The Demo Session Matters
From both sides of the mic, as both a professional voice over actor and a voice over coach, I can tell you that how the demo session goes effects how the demo turns out. You’re investing a lot into the demo: time, money, effort. The demo should be nothing short of amazing, and the key to having an amazing demo, is an amazing demo session. Our job as demo producers is is to make you shine, and as the client it should be made easy for you. The work should be on our side and you should be made to look your very best, assuming that your voiceover knows to wait until you are demo ready. So, for our team between me and Dave Scott at All Systems Go AV, when your reads are bookable, we move to the demo phase and this is how we make you look awesome:
The Scripts
We create scripts that offer a range in two respects. First, in about 60 seconds, we want you to show a broad range of emotion in your acting ability. These will ultimately be lined up to show a contrast and keep the listener and or viewers interest. Next, and equally as important, the scripts also cast a broad net in range of industries you aspire to book work in. There is a secret sauce in selecting the right blend, and we work hard to custom fit these scripts to bring out your talents. We also are careful never to duplicate anything that another client has used.
It’s in the Prep
Another way that we make you shine is that we prep you really well for your demo session. Included in your demo package is two sessions (in addition to the demo planning session) to prepare the scripts. We work on the target reads, and talk about the different potential options for each read. By the end of these two sessions, you know your scripts. You know them intimately, and you are comfortable with them. We do not move forward until you can deliver them at this level, with joy, enthusiasm, and ease.
Our Relationship
They dynamic I have with coaching students plays a key role in how they develop as a voice talents. I work hard to get to know my clients. It is important to me to form a meaningful relationship. When there is trust, and the guard is dropped, I can bring out the best in you. I can also teach you strategies to prepare you for actual booked sessions, which is actually the goal. The goal is not the demo. Remember, the goal is booked work. By building a rapport with my students, and building on their strengths, we can get to a magical place with their reads.
So, What is Demo Day Like?
Well, some clients like the excitement of being in studio with me and Dave, so they choose to come to my professional home studio to record. Others are just as happy and comfortable choosing a remote but live directed session via Zoom, Zencastr, or Source Connect. Here is the run down:
Remote Session
Clients can choose their preferred way to patch in. Typically our top choices are Source Connect and Zencastr as there are not latency issues and the quality of the audio is outstanding. We typically set a time that is ideal for the client. When we first connect, we confirm the order of the scripts. Typically Dave does a sound check first and will either ask you to send him a quick recording of the audio to make sure your settings are correct or if we are using zencastr he will simply upload a sample to check. After making the necessary tweaks, we begin recording.
We typically take multiple takes of each spot, just was we practiced. We want options so that we can give you the most amazing demo possible. Before moving from script to script, I confer with Dave to make sure he has what he needs as well. We are listening on every single read for both the quality of the read and the audio quality. When we have what we need the session is over.
Sometimes waiting for the demo to come back is the hardest part!
In Person Session
If you choose to come to record in person, that is fantastic too! We try to make you feel totally at home, my booth is your booth for how ever long you’d like to stay. We sit jut outside in the work space and direct you via speaker. We go on mute while you record. There sure is an excitement and it is a joy to be able to collaborate in person. Again, as in the remote session, we make sure that in each read we have the technical read that we want and the audio quality that we need.
The Result: A Demo that Will Blow Your Mind
My work as the coach ends on demo day. I work with Dave to select the best takes, and we put together the order that highlights you range and showcases your talent. At that point. Dave and his team as All Systems Go AV work to create the magic. From video clip selections to choosing current music that draws the audience in, to working on branding, the team at All Systems Go AV creates fresh, vibrant content that you will be excited and proud to use to market yourself.
When someone brand new to voiceover calls or emails, after our initial consultation, I like to send them an audition script to read to get a baseline idea of where they are starting. From that, I can best assess approximately how many sessions it will take to get them demo ready. Some people are fast learners and they only need a handful of lessons. Others take substantially more time. Here are some factors that influence how quickly you can get to your demo:
In the past month, I have had two clients with acting and entertainment experience who were new to voice over reach out for demos. Again, both were given baseline reads to asses. Both were amazing. You’d think they’d been in voice over for years. Even without coaching, as one had stage and vocal training and the other had on-camera tv experience, their instincts of what to do with the script lead to a natural, authentic, solid read that would be bookable if they submitted. 
When a working voice talent needs a demo, again, we can move forward with script selection and a process that showcases their range and strengthens their business’ brand. I work hard not only to bring scripts that enable voice actors to target aspirational clients and showcase their capabilities, but also to have the demos be a reflection of what the talents value, care about and matter. The demo prep process is collaborative and the voice talent’s personality and opinion matters greatly. 
commercial campaign, getting signed by an agent, and seeing an old friend. Why is a new demo so exciting? A voice over demo means opportunity. It is a new moment for us to say here I am, listen to this. This is what I can do for you! As a full-time, professional voice over talent, there are plenty of other female voice over actors booking lots of commercials. How do I make myself get noticed? The demo. So who you do your demo with, the coach and producer you choose to spend your time and money with matters, a lot. I have worked with some of the top coaches in the field, and I can tell you that I have had outstanding experiences and I have had experiences hat should have been better. Now that I am work as a voiceover coach and am on a demo production team myself, I am trying to educate my students along the way, so that they understand what to look for and how to advocate for themselves. Here are some questions you should ask every single time you do a new demo, whether it is a commercial demo or another genre:
that show both your range and are appropriate for your brand. If you have dream VO clients, this is the time to include those scripts. So for example, if you are doing an automotive demos, and you love Audi, you would include an Audi script. If you are doing a commercial demo and you love shopping at target, why not include a target spot? The scripts should not simply descend from above on demo day, be handed to you, and recorded. They should be meaningful to you and they should show both your range and what matters to you. They can be an interesting glimpse into your interests too! So, it is very important that you can easily talk to your voice over coach or demo producer about the scripts that you have.I find it to be the ultimate irony that we use our voice to speak for others, but often, even when we are making investments in our own business, if can be so hard to advocate for what makes the right sense for us. The strength of your demo very much depends on your scripts and you should love them!
This is really important. Demo producers typically send you their preferred order, but at the end of the day the demo is yours to live with and their preferred order matters less than your preferred order. I personally have had demo producers make changes without any fuss, and I worked with others who refuse to make any changes at all and insist that it must stay the way it is.
demo. In a lot of ways its up there in excitement with new jewelry and a new car. For professional voice talents, our voice over demos are our calling cards, and nothing gets us going like a new demo to fuss over. In my small inner circle, it happened just yesterday! One of my VO besties got a new commercial demo back from a well-known demo producer. She was so excited to share the demo with our group, and with good reason! The demo was clever. It did all that will be discussed below, and it was a joy to listen to. She sounded amazing, and we were really excited to ohhh and ahhh over it. So, what is it that makes a voice over demo stand out?