828.551.0891
[email protected]

voiceover

Voiceover Friends and Family

by

Too many people in the VO business get stuck in their little padded rooms and feel like they can barely make it out for air. Not Peter O’Connell. Not only does he travel the U.S. regularly, but when he comes to town, VO talent leave the comfort of their studios and flock to hang out with him.

I had the pleasure of having dinner with Peter, Diane Merritt, Lauren McCullough and Lisa Biggs last night. Let me tell you, when these great talent come into the room, the conversation flows faster than Asheville’s French Broad River on a stormy day. I would simply like to say, thank you for a great night. I can’t wait to see all of you again very soon. Perhaps the VOXY Ladies Mixer in Asheville and/or FaffCon in Charlotte?!

Diane Merritt, Dan Friedman, Lisa Biggs, Peter O’Connell and Lauren McCullough

…and speaking of meals with VO friends.

Here is a long overdue shout out to Melissa Exelberth and Liz DeNesnera who treated me to a late lunch at the world famous Carnegie Deli when I was in New York City last month. Love you girls!

Melissa Exelberth, Dan Friedman, Liz DeNesnera

For those who follow my blog and for newcomers… I know I haven’t been posting much lately. I feel sick about it. Truth be told, there has been a lot going on… some good (travel, family time and of course work), some not so good (car accidents and other things that are hopefully now largely in the past). I do hope to get back to blogging regularly again soon.

Thank you to all of my voiceover family, friends and to the VO community for your support and for your friendship!

Voiceover Rockstar… or Band Camp?

by

There is nothing like the energy and excitement a person feels when they are starting something new… especially when that “something” is a career in voiceover. Once a person has made that decision they often can not wait to make their demo, set up their website and announce to the world, “Hey listen to me… I’m a voice talent now!” One thing is certain, this is EXACTLY what some people are doing. This is a terrible mistake for many wannabe voice talent. But before I get to the voiceover part, I thought I’d present an analogy.

I’ve worked with several young musicians at various points in my career. Some of them have been very talented and certainly could have had careers in music. One of the greatest things about working with young musicians is their hunger, their passion and their enthusiasm. Its a running theme (to the point of being a joke) among sound engineers to hear something like this from the young bands we work with, “Dude, when we make it big, we’re soooo going to take you with us.”

Sure, awesome… can’t wait. 😉

Needless to say, that “opportunity” rarely materializes. But, you do have to love their enthusiasm. It truly is infectious. It is amazing what professional recording, extensive editing and a solid mix can do. These young musicians never heard themselves sound so good. At that moment, they really do think that they will “make it big”. But in reality, they are usually not ready and as any real rockstar can tell you, there really is no such thing as overnight success. It takes years of practice, planning, determination and timing. The same holds true for voiceover.

Timing is everything in music and it is also important in voice work. But I’m not referring to technique. I’m referring to when to make and unleash your demo on the world. Far too often people are calling themselves voice talent and releasing demos before they (the demo or the person) are ready. These demos get sent to agents and quickly get discarded. What is worse than being simply discarded, is being remembered for being not ready or (to put it gently) no good. This often happens to those who have good marketing materials and a good marketing strategy… but can’t deliver the goods. Think… Milli Vanilli.

Just as musicians try not to release a single until it is ready, a voice artist shouldn’t release a demo until it (and they) are ready. Believe me, the audience you are trying to attract can hear whether you are, or aren’t. Most professional voiceover artists will have several trusted colleagues, as well as several people outside of the industry, listen and critique a demo before they release it to agents. Pros definitely do not unleash a demo in social media until it is ready… if they choose to release it there at all.

The bottom line is this; if you are interested in getting into voice work, don’t kill your career before it even gets started. Get training, practice, be patient, use your ears, practice more and build credibility and trust before unleashing yourself on the world. You can not be a rockstar… until you’ve spent some time in band camp.

By the way, as I was putting the finishing touches on this blog, an article was posted in Voiceover Universe by Debora Duckett of dbtalent. The theme is similar and it contains many questions that everyone who wants to be “the next big thing” in voiceover should be asking themselves. You can view that article HERE.

Good luck and when you are ready… ROCK ON!

Voiceover Auditions…Details, Decisions, Delivery and NO DOUBTS

by

Happy 2012! What better way could there possibly be to start a new year than with new opportunities, auditions and more voiceover work? Auditions are like a job interview, and it is important to get them right. Everyone approaches their auditions differently, but I’m guessing that if you are going to take the time to audition for something… you are hoping to get the job. Obviously you want to do anything you can to increase that possibility, but more importantly… do nothing to decrease or eliminate that possibility entirely. Here are some tips to help ensure that you are providing exactly what you need and nothing you don’t.

Provide one or two takes (under some circumstances 3 takes) of your best interpretations of the script. Some people submit auditions with numerous takes, sometimes as many as six or more, often without any significant variation in the delivery. This is not a good strategy. Casting directors, engineers and clients do not have time to sort through those takes with the hope of finding what it is they are looking for (not even if they like your voice or delivery). Very few decision makers are willing to listen to more than a few seconds of an audition, much less take after take of either wildly unlikely deliveries or worse, the same delivery over and over again with just a few changes in inflection.

Making a decision on a delivery is an important part of being a voiceover pro. It shows that you can follow the road map the script provides. Offering an alternate delivery shows that you can travel a different direction, but still reach your destination. Submitting lots of different reads or submitting lots of reads in the same style… indicates that you are probably lost.

Next is the issue of sound quality. Why should any prospective client trust that you are going to be able to provide great sounding audio, if you didn’t do so in the audition? Its been my experience that the requested turnaround time for getting an audition out to an agency is usually around 24 hours (at least). This amount of time should allow every VO pro to take a few minutes to record an audition properly. I don’t believe that you should sacrifice quality in an effort to get an audition delivered quickly. Quick delivery of a poor sounding audition does nothing more than allow decision makers to pass on your submission faster. Unless you are instructed to do otherwise, send voiceover auditions in mono. You are a single source of sound, therefore mono is preferred. Stereo is simply unnecessary, as is the larger file size.

Follow all of the instructions carefully. Preferences about slating and naming conventions vary a little from place to place, but these instructions are always provided and should be followed exactly. Also, be sure that your contact information is included if it is not already well known to the person or agency sending the audition. How can you do the work if people are unable to contact you?

Finally and most importantly, believe in yourself. My friend Terry Daniel mentioned this in a recent facebook post:

“When auditioning, if you think you’re not going to get the gig, you probably won’t. One of my agents told me that when she receives submissions, about one out of every four talents reply back saying, “I’m sure I won’t get it but here it is!” Buck up and believe that you are going to get the job, every time!” 🙂

You do not have to audition for everything that comes your way. There are many reasons why you may not be the right voice for a particular job; if the specs don’t suit you, you lack confidence in your ability to deliver a certain message or style, or perhaps you just aren’t connecting with the script. Whatever your reasons, if you have doubts they will usually be reflected in your audition. While you don’t necessarily have to believe in every product, person or position that the message of a script is communicating, you do have to believe in yourself and believe that you are the right person to be delivering that message.

Good luck and best wishes for a successful 2012!

The Voiceover Writers… and Their Most Influential Articles for 2011

by

What an incredible honor it was to find out this week that I had been named one of the most influential voiceover writers for 2011 in a Voices123 survey. It is such a thrill to receive that kind of recognition. While I’m very grateful and appreciative, my goal has never been anything more than to provide helpful information that all of the people in our industry can enjoy, and hopefully use to their benefit.

For me, the most exciting part of this accolade is the company that I get to share it with. This is an amazing group of people, many of whom I’m proud to be able to call my friends. Each of them has written articles during this past year that have been inspirational and helpful to our community or that simply remind us to stop and think. I strongly encourage everyone reading this article to check out the blogs, newsletters and postings of all of these great voiceover talent and writers.

Along with a little tribute from me, I’ve put together a collection of what I consider to be, some of their most important pieces. This collection also includes a few great articles by some very talented guys that were not mentioned in the survey, but I believe what they’ve written… should not be missed.

For those of you listed here… I look forward to reading more from all of you in 2012!

Bob Souer

While there are many helpful and kind people in this industry who are willing to share their secrets of success, I can’t think of anyone who demonstrates this kindness and shares more than Bob Souer. Bob truly is (as he says) the “second nicest guy in voiceover”. His “Invite the Avalanche” discussion at Faffcon is always a huge hit and now it is available on his blog. Thank you Bob!

Invite-the-avalanche-part-1
Invite-the-avalanche-part-2
Invite-the-avalanche-part-3
Invite-the-avalanche-part-4
Invite-the-avalanche-part-5

Cliff Zellman

Cliff Zellman’s article about “Branding vs. Positioning” is a must read. He wasn’t on the list but this article received a great deal of attention and positive feedback… read it and you’ll understand why. If you are new to the industry, or even if you’ve been around awhile, the concepts discussed here are essential to understand as you travel down this career path. Thank you Cliff!

Branding-vs-positioning

Connie Terwilliger

Connie Terwilliger’s conversational style and years of experience make her blog postings both educational and relatable. She tells it like it is, and she is always thought provoking. This post encourages self-evaluation which, when performed, should help the reader make choices and ultimately focus on what is best for them. Thank you Connie!

Variety-is-it-the-spice-of-the-voiceover-life

Dave Courvoisier

I felt I would be doing a disservice by choosing only one article or series of articles from Dave Courvoisier. Dave’s blog is jam-packed full of information that is updated almost daily. When it comes to tech stuff, Dave is almost always one of the first to try out the newest gadgets and tell the rest of us about them. Thank you Dave!

CourVO

Derek Chappell

Like Dave, I simply could not choose one article from Derek Chappell. Besides, providing great information throughout the year, Derek is currently challenging us with a fun and informative contest called Match Game where you match a voice talent to their demo. Not only is it fun, but it entices us to listen to some really good demos by some great voice artists. Be sure to stop by and take the challenge… you might even win a prize! Thank you Derek!

The voice of your business

Doug Turkel

If Doug Turkel had only written one post all year, this post, which provides vital resources for voice artists would have been enough to get him included as an essential writer. His blog offers even more, but years of experience and a great deal of research went into this article and it is one every voiceover artist should keep bookmarked. Thank you Doug!

50-vital-business-resources-for-voiceover-talent

Ed Victor

Ed Victor leads a very active VO group on Linked In where nothing is off limits for discussion. He prides himself on “whacking the nest” from time to time. Frankly, I think it needs whacking. Ed gets the ball-rolling with a topic and the group takes it and runs with it. Rants, raves, controversy and praise… you can find it all at Ed’s “Working Voice Actor Group”. Thank you Ed!

Working-Voice-Actor-Group

J.S. Gilbert

I’ll be honest, I don’t know J.S Gilbert from blogs. I know his writing best from the VO-BB. He has strong feelings about a range of topics and is not shy about expressing his feelings or point of view. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Why should he be shy? This article is great because it clearly shows that he has asked himself this same question. It reminds every one of us that we should consider the things we write carefully. We also need to be prepared to either call “bullshit” or back up our position if someone calls it on us. Thank you J.S!

Social-media-is-it-better-to-keep-quiet-and-watch-others-make-mistakes-or-open-your-mouth-and-risk-getting-attacked

Maxine Dunn

Exceptional beauty and a brilliant mind for business… what more could someone ask for? Maxine Dunn has both and she shares her business advice in her newsletter. She is a frequent contributor to VoiceOverXtra and her latest article is indicative of how she wants each of us to overcome obstacles and take our voiceover business to the next level. Here is a link to that article and a link to sign up for her newsletter. I signed up… what are you waiting for? Thank you Maxine!

Voiceoverxtra.com-Dump Paralysis of Analysis
Maxinedunn.com/newsletter

Paul Strikwerda

When Paul Strikwerda received word that he’d been mentioned in this list of influential writers he commented somewhere that he does it (writing) “for the music, not for the applause”. Well, when Paul writes, it is like a conductor leading a symphony. He turned his series of blogs about building a studio into a book and wrote a blog… about effective blogging. But one of the biggest topics he covered in 2011, that everyone can benefit from, is pricing and value. Enjoy the music. Thank you Paul!

Power-pricing
Taken-for-a-ride
Right-on-the-money
Lowdown-on-lowballing
Bloody-bottom-feeders
Afraid-raising-rates?

Boosting-business-blog

Peter O’Connell

Peter O’Connell is a funny guy… and a marketing whiz. This article is about social media, marketing, image, writing and blogging. It discusses the concerns all of us have, especially those of us who write, about how much or how little we should put ourselves and what we have to say out there in the world of social media. This article is witty and thought provoking… which is quintessential Peter O’Connell. Thank you Peter!
The-oversharing-voice-talent

Randye Kaye

Randye Kaye combines years of experience as (among other things) a radio personality, voice talent, coach, and most recently a published author. Her positive attitude and exceptional knowledge of the skills needed as a voice talent, help people overcome obstacles everyday. Radio personalities often have a unique set of obstacles they must face while making the transition from radio to voiceover. This article gives those folks the encouragement they need to do just that. Thank you Randye!

networkedblogs.com – Randye Kaye

Some Audio Guy

I don’t even know his real name and he wasn’t named in the list, but SomeAudioGuy’s blogs are often about raising the bar… and I’m all for that. Here are two great examples. Thank you “SomeAudioGuy”!

Stop-spending-as-little-as-you-can
Combating-casual-understanding

Steven Lowell

Steven Lowell writes thought provoking articles that get people sharing, communicating and involved. He also shares a great deal of information offered by others. If it wasn’t for his post asking who the influential writers were… I wouldn’t have been able to honor the people you are reading about with this post. It is a fine example of what he offers to the community.

Voice the Dream
Survey-results-of-top-5-most-influential-voice-over-writers-in-2011

Terry Daniel

Terry Daniel cares about this industry and it comes through in his writing. He is not afraid to show some emotion and is also not afraid to tell it like it is. Like everyone on this list, he wants to raise the bar for our industry. These two articles are great examples of his passion and common sense approach. Thank you Terry!

Bouncing-higher
Epidemic-mediocrity

My biggest thanks go out to those of you who read our blogs and put our words into action in your own careers and in life. Without each and every one of you, our efforts would be futile. I think I can safely speak for everyone on this list when I say that we all appreciate the comments, feedback and helpful information that you add to our posts and we really appreciate when you share our posts with others. Sharing is caring.

The next time you see a post about an issue someone is struggling with, or are talking to someone about our business (the greatest business in the world), let them know about us, our writing and most importantly that we are here to help.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2012!

What Else Do You Want From Your Voiceover Talent?

by

This blog post is for everyone who uses voiceover talent in their productions. A voice talent’s job is to communicate the message of your script. But what else should you expect from the talent you choose? How do you prefer that the talent go about assisting you with achieving your goals? Other than being great communicators, what can the talent bring to your production that adds value and makes your recording session great?

What is most important to you:

Delivery?

Versatility?

Efficiency?

Tonal Quality?

Assistance?

Q: Do you like to allow the voice talent to give their interpretation of a script, or do you prefer to direct them first?

Professional voice talent are trained to interpret a script and use the words as a road map. The words usually determine the tone and delivery. Unless… they don’t. You can allow the voiceover talent to follow the map, or ask the talent to explore other paths.

Q: Do you prefer to hear several different deliveries?

Going into a recording session, you may not have a good idea of what the exact tone of your script should be. It could be very effective delivered in several ways. Asking your voice talent to offer a variety of options may allow you to discover a bit of magic you hadn’t thought of or help you make a final decision as to what delivery works best.

Q: Do you prefer the talent you are working with to deliver the script completely or do you prefer to massage each line and piece together the “perfect” read?

Reading a script straight through, or at least large sections in a single pass, allows the voice talent to maintain tone and pace. This will usually result in a more consistent and cohesive read. When necessary, the talent can pick up lines afterward to get the nuance you may be listening for if they didn’t get it on the first pass. With the assistance of your session’s audio engineer, you can have the best lines edited together quickly to see how they work together as a whole.

Q: Do you choose a talent based on voice quality alone?

Every voice talent has different strengths. Some are best suited for announcer reads, while others shine in more conversational or character roles. If you cast based on voice quality alone you may have mixed results when you get into the studio. This is where casting directors, who know the abilities of the voice talent, can help you choose the best voice for the job.

Q: Do you find it helpful if a voice talent has the ability to actively assist you with your script, whether it be grammatically or with overall tone and flow?

Professional voice talent learn to become good copy editors. Whether the problem is length of copy, grammar, or a scripts tone and flow, the voice talent you hire may have suggestions that can improve the final product. If your voice over script isn’t sounding right and you can’t put your finger on it, ask the talent for help.

You may find it helpful to ask yourself these questions as you begin each project. There is no doubt that your level of experience with voiceover production may determine some, or all of the answers. Furthermore, everyone chooses a voice based on different needs and what is appropriate for each project. But the answers to these questions could help you decide which voice talent is best for your current or future projects.

There are many voices available and often voice quality is not the number one factor in your choice. If you have narrowed your choices down to two talent and you know that no matter who you choose, the delivery would be great; would the answers to these other questions make a difference in who gets the job? Only you can decide. So, what else do you want from your voiceover talent?

Dan Friedman Voice Over Coach & Demo Producer Tiktok

[email protected]

828.551.0891

Dan Friedman Voice Over Coach & Demo Producer Zen and the art of Voiceover Audiobook Cover Img
Buy Now
Dan Friedman Voice Over Coach & Demo Producer Sound Advice Cover Img
Buy Now

RLM CERTIFIED MASTER COACH Since 2021

Dan Friedman Voice Over Coach & Demo Producer RLMC Logo

©2025 Dan Friedman Sound4VO // Voice Over Site by Voice Actor Websites

MENU