Whether I’ve been hired to voice a National Branding TV Campaign or a local cable spot for a mom-n-pop car dealership, I always give my voiceover performance as if there was no difference between the 2 gigs!
I never know what other voiceover projects or referrals it could lead to, simply by exuding pure professionalism and giving it my playful best while on the microphone.
One of my most favorite narration voiceover clients began with a very low budget project. I went the extra mile being cheerful and fun spirited towards the client and the project, and even offered to provide additional editing services to remove breaths and provide minor revisions for little or no charge. This led to client voiceover referrals and consistent long term narration and e-learning work which generated into thousands of dollars!
There have also been times that I have been working with cheerful voiceover clients from the UK, for several national radio and TV Campaigns and because of the time difference, I was having to record at 5am-just to accommodate the needs of the commercial client’s deadline, since it was already 1pm London time. If I wasn’t willing to go the extra mile, I would have missed a fantastic voiceover opportunity and many more exciting, lucrative gigs down the road!
I might not have the greatest audition out there, or possibly been an afterthought in landing the initial gig, but once I prove to the client that I’m willing to go beyond delivering their voiceover expectations, then guaranteeing future voiceover work is a given, plus valuable potential voiceover referrals! We must always remember that it’s much easier to keep and maintain an existing client, then to try and find a new one. So actions or lack of them definitely matters 100 percent of the time!
Some tips on how I’ve maintained and grown a successful voice over career:
- Be professional, be open, be on time, be prepared and totally dedicated to doing that particular voiceover project at that particular time.
- NEVER MISS A DEADLINE – under promise, over deliver!
- Producers love to hire a voice over talent who can deliver a read that’s even better than what the producer had in mind. This requires solid training, experience, versatility and good instincts.
- Be myself as much as possible when reading copy, whether it be for a voiceover audition or for a job. The more truly authentic and real I am, the more attractive I’ll be to the listener, and they’ll hear some characteristic that appeals to them in my tonality, inflections or delivery.
- When in a session, keep things business like and don’t spend too much time trying to chit-chat or socialize
And speaking of going the extra mile – enjoy this Lincoln Car Commercial and Car Hop TV Spot that I recently recorded!
Lincoln – https://youtu.be/rfMuagfvODc
Car Hop – https://youtu.be/oniQZ0RndQM