Spring Forward!
Your objective as a voice actor is to secure representation with three-to-five talent agents from a few locations across the country.
One of the greatest misconceptions about securing representation through talent agents is the idea that simply landing only one talent agent is sufficient. It’s not!
While it’s certainly an achievement, the truth is if you intend to land work with any consistency that will sustain you, securing only ONE talent agent probably won’t accomplish that goal. So, please don’t stop there. KEEP GOING!
We want you to be the best voice actor you can be and succeed at that, not at being a producer. Producers are your target audience. They’re who ultimately hire us through your talent agents! And your auditions are your greatest form of promotion. They are how you build your reputation and develop your relationships with your agents.
We want you to be a reliable, highly sought-after voiceover. And even though you must have a basic knowledge of how what to record and edit your auditions, most of the projects you’re going to book could and should be edited and produced by the people who hire you. You’re not getting paid to produce. So stay in your lane!
We don’t want you to become a recording engineer, or a recording studio (unless you are already, of course—however, even then we strongly recommend you keep these skills separate). Focus on being the most reliable, professional voice talent you can be.
Your aim is to land three to five talent agents by following the game plan outlined in our exclusive Actors’ SOUND ADVICE Promotional Plan.
Pace yourself.
Most agents will test your mettle right from the start to ensure you can deliver what your demos promise. So be sure to keep your skills sharp!
If an agent is interested in you, they will likely begin by auditioning you with a few spots to determine how well you follow direction, how seamlessly you turnaround your auditions (instead of waiting till the last minute), not settling for the least you can do, and by making sure your home recording meets industry expectations.
Once a talent agency takes you on, you should expect to receive no less than three to five auditions a week. So, rise to the occasion.
If you don’t see any auditions after a three-to-four-week period, send your agent an email, remind them you’re available and eager to work. (And if you need some support—shoot us an email. We’re here for you.)
It’s important you understand you may have to repeat the FULL 8-Week Promotional Process of Pursuing Representation that’s outlined in our recently updated, “How to Get a Talent Agent for Acting & Voiceover” eBook until you achieve results. The correspondences are written there for you as well with a variety of options.
CLICK HERE to Download the “How to Get a Talent Agent for Acting & Voiceover” eBook
I’ve also attached an UPDATED list of talent agents from across the country for you to pursue and research for representation. I’ve curated this list with YOU in mind and narrowed the field for you but be sure to go to their sites (if they have one) to learn more. It may seem tedious, but this is YOUR homework. Look them up!
CLICK HERE to Download a short list of VO Agents
Remember every talent agency is different. Many don’t maintain their own websites very well, so their sites often appear woefully out of date. The same may be true with their submission policies or preferences.
Just know every agency is different and their policies may change at any given time, especially today when so many businesses are rebranding and altering their approach. It’s best to verify this on your own in advance if you can, so stay on top of this. Spring is a good time to pursue fresh representation if you aren’t receiving quality auditions on a regular basis! So, get busy and contact us if you need a little pep talk! We want you working!
Knock ‘em dead!
As an actor and voiceover, you need to give yourself plenty of room to play. You need to allow yourself room to create and discover, often under great time constraints, so the pressure to deliver your very best on the fly is imperative.
Here at Actors’ SOUND ADVICE, we refer to a specific technique as ‘Stretching the Canvas’.
We call it that because far too many talent make a habit out of ‘ramping up into their performance’ anticipating a longer runway than we are typically given to deliver a well-executed performance. And if we’re given the luxury as voice talent to audition in front of those most likely to hire us (which rarely happens anymore) the pressure to deliver can introvert us, rather than the other way around. So, by conditioning yourself to offer a broader playing field right off the bat (or ‘stretching the canvas’ wider than what might be assumed for a desirable performance) will allow you greater room to create, instead of ramping up into your delivery and settling for a mere passable take, if not slightly below-par performance. The point is you need to aim farther with the very first take, even if it’s not the end performance you’re hoping to achieve. Instead, you must go further than you might initially imagine is appropriate with your initial reads.
Why? Because we create a certain muscle memory the first time we do anything let alone voice a narration, a commercial or an animated project. Giving ourselves the freedom to create and ‘go too far’ from the very start allows you room to fully animate your performance even with the most dry, unimaginative text.
We’d rather see you go too far and calibrate you back a bit if necessary, rather than having to come at you with a whip and a chair to get you to offer anything of real value performance-wise. And we’re not referring to strictly pitch, volume or speed to vary up your read, but rather go much farther with your point-of-view (POV)/expression, with your degree of interest and with your sense of ease or effortlessness. Fleshing out those details are generally reserved for private coaching here at Actors’ SOUND ADVICE.
Your goal as a talent is to continually surprise yourself with each and every take, rather than attempt to craft only one, single, solitary delivery. You’re perfectly capable of an unlimited number of exceptional performance options. Every true professional embraces this precept of mastering agility. It’s in part what defines us as creative professionals: The ability to continually create with each take and to do so right from the start.
Self-direction is a performance muscle that only develops and responds with continued use if you intend to increase your skill and agility and want to ensure you’re a talent that can be valued and consistently relied upon. To master that end, every talent needs a routine that challenges their comfort zone, remain agile, and creative no matter the genre.
That’s where we come in. Schedule a little coaching time and up your game!
