Please address your thoughts and concerns to:
JG@johnnygeorge.com

I was thinking today how I respond to a video VO audition. How can I make my audition stand above the rest.

If your potential client gives you a scratch track of their audio with video and the VO is recorded by someone in their office, try this. I most always play their audio soundtrack onto my editor, so I can see, hear and display their timing.

If they have asked you to “sound like their example” you are simply listening for their natural emphasis, tone and timing. They do NOT want you to emulate their VO example. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need you in the first place. Bring your “A” Game to the audition. Let them hear how YOU would perform for their project.

First, once you understand their “taste”, lay down your track with your interpretation of their script. Once completed and you’re pleased with your performance, you now need YOUR audio to fit THEIR graphics and timing on the screen.

Then, cut up your voice to allow you to slide your sentences to meet their pace. Put theirs on Track 1 and yours on Track 2. Line them up. So, when played back, your audio now syncs with their project.

Now, mute their audio and finish producing your MP3 or requested format. Then send them your audition. Mention in your email, if you can, that you have timed your audio to their video. This will allow them to hear exactly how YOU sound in their work. That will go far in showing them you care and want to earn their business.  Plus, it saves them a lot of time.

I always try to do this for all accepted projects like this. It furthers your professional standards. And causes your work to always be above those that don’t take the time to work hard for the client.

The year 2020 was supposed to be a real eye-opener. Well, it certainly has, but not as expected. Amazingly, a pandemic crippled the world more than any other in history by closing down economies, shifting our health priorities with masks, gloves, shield, disinfectants, “social distancing” and more.

I don’t know about you, but my voiceover business tanked in the beginning through June. Then sometime around July, my base clients began to re-emerge and as of this October day, I was slammed all day. Several new VO clients have come to roost and roost well indeed.

I’ve always been an eternal optimist. Sometimes blind faith, sometimes through devoted prayer. I consider myself very blessed in my life. Family, friends, career, business…it’s hard to complain. Because anytime you get so far down – you KNOW it’s got to get better. So have some faith in yourself and the world around you. Twisted as it may even seem.

I’ve had some tough breaks. But who hasn’t? I remember a teacher in my growing years conducted a simple experiment. He asked each student to write down what was the one thing SO BAD that they were currently dealing with. No paragraph, just a simple, one-sentence phrase. We each did it and folded our note as instructed and placed it in his hat as he passed it up one row and down the other. After which, he shook the hat vigorously and then proceeded to march up and down each aisle as each student pulled out a folded note. No one could tell who’s note was who’s. But one look around the room showed on each one’s face, how they did NOT want what they had picked out of that hat. Without fail and without anyone speaking up, the teacher said…”So you thought YOU had it rough?”

The diminished stature of each one of us told the tale. Someone had just lost a parent, another had lost a sibling to cancer or a traffic accident, or a parent had lost their job or a sister just found they had an unplanned pregnancy…. the list could go on and on. No one knew who had put what into the hat. But we all knew we preferred to have our issue we had put into the hat, then someone else’s. It was a very quiet end to that class period that day.

In our industry, there is always something that becomes today’s headline of “OH NO!” …but there always seems to be a better day ahead if you just look for it and make everything you can out of it. I know I try. I may even try a little harder.

We know it’s a new year and a new decade. So, is it time to re-evaluate and plot a new course as our industry evolves? In a word, YES, if you don’t want to get passed by.

Our VO industry is changing. Clients are finding voice “talents” that are willing to work with Fiverr standards. Well, ya get what you pay for. Right? I’ve heard from a variety of clients who say, out of the 100 auditions for a job, from one of the Pay-2-Play sites, 80% of the quality of the audio was frightfully bad. Out of the remaining 20%….10% had quality sound, but talent was below par and the last 10% were decent. However, when you’re going through 100 auditions and the quality is so shaky, you begin to lose the will to live. Aaaaggghh!

Over my adult career, commercial broadcast work was my bread and butter up until the late 90’s. Along came narrative projects, eLearning, movie trailers, video games, voices for toys, telephony, (IVR), etc. So many more items have needed our voiceover skills as each day passes. Many voice actors are now adding Audiobook work as part of their repertoire. Add in Messages-On-Hold, In-Store TV Networks, Training videos, cable TV programs, retail check-out scanning prompts, corporate training… the list goes on and on.

Seems like every day there is a new voice item being added to our ever-growing list of potential voice work. I am still supporting my regular clients that send me commercial broadcast and MOH projects, but I’m finding eLearning and Explainer videos have become my favorite forms of voice expression.

Our jobs, as the mouthpiece representing various clients with their variety of products, is an exciting and creative avenue to our ever-changing world, where a human voice is needed to communicate. True, artificial intelligence (AI) has raised its ugly head as an alternative to a live human voice, but a real human voice is still the de-facto majority.

What form of voiceover do you do best? What category excites you? Do your homework and find out who these clients are. LinkedIn is a great place to run category searches. (Thank you Tracy Lindley) Find out all you can about them. Their website, their latest news, their latest products that have gotten press. So many things you can learn about a potential client. Appeal to their love of their company and show genuine interest. That goes a long way if you are as excited about their news as they are.

As one of my favorite motivational people says, “GO GET IT!” _{(Thank you Corey Dissin)}