Voice Over Newcomers – Where To Start? New Voice123 Blog Interviews Bettye Zoller

PEOPLE
Voice Over Newcomers: Where To Start?
Voice123 Blog Interviews Bettye Zoller
July 29, 2013

Note: Voice123 recently began a new blog series of interviews with voice over coaches, commencing with voice talent/coach Bettye Zoller. Reprinted below, the interview includes advice on learning the voice over business, auditions and demos. Bettye Zoller is also a featured presenter at Voice Over Virtual, the three-day online conference Sept. 18-20 produced by VoiceOverXtra.

By Tara Tyler
Head of Communications, Voice 123

For our inaugural post, we chatted with a voice
actress and coach who has been with Voice123 since we started back in
2003. Bettye Zoller
is based in Dallas, TX and is an expert in voice speech improvement and
vocal dysfunctions as well as voice over and vocal coaching.

She’s the
organizer of the Dallas meetup group, University Park Voiceovers,
the official VOICE123 Meetup Group in Texas that has about 150 members
and meets every month. I enjoyed our conversation so much, and she is
just such a wealth of knowledge it’s hard to put into one post, but here
goes:

TT: What is your background? How did you get in to the voice over industry?

BZ:
 I was a child actress. At the age of 5, I was working at MGM Studios
in Hollywood. I attended the now famous “Little Red Schoolhouse” on the
lot. I was there with Liza Minelli and her sister, got to work with
Mickey Rooney and was constantly surrounded by amazing talent.

My family
ended up moving back to the Midwest and eventually, I moved to Dallas
to be a studio singer. I did backup vocals on many albums and sang
jingles for Rice-a-Roni, American Airlines, and more.

When the jingle
industry started to die, I started doing voice over and went back to
school to study speech and vocal dysfunction. Now, I’m mostly focused on
audiobooks.

TT:
The most common question we get at Voice123, and I am sure you get all
the time is “Where do I start?” What advice do you give to someone who
is just starting out?

BZ:  Learn about the business before you start spending money!

So many people are doing it all backwards. They spend tons of money on
recording equipment, editing suites, soundproofing, etc., before they
even know what an actual career in voice over and voice acting is all
about.

Do NOT pay someone thousands of dollars to produce a demo for you
right away.

If you have done your research, talked to people in the
industry and are still serious about becoming a voice actor or
announcer, don’t quit your day job just yet. You need to find training.

These days, it’s difficult to know who to trust. There are many
companies and people out there claiming to make you a star your first
year. Voice over is not a get-rich quick scheme! Run
far from anyone who makes any kind of outrageous promises and then asks
you for a big upfront fee.

When a new prospective student approaches me,
I spend time getting to know them, their voice, their personality, and
background. I have actually turned away many people who I did not feel I
would make a good fit with.

Also, if you do not have basic computer
skills, you will not be able to succeed in this business. If you are not
comfortable with email, working online, and basic computer functions,
find a community class or workshop in your area and start there.

TT: What’s the first lesson you teach a new student?

BZ: Audition and forget it!

The most amateur mistake I see new voice actors make is calling their
agent (or bugging Voice123 customer service!) to ask who got the gig.

Why does it matter?! You learn something from every single audition. Not
to mention, the person who listened to that audition now knows your
name and voice, and while you may not have fit this particular project,
they may call you in the future (it’s happened to me many times!).

Never
worry about the Voice123 feedback “rating” you got either. It’s “apples
and oranges” and personal preference. Just do your thing!

Actually,
auditioning is the greatest practice in the world. I encourage all my
students to get a premium Voice123 membership. It’s a vital tool to boost any voice talent’s career.

TT: A member of our Facebook community, Angela, asked about where to find scripts for practicing and producing a demo.

BZ:
You can always just read ads aloud from quality magazines and online
publications even. There are also many “script banks” out there for
writers.

But before you actually cut a demo, spend some time figuring
out what kinds of reads you are good at. Record yourself at home and
listen to yourself in really good speakers or headphones.

I spend a lot
of time with my students figuring out if they are a “voice actor” or an
“announcer.”There is a market for both!

For my students that are not
theatrically trained or inclined, that instead of being a bad or average
voice actor, they should focus on being a great announcer. Non-voice
actors can get great work doing non-fiction audiobooks, training
programs, phone systems, etc.

TT: What’s the one thing you see that even veteran voice actors struggle with?

BZ:
Knowing themselves. Having a professional listen to your voice and
reads can help you focus in on the styles that you are really great at
and can own. You may not even realize there is a part of the voice over
market you are perfect for and are missing out on.

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ABOUT BETTYE
Bettye Zoller is based in Dallas, TX and is the owner of VoicesVoices.com.
She’s voiced ads for Coca-Cola, Visa, McDonald’s, Cadillac, and many
more. She’s the former Creative Director of legendary Dallas powerhouse,
TM Productions and other worldwide firms. She’s also owned an
advertising agency and audiobook publishing house and been an audio
engineer for 25 years. She’s been a full time voice actress and
coach since 2002. Her Dallas agent is the Calladus Agency. Houston
agent Pastorini Bosby, Dani’s Agency Arizona. She offers voice over
coaching locally as well as online and over the phone if you are not in
the Dallas area. In addition to offering voice over coaching, she can
also help with speech disorders and neutralizing accents.

Email: btzol@aol.com
Web: www.VoicesVoices.com

Voice123: www.Voice123.com