I was talking to an audio engineer the other day, and he was saying that he’s frustrated by all of the bad information being put out there by people in the voiceover industry who don’t really know what they’re talking about:
Recommending microphones. Giving people bad performance advice. Showing people incorrectly how to edit their audio.
Things he is an expert on.
I also saw a post from a voice actor and coach dismayed at how many voiceover newbies are starting blogs and podcasts about the industry, when (he feels) they should be working on the craft instead.
While I agree with him that their energy might be better spent in that way, I guess it doesn’t really bother me so long as they’re adding something new and useful to the conversation and blogging about what they actually know. Their own experience, not someone else’s.
After all, everyone is an expert at something.
What have you learned from the school of life?
Just because you’re not an expert in the voiceover industry yet doesn’t mean that you don’t have pertinent expertise to offer the industry.
Someone coming into this from the business world might have some amazing sales/marketing/negotiation skills that will serve them well.
Someone who is already an audio engineer not only already has the editing chops, but they’re used to working with and understanding what the client is looking for.
Someone like my friend Dan, coming to this from being an advertising creative, already understands the structure of an ad and the craft of telling a thirty second story, and…
Someone like my friend Alison draws on the breath support and phrasing skills from her professional flute career, and uses the storytelling skills learned from a decade of hosting on MPR to help her in voiceover and podcasting.
As for me, I came to this with 20+ years of theatre and on-camera training and experience.
Improv. Cold-reading skills. The ability to memorize quickly. An understanding of subtext.
And my work experience—at a large advertising agency, in education, in restaurants/customer service, and in social media marketing.
Four years of running an accountability group focused on helping actors achieve their goals.
And relationships with production companies, casting directors, producers and agents.
So, while there was still a TON for me to learn, I didn’t come to this without any skills or assets.
You probably have a lot more skills and knowledge than you give yourself credit for
There’s a LOT of info out there about how to make it in this industry, but none of it is gospel. Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad, and some of it just doesn’t pertain to you.
What info is right for you depends on your type, what niche you want to get into, and what expertise you already have coming into voiceover.
I have four points to make with all of this:
Be careful to vet where your information is coming from
Everyone is an expert on something, but not everyone purporting to be an expert on something is.
And just because someone’s an expert on one thing, doesn’t make them an expert on everything. Make sure you check out their credentials and get multiple opinions before spending any money.
Even complete newbies have something to add to the conversation
If you’re new to this, try to recognize what skills and experience you already bring while staying open to learning about this new industry.
There’s a fine line between believing you know better than people who are working in the industry (“I don’t think I need to spend money—I’ll just make my OWN demo!”), and being confident in what you have to offer.
Own up to what you don’t know
If you are writing a blog, producing a podcast, or whatever, just be honest about what you don’t know.
Lying about your expertise is just asking for a real expert to call you out in the comments section. Just like lies on your resume often get found out (“Oh, I see you worked at Johnson Brothers in 2006? That’s so funny, because I was the hiring manager, and I definitely didn’t hire you!”), lies about your experience and expertise tend to come to light.
Advice isn’t one-size-fits-all
Because your experience and skills are different than everyone else’s, not all advice will be for you.
Just in the past week, I’ve heard “I LOVE V123…whenever I want to make some quick money, I get on there and book something.” And I’ve also heard the opposite: “I’m barely even getting auditions anymore and my percentage has gone way down!” Two totally different experiences.
The first person is telling me I should get on there, because he thinks that because it works for him, I would have an easy time booking on there (which hasn’t been my experience at all.) The other two are telling me to stay away because their experience has been extremely subpar. Who’s right? Both.
Ask yourself…what do I KNOW?
When I first started, I would ask questions on the forums, and instead of answering the question I’d asked, I’d receive a lecture about getting coaching. It’s valid advice, but at the same time it didn’t speak to where I was coming from or the questions I was actually asking.
I didn’t need it to get started in commercial voiceover.
I had been acting since I was a kid. I had narrated articles for the blind for SIX years. I had been recording and transcribing radio commercials for practice copy for TEN years.
So, I made a demo. I booked a $5K job off my first audition, and I got representation using that job.
Was it partly luck? Sure.
But it was also my unique set of experiences and skills combined that led to that outcome. I had the acting chops, I knew the producer, and I was already repped by the agent for on-camera work.
It’s like I tested out of the intro classes. And then I went on and got my intermediate and upper level training.
Everyone’s experience will be different, so consider people’s advice with that in mind. What worked for me might not work for you, and vice versa.
You have experience. You have skills.
You are an expert at something.
Stay humble, yes, but don’t let anyone else diminish your expertise.