Should you Follow Up? Hey Reader, In the voice-over world, there’s a big difference between being a "proactive professional" and being "the person who clogs the inbox." When it comes to following up, the most important rule is knowing where the audition came from. The "No-Go" Zone: Online Casting & Agencies If you submitted an audition through a P2P site (like Voice123 or Voices) or through your agent, do not follow up. These casting directors are often sorting through 200+ auditions. If they...
8 days ago • 1 min read
Listening Back Hey Reader, You’ve just finished a long editing session. You’ve de-clicked, normalized, EQ’d and done all of your other processing to your audio. But before you send it off to the client or prospect, make sure you are properly listening back to your file. Here is the pro tip: Before you hit "send" on that final file, perform a few different Listen Back Tests. I always recommend closing your eyes for this, as it helps you focus solely on the sound. You don't want to be watching...
15 days ago • 1 min read
The Second Take Hey Reader, We’ve all been there. You finish a solid first take, feel good about it, and then the audition request (or the client) asks for a "Take 2." You take a breath, pause for a moment, and... you basically give them the exact same read, just maybe 2% different. It feels safe, but it doesn't give the client the variety they actually need to make a choice. It also doesn't do much to demonstrate your versatility as a talent. If you want to ensure your second take is a true...
22 days ago • 1 min read
Using Room Tone Hey Reader, We spend a lot of time and money trying to make our booths as quiet as possible. But "Digital Silence" (absolute zero sound) actually can sound unnatural to the human ear. If you edit a mistake and leave a gap of total silence, the listener will hear a "dropout" that feels like the audio just cut out. This will be especially noticeable if the noise floor in your booth isn't quite low enough or you are not adept enough at editing to disguise the cut/edit point....
29 days ago • 2 min read
Physicality in the Booth Hey Reader, Have you ever listened back to a take and thought, "It sounds technically fine, but it just feels... flat?" Oftentimes, a "flat" read happens because we are standing perfectly still, staring at a screen or a piece of paper. In the real world, we don't talk like statues. We use our hands, we shift our weight, and we use our facial expressions to emphasize our points. If you want your voice to sound more dynamic, you have to get your body involved. How to...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The "No-Audition" Relationship Hey Reader, We spend a huge portion of our careers auditioning. It’s the "job" before the job. But to really build a sustainable business as a VO Talent, you need to start gaining repeat clients and preferably those with which you have a "No-Audition" relationship. This is the holy grail of a VO career: becoming a "preferred vendor." It’s when a producer or creative director has a script, thinks of your voice immediately, and emails you to check your...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Claps and Snaps Hey Reader, It should be a goal for every voice-over talent to become an efficient audio editor. One of the best ways to speed up your workflow—and something I do personally in my booth every day—is using the "Clap (Snap) Method." When you’re recording a long-form narration or a batch of auditions, you’re bound to make a mistake or want to try a line again. Instead of stopping the recording and clicking around your DAW, just give a loud, sharp clap (or a snap) near the...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Finding an Arc in Shorter Scripts Hey Reader, We’ve talked before about finding the "Why" behind a script, but once you know why you’re speaking, you need to decide where you’re going. Even the shortest 30-second commercial has a narrative arc. If you read the entire script with the same energy from start to finish, you lose the listener. To keep them engaged, you need to identify the three "acts" of the spot: 1. The Hook (The Setup): The first few lines usually establish a problem, a...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
A Professional E-Mail Signature Hey Reader, Think about how many emails you send in a week. Between following up with leads, sending auditions, and coordinating with current clients, that’s a lot of digital "real estate" you’re using. Are you making the most of it? A professional email signature is more than just a sign-off; it’s a passive marketing tool that works for you every time you hit "send." Why it matters: Instant Credibility: A clean, well-formatted signature tells the recipient...
2 months ago • 1 min read