Dave’s one of those savvy internet voiceovers that’s all over the blogging and twittering and pretty jacked up in general when it comes to working from home as a voiceover.  We asked him a few Q’s, and he gave us a few A’s…

Tell us a bit about yourself

How much time/space do we have here?  That much?  OK then…I was born by a river, in a little ole tent… and just like that’a river, I’ve been runnin’ ever since…  Actually, I was born on a farm in the boring but bountiful state of Illinois.  My life is unremarkable, ‘cept that I’ve always worked for my dreams, and I’ve got a wife of 26 years who stuck by me…giving me 3 lovely daughters.  My college degree is in something hard to pronounce in the science field, and I began my broadcasting career 30 years ago at a country/western radio station in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

10. Write articles about your experiences as an actor or voiceover
Submit them to article marketing websites online, like Ezine Articles.  They give you a space to put your link/URL in, so that the articles, along with a link to your demo, get distributed all over the net.  Who knows?  The right people might just be reading an article.




11. Take out a Google ad
Get more exposure for your own page by taking out a Google ad.  This is more expensive, but it could pay off for you.




12. Always signature your emails
This isn’t as targeted as some of the other tips - but really, it takes no effort, its free and you never know who might end up clicking on it.  Go to your email “settings” section, and set up your signature to include your VO link and booking number.



13. Direct response campaign
This is very targeted - and your number of clicks won’t be so many, but they will be quality clicks.  Drop off some comps to one of your shows, or some cupcakes, or just about anything really, to make you stand out from the crowd - to agency producers or sound engineers.  Include a card with a link to your voiceover demo on it.



Did I leave out anything?  Voiceovers - email us and give us your tips.  We’ll add them to the list.

2. If you are experienced:
Once you’ve had a certain amount of experience, the learning curve isn’t as steep anymore. Now you just have to make sure your demo is “acting your age”. You don’t need to waste your money re-doing your demo every year. You can refresh your existing demo every 2 years or so (simple editing - adding in new bits of work you’ve done, and taking out some of the older stuff that dates your demo). And then, re-record and make a new demo every 4 years roughly. Too often I’ve heard people sound really young on their demo, and then when you get them in studio, they sound nothing like they do on their demo.

3. When your demo is letting you down
If you did a demo you were never really happy with, plus, you’re not getting booked for gigs - it’s time.

This one is for Golf called ‘Like a Golf’:




And then there’s this cinema mockumentary, titled ‘Dudeism’ referencing the Big Lebowsky.

Beautifully shot and technically demanding short film for Johnny Walker by BBH

Well done guys!

It’s called  ”Beat it” and was created by the folks at BBH, London.

Keep up the good work guys!

DDB, London brings us Budweiser : Lyrics.

You must’ve seen this one by BBH London for Audi on your tellies. Its called Stop\Start.

Here’s a nice one by RKCR/Y&R, London for Virgin Mobile titiled Fantastic journey:

And just because you can’t go wrong with using babies in advertising, we included this french one for you:

Don’t get boozed up the night before a gig.  Or at least not if the gig is in the morning.  Your voice will thank you for it.

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Give it to the copywriter or agency producer, and simply say “thanks for the gig, here’s my card if you need anything”.   At Piehole we offer to design cards for free for our voiceovers, as it leaves such a good impression when they leave their cards behind in studios.

Make your escape! When you’ve done your gig, say your goodbyes and thank you’s. No need to stick around as a voiceover.

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Back to the UK and this week it’s for Anti Piracy by Creative Partnership, London.

Again, copywriters can be quite anal.  They probably have a specific idea about what they’re looking for.  All you can do, as a voiceover, is try to figure out what on earth they mean when they say ‘warm yet corporate’ or ‘more energy  - but slow it down a bit’ or something else vague.  Try to be patient and not have too many “creative differences”.

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and Wii - Overlord : The Overlord Show by AKQA, London.

Remember, copywriters can be quite anal, so you will be asked to do something over and over and over again.  It doesn’t mean you’re not doing a good job.  It’s just the nature of the beast.  So be patient little voiceover (it is a virtue, you know) and breathe out.

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As a voiceover you need to look after your voice.  Have a glass of water with you when you’re in the booth to keep your voice clear.  Don’t order a coffee at the studio, it mucks up your voice.

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Cute and cuddly sponsorship ads for HSBC by JWT, London.

Not sure we quite understand this one for Ladbrokes : Hide & Seek by M&C Saatchi, London…

Here’s P and J from Piehole at the Net Visionary awards!
Apparently it was a blast.   Thank you to everyone who voted for us. We didn’t actually win, by the way. Just stole a real winner’s trophy for the pic. Thanks anyway.

You want to make a good impression as a voiceover. Especially since there’s a room full of clients / sound engineers / producers / copywriters / account directors waiting just for you. No pressure!

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Sometimes it’s amazing how great something sounds in your own head, but only once you hear it out loud can you really figure out which bits need improving.  You might even have one already - check your mobile phone -some have built-in voice recorders.

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Again from the creative geniuses at Mother, again for a soft drink (Oasis), but this time featuring the scary Rubberduckzilla.

This advertisement for Virgin Trains is called Booty Train and was created by MCBD:

Saatchi & Saatchi, London orchestrated this ad for T-mobile:

Spend at least half an hour a day listening to existing radio ads, and giving them a bash yourself (out loud, and preferably to a willing ear).  This is imperative and the absolute least you can do to get a bit of practice as a voiceover. 

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If you are inexperienced, go for coffee with a more experienced voiceover and pick their brain.  Ask them everything about what to expect when you do a gig - from the minute you walk in to the minute you leave.   Sometimes just knowing what to expect will calm the nerves when you’re doing your first gig.

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What do you sound like?
I’ve been told I’m a cheaper sounding John Hannah (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Rebus)… I suppose there are worse things to be compared to.

 
What was the weirdest gig you’ve ever done?
Two immediately come to mind, on the Friday I was the voice of an air conditioner for an air conditioning company and their in-house video. On the Saturday, I was the voiceover for Miss Great Britain 2006… Not the worst job I’ve ever had to do I must admit!

 
What would be your ideal brief?
Something that I can test myself and isn’t necessarily in my comfort zone - that said, I do like those briefs as well.

What’s your poison?
Guinness… If a pub doesn’t have it, I’m stumped at the bar!

What don’t you leave home without?
My iPhone!

Do you scream during football matches or shout at your children?
Roar and sing at football matches… And the way Celtic have been playing these past two years, there’s been more of the former. I never book jobs the following day after a Celtic v Rangers match or a big Champions League tie… The Guinness helps soothe my throat though!

What makes you laugh / cry?
Most comedy makes me chuckle, though I do love seeing something that makes me laugh so much that my sides hurt.

Who do you enjoy working with or have you worked with recently?
I always like meeting new producers and engineers, and I’ve been very lucky to work with some real crackers in particular at ITV, Setanta and Discovery.

If you suddenly lost your voice, what would you do for a living?
I’d do nearly anything to make ends meet… Though I’d maybe try and get back into radio management, either that or become a train or bus driver… Always fancied that for some reason!

Paul Jamieson

If you are inexperienced, try to go on a training course.  It’s a small investment in comparison to the amount of money you can make doing voiceovers. 

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Here’s a funny one from Nick Gill & the rest of the BBH London team.  It’s for the drink J20 and it’s about mixing things up.  Enjoy! 

It can take a while to break into the voiceover industry.  If you’re new, you’re not just going to get booked on day one.  It’ll only be after you’ve done a couple of gigs (successfully) that people will start booking you again and again.  So don’t go beating yourself up if the phone’s not hopping immediately.

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Today is the one day of the year dedicated to celebrating the human voice and how essential it is at work, in social and in family life.  And who would know this better than our lovely voiceovers?  Party on guys!!

kisskiss

the piehoologans

If you get a message that someone is trying to book you for a gig, don’t wait a single minute.  Ad agencies are usually up against very tight deadlines, and if you take too long getting back to them, they’ll simply book a voiceover who is answering their phone.

This anti-bullying print ad from M&C Saatchi, London highlighting the damage words do.

Poster from CHI & Partners to make smokers think about the future consequences of their actions.

Go on… Spread a little love!

Email c@piehole.co.uk for more info.

For one thing, you have to do auditions.  Lots of auditions.  Lots of unpaid auditions.  The voiceovers in Ireland are pretty lucky, as most auditions are paid at a fixed fee of €118 (That’s roughly 108 Sterling). 

To really compete and make a go of it in the UK, having your own home studio is pretty much mandatory.  This means there’s a bigger financial outlay for the voiceover to get into the business as a studio will set you back a few grand.  In Ireland, all a talented voiceover artist basically needs is a demo, a subscription to this lovely website (obviously), and a bit of get-up-and-go. Therefore in financial terms a mere €450 (£414) can break you into the voiceover industry.  One radio commercial, and it has paid for itself. 

There is also a lot of churn work in the UK.  I’ve heard from UK voice overs who say some jobs are worth as little as 30 quid, whereas the Irish rate cards seem to be much healthier - mainly because the industry here is predominantly commercials-based. But that all said, there is a lot more voiceover work in the UK, and many voiceovers are able to do it as a bona fide full time job. As the successful Irish VO, Tara Flynn once said: “for me, voiceover work is jam, not bread and butter”. But of course, as we all know… voice over work can be pretty jammy.

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