Commercials, trailers, audiobooks, and eLearning are just the tip of the iceberg of things that need a voice. And the list just keeps growing. Never before has there been such a pent-up demand for voice over actors. The good news is that demand is being met with a supply of professionals with voice over experience, male and female, Millennials and Boomers. They are waiting in the wings to help creative directors and business owners like you reach your audiences.
When tasked with hiring a voice over professional, you ideally crave that perfect voice to sell your product, teach your staff, or build awareness. Your decision on who to hire a voice over artist can make all the difference. The right voice over artist will grab a listener’s attention, leading to a successful project. The wrong voice will have the opposite effect. That’s why you should voice over experience matters when choosing an actor for your next assignment.
Skills Come with Experience
While distinctive vocals are a vital characteristic in voice over actors, look further. The candidate needs to be able to use that voice to convey a message. Inflections must be practiced, deliveries honed, and these skills come with experience. Voice coaches are an integral part of the voice over industry, and they help dedicated professionals target and avoid regionalization and teach the various degrees of dictation and speech. Producers and directors seek a natural delivery with a familiar tone, and they are the cream of the crop.
Some of a voice actor’s experience comes from skills gained outside the voice over industry. Talented on-screen and off-screen actors can usually deliver dialogue with little effort. Those who have that kind of talent in their past are sought after by corporations and businesses worldwide.
Building Relationships
If you are a broker or work for a multi-faceted organization, it’s even more important to seek a voice professional with experience. By building relationships with experienced voice over professionals with an array of genres under their belt, you will always have an answer for that next project request, whether it’s for a video game or television promo. Established relationships are in everyone’s best interest, and the stronger the relationship, the higher the success rate.
A Career, Not a Hobby
Voice over professionals who dedicate their working lives to their craft fast-track experience. You will find those who work full time exuding a high level of dependability, which is how they put bread on the table. To them, voice over acting is a career, not a hobby.
Indeed, voice over experience matters when it comes to some of the building blocks of making a career for themselves, including:
- Building Trust
- Perseverance
- Niche Marketing
- Networking
- A Professional Studio
Being thick-skinned is a virtue as well. Many beginners face hundreds of audition rejections before landing that first gig, and rejections build fortitude, something to look for when hiring your next voice over actor.
Voice Over Experience Counts
An estimated five to ten years can elapse before a voice over career hits its stride. Over time, those dedicated to the craft will rise to the top. Those pros understand how to reach a listener depending on the project, and that’s why voice over experience matters.
An agent or business owner may discover a new voice now and then who knocks it out of the park on day one. But for the most part, those who put in the necessary time and effort will bring home the golden goose.