Not everyone who tries can get a voice over actor. It will not magically make you unique, famous, better than everyone else, wealthy, employable, guarantee you a spot in heaven, or guarantee you a steady stream of income. Surprisingly, the same holds true for a voice over page, although in both cases, it’s a huge boon.
There are both good and bad agents in the industry; those who are honest and have built successful businesses through hard work and perseverance, and those who have stolen clients from their employers and set up shop independently; those who claim to be agents but are not; and those who claim not to be agents but are. They will all be of use.
Contact Information
Some may be fine with you including their contact information (phone number and email) on a voice over page elsewhere on your site, while others may be offend by the idea. It’s true that you don’t have many options here. Getting an agent, let alone a good one, is incredibly difficult; as a result, you should be prepare to do whatever they ask of you, even if it means breaking the law or adopting a ridiculous stage name.
We’ve found that the longest-tenured agents are the most reliable since they’ve seen it all and because many of today’s “offshoot agents,” i.e., those who stole connections and went into business for themselves, got their start working for the older agents. Inquiring at organisations house about how long they have been in business can help you locate some of the more seasoned agents. The oldest agents are usually the greatest because they have been in the business the longest and so carry the most weight with the businesses they offer voices to. However, the longer the waiting list, the more established the voice over acctor.
We have done extensive analysis on voice over acctor, and we have found that there are credible businesses in the industry. For example, Hobson’s is widely recognis as one of the most prestigious and competitive UK estate agencies, and they were also the busiest when we last checked.
Dealing with voice over
We discovered that dealing with some of them could be difficult, so be prepare for that. Others are rude and seem as if they can’t believe you’re applying to be on their roster. Some are kind and expert, with a policy that is fair, kind, and polite even when rejecting someone. You can find out who is polite and who isn’t if you ask around and observe people’s reactions, but you need also be ready to get insulted. By the way, the aforementioned firm is not one of those firms.
Talented people figure out how to do both, or at least as much of each as they can: they sign with an agent who handles the big gigs. And they use voice-over pages to get the lesser jobs that their agent can’t handle. It’s not that brokers are indifferent to customer budgets of any size; it’s just that they have bigger fish to fry.
There is one constant, however: neither agents nor your personal page are likely to take on large TVR recurring deals that pay an equity-based fee.
Agency
Having an agency can be helpful, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll get hire. Some agencies may represent hundreds of unemployed voice over actors on their books. In large part, this is because there are so many agents available now. It’s possible that despite spending years perfecting your craft in hopes of being discover by an agency, you’ll end up with nothing to show for it.
Agents rely on commissions to make a living, and yet their operating costs are astronomical. They are obligated to maintain a lavish Soho office, provide for the salary of those “handling the phones.” And host numerous business lunches. You need to be practical about how companies function because they work really hard to make money and even harder to develop a reputation among customers. Should they invest in promoting you or the employee who brings in an extra £100k in annual commission? This is not meant to discourage you, but rather to teach you to keep your expectations and, yes, your ego, in check.
Having one isn’t all that fantastic, but it can open doors to excellent employment opportunities.
Rhubarb is another another long-lived voice actor that is also exceptionally shrew and effective. According to our findings, the top contenders include Rhubarb, Hobson’s, Rabbit, Yakkety Yak, and Lip Service. It would be unjust to “chart” these companies based on the number of artists they employ or their income. But you could get a rough estimate of your percentage chance of work by dividing the company’s total revenue by the number.
While there are undoubtedly many other agents out there. We purposefully avoided working with any who have been unprofessional, snarky, or nasty to our musicians or staff. Don’t get down because of how bad some are; what counts is that you get hire.
The good news is that voice over actor agency do rotate their talent. The bad news is that you won’t get hire if they already have someone who sounds similar to you. Obviously, having something truly special to give is the first requirement.
Demo Send to agency
Get a nice demo together and send it to a voice over actor agency. Just keep in mind that your application may be put on hold while they listen to more candidates. To put it in writing, you may say something like that in an email or a message.
“I’ve heard everyone out there, and I still think I have something to say that no one else has. Would it be too much to ask that my demonstration showing this be includ in the next listening session or refresh?”
A producer can assist you record, edit, and cut a demo for a low “freelance charge.” Or you can reach out to a firm and see if they can handle the entire project for you.
Listening Demo
Keep in mind that voice over actor agency listen to around 50 demos per week, so standing out from the crowd is essential. The second bit of guidance is to be persistent, but not a pest. There is a very fine margin. Agents deserve to be treat with dignity. In the best case scenario, you’ll get a rejection letter or an audition date. Take into account when it might be inadvisable to call in a chase up and avoid making that mistake. Although sales manuals and seminars may advise you to “cold call,” “warm up,” “sell yourself,” “push,” and “show up.” We find these strategies to be extremely rude and likely to get you blacklist. Even the British who believe they are the centre of the universe in Soho or who are losing money while listening to you beg despise sales to. Maintain an air of intelligence, formality, and competence at all times. Not even chocolate or CDs with gorgeous yellow bows on them will get through to agents.
You should be aware of the aforementioned, have something truly distinctive to offer. And be ready to enter the Arts’ most cutthroat arena.
