“A good voice breathes life into your project; a bad one just sucks.”
You walked into the office happy about your new marketing campaign. It’s funny, whimsical and made you smile all morning… until your boss walked in and said, “Now it’s time to find the voice to pull this off.”
In your head you hear blah, blah, blah. Then the boss pops back into your space and says “Oh, and I want to get a rough draft of this done by the end of day.” After you finish rolling your eyes you sit down on your computer to find the “perfect voice.”
Wait a minute – lightbulb moment! – it’s really not that bad. There are voices just waiting for the opportunity to spice up your life. You can find voices many different ways:
- Ask for recommendations
- Use local talent agencies – reach out to the voiceover department
- Utilize Voiceover management companies like the VO Chateau by Celia Siegel Management.
- Check out online voiceover sites (ex: Voices123.com and Voices.com)
- Instagram,Twitter and Linkedin are also popular places to find talent
- Google the type of voice you want: Happy, Black Woman, Voice Talent
- Look for reviews – popular voice artists will have reviews in the marketplace.
I booked a series of jobs from Microsoft one year from a friend of a friend who found me through Facebook. Marketing employees often don’t know agents personally, but one easy search on google will help you find a management company quickly. Just type in Voiceover Manager in your google search bar.
Here’s a hot tip: Don’t go for the $29.95 option. Cheaper is not better in this situation. You want to look for a reputable company. I personally use https://celiasiegel.com to manage my voiceover business. I have to brag because I absolutely adore working with this team. They love matchmaking. They match the right voices to the right projects and work hard to keep their clients AND buyers happy so it’s a genuine win/win, which is what you want. Also, most voiceover talents are on several rosters, so once you find people you like, start your own go-to roster of actors. This is a right-now business so quick turnarounds are common.
Okay, so you made it to the end of your day. Your boss is happy because you found the perfect voice, and your project is better than you expected it to be.
Now onto the next big thing….