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VOICE OVER TECHNOLOGY Is The Golden Age Of Voice Over Gone? Maybe We're In Another: Strategies For The Digital Era  By Debbie GrattanVoice Actor Will things get better or worse? That's a question people
consistently ask about everything from the economy to the voice over
industry to a change in their favorite restaurant's menu. While we could
sit around discussing the question for hours, or even days, I recall a
very short answer that summed it up best: "Things don't get better or worse. They get different." And that's exactly what happened in the world of voice over. While
some may pine for what might be considered the Golden Age of voice over,
others say a new Golden Age may be upon us. Either way, I have used a few key strategies over the years to
sustain my own voice over career through whatever comes across my path.
For others facing significant changes in their own careers, or those
embarking on the VO bandwagon, perhaps these strategies can help you,
too. MY EARLY VOICE OVER DAYS While the definition of voice over's Golden Age may vary, I feel it's
an era reserved for some true veteran voice actors. I don't consider
myself part of the Golden Age, although I have been in the business for
more than 25 years. When I entered the scene in the 1990s, in-person studio recordings
were the norm. If you wanted any level of notable voice over work, you
needed to live in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Southern California
where the big studios and the big jobs were.
An average day in the voice over world for me included spending a lot
of time attending live auditions, doing in-studio work – and being
stuck in Southern California traffic. Commercials made up the bulk of my work, mostly local commercials for
businesses in the area. Yes, the work was exciting. And yes, I had a
lot of fun.
I remember working at a studio in Irvine, CA with another OC native, Scott Rummell.
He's one of the top people in the voice over world, with a body of work
that includes movie trailers, network promos and commercials for
national and regional TV. Scott gave me a valuable leg up in the beginning
of my career. We recorded spots together, acting as husband and
wife for local supermarkets or copier companies.
My background was acting,
so I was used to working with other actors and creating believable
dialogue. That was always the most fun… getting to work with other
actors in a live situation. A VO CAREER IN THE 1990s ... In the 1990s, our career was:
The early days were exciting. I was getting paid to be an actor – and
that was my goal. Some people never get near that. Sure, I had side jobs at the beginning, like working at a florist and marketing a
murder mystery dinner theater, but I was driven to make acting my
full-time career. A TURNING POINT Yet when one of my side jobs ended, I saw it as a turning point. I knew I could draw unemployment for about six months and use the time
to get all the pieces together to really focus on what I wanted to do.
From there, I just took one step after the other. The work got
better. I made more money. Time is on your side. If you can stick out
the tough stuff in the beginning, it does start to get a little easier.
And although I do miss certain aspects of the early days, I also know things tend to appear rosier in hindsight. What I miss most: Working in-person with other actors. What I miss least: Being stuck in the Southern CA traffic. I can get so much more work when I'm not wasting time on the freeway. ENTERING THE DIGITAL AGE When the digital age began to unfold, my initial reaction was being less
than thrilled. It was more like: "Oh my gosh. What the heck is this
technology, and how am I going to work with it?" And I might not have, if I had not met my husband.
I was not a computer person AT ALL, and he was the one who really
nudged me into the computer and internet age. The transition has been
challenging to me, but I've been able to learn what I need to know - and
usually hire people to help with the rest.
There are people who are more adept than I am with technology, but
that doesn't mean I'm not proud of the progress I've made. I still
sometimes go through everything I've learned and pat myself on the back. These days, technology is wired into younglings, so it's mostly a
breeze for them. They have other challenges. Technology aside, the biggest challenge in the digital age has been
connecting with potential clients - the people who are going to hire you. The current mantra is that anybody and everybody can be a voice over
talent - which also comes with a downside.
Now you're not just competing with the people in L.A. who are with you in the
audition waiting room. You're competing with people in every state… in
every country. You're competing with the world. VOICE OVER EXPERIENCE MATTERS Seasoned voice actors do have the advantage of experience and the
ability to say no to jobs that are not a good fit. For example, you might say "no" to clients who have little experience in voice over recordings and put
you through the mill - asking for multiple free auditions or even
recordings. Sorry, no. But seasoned actors can also end up with a disadvantage in certain cases. For instance, sometimes a client may be looking for a voice that is unrefined, very
raw and not polished. When you've been doing voice acting for so long,
it's kind of hard to turn off the polish. A VO CAREER IN THE 2020s ... Now in the digital era, a voice over career is:
After all these years, voice over work still brings me joy. My
biggest joy is pleasing a client… when you get to hear something like,
"Gee, that was really fantastic. It's great working with you." I experienced one of those sessions recently, where we just whizzed
through a series of difficult recordings for a major university
fundraiser. In many cases, they were satisfied with the first take. It's
so freeing to work with someone who has such confidence in my
abilities… someone who can just let me go and do my thing. I used to be thrilled to hear my voice on TV or on the radio. My
voice would come on while my kids were watching TV and they'd say,
"There's mom!"
Now I do a smattering of commercials, and the bulk of my work is long-form narration: E-learning and similar projects, along with some phone prompt work. STILL FUN, LIKE A GAME I got into voice over narration very quickly, which perfectly aligns with the demands in the digital age.
And yes, my work is still fun. It's like a game for me. Every morning
I wake up, see what's in my email inbox. I'm scouting possible jobs not
just for me, but also for my college-age daughter who also does voice
over work. I meet with her over Zoom once a day to do whatever auditions
and client work she has in between her other work and classes. (It's a
sneaky way for me to be in constant touch with her while she's away at
college…and she still makes a nice purse from her work too, which helps
to pay for it all.) I have a set routine and a speed. It energizes me to think, "There's
another audition, there's another opportunity." You never know which one
is going to hit with a client. When you do get the job offer, it's a
big win. Fortunately, I put enough spaghetti on the wall so some of it
does stick! What I enjoy most: Ease and speed of my daily routine. What I enjoy least: Dealing with finicky technology. Nearly all of the most memorable scary moments in my career involve technology failing at extremely inopportune times. HOW TO KEEP YOUR CAREER GOING Even though I miss some aspects of the earlier days of voice over,
and I am still not a big fan of technology, at no point did I ever want
to throw in the towel to pursue another career. As with any type of
freelance career, voice over income can fluctuate. But even during years
where we didn't make as much money as we'd hoped, I'm still making more
than I would at any other job that uses the education, experience and
skills I have. The strategies I used to keep my voice over career going can be used by anyone in any career. They are: 1. Look Forward, Not Back. Remember that the past is always rosier in your mind, and new things can be even more exciting. 2. Know Your Limitations. There was no doubt I was not a computer person, and I never pretended to be. 3. Learn And Adapt I was willing to learn what I
needed to stay in the game. This reminds me of an Eleanor Roosevelt
quote:
And I certainly
thought I couldn't do all those computer tasks! 4. Get A Game Plan. Those six months of preparing for a voice over career gave me a solid path and foundation for moving forward. 5. Keep Your Eye On The Prize. Voice over work was, and
is, my passion. No matter what challenges I need to face, I remind
myself daily how lucky I am to have a job I love. NEXT CHALLENGE: AI Will I still love voice over with artificial intelligence (AI) honing
in? Ask me again in two years (kidding)! Actually, I'm working on an article about that now. Stay tuned! ----------------------- ABOUT DEBBIE Debbie Grattan is a full-time voice actor based in Michigan with more than 20 years of experience behind a microphone, voicing tens of thousands of scripts for many hundreds of customers worldwide - with a warm and friendly style on everything from corporate narrations and training videos to Disney park-wide announcements and national TV and radio commercials. Working with scores of well-known clients including BMW, Verizon, Microsoft, Samsung and HBO, she seemlessly shifts between conversational, humorous and dramatic reads. She is also a veteran actor, with a degree in Drama from UC Irvine and a resume of awards for her performances from the Los Angeles Times, Drama-Logue, and a Theatre Woman of the Year Award in Southern CA. She has also appeared in TV movies and episodes, commercials, infomercials and other types of acting - both live and filmed - and performed as a corporate spokesperson. Email: debbie@debbiegrattan.com |
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