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Everybody’s got a guy.

A plumber guy. A car guy. A guy who knows a guy.

For a lot of producers throughout my career, I’ve been their voiceover guy.

And every so often the phone rings:

“Peter, do you know a really good female voice talent for a corporate narration?”

As a matter of fact…I gotta guy.

Except she’s a woman.

Over the years, producers who know and trust my work have asked me to recommend female voice actors for all kinds of projects. Corporate narration is one of the most common.

And when I recommend someone, I’m putting my reputation on the line right along with hers.

So what am I listening for?

First, she has to sound like a person

That sounds obvious.

It isn’t.

Corporate narration has changed a lot over the years. Clients generally don’t want someone who sounds like she’s standing behind a podium reading the annual report.

They want someone who sounds natural, present and connected to the words — not computerized. Often, the voice becomes the personification of their brand, not simply a persona. That makes sounding like a real, trustworthy human person even more important.

And conversational doesn’t mean casual.

It means believable.

The best female corporate narrators understand the material well enough to sound like they’re communicating it, not simply reading it.

She has to understand the script

A good narrator sees more than words on a page.

She sees the thoughts behind them.

Where does the idea begin? Where does it change direction? Which word matters more? Where should the listener get half a second to absorb what was just said?

Those choices are what turn somebody reading copy into somebody communicating a message.

Producers can hear the difference. More importantly, so can the audience.

She has to take direction…and run with it

Sometimes the first read nails it.

Sometimes the producer says, “That was great. Can we do it again, but just a little warmer?”

Or faster.

Or less announcery.

Or more authoritative.

Or — one of those wonderfully precise pieces of voiceover direction — “Can you give me the same thing, only different?” (If I had a nickel for every time…)

A professional voice actor understands what the producer is trying to accomplish and can adjust without turning a directed session into an archaeological expedition.

That matters.

She has to make the producer’s job easier

This may be the biggest one for me.

Talent matters. Of course it does. It’s the foundation.

But when I recommend another voice actor, I also want to know what happens after she gets the job.

Does she respond?

Does she show up prepared?

Can she work efficiently in a directed session?

Does she deliver when she says she will?

If a pickup is needed, is it handled smoothly and professionally?

Producers have enough moving parts to deal with already. The voice talent shouldn’t become another one.

And yes, she needs a great voice

Of course.

But “great” doesn’t mean one particular kind of voice.

Warm. Authoritative. Friendly. Sophisticated. Conversational. Energetic. Reassuring. Technical. Approachable.

Different projects need different voices.

That’s one reason I’ve never tried to identify one woman as the female voice talent I recommend.

I know scores of excellent female voice actors, each with different strengths, styles and sounds.

The art is finding the right one for the project. Or at least giving my clients the very best choices to pick from.

When the Right Voice Isn’t Mine

What started years ago with producers asking, “Peter, do you know somebody?” eventually became something more useful.

I created a free online resource featuring professional female voice talents I know and trust.

audio’connell’s Female Voice Talents page (femalevoicetalents.com).

And noooooooo. I am not an agent.

There’s no booking fee. No middleman. And I don’t take a commission.

Listen to the demos. Find someone who sounds right for your corporate narration, commercial, explainer video, e-learning project or whatever else you’re producing.

Then contact her directly.

Simple, straightforward, helpful.

Three valuable words to run a business with…for almost 45 years.

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audio’connell Voiceover Talent offers producers a free, direct-to-talent resource for finding and hiring professional female voice talent. Browse audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent roster and contact the talent you choose directly.

Tags: commentary, female voice talent, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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By Peter K. O’Connell

When a producer asks me to help find female voice talent for a commercial or social media project, I have one basic rule:

**Don’t be boring.**

Consumers have gotten exceptionally good at ignoring advertising.

They skip it. Scroll past it. Mute it. Walk away from it. Talk over it.

So when I’m helping someone find a female voice actor for advertising, I’m not simply asking whether she has a “great voice.”

I’m asking whether the audience will listen to her.

I start with the audience

Great voice?

Great for whom?

A voice that works beautifully for a luxury brand may be completely wrong for a funny Instagram spot.

A warm, conversational read may be perfect for one campaign while another needs attitude, authority, humor, sophistication or genuine excitement.

So when I’m listening to demos, I’m thinking about the person the advertising is trying to reach.

Would *they* listen?

That’s the test.

I listen for conversation — not “conversational”

Clients have asked for “conversational” voiceover for years.

It’s a perfectly useful direction.

But I’ve also heard plenty of reads that were technically conversational and completely lifeless. Like…dead.

Real people emphasize things, sometimes awkwardly. They react. They think while they’re talking – which is not always smooth and well paced. They have opinions.

When I’m listening to female voice talent for a commercial, I want to hear somebody make carefully written advertising copy sound as though she’s saying it for the first time — straight out of her head with no sign of a script… (P.S. That’s what I aim for in my reads as well, mostly successfully).

Yeah, it’s harder than it sounds…hence the paycheck (voiceover is NOT just talking).

I consider where the commercial is going to be heard

Here’s a hard fact: a traditional television or radio commercial and a social media ad may be selling the same thing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they should sound the same.

Digital and social advertising moves fast.

The opening may have to grab attention immediately. The pacing may be different. The performance may need to feel less traditionally “announcery.”

And one campaign may require several versions, alternate reads or pickups for television, radio, streaming, pre-roll or different social platforms.

So I don’t just listen for the voice.

I think about where that voice is going to be heard.

I don’t cast by gender alone

If the creative calls for a female voice, fine.

Now the actual casting begins.

Age range. Energy. Attitude. Vocal texture. Authority. Warmth. Humor. Accent. Pacing. Character.

Those are the things I’m listening for.

“Female” narrows the field.

It doesn’t choose the voice.

I pay attention to the person behind the microphone

Just as I do whenever I recommend another voice actor, I’m putting some of my own reputation behind the recommendation.

I prefer recommending female voice talents I know and, in most cases, women I’ve actually worked with.

I want someone who is professional, prepared, responsive and easy for the producer to work with.

A great audition gets someone’s attention.

Being a great professional is what makes producers want to work with that person again.

Then I let the producer’s ears decide

When I’m recommending female voice talent, I don’t need to decide who the winner is.

That’s the producer’s job.

My job is to help put good choices in front of them.

That’s one of the reasons I created audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent page as a free audio production resource. Producers can listen to professional female voice actors working in commercial, digital, social and other styles and then contact the talent they think fits the project.

There’s no audio’connell booking fee and no commission on the voiceover project.

I just help make it easier to get from:

“We need a female voice.”

to

“That’s the voice.”

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audio’connell Voiceover Talent offers producers a free, direct-to-talent resource for finding and hiring professional female voice talent. Browse audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent roster and contact the talent you choose directly.

Tags: commentary, female voice talent, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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By Peter K. O’Connell

I’ve been a professional voice actor for a very long time.

One of the benefits of doing anything for a very long time — besides having stories nobody asked to hear — is that you get to know a lot of talented people.

That’s especially true in voiceover.

Over the years, producers and clients have regularly asked me some version of this question:

“Peter, do you know a good female voice talent?”

Yes. I know quite a few.

And when I’m helping someone find a female voice talent, I’m not simply looking for somebody with a nice voice. There are thousands of people with nice voices.

I’m looking for someone who understands what the script is trying to accomplish, takes direction well, has the right recording setup, delivers professional audio and — this is important — makes the producer’s job easier rather than harder.

Here’s how I approach it.

I start with the voiceover project, not the voice

Before I start thinking about talent, I want to understand what the voice actually needs to do.

Is this a commercial that needs energy without sounding like somebody is selling steak knives?

A corporate narration that needs authority without sounding like the principal just called you into her office?

An explainer that needs to make something complicated understandable?

Healthcare? E-learning? Character work? Social media? IVR?

“Female voice” isn’t a direction.

I want to understand what we’re communicating, who we’re communicating it to and what that audience should take away from it.

That’s where I start.

I listen for interpretation, not just sound

Obviously, I listen to demos.

But I’m listening for more than what somebody sounds like.

I’m listening for whether she understands what she’s saying.

Does she interpret the copy? Does she make choices? Does it sound like she’s communicating something rather than simply reading words nicely?

That’s acting.

Even when nobody gets chased by a dinosaur or dramatically dies in Act III.

I pay attention to professionalism

The best voice in the world isn’t especially useful if the deadline is tomorrow and the talent disappears.

I want to know that I’m recommending a professional.

Can she deliver broadcast-quality audio? Can she work in a directed session when necessary? Does she respond promptly? Can she handle pickups? Does she understand usage and the business side of professional voiceover?

None of that is glamorous.

All of it matters to the producer whose name is attached to the project.

I consider whether the voice actress is easy to work with

This one matters to me.

Talent is important.

So is being a good colleague.

I usually recommend people I know and, in most cases, people I’ve actually worked with. That’s important because when I recommend a voice talent to a producer (female OR male), I’m putting a little bit of my own reputation on the line, too.

I want to know that the woman or man I’m recommending is going to be prepared, professional and pleasant to work with — because I’ve seen them be those things.

The goal isn’t merely to get a good recording.

It’s to recommend someone I trust to help the producer get the job done without making things complicated.

Then I let the producer decide

This is important too.

I’m not interested in becoming the middleman.

I can point a producer toward talented female voice actors I know and trust. The producer can listen, decide who fits the project and contact that person directly.

That’s why I created audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent page as an audio production resource.

It’s a curated group of professional female voice actors I’ve known or worked with, with demos and direct links to the individual talents.

There’s no audio’connell booking fee.

There’s no commission on the voiceover project.

I don’t stand between the producer and the talent.

No need for me to “worry about me” in there.

I just help make the introduction easier.

Both sides know where to find me because that’s how they found each other.

After more than four decades in voiceover, I’ve learned that finding good people shouldn’t be the hardest part of producing good work.

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audio’connell Voiceover Talent offers producers a free, direct-to-talent resource for finding and hiring professional female voice talent. Browse audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent roster and contact the talent you choose directly.

Tags: female voice talent, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I’m lucky.

I’ve spent decades talking into microphones.

I could’ve done a voiceover blog post about ALL the different microphones I’ve spoken into if I’d kept count…but only a few microphone-philes (if that’s a word) would really be interested in that.

But a thought occurred to me. I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m always getting new readers here.

The big takeaway is this: your voice is not the most important tool in your VO toolbox.

Neither is breathing, script interpretation or the ability to improvise. (Although if you haven’t mastered those things, you likely won’t have a great voiceover business.)

Nope.

My advice for being a fantastic voiceover actor — and building a great business — is learning how to truly listen.

Listening?

Before I say the words, read the words…before I even think about the words, I have to understand the WHY of the words.

Now, some may say that the “why” is where script interpretation comes in.

I say yes, but also no.

If your only direction is a short paragraph attached to an audition, then yes — interpret away. You have no other choice.

But one of the great gifts we get as voice actors — and one that is too often ignored or stumbled over — is direction from a live person.

It might be a client, a creative director, the script writer, the video producer, the author or the candidate.

To all of these folks, we as voice actors often reveal our sometimes fatal flaw — we are people pleasers. Similar to many other small business owners, but, I think to a higher degree, voice actors really, really, REALLY want to please our clients. We as voiceover talents are somewhere between a four-year-old child and a purebred German Shepherd.

And with that intense desire to please and do well, we sometimes forget to truly listen.

We aren’t being rude. In fact, we may be intensely focused on what the person is saying.

But within the first few sentences, we start to interpret instead of listen.

We start to interject instead of listen.

Sometimes we even interrupt instead of listen.

We’re trying to interact. We’re trying to show interest. We’re trying to demonstrate that we understand.

But what we need to do — and I very much include myself in this statement — is shut up, pay attention and gain understanding.

And when the client is done talking, THEN confirm our interpretation, offer our thoughts and input, make a collectively agreed-upon creative plan…and record.

Sometimes the direction is very specific.

Sometimes it’s, “Give me a little more energy.”

Sometimes it’s, “Less announcery.”

Sometimes it’s that wonderfully precise piece of direction: “I don’t know exactly what I want, but I’ll know it when I hear it.”

And sometimes the direction is a fully formed novel of verbal vomit.

That’s okay, too.

Because that kind of brain-to-paper-to-microphone translation service is at the crux of what a good voice actor does.

We also need to remember that while this job is important to us, all those other people — the client, creative director, script writer, video producer, author, candidate — have something important riding on the project we’re voicing.

Sometimes even their job.

So while you’re doing vocal exercises and improv classes and working on breathing and interpretation and all the rest, spend some time working on listening.

Concentrated listening.

Not listening while preparing your response.

Not listening while deciding what the direction means.

Not listening while waiting for your turn to talk.

Just listening.

It may be the least marketable tool in your voiceover toolbox.

But over the long term, it may be one of the most important tools for building your reputation — and your business.

Tags: commentary, voice over workshop, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover blog by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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The difference between trite and uplifting when it comes to “sayings” or “motivational words”, for me, boils down to mood.

Sometimes the words are what you “need” to hear and come at just right time.

Sometimes you’d rather just punch the messenger in the nose and simply stew in your own anger, bitterness and foul mood.

Maybe that’s just me…but I’m guessing my feelings are neither that unique nor special.

Neither are my daily or ongoing problems that I face as a family man or business owner. We all keep these awful problems to ourselves knowing in all practicality they are ours to solve and no one is coming.

All this was my consideration this Monday morning when I thought about this phrase my Father taught me. I hope it helps you to hear it:

“Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down.”

Groovy and thoughtful as motivation if you’re not dealing with any Bastards of direct consequence to your life.

Seemingly useless if you have Bastards surrounding you and directly impacting you in some combination of mental, physical, spiritual, emotional or financial hellishness.

But when you’re ready to hear it, when you find the strength to get out of your own way and really hear it (I respect from experience that’s not easy or simple) —- it is fantastic direction and simple at that.

While the choices to change or alter your circumstances for the better may not be easy and indeed maybe be risky, you do have choices and options and actions you can take that will *not* allow the Bastards to get you down.

Your life has meaning and value – but you have to dictate your direction to betterment. To happiness. Even when (maybe especially when) you feel powerless.

Said another way, wouldn’t rather fail because you tried rather than failing under the oppressive thumb of idiot bastards who don’t care about you anyway?

Changes in attitude and direction are often scary and our brains may focus on what could go wrong or what we could lose. Sure, actions need to be carefully considered for yourself and those who entrusted to your care. For me, I think of caution as a useful, thoughtful tool and less a way of life. You’re mileage may vary.

But if you are in a corner, and it’s a very bad corner, trust yourself (say a prayer) and take forward action. For yourself and for your family and away from the Bastards.

I hope this helps.

Tags: commentary, kick in the pants, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Lately I’ve been getting out of my home voiceover studio and doing something old-fashioned: networking. Meeting local business owners around Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle in North Carolina. They have been getting a lot of Peter K. O’Connell, Your Friendly Neighborhood Voiceover Talent lately at various small networking groups, and honestly, they seem fine with it.

The reactions when they find out I’m a voice actor are nice. There’s always a “wait, I knew your voice was familiar.” Always a few wide eyes. And then, right on cue, somebody says one of three things:

• “I’ve always wanted to be a voice actor.”
• “People tell me I have a great voice.”
• “How do you get started in voiceover?”

Every. Single. Time.

Look, I love the enthusiasm. I really do. But if I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that last question, I would be networking from a much nicer zip code.

So rather than answer it for the four hundredth time over a business card and a lukewarm coffee (well, Pepsi, and mine is always properly chilled), I finally did the responsible thing. I wrote it all down. You’re welcome in advance.

First things first: how do I get started in voiceover?

I’m going to start off with the bad news first: now is very probably one of the worst times to begin a voiceover career, in my opinion – hey, I’m honest. Why is it a bad time?

First reason is for a while technology has allowed any jackass with a computer microphone to label themselves a voice talent. The work most produce doesn’t even rhyme with the word talent, yet that silo of fakers keeps filling, not diminishing.

But the latest knife in the back of voice talents is AI, artificial intelligence. AI allows almost anybody to take a purchased voice computer made or a voice actor that has sold their voice (yes there are people who sell their voice and, in my opinion, their careers) to free AI voice generators. Those nasty (in my opinion) but perfectly legal companies then mix an AI voice with a downloaded script and that fake voice is now the narrator.

Good, fast and cheap – pick two. With AI, good is not necessary. Humans are a time and financial nuisance to those media producers who use AI voices and they are glad to tell you that.

I haven’t even mentioned those devious, unscrupulous individuals from around the globe who just plain steal human voices from previous recording (completely unauthorized) and sell them as their own. That kind of CRIME has taken place at the HIGHEST levels of business.

I don’t feel like this tornadic truth of the current voiceover climate will be changing any time soon. I HOPE it does but I don’t have that crystal ball and I promised to be honest.

THAT’S the world new voice talent are coming into.

So. Still want to swim in our pool with those sharks? OK. Here’s how you do it right.

Find a qualified voiceover coach, an actual working professional voice actor whose primary business is teaching, not someone whose real business model is selling you a demo. That distinction will save you thousands of dollars and a whole lot of heartbreak. Take individual lessons. Consider group voiceover workshops. Build your foundation before you build anything else.

Now. The other questions.

How do I make a voice acting demo with no experience?

You don’t. Not yet. A voice acting demo is a result of training, not the starting point. A demo produced before you’re ready is an expensive way to tell casting directors you aren’t ready. Why? Because voiceover is not just talking, there is acting, performance technique, script interpretation…so much stuff that you have not been trained in. As an example, if you can find a group voiceover class of voiceover professionals (not beginners), audit the class. Watch and listen to what they do. Then you will REALLY know how NOT ready for a demo you are. Be humble, not eager. Invest in professional voice over coaching first. When your trusted VO coach tells you it’s demo time, that means something. When a voiceover demo production mill tells you it’s demo time after one phone call, that means something too. And it’s very *not* good.

Do I need professional recording equipment to start?

No. For voiceover training and practice (first and foremost), a decent USB microphone and a quiet closet will do just fine. Don’t let gear anxiety stop you from starting if you really have the drive to be in voiceover. That said, as you progress toward auditioning and booking professional voiceover work, your home recording studio setup absolutely matters. Clean audio is non-negotiable for clients. But right now? Record. Practice. Learn. Save your money for lessons.

How long should a voiceover demo reel be?

About :60 seconds for a commercial demo reel. A qualified demo producer will help you on that, you don’t need to obsess about it. More importantly, I recommend that your first demo ALWAYS be your commercial demo. 99% of the time, your first paid VO jobs will be commercials. Even the famous character voice actors will tell you that. Yes, you can do an audiobook demo next (if that’s your passion), but start with commercial. Casting directors and voiceover agents are not sitting around hoping your demo is longer. They decide fast – honestly you have about 15 seconds or less before they know whether they want to consider or hire you.

Should I have different demos for different genres?

Yes, eventually. A commercial voiceover demo and a corporate narration demo serve completely different audiences. An audiobook narration demo and an e-learning voiceover demo are not interchangeable. As your voiceover career develops, separate demos for separate genres signal professionalism and make it easy for the right clients to find the right version of you.

What should I include in a voice acting portfolio?

The more you train, the more you talk with voice over teachers and the more you hang out with fellow voice talents (or just check out the content of their websites) it will become clear. Since you’re just beginning, you don’t need to focus in your portfolio now…but when you’re ready, my recommended areas of focus (ranked by priority are):

1. On-going, professional voiceover training – (many, many months, not weeks and certainly not in a weekend)
2. Commercial Demo – (with a professional coach and demo producer with scripts and styles the coach thinks you not only excel at but also differentiate you from many other talents)
3. Voiceover website – if you’re hot to do something to do right now for your voiceover career, go to a domain registrar (think Go Daddy or someone like that) and see if you can secure your name as a dot com domain. If not your name, then yournamevoiceover.com or yournamevo.com. Then later, when you’re ready for a website…you can start with a one page with an audio player for your demo and some text (and build from there). You just need a landing page when you start out.
4. A business card – doesn’t have to be fancy….doesn’t have to be perfectly branded. Name, website address, email address and phone number — something you can hand out.

What about a bio? What about a headshot? What about….knock it off. You’re just starting.

OK, you need a project? You want to feel like you’re doing something for your burgeoning voiceover career?

Start an excel spreadsheet. Save it as voiceover database. Across the top, left to right, label the cells “First Name”, “Last Name”, “Company Name”, “Business Address”, “City”, “State”, “Zip Code”, “Email Address”, “Web Address” & “Phone Number”.

Then research and fill out those cells for your regional ad agency Creative Director, Video Production Company Owners and or Producers, Recording Studio Owners and Engineers….this document, more than anything else I have told you, will be the start of your voiceover business.

What do you do with it?

That’s a blog post unto itself. Hope this helps.

Tags: commentary, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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