Readers of The Magazine of Santa Clarita sent me some great questions last year, and I’m looking forward to answering more this year and hopefully enlightening you a bit about the voiceover industry. This month, a voice actor asks about creating a website.
Q: It appears that personal V-O websites are crucial. Should a newcomer invest in a website soon after recording a demo, or does a site with only one demo connote inexperience?
A: If you have a voiceover demo, you want to have what’s called “a landing page” where people can hear your demo or demos. That can be either on a dedicated website that’s been professionally designed (you want to look professional) or on a page reserved for you on a pay-to-play type website (like Voices.com) or, if you have an agent, on Voicebank.net. That way you can send prospective clients a link to your demo so they can hear it quickly and easily. You’ll want to make your page interesting to look at, with all the pertinent information for them to get in touch with you.
Initially, you’ll want to showcase your commercial demo, but later on you’ll want to try to put together other demos that showcase your voice in specialty areas, like narration, animation, e-Learning, promos, trailers, Radio imaging and audiobooks. Some actors put other demos on their site, like IVR—interactive voice recording—the kind you hear when you’re on-hold and someone prompts you to “press one for sales, press two for customer service, press three for billing.” I’ve even heard demos for live announcing, like those done at a big outdoor concert. And one good demo doesn’t connote inexperience, but that’s irrelevant. If a client likes your range and voiceprint and acting, you’ll gain experience quickly. Break a lip!
Cashman Commercials © 2011
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 was the Keynote Speaker and Master Class instructor at the international voiceover conventions VOICE 2008 and 2010 in Los Angeles. 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, CA.
Marc can be contacted at cashcomm@earthlink.net or his website, www.cashmancommercials.com.