current version everywhere your demo lives. Ideally you want...
2 months ago • 1 min read