Voiceoverism.

We’re often approached by people who want to become voiceovers, voice-overs, voice artists, voice talent, v/o, voices, or as one friend of ours calls it, “voiceoverists.”

There seems to be a general feeling that it’s an easy way to make big money, fast. For the life of me, I can’t work out how this rumour started, but I’ll try to give you a reasoned appraisal of the business.

Broadly, there are two classes; celebrity voices and the rest. (Elinor and I are in the latter category.) Celebrity voices are famous and therefore are asked to endorse products by selling their voice to the company selling the product.

The rest of us may or may not become famous because we have voices that have a useful place in the market – but the primary aim is to make a living, rather than to appear in Hello magazine. Fame, in this context, arrives from some unexpected quarters – try a YouTube search for “Phil Sayer” and you might be surprised at the results – and the number of them!

Some non-celeb voices are (or were) actors, some are from a broadcasting background (as we both are) and a small number have crossed the Great Divide – producers who’ve successfully switched horses midstream.

Years ago, you needed a voice, a car and an agent.

Now, you need a voice, a home studio (and the expertise to operate it properly and fix it) and an internet connection.

Then, you also needed some measure of business acumen, determination to succeed, dedication to the job, and a bit of luck. And all of those are still requirements…

It’s a tough market to break into. Unless you are offering a truly unique service, you are competing against scores, even hundreds, of established professionals. So ask yourself the question, “What can I offer a producer that he can’t get from his existing voices?”

If the answer is “nothing,” then give up now. If the answer is, “I’m not sure – I need to think about that,” then you’re in with a chance…