A Career in Voice Over Might Not Be for Everyone
As a voice over coach, I believe that being absolutely honest with each and every one of my students is fundamental. Not everyone is cut out to be a voice over artist, even if they have an incredible vocal range. Please read on to learn about one of my voice over for beginners students, Brian, to see how my classes and coaching impacted his life.
Brian is a car salesman who has a good rapport with people and a persuasive manner when it comes to selling. He figured that, if he could get people to buy cars, he could get them to buy anything. Brian has a booming bass voice, and he thought that it wouldn’t take much more than that to be successful in voice over. I did a voice assessment with him, and we both concluded that he had inherent vocal talent, so I agreed to take him on as a student.
When Brain started taking my voice over classes, however, he quickly realized how different it is when you don’t have someone standing directly in front of you to talk to – you have to actually “talk” a script, instead of reading it. Brian also had to learn the art of smiling when talking, since he tended to be a bit too serious at times.
Brian did some private coaching with me, along with taking classes. Brian became more and more comfortable with voice over during class, but he would be right back to where he started the next week. He had a hard time relaxing into his own persona, rather than the “announcer” identity he was so fond of.
Brian never practiced in-between classes. He always found some excuse as to why he hadn’t practiced. After awhile, even he admitted that his excuses were sounding lame. He soon came to the realization that what he liked most about voice over was the social nature of my classes, and the chance to laugh with other people and enjoy an evening with like-minded souls. I think a big weight was lifted off his shoulders when he recognized that he didn’t have to be a voice over actor. He just enjoyed the process!
Brian is still a car salesman, but he is admittedly a happier one. He says that he is glad that he explored the possibility of becoming a voice over actor by using my voice over for beginners coaching and that he is a better car salesman because of it.