Demo language: Clients often search by accents, for example, the British accent or Southern Belle, United States. Including the timber of your voice (your vocal range), for example, bass, baritone, alto, or soprano, is also helpful for clients looking for specific voice types. (Consult the earlier section, “Identify the languages you speak and accents you know” for making sure your profile matches your demos.)
Demo category: The demo category refers to the type of demo it is, for example, radio, business, telephone, movie trailer, narration, and so on. Ideally, you will have a separate demo for each category you’re interested in obtaining work in. If you have a montage demo, try to select the most appropriate category for it.
Demo description: Some sites have a search engine that not only searches your profile’s content, but also your demo descriptions. The more demos and diverse descriptions you have, the greater your opportunities of being found for a variety of queries. In one or two short sentences, describe what types of characters are portrayed, the voice styles used, and, if applicable, who the demo was voiced for.
Demo tag: A tag is a single word description of the contents on your demo. Usually tags are adjectives like “funny” or “serious” and serve to provide insight into the material on your demo. Tags can also be a character type, such as “soccer mom” or “guy-next-door” and prove helpful to clients who are looking for someone who can fill that role.
Considering Visual Branding
Your personal branding is very important, and if successfully mastered, it can set you and your offerings apart. Your brand is representative of who you are and what you’re offering as a voice actor, which also includes your voice.
The following sections discuss how to choose a name for your brand, select visual images to identify your brand with, create verbiage around how you want to share your brand, such as a slogan or tagline, and create your brand colors. They’re all critical pieces in defining, developing, and communicating your brand. You can then share your brand in a variety of ways, including online via your own website.
Selecting your brand’s name
When you brand yourself, you need to consider what name you want to use. Many professionals choose to keep their real names, but you can also choose to use a stage name. For many voice actors, a stage name gives them the freedom to create a unique persona and helps separate their work from their home life.
You can select a memorable name, a unique name, basically any name that you feel suits you and is in line with the services you provide. Be sure to select a name that is easy to remember, easy to say and spell, and is non-offensive to others. Check to see if the name you want to use is available by contacting your local government office when registering your business. You may also want to cross-reference your desired stage name with guilds or unions to see if someone is already using it in the acting field. You also may want to do an Internet search to verify no one else has trademarked it. After you have a name, go online to Network Solutions or a similar domain name broker to discover whether or not your preferred domain name is available.
If no one else uses the name, opt for your name to serve as your domain name. If the domain name you desire is available, you have an opportunity to purchase it and secure your brand name on the Internet. Having a memorable URL or website domain name is important because you want people to remember how to get to you easily. The closer the domain name ties in with your brand and what you do, the better.
When devising a name for your brand, you want to differentiate yourself. Brainstorm names and use alternative imagery that evokes emotion. Try something new like a plant, animal, household appliance, something conceptual, a play on words, or something completely off the wall. The point is, be different.
Before going too far down this road, we recommend that you consult with a lawyer to learn more about how to properly apply for and/or register a stage name for your business.
Adding a photo or image
When establishing your brand, you want to include an image to show prospective clients who you are. Many voice actors add a traditional headshot as a graphical representation. Others commonly use a microphone, which is simple and to the point. Whatever you choose, make sure you’re original.
You can upload a picture of yourself or a graphic that represents who you are as a voice artist and businessperson. Many voice actors opt not to reveal their visual identity, although voice actors with an acting background or on-camera experience are more comfortable with marketing their personal image as a representation of their corporate voice-over image.
You may not want to include a photo of yourself, which is fine. Voice actors expect to be cast based upon their voice, not how they look. Given that the medium is audio, this makes a great deal of sense and enables the customer to focus on your voice when listening to a performance.
No matter what type of image or picture you use, if you want your brand to stand out, we suggest you use something else besides just a headshot of yourself. A couple suggestions include the following:
Use online services: These services, such as www.istockphoto.com or www.gettyimages.com, offer royalty-free photographs, royalty-free illustrations, and digital artwork. For a few dollars (most images are only a couple dollars), you can license an image to promote your business that’s likely not being used by anyone else. Using these types of sites can be very helpful in branding your business visually and cost effectively.
Hire a graphic designer: You can hire an artist to create an image (or logo; see the later section on having a logo). Make sure you own the image and its rights. A graphic designer is a professional who has the expertise and can come up with something unique.
For best results, upload a square image with equal dimensions because the website may resize your photo during the uploading process, and you want the image to be able to scale properly and be displayed well.
Designing and creating a logo
A logo is the most readily available representative of your voice. Your logo can accompany press releases, be used as a link to your website and for advertising purposes, and give potential audiences a glimpse at what you and your voice are all about even before listening to your demo.
Logos are very important in the world of branding because your logo is often the first impression of you and your voice. As a result, your logo should be friendly to all age groups and sized appropriately, making sure that it doesn’t take up more than the normal allotted dimensions for logos. The dimensions should be no less than 500 pixels wide and 500 pixels high. Ideally, you should display a square, so your image is 500 pixels by 500 pixels. An image that is cropped correctly loads much faster, uses less bandwidth, and creates the positive first impression that you’re aiming for. Stick with .gif or .jpg files because they display better on the Internet.
To create a logo, you have a couple options:
Hire a professional graphic designer. A freelance professional just like you with an expertise in graphic design can create your logo. This individual can send you a web-ready image in the appropriate dimensions and format. Check with friends for referrals or go online and search for individuals who can help you create your logo. If you use a professional, make sure you own the rights to the image so you can do with it what you want.
Design it yourself. If you have some experience, you may want to design your own logo. If so, you can use tools such as Adobe Fireworks and Adobe PhotoShop to achieve your branding goals. Designing your own logo may be the best route if you don’t want to deal with licenses or other arrangements.
If you already have a logo, you can further brand your image by incorporating your business logo or designing a variation of your corporate logo to strengthen and reinforce your brand.
Coming up with a tagline
A tagline is a brief statement that qualifies what you do and how it relates to others. Havin
g a tagline as a voice actor is important because people will quickly see how you are different from other voice actors and figure out the benefits of working with you. You can use a tagline to instill, validate, and affirm your brand. You may want to use it on your website, business cards, and in your demos.
To come up with your own tagline, take a good half hour or so to brainstorm slogans and taglines for your voice-over services. Consider what you think you do and how others see what you do. Perception is important, and you can help to shape how your brand is perceived. Think about what you want to say about your voice to someone who doesn’t know you or your brand. Ask other people who know you and your business about what they think your tagline should be. A tagline helps to extend your brand and identify what you do at the outset.
A smart one-liner can do wonders for staying front-of-mind. For example, voice actors on Voices.com include “Cowboy Dave, The Voice of the West” and “Melanie Haynes, The Tasty Voice,” which do a great job of giving prospective clients a snapshot into who the voice actor is. No matter what tagline you come up with, make sure you have fun with it.
Picking colors
When choosing color themes to represent your voice-over services, make sure you select complementary colors, that is, colors that go well together. After you pick the colors that will brand your services, be consistent and use only those colors, including on your website, in your logo, on your business card, and any other product you distribute. You want your brand to be consistent, and an easy way to do so is use the same colors all the time.
Colors often have certain emotions or connotations associated with them. For instance, the color yellow is often associated with the sun, cheerfulness, and innovation, whereas blue may be associated with the sea, tranquility, and freedom.
To select colors that suit you and your voice-over abilities, consider
Using colors that you like (it’s your brand, after all)
Staying away from colors your competition is using
Pairing colors that are complementary to each other
Considering what those colors mean to you and how you can weave them into your brand
At the time of this writing, Voices.com uses green, blue, and a little bit of orange in our branding. We want to project a fresh, vibrant, and natural look that reflects our brand and corporate culture.
If your business already has an official color(s), you may wish to incorporate those same colors into your branding scheme for your website, logo, and business cards.
Drumming Up Your Own Business: Network Your Way to Success
Although the web offers an abundance of opportunity to network and get the word out about your business, you can also rely on developing personal relationships with people through different types of networking. These flesh-and-blood connections can introduce you to prospective clients.
Having a firm handshake, making eye contact, being friendly and open, and exuding confidence and an attitude of service were and still are key in developing meaningful business relationships. The challenge faced today is making those skills translate to networking in a virtual environment. Even though a large part of your voice acting work is online, you can still apply these similar techniques and person-to-person communication skills to online efforts.
The following sections identify some places where you can utilize your networking skills with people who can potentially get you jobs and help you improve your craft.
When you network in the following places, you want to be prepared. The best way is with what is called an elevator speech in the industry. You sum up who you are, what you do, and how you can be of service to someone in less than 60 seconds. It basically lasts the time it would take you to travel on an elevator with a person of influence from the first floor lobby to their executive office, ten floors or higher. You have a limited window of opportunity to make an impact, so you want to practice and master it, so it sounds natural but polished. If the person you’re talking to has follow-up questions, then you know he or she is interested and your elevator speech worked.
Visiting recording studios
A recording studio is a unique place to gain perspective on the technical side of voice-over acting and to connect with people in the industry. Those people can potentially assist you in improving your skills and getting work.
At a studio you may be able to watch actual recording sessions and listen to professionals at work. Becoming familiar with the technology is a definite plus that can help you to become more independent. You can also discover more about the process as a whole and develop a greater respect for how hard audio and sound engineers work to make you sound good.
If you’re interested in watching live sessions take place, call a local recording studio to see if it’s open to observers. You may also ask a peer if you can accompany her to a recording studio and observe her work as a guest.
Connecting with casting directors
Nowhere else can you get the inside scoop on casting trends better than in a casting house. These companies are responsible for organizing casting calls and auditioning voice actors with a casting director.
You may be able to observe the auditioning process and see first-hand what directors look for in a read and also gain invaluable insight into how the business works from the inside out. Take the information you acquire and be sure to incorporate it into your own business for better audition to booking ratios.
Reaching out to talent agencies
Employing the help of a voice acting talent agent can deliver real benefits and results. Agents don’t charge you any fees upfront; they get paid in commissions after you get hired. Unless the agent is successful in getting his voice actors work, he doesn’t make any money. As a result, he’s motivated to find appropriate work for you.
Agencies are always looking for new talent, which is the only way that they can remain fresh, competitive, and viable. In order to be considered for agency representation, you need to provide the agency with a demo CD or MP3, portfolio, and professional headshot or portrait. You can send these items via mail, and they become the property of the agency once they arrive. If you’re thinking of hiring an agent, check out Chapter 16 for more details about what an agent can offer you.
Partnering with other voice actors
You may be the type of person who really wants to learn from other more experienced voice actors. By working with a voice actor who is already established, you can see the business, technical, and artistic side of her work. Your mentor may take you under her wing and ask you do certain tasks, such as take phone calls while she is recording, submitting auditions on her behalf, editing audio files, sending out marketing materials to customers, or managing ad campaigns. All these tasks can help you gain a better appreciation for what goes into being a voice actor.
Similarly, voice coaches are great people to work for because they already value education, and they’ll see that you get everything you need while you’re with them to succeed. A coach may ask you to do a wide array of tasks, including organizing his class schedule, booking clients, promoting workshops, or even sending out email newsletters to students about upcoming opportunities to train. You may even be able to work out a deal where you take classes with the coach and pay off what you owe by serving as his assistant for a set time. The coach’s generous nature can do you good and introduce you to numerous possibilities in his area of expertise. (Refer to Chapter 3 for more about using a voice coach.)
Attending local meet-and-greet events
Although a lot of business is done online as a voice actor, most relationships either start or are strengthened by meeting in person at conferences or networking events. As a voice actor, especially if you’re just starting in the business, you want to connect with local people and establish new relationships. You can take advantage of many opportunities for networking and becoming known locall
y, especially if you seek out membership in an advertising club, a chamber of commerce, or any other organization of businesspeople looking to connect on a regular basis to socialize.
Joining (or even starting one if one isn’t in your area) a monthly meet-up group is a great way to network with peers and get referral business. You can introduce yourself and make a connection with all different sorts of people. You can let them know what you do and how you could potentially help them. Whenever you can, make sure you make an effort to do some face-to-face networking and make some real, in-person contacts.
If you’re working for yourself and selling your voice-over services, you have every right to be involved in the corporate fabric of your city or town. Don’t be afraid to show up. Many voice actors often forget that they’re running a business. You have so much to offer other people and businesses near you, so make sure they know about you.
When you’re at these meetings, work the crowd to meet as many people as possible. The last thing you want is to talk to the same person for an hour and not get the chance to meet other people. Make sure you have business cards and CDs with your demo ready to give to people who are interested in talking to you more.
Offering your voice to complementary service providers
The voice-over industry isn’t just about creativity and audio production; it can also be about marketing and public relations. If you prefer working with a creative business that involves creative yet business-focused people, you may want to consider a position working with companies that provide services or products complementary to your own. Some examples you can look into are advertising agencies, video production houses, language translation companies, and retailers for recording studio equipment.
If you have the personality for it, try cold calling local creative businesses and introduce yourself. Find out if they’re interested in using your voice in their next radio commercial or offer to be the voice of their telephone auto-attendant.
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