Building the Foundation of Your Voice Over Career

Voice over is an exciting, dynamic, and ever evolving industry filled with opportunities for all kinds of actors and talent. While some voice actors may be a jack of all trades, others may find that a specific genre of voice over offers them a unique niche market where they can excel. But, if you are just starting out, how will you know what genre to focus on for your training? There are so many voice over genres to choose from, including audiobooks, commercials, animation, narration (which has a seemingly endless amount of sub-genres), promos, and the list goes on. Should you make an animation demo? Or would you be more successful if you start in narration?  How do you go about building the foundation of your voice over career?

This is why Edge Studio requires all potential students to start their training path with our Investigate Voice Over class. It is the best way for us to get to know you and your voice. That way, we can give you our professional opinion on what areas of voice over you we feel you would be the most marketable in. Most people who come to us want to start with animation or audiobooks, but the reality is not everyone is cut out for those specialty genres. Sure, they sound like more fun, but they are VERY competitive. If you are new to VO, the odds of you breaking into video games and animation and making a living at it are pretty slim. But, with our help, you may find that your voice is perfect for medical narration. Or maybe E-learning. Something that will allow you a foothold in the industry while you work towards those more elusive “dream gigs”.  By taking our Investigate Voice Over class, we can create a training path for you that best fits your voice and ability. That way, when you start your program you’ll know from day one the type of demo or demos you are going to make and that is a good place to start building the foundation of your voice over career.

We often recommend that new students start with a commercial and a narration demo. These are the two most common genres in voice over, and will lead to the most auditions and, consequently, the most work. Especially narration, as mentioned above – there is a TON of work in that genre if you know how to market yourself properly.

In these difficult times, where the theater, film, and television markets have largely been put on pause, the voice over market is still going strong. For those actors who can play to their strengths, have competitive demos, and have an excellent home studio, there is a real possibility that they are going to book work. But VO isn’t easy. Even in the best of times, this is a very competitive market, and if you are not set up for success, things are going to get very difficult down the line.

So what can you do in order to get your voice over career off the ground?

We at Edge Studio believe that a successful voice actor needs to have a foundation that includes in-depth technique training, but also a robust understanding of the industry as a whole. This is why we encourage all our students to take a holistic approach to their training and to building the foundation of your voice over career. You need to have a good home studio and understand how your equipment and editing software works. You need to understand how to run a voice over business and reach out to clients. You need to have a robust marketing plan that will help you find more work and develop your brand. As a voice talent, you need to wear a number of hats and without a proper training program it will be impossible to master all the skills you need to launch your career. Our Investigate Voice Over class will start you off on the right path so no time is wasted in your training. Voice over is a craft that you will spend a lifetime perfecting, and knowing exactly where to start and what skills you will need to develop is the best way to help ensure success.