voiceover

Make Your Marketing Dreams Come True: Hire the Right Voiceover Actor!

December 13, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

Between Generations…

When I was in high school, a movie that was supposed to epitomize our generation, Generation X, came out. “Reality Bites” was supposed to be about us. The problem, which my sister and I have discussed at length, is that we just miss being Gen-xers and we just miss being millennials. How much of a problem this is I’m not sure, but I loved the drama of reality bites and wondered why my life was so lacking of such problems. As a teen, I thought this was clearly because I was really not a Gen- xer, not understanding at the time that it was Gen-X in Hollywood.

But what I now appreciate is that being born in between periods gives me an advantage, I hope. I easily identify with and relate to people a little older and a little younger, finding a lot in common with both, and this is essential in helping be the voice of a brand. As a full time, professional voiceover actor who does a lot of commercial work on tv, radio, and internet, I want to make sure that I deliver what my client wants: an advertising package that is memorable!

Get their attention

When my sister and I used to get in and out of taxis in college in NYC, somehow we often said hello and greeted our driver in unison. This in turn would call attention to our high and youthful voices which were then typically commented on. I never minded, especially since it has now turned into a career. That was the beginning of getting their attention. You want to pick a voice to represent your brand that people associate with it in a positive way. When I do youtube videos for the New Jersey lottery, and I get to say the famous tag line “Anything can happen in Jersey,” this is my chance to give my spin on the brand. I imagine being the girl at the party or in the casino that is so fabulous that everyone wants to be with her, the life of the party that no one can resist, and that is the sound I project. As the voiceover talent, it is our job to self direct and coordinate with our clients to create the right image for that brand.

Keep their attention

Casting the right voiceover actor allows you to get brand recognition. Using the same voice for a campaign instead of hiring talents for one-offs allows them to get to know the brand. This brand recognition helps you carefully define the relationship you want your clients to have. This can happen very commonly with on-camera talents, but it happens quite a lot in voiceover as well. For example, I have been working on an on going campaign for a hospital in Florida. It is very important that all of the reads for these local tv spots be the same: warm, comforting, trust worthy, and reliable. That voice is now associated with the brand. When I work with the producer, the only direction he needs t give me at this point is how to pronounce the different names in the spots, because we need to maintain consistency for each commercial. The viewers in that area recognize what the ad is for as soon as they hear my voice, and that is brand recognition.

Stay Current

Choosing the right voice will not only enable you to draw in your dream clients, but it will help you reach across generations from millennials to baby boomers. Why have major brands like Cadillac chosen a millennial female voice for their national tv campaigns recently? Because they know this voice reaches across generations and has universal appeal. The millennial, conversational read is the sought after commercial read of the moment, where it sounds like you are the girl-next-door talking to a friend. If you want to reach your dream clients and keep them listening this is who you need to cast for voiceovers.

Maintaining Relationships

If you want to maintain a lasting relationship with your clients, then you need to cast a voiceover talent who will work hard to maintain a relationship with you! In order to have brand continuity, a professional voiceover talent who can truly deliver will work hard to get to know what you are looking for during the duration of a campaign to bring out all of the nuances of your brand. She will work hard to deliver the best quality audio and let you know that you can rely on her repeatedly. And in the end you will be proud that you chose so well. You want new. You want fresh. But at the end of the day you also want reliable.

It’s not about the voice…

The voiceover is never about the voice. There are so many of us out there who can do the same job, and there are a lot of talented folks. And it is not even about the studio, because we do all have different studios that give you different finished audio. It is about the result of the voiceover that we leave you with, the impact it has on your brand and on your marketing. You need a talent who understands that!

It’s That First Few Seconds…. Getting Their Attention

December 5, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

You get an audition and you think wow, I would be perfect, just perfect for this project! You spend time analyzing the role and marking up the script. You record your best take and edit it beautifully. Then you send it off, hoping that the voiceover gods shine down on you and today is your day, your turn to announce the booking. Unfortunately, no matter how much time you spend on putting your best self out there, very little time will likely be spent listening to your voiceover submission. Whether it’s a commercial, a narration, or a video game audition, when a casting agent or a video production team is listening to your read, you only have a few seconds- sometimes three and sometimes 8 to catch their attention. If they like what they hear they keep listening, and if they don’t it’s on to the next one in the pile. As a professional voiceover actor, it is so important to use the audition to catch their attention at the beginning of the read.

The Professional Demo

I often get complimented on my demos, and people say things like, “Wow, did you put that together yourself?” I try not to gasp in horror before I respond that no, my professional commercial demo is my calling card and a professional voiceover actor should NEVER produce their own demo. As we only have precious seconds to seal the deal, we need to make that initial investment so that our best work is heard. Now, when the time comes, we need to be able to perform just as we did on every single demo or we will crash and burn very quickly, but that demo should represent where our ability is at the moment we submit. So if that is what a casting agent or production team has to go by, then they should be confident in their choice based on our demo.

Making the Audition Stand Out

Even though I have talent agents all over the country, the majority of my daily auditions come from pay to play sites. While try to submit in the first 10 or so auditions and have a very solid booking ration, sometimes upwards of 70 people submit for the same job. So, how do you make your read standout? How do you get on the short list and even get noticed? Self direction is really important. When I analyze a script I have to make a choice about the character I am playing, and whether it is a voiceover for a phone message or an eLearning module, I am someone and the person choosing the talent better identify with that character right away.

I think understanding music and notes also helps a bit. Sometimes I listen back and I hear that I started too high or too low. I can hear when the pace needs to be varied and when it is just right. I think the ability to self-access is extremely important in this scenario.

Make Them Want to Keep Listening

If you had to listen to the same script read 80 times, how would you feel? Give them something juicy, interesting, different, enjoyable. Something that makes them stop and say wow, this is awesome. I have friends who are such successful voiceover talents that they have crossed over into casting. They have shared that while they thought the would always listen all the way through, they confess that if the first 5 seconds are bad they are on to the next read. So that’s it, that’s really what you get.

And it Always Comes Back To The Booth…

In the end, you are only as good as you sounds. As most of our jobs are recorded from home, having pristine audio quality is paramount and if you deliver a brilliant read and your studio is clearly not broadcast ready then you will go nowhere. Imagine. these people are not just listening to your audition for your booking. They are looking for voiceovers all day long every day. They know the difference. You need good equipment. A USB mic will never sound like a Neumann TLM 103. It just won’t.

We ALL Keep Training

When our careers hang on split second decisions, this is why ongoing professional development and coaching is so crucial. The best in the business, folks making multiple 6 figures, continue going to conferences and having private coaches for a reason. We need to stand out. Our auditions are the job. They are everything. And if we cannot hear honest assessments of their strengths and weaknesses and then work on improving them, then we have no where to go and become stagnant. The hope for voiceover talent lies in the potential for development. We are never finished and are always evolving and that is why even in 5 seconds we can shine!

I’m Back Baby!

November 28, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

What’s so great about spin anyway

As a busy working mom, if I am going to leave my kids and miss time away from either the family or my work schedule, then whatever it is had better be worth it. Yesterday when I stepped back into Flywheel Millburn after a FIVE year hiatus because of medical issues, I can tell you with absolute certainty it was worth every second. You can feel the pulsating energy as soon as you step into the studio space. There is an intensity there that makes you want to do your best. Gina, the instructor for this ride, is incredible.. There is stadium seating in the studio and the lights go out. As soon as I clicked my cleats into the bike I felt like I had come home. The music started, my legs went, and I was back. I felt like a part of myself had been missing, like the party was going on without me all those years and I was all too aware. It was not just that I was dealing with GI problems, a bad fall that has permanently injured my back, and the struggle of gaining and losing and gaining the same 20 pounds; it is really that I have always loved spin, especially at Flywheel and I profoundly missed doing something I love. Now, there is another element to my fitness quest: as a professional female voiceover actor, it is essential that I maintain my instrument by staying in top physical form.

Other Strong Women

As a voiceover artist, I work like a dog. I work long hours and it is hard balancing my personal life and my business. I think, like a lot of other small business owners, I also struggle with boundary issues. There are so many times I leave my family and go down to the booth on a Saturday or late at night to do something for a client. So more than ever at this point in my life I need strong female role models! The spin instructors are unbelievable. The youngest ones I take class with are my age; however, most are about 8-10 years older than I am. They have very positive energy. It is not about what their bodies look like, it is about the way they have chosen to live their lives. They are extremely strong and fit and they have a “can do” spirit that is just fantastic to be around. It makes me feel that everything will be ok when I am around powerful ladies like this. Gina, Jill, and Candee rock my world and I bring that enthusiasm back into the booth with me. When I took Gina’s class yesterday just to be in the same space as her was so exciting. When she called out her age, 10 years older than mine, I was so inspired. I hope in 10 years we are both still riding passionately!

It’s good to leave the booth and see people!

I work very long hours in a padded foam booth. Granted it’s a particularly awesome booth with broadcast-ready equipment of which I am really proud, but at the end of the day it is still a padded foam booth and is quite isolating. When you walk into a workout place like Flywheel, and everyone there greets you, and you have friends who are also working out, it means so so much. You feel part of something bigger than yourself. This welness community is great on good days and bad days alike and trust me, we all have both, so it’s really important to have people. Whether it’s a gym friend you’ve known for years or just a kind sweaty guy on the bike next to you who is also doing his best to push through, feeling like you are not in the struggle of life alone is really special. As someone who was never talented enough to play team sports, I have learned to find my own team and to be thankful for it. We are lucky enough to live in the age of social media, so that support sytem can extend beyond the studio too which I really love!

It feels great…..

Sometimes working in voiceover is more sedentary than others. If I am doing a high energy commercial or an active character I might be moving around my booth a lot. If I am doing a corporate narration or a long eLearning module, in truth I am not moving so much and I have to struggle to keep my posture good so that my diaphragm is nice and open. Going back to spin yesterday felt amazing!! Moving, and moving fast, and really working up a sweat felt great. First, it was pleasant because Flywheel is just so nice and the music was great. Next, I got keratin in my hair recently so I did not dread coming home to the hour long blowout, so I must confess that actually took the stress away. Lastly, I have been doing A LOT of pilates so I was not worried about my back because I knew my core was up to the task. I just felt good to be there. It was wonderful.

So what happens next?? Well, I will take it one class at a time. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. On Monday my son and I are also starting the Max Fitness Challenge, so this is a week of new beginnings for me, and I am so glad to be sharing them with someone else!

What Exactly Am I Paying For? You Need Voiceover for Your next Project- Great! But What on Earth Does and Should that Rate Get You?

November 21, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

What Got Me Thinking….

I recently did quite a lot of holiday spots for a really good client. What makes the client a “good” client? Besides that they are lovely to work with, they send me consistent work more than every month, almost every week. This month, instead of my typical monthly invoice, this client sent so much work that I had to send multiple multi-page invoices! That’s what kind of month it was with them. But, in one phone conversation with this delightful and pleasant client, a usage issue came up. These were telephony spots. Instead of paying me for each spot for each location, I learned in conversation that after the holidays one message was going to be used across many locations, but it seemed clear that the client had no understanding that they had crossed a major line with usage. While I might be able to record the phone greeting in one recording session, the usage was no longer the same and the rate would need to be adjusted. For me, this new information about the usage of my voice was a pretty big deal. It also exemplifies why it is so important to actually speak to clients whenever possible and not do everything via email. Put simply, when you hire a voiceover talent for a job, the rate you pay includes both the recording session and is also for usage of that actor’s voice for the agreed upon amount of time.

Explaining Usage

When a professional voiceover actor talks about the usage of his or her voice, they are typically talking about three aspects of the deal: what the scope of work is, how long the work will run, and the market the work will run in. So, commercial work bills out at a very different rate than telephony. Within commercial, tv and radio have different rate scales. Understanding the type of voiceover the audio is being used for is the first step in the usage discussion.

Next, sometimes the length of run time effects the usage of the voice. Another way to say the same thing is: how long am I using this audio for? Is this radio ad running for 6 weeks, 13 weeks, or 6 months? Is this a tag for a tv spot? Is it an explainer video going on a website? Across all genres of voiceover, the person hiring the talent needs to determine the length of time for usage. If usage needs to be extended that can typically be arranged.

Another major component in usage is the market where the voiceover is being used. A voiceover in a major metropolitan area like Los Angeles or New York has a much greater intrinsic value than one running in a small town in West Virginia. Even with telephony, an on-hold message running in one office for one month in Texas has a much smaller value than a message running across several states on the West Coast.

The Session Fee

The recording session is part of what makes up the rate when paying a voiceover talent. You are not just paying for the actual time in the studio, but you are paying for their expertise as a recording artist. The fee includes the years of training and on-going professional development that they have had. It also includes access to their costly and necessary professional, broadcast ready recording equipment. From microphones to pre-amps, each piece of machinery makes a huge difference in the quality of audio that the voiceover artist delivers, and that is part of the fee that you pay.

Revisions and Pickup Policy

The rate that you pay a voiceover talent should always include revisions and you should know and understand your client’s policy on pickups before you start working with them. Performance errors should always be covered. I give tiered estimates but most clients choose an option that includes at least one round of pickups.

Who the Client is Effects the Rate

Again, this is all a part of usage. Who the client is does effect the rate. A huge international company should pay more than a small mom and pop and pop store. The usage of a big client versus the usage of a small client is different because they have different respective audiences and followings, so it follows that their rates should not be the same, irrespective of the level of excellence of the voiceover actor they are using.

Conclusions

We all wish clients understood how our rates were structured all the time. We also wish everyone had our best interests in mind for every booking. Sometimes as the talents it is our job to educate our clients about the rate structure. This may not be fun and may be totally awkward, but failure to do so will result in ongoing rates problems and inability to maintain industry standards.

Turn The Radio Up… Why I LOVE Radio Imaging

November 14, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

Where it all Started

It seems like just yesterday I was in the front seat of my mom’s horrible brown station wagon belting it out to Gloria. I loved music and I grew up in the days when little kids could sit in the front seat which made it all the more convenient to change the radio station. Long before the days of creating playlists, and even before the days of mix tapes, I got to play DJ in the car and boy did I love it. When I was in nursery school I sent my mom to by my first record, My Sharona. She couldn’t actually understand what I was saying and the guy at the record store was able to figure it out. I think that is how my road to radio imaging began, with a love of radio and music that is true and pure. Now, I do radio imaging work as a full time professional voiceover actor because I can bring all of my passion and enthusiasm to each read for the stations that I work with!

The Draw of Imaging

When I first started in voiceover, I began booking a lot of commercial work. I had a lot of passion and I had to learn how to harness the passion. I was brainstorming about my voiceover business and wanted to think about what else was under the commercial umbrella, and that is how I learned about Radio Imaging in the first place, as it is not really a term that non-industry folks even understand. When I discovered the world of radio imaging, it was as if all the stars had aligned, because I found the right format to channel all of my energy! When I started doing reads for top 40 stations, I felt at home. I don’t know how else to explain it. Perhaps it’s because I loved the music, so being able to talk about it in liners and station promos was really exciting. Learning the lingo, from CHR to Classic Hits took a while, but I figured that out as I was doing sweepers for stations all over, from Little Rock to Osh Kosh.

The Allure of the Formats

When I was little my dad used to joke that he married my mom for her record collection. My parents both grew up in the city in Philadelphia. They came from hard-working families and they did not have a lot of material possessions, and what they had did not come easily. My mom talked a lot about how she would use a portion of her babysitting money to save for record albums. Growing up we always played music and danced a lot at home. Even when things were tight we had a stereo and there was always something good on. I remember on the weekends when we would clean the house my dad always played different records, from Broadway shows to Michael Jackson to Abba, so growing up like that, how could I not love music? Motown, all Motown, was played often in the Levin household. The music just becomes a part of who you are when you hear it all the time. I think that is why I am open to working on so many different formats in imaging today, because my parents exposed us with such enthusiasm to so much when we were young.

When I first started booking in imaging, I fell into the typical CHR part girl read. My voice is warm and fun and I love sounding upbeat and happy, that’s who I am innately so it’s easy to bring the thunder and make the liners jump off the page. I also discovered Christian CHR, and working with religious stations brings another element of joy to my work. Their messages are always happy and filled with excitement. I believe the world needs more positivity and optimism, so I get a lot out of the sweepers and promos that I do for the Christian stations I work with. I have done faith based projects in other realms in voiceover, and I find all of these projects to be inherently upbeat and that is really good for me.

I love, love, love doing Classic Hits! Since I grew up listening to 80s music, it really resonates with me! I also love having fun with the sarcasm and humor of the Adults Hits channels. In my family my husband is the one with the dry, whitty humor, but on air I can assume that role and it is fun for me to engage with the scripts and move away from the rah rah party girl. Just this week I also got to do a set of liners for an Oldies station for the first time! Since that is the music my folks always played growing up, it was not just happy work, but particularly meaningful to me too.

Feeling at Home

I think that life is short and you have to do what you love. I have always loved music, and I have a true passion for voiceover. Working in Radio Imaging feels so natural because so much of who I am inside can just flow when I am in front of the mic. I am so thankful for each and every station that I work with!

Tis’ The Season….And I’m Ready

November 7, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

Holiday Cheer Just Pours Out of Me!

While it seems like every year the tinsel and ornaments come out at the mall earlier and earlier, the moment they appear they bring a huge smile to my face! This weekend I was at out local mall, the Mall at Short Hills, with my daughter Emma and my nice Emilia and I saw THE MOST PRECIOUS sign with two dachshunds wearing Santa hats. Apparently there is a night at the mall to bring your dog to sit on Santa’s lap! But, as a long time professional voiceover actor with years of experience, I do not need the tinsel and Christmas trees to let me know that the holidays are approaching! Those holiday spots start pouring in pretty early in October and typically go through December and really keep me on my toes! I love being the voice of holiday cheer and this is my season of Joy!

The Warm Greeting

One of the most fun parts of the season is all of the holiday telephony work that I voice! From on hold messages to holiday greetings, starting with Thanksgiving, and running through Christmas and New Years most of my regular clients change their greetings. There is a practical purpose that they need to alert their clients to the changed hours. But there is also a clear tone of holiday spirit! These scripts are all written with warmth, well-wishes, and often humor. The good spirit that comes through is a true delight. I enjoy the opportunity to bring personality and pure joy to these telephony spots. For those of us who do a lot of corporate IVR, this is the most fun time of the year as a professional voiceover actor. From Whole Foods Market to Coast Business Supply, I work with all sorts of companies to spread holiday cheer to their clients when they call. This is also a great chance to let clients know of holiday promotions that they companies have going on, so these messages have an added layer of importance. I have even had the opportunity to voice the outgoing messages for the companies that hire me to do the telephony work, and I can’t think of a bigger holiday treat than that!

The Holiday Retail Spot

In my years in voiceover, most of my work has been commercial work. From TV to radio, I love the retail read, and we all know that Black Friday is they day of days for retail! Last year I was shocked and delighted to learn that Black Friday has made its way across the pond to Europe and I even had a radio spot in French for Black Friday! Now with the addition of Cyber Monday, there is yet another opportunity for retail spots. Holiday commercial voiceover opportunities are certainly abundant this time of year, and delivering the voice of holiday cheer is something that I look forward to all year! Whether it is 15 or 30 second spot or a tag, the commercial voiceover holiday read is an opportunity to add sparkle and joy during this happy season.

Toys

It would be hard to think of the holidays and not associate toys with the season in some way. As a child, I loved both the “Kiddy City” and the “Toys r Us” commercials and was so excited for them. Growing up in Philadelphia, we had many holiday traditions actually. We would take the train to Center City. There, we would go see the lights show at Lord N’ Taylor. They had a Christmas Wonderland set up and we would look at all of the toys. There as a tiny train that went around the ceiling for little kids and my sister and I loved it! Those were the days when you never went home with something and kids only got toys on holidays and birthdays, so everything seemed so special and so luxurious. I think being so enamored with the amazing set up had an impact on me that shapes my voice work every day, It feels like just yesterday I was there with Julie, walking hand in hand, and we were mesmerized. That joy never left me.

Now I have the amazing opportunity to actually voice toys when I do character work. I often work with companies that create the prototypes. Because of non disclosure agreements, I cannot disclose the toys, but I can say that I have voiced toys that are on the shelves of a Target near you! Knowing that these toys will go home and be loved and become part of someone’s childhood memories means the world to me and I am so delighted for this special voiceover work.

Holiday Traditions

We have a lot of holiday traditions in my family! Most of them involve food. Every year we make holiday cookies with my mom and sister and the kids and we decorate them. We make latkes and we light candles. We sing lots of songs. We spend a lot of time together and we eat. A lot. But being with my family around the holidays makes me so so happy, and it is that happiness that I bring to every single holiday spot that I voice.