Great questions continue to roll in from The Magazine of Santa Clarita readers about the voiceover business. This month, a voice actor writes in about producing a V-O demo at home.
Q: I went to a workshop for voiceover and I was told by the instructor (Voice Manager and Agent) to never send in a CD to a voice agent. So I guess the only way is Mp3? What if you don’t have an email address? Also at some auditions I’ve noticed that they’re using Macbooks for the recordings. Can I make a decent demo here at home, as I have a short hallway with soundproofing and I use a condenser mic and pre-amp that connects directly to my Macbook? And how would one get started in audiobooks? Thanks for any help you can provide. –Johseph V., Los Angeles, CA
A: The digital era is making the CD format less necessary, but I think V-O demos should be in both formats, as there are still many producers who want to listen to and look at your CD packaging. However, you need an email address! It’s like not having a telephone! If you want to be competitive in this business, you need to have the tools everyone else uses to promote themselves. And I don’t recommend producing a V-O demo at home unless you have a really professional setup. Your demo needs to sound top-notch to be competitive. Listen to V-O demos on my website. Click on “V-O Demos” and you’ll hear V-O demos that I’ve produced for my students. And as for getting started in audiobooks, subscribe to AudioFile Magazine. That’ll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about how to break into the audiobook industry. Good luck!
Cashman Commercials © 2010
MARC CASHMAN creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television, was named one of the “Best Voices of the Year” by AudioFile Magazine, and will be a keynote speaker and Master Class instructor at VOICE 2010 (in Los Angeles, June 2010). Winner of over 150 advertising awards, and a working voice actor as well, he instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, California.
Marc can be contacted at cashcomm@earthlink.net or his website, www.cashmancommercials.com .