logologo
jmichael@jmcvoiceover.com 202-738-1151
  • Home
  • My Demos
    • Commercial
    • Crisis Commercials
    • Medical
    • eLearning
    • Corporate
    • Automotive
    • TV Promo
    • TV Narration
    • Radio Imaging
    • Telephony
    • Political
  • Recent Work
  • Demo Production
    • Demo Production
    • Demo Production Guide
    • Commercial
    • Medical
    • eLearning
    • Corporate
    • Automotive
    • TV Promo
    • TV Narration
    • Radio Imaging
    • Telephony
    • Political
  • Coaching
    • Coaching
    • Voiceover Coaching Guide
  • Photo Gallery
  • Success Club
  • Euro Vo Retreat
  • Public Speaker Training
  • Giving Back
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • My Demos
    • Commercial
    • Crisis Commercials
    • Medical
    • eLearning
    • Corporate
    • Automotive
    • TV Promo
    • TV Narration
    • Radio Imaging
    • Telephony
    • Political
  • Recent Work
  • Demo Production
    • Demo Production
    • Demo Production Guide
    • Commercial
    • Medical
    • eLearning
    • Corporate
    • Automotive
    • TV Promo
    • TV Narration
    • Radio Imaging
    • Telephony
    • Political
  • Coaching
    • Coaching
    • Voiceover Coaching Guide
  • Photo Gallery
  • Success Club
  • Euro Vo Retreat
  • Public Speaker Training
  • Giving Back
  • Blog
  • Contact

Everybody likes tacos….some of us a little too much, (just ask my doctor!) Whether loaded with beef, chicken, cheese, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, or other healthy things, a good taco can turn a bad day around.

What does this have to do with voiceovers, you might already be asking yourself? Has J. Michael finally lost his mind after countless hours locked in a small booth talking into his Neumann?

Well, possibly…..(my wife is shaking her head, “yes,” in the background,) but, just like my waistline, voiceover success can be defined by a taco as well….actually, not a taco, but TACO.

What is TACO? TACO is an acronym that is everything you need to know about how to make it in this business. Remember these four simple letters, and you will be on the right path.

T-stands for TALENT

Well, J. Michael, that’s obvious, isn’t it? Not as obvious as you think. Natural talent is an essential part of making it in the voiceover industry. Talent is comprised of two things: 1.) A voice people want to listen to, and 2.) Some inherent ability to deliver copy in a manner that connects with your audience.

This is why having your voice heard by an established industry professional BEFORE you go out and buy fancy microphones, preamps, and spend thousands on building a rocking home studio is a good idea. Find a local studio where you can attend workouts, and get yourself heard. Or, schedule a one hour copy-reading session with a reputable coach who will give you honest feedback. There are hundreds of coaches, (including myself,) who would be happy to work with you, and provide a frank evaluation of your raw abilities.

Voiceover is kind of like sports. Coaching can make an average talent good, and a good talent great, but some measure of natural ability, a good voice, some delivery instincts, and a bit of acting skill, has to be present from the beginning. If they aren’t there, your path will be long and frustrating…..so get a qualified opinion BEFORE you build a home studio, spend hundreds or thousands on demo reels, join the P2Ps, or purchase a 6-month coaching package. An hour of copy reading is enough for a professional to tell you if the building blocks are there or not, and to prescribe a course of instruction if they are.

A-stands for AUDIO

So, your evaluation went well, eh? Got the chops, do ya? Great! Now, the hard part.

Somewhere along the way, people started to believe that plugging a Blue Yeti into your laptop was all you needed to do to call yourself a pro. Really, it’s true. I cast for many of my clients through Voices.com & Voice123, and folks, if your sound isn’t up to par, it doesn’t matter how good your read is. I press STOP after less than ten seconds on about 40% of auditions I hear because the audio just isn’t good enough.

This doesn’t mean you have to spend ten grand on acoustical foam and soundproofing, but here are some simple steps to get you pointed in the right direction:

1.) Make sure your signal chain is passable. The RODE NT1A is a good entry-level PRO microphone, and it will fit into most budgets. Based on the design of the Neumann TLM 103, it is a popular mic among radio stations throughout the US, and many VOs use it as well.

A decent preamp will make you crisp and clear. There are many varieties in the $200-$500 range that will be a good start.

2.) Listen to a commercial on TV or the radio. Do you hear any hiss, echo, line noise, or room tone? Are there dogs barking in the background? Probably not. If these things are present in your audio, you will have trouble booking any work.

Your audio needs to sound warm, clear, and as unprocessed as possible. It needs to sound like what you hear on the air. If it doesn’t, more work needs to be done to treat your space, whether that means expensive soundproofing and acoustical paneling, or homemade solutions like memory foam & clothes racks…it has to SOUND like you are in a professional studio, even if you are recording from your wife’s walk-in closet!

There are so many talented folks out there who are having their auditions discarded because the audio quality is poor…don’t be one of them! If you are in doubt, consult with a pro, whether an audio tech or an established VO professional.

C stands for COMMITMENT

Becoming a successful voice talent is a process. Whether you are looking to build your career through the agency-based VO world, or online through the P2P sites, it takes time to get noticed, no matter what your talent level is. I arrived on the P2P sites with fifteen years of full-time VO experience, and it still took me six months to book my first ten jobs. For many, it will be slower than that.

Success in this field is a result of talent combined with extreme persistence and commitment, as well as strong business building skills. Looking for agency gigs in a major city? Be prepared to send out dozens, even hundreds of demos…..and the demos better be AWESOME! Have a strong cover letter and a compelling headshot, (some still require these,) and be prepared to wait months for a reply. While you’re at it, start networking. Attend every local VO event you can find. Get known, and get noticed. Market yourself to local studios, production companies, and businesses. Book gigs through old fashioned legwork. Besides, if you bring a great client to an agency, that can fast track you for representation.

Want to be successful on Voices.com & Voice123.com? Be prepared to ride your computer like a champion thoroughbred. If you aren’t doing twenty auditions per day, you aren’t doing enough. The highest booking talents online are landing no more than 10% of their reads, and that is on a good week. The more ears you get your voice in front of, the more work you will book. Simples.

Market yourself online. Write a blog, join in discussions on the various fora, get your NAME, and your BRAND out there. The more visible you are, the more seriously you will be taken.

Never stop. If the talent and the audio quality are there, you WILL book work eventually. Every third client you book will turn into a repeat customer. It may take two or three years, but eventually the hard work will pay off, and jobs will walk in the door as often as you have to chase them. There IS light at the end of the tunnel….even if it is a long tunnel.

O stands for ORGANIZATION

Repeat after me. “I am not a performer. I am a business.”

This is rule one of voiceover success. Assuming the first three parts of your TACO are in order, this is the hot sauce that will make it a meal.

Create systems for every part of your VO business. Administrative, accounting, auditioning, production, communication, marketing, networking, and so on.

I have a structured process for filing my audio, keeping my books, sending payment reminders when necessary, and doing the other VO grunt work in a manner that minimizes time lost to administrative and accounting functions.

Become proficient with your audio editing software. A dry :60 should take you five minutes max to edit. If you aren’t there yet, go online and find tutorials to help you get there. Efficiency is key. If you do a lot of long-form narration, consider hiring outsourced audio editors to help you save time to focus on booking more work. I employ four people almost full time in this capacity. Found them on Elance and Freelancer. They do GREAT work…for $15-20/hour. Why edit a 60 minute training module yourself, when you can pay a professional $30-60 to do it for you, and have 2-3 extra hours to dedicate to booking the next job?

Have an auditioning strategy. Be decisive about which jobs to audition for. Make sure they are a good fit budget and spec-wise. If they aren’t, delete and move on. Audition as the jobs come in if you are working online, (the same goes for agency castings looking for remote-recorded samples.) If you are recording something for a client, keep an eye on your email, and when the auditions are posted, pause and POUNCE! Early submission is essential both online and with your agents. Don’t wait! If you have a day job, clear the auditions in order of newness, (least submissions,) and budget/work ratio. If you aren’t on a tight deadline for client work, do your auditions FIRST!

Answer your emails as they come in. If this means pausing in the middle of a long project, so be it. There’s nothing worse than recording for an hour and having twenty new messages to answer, which will take time away from other booking-critical functions. Furthermore, your clients will love your responsiveness if you get back to them in a matter of minutes, and you will gain customer loyalty.

Market yourself every day, if you have time. It’s 3PM and there are no auditions left in your inbox..no client work to do? Write a blog post, send emails to production companies and businesses, create a newsletter for clients…whatever you do, DON’T go watch that old Seinfeld rerun, (am I dating myself here?) Make every hour of your workday count!

Have a networking strategy. Attend local events, and get active online. Find the resources that fit your situation best, and spend time getting to know people every day. Connections are EVERYTHING in this business.

Ultimately, have a PLAN. How do you intend to build your business? If you can answer that question conclusively, you have just added the perfect topping to a very profitable TACO.

Good luck, my friends!

All the best,

J. Michael Collins
www.jmcvoiceover.com
jmichael@jmcvoiceover.com

Trackback URL: https://www.jmcvoiceover.com/2013/04/16/how-voiceover-success-is-like-a-taco/trackback/

J. Michael Collins
Previous PostVoiceover Profiles: Satauna Howery
12 Comments
  • Randye Kaye April 22, 2013 Reply

    Michael, this is brilliantly summarized! Thanks for a terrific article I can share with those who ask me how to turn their "nice voice" into an income.
    Randye Kaye

  • Christopher Lewis April 24, 2013 Reply

    Michael,

    Thank you, this gets printed and added to my organizational binder. I might just adopt it as my internal mission statement.

    Appreciatively,

    Chris Lewis
    Random Thought – Actual
    "One of the best actors you've never seen…"

  • MikeDoesVoices April 24, 2013 Reply

    Mike,

    Well put! If I were you, I'd find a way to teach aspiring talent with your years of experience. Oh! You mean you DO! As a student of yours, I can attest to how this article and many of the other lessons you give translate into REAL success. My business saw a 200% growth after employing your teachings in just the 1st week! Now I'm consistently in the top 10 in the P2P marketplace and business is booming. Thanks again!

    For those reading this who are trying to book more work on the P2P sites…invest in YOURSELF…and book J.Michael for a class. You won't regret it!

    Mike Brang
    http://www.MikeDoesVoices.com

  • Moe Rock April 24, 2013 Reply

    Fabulous article J Mike! Always love your advice. :o)

  • Moe Rock April 24, 2013 Reply

    Oh… and I ate a TACO while I read it. :o)

  • Ed Bretten April 26, 2013 Reply

    Great article – well written with lots of succinct advice for newbies and pros!

  • JoshVoice May 20, 2013 Reply

    I have been looking the World Wide Web for this information and I want to thank you for this post. It’s not easy to find such perfectly written information on Voice Over Artist. Great Work!

  • LOCUCION COMUNICACIONES May 24, 2013 Reply

    Muy buen articulo, siempre es intersante y motivador

  • Nicola Redman May 24, 2013 Reply

    Nice advice, thank you.

    Nicola Redman (Irish Voice)
    http://www.nicolaredman.com

  • JoshVoice June 17, 2013 Reply

    Hi, what a great web blog On Voice Over Artist.I usually spend hours on the net reading blogs on various subjects.And, I really would like to praise you for writing such a fabulous article. I honestly believe there is a skill to writing articles that only very few posses and yes you got it.This is really informative and I will for sure refer my friends the same. Thanks.

  • Diana Birdsall November 08, 2013 Reply

    Great Info! Thanks for taking the time to put into an article.

  • melaniehaynes1 March 03, 2014 Reply

    Nice job, it’s a great post. The info is good to know!
    Voice Over Services

Leave a comment

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Archives
Subscribe
  • Receive News & Updates
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
RECENT TWEETS

@jmcvoiceover

April 16th 2021 03:04:21

https://t.co/JvlVDlCp3x

The latest episode is out!
The effervescent Elley Ray is my guest this week where we discu… https://t.co/GvCkijMG4B

@jmcvoiceover

April 12th 2021 06:04:14

@leegoettl I may have LOL’d

@jmcvoiceover

April 12th 2021 06:04:54

https://t.co/1ROte2BN73

People have accused me of being corny. I think this makes it official.

Happy to be the v… https://t.co/5M34jufx8f

@jmcvoiceover

April 9th 2021 01:04:50

https://t.co/BOEJrwQ5ml

Love them or hate them, if online casting sites are a part of your mix, you need to know h… https://t.co/Uf1h2yXbqi

@jmcvoiceover

April 8th 2021 10:04:02

https://t.co/8mn2nBzLUS

Episode 6 is out! Chloe Dolandis joins me to discuss our common interests in yoga, vegetar… https://t.co/pj3uaRQuFh

@jmcvoiceover

March 31st 2021 07:03:06

@kimwillsher1 Thanks!

@jmcvoiceover

March 31st 2021 06:03:41

@kimwillsher1 Has “Saturday evening” been confirmed? So non-essential shops will remain open on Saturday?

@jmcvoiceover

March 30th 2021 10:03:49

https://t.co/7URT2mvl1u

What came first, the Talent or the Training?
#vo #voiceovers #voiceover https://t.co/BM3IoGOfzN

@jmcvoiceover

March 29th 2021 09:03:09

https://t.co/1aTLUHwDBc

The brilliant Stefan Johnson joins me this week to chat about TikTok, BBQ, youngins, and w… https://t.co/MncJG2rs7D

@jmcvoiceover

March 25th 2021 12:03:42

Buy tickets to VO Atlanta. Get popcorn. Watch. Enjoy.
The Online Casting Panel is back. https://t.co/Bj79KQw4qR
#vo… https://t.co/wSAlOg9sPn

@jmcvoiceover

March 23rd 2021 02:03:45

https://t.co/QNkDLbqUFJ

The brilliant madness of Jas Patrick, learn all about hot chicken and Hoppin' John, and we… https://t.co/uas8YRBPeB

@jmcvoiceover

March 23rd 2021 07:03:47

Don't miss my Live Demo Review with Sound & Fury's Jill Kershaw at VO Atlanta!

Submit your demos for consideration… https://t.co/cp17fGhRat

@jmcvoiceover

March 18th 2021 10:03:21

@audiblyyours Talk to Lisa :)

@jmcvoiceover

March 18th 2021 09:03:15

Another group of Impressive Talent from Impressive Talent...great job in today's session! #vo #voiceover… https://t.co/GnASnlndrx

@jmcvoiceover

March 18th 2021 12:03:01

@AskAmex Real classy helping a vendor steal $14K from a small business owner in the middle of a pandemic. Shame on… https://t.co/1smP529Fj1

@jmcvoiceover

March 15th 2021 10:03:36

https://t.co/Vr6LWobNH0

#vo #voiceover #voiceovers #casting #talentagency https://t.co/OOPObDO1lE

@jmcvoiceover

March 3rd 2021 11:03:12

https://t.co/ZD5fsCJJZ5

The end is near. For some.
#vo #voiceover #voiceovers #ai #artificialintelligence https://t.co/ZiRAvQHPtQ

@jmcvoiceover

March 2nd 2021 12:03:31

This April, the Unicorn Award will finally change hands again after a year off due to the pandemic. Three talent wi… https://t.co/rwbI2wlW6a

@jmcvoiceover

March 1st 2021 09:03:05

https://t.co/3Gi5So033z

Episode 2 of This Week in Voiceover is up!

Armin Hierstetter joins with his usual subtle… https://t.co/dRkBJURB2W

@jmcvoiceover

February 25th 2021 09:02:14

Group coaching the impressive talent from Impressive Talent never gets old! Congrats to this fantastic lineup on a… https://t.co/t20cd9dVwJ

@jmcvoiceover

February 24th 2021 02:02:17

https://t.co/MNhFF82TIE

@jmcvoiceover

February 23rd 2021 12:02:59

https://t.co/TsWRTGPECx

I'm proud to premiere my new weekly podcast!

Check out Episode 1, featuring the hilarious… https://t.co/6vIV13Povi

@jmcvoiceover

February 22nd 2021 01:02:52

https://t.co/KGOBME8qLb

Check out my upcoming VO Xtra webinar featuring the legend himself, Dave Fennoy. Get the l… https://t.co/uJQFXKCilX

@jmcvoiceover

February 22nd 2021 12:02:54

https://t.co/G9xs7Dvb9P

Everybody was Facebook Fight-ing......... #vo #voiceover #voiceovers https://t.co/0t3SLUQumk

@jmcvoiceover

February 2nd 2021 04:02:01

RT @UKVoiceTalent: My new #commercialdemo. Courtesy of @jmcvoiceover and his incredible team. Having the demo created was one of my prizes…

@jmcvoiceover

February 2nd 2021 04:02:56

@UKVoiceTalent @DebMunroVO @Elley_Ray #rockstar

@jmcvoiceover

January 28th 2021 08:01:45

RT @jasonkappus: #HeyVAs: ALWAYS. BE. LEARNING. Coaching/listening/studying/conversing. Engage with the community, hit those free webinars.…

@jmcvoiceover

January 28th 2021 08:01:37

@jasonkappus I'll send you an invoice. :P

@jmcvoiceover

January 28th 2021 12:01:25

@CodyRockVO @plushiebunnies GREAT job!

@jmcvoiceover

January 25th 2021 11:01:23

This is what being a dad is all about. #goat @TomBrady is pure class. https://t.co/0u7leKhx7e

@jmcvoiceover

January 20th 2021 04:01:58

https://t.co/TAbOBrCwXH

@jmcvoiceover

January 19th 2021 04:01:59

@TheAlixMartin @GravyForBrain @JMCdemos You rocked it! Always a pleasure working with you. :)

@jmcvoiceover

January 18th 2021 05:01:45

https://t.co/FPkETFCxTZ

@jmcvoiceover

January 18th 2021 01:01:22

https://t.co/89rhMteg8P

Are you honoring your colleagues' kindness when they give you the gift of a recommendation… https://t.co/ewP1XnGptL

@jmcvoiceover

January 14th 2021 11:01:17

@jasonkappus LOL :)

CONTACT
202-738-1151
jmichael@jmcvoiceover.com
  • Home
  • My Demos
    • Commercial
    • Crisis Commercials
    • Medical
    • eLearning
    • Corporate
    • Automotive
    • TV Promo
    • TV Narration
    • Radio Imaging
    • Telephony
    • Political
  • Recent Work
  • Demo Production
    • Demo Production
    • Demo Production Guide
    • Commercial
    • Medical
    • eLearning
    • Corporate
    • Automotive
    • TV Promo
    • TV Narration
    • Radio Imaging
    • Telephony
    • Political
  • Coaching
    • Coaching
    • Voiceover Coaching Guide
  • Photo Gallery
  • Success Club
  • Euro Vo Retreat
  • Public Speaker Training
  • Giving Back
  • Blog
  • Contact

Privacy Policy ©2021 J. Michael Collins // Voice Over Site by Voice Actor Websites