Voiceover News May 2011

This is what we have been up to at our Voiceover Agency and Recording Studio  in May:


We had our first client for Voice Training. Our voice coach Sandy helped a client with her lack of self-confidence.


We filmed some additional interviewees at our TV Studio in Surrey for a video for the LBRO, a Government QUANGO. Peter O narrated an eight part series of "Crime Stories" for the Crime and Investigation Network and Steph recorded a voiceover for a TV Trail on BBC1: "Tonight's The Night with John Barrowman" 

Nicola recorded a voiceover for an instructional web video for Fujitsu's Kofax. David V recorded a voiceover for a radio commercial for La Pinta Beach Club. Helen S recorded a voiceover for a video for the MoD  and Michell evoiced on-hold prompts for Auto Direct


We welcome Radio 3 Presenter and Voiceover Artist Jill, Spanish Voiceover Artist Stella and Italian Voiceover Artist Lorella

We have made a voicereel for BBC Radio London Newsreader Katy Dartford and Sky TV Sports Presenter Vicky Gomersall. Rachel Brooker 


Rickyrecorded the voiceovers for two more videos for Chiltern International Fire, an occupational health video, more videos on the Pen Warehouse website and a  video for Spendtrax from PRGX 

Voiceover Man: Getting Old or Important?

A few weeks ago one of our Voiceover Artists asked me if I could countersign his passport application. Nathan was in a rush as he had lost his current passport and was about to take his girlfriend to France for a week.

I remember when I had to get my own passport application and get the photo signed on the back by someone important (Solicitor, Teacher, Doctor etc) who has known you for five years and isn't related to you. Apparenlty I was the only person he could think of who was available!

Anyway I told him that I wasn't important enough but apparently I am. I didn't know this - mainly because the Passport Authorities don't put it on the information they send you - but anybody who is the Company Director of a VAT-registered Limited Company is able to to this. Nathan got his passport and is looking forward to his holiday

Then today - for the second time - another of my voiceovers asked me for a personal reference, which I was more than happy to supply.

I must be important these days - either that or getting old. Probably both.

Voiceover News for April 2011

It's been a quiet-ish month for our our voiceovers due to Easter, our own holiday and too many bank holidays!

However we did spend a day filming in Greggs Bakery in Pontypridd for a video production for the LBRO, a Government QUANGO. This is the second video we are making for them.

Caroline voiced an instructional Fujitsu web video in French, Tony recorded the same video in Italian and Julia did the same but in German. Basabi recorded a voiceover for Barking NHS Trust in Bengali.

Mike recorded a voiceover for a trail for the Finnish TV series "Under The North Star", Richard recorded a programme trail on SuperSport, Peter O recorded more voiceovers for Prince 2 E-Learning modules and James K recorded a voiceover for a video for a new business called Showcatcher

Ricky was the live Voice of God at the Meat and Poultry Processing Awards in Birmingham as well as voicing more on-hold prompts for Hastings Direct. And Helen Shas recorded voiceovers for an E-Learning programme for British Gas.

We now offer voice training to aspiring talent or people who need to be able to communicate more effectively in their job; we made a voicereel for former BBC TV Continuity Announcer Sarah.

And finally we welcome Dutch Voiceover Artist Arno, Romanian Voiceover Artist Gabriela and German Voiceovers Audrey and Roy.

How do I get started as a Voiceover Artist?

So you want to be a voiceover artist.

By now you either have some experience of being an actor or a broadcaster. You have done your voice training and made your voicereel. So what next?

Get yourself a good professional photograph as agents and some "pay to play" directories allow you to upload one. There are a number of voiceover directories which allow you to list your audio for free. They include Voice123, Voices.com, VoiceoverDirectory.com and Bodalgo.

However many of the free sites may not generate much work for you (or they may restrict how their site functions until you pay a fee.) Some also require you to record an audtion for every job that you bid for, thereby encouraging voice talent to constantly lower their fees to get the work.

The BigFish Media Voiceover Directory is found on the free (or organic listings) on one page one of Google for the highly-competitive keywords of voiceover, voice-over, voice artist, voice talent etc. That's why we charge a small annual fee to be listed.

We have dealt with the technical aspects of setting up your own home studio in other blogs on this site, but should you invest in your own home studio? Do you even have the space and peace and quiet for one?

Alternatively try to find a local studio (or another voiceover artist who lives close to you) who may let you use their studio for a reasonable price. Then at least you can find out if you are employable. If you find that you are getting lots of work it's time to invest in your own voiceover booth!

So what next? Contact local radio stations and video production companies. It is a time-consuming marketing exercise, but by the time you have a dozen jobs under your belt you will know what your strenghts are. Maybe it is obvious to someone else in the industry if not you.

If you get booked for lots of local radio adverts but no e-learning then maybe this is what you are best at and should focus your energies on pursuing radio and TV commercial work.

Unless you are exceptionally talented - and very lucky - you will probably have to get 2 or 3 years experience of the voiceover industry under your belt before an agent

In the meantime keep at it and update your voice reel as you should improve with practise. You should also not bother to approach advertising agencies as they only deal with the best voiceover talent via voiceover agents

And remember, there are very few full-time voiceovers - most combine being a voiceover artist with production, writing, acting or radio or TV work. Or even a real job!

Voiceover News for March 2011

Here is what we have been up to in March:

We spent a day filming in Greggs Bakery in Pontypridd for a video production for a Government QUANGO.

Basabi recorded a voiceover for Barking NHS Trust in Bengali, Jacky recorded a voiceover for a Nordiflex DVD, Michelle recorded on-hold prompts for Lumley Direct, Peter O narrated a documentary about the Ancient Maya civilisation for the History Channel and Penny narrated a children's story - and voiced all the characters - for the Wireless Kids Theatre

Ricky was the live Voice of God at the Meat and Poultry Processing Awards in Birmingham, recorded a bunch of web videos for Keycamp holidays, a voiceover for Azko Nobel Powder Coatings and on-hold prompts for Metro Cup.

We now represent Dutch Voiceover Artists Christa and Hans and German Voiceover Artist Roy

We made voice reels for TalkSport Newsreader Faye Carruthers and London Voiceover Artist Mick

New on the website this month: a podcast which Lynsey recorded for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and Sally's voiceover for the International Trade Union Confederation video. And improved search facilities means you can now search our voices by accent, age or language. Also we now offer Voice Training

Does Networking Work for Voiceover Artists?

Running a voiceover business we know how important social media is to its success. You know: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Linked In etc.

I have met a couple of real life friends through Facebook. We have also made a good few business contacts (both as voiceover artists and clients) the same way.

But this week we met a potential business partner through Twitter. In real life. And there I was thinking no-one actually reads what is posted there. How wrong can you be?

Anyway Phil runs a video production company also in Woking so we met for a cup of coffee and a chat about the day-to-day running and the challenges facing media production and voiceover businesses in 2011. We exchanged ideas and discussed how we might be able to help each other - or indeed work together - in the future.

It seems to have become the norm for people who live and work very close to each other to meet through an international medium of the internet.

Funny old world isn't it?

How fast is a fast Voiceover booking and recording?

We pride ourselves on being able to deliver audio files of our voiceover recordings files extremely quickly and meeting the most exacting of timescales but this week we had a request from a client which was hugely challenging.

The production company called us and asked for a "big voice" for a TV-trailer but they only had 3 hours left in the edit for the video and needed to add a voiceover to the video before they lost their edit suite.

I gave them a choice of half a dozen voiceover artists, they chose one; Richard, who scrapped his plans for the afternoon and was in our voiceover booth within 90 minutes, did two takes of the script with 20 minutes that we had left on the clock.

Result: the client was delighted and we made the deadline!