Do you overthink things? Me, too. (I’m a little weird about locking doors. I’m a double/triple door-lock checker!)

Thinking about overthinking makes me think of (bear with me here) voicers I see struggling to make their reads ‘perfect.’ I’m here to tell you that a perfect read is impossible. Heck, perfection is impossible! Who is your ‘perfect’ read for, anyway? You? Your client? Your cat? Millions of listeners? [Read more…] about Are You A VO Perfectionist?

I often say that no two voiceover journeys look the same. This is because we all define success differently!

To you, success might be booking your first voice over gig, or finally getting your home studio tuned in just the way you imagined. To others, success might mean booking voice work on a regular basis or building up enough steady clients to leave their corporate day job. No matter where you are on your VO journey, I’m here to remind you to be patient, present and to take action. [Read more…] about A Take-Action Plan for Every Voice Actor

Building your VO expertise shouldn’t stop when you leave class. Here are three tips for practicing your VO performance!

1. Learn the art of paraphrasing.

Being an excellent voice actor means you know how to get to the heart of the copy writer’s message. We turn written word into spoken word and make it sound natural. In order to do that, we need to understand what the heck it is we’re talkin’ about!

Sure, we want to tell a great nuanced story, work our exceptional mic technique, and be mindful of how we ‘sound’, but are you ever guilty of focusing too much on how your voice sounds and overlooking the key points the writer is making? (We’ve all done it!)

Remember in school, when your teacher asked you to summarize a book or a chapter in your own words? Paraphrasing, baby! As a voice actor, it’s critical to be able to understand the general message of the copy well enough that you can put it in your own words in a sentence or two—well enough that you can paraphrase it!

To paraphrase a script, ask yourself these questions: What’s the main objective of this script? What’s the big idea(s) the writer wants to drive home?

Then, flip the script over (so you can’t see it—no cheating!) and then say, in your own words, out loud, the general message that the writer is communicating. If you can’t say it in your own words yet, read it again until you can…

Boom! You did it!

Next, quickly flip the script back over and begin reading your script again out loud. What do you know? It sounds way more conversational and less announcer-y or read-y.

When you put the copy in your own words, you tap into a more conversational YOU. And that’s what producers want—you!

2. Fall in love with lead-ins.

Another great benefit to paraphrasing scripts is that you can use paraphrasing as a lead-in.

What’s a lead-in? A lead-in is an unscripted word or phrase you say right before you start reading a script. I describe it as a little performance “trampoline” you can use to bounce into your actual “script-reading.”

Holy cow does it help! It’s a miracle worker. Why is that? Well, when you start reading without a lead-in, sometimes it takes a sentence or two of reading before you find your stride or momentum—before you settle in to that script. If you add a lead-in, by the time you get to the first sentence of the script, you’ll nail it. This is super important, because do you know what the most important sentence of the script is?

You guessed it! The first sentence! How your first sentence lands on the ear will dictate whether or not that casting director or client will continue listening.

(Now, do me and yourself a favor and rock that read all the way through, but if you’re gonna stress over any part of an audition… make it the very first sentence. First impressions count!)

[Read more…] about Tips for Practicing Your VO Performance

I say it all the time, but our VO journey is a marathon, not a sprint, with many starts and stops along the way. Sort of like a VO cha-cha!

For a while, you might feel some major momentum with your VO training, but then, something pulls you away. Life happens, work happens, being human happens. At TVAS, we totally understand. We’ll never make you feel bad if you’ve had to hit the pause button on your VO training because another part of life needed your attention. We get it—we’ve been there. (Just know we’ll be happy to see you when the time is right, and we’ll never grill you on where you’ve been! Ever!) [Read more…] about Are You Doing the VO Cha-Cha?

Everyone’s voice over journey is different. It may take some people a few months to cut their demo and other people a few years. Some people want to go after voice acting full time, while others like it as a side gig. Some folks are animation and character wizards, while others prefer corporate, commercial, and narration work. The variety is what makes VO so special and unique to you! [Read more…] about Top 10 Steps for VO Success

Voice acting is so much more than just talking into a mic. When you’re interpreting your scripts, you should not only think your performance choices like mood/attitude who your audience is, and how you want them to feel—you should also think about the how you’re interacting with the mic itself.

For example, if it’s a conversational script, keep it—you guessed it!—conversational! Think about the volume level in which you’d speak if you were talking to someone sitting right next to you. [Read more…] about Mic Technique & Style Tips

I’ve been thinking about you. Yep! I’m always thinking about ways I can help, support, educate and inspire you. I know you can do this.

You know how I always say, “Reading out loud just 5 minutes a day can be a game-changer in building your overall VO performance skills?” Well, here are a few other ideas to think about: [Read more…] about The Power of 5

Want to know my word of the day? Enthusiasm.

Remember when you were a kid and someone mentioned ice cream? Or a water park? Or camping in the back yard? It was the greatest thing ever.

Enthusiasm is a state of mind. Enthusiasm breeds energy. It inspires action and is the most contagious of all emotions. I think one of my secret super powers in life is bringing genuine enthusiasm to everything I do. When I get up in the morning, I’m excited about what the day holds. I genuinely look forward to experiencing my first sip of coffee, going on my morning walk, and then seeing what creative opportunities await in my inbox! What on earth will I be voicing today? I can’t wait to find out! [Read more…] about The Power of Enthusiasm

You want to audition a lot. But how long should it take you to complete and submit a single audition?

Well, if you’re brand-spanking new to the auditioning process, it ain’t gonna be quick! And that’s normal!

First, you’re reading and interpreting the script, then voicing it several times. Then come the questions: Is your mic on? Is it set at a proper level? Did you shut the AC off? Is there any other background noise that could ruin your recording? Dogs barking? Kids yelling? (Wait…did you shut the AC off?!) [Read more…] about How long should you spend on a voiceover audition?

Whoo hoo! You’ve booked your first live session with a client! Or maybe this ain’t your first rodeo and you’re no stranger to live sessions. Whatever the case, it’s important to keep a few things in mind—and in your booth—when you get on the line with your client. [Read more…] about Top 5 Tips for Acing Your Live Recording Sessions