Great Voice

Book More Voice-Over Work By Asking Better Questions

Great Voice — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:25:42 +0000

Book More Voice-Over Work By Asking Better Questions
By Susan Berkley

As you build your voice-over business, you’ll be making lots of prospecting calls. The worst thing you can do is meekly ask the voice buyer if they like your demo and then hurry off the phone yet that’s what many people do.

The best thing you can do is to use each call as an opportunity to qualify your prospects and forge a profitable relationship. It’s hard enough to get producers, casting directors and agents on the phone so when you do, you better have some great questions ready to get them talking.

The two types of questions to ask voice buyers

There are two types of questions, closed ended and open ended.

Closed ended questions can be answered by a simple yes or no. Open ended questions are designed to get your prospect talking and build empathy.

Here are examples of open ended questions that will get your prospects talking, build rapport and give you valuable information you can use in your marketing:

“I’m curious about your company. Tell me more about what you do.”

“That’s interesting. How did you get into that type of production work?”

“Please help me understand how you find your voice talent?”

Here are some examples of closed ended questions and how to use them:

“Even though you have a stable of talent you usually work with, wouldn’t you agree that it’s a good idea to expand your talent pool in the event that there’s a need for someone who sounds like me?” (NOTE: it’s pretty hard to say no to this one!)

“Are you in front of the computer right now? May I take you over to my website so we can quickly review my demo?”

“If we work together in the future, I’ve got my own home studio and can turn many jobs around quickly. That would be valuable to you, wouldn’t it?” (Again, it’s almost guaranteed that they will say yes.)

Master the art of asking good questions and your voice over prospecting calls will become a pleasure rather than a chore. As prospects sense you take a genuine interest in them, they’ll feel good about you, and that’s the first step to getting called for work.

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Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors. The Great Voice Company is an international leader in voice over training and in providing top quality voice over recordings in all languages to discerning businesses and marketers. For additional information visit www.greatvoice.com

NEW! I’ve been invited to participate in The Sonnet Project and we need your support!

Great Voice — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:49:37 +0000

The Sonnet Project is a year-long internet-based, video exploration of Shakespeare’s great love poems. They will professionally film all 154 sonnets, performed by 154 different actors in 154 unique locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

I’ve just been signed on along with Lynn Cohen – Magda in Sex in the City – and Michael Urie – Bud Frump in How to Succeed and as Marc St. James in TV’s Ugly Betty.

Then, beginning at the Bard’s 449th birthday party the videos will be released three per week, for one full year. The culmination of the project, on Shakespeare’s 450th birthday, will be marked by the release of a full Sonnet Project Anthology, complete with special features exploring the textual nuances of the language, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the creators and actors. Cool, huh?

There will be a Sonnet Project website that will be available for educators and Shakespeare-lovers of all ages, plus a Sonnet Project mobile app for the delivery of each new sonnet video, and to provide access to text analysis and information about the NYC film locations. There will be sonnet-based walking tours of NYC neighborhoods, and sonnet scavenger hunts making use of QR codes and mobile technology.

But here’s the catch.

The project will only move forward if they raise $45,000 by Thursday May 17. The money we’re raising covers professional video editing and production costs for the year and the creation of the anthology of all 154 performances. It’s getting a lot of interest from educators now.

Funding is through Kickstarter at
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1384441698/ny-shakespeare-exchange-sonnet-project-and-island.

Contributors will only be charged by Amazon at 11:01 p.m. Thursday, May 17 if the project raises $45,000, which is also the only way The Sonnet Project happens. The money we’re raising covers professional video editing and production costs for the year and the creation of the anthology of all 154 performances. It’s getting a lot of interest from educators now!

The first 10 people to contribute $200 will get to see me perform live.

Achieving Voice Over Success: How To Get Unstuck

Great Voice — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:31:00 +0000

Achieving Voice Over Success: How To Get Unstuck
By Susan Berkley

Wanna’ know a big success lesson that only took me…’duh…like 25 years to learn?

Here it is.

Eye popping, jaw-dropping success in voice-over does not come from methodical, “step one, step two, step three” type of activity. It comes from an all out assault; massive action on various fronts at the same time.

I’ll explain.

Many people approach their voice-over careers, (and their lives, for that matter), as if they are following a diagram, an operating manual, a set of A to Z instructions. Their thinking is two dimensional and linear and their results are molasses-slow. Once they get trained and do their demo, they get some home recording equipment. Then they set up a website and try to do a little marketing.

They approach voice-over cautiously, dipping a toe in the water and then pulling back sharply whenever the feedback is less than encouraging.

You’ll never enjoy success with that kind of plodding approach!

Instead, get your tools together (training, demo and home recording equipment) and then move boldly and throw the whole box of spaghetti against the wall.

Here is a checklist of some of the many things you can do to jump start your voice-over career.

Contact virtual talent agents. Visit their website and send them your demo with a nice personalized cover letter that indicates you’ve done your research about their company.
Hint: You can get the names of voice over agents at www.voicebank.net. On my Inner Circle Guest Expert Calls I try to introduce you to great agents whenever I can. Not a member? Go here for a special trial offer www.greatvoice.com/advanced-voice-over-training

Join a pay to play casting service and audition every day. If you can’t afford it, skip the Starbucks for awhile and you’ll soon have the cash.

Put together a short list of local production studios and recording studios and embark on a campaign to get to know the key players with phone calls, mailings, visits. Use Google or Mandy.com to find them.

Take some acting or improv classes, or participate in community theatre. This will help you improve your audition and voice acting skills.

Start reading for the blind. You’ll become a more fluid reader and feel more confident behind the mic.

Buy every book on voiceover and read it. Everyone should have a voice over success library.

Spend at least 15 minutes a day listening to talent demos on voicebank.net for inspiration. Practice by transcribing the spots and imitating the best.

Tweak your home studio so the quality is as good as you can get it and your auditions sound top-notch. I’m still hearing a lot of sub-standard audio from members on the Inner Circle samples you send for my monthly critique. Need help? Check out my home recording course at www.homestudiohowto.com

But most important: do as many of these activities as you can within as short a period of time as possible-some of each every day. If you do, I can almost guarantee you’ll create major momentum and generate some big results.

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My Best Voice Over Pronunciation Secrets

Great Voice — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:57:57 +0000

My Best Voice Over Pronunciation Secrets
By Susan Berkley

Former President George W. Bush was famous for his mispronunciations including, “misunderestimate,” “hispanically” and “subliminable.”

Hillary Clinton once slaughtered the name of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, calling him “Meh, um, Menedvadah — whatever,” during a debate.

But we professional voice talent are expected to pronounce words properly, especially proper names and geographic locations.

So let me ask you this.

Would you know how to say Anguilla? Bhutan? Nauru or Eritrea? No, they’re not exotic diseases. They’re the names of countries.

I had to read 28 of ‘em in a session for AT&T’s international phone service. The script included: Niue Island. St Pierre and Miquelon. Kyrgystan. Mayotte and Cocos Island.

Where the heck ARE all these places anyway? And who is making calls to Cocos Island? Sounds like the desert island Tom Hanks ended up on in the movie “Swept Away.” Okay, excuse me if you have relatives there. But these are real countries and like the state of Oregon, the natives get very sensitive when you mispronounce their homeland.

By the way, Cocos Island is pronounced KOH-kus. Anguilla is ang GWIL uh. Mayotte like “my yacht”. Niue is NEE oo ayh. St. Pierre and Miquelon is san PYER and MIH kuh lon. Krygstan is keer-ghi-STAHN. Bhutan is boo -TAHN and Eritrea is ER ih TREE uh.

Need pronunciation help? Here are my “Insider Secrets” for getting it right.

The Merriam Webster website at www.m-w.comThis website includes sound files with pronunciations. It’s free. A male and female voice recorded all those words. How’s that for a voiceover gig! Many country names are on this site. But for those which are not, go to…
www.google.comType in the name of the locale + pronunciation and you should get a sound file of the word.
Ask a native.When voice talent Alan Sklar has to do an audio book with foreign pronunciations, he will call the consulate of that country and ask for help. He has even been known to get pronunciation help from native waiters in restaurants serving the country’s cuisine or flight attendants working for the country’s airline.
Call the consulateI once did a narration where I had to pronounce Nelson Mandela’s name in his native language, Xhosa. This is a very difficult language for non-natives to pronounce because it contains click-like sounds. I called the South African consulate and a very nice lady worked with me on the phone until I got it right.
Visit YouTube.YouTube is great for discovering how proper names should be pronounced. Just put the name you are looking for in the search box. For the correct pronunciation of Medvedev, I listened to newscasts and noticed how broadcasters pronounced the Russian president’s name.

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The Price of Nice

Great Voice — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:12:21 +0000

The Price of Nice
By Susan Berkley

Whether you’re just starting out in voice over or your career is in gear, pay careful attention to what I’m about to say. One of the main reasons voice actors don’t book the job is because they are bland and boring.

Most of us have nice voices–some of us even have great voices. But that’s not what makes a career and gets you cast for the high paying, career making opportunities. Too many actors approach the microphone gingerly, as if someone were doing them a favor by allowing them to be there.

When you take the mic, command it. Make bold choices. You were born for this! You have a right to be there!

Acting coach Tom Todoroff says the person who gets hired is the one who gets the most juice out of the orange, who plays all the notes in the script instead of just one or two. But most voice talent have the tendency to always flatten things out. To make it mild. Safe. Nice.

In acting class I was doing a monologue by Jane Martin where I was playing a woman frustrated by boring men. My instinct was to dress sexy and play the scene like a vamp, as if I was in a bar talking to a date. But then I wimped out, dressed like a soccer Mom, and performed as if I were complaining to a girlfriend. The stronger choice? The girl in the bar of course.

And when the acting teacher encouraged me to take a risk and re-do the scene while playing to a handsome guy in the audience 20 years my junior as if I were trying to seduce him, the audience laughed hysterically. Someone said I reminded them of “Sex in the City” star Kim Catrell, which certainly made my day. Fun! It took courage, but the results were exhilarating.

When commenting on her unique look, Dolly Parton said she made a deliberate attempt to copy the town tramp, a bold and very specific choice. She never breaks character in public either. Now Dolly might not be your cup of tea, but she’s certainly unforgettable, loved by millions and a very, very successful woman.

You might be wondering what to do when the script is boring or written for a dry corporate presentation. Trust me, I feel your pain.

But don’t check out and slog through it. Bring your sprit, your joy to every job you do, give some thought to your persona and when you’re given a script with an opportunity to play, go for it!

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How To Get Paid For Your Voice Over Work

Great Voice — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:38:14 +0000

How To Get Paid For Your Voice Over Work
By Susan Berkley

You might be wondering why I am stating the obvious here. I mean, you record a voice-over, you get a check, right?

Well… not exactly.

An Inner Circle member who is just starting out told me she had gotten “stiffed” on her first three jobs from three different clients. How frustrating! And let’s face it, she is not alone. Many talents, even some experienced ones, have a hard time getting their clients to cough up the bucks. Here’s how to prevent it from happening to you.

SEND A BILL
Also known as an invoice, you’ve got to send a bill if you want to get paid. It sounds obvious, but many voice talents have never had to worry about this in their day job where their pay is deposited right into their bank account. A woman in one of my seminars once told me she realized several months after her first job was done that the reason she never got paid was because she hadn’t sent a bill. Too embarrassed, she let it slide. If it were me, I would have sent an invoice marked FINAL NOTICE.
SET YOURSELF UP TO ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS AND PAY PAL
Credit cards are easier than ever to accept with Square, a free card reader and app that hooks up to your Smart Phone. There are no set up charges and a nominal processing fee per transaction In most cases you’ll see the money in your bank account the following day. To set yourself up with a Pay Pal account go to www.paypal.com. Again there’s a small service fee but many customers will happily pay quickly that way.
CLARIFY BILLING PROCEDURES UP FRONT
Make sure you get the name, address, email address and phone number of the person in accounts payable. It will often be different from the person who hired you for the job. Some clients will issue a purchase order number which you must include on every invoice in order to get paid. Others require job numbers or other specific information. Failure to follow billing procedures can really delay payment, so ask questions and keep careful notes before you send the bill.
KEEP CAREFUL RECORDS
As your business grows, accounting software like Quickbooks will help you keep track of who owes what. At the very least keep an accordion style tickler file so you can follow up with a call and an email on the day invoices are due. File a copy of your invoice on the day of the month it’s due and move it ahead accordingly to remind you to call.
BE NICE!
Make your collection calls every week, calling as soon as the invoice is over due. Never be rude or demanding, even to the slowest payers. Be persistent, be polite. Politely tell your contact you are following up on a past due invoice and would like to know when you can expect payment. You may have to resend your invoice and call several times before you get paid. But if you are pleasant and friendly during your follow up, your check will be on the way in no time.

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Top 6 ‘Best Practices’ for Productive Voice Over Practice Sessions

Great Voice — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:15:23 +0000

Top 6 ‘Best Practices’ for Productive Voice Over Practice Sessions
By Susan Berkley

You don’t need me to sell you on the benefits of practice I’m sure. We all know it makes perfect. But what’s the best way to practice your voice over skills to improve and get more comfortable behind the mic?

Turns out there are some “best practices” for practicing voice over I’ve honed over the years and I’m happy to share them with you here.

Block out some time
15 minutes a day is all you need. Yeah, I know. Time is scarce for all of us. But if you need to get up a few minutes early or go to bed a few minutes later to make sure you have time to practice, do it. I promise you it will be well worth it. 15 minutes a day on a consistent basis will make a big difference.
Assemble your gear
To really get the most out of a voice over practice session, you should plan on recording your voice. It’s not enough to merely read the copy. At the very least, you’ll need a professional USB microphone that plugs directly into your computer. You can get a good one for around $100. The built in mic or little external microphone that comes with your computer isn’t good enough to give you accurate feedback on your performance and the sound of your voice. Other than that, you’ll need s a good pair of headphones. The headphones should be closed ear to block out any outside noises. Sennheiser and Sony make a good pair of professional head phones for about $99. In a pinch, a good set of ear buds will do but be sure to upgrade to professional headphones later.
Download some free recording software
Audacity is an easy to use freeware that works on the PC or MAC. Google it for the download link. If you’re on a MAC you can also use the Garageband software that came with your computer. After a few practice sessions you’ll get the hang of how to record and edit your files. For help check out my Home Studio How To program at www.homestudiohowto.com
Find a voice model
One of the easiest and best ways to learn a new skill is by modeling someone who is already successful. Fortunately in our business, it’s easy to find samples of working voice actors just by turning on the TV or radio and listening to commercials. But it’s even easier to go to www.voicebank.net. Here you will find the demos of thousands of successful voice talent. Everybody on this site is represented by a talent agent. Using the category listings, find a few talents whose vocal type is similar to yours and model the voices you hear on the demos. As a professional courtesy, please be sure you don’t take copy from other voice talents demos to use on your demo when you make it.
Tape and Ape
Find some voice actors you like on TV and radio commercials and record their spots. Transcribe the copy. (TIP: turn on the closed caption option to see the words on the screen) Then, turn on your recorder and try to imitate your voice model word for word, exactly as they did it. Now compare your voice to the professional. How’d you do? Keep trying until you can match the professionals pitch, tone, inflection, pacing and feeling
Find An Experienced Coach
Although these practice guidelines are useful, there’s no substitute for a great coach who can help you create a step by step development plan and prepare you for your demo. We have several programs at The Great Voice Company where we can work with you remotely or in a professional studio at our Voice Over Boot camp Recording studio Immersion Experience. It all starts with a call to our talent advisor Bill Rapp at 800-333-8108 x229 or bill@greatvoice.com

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Proven Networking Tips for Voice Talent

Great Voice — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:17:54 +0000

By Susan Berkley

Nothing beats face time for making a lasting and favorable impression that can lead to work. There are many networking organizations you can join but one that is specifically useful to voice talent is MCA-i.org, an organization of media communications professionals, including many producers of commercials, corporate audio and documentaries. There’s a tab on the site to help you find a chapter near you.Here are some networking tips inspired by my friend Shannon McCaffery on her blog www.marketingimplementer.com/When you meet someone at a networking event, don’t start blabbing about yourself.

Ask questions and listen. Here are 4 great networking questions:

How’d you get started in your business?
What do you like best about what you do?
What are you most passionate about these days?
What are your biggest challenges right now?

Listen actively and build rapport with follow up questions that show your genuine interest. For example:

You: What do you like best about what you do?

Producer: Travelling to exotic locations.

You: Really? Me too. What are some of your favorite places?

Producer: We just got back from Prague. Amazing city.

You: So I hear. What were you working on while you were there….etc.

When the prospect finishes talking about his trip add your “elevator speech” such as:

“Thank you for telling me about your trip to Prague. I felt like I was there! I’m a professional voice talent and one of the things I like best about what I do is working with creative media professionals like yourself to help make their vision come alive. I have a fully equipped home studio and offer fast turnaround and reasonable rates. How can I help you?”

Note that the last line of the script is an open ended question that encourages the producer to think about how he can use you, rather than ending the conversation by giving you a simple yes or no.

One more thing.

Always ask for a referral. End every conversation by asking the producer if he knows anyone else who can use your services. Chances are you’ll get some great leads.

Finally, before you move on to the next person, make a few notes. I like to use the back of their business card. Follow up with an email or personal note, saying how nice it was to meet them and offer to help however you can. I have my photo on my business card and my picture in my email signature file to help them remember me.

By the way, if you’re noticing distracting mental chatter or “head trash”, you’ll want to check out my new Tele-Training Program that starts this Thursday called:

“The Inner Game of Voice Over Success”

Click here to learn about this exciting new teletraining program!

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The 5 Laws of Voice Over Success

Great Voice — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:06:54 +0000

By Susan Berkley

There are a lot of moving parts to voice over success. Training, demos, performance, auditions, home studios, finding voice buyers who will appreciate your talent and the skills you bring to the table.

When we work with emerging talent our primary goal is to help them gain clarity so they can make the best choices about everything from which type of home studio gear is right for them to how best to position themselves in a crowded marketplace.

Sometimes making these decisions can seem complicated and even overwhelming, especially when we’re dealing with such a rapidly changing media landscape.

But no matter how much things change, there are 5 key things about voice acting that will always remain the same. I call them The 5 Laws Of Voice Over Success. Let’s take a look at them now:

SINCERITY: Winning spots are believable.
If the voice buyer senses any hint of fake announcer sound in your voice, you’ll never book the spot. To sound believable, you must actually feel the emotions the copywriter is trying to convey. These feelings are then transferred to the listener who conjures positive images and pictures in his mind related to the product. Here’s a tip: as you practice the copy, create a vivid movie in your mind with scenes and a cast of characters from your day to day life. The more vivid, specific and clear this movie in your mind, the more the spot will hit home with your listener.
RELAXATION: In winning spots, the voice talent (you!) is completely relaxed.
Tension is easily detected in your voice. It can override everything else you are trying to do. There are many techniques, such as yoga breathing, self-hypnosis and meditation that will help. Learn them. They’ll come in handy during voice-over auditions and recording sessions.
TIMING: If there’s one rule about voice over that can’t be broken, it’s timing.
When they say a commercial is :30 or :60 seconds long, they mean it. :32 or :61 won’t cut it. Today’s recording studios have time compression tools that can speed up or slow down your voice, but you still need to know how to add or shave seconds off your reads, just as we still need to know how to add and subtract even though there are calculators that can do the job.
PRONUNCIATION, READING: There’s some wiggle room here because you can always re-read a mispronounced word or edit out pauses in choppy speech, but you should still strive to develop your skills in this area.
Everyone stumbles and misses words, but if you break down a lot you’ll make more work for the audio engineer (or yourself) and waste valuable studio time.
FOCUS: Sometimes an actor’s mental self-talk is so “loud” I can almost hear it.
I can always tell when talent is having crippling, self-critical thoughts instead of allowing themselves to enjoy the performance. To become a world-class voice over artist, you must train yourself to be so focused on the message in the copy and on your “mental movie” that all distractions, internal and external, are blocked out.

By the way, if you’re noticing distracting mental chatter or “head trash”, you’ll want to grab a spot for the Free LIVE Tele-Training I’m doing this Thursday called:

“The Proven Mindset Formula For Voice Over Success”

5 Hidden Success Secrets Every VO Beginner And Pro Needs To Know

Thursday March 15, 8 pm ET (7 pm CT, 6 pm MT, 5 pm PT) (call will run approx 70 mins.)

Click here to reserve your seat for this FREE training Call

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Do You Know Your Voice Over Archetype?

Great Voice — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:51:53 +0000

Do You Know Your Voice Over Archetype?
By Susan Berkley

One of the most frustrating things for voice over beginners and experienced pros is giving voice buyers, producers and casting directors exactly what they want. In the old days we auditioned live at an agent, client or casting director’s office. And while it was often inconvenient and time consuming to get there, it was great to have someone in person running the audition so you could ask questions and get clarification on the spot.

Not anymore. Today you are generally on your own auditioning and recording from your home studio, unless you work in NY or LA where many agents and casting directors want you to come in for face-to-face auditions.

So what do you do when you get direction like the following I received from one of the on line casting services?

See if you can figure this out…

“The VO should sound natural, have a warm, friendly, genuine and conversational feel without sounding or feeling sleepy. Pace should be mid-tempo to avoid boredom though keep with whatever seems most natural & less forced. Conversational with a hint of drama. If male, he has a lower-medium register voice that is warm, likeable and utterly natural but reveals depth, awareness and insight. And you can hear the twinkling, piercing eyes that have the manner of George Clooney or Jeff Bridges.”

I hope you’re laughing as you read this because I sure was. What the heck do they mean by a voice that sounds like the twinkling, piercing eyes of George Clooney or Jeff Bridges? Ridiculous!

But actually, they’re dead serious. What they really mean is they’re looking for a George Clooney or Jeff Bridges archetype (or the female equivalent) not a sound-alike.

While we all have a unique signature sound, each of our voices falls within a universal archetype. The dictionary defines archetype as the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies

Casting directors deal with archetypes a lot. In a sea of choices, it’s a way to stay organized and communicate with producers and clients. Copywriters deal in archetypes too. They are the foundation of storytelling and we love archetypes because they are familiar and help us recognize ourselves through the story characters.

By definition, the archetypes are already set. They are timeless and this is reassuring in a fast-paced world. Unlike software, there will never be a Hero or a Villain 2.0. Sure, their weapons may change, but at the core, a hero is a hero is a hero and an evil bastard will always be just that.

So how do you find your voice over archetype? It’s hard to tell without hearing you and this is one of the things we identify for everyone who comes to one of our Voice Over Bootcamp Recording Studio Immersion Experience weekends.

(There may still be a few available seats at our next Bootcamp March 23-25 at beautiful Avatar Studios in New York City. Contact Bill at my office at 800-333-8108 or bill@greatvoice.com or click the link below for details)

To get you started, here are some common voice-over archetypes with a brief description of each:

Mature: often identified with wisdom, elders, or mature authority. Grandparents. Professors. Boss stereotypes.
Story-teller: young, middle aged or mature: an easy going, relaxed, all American type, identified with the West or the South. Everyman, every woman.
Upscale, elegant : sophisticated, cool. Middle aged or mature. Rarely a young sound.
Hard Sell: energetic, male or female pitch person type. Can be rough or smooth but always kinetic bordering on hyper.
Wry/sarcastic: dry, male or female, ‘whatever’, real, detached. All ages, but typically young or middle aged.
Loose, wild and wooly: quirky, unique, energetic, defies description, often comedic, think Chris Rock, Cathy Griffin. All ages.
Real guy or girl next door: no trace of actor or announcer. Typically young or middle aged. We trust them because they are just like us. Relaxed. Believable.
Announcer types: all ages, from light to mature. Beautiful voices with great diction. Smooth to hard sell. Can make the copy and the product the star, so that they themselves disappear. Can read lots of copy smoothly without sounding like they are rushing.
Young and perky: energetic, youthful, optimistic kid next door

So here’s your homework. See if you can identify the George Clooney and Jeff Bridges archetype. Then write to me at susan@greatvoice.com and let me know what you think it is. In the meantime, have a great week!

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