Summary: How to be a voice actor: Do you have to have a 'radio voice', the 'voice of God' to be successful with voiceovers? What kind of training is required? How do you go about recording a demo? What is a niche market and how do you get work there? Can you do VO work part time or is this a full time or nothing gig? Must you live in a major market to make money in voiceovers? If these are some of the questions you have about working in Voiceovers then please join me with my guest for this episode, Ms. Bettye Zoller. International Award-Winning Voiceover Talent Bettye Zoller "You know...modeling, film acting, Broadway stardom, getting a TV sitcom lead role, all of that is a build...it's a career build. It takes time and first and foremost it takes training. WHY...WHY...answer the question somebody, why do all these people think that voiceovers are instant success? It drives me nuts. Why? Voiceovers aren't a get rich quick scheme, it's a build, you know? " From Bettye Zoller's site VoicesVoices.com Casting Directors, Agents,Clients,and Producers, say she is "unique " because she offers so many types of voice deliveries, characters, dialects, attitudes, yes, she is a virtual compendium of voice over types and genres. From major network promos (BBC, LIFETIME, BRAVO, THE WEATHER CHANNEL, FOOD NETWORK, WABC NYC) to a smooth romantic trailer for DISNEY BOOKS, to upbeat, comedic, inspirational and touching radio and TV commercials (CHIFFON MARGARINE “It’s Not Nice to FOOL Mother Nature,” PACE PICANTE SAUCE “It’s Made In NEW YORK CITY!!.” AMERICAN AIRLINES, BANQUET FOODS, AMERICAN RED CROSS, U.S. NAVY, and many hundreds more. She narrates audios at the Smithsonian American History Museum, the Holocaust Museum, the Ellis Island Museum, the Kimbell Museum, and many others. She voices apps, building tours, city walking tours, GPS systems in Germany, toys, games, video games, websites, greeting cards, Lionel trains, kiosks, computer software, and audio books. She is a Simon and Schuster author, narrator, producer with over twenty audio titles that she’s written and published in the voice speech communications and voice over education field. She is a professional audio engineer skilled in post production and demo creation and owner of the full service VoicesVoices Recording Studio is in Dallas, Texas. She is the recipient of ADDYS, CLIOS, 1st PLACE NATIONAL GOLDEN RADIO AWARDS. And she’s the dedicated educator who has started so many in broadcasting and voice overs. She is degreed through doctoral study from four universities. THE NICHE MARKET DEMO Bettye suggests cutting individual demos for specific niche markets such as medical, real estate, art galleries, buildings, museums or monument tours, etc . These demos should have a few examples of from the specific niche you are targeting. Medical work, for instance, can require the ability to pronounce complicated and sometimes odd sounding terms. The VO actor has to be able to make such terms sound as natural and 'real' as possible without stumbling over the terminology. So, if you have a background in medical work or if you have a facility for handling that kind of material, it would be wise, says Bettye Zoller, to prepare a demo just for that market segment. Bettye suggests producing this type demo in a 'bare bones' production style with little to no post-production, no background music, etc. Let the caster hear your voice and how you communicate this particular type of material. The same ideas hold true for other niche demos whether they are for an art gallery or a real estate company or some other specific market segment. Another area Bettye suggestS not overlooking is promo work for local radio and televsion outlets. This can be an especially effective marketing effort in regional or smaller markets where the producers might welcome someone different who can add a new voice to their 'cast'. WHAT'S A GOOD TIME LIMIT FOR A DEMO?
