Press

Education for Voice Actors

January 15, 2023 by Alan Shires

First things first! Education is SOOO important! It is one of the most crucial elements at our disposal. In the UK, it is such a phenomenal benefit to have free education available up to the university level. Even then, the grants and financial infrastructure for higher education are super, it is such a massive blessing. The thing is, we never stop learning. There is always a new skill to learn, an attribute to acquire, or a reminder to be taken. Much like working those muscles in the gym, things go soft if not worked on regularly. Refresher classes and ongoing education for voice actors are vital for continued success.

The Background of a Voiceover Artist

We all have a story to tell. Where did it all begin? How did we get into the industry? My story takes me back to being a kid! With an explosive imagination, I loved to play and go wild! Using that imagination, I found myself loving drama class, and I always remember thinking to myself ‘for a job, I want to do something I enjoy’’. To me, that always made sense. Why would I want to work in an environment that makes me miserable? If I must work to get by in life, it might as well be something fun, something I am enthusiastic about. That actually still makes a lot of sense to me even today, and it drives me forward – it motivates me. I have observed so many people who have been crushed by the pressures of life and get caught in a job they hate when their skills and talents can be utilised elsewhere! So, from the point of making that decision as a young kid, I fell in love with ‘Drama’ and decided that that was what I wanted to do. I followed the streams through my GCSEs, and they took me to college and later university.

How to Give Back as a Voice Actor

Some of my happiest days in education whilst learning to act was when I went to college. I adored it! I learnt so much, and I was surrounded by amazing people, all who share a love for the arts. After leaving a poor school with little investment into acting I was immersed in this environment with a beautiful working space with the latest high-tech kit for the theatrics and film. It was three years filled with multiple genres, styles, techniques, and performances. I was even blessed with the opportunity to go to Spain and work there for three months. I am so grateful for all I received from my time in college, and I have had it in me ever since that it is an area I wanted to give back to.

I have ensured to keep a loose channel of contact with the college, and from time to time, they will ask me to record something on Zoom or write something for them. They have run case studies on me and have put my testimonials on their posters. The college used me as a success story. I left there, continued my studies, and then became an active practitioner in the industry, working for a living in entertainment. I would encourage as many young people as possible looking to learn more about the entertainment industry and take those courses I did I would consider to be the greatest level of investment they can have

Things to Do Beyond Education for Voice Actors

So, what happens next? This is a topic I am so passionate about! After education, what does one do next? Generally, students are not taught what is needed to hustle work, and in an environment as unusual as entertainment, it’s very tricky to pinpoint what the next steps are. I went out and got an agent and did very little aside from hustling a few pays-to-play websites. It was not until I broke out of my day job I really learnt what I needed to do with the likes of headshots, showreel material, IMDb, and so on and so forth. So, what does a performer do after they finish their studies?

Keep Training: Attend workshops and courses in things you are passionate about. I am passionate about the video game genre and though this is voice over in theory, when you consider that voice over is just acting people see for the qualities needed are identical. I am just as wild in the booth as I am on the stage. Furthermore, in video games, performance capture and motion capture invite the combination of the stage and the camera so it all feeds back into the same place.

Invest in Your Passions: I have, in the last two years, learnt to wield a staff and fire four different guns. Now at this point, I am not a professional, but I certainly know the basics, and when it comes to the staff, I can pull off some pretty cool tricks. I learnt these skills because they will help me in TV and in Performance capture. How does that fit in with the voiceover side of things? Well, like I said, it all feeds back into the same place, and performance capture brings together motion, voice, face, and skills.

Working as an Actor and Voiceover Artist

If you continue training and gaining new skills, you are well set up on a practical manner. Learning about head shots, reels and the business are the next step so a good and strong community in acting and / or voice over is vitally important. Making friends and building connections is the way to gain repeat client and those pay to play sites will certainly help you starting out. The practise from the auditions is super helpful and if you book some little jobs to start with, they will lead to repeat work and bigger jobs in the future. Fundamentally, as long as all the above is matched make sure you network as much as possible and that is the best piece of education, I can offer you.

To close, I teach several times a month. I do not just teach just the craft of performance but also the business element to. Whether it be as an on-screen actor or as a voiceover artist / voice actor understanding what one needs in their profile and the steps in the industry are so important. Talent is vital but understanding how the industry works is important to. The best actor in the world isnt going to make it if they are not seen. At the same time, the best marketeer in the world wont land the big jobs if they cannot act.

Voice Over Transitions: It’s all so Alien – The Full story

January 7, 2023 by Alan Shires

When the Voice Actor Meets Despair!

Do you like my dramatic title for this paragraph? What a way to open a blog, right? Well, in this instance, I wish I could say it was exaggerated. ‘It’s all so Alien’ was birthed out of one of the most challenging points of my life because family, work, health, and career all blurred into one for three weeks of my life. And I’m sure it won’t be the last of the life and voice over transitions headed my way.

Leaving the day job and going into voice acting full time

In June 2020, I gave up my final PAYE job and began working independently as a voiceover artist. My wife at the time was 7 months pregnant, and we were decorating the nursery for my new baby on that first Saturday of me being free from work. As I was painting our lodger commented that the paint stunk to which I replied saying ‘’I can’t smell anything’’ oh no, you know where this is going right? Wait for it!

I began feeling more poorly, and this was in the days long before a vaccine was common. After testing, my leave turned into a nice bout of Covid-19, just what every voice actor needs right?

Battling Isolation, Spiders, and Covid Symptoms

Covid-19 hit me hard this first time. I struggled to breathe, eat, and sleep, and had other unusual, weird symptoms. When the virus was in full force, my wife had crossed over from being 7 months pregnant to 8 months pregnant, so we slept in different rooms (don’t worry, we did get the nursery finished!).

There was one evening when everything was a bit of a blur, and I remember hearing a scuttling of wrappers on the floor. (Oh no…) At first, I ignored it! I heard it again… I then decided to turn the light on and look, nothing! I thought, must just be wrappers brushing against each other when I laid back down and alas, I heard this scuttling one more time! Before I go any further, let me just reassure you, I am not a big slog who keeps loads of wrappers on the floor, just during Covid, I did enjoy a few bags of crisps to see me by, and I did isolate in my room, so access to bins was limited!

Now that’s all cleared up, let me get back to the tale! I once more carried my blurry self out of bed and turned the light on and when looking down at the floor laid THE BIGGEST, DIRTIEST, and most MONSTEROUS Spider you have ever seen (in the UK – it wasn’t anything compared to what is out there around the world). Not liking spiders all that much I did think to myself at 00:30am “WHY ME?” Anyway, I got it into a glass, and it went out the window. But in the midst of feeling simply awful that was the last thing I needed.

Voiceover Transitions – Motivated Out of the Fog

Prior to getting sick, I had just auditioned for a new and upcoming animation. A wonderful story promoting good morals. It was both educational and entertaining, and I noticed a few friends of mine were getting cast which was exciting. The email then landed in my inbox that I, too, had been cast! It gets better! I got cast in one of the most prominent roles in the series!

But I was sick!? Well, after two weeks, my sinuses had cleared up a bit, so I was dealing with fatigue and breathlessness. I noticed some clients generally were more sympathetic during the pandemic towards people’s health. They were happy with my pace, and a bit of editing gets rid of those nasty deep breath sounds between the lines.

So! I managed to do the session and get through the job. My first-ever animation booking came in during one of the worst bouts of sickness I have ever had in my life. Now, please do not misinterpret me here. I am not saying if you’re sick, you should work! There were indeed points where I was physically incapable, but I did just about manage to work everything out with enough recovery time to get myself through the session. I remember feeling exceptionally exhausted after it, but I love voice over and I love being an actor. The jolt and thrill it gave me, I believe, helped with my recovery, in fact!

But to summarise – if you are not well enough to work, don’t. But if you want to, then do! I have said it before, but I was so pleased to be a working voice actor who had invested in a home studio years prior because without that, the job would have been impossible for me to complete without the client needing to change their recording schedule.

Voice Over Transitions – It’s all so Alien to Us

The whole world stopped, everything we knew changed, and we had to adapt! Whether it was learning how to do online shopping or getting used to finding stuff to do at home, it was a very alien environment. I fortunately did not struggle too much work-wise as I worked a lot from my booth already. I did miss getting out the house and going to a studio, though, as it is good fun. So, what happened to my wife and newborn? Well, Covid dragged a bit, but I got a negative test 3 days before my daughter was born. So, it was nearly a nasty situation, and no one wants to miss out on their child’s birth, but fortunately, I got better just in time.

In many ways, the world still is and continues to be a bit ‘Alien,’ and accepting the new normal as a little abnormal is a good approach to the ever-changing climate we live in.

Voiceover Home Studios – The Full Story

January 2, 2023 by Alan Shires

What a Voice Actor Needs to Record From Home

The coronavirus pandemic made voiceover home studios more common and acceptable, and despite in-house studios opening up again, I think much of the convenience of having a home studio to record from is still a popular option. During the pandemic, I helped hundreds of artists get set up with tailored setups ready to launch their businesses forward. Effectively all you need is a microphone, an audio interface, a pair of headphones, and a computer. The microphone is an electronic ear, though it is super sensitive and will hear so many sounds we might otherwise not hear. The audio interface takes the sound waves picked up by the microphone and converts them into something a computer can understand. On your computer, you will need to download what’s known as a ‘DAW.’ This is audio recording software. With that said, you are good to go!

Voiceover Equipment

Some equipment works better for some people than others. There are microphones for example, that complement higher-pitch voices and others that complement lower-pitch voices. Some variations in equipment don’t always work as well as others, but I will come on to that a little later. I wrote the intro to 4 equipment spreads in The Buzz magazine to give people a huge range of content, evaluating the pros and cons along with the prices and specs. Vocal booths, microphones, interfaces, and headphones are all things I looked at. A budget set up can be gained for around £200 to $250. This will give you a decent microphone, interface, and headphones to start you off. However, what type of microphone do you need, and where do you record?

Creating Your Space

There are several types of microphones out there, such as dynamic, large diaphragm, small diaphragm, and ribbon mics, to name a few. They all serve a purpose, but in voice over in particular, the typical standard is a large diaphragm condenser microphone. Most agents, casting directors, or clients will be expecting these types of microphones. It is key to make sure that you do not deviate from this as you want to make the experience as easy as possible to book work. There is, of course, the odd exception to the microphone large diaphragm condenser rule, but unless you are at a sound engineer level of experience, it is best to stick to what is normal in this instance.

Mixing Equipment and Elevating Your Performance

Several clients in the video game and anime genres prefer to work with Neumann TLM103s and U87s. A friend of mine said an Aston Spirit was a good substitute for the Neumann TLM103, so I decided to put this to the test. I compared several microphones to the TLM103, and ultimately the TLM103 outperformed in nearly every way, and some of the other microphones in the hustings proved to be better than the Aston Spirit. Amongst these microphones were the Rode NT1a, Imperative Audio Lucent, Vocaster, Aston Origin, Spirit and Stealth, and the Shure SM7b. I was in the process of upgrading from a Scarlette 2i2 to an Audient ID14 MKii.

These tests were conducted on the 2i2, but then I started to repeat the practise on the ID14. It was interesting that the Rode NT1a sounded amazing on the 2i2, yet on the ID14, it sounded ‘okay.’ Conversely, the TLM103 sounded great on the 2i2, yet on the ID14, it sounded exceptional! It does seem that the higher quality equipment does work better together. I can only assume a lower-budget interface with a higher-budget microphone does not pull through all the beauty the microphone is picking up.

Maximising Voiceover Home Studios

People often get concerned about where they are going to record. This can be due to external noise or rented accommodation. Sometimes it can be just down to space! But the good news is that there are plenty of options. Ideally, you want a reinforced acoustically treated soundproof workspace, but if that’s out of your budget or you do not have the price, do not worry. You can get portable vocal booths that fold up so that they can be stored away after use. The additional perk is that you can pack and put them in your car for traveling.

Portable booths range from tent-styled setups using blankets and sticks to rather heavy, thick, and dense materials. So, to summarise, there is the option of portable booths, which are lighter and thinner and offer more convenience, or a larger and heavier booth that sounds much better but is a bit more awkward to move about. Of course, there are products on the market, such as the Isocube and the Kaotica Eyeball, built to cover microphones, creating a decent size chamber that is not circulating the microphone.

Investing in Your Studio Brings Returns

Though the £200 to $250 bundles are incredible, for an extra £75 to $100, you can probably get something more tailored to your voice type and detailed needs. If you’re on the main road, in a terraced house, living with housemates and under a flight path, then you need to make sure you are doing things perfectly and waiting a couple of months to save up that extra couple of hundred pounds/dollars will be worth it in the long and short term. The good news is the home studio setup is always an evolving piece; even now, all these years in, I am still tweaking and changing my setup because it can always be better.

As I learn and technology evolves, I want to stay up to date with the latest tips, tricks, and trends, so I sound fantastic and competitive. Sometimes that super awesome sound might just be what gives you the edge. The good news is nothing is lost! If you upgrade, the old kit now happily resides in your travel kit bag or stands as an alternative should your client want to try a different sound or one of your components break. To close on that note, I always recommend two inputs rather than one for your audio interface because if one breaks, at least you have a second one to lean on.

Have fun building your studio. Make it personal to you; make it yours!

Voiceover Mindset and Vision – The Full Story

December 30, 2022 by Alan Shires

The Voiceover Artist and The Press

If you have read any of my other blogs before this one, you will know I am super enthusiastic about the press. Why am I so passionate about it? IMDb credits will show the world how good and creditable you are. Your demos and headshots will show the world your range and style. Social media does an excellent job of showing whatever we want the world to see, whether it be humor, business success, family, or anything else. So, what does the press do, and why is it important? The press allows us to put out information that puts us in a place of influence and presents us with the opportunity to support, invest and uplift those who work around us. When we have the press, it shows we are well-rounded with all the above, but it gives us the ability to give back to the industry. Giving away our tips and tricks, sharing our experiences and stories, and putting ourselves in a place of connection helps those around us whilst boosting one’s own profile.

The Voiceover Mindset in the Business World

As a working actor and northern voiceover artist, the business side of what I do is vitally important. It is a core building block of everything I do and the number one opportunity to grow my business and book fun jobs! That said, it requires a different mindset. I must step out of my performer’s mindset for a moment and think practically, following the professionalism and expectations of any business. This is not a moment to be creative but a moment for me to show off my gifts, advertise my services and display my worth. This article was born in a business setting.

The Post-Covid Voiceover Business

I was at a voiceover collaboration meeting in London, looking at ways to support artists more globally. At the meeting, there was a business coach who supported the meeting chair. His role was to look at resource systems and processes to critique them, simplifying them but increasing the impact and audience range. These meetings are so important because modern-day voiceover talent’s trends, needs, and desires change regularly. Take the pandemic as an example. Outside studios suddenly stopped whilst home studios became the new norm. Larger companies were sending their regular talent home studio kits. Interface and microphone companies saw record sales, and all of a sudden, connectivity platforms like Source Connect and Clean Feed made the world a much smaller place, connecting directors, producers, engineers, and talent together under the power of the internet.

Making PR with a Voiceover Mindset and Vision

The coach at this meeting runs his own magazine, and it just so happened his PR manager was present at this meeting as she was supporting with the collaboration of the two organisations. She later began working closely with my client and supporting her with the voiceover magazine. We were on a call discussing the voiceover magazine one evening, and she shared with me how she was delayed in her business clients’ magazine due to an article gap that she was now struggling to fill. I mentioned how often I write content, and she invited me to collaborate with the business magazine after sharing some of my recent business ventures. I kindly accepted this offer. Within the article, I shared the following four key points.

Point 1: Use your Imagination in Business

At this point, being an actor and voiceover artist means you are a business. So, for this first point, let me ask you a question, what do you believe in? What is the natural dream progression for your business? There are common answers to this question. More subscribers, more customers, more clients, bigger clients, all the usual stuff. But let us unpack it more, do you want new customers in specific countries? If so, which ones? Do you want to expand your team or travel the world? Allow yourself to imagine and begin making tiny steps towards this, but most importantly, let yourself just dream and imagine.

Point 2: Think Outside the Box

As a voice over talent, I am constantly having to think about creative ways to find and keep more clients as it is a heavily oversaturated environment and highly competitive. Ask yourself where the work is. I am constantly looking out for where I can help a potential client with a problem. In the voiceover world, I recognise out-of-date or poor voicemail recordings. I would ask for recommendations and testimonials from clients I can share on social media or my website. I would think about investing some more time into my SEO and content. There are always things we can be doing.

Point 3: We Need to Adapt to Change

I mentioned the pandemic, but in the acting and voiceover world, we had to adapt quickly or not work at all. Here is the thing, a lot of actors and voiceover artists did start new jobs or not work because of the situation. It was awful! But many managed to scrape new realms of income in the forms of teaching, proactively reaching out to new and old clients, and putting the hustle on the front foot. Many companies used the online world to take advantage of the situation. The open university did an outstanding commercial of a student telling her family online that she was accepted into university. The screen displaying the boxes of the individuals was something we were all familiar with, having suddenly jumped onto Zoom, Teams, and Meets. It was relevant, it was expected, and it was present. But the need to change continues regularly.

Point 4: Work with Conviction and Purpose

With all the above, use the visions you captured in your time of dreaming and imagination from point 1 as your driving force of motivation. What you visualised can be materialised. Spend some time every day doing a little bit to grow your business, whether it is a social media post, a blog for your website, or reaching out to clients – prospective or existing.

The Voiceover Mindset and Vision Today

So, whatever comes our way as actors and voiceover artists these principles will apply. Though the seasons change and the environment is always a little bit unstable. The ability to make a social media post, write a blog, or reach out to prospective or existing clients is something we can do daily. Networking does not stop, whether online or in person, the options are there. Of course, you need to keep your skills sharp with workshops and coaching. Immersing ourselves in new business trends and techniques is a good point. Finally, do something! Do not become complacent because you can rest assured your competition will be proactive.

The Voice Actor Getting Press

Getting press can seem like a tricky task. You might ask yourself, what will I write about? What do I want to share? Who will take this article on? These are all great questions. Before I answer them, let me explain the several types of press. Perhaps you met a celebrity and want to interview them; that is an interview with someone else. Perhaps someone wants to interview you on a role you did, this is an interview on you. Perhaps you wrote something important designed to help others, this is press written by you (articles). Finally, perhaps you found a cool piece of kit or some plugin you have fallen in love with, and write something about that; this would be a review. So, we have interviews with you, interviews done by you, articles, and reviews. All of these work favourably for your portfolio.

So where do you go to get press? Reach out to your local newspaper, they love media-based content. For example, perhaps you just did a corporate VO for Starbucks, the headline could be: ‘Local Business Books for Starbucks.’ You can reach out to your old educational facility, be it a Drama School or University, they are always looking for successful case studies from former students as they can use them in their literature for current and prospective students. Look for relevant publications in your industry field. You will notice in several of my blogs the articles I am writing about are related to ‘The Buzz Magazine.’ The Buzz Magazine is dedicated to voiceover artists and motion capture performers. So, I try to get involved with these guys as much as I can, and occasionally, they get me involved. This, over the years, has built an excellent portfolio.

Press Breeds More Press

So, I frequently mention The Buzz Magazine, but this article is from The Business Club House magazine. So what is that? The Business Club House is a business magazine. You may have recognised from my blogs that I am super enthusiastic about networking and business. A friend shared a mutual client, and we were chatting about shared tasks. During our chat, she shared that she was behind with a publication for one of her other clients. She was the editor for The Business Clubhouse magazine and had to pick up an article due to someone letting her down last minute.

She shared that she was not a fan of writing content, which would take her hours. At this point, I shared a few of my recent wins and business successes with her and she invited me to author the article in her place if I could do it immediately. I informed her it takes me 20-25 minutes to write one page of A4, and with excitement, she invited me to write for the magazine. Thirty minutes later, it was in the final draft. My point with this is networking, and business skills put me in a position to get this piece of press. I knew the person, I was able to help them, and I was able to adapt myself to their publication.

The Voiceover Mindset and Vision in Business

As mentioned earlier, The Business Club House produces the magazine. So for me, as the writer, the content has to be less entertainment-based and more business based. Relatable, generic, and transferable content from industry to industry is vital here, as it is all just business at the end of the day. Whether you are a window cleaner, a voiceover artist, or a stockbroker, you are a business in your own right.

Voiceover Life and Daddy Dinosaur – The Full Story

December 24, 2022 by Alan Shires

Dad and the Voiceover Life

This has got to be my overall favourite piece of PR that I have ever done simply because my beautiful little girl gets to star in it, and she really does steal the show with her happy radiating face! This article was born in such an unusual manner and addresses balancing the voiceover life. In the spring of 2021, just before the FIFA European Tournament started my phone went off it was a production company that liked my look and asked if I was available to film in Manchester in a few weeks’ time for the upcoming football tournament. I took the job, and shortly after, my phone went off once more!

This time it was a company looking to see if I could do some toy voiceover and facial recognition in the studio, but the problem is it was on the same day as the football job. Weirdly it was in between the two big UK lockdowns, and that was the only time in 2021 I actually went into a studio, whereas I visited multiple filming sets. So, what did I do? Here is the problem – how was I going to do both jobs? I am a voice actor, NOT a magician, I can’t be in two places at once! Or can I? Stay with me! A few days later my phone goes off AGAIN… oh no! I know what you’re thinking! Fortunately, this job was not on the same day but a few days later, in London! This was for a Daddy-Daughter audition for Nintendo.

Dad, Husband, and Voiceover Life ALL AT THE SAME TIME

This particular week was a logistical nightmare with spinning all the plates. All my usual commitments came in to play along with a few extra ones, which all aligned at the same time. In entertainment, it is funny how you can go weeks without an acting job or a voice over job, and then all of a sudden, you have jobs crossing over each other! You can almost guarantee the latter will happen when you are super busy with life. Why can’t all the work come in when we are quiet, right? Learning to prioritise is so important! For me, my faith and my family take the top of my priorities, if those two things are not looked after, then I don’t even think about doing anything else. Good and strong foundations make for a better, more confident, disciplined, and strong actor and voiceover artist/voice actor. So, what did we do with the above situation? I am the dad of a very excitable nearly 1-year-old who was hugely dependent on Mummy (my beautiful wife Molly). The casting director wants me and my daughter Grace to travel to London. Meanwhile, I have other jobs to knock out! So, what did I do?

Making Voiceover Life Work

I sat with my wife and asked her what she thought about taking Grace 200 miles south for an audition. Like me, she was excited about the prospects of a big fun adventure, so I invited her to come with Grace and me to London. Why? Well, the number one reason was to do this together as a family, but number 2 was to ensure Grace was well supported. So going back to priorities, family time and well-being comes first!

We did the trip, had a wonderful time, and it was such a fun audition. Grace and I had a blast, and the casting director and team all adored her. For her, it was just an exciting adventure filled with play, and really, to be honest – she is right! Acting is just an exciting adventure filled with play! Whatever the genre is, we are playing around with our imagination, and we should be having great fun!

So, what about the other two jobs? Oh boy…

On-Screen, Behind the Mic, Balancing Act

I managed to wrangle the two jobs to shoot at various times of the day. I needed to be on set in the afternoon giving me all morning for the voiceover toy job. I had the joy of being a dinosaur, a pig, a dog, a sloth, and a lion all in this morning session. One problem! The tech broke, and the session ran an entire hour behind! They were desperate for me to finish the session, but with the pressure of the upcoming filming shoot, I negotiated with them that I would return after the shoot – like it couldn’t get any worse right?

So, I arrive at the film set for this football shoot, and they are running an hour late! I am face-palming myself at this point, thinking, ‘ARGH, I could have stayed and finished the toy job!’ But this stuff happens, right? So, I did the shoot, it only took a couple of hours once we got on set and got through all the covid testing and paperwork. Again, it was great fun, and I loved having that credit associated with my name.

In a true happily ever after format, I went back to the voiceover/facial recognition job and finished that last character, and that was it, DONE!

All-Around Performer Spinning All the Plates

Though I am a performer, I am not referring to the physical plates but the hypothetical ones describing how we often have a lot going on. The key is to prioritise and negotiate. I first prioritised my family and the audition with my daughter, THEN focused on the two jobs on the same day. Once I got those, I took the TV job first to honor that but managed to organise it around the second, which was a voiceover and facial recognition job. When that one went over, I agreed to go back after filming. So, I really did work and negotiate with both companies to give them what they needed across the available time frame. Of course, we also had to negotiate the cost of going back for that extra session, although they offered to compensate on this rare occasion! That doesn’t often happen, right?

So, to close, make it all about them and not about you!

Family first
Look after the client
Go the extra mile
Oh, and have fun!

Breaking into Voiceover and Acting and Out of the Day Job – The Full Story

December 16, 2022 by Alan Shires

A Voiceover Artist and Actor is Born!

The truth is I have not always been a voiceover artist. I come from a theatrical background and fell in love with the arts at age 10. I was always confident in drama class and had no problem delivering big characters on stage. Confidence was never something I lacked, and the laughter at something funny or the round of applause for something excellent gave me an unquenchable buzz. I never imagined the challenges I would encounter when breaking into voiceover and acting.

By no surprise, as I grew in years, I followed the usual pattern of studying acting, performing arts, and drama at GCSE, then the same in College, and then finally, university. I thoroughly enjoyed my education, and in particular, my three years in college offered me so much happiness. I obtained a Distinction* (one above a distinction, typically the highest grade) in my first year, which my lecturers were not even aware was an obtainable grade; I was the first to produce something higher than a Distinction. My end-of-year show was a promenade 10-day performance of Alice in Wonderland! I played the best role of all, the one and only Cheshire Cat!

So, where did it all go wrong? There must be a heartbreak moment, right? Well, that is kind of the case! Like most, once I reached the end of my studies and got my BA Hons in Acting, I quickly realised I was on my own and was not educated on how to work in the industry. I got an agent and the odd job here and there, but it was not going how I had hoped. As life set in, the companies dishing out the bills did not care when my next acting or voiceover job was due, so I got a job in a coffee chain!

Breaking Into Voiceover and Acting

I worked in this environment for ten years and worked up the ranks, it was full-time, paid well, came with a decent pension package and a bonus scheme, and one of my roles came with a lovely car. I really could not complain except IT SUCKED! It was mind-boggling, stressful, and almost soul-sucking! Oh, how I disliked it! So, on evenings and weekends, I worked hard to build a business for myself in performance. I prayed regularly, ‘please get me out of here!’ Eventually, my prayer came true!

I went to a London conference called ‘Surviving Actors’, which amused me because, in my mind, I was like, ‘Ha, only just surviving!’ There I discovered a seminar on voiceover for artists and actors. The word seminar amused me too because, for the last two years, all I knew was the word webinar! I went inside, and the presenter said things like:

You can be your own boss
All your skills as an actor are transferable into voiceover
You can be a business, an entrepreneur
You can work and be successful from your own home

That company was The VoiceOver Network, and that day in early 2017, I joined as a member. I dedicated a year to learning about voiceover, voice acting, and home studios. I watched every webinar, booked workshops all over the place, and started sharing what I was learning with others. Once my booth was set up to go, I began hustling work, and to my surprise, it caught on nicely!

The Article About Voiceover

Bit by bit, more work was coming in, and in 2019 I dropped the full-time brain-crunching soul-sucking job for something a bit more casual, though still not in performance, allowing me the time to progress in voiceover. We also recently discovered that my wife and I were expecting our first child, so it was a now-or-never opportunity. Sure enough, six months later, I left that job behind, became a full-time voiceover, and was doing well!

So that brought me to the article! I found myself speaking to many new voiceover artists about balancing the job of their dreams and their day gig that paid the bills. I connected with some other commercial voiceover artists and voice actors, some who were in a job, some who had broken free, some who had gone back, and others who had lost their jobs. What I wanted to do then was to help people break out and live a more fulfilled life working as a voiceover artist/voice actor in the entertainment industry.

Top Tips for Breaking Into Voiceover and Going Full-Time!

So, you will need to make a commitment to break out of a full-time day job and work in entertainment daily. It is going to be a challenge; it is going to be tiring, and it’s going to be tough, but YOU CAN DO IT… If I can, anyone can!

Dedicate some time every day after or before work to learn more about voiceover, your studio, how the industry works, or something else!
Start investing in yourself! It is all tax deductible, so go to workshops, invest in proper equipment, etc.
Do not break the routine! Keep going every day, and if you miss a day, do not beat yourself up; just keep going; tomorrow is a new day.
Do not be scared to try new things! This is a business, so you need to look at it like a business and invest in learning about marketing, social media, and all those fun things which come with owning a business.
And finally! Practise, Practise, Practise. I started off on some pay-to-play sites, which were crazily oversaturated, sometimes, I booked work, but most of the time, I did not. That is normal when two hundred people chase one job! But every audition was also giving me the fundamental practise I needed to move forward to better my craft and editing.

The Voiceover Artist and Actor of Today

Now, that prayer I prayed for is a reality. I work full-time in entertainment. I am my own boss and an entrepreneur. I have even won an award and traveled to different countries. Those late nights and early mornings building my business and educating myself around the day job was worth it. All the money I invested into my business has paid for itself tenfold. I have had the opportunity to meet people from Disney and Pixar, and I have worked with clients such as Ford, Starbucks, and Sony’s Funimation, to name a few!

The exciting element is that all of this is in the past. I love helping people get into voiceover or acting but the truth is, I know this is only the beginning of the journey, the best is yet to come.