Will you Make a Good Voiceover Artist?

In the vast majority of cases, we cannot say with any certainty, even upon meeting, that you will- or won’t make a good voiceover artist.  However, there are certain traits that most of the successful voiceover talents share in common.  So, perhaps by considering this list of those characteristics, you will get a better feel for whether or not this line of work is for you.

1.    Interesting Voice An interesting voice doesn’t mean that a person must be able to mimic various dialects, take on the voice of a cartoon character at a moment’s notice, or even must possess a sexy gravel to his voice.  It simply means that your voice is easy to listen to.  Does this mean that you are ruled out simply because you don’t have the most attractive voice?  No.  But, that will make the job harder for you.

2.    Flexibility of Schedule Do not make the mistake of believing that voiceover work can be completely arranged to fit your desired work schedule.  The fact of the matter is that there are times that you will be asked to be out the door in the early hours of the morning to meet with a casting director, and there are times when you will have to work late into the evening, in order to meet a tight deadline.  Therefore, flexibility of schedule will increase the likelihood that you succeed in this field.

3.    Malleable Personality While it would be brilliant if you could get the most desired voiceover work from the start, chances are that you are going to have to take a wide variety of different work in order to get your start as a voiceover actor.  That means that you must be malleable, able to shift from a playful script to a dry, purely informative piece.

4.    Enjoys Performance The best voiceover actors generally share one thing in common – a love of performance.  They’ve had their own fair share of acting classes.  Most of them have performed on stage in the past, or even continue to do so.  But, they don’t just enjoy doing it, they also enjoy watching others perform.  This is important, because we learn a great deal about what works and what doesn’t by watching and listening to others.