If you have ever received a voiceover that was technically fine but not quite what you pictured, the problem usually started before anyone pressed record. A voiceover artist can only perform what the brief gives them. The better the brief, the closer the first read lands, and the fewer rounds of changes you need. I record from my home studio at broadcast quality, and most projects are delivered within 24 hours. That speed only works when I know exactly what you want. Here are

Listen up, folks—learning and training are the real MVPs in any gig, whether you’re nailing voiceovers or juggling flaming torches for a living. 🔥 Take football (soccer, for my American pals). The best players don’t just wake up scoring bangers—they practice like their lives depend on it. ⚽💥 They drill those skills until they’re basically part of their DNA. But here’s the kicker: on game day, they’re not overanalyzing their footwork or stressing about that new spin move.

Say YES! (Unless It’s to Wrestling a Bear. Then Maybe... Think Twice.) Let’s face it—saying “yes” to new things can be terrifying. Like,...

Welcome back, audio adventurers! In a previous blog, we talked about training your ear — basically, learning to hear like a sound Jedi. Now that you can spot bad audio like a hawk spots a mouse in a field, it’s time to face the real villain of your VO journey: your recording space. Let’s get one thing straight: your mic is not the star of the show. Nope. Your recording space is the Beyoncé of your setup. The mic? It’s just the backup dancer. Every sound engineer will tell you

Before we dive in, let’s be clear: this blog is mostly for folks aiming to nail commercial, narration, or eLearning voiceovers. If you’re...

Buckle up, dreamers, because I’m about to drop a truth bomb funkier than a disco ball: success in freelancing isn’t a viral cat video...

What’s the most important skill in voiceover? A voice so smooth it could sell ice to penguins? A trendy tone that screams “I do National Geographic in my sleep”? The ability to mimic any accent, including a 6ft 7 Martian with a lisp? Sure, those are fun party tricks. But let’s get real. People ask, “What do I need to make it in voiceover?” A fancy studio with more foam than a latte? An agent who lives on either coast and drinks oat milk? A U87 mic that costs more than your fi

Let’s talk about rejection. Yep, that delightful little gremlin that shows up uninvited every time you send off an audition and hear... absolutely nothing. No callback. No “thanks but no thanks.” Just silence. Like your email fell into a black hole guarded by passive-aggressive casting directors. But hey—don’t panic. This isn’t meant to crush your soul. It’s just the reality of working in a creative field where auditions are basically Tinder swipes for your voice. You’re gonn

Voiceover Voiceover work is one of the most exciting and versatile careers in the creative industry. From commercials and audiobooks to video games and e-learning modules, voice actors bring stories and messages to life. But what does it take to get started? Whether you're drawn to the mic by passion or curiosity, here's a guide to the foundational skills, equipment, and training you'll need to launch your voiceover journey. Core Skills for Aspiring Voice Actors Before invest

Why a voiceover business is in decline. It has been nearly 3 years since writing a blog post. Shame on me. But, life gets in the way of man

We made it! The final episode of 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Number 10: You can’t force things to happen. You’ve done everything right. You got great training from a respected coach. You researched the niche markets that you will be targeting and have come up with a business plan on how to market to your strengths. Website is complete. Check. Professionally produced demo complete. Check. Home studio set up and ready to take on the world. Check,

Continuing with the 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Number 9: What do you think is the most important skill in voiceover? Having a voice that melts people’s hearts? Having a voice that is right on trend? Being able to mimic any accent on demand? Here’s another question. What do you need to be a success in voiceover? A high-quality studio? A major coastal agent? A U87 microphone? These questions are asked all the time and the answers used as examples

Continuing with the 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Number 8: You have got to put in the work. Sorry to be a downer so soon into this blog. But as the title says, it is something you NEED to know. There a very few overnight successes in this business. Peel back the layers of any rags to riches story and you will nearly always find evidence of hard work and passion. Hey, you can always try and buck the trend if you want, but I much prefer the path sh

Continuing with the 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Number 7: Invest in performance coaching. Now, I know that depends on whether you are just doing voiceover as a hobby or if you are serious about your career. If it’s a hobby, then coaching will be fun and help you, but the cost may be prohibitive. If this is your chosen career, there is just no excuse to not get further coaching. The expense is tax deductible and the return on investment can be si

Continuing with the 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Number 6: Get used to rejection. I know that sounds a little negative, and please believe me, that is not the intent. It’s just a simple truth when working in a creative industry where you are required to audition. It takes a strong character, especially when starting out, to navigate the natural human emotions of rejection when you are submitting for jobs over and over again and not getting select

Continuing with the 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Number 5: Prepare for the journey. That sounds like something from the Lord of the Rings. “Prepare for the journey Frodo. Many challenges are ahead of you”. Ok, it sounds a bit overly dramatic, yet it is something that many new voiceovers do not prepare for. This is not a scare tactic. I am not trying to dissuade you from a career in voiceover. Far from it. I am just trying to help you understand w

Continuing with the 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Number 4: Get out of your head. Before we go any further, I want to let you know that this blog is mostly for those who want to work in commercial, narration and eLearning. It still applies in some respects to animation and gaming but that is not the target audience. Your brain is a complicated thing. And when it comes to voiceover, it really can get in the way. For so many years, we have been expo

Continuing with the 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Number 3: Fix your recording space. In the first of these series of blogs, I mentioned that you must train your ear. Once you have started to really hear what good quality audio sounds like, it is time to take a good hard look at your recording space. If you’ve been doing your research, you should already know what every sound engineer says about a VO’s home set-up: The quality of your recording sp

Continuing with the 10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. Well, looky here. I managed to come up with number 2 in my series of blogs. Forgive me if I am slightly smug and impressed with myself. That’s one more than I thought I would get to. So, let’s get to it. Number 2: This is a business. There’s no business like show business. It’s a well known saying but so many people forget the word that repeats in that sentence. Voice over is a business. More accur

10 things you need to know when starting out in voiceover. I really should have thought this through as I don’t have 10 things that come to mind at the moment. But it sounded like a good round number so let’s go with it! Over the next 10 weeks I am going to focus on 10 skills or things you need to know when you first start out on your voiceover journey. The kind of things that make the phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know” ring true. Some of these things will be easy an