Yes, you can take lessons with a VO coach, take improv classes, and work on your diction - but there's a whole other side to the voiceover industry and it can greatly enhance your skills.
This month's video gives some insight into the people on the other end of the microphone; producers, ad agencies, copywriters and agents. Learn how you can strengthen your ability to be an efficient partner with these creatives and be better on-mic too!
How To Be A Better Voice Actor WITHOUT Coaching - 4:09
Hey everybody, welcome to another edition of “The Gift of Gab.” Thanks for joining me. So today I want to talk a little bit about things that you can do to enhance your voiceover career besides the usual suspects, right? We’ve all heard about coaching, and the fact that you need training, and how essential that is to a voiceover career. But what else can an aspiring voice actor do to enhance their probability of booking and further their knowledge of the industry? I’m a really big fan of learning the other side of the business. See, a lot of folks never do that. It’s actually one of the things that I attribute to my success as a voiceover actress. I spent a number of years learning the behind the scenes portion of our industry. I worked in advertising agencies. I worked at production companies. I worked as a copywriter. As you might know, I worked in radio, and I also worked in casting for many years.
My reasoning was really straightforward. I wanted to know as much about how this industry ticks as I possibly could. I was never just satisfied with being on mic. I wanted to know what happened behind the scenes. I wanted to know how all of the components and facets of this industry work. And so I found myself learning so, so many things that a lot of voice actors never get to experience. I learned about negotiations, and contracting, and rates, and the different ways that talent agents and casting companies go about basically landing a deal for a voice actor. I learned tricks in editing and on the production side of things by working at audio production
houses that I never would have known otherwise. My time in advertising taught me about things like media buying, and ad placement, and traffic, which for those of you who don't know, it has nothing to do with literally like the traffic in your commute to work every day.
These things cumulatively helped me to become a stronger voice actor. They didn't necessarily strengthen my performance abilities. What they strengthened was my ability to be an efficient partner and to work really, really well with the people that take your voiceover and do something with it. My knowledge of editing and my knowledge of postproduction has always been a huge advantage because when I’m in the booth, I’m also thinking like a producer. I’m thinking about what they’re going to have to do in postproduction, where the edits are going to have to be made
and what I can do to make their lives easier.
So if you are new to this industry, and you’re looking to strengthen your knowledge, enhance your skill set, and maybe also make some money at the same time, I would definitely suggest that you look into entry-level jobs in radio, television, advertising, audio production. I started off as a receptionist. I started off working the phones at a front desk, and I worked my way up from there. If you can do the same, it’s a great way to get your foot in the door, it’s a great way to meet people, and yeah, your acting skills will also grow from observation. You’ll learn by meeting and watching other voiceover actors along the way.
So I hope this helps. If you want more information like this, and want deeper insights from me into the things that you can do personally to enhance your own voiceover career, please go to my website, GabrielleNistico.com. Take a look at my coaching options, and I look forward to working with you. Bye!
704-674-8294 / GabrielleNistico.com / gabby@voiceovervixen.com
Gabrielle Nistico, Gabby Nistico, The Voiceover Vixen, The Business First VO Coach, #VoiceoverVixen #VoiceOnFire #BusinessFirstVOCoach Voiceover, Charlotte, North Carolina, Voiceover Demo, Voiceover Coaching Advice, What Not To Do, Working Actors, Los Angeles, New York, Virtual Voiceover Exchange, How to Be a Better Voice Actor