Voice Over Actors and Competition

If there is one thing common in any other job and in any other industry, it would be competition.  It is no different in the voiceover industry.  In fact, competition has gotten stiffer than it was before, when there were unspoken rules that everyone followed, like casting directors not hiring a voice talent who wasn’t represented by an agent.  Nowadays, a voice talent can opt whether or not to use an agent, and they can basically market themselves and represent themselves. Back then, casting directors and advertising agencies really were on the lookout for talent and took care to ensure they were hiring one.  These days, any person who can talk can get hired for a voice over job.  Back then, voice actors were paid well and everyone followed a standard rate; these days, the pricing for voice talent work completed can go as low as $11.  If you don’t believe it, go to eBay.

But that is the thing: it’s those that make competition stiffer for voice over jobs.  Now, they won’t go away just because you think you are a voice over professional and you should get the job.  As far as competition goes, DON’T COMPLAIN: get better.

Get better with demos (and attitude).

Voice actors know this: as an experienced and professional voice actor, you already have an edge amongst others vying for voice over jobs.  Complacency is the only thing that could possibly bring you down here, but it will be your own doing.  Picture this. A start-up voice over actor gets his demo done with care: clear, excellent sound quality, a well-modulated voice, passionate delivery.  An experienced voice actor thinks he’s experienced enough and does his demo just like that.

 Get better with deadlines.

For somebody experienced and knowledgeable, getting done before the deadline should not be an issue.  It might be for those who think highly of themselves, but really, with competition abounding, a voice actor can easily be replaced. That’s a fact.  Casting directors and advertising agencies love dealing with voice over talents who are aware there are deadlines to be met, besides the quality. To them, time is money; it should be for you, too.  If not your money, theirs.

Get better in communicating.

Your communication with your agent, with the voice over website you have a membership with and, most of all, your communication with your clients.  They are paying for your service.  If there is something you are not clear about, polite, objective and detailed is a good approach.  If you find something unreasonable in your client’s expectations of your delivery, polite, objective and resolution-oriented is a good approach.  Believe it or not, there are some voice talents who choose to simply not respond to the audition call or to the job after a client has booked them.  They didn’t like something the client said.  You are viewed as a professional voice over talent, so act like one.

Polite, clear and quick: the reply clients remember. © The Voice Realm

The list is not exhaustive; it is not rocket science either.  Perhaps you are not being booked for jobs; becoming upset over it is energy wasted.  Evaluate yourself: how fast are you in submitting your audition reels, and was the sound quality excellent?  Have you considered auditioning for the lesser known brands versus the bigger and more popular ones, where there are sure to be hundreds of audition reel submissions?  How badly do you want to succeed as a voice actor?  Say hello to competition and gear up to become better!