The Best Friends You Need to Have in Voice Over

If you’re a surgeon, your best friends are probably your anesthesiologist and your nurses.  If you’re a teacher, your best pals are most likely other teachers, and if you’re lucky, your school principal. But who are a voice actor’s best friends? Who is there to help an actor when advice is needed, or you’re totally out of your league with something and need a bit of help?

Another actor - Sometimes, the best friend you can have is one who is a peer. Someone who’s on the same path as you, and who’s having similar experiences. Not only is another actor a great sounding board for bouncing ideas or venting frustrations, they can also provide great advice based on their own personal experiences.

Creative team - The creative director is often the one who will end up deciding your fate when it comes to landing gigs. Getting in good with the creative team (or at least with someone who understands what these guys are looking for) can help you develop a better understanding of what clients want. This will also help you learn more about yourself as a professional, so you can develop your strengths and improve your weaknesses.

Marketing guru - You have to be able to sell yourself in this industry, otherwise you’ll just be that actor who sits by a silent phone waiting for it to ring. It’s always a good idea to have a strong marketer on your side; someone who understands the value of a strong pitch and the intricacies of developing a solid social media presence.

Tech person - Some of us are gifted with great voices, and some of us are gifted with incredible IT skills. You’ll definitely want to have the latter on your side, if you plan on succeeding with the former. Computers, speakers, recording equipment, software, websites, social media - you name it, it’s a technology that you’ll encounter in your VO career, and you need someone who understands it if you don’t.

Agent - More and more voice talent are moving away from agents, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still provide a valuable service. If you’ve got on, you already know this, and you know that making your agent Amigo Numero Uno is key to success. They hook you up with auditions and act as the go-between for you and clients, and so much more. If you’ve got an agent, you’ll be much better off if you make them your best pal pronto.