I’d Love To Talk For A Living
Posted by Roger King | Filed under Uncategorized, Voice Coaches, Voice Over Experience
Naturally, as a voice talent agent, I tend to get more than a few people contacting me by phone, email, tweet or just yelling from rooftops asking how to get into the voice business. I try to respond to all inquiries and the general gist is one needs some training, from a broadcasting program or at the minimum, a workshop from a reputable voice coach. But a friend asked me the other day if I had written on this blog about how to get into the voice business and I realized that in all my posts, I don’t think I’ve directly answered that question.
Now as a preface to this, I remember hearing David Letterman say years ago that the last thing the world needed was another stand-up comedian. I sort of feel that way about the voice over business in 2012 – how many voice talents do we need? But I understand that if you’re reading this and you feel you must try this thing you’ve always wanted to do, then no one should crush your dream until you’ve at least stepped behind a mic and given it a go. Then your dreams can be reduced to sawdust and ashes. Oh c’mon, I kid.
DO I HAVE A GOOD VOICE?
I probably get this question – or some version of it – more than any other from people who are contemplating the leap into the wacky world of voice work. It’s an understandable question but one that is hard to answer and strangely enough, somewhat irrelevant. I mean, there are some voices that stand out in any context and you think, “That guy should do voice work.” Someone sounding like James Earl Jones would get 20 people telling him he has a great voice just ordering a pastrami on rye at the local deli. We all know what a classic radio DJ voice sounds like or a sultry woman but the bulk of the voice work out there is not for these kinds of traditional voices. If you’re thinking about doing voice work, start listening to the voices you hear on radio, television and the web. The variety may surprise you. There are many different types of voices that could be “good” depending on the script.
So, the real question(s) you should ask yourself is:
CAN I READ? or CAN I ACT?
Voice work is interpretation. You’re lifting words off the page. Hopefully they’re well-written but whatever the script, your job is to sell the idea, the message, the character. So, while having a voice that’s unique and easy on the ears is certainly a part of the equation, it doesn’t do you much good if you can’t go more than a sentence and a half without stumbling, or are unable to “get” what the script writer has intended. This is why in 2012, some of the more accomplished voice actors tend to have some kind of acting/theatrical/improv training. Since voice work is one type of performance, having some performance training makes complete sense. In theatre, actors work from scripts all the time and get experience with the audition process. This translates well in the voice over world.
WHERE CAN I GET TRAINING?
I’ve talked about voice coaches in other posts on this blog (feel free to browse and share widely) but if you don’t want to actually go to school full-time for broadcasting, you still must get some voice training. There are a number of different voice over courses and workshops around but the common element with almost all of them is you get time behind a microphone and constructive feedback from a professional. And if it’s your first time ever attempting voice work, you get a feel for how much you like it. Maybe it just won’t feel right. It’ll be like an awkward first date where you have only one beer and are in a taxi heading home by 9 pm. I have suddenly drifted into weak metaphor for no reason but you get what I’m saying. A voice workshop allows you to test the waters to see if this really is for you. And if it is, you start to get a sense of your strong suits in the diverse world of voice work. Are you comfortable reading high energy radio commercials, or do you feel more at home with a conversational e-learning script? Maybe characters are your bag, or perhaps corporate narrations arouse you the most.
You can also get mic time by volunteering to read for the visually impaired or perhaps there is a community or college radio station that is open to new voices. These are good places to hone your craft in low pressure environments.
CART BEFORE THE HORSE
In this day and age, I’ve seen rank amateurs build home studios and spend tons of money on a slick commercial demo when they’re nowhere near ready to call themselves a professional voice talent. As I like to say, I’d love to step on stage tonight and dazzle the crowd with my guitar licks and poignant song writing ability but I don’t know how to play guitar. Why would you “step on stage” without any training, without any industry feedback that says, “we like your voice and we might hire you.” So, do the training first, log the mic time and *then* make the leap into getting a demo produced and hustling for work.
It is true what you’ve heard – the voice over business is fun and entertaining work and quite well-paying once you’re established but there are rarely easy short cuts to anything. Do the work. Train the voice. Learn to interpret and perform. Become a professional. Dress is casual.
Tags: PN Agency, Voice Coaches, voice work, Voice-over Industry
Classic Videos – David Cross
Posted by Roger King | Filed under Classic Videos
I laughed out loud at this bit from comedian David Cross about morning show radio disc jockeys:
Tags: radio & TV, radio dj's, voice talent agent, Voice-over Industry
2012 Crystal Awards Winners
Posted by Roger King | Filed under Canadian Voice Over News
At the link below you can listen to award winning radio commercials as all the Crystal Award winning spots from 2012 are posted. Check out the Woolwich Dairy spots in particular (#25). That’s a shout-out to Todd Schick and Nick Tracey from PN Agency who voiced the two couple spots, created by CHUM-FM. Enjoy!
http://studio.adbeast.com/MediaViewer/?eRG=6E8A18B1-612B-4D83-A1A2-5043FE204594&index=
Tags: award shows, PN Agency, radio & TV, Voice-over Industry
La Belle Province
Posted by Roger King | Filed under Canadian Voice Over News, Voice Casting, Voice Over Experience
Just back from a few days in Montreal and an investigation of the voice scene there. I knew going in that L’Union des Artistes (UDA) is strong but my sense is that there is some non-union work kicking around. We met with some studios, a couple of production companies and of course several voice talents – both English and French. The poutine was tasty (www.restolabanquise.com), the city always delightful and who is going to argue with The Hilton’s policy of two free drinks in the hotel bar for each night you stay?!
It was encouraging to hear some potential clients say they do get request for non-union voices but there is not really a single source where they can go to find them. When putting together a roster in a new city, the goal is to find talent who are experienced but don’t already have relationships with every producer in the city. Otherwise, what does an agency bring to the table if producers and talent already know each other? Having said that, it is easier for a studio or production company to have one number to call for all talents vs having to keep track of every individual talent’s cell phone and current demo.
We met with some great talents: a full mix, from French speakers only to English only to bilingual. I was amazed at the many hats some of these talents wear – beaucoup de chapeaux! In addition to doing freelance voice work, one talent also manages a boutique hotel, another has his own event management company, and a woman we met hosts a morning radio show every day and still works 9-5 at a University (but of course she will still make time for voice over jobs!). It still remains to be seen how much English work there is in the city but we aim to have a small but deliciously talented roster of English voices to satisfy any client’s palate. I’m looking forward to developing a Montreal-based roster and am still putting the word out there for more non-union voices located there. Don’t hesitate to drop me a line!
Will update further on Montreal plans in this space.
P.S. I did take 8 years of French in school and can get by in both Quebec and France but I did enjoy sitting back and letting my co-worker Sarah banter with the French only talents. I could always pick out key words like “les clients”, “voix”, “non-union” and of course, an agent’s favourite, “commission”.
Tags: Bilingual voices, French voice talent, Montreal, Montreal voice agency, Montreal voice over
10th Anniversary Celebration!
Posted by Roger King | Filed under Canadian Voice Over News
This week marks the 10th Anniversary of my ownership of PN Agency. I wrote a promo note to clients to commemorate the occasion. I’ve posted it below:
Dear beloved client:
Ten years ago this week, I became the owner of PN Agency and quickly ordered new business cards. The agency was started almost a decade before that by Alan Powell and I’ll always be grateful to Alan for making me an offer I couldn’t refuse (and for being my voice agent all those years).
If you’re receiving this short note, it means you’ve hired one of the fabulous yet reasonably priced non-union voices on our roster at some point during the last decade OR we’ve at least had some communication about the idea of you engaging our voice talents OR you’ve requested a quote or audition. There is the distinct possibility of course that you’ve never heard of PN Agency in which case I’m flattered you’ve read this far.
This short missive is really just a big thank you for your business and for seeing the value in our voices. I look forward to another 10 years of helping to make your radio & television commercials, documentaries, web promos and multi-media presentations sound just a little bit better.
And I raise a celebratory glass to you, our valued client (it’s early in the week so I’m not actually drinking at the moment. It’s just a metaphor. No, no, no really, it is…)
As always, oral specialists are waiting to serve you at www.pnagency.com
Oh…and to celebrate 10 years at the helm, I’ll be tweeting links to various commercials, videos, series and documentaries featuring PN Agency talents. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter if you want to join in on the good clean fun.
We’re at:
http://twitter.com/#!/voiceovercanada
With affection,
Roger King
El Presidente
PN Agency – www.pnagency.com
Ethnic Voice Talent – www.ethnicvoicetalent.com
(416) 515-8918
pnagency@pnagency.com
Check out my VO blog – www.voiceovercanada.ca
Now on Twitter – http://twitter.com/#!/voiceovercanada
Tags: non-union, PN Agency, voice talent agent, voice-over
Secrets of An Agent Man discussion
Posted by Roger King | Filed under Secrets of an Agent Man
Voice Over Xtra has published my blog piece about the PN Agency business model in hopes of generating some discussion in the industry about voice agents & representation. Hopefully, there will be some comments and observations from VO Xtra readers in different cities.
Here is the URL for the article and comments:
http://www.voiceoverxtra.com/article.htm?id=t9njmxig
Tags: PN Agency, voice talent agent, Voice-over Industry, Voice-Over Xtra
