Today’s 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent are answered by Elaine Singer, a professional voice-over talent based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1. The beginning: When did you know you wanted to be a voiceover talent; how did your career begin (please include what year it started) and then when did your passion for voiceover develop into something professional?

Unlike so many others, I never was enthralled with the idea of being in radio as a kid. Sure I listened to the radio and had my favourite DJs. I wondered – how do they know anyone is listening to them? How do they figure out what to say over such a long period of time? I was, from a fairly young age, always involved in some aspect of theatre though. Fast forward many years – I was working with an English speaking theatre group in Jerusalem and the producer/director mentioned that the English radio needed people to do commercials. This was some time in the early 80s – I can’t pinpoint an exact year – who can remember that far back anyway? So I suddenly found myself behind a mic reading commercials. It was so cool to hear myself on the radio. From there I did a jingle for an in-flight commercial for El Al. I did some long form narration as well. I had so much fun and made a little money (very little). Somehow it just petered out and I went on with my life. But it was always there at the back of my mind that I’d love to do this again. Fast forward again to the early 2000s. Now back in Toronto for a number of years, I found myself without a job at a time when jobs were very hard to come by. That little voice at the back of my mind moved forward and I started doing research on how to become a voice actor. So I started my new career and I’m just loving it. There have been bumps along the road. I had to take a part time job to make ends meet. But it’s all worth it because I am doing something I love to do.

2. What is the one thing you know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started out in voiceover?

Well, it was made clear to me right from the beginning that I wouldn’t be making sacks of money right away. That sure was true. I was also told this is a business so I can’t claim ignorance there. I guess maybe someone should have told me not to try to do everything by myself. I have spent so much valuable time creating marketing materials and websites. It was fun but I’m not sure it has served me well and it was a convenient excuse not to do the marketing I should have been doing. I’m now relinquishing control (not easily) and allowing professionals to do this for me so I can concentrate on what I have to do to move my business forward.

3. What do you see as the biggest professional or personal obstacle you face that impacts your voiceover business and how are you working to overcome it?

I’ve had a lot of naysayers in my life. Sometimes it is difficult to tune them out and it can erode self-confidence. I am trying to learn ‘selective hearing’ so I only hear the supportive and positive. Although, my persistence (see below) has turned some of those naysayers around to supporters.

4. What personal trait or professional tool has helped you succeed the most in your career so far?

I guess I’d have to say persistence. I’m not one to give up easily.

5. In your development as a voice over performer, who has been the one particular individual or what has been the one piece of performance advice (maybe a key performance trick, etc.) that you felt has had the most impact on your actual voice over performance and why?

I was having some difficulty with this one. And then I realized it wasn’t difficult at all. There were a trio of women who a long time ago gave me my voice, or showed me how to release the creativity inside through my voice: Gabriella Lev, Joyce Miller and Madeleine Rodin. The first two were with the Jerusalem Drama Workshop with which I was associated for a number of years. We did a lot of alternative and street theatre. Gabi, who arrived in Israel from Australia, showed me how to tap into emotions through the body. Joyce, originally from South Africa, was the doyenne of English theatre in Jerusalem and she encouraged me to continue on my path as an actor. She also taught me how important physicality is to finding the character. I found my way to Madeleine, originally from the States, based on a suggestion from Joyce that I find a singing teacher to learn how to control my breath and project my voice (something I had to unlearn behind the mic). These three women gave me the foundation on which I draw every day. What I learned from them is so much a part of me now that I can’t really tell you ‘how’ I do things. Although based on their teachings, I think I use my body as much as my voice when voice acting.

Here’s an example. Once, after voicing a radio commercial, the producer asked me if I had used my ‘real’ voice. I didn’t have an answer. When I’m in the booth, I don’t consciously think about what I’m doing. I just let my troika draw out the performance. I was the woman in the commercial. It was her voice Was it mine? I guess – at least one of mine or at least a part of me.

As for a performance trick – Peter you reminded me of one when we were working together recently. We used to speed speak our lines in a play to solidify them in our minds and to free ourselves of preconceived patterns. That’s a great trick for VO as you showed me. Thanks for reminding me.

Tags: 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent, 5Q:VO, commentary by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Today’s 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent are answered by September Day Carter, a professional voice-over talent based in Atlanta, Georgia.

1. The beginning: When did you know you wanted to be a voiceover talent; how did your career begin (please include what year it started) and then when did your passion for voiceover develop into something professional?

I wanted to be a voice talent since I was 19 and a local DJ told me I had a great voice. At the time, I was very overweight, so I turned down all of his offers for me to come down to the radio station and voice some spots. I went on to become a veterinary technician instead until I got mauled by a dog and needed to find a new career. I had always wanted to try VO and now I had an excuse! I started working in February of 2007 and, through a lot of trial and error, was able to go full time after I voiced for the MTV Video Music Awards later that year. The live announcing was such a rush! I knew that night, I never wanted to do anything else! By the way, that DJ who told me I had a nice voice? Well, I ended up marrying him 11 years later and we have two beautiful little girls, are both successful voice talents, and teach workshops together 🙂

2. What is the one thing you know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started out in voiceover?

That you don’t need a ton of money to get started! Honestly, if you’ve got the goods, you don’t need a lot of other junk that just gets in the way. Be smart about choosing your teachers and never, ever buy retail!

3. What do you see as the biggest professional or personal obstacle you face that impacts your voiceover business and how are you working to overcome it?

Currently my biggest obstacle is learning to juggle two babies and a career! 🙂 But my daughters have also helped my reads calling for a Mom voice. Now, I have a new depth of understanding when the script is discussing healthcare, diapers, busy moms, or even children’s health issues. I’m learning to get them on the same napping schedule so I can get a decent noise floor!

4. What personal trait or professional tool has helped you succeed the most in your career so far?

I think my genuine interest in people has helped me immensely. I try very hard to make real connections with other talents and my clients. I keep track of what’s going on with them in their lives and check in from time to time. Staying involved with them keeps me fresh in their minds as well as giving my outgoing, extroverted personality an outlet in an industry where we mostly work alone.

5. In your development as a voice over performer, who has been the one particular individual or what has been the one piece of performance advice (maybe a key performance trick, etc.) that you felt has had the most impact on your actual voice over performance and why?

Two women helped me begin my career. The first is Catherine Sheehan. She is amazing! I was really floundering at the start, just couldn’t find a way to get a real toe-hold. I came across Catherine’s website one day and cold called her. We ended up chatting for hours! She shared so much information with me, I was shocked! Before, no one would talk to me, return emails, or give me answers. Catherine just put it all on the table. Now, with the beginner workshop I teach, I always remember how generous Catherine was with me and try to bring that same selflessness to my students and teach them everything I know that could help them be successful. The other woman is the remarkable Nancy Wolfson. Nancy is my only teacher. Because I had had moderate success fairly quickly, I really shied away from coaching. I hate spending money and I figured I was doing pretty good on my own, so why bother? But I knew she was a mover and shaker in the biz and I wanted to make that connection. Let me tell you, the woman blew my mind in the first five minutes. She shares techniques that are so exquisitely simple but that make a REAL difference to your reads. So, so many times I’ve been in the booth and if I’m struggling with the script, I can just recall that first lesson and immediately the reads get better

Tags: 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent, 5Q:VO by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Today’s 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent are answered by Dan Nachtrab, a professional voice-over talent based in Portland, Oregon.

1. The beginning: When did you know you wanted to be a voiceover talent; how did your career begin (please include what year it started) and then when did your passion for voiceover develop into something professional?

It all started in high school. At the time, I was able to impersonate voices heard on concert promotion ads of the day, so I occasionally read the morning announcements at my high school to promote upcoming dances for student rock bands. Fast forward a few years to 1995: My mother sent to me a newspaper “wanted” ad placed by a local ad agency that was requesting voiceover demos for consideration. By luck, the creative director was an old friend of mine who gave me a shot. I started recording at Sonic Arts in Cincinnati for an automotive group in the area. (That job lasted until the spring of 2011. Not a bad run!) Soon after, I signed with a local talent agency. They didn’t have a lot of work coming in for VO, so they put me on-camera. In 2002, I landed a huge gig: the spokesperson for a payday loan company. TV, radio, print, billboard, letterhead; you name it, I was on it. In February 2005, I built the first incarnation of my home recording studio with the earnings from that job. During the same time, a large government contractor picked me up to narrate a lot of industrials and that’s when I began to shift my focus toward making a serious go at full-time VO. I made the leap in July of that same year.

2. What is the one thing you know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started out in voiceover?

Looking back, I don’t think I would have changed a thing. Whenever I was ready for a door to open, it would open, whether it was in my development as a talent, making a new contact to generate more work, or simply becoming mature enough to handle the growing responsibilities. However, I am happy no one told me how hard it was to make a living in VO. My innocence, and possibly ego, protected me and all I saw was a path forward. There wasn’t any room for doubt.

3. What do you see as the biggest professional or personal obstacle you face that impacts your voiceover business and how are you working to overcome it?

Time is the biggest obstacle. This is a journey of 10,000 epiphanies and it takes a lot of patience and dedication to succeed. You can, however, expedite your journey with proper coaching and disciplined practice.

4. What personal trait or professional tool has helped you succeed the most in your career so far?

I have a strong support group including my wife, agents, coaches and a very close group of friends in the business. I talk quite often with them. My wife, agents and coaches advise me on current performance level and managing and marketing the business. My friends help me sort it all out. The great thing about having close confidants is that each of you sharpens the other. We share our latest “light bulb” moments, help out with gear issues and, most importantly, talk about our family lives. In other words, we’re friends with VO benefits.

5. In your development as a voice over performer, who has been the one particular individual or what has been the one piece of performance advice (maybe a key performance trick, etc.) that you felt has had the most impact on your actual voice over performance and why?

Do I have one individual or key piece of advice? No. There have been a few amazingly beautiful and talented ladies in my life, though. I owe each of them a debt of gratitude:

Randy Thomas was the coach of my first workshop. She invited my family to her home afterwards. It was there she opened my eyes to the possibilities ahead and gave me the courage to go after my dreams.

Marice Tobias, who Randy recommended as a coach, gave me the emotional insight of proper performance. Also, she enlightened me on how to see and present myself as I moved up the ladder, which was invaluable information. She is simply amazing.

Nancy Wolfson forcefully opened my ears to hear why I wasn’t booking national jobs. She broke me down and rebuilt me from the ground up. She was the absolute game changer in my performance.

Sambla was always there to provide me with their låna pengar services when I was in Sweden and running low on cash, and I certainly wouldn’t be here today without their assistance.

Dave Walsh, my current coach, is not a lady but is beautiful and talented nonetheless. He is a master at fine tuning, creating confidence and consistency, and at being a very good friend.

Lastly, my wife, Niki, who guides and supports me and is brutally honest when needed, designed my website (www.dannachtrab.com) and has given me two fantastic kids.

Tags: 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent, 5Q:VO by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Today’s 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent are answered by Anthony Richardson, a professional voice-over talent based in London, England.

1. The beginning: When did you know you wanted to be a voiceover talent; how did your career begin (please include what year it started) and then when did your passion for voiceover develop into something professional?

I started out as a trainee sound engineer at The Royal National Theatre (or just The National Theatre, as it was then) and at seventeen, was the youngest ever sound operator in the organization’s history. For one show, I had to shout into a microphone for a regular sound effect and had a really enjoyable studio session. Nearly 30 years later, I’m still doing the same thing!

2. What is the one thing you know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started out in voiceover?

I wish I knew how easy it would be to record, produce and deliver a voiceover from home. When I started out, we all used tape and one of my first jobs was to cut-out all the scratches, pops and clicks from a recording, using a razor blade and editing tape! I think it took me around a day to clean-up about 5 minutes of audio. These days it can all be done instantly with just the click of a button.

3. What do you see as the biggest professional or personal obstacle you face that impacts your voiceover business and how are you working to overcome it?

Time is always an issue. I regularly find that I am fully-booked and trying to please everyone often eats in to family time, with recording in the evenings and at weekends. I wish there was a way to leverage my business, but the problem is, when clients specifically request a voice that you do, there’s no option.

4. What personal trait or professional tool has helped you succeed the most in your career so far?

Loving the job. I’m a great believer in the exercise of imagining the job that is so great and enjoyable that you would actually pay to do it. Voiceovers is mine – I still can’t believe (after nearly 30 years) that I actually get paid to talk into a mic, it’s f a n t a s t i c !!!

5. In your development as a voice over performer, who has been the one particular individual or what has been the one piece of performance advice (maybe a key performance trick, etc.) that you felt has had the most impact on your actual voice over performance and why?

That’s easy! Keeping mega fit (I even wrote a blog post on it HERE). Being a great voiceover (as opposed to a good voiceover) is all about breath control and the fitter you are, the less breaths you need to take when recording a script – and don’t take my word for it, studio engineers will all tell you how they like working with non-smokers. Less editing!

Tags: 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent, 5Q:VO by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Today’s 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent are answered by Pat Fraley, a professional voice-over talent based in Hollywood, California.

1. The beginning: When did you know you wanted to be a voiceover talent; how did your career begin (please include what year it started) and then when did your passion for voiceover develop into something professional?

Peter, I began my voice over career in 1974 at the age of 25. The passion for voice over was and is the passion I have always had for performing and teaching. I had that passion from the git-go. Can’t remember not loving performance, whether it was amusing my classmates in school and on the playground or performing out of my garage for the neighbor kids for a nickel a show.

I knew I wanted to pursue voice over after my first job doing a bad Jimmy Cagney impression on a radio commercial for a drapery store in Adelaide, South Australia. I was working at a repertory theatre over there, and an advertising agency called the theatre asking if one the actors could do a James Cagney impression. They said, “Ah yeah, we have a Yank in the company.” Australian all think American’s sit around in bars and do impressions. I went to the studio and did my best, which was pretty marginal. They paid me in cash. $75. I was making $70. per week at the theatre. Hmmm. They said, “Ah yeah, we like you.” I said, “Why?” They said, “You’re so beeg. We can’t get the other actors to be that beeg.” By beeg, of course, they were referring for my penchant for exaggerating. I was off and running. I was like the crocodile in “Peter Pan.” I began looking for Captain Hook’s other hand.

2. What is the one thing you know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started out in voiceover?

During my career, I could have used a lot of advise, as experience in not the best teacher, it’s the slowest. There is so much from which I would have benefited, but one thing comes to mind: “Don’t try to turn humor into comedy. I used to think that humor was comedy that’s wasn’t real funny. No. Humor is a different genre than comedy. It is a catalyst to make emotions connect with a message, hence, very good for commercials. Comedy is amusement. “amuse,” in Greek, means “not think.” Not a good medium for commercials. I spent the first 20 years of my career in auditions trying to punch up humorous commercial copy so it would be funnier. I didn’t book. They don’t want the audience to laugh and forget, they want the audience to smile and remember.

3. What do you see as the biggest professional or personal obstacle you face that impacts your voiceover business and how are youworking to overcome it?

Laziness. Not updating my agent and my promotional tools (demos and website). I’m redoing my commercial demo to represent my personal style. My previous commercial demo was produced in 1914.

4. What personal trait or professional tool has helped you succeed the most in your career so far?

Of the four pillars of business – Advertising, Marketing, Promotion and Public Relations, I have leaned heavily on Public Relations. Public Relations is about establishing personal relationships and loyalty with clients/customers. I am now the King of Mercy Castings. I get called at home. “Pat, would you like to work?” “Yes, (sniff, snivel). Thank you very much.”

5. In your development as a voice over performer, who has been the one particular individual or what has been the one piece of performance advice (maybe a key performance trick, etc.) that you felt has had the most impact on your actual voice over performance and why?

Chuck Blore, the most awarded producer/writer in advertising ever and one of my mentors once told me that performance is “Truth and Tricks.” Truth in performance, gets all the press, but you need tricks to get the audience’s attention every so often. Risk being clever. Just don’t get caught by being too clever, too often.

Tags: 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent, 5Q:VO, commentary by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Today’s 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent are answered by Connie Terwilliger, a professional voice-over talent based in San Diego, California.

1. The beginning: When did you know you wanted to be a voiceover talent; how did your career begin (please include what year it started) and then when did your passion for voiceover develop into something professional?

I never wanted to be a voiceover talent. That part of my career evolved. I also never got the kids in the neighborhood together to put on a show – moved too many times to develop friends. But I did have the good fortune in retrospect to work at a broadcast radio station in college doing both some DJ work and public affairs programming. That was in 1972 or so. My double major in Art and Psych resulted in a job at a TV station as a graphic artist. That led to grad school to learn more about television, where I did a little announcing because of the radio experience. But my goal was much more “lofty” than “talent.” Obviously my tune has changed, but at the time, the voiceover work I was doing was not what I thought I wanted to do. I wanted to produce, write and do some on and off-camera talent work. I was lucky I guess. I did all of that for a long time. Eventually, I decided that I didn’t want to produce anymore. And in the late 90’s, I decided to build a studio in my house and focus on voiceover work.

2. What is the one thing you know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started out in voiceover?

This is actually a hard question to answer, because things are very different now than when I first started. When I started doing voiceover work, I was a staff TV announcer at an AFTRA station. Because I didn’t sound like an announcer, the door kept opening and people handed me commercials to record. I got an agent and was, for a while, one of the top female voice talents in the city. So my voiceover work at the time was under union contracts. The rest of my time was spent as a free lance producer, writer and talent for corporations and production companies. A full-time job was offered at a major corporation where I was able to wear all my hats. After nearly 9 years there, my free lance voiceover work was pretty much non-existent. Despite being able to sneak away to do VO work as it came up, after a while it came up less and less – no time to do the marketing, networking and follow up. I went back out as a free lance everything after the company closed its doors – until the light bulb went off and I stopped producing. At that point I started to actively pursue voiceover work as my full-time job, with scriptwriting as my fall back.

I guess if I had to pinpoint one piece of advice it would be the fact that you need solid business skills to make it. All of those things I mentioned earlier, but with negotiating and bookkeeping thrown in. Oh, and technological skills! Today you need to know enough about hardware and software to make sure that you can compete with the other pros out there.

It is not just about your voice anymore! And there are no bread crumbs.

3. What do you see as the biggest professional or personal obstacle you face that impacts your voiceover business and how are you working to overcome it?

I still have a hard time with the basic day to day business activities – keeping up with invoicing, negotiating rates, following up with current and previous clients. I keep my eyes and ears open looking for easier options for bookkeeping and CRM. Damn it Peter, I’m an actor, not a bean counter…

4. What personal trait or professional tool has helped you succeed the most in your career so far?

Longevity? Versatility? Early adopter of technology? Curiosity? Initiative?

Just the fact that I have been doing this a long time helps I think. For one thing getting online with my domains in 1996 was a help. I network in my community and take as full advantage of social networking as I have time for.

Also, when I first started I was “different” so I stood out even when all I was doing was staff announcing. But I am also versatile, so as I was building back my voiceover career I dipped my fingers in practically every voiceover genre, from straight announcing to role playing to characters to concatenation. And ironically, I finally have learned more about my own natural voice and find that I am using that more and more in my work. I don’t have to pretend I am someone else. I finally know who I am and it comes across in more believable reads. I still love the character parts and they do help me find myself when a read just isn’t “right.”

5. In your development as a voice over performer, who has been the one particular individual or what has been the one piece of performance advice (maybe a key performance trick, etc.) that you felt has had the most impact on your actual voice over performance and why?

I never had a mentor to speak of. I listen listen listen to everything and that is such a great way to learn what works and what doesn’t. Of course, applying that to your own personal eye-brain-mouth is the challenge. That is where some good distraction techniques help me.

Inside my brain are a bunch of silly and/or extreme characters that are fully formed with value systems, accents, personalities and speech patterns. If I feel that a read just isn’t connecting, one of them will bubble to the surface and wrench the copy out of my hands. The script is now being interpreted by their brains – with all of their warts coming through. My own brain is doing battle with them – desperately wanting that script back, because now, suddenly the real meaning of the script has surfaced.

One big factor in improving my voiceover performance has been teaching an introduction to voiceover work at San Diego City College. I started teaching this class more than 10 years ago now and while it gets harder and harder to carve out the time 2 days a week to get down there for a couple of hours, it is my own personal voiceover class. I learn more and more about what I am doing each time I teach the class.

Tags: 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent, 5Q:VO by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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