Voice Over Career Opportunities

It's fun to do voiceover work, although you still have to act. But it doesn't involve memorizing lines, and you don't have to dress up. - Stephen Root

If you want to get into a media job, voice over can be a good step. It includes providing your voice for animated films, TV shows and commercials, short movies, video games, audio comedy shows, dramas and skits, and other forms of entertainment media.

Some people have a knack for speaking, and with a little formal training, this natural ability can be honed and converted into a skill. Therefore, people who have love speaking and are good at it, can take up a voice over job.

However, with the advent of Internet technologies, one can even transmit his work from different locations. Only if you are thinking of full-time work, would you be required to move to a mass media centered location such as Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York.

These days, such opportunities are available all across the advertising and entertainment industry. Animated movies and TV serials are where most of the work is required. Women may excel more than men, as their voice can be appropriate for those of young boys as well.

TV advertisements is another area where you can focus as an expert. In some TV commercials, famous personalities are used; whereas, for others, unknown actors are hired, where voice overs might be needed.

Websites on the Internet are also using video and audio advertisements big time, which can be a good thing for these professionals. You can use your work for presentations, narrative banner advertisements, audiobooks, and interactive tours. Nowadays, the video game industry is developing significantly, and so is the demand for good voice over experts.

In order to become a professional, it is better if you have extra talent such as mimicry, producing exact voices of other actors and personalities, and even acting. You can take up a sound design training or a short voice over course at the local training centers. Along with the course, practice.

Now, you will have to make a disc of your work, which can be done at a recording studio. Practice a lot for making the demo CD, and to keep the recording studio fees in a limit. Look out for talent agencies in major cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and Atlanta.

Provide them with your demo work and check if they can get you some related projects. It is suggested to take membership of professional associations such as Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors (AFTRA).

You would surely be benefited by their recruitment and referral efforts for finding work. Develop your resume and profile and keep searching for projects on the Internet, TV, and radio. You may even opt for being certified from the Society of Accredited Voice Over Artists (SaVOA).

You can also carry out this entertainment job from home by arranging for a home studio, with a simple setup consisting of a microphone and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) connection. Career opportunities are plenty; you just need to have quality work and good marketing techniques to find frequent and decent paying work.