Corporate Video Voice- It's not about you.

When working on voiceovers for Corporate videos on live sessions, often I find myself with a multitude of people on the other end of the line, all with valid and important input into the the script and my performance of it.

This can sometimes lead to conflicting advice and direction, and can be confusing. In some instances, it can even cause a feeling of panic. I think the thing to remember though is that you are just the final piece in a jigsaw that they have been invested in for quite some time. The end result matters to them, and has a direct impact on their business, and on the reactions to their work by their colleagues and peers. There is a reason why they are giving you feedback on your performance, and they are not always skilled at working with performers. The key thing here : IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU.

Your voice, and consequently you, are just the icing on the cake. It matters that you get it right. It matters that you are easy to work with. So don't get in your own way. Don't take any perceived criticism to heart. All they are seeking is the best vocal performance to fit their beloved project.

Do all that you can that seems reasonable to provide alternative and differing versions of your read. Ask any questions you need to that will help you understand the way they hope the video to go. Worst case scenario, ask them to say it aloud. It'll give you a better grounding in how to perform the script back to them. It isn't a failing, it is feedback. The more choices and flexibility in your performances, the more likely they are to hear something that sits right with them.

The sooner you can recover from any feedback that seems harsh or unfair, the better you finished performance will be. And the more gracious you can be about it, the better.

If you find yourself getting hot under the collar during the session, speak up and ask for a moment to gather your thoughts. The most confident performers are not afraid to do this. It shows integrity, commitment and professionalism.

After all, if you can stay calm, and be flexible, the client will get the product that they hope for, and be more likely to book you again. So speak up if you need to, and ask away.

If you find yourself getting in a fix in the booth, and feel yourself start to lose confidence, visit my Life Coaching and NLP website for Actors and Creatives to find out how we can eradicate those feelings for good. www.SuccessInLifeCoach.com.

The power of playfulness in a Voice Actor's toolbox.

Out of a desire to better myself at coaching people for Voiceover and Audiobook Narration, I decided last year to train as a Master NLP Practitioner (NLP means Neuro Linguistic Programming, and in a nutshell is about recognising limiting beliefs littered through a person's language, and choosing alternative patterns of thinking in order to model excellent behaviours in successful thinkers and do-ers.)

It dawned on me that so many performers struggle in their careers, in whatever guise, because they are scared of taking the next vital steps, or put so much pressure on themselves to achieve: so much so  that failure becomes a deep, dark scary place, that they are not prepared to enter.  That many performers who had entered acting because it allowed them to play, lost this sense of playful exploration when they entered a business world of trying to market themselves. This realisation was so strong that I have now qualified as a Master NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist and certified Life Coach, specialising in Creative people and most especially with Actors and Performers.

What if failure could be turned on its head to a happy place which allowed you to experiment further with different ideas, and be playful? What if you could see open doors of opportunity in any knock backs you receive. It can be hard I know, and I know that with my recent learnings I have gleaned so much awareness of the power of alternative ways of thinking.  For example, if fear of rejection stops you from sending an email or making a phone call one more time to a prospective agent or potential client, how much better would it feel to turn that sense of rejection on its head and choose to go about your day-today career with a playful 'What If' attitude. Not only does a 'what if' attitude take the pressure away from being accepted or your own version of what it means to fail in a black and white mode of thinking, but it can also create much healthier thought patterns, and in turn greater creativity.

Think about how this would impact on your time in the booth. At an animation or gaming audition, or commercial for that matter, how much more fun would that audition session be if you went in with these thoughts:

• It'll be great to meet some new people and find out all about them
• I can't wait to have a play around with some characters and have lots of fun
• I wonder what positive things will come from today

Compare this with a limited view, where failure is a possibility:

• I feel nervous around new people.
• I hope I do an ok job.
• What if they don't like my work, and today's been a waste of my time?
• I feel paranoid when I know the client and producer are discussing me and I can't hear.

I know which mindset would enable the best results for me. I know which attitude would mean that I was more up for connecting with the material, and which frame of mind would take me out of my own head of worry over how I am potentially viewed or judged.

Have a think about it - how do your thoughts limit you in the booth?

If you're interested in hearing about how my brand new Life Coaching and NLP techniques could help you as a performer to gain confidence and clarity, get in touch at anna@voiceoveranna.com.

Voiceover Business - Coaching matters

Coaching matters. Ofcourse, I would say that, I'm a coach. I coach people not only in Voiceover and Audiobook technique, but in VO business matters too, and since I am a qualified Life Coach, I also
coach people to improve their lives through changing their limiting beliefs and their mindsets. In short, I coach people to work towards their own visions of success.

I'm a huge believer in the importance of coaching. I have had many mentors, advisors and coaches during the course of my working life. Some I have worked with for a session or two, some for a few months, and some for a longer duration, over a couple of years. Coaches come and go from my life, but often their lessons have some lasting impact on the way I do business (and more importantly how I choose to live my life). One of the reasons I am drawn towards having someone help me in my business is that I have come to see that I place a high value on accountability. As a self-employed individual, working often alone (and let's face it, a lot of the time in seclusion in a booth!), it can be very rewarding to have someone to discuss the intricacies of ones daily struggles and challenges with, and to have someone to check in with along the way, and to push me to take important, but sometimes scary actions outside of my comfort zone.

A good coach will listen to woes, but also hear the language being used to describe the issues. In my experience it is when my descriptions of my current situation is littered with 'I can't's', and 'it's difficult's' and 'I'm no good at..'s', that my work flounders the most. Having someone point out to me the limiting beliefs I have created of myself at a given moment, and the negativity that I have allowed to creep into my everyday thoughts about my abilities, or about the level of success I could achieve, has been invaluable. They have set me on a higher path, much more likely to achieve the success I'm looking for at that time. Often it has been solely through the work with a coach that I have been able to pinpoint exactly what those successes that I hanker after actually are, because let's face it, everyone has a slightly different version of their dream job. And if you don't know what your dream is, how can you ever expect to achieve it?

From a Voiceover technique perspective, having a coach who can listen to my work and give me insightful pointers on what I am doing right, and what I am doing without realising that is off-putting, has been invaluable. It is one of the reasons I now choose to give back to those starting out in VO, because everyone has to start somewhere, and I had some tremendous people help me way back when. You can read some of the testimonials I've had from past clients here.

If you've shied away from coaching, albeit from a business or Voiceover specific point of view, I urge you to invest in yourself and find someone to work with. It could be the most powerful thing you do for your Voiceover business.

You can find out about my coaching at www.VoiceoverCoachUK.com, for Voiceover, Audiobook and Success Life Coaching.

You don't need Permission.

One of the subjects that crops up over and over in coaching sessions recently, is the idea of Voiceover as running a self-employed business, and all that that implies and entails on a day-to-basis.

Anyone coming from a theatre or film acting background, or fresh out of drama school, where so much power and influence is placed in the hands of an agent, may be surprised to learn of the vast amounts of work there is out there for Voiceover Artists going after work for themselves. Want to make sure your favourite production studio books you? Then make sure they get to hear your voice and your demo.

You do not need permission to contact production studios, and casting directors! You are your own business, and every business needs constant sales and marketing. In Voiceovers, you can take control and manage your own career. This is especially true of those VO's with Home Studios.

How are people going to know that you have the perfect voice for their next project, if you aren't investing time, effort and energy into letting them know you are there, ready, waiting, experienced and ready to provide excellent customer service?

I read a great quote somewhere (and promptly forgot it), but the essence of it is this: in business, a potential customer generally needs to be made aware of you a MINIMUM of seven times before they decide to use your services. SEVEN TIMES. And that is until you are noticed, not necessarily until you are booked.  That's right - you need to up your marketing strategies to make this Voiceover business a success.  Personally, I take a lot of comfort and reassurance from that (slightly hazy and forgotten) quote. It means that I can process any rejection I might feel on not landing a gig I wanted, or not getting a response to a lead generation email that I had hoped for, as just one small step out of at least seven that I will have to take to get the potential client to notice me. It wasn't me they didn't like, it's they just have too much on their plates and haven't had enough time to sit up and take notice of me. Yet.

These days we have so many tools at our disposal for voiceover Marketing. To name a few options on social media - FB, Twitter, LinkedIn. We have the ability to send targetted newsletters to those on our list through online companies like MailChimp. We can pick up the phone and introduce ourselves. We can write a letter, or send a note, or a gift. We can write blogs. We can get out, and take a course with a producer. We can go to Voiceover Networking events.

So my question to you is...what are you going to do today, to make sure you notch up another of those sevens times before you are noticed?



This is your Voiceover business, and your responsibility to take action to increase your client list.

If you'd like any further advice, visit www.VoiceoverCoachUK.com to book a coaching session.

Kickstart your year: train your brain for a successful year.

And...we're here in 2016! We've made it past even the Back to the Future future!

People are lovers or haters of the New Year, New You thought processes. Personally they make me tick. Perhaps it is the fresh clean pages of a new diary, and of a new journal, perhaps it is the feeling of having a fresh slate. Whatever it is that makes me feel ready and raring to go, there are certain commitments I make to myself at the start of January every year. I'm still working through some of them, as making changes in your life, and living a life by design rather than happenchance, takes some forethought and planning.

I thought I'd share with you some of the info that is shaping my year ahead.

The Miracle Morning: The 6 Habits that Will Transform Your Life before 8am, by Hal Elrod.

I'm just getting started with this new routine, and beginning my day from a place of gratitude and thankfulness, combined with motivation and energy has already had a huge impact on my working week.

How to Love the Year Ahead by Michael Neill

This thought- provoking short article made me think about now just what my most enjoyable year would include, rather than my most successful. It also prompted me to investigate the book Your Best Year Yet!: Ten Questions for Making the Next Twelve Months Your Most Successful Ever by Jinny Ditzler.  I think the title tells you what to expect inside. Perfect for really evaluating what can make you progress in your career.

Business and personal development books are great, but sometimes it feels so much better to have f something Voiceover specific, that hits the naiil on the head with our unique industry. Marc Scott has created a fabulous e-Book entitled:

 Crush It 2016.

 I think this won't be available for long, so hurry up and request your download. 

What will you read this month to kickstart your year?

Getting to the 'Success' Point

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it means to achieve success as a Voiceover Artist, or in fact in any performance career. The impetus for this was how mixed I felt when I won an award for Audiobook Narration recently, combined with the reading I've been doing for a forthcoming NLP Practitioner course I'm completing soon. NLP means 'Neuro -Linguistic Programming' and the practice of it allows people to make fundamental changes to how they catalogue their responses and thoughts about the world in their unconscious mind. The idea is that if you can find what triggers feelings of limitation such as disappointment, you can set about changing your language to counteract or even eradicate those feelings of not quite matching up to your ideals.

On discovering I was an Award Winner, I was delighted. I could see that my hard work and dedication to my career had paid-off in this badge of recognition. However, quickly I was consumed by doubt - had they really listened to me? Had they got the right person? What if others listened and thought I was terrible?  These insecurities and doubts triggered off feelings of 'Well I might have won this, but I'm nowhere near as good as.....(insert other Voice Actor)...., and I haven't won a (...insert other Award)...yet, I'm not even nominated.' I pretty much imploded with self-talk, and my head was not a positive place to be!

What it caused me to do was stop and think, reassess where I am, and what I now want my life to be about, not just in my career, but my personal life also. It is no bad thing, to hold a mirror up and take stock. It forced me to look at the journey I have had to get where I am today.  It forced me to recognise that my model of 'success' had changed so many times since I first became aware, almost 15 years ago, that I could make money with my voice. Back then, my dream was to create a good demo, to get an agent just to listen, and to land one single, little job. It is good to remember what it was like before I got started. The 'Anna' of 2000 would be astonished to see how far I have come, and yet (until now) the Anna of 2015 had always looked for more and thought it wasn't enough!

As a freelancer, ofcourse it is important to strive for more business, new clients, other networks to join and contacts to make. However, I 've had a wake up call that tells me it's ok to slow down once in a while, and view the journey, and decide 'Where next?'. It's also made me see that the giant leaps I have made in my career have been when I have had regular contact with an inspiring coach or mentor. And it makes me see that what I want as part of the future I am building, is to use my own successes to inspire others starting out in the Voice world to build their own model of success.  It is why I have set up my coaching website www.VoiceoverCoachUK.com, and why I am excited about helping each of my clients achieve their own goals and dreams in this industry.

If you are interested in learning more about my Voiceover Coaching, please visit www.VoiceoverCoachUK.com.

Motherhood: Being a Girl, and making Voice work, work.

The summer holidays have got me thinking about what a great job I have, and how blessed I am to have created an environment for my children where I can be around for them all the time, and still be successful in my work. As a mother of three children, I can work from home whilst they are here too. No paying for expensive childcare, no hours spent commuting to someone else's office.  The overriding reason why Voiceover work is for me is that I choose to be first and foremost, a 24/7 mother to my children. I have chosen to work freelance and mostly from home so that I can be there for every school pick up and drop off, every school holiday. Every assembly, every Sports Day. And I know that there are many other VO girls out there, with talent and real ability, who make it work from their own studios because of the perks of the job in terms of motherhood and childcare. 

 

It is not to say that I don’t love my job for other reasons, because I do. I love the creative nature of my work, I love developing ongoing client relationships, I love the entrepreneurial element of my job, I love the sound of my own voice….! Yet, when I am chatting to other working mothers from more traditional type jobs at the school gate, and on play-dates, it strikes me that I am getting the balance right (or at the least, right for me. I place no judgement on other arrangements for parenting and childcare – I can only know what is best for my personal situation). I can book jobs flexibly- I can arrange ISDN sessions for when the youngest of my three children is at pre-school, and I can record any additional mp3, wav’s and material that doesn’t need direction from someone in another studio in the UK after the kids are in bed. It also leaves me the evenings for ISDN, ipDTL and Skype sessions with the US, and other places with different time zones. 

The glory of modern technology means that I can do my social network marketing whilst on the school run, I can send out quotes and invoices from my iPhone between chauffeuring my daughters to theatre school (performing runs in their blood, or so I like to think!). I can arrange coaching sessions whilst my son watches Bob the Builder, and I do the ironing. I can read blogs in between watching swimming classes, and I can do last minute short sessions whilst the fish fingers are in the oven.

In addition, I am close enough to swan into London at short notice when a face-to-face session is required in a studio, which also enables me to feel less isolated than a home booth can at times feel. And I can still be back in time for the school run.

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t always plain sailing. The long school summer holidays can be a particularly tricky juggling act (fortunately Granny and Grandpa are a stones throw away in any ‘I have a session booked for 30 minutes time and the kids are WILD today’ emergencies). As they get older though, my children do understand that they need to be particularly quiet in short blasts from time to time. Bribery helps. (For those in similar situations, I have found that a packet of crisps allows me more ‘silent time’ than sweets or a chocolate bar!). Other sticky moments have been when they were young babies, and I had tight deadlines to reach, and my ‘fail-safe’ plan to record once they had GONE TO SLEEP backfired on me.  But on the whole, it works, and it works well. And increasingly, they are very proud of my work and my achievements and show off to their friends about it, which is just brilliant, to be honest.

So to other women interested in Voiceover work, that’s maybe the message I want to spread. That it can work, if you work hard enough to make it work. You can be a full time VO, and a full time stay-at-home mother. I know because I’ve been doing it successfully for years. So any of you VO girls who are lucky enough to be new mothers, wondering how on earth you can fit it all in, please know that you can, and it may just be the thing that saves your sanity during the baby years!

I provide coaching for Voiceover Artists via Skype. Visit www.VoiceoverCoachUK.com, and let's get the ball rolling for your stay-at-home career.

A recipe for sore throats- Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy?

Over the past 12 months since my recording schedule has become busier and busier with long form narration, I’d been using the tried and tested method of drinking hot water with lemon and honey on a regular basis, convincing myself that this would be a sure fire way to do all I could to prevent sore and tired throats. And I felt fairly smug that I was doing the right thing to help myself.

But guess what? My throat became worse and more uncomfortable despite steaming, warming up thoroughly, taking rest days, resting when I wasn’t working, and of course drinking cups of lemon and honey. I began to panic - I love Voice acting and I became concerned that I couldn’t sustain this as a career owing to discomfort. I became tense, and my neck and shoulders tightened, which consequently had an impact on my throat and larynx, which no doubt made the whole situation worse!

I booked in to see and ENT specialist (Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist) and waited for my appointment date to come through.  A few months later I met the Consultant who whisked me promptly to have an investigative Endoscopy (yes, a teeny, tiny camera shoved up my anaethastised nostril), freaked out with how weird it felt and with a mild reaction to the anaesthetic spray, hyperventilated  and fainted. Oh the glamour. Came round to find myself on the floor in the recovery position. Oh the shame! Luckily though, the doctor had had a thorough look around my insides before I swooned, and the results showed something that surprised me.

Whilst my vocals cords were perfectly fine  and healthy (thank goodness), the doctor was convinced that the back of my throat was inflamed due to acidic reflux irritation. His first question: Did I have anything especially acidic or citrus regularly in my diet? Well, I have to say I was shocked. All my vocal coaches at drama school had sworn by lemon and honey in hot water. The doctor’s advice to me was to avoid the lemon  drink like the plague for a few months, along with anything else especially acidic. Take some anti- reflux medication for a couple of months to neautralise the effects this had had on my digestive system, and ensure I drink plenty of milk before bed, and avoid eating late at night.

The result? Within just three days, all inflammation had healed. I then had a particularly hectic fortnight of recording on a very tight schedule, and I was fairly convinced the symptoms of sore throat and tiredness would return. But no. Nothing. Of course, the knowledge that I haven’t done anything damaging to my voice and that I haven’t being doing anything ‘wrong’ with my voice, means that I am more relaxed and less tense must have helped too. And whilst I’m sure it isn’t the case for everyone experiencing sore throats, it must be worth stopping the lemon drinks for a while if you are a regular drinker of lemon and you are experiencing sore throats. 

Audiobooks - A Narrator's Job (Part Two)

Some months ago, I posted Audiobooks -A Narrator's Job (Part One), thinking that a few days later I would compose Part Two. But that's the thing about a Narrator's job. Sometimes it doesn't rain, and then it pours. I have been practically locked in the booth, creating incredible audio versions of some astonishingly well-written books for endless weeks! And now that the storm has subsided to a reasonable British kind of drizzle, I finally have time to write the next segment.

So. After all that preparation of reading, researching, character and accent study, it is time to hit the booth. But first things first, WARM UP! I have learned the hard way that not warming up thoroughly before long audiobook recording sessions can have real consequences down the line, both in terms of the quality and the consistency of my work, but also in my vocal health. As a result, I begin my recording days with a lot of humming, trilling, stretching out and steaming my vocal cords. I bought the best steamer I have come across recently, as used and recommended by many West End singer- leading-lady friends of mine, who swear by them in their dressing rooms. The Dr Nelson's Inhaler  is great as you can steam the vocal cords without having to get your chin or nose wet like with so many other steamers (plus the vintage style is very en vogue). I now consider steaming as an integral part of the narration process - prevention rather than cure for vocal strain symptoms.


I stretch. I consciously loosen the muscles in my shoulders and neck. Sometimes I start my day off with a few yoga-style poses and stretches to prepare. Sitting or standing for long periods of time can greatly affect you physically, and I like to be ready to combat or avoid those discomforts. I recently reacquainted myself with Alexander Technique classes too, as it is now (cough) a few years since I last took them at Drama school, where they were compulsory. They help me be mindful of not carrying unnecessary tension as I speak and stand.

If part way through a book, I listen (as I steam) to the last 5 or 10 minutes of audio in the last chapter I recorded, to remind me of tone, pacing, and emotional intensity of the part of the story the listener will currently be experiencing. If I am working from my home studio, then I check that all of my levels on my mixing desk or audio interface are the same as the previous day, and I check that the microphone is still at the same height and distance as before.  (Sometimes if I have been working on commercial work using my ISDN line/Source Connect/ipDTL these need to be adjusted quite significantly). I always keep a written note of what all the settings are at the start of a book. If working in an outside studio, I am thankful that this is one part of the process that the engineer can look after.

I tend to use Pre Sonus Studio One as my preferred recording software for narration work, as it works, and it is free! From time to time I consider swopping to PRo Tools, but an engineer I work with closely keeps reminding me that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I know this software well, and it works for my purposes. I set Studio One to allow me to Punch and Roll record, (or Pre-Roll as some refer to it), and I'm ready to go.

And then the narration begins!

If case you missed it, Audiobooks- A Narrator's Job (Part One) is available here.

Audiobooks - A Narrator's Job ( Part One)

When I tell people that I'm an Audiobook Narrator, I often get the response, 'Oh, so you just read books then?'.  There's just a teensy bit more to it than that!

I thought I'd share with you the steps I take in producing an Audiobook, beginning with the all important Preparation.

My prep work begins with downloading the manuscript onto iAnnotate on my iPad, whilst I make a cup of tea (I'm British through and through). iAnnotate is a fantastic App that enables you to read, mark up and add comments to PDF's and other Word documents. It even has the function to record your own voice, and leave the recording over a particular word for you to listen to later on. It has streamlined my prep processes, and leaves everything in one place. I haven't worked off a paper  copy of an actual book in a long time. Utilizing my iPad means that when I come to record, there are no pages to turn, and if you are careful, little sound from scrolling the page.

Before I get stuck in reading the book, I'll try to find out as much as I can about the Author, and any other books in the series if they exist. This gives me an insight into their common readerships, which may inform my interpretation of the book. I'll most often reach out to the Rights Holder or Author to find out if there are any preferences for pronunciation, and to build a rapport (which really helps when it comes to marketing and promotion).

Then I get settled comfortably, and begin to read. As I read, I mark up any words I am unfamiliar with, and I can access a dictionary, thesaurus and even a sound file of pronunciation, right from iAnnotate (although these are not 100% accurate). I then check for further info on Forvo.com, Howjsay.com and Audioeloquence.com. If I'm working on a US title, I use Merriam-Webster.com, and if I am working on a British book, I use the Oxford English Dictionary online. More info about these can be found in my guest blog for Voiceover Herald.

I'll mark up my findings on the iAnnotate file, usually by spelling them out phonetically, and leaving a comment about where I heard the word said. Occasionally with place names, I have to do a real dig around on Google, and YouTube to find exactly what you need. I have been known to call a local tourist office for advice on how to correctly say a town or little known village in some far off place in the world.

I keep beside me an A4 pad, where I list every character that I come across, and any characteristic
details I can find about them throughout the story. I can't stress enough how important it is to read the whole book. In one of the first books I ever worked on, the author revealed in the final chapter, that one of three female first person narrators in the book had a 'light Russian accent!'  I get all the characters down in my list, and when I have pieced together all the clues left by the writer, I then look at who appears when and with whom throughout the story. I try to work out which accents or speech rhythms or intonations would suit who, and how to balance these out so that they are all distinct. In many ways it is like creating a score of music - what sits where and when. I give a lot of consideration to where the 'narrator' of the book will sit in my vocal range, to try to ensure that it is fairly close to my usual speaking voice, as this is the voice that will be with me for many hours in the booth, and I want to ensure I minimise any potential vocal strain.

Sometimes it is necessary to employ a researcher if I am short on prep time, or if the book contains technical, medical or religious jargon that I am unfamiliar with. I will get them to do all the leg work on finding out about place names and pronunciations, and add them to the file for me. I will always do the character work though.

Once I'm done reading the whole book, I give myself time to think and absorb the story and characters before I dive in, if my schedule allows. Often I'll prep a book in the evenings, whilst I am focusing on recording another during the day. I think about what the author is trying to say, and to whom. I give thought to the sub text of the conversations, and on how to create the emotional mood of the story from one scene or chapter to the next.

Once I've completed my read, I sometimes need to reconnect with the Rights Holder or Author to check in with any queries I have. I have been known to have Skype sessions when jargon or names have been particularly unusual. Once or twice I have asked them to record themselves saying the names, so that I have something concrete to remind me when I begin in the booth.

In an ideal world, I would have time for a second read, but being booked out so much already this year, I am going to have to make sure I am extra through first time round.

Before I begin the whole book I might have a play around with recording some of the character voice ideas, and saving the files for reference. This can be particularly useful if I narrate a book which later becomes a series- I can return quickly and easily to the character audio file and delve straight back in to how they sounded in Book One.

And then I'm ready to get recording.

Read more in Audiobooks - A Narrator's Job (Part Two)

Performing Monkeys: Say No to Peanuts

In the past week alone, I have turned down several clients. This is not always an easy thing to do, (and especially not as we approach Christmas) but sometimes it is most definitely the right one. I am a firm believer in knowing your worth, and in researching the prospective clients. If you are sure they could pay a reasonable rate, based on the size of their company and the usage of the audio content they are expecting you to produce for them, then why accept peanuts?


For those starting out in Voice over work, it can be hard to have a concept about 'knowing your worth'. After all, it is pretty exciting that somebody wants you! Somebody has chosen your dulcet tones to represent their brand or product or company. The prospect of building your list of clients is an exciting one. However, what happens to the industry over time if many VO's continue to accept a low-to-miniscule rate of pay for the bigger jobs like the TV commercial spots? What happens is that there is an expectation that we will all accept those rates and they become the norm. And eventually the upshot of that is that many of us will not be able to afford to be in business as full time professional VO's, we won't be able to support our voice careers, and most importantly we won't have the funds to provide for our families.

I know my worth. I have invested time working out how much I must earn to reach my targets. I have evaluated the cost of all my equipment, my expertise, my knowledge and my skill. And I have worked out for how that translates into my fees, for corporates, television, radio, elearning, IVR and phone lines. I have my rates to hand per project, per minute, per word,  per hour and per session. I have a solid understanding of what I charge extra for and what I don't. For example- is there a fee for live direction via Skype, ipDTL, ISDN? Is there a localisation fee if I am expected to make the poorly translated script flow in 'proper' English? Am I expected to export to many separate files? What are the circumstances under which I provide free re-records? And when are they chargeable? Am I being asked to fit speech to visuals?  I keep my list on view prominently in my studio, and I keep a list in my handbag, so that where ever I am I can access this vital info in a jiffy, without missing a beat if a client requests an approximate quote. I can do this with confidence now because I know my worth.

We, the Voiceover Artists, are not performing monkeys. To do what we do takes, skill, ability, timing and talent. And that deserves to be rewarded in a reasonable rate of pay. There is wiggle room, ofcourse, when I negotiate with a prospective client, I am running a business after all, but there are bottom lines.  I refuse any longer to jump for peanuts. I urge you to spend some hours investigating your own financial worth and translate this into a rate card. It'll be some of the most useful time you ever spend on your career.

Keeping up to date

For many months now I have known that I was in need of an update. Not just demos but headshots and all the promotional material. Website overhauls and all that palaver. The trouble is, I had so little time in my schedule to actually make it happen! So I took all of October to work on it, as I knew it was important to represent myself in a way that I am happy with online.

I had loved my commercial demo a few years ago which I recorded with the lovely Gary Terzza, and I had refreshed it from time to time with completed real audio when contracts and clients allowed. I had been so chuffed with my website and publicity headshots and branding about four years ago when they were done. But times change, and so has my style, both vocally and visually. For a long while I knew that the image I was 'putting out there' no longer fit like a glove.  Also my focus has changed. I have established myself as not only a British female Voice over, but also as an Audiobook Narrator, and I have returned to my acting roots when time allows. So it certainly was high time I sorted my demo's out.

One of the things that held me back in terms of updating my reels was deciding whom I should ask to produce my reel. It is a very different beast creating new material once you have established yourself as a busy VO, to the experience of being a newbie entering a studio for the first time to have a stab in the dark at being behind the mic, or even refreshing after a few years in the game. And I decided that I wanted to go with someone that I hadn't worked with before who could give a fresh approach to how my voice can sound.

Time and again I had heard recommendations for JP at The Showreel from not only Voices but producers, so I decided to give him a go! The waiting list procedure itself speaks volumes about his credibility. He managed to squeeze me in to a cancellation slot thankfully.

I had a fantastic few hours in JP's new studio in Soho. He  really knows his stuff, and worked uber efficiently yet pickily (is that a word?) on getting the content of my reel to his high standard.

You can hear the fruits of our labours here: www.VoiceoverAnna.com/listen.

When was the last time you created a new demo? Make sure you aren't letting the team down by sounding rusty (after all as a VO you are pretty much a team of one right?!). Styles and preferences change with time, and thought they might be subtle, it's important you try and stay on top of them. So go on, go and get it refreshed. It's given me a whole new lease of life!

Speaking with Respect for the Writer

I've been thinking a lot about words. Not just the ones I speak into the microphone, but you know, the ones actually written on paper (or more often that not on the screen these days.) My summer was bonkers-ly busy with narration, holidays and time spent with my three kids. In addition, the results of a long labour of theatre-love came to fruition, when I performed in production of Paper Dolls that  I co-devised and co-wrote at Camden Fringe Festival this year and gained FIVE STAR reviews!

Scriptwriting, together with my ongoing blog, made me stop and think about all those Voice scripts that land in my inbox for me to put a voice too. Often I am so focused on getting the words right in terms of production (finding the nuances, rhythm, clarity, pitch, pace, intonation and characterisation), that I forget to pay homage to the person who wrote the words in the first place.

Every script is someone's creation. Every script, from an epic novel to a Radio Commercial to  even those less-exciting telephone system Voicemail recordings,  has come into being through a writer. And every writer has considered for whom they are writing, and perhaps most importantly why.

So if the writer has thought about who they want to appeal to, it follows that as the Voice of the piece has to also. How often do you reel off a script without thinking about for the message is intended? Well, it's time to put a stop to that! What is the purpose behind the script you are reading? Suss that out first and foremost and your work will improve dramatically. The purpose and intention of the script is so fundamental to every recording, and indeed every audition demo, that you can't afford to overlook it.

Likewise, the writer will have used specific words, phrasing and even grammar for a reason. And if they wrote it, don't be tempted to suggest you know better (even if you do!). The client is always (well, mostly) right. If you are working in a studio or via ISDN with a client present, it is imperative that you do not offend or comment on the quality of the writing. It is somebody else's baby. If you absolutely must comment on the sense of a sentence, make sure you do so respectfully and sensitively, or you may find that you aren't asked back for a repeat performance. This can be tricky, especially when it is obvious that whoever wrote the piece may not have English as a first language, but with tact you can usually work out if it is appropriate or not to offer feedback.

No matter what the script, it is our job to flesh out what is on the page, exactly as it is.  So bite your tongue, until you need to speak the text!

Putting a Face to the Voice

Working in Voice is generally a solitary experience, working away inside a booth. Having just returned from an excellent networking opportunity at the Audio Publishers Association conference in New York, which gave me incredible opportunities to speak to and connect with the major players in the Audiobook industry, I am full of the joys of networking. And believe me, this is not something that I find easy. But I did it. I attended an Voice conference and Audies Awards Gala on my tod, and I am reaping the benefits aplenty from putting myself outside my comfort zone. So I thought I'd share with you other opportunities for Voice Actors to mix and mingle, to learn, connect, share and grow.

This Friday, June 20th 2014,  I shall be attending The VoiceOver Network's Summer Party in central
London organised by my pal and incredible VO lady, Rachael Naylor. This is the first big event for the network, which has been meeting monthly in London since late 2013. I think it looks set to be a great evening for networking with both my fellow VO's and with producers and agents. There may be a few tickets left, so why not join us? Email TheVoiceOverNetwork@rachaelnaylor.com

I can also highly recommend VOX, the UK's Voice conference. Last year I was a proud sponsor of the event which provides a forum for debate on the current state of affairs in the UK Voice Industry, with Actor's Union Equity joining the discussion alongside top radio station directors. In addition talks regarding Radio commercials, Video Games and VO Equipment took place, entwined with many opportunities to meet other Voiceover Artists, established and new. The same team, led by fellow Voxy Lady, Posy Brewer are responsible for VOXMAS (which as yet has clashed with my birthday weekend, and so I haven't made it to this!) I look forward to hearing about the plans for VOX2015.

Sound Women is a great opportunity to network with other ladies working in sound and audio, although many work in a Radio presenting or producing capacity, there is something for everyone.  They run some fantastic training and mentoring schemes though, so keep an eye out for their excellent events.

In the US, there is more choice. There is the big one, VOICE 2014, held in Anaheim (actually at Disneyland!), and there is the popular, limited ticket Faffcon, held in Tuscan, Arizona. And I'm sure there are more, but I've run out of time, and my mind has gone blank! If I've missed any obvious ones, please link in the comments section below.

Go on, get out there and network. It is great to be able to put a face to a voice you have heard online, on TV and on the Radio.

Conference Conundrums

As I write this I am supposed to be packing my suitcase. I'm off to New York City  for a week of networking (and just a little partying too...). I'm attending APAC, the Audio Publishers Association's Conference which in on Wed 28th May. To be frank, the idea of 'networking' brings me out in a cold sweat, and sends me into a spin about what to wear. In my more rational moments, I look forward to networking with my peers as an opportunity to learn, grow and connect. I know that this is the perfect time in my Voice acting career for me to embark on a trip to the US, and to absorb the costs involved in that as a crucial business expense. I am a great believer that to win it, you've got to be in it.

I've been lucky enough to be selected for the Director Diagnostics which runs prior to the conference, which allows Narrators to be directed in a safe environment, to receive supportive critical feedback and to point out room for improvement. Increasingly in Audiobook production, and especially with the creation of the ACX system (Audible's Audiobook Creation Exchange), narrators (or Producers as they are termed by Audible) work independently in their own studios. Opportunities to learn and improve like this are vital, and as a relatively new Audiobook Narrator (albeit a very well established Voiceover Artist),  I am willing to be open to that process. The rest of the conference looks set to be full of interesting topics, including Home Studio Work Flow and Self-Promotion for Narrators. With both business and performance tracks to choose between, I'm hoping to take aware as much knowledge as I can fit into my teeny, tiny brain! I'm a huge fan of working on Children's and Young Adult Audio, so I'm planning to attend the session on that too.

What I am most looking forward to are the opportunities to interact in real live life (as opposed to Facebook!), with other narrators. The Pre-APAC Mixer is a perfect way to get started, if my flight gets in on time! Then, as an established narrator for Bee Audio in both their UK and US divisions, I've been invited along by our Casting Director for a pre-conference mingle, so I'll  be hopping across the city to be in two places at once. These sociable moments make all the difference in feeling at ease such a long way from home; or at least I'm hoping everyone is as friendly and open as they seem to be online!


I've been invited by Audible to attend their private Narrator Knowledge Exchange on Thursday 29th May (only a small amount of the conference attendees get the hoped-for email, so I was teensy bit pleased), and additionally, to audition for the studio themselves whilst I'm there.  I was the first to beta-test ACX for Audible just before it launched in the UK, so I shall be thrilled to meet the team I've been working with.

It doesn't stop there, oh no! Time to head home, put on my glad-rags and attend the Audie's. I've become very passionate about this industry in a short space of time. My specialist section is the Teens nominations, and whilst I can but dream at present about a future nomination in the category in years to come,  I have swotted up on the 2014 contenders, and I know who is my pick as winner of the Audie award. Fingers crossed for them. I shall no doubt be found afterwards at the alternative after party the Naudies..... (this runs at the same time as the Audies Gala, and is attended by narrators who chose not to fork out for the Gala but are still in town).

So this week, I have some editing to finish up, and a narration to complete. Oh, and some shoes and handbags to decide upon. Here's hoping my jet lag is mild!

Getting Out of the Booth

This post comes after a stint away from the Vocal Booth. I've been performing with a professional theatre company that specialises in immersive theatre, in a fabulous project which celebrates the role played by the Codebreakers at Bletchley Park in winning WW2. (Photo by Simon Raynor) Performing for up to six hours a day (of course with breaks) took its toll on me physically, mentally and....you guessed it, vocally. However, it gave me a real opportunity to evaluate in the extreme how physicality can affect our voices. I think it brought home some lessons to me, which I am now taking back to the booth. And you're lucky, cos I'm sharing them with you.

As a performer, you need to warm up. If you don't stretch out and prepare yourself, not only can you hurt yourself, but you leave your performance work weaker and disconnected. Good vocal practice, both on stage and in front of the mic, requires effort, commitment and connection. It is highly unlikely that without taking time to complete a warm up routine that your voice will be at its best, and a good representation of you and your emotional being. It is also unlikely that your built-in equipment for enunciating properly will be ready to do its best work without some help - so utilise the muscles in your mouth, tongue and face that aide your consonants. Lesson number one: always warm up to the extent that you feel you need it. We are all different, so know your own voice and look after it.

And lesson number two: it is all about relationship. Whether you are on stage communicating to another character and/or actor or to the audience for that matter, or whether you are connecting with someone listening to a radio commercial in their car, or with an avid audiobook listener, it is all about how you communicate your material.  Think about the who, what, where and when in regards to the person or people, and your job is so much easier. The voice can be rich and varied, but it is the reason behind the communication that is interesting, not just how pretty you can sound. Consider who and what you are supposed to be communicating  in every Voiceover job, and you are streets ahead of the rest.

Lesson Number Three: GET OUT OF THE BOOTH! I love my Voice work, and it is a borderline obsession for me. However, at times it can be an isolating experience. There is so much value in making new performance connections outside of the studio, and a great way to put into context with the rest of the acting industry where our voice work sits. So go on, open the door & get out and about (it's spring out there and the sun is shining - well maybe not in the UK, but you get my point!)

And on that note, I'm going to finish up my backlog of Voice jobs that I'm still ploughing through since my return to recording. I'm going in the booth, and I could be some time.

Going the Distance

Some of my fellow Voiceover Artists utter shock, surprise or a degree of awe at my switch to encompassing Audiobooks into my repertoire. To me, this always seems strange, since I have fallen head over heels in love with the art form. It is an endurance test, it is a personal challenge, and it is a solitary experience. It offers performance challenges I never knew existed. Nevertheless, the rewards to be had are enormous just because of the gruelling demands on ones time, attention and concentration, and the potential for strain on the voice. Nothing good ever came with ease did it? Getting to the end of
an Audiobook project can feel like I have won the marathon!

In 1980's Britain we had a popular kids programme called Pigeon Street. I was always fascinated by the female trucker character who would pop into the village en route to whichever far flung destination she was going to for her work. 'Long Distance Clara' even had her own catchy theme tune. I didn't get it. Why do a job that takes so long to get from A to B? Now I understand a little better. By the time I have read, annotated, researched, recorded, corrected, edited, mastered and finally uploaded an audiobook I feel like I have been on an incredible journey. This of course is all the better if the book was well written in the first place, and I am fortunate that I am getting some very interesting projects thrown my way, especially since establishing my niche as a Young Adult British female narrator, I've been working back to back on fantastic stories.

Working as an Audiobook Narrator, I feel as thought I have truly created something that has not only been an endurance, but that may well be enduring. I read a quote somewhere, by someone (I'm a little hazy) saying that they loved narrating audiobooks because potentially they were creating material for people to listen to for the next 50 years. And I think that just about sums it up. When I work on producing and narrating a book, I never know who is going to be entertained by it, where in the world it is going to reach someone's ears, to whom my voice and my reading ability is going to give immense
amounts of pleasure. It isn't like theatre where the performance is over at the curtain call. My audience could be anywhere, doing anything, at any time now or in the future. There is something gratifying about that.

It isn't easy. I have been on a rollercoaster learning this side of the Voice industry, and I know others who are at the start of that journey, wondering if they have the stamina or inclination to continue. It isn't for everyone. Adapting to new methods of recording, perhaps even different mic techniques, and using alternative software. For some people accustomed to commercial work, this seems like an awful lot of hard slog. But for me, having worked on some corking characters in some gripping novels of late, I find it hard to get so much of a thrill out of a thirty second commercial. But my background is in theatre, performing, creating characters, and audiobooks give me an opportunity to do all of that.

So in short, it really isn't for everybody this Audiobook Narration malarkey. But it is for me. Now, if only there could be rapturous, spontaneous applause when I reach the last sentence of the final chapter in a ten hour novel, then that would be even better.