I'm a voice-over artist! Hire me! (a blatant plug)

As I've mentioned many times here, I am a free-lance voice-over artist.

Right now my main form of VO work is recording phone surveys.  If you've ever taken a phone survey for anything from Jason's Deli to Comcast to Auto Zone, you've heard my voice.

However, I'm experienced in many more genres of VO work, and I want very much to expand my career.  I would love to get an agent to help me get my voice out there.

I now finally have a good quality website to point people to for my VO work.  It's Cindy's Voice.

If you're out there and you need a female voice for a project...or if you're an agent...please do check out my site and hire me!

My latest book trailer! Lauren Grossman's "Once in Every Generation"

As I've mentioned here frequently, I'm a professional free-lance voice-over artist. One of my favorite jobs is to voice book trailers. Here's my latest, produced by the wonderful Misty Taggart of Video Trailer to the Stars.

My latest book trailer

As a professional voice-over artist, one of my favorite things to do is voice book trailers. This is my latest.

So you want to be a voice-over artist (part 2)

"People always tell me I have a great voice. How can I break into the voice-over business?"

This is a question I often get. I'm sure there are many ways people break into this business--many come to it from a career in acting, for example.

However, I'm going to give you the advice I give everyone who asks me this question.

If you want to get into the voice-over business, first of all, develop a relationship with a radio station.

Many, if not most, radio stations are hurting for voice-over talent. I advise people who are genuinely interested in getting into voice-overs to call and make an appointment with the program director (PD) of a local radio station.

When you meet with him or her, explain that you want to break into voice-overs, so you are offering your services FOR FREE in exchange for a bit of coaching.

Some program directors may be too busy to bother with it, but some may jump at the chance--especially if you really do have a great voice.

Ask to record a spot--radio-speak for "commercial"--and ask for the PD to give you an honest critique. Be completely open to criticism and advice.

If the PD is open to helping you develop as a voice-over artist (and what's in it for him? He's getting FREE voice-over talent for the spots he airs), keep that relationship going by being available to voice spots.

Make sure you get mp3's of each spot you do. Once you develop a repertoire, the next step is to market yourself.

You can do that a few different ways as well, but one good way is to join sites like Voice Over Universe and Voice 123, where you can have your own web page about yourself, with samples of your work.

Such sites have options for free membership or paid membership. (Supposedly, paid members get better access to V-O jobs, but the jury's still out on that.)

Ability to record?

When you do eventually start getting some V-O work, you're going to have to have the ability to record them. That is a whole 'nother post, and since it is definitely NOT my area of expertise (I'm still in the process of developing my own home studio, and I'm counting on the help and advice of friends who are experts), I will leave that for you to research on your own.

As you can see, there's no magic bullet, and it takes not expecting payment while you learn your craft. It also assumes that there's a radio person out there that will be willing to take the time to mentor you. But if you can work it out, and you really do have talent, your chances are good.

(By the way, the Voice Over Universe site is a rich treasure trove of advice and information on the V-O business. There are forums, articles and discussions from experts that are like a virtual course in voice-over work.)

Again, there are probably other ways to get into voice-over work, but this is the advice I give.

So, just what is a voice-over artist and how did I become one?--Part 1

I've gotten several questions lately from my blog readers about my voice-over work. What exactly is being a voice-over artist? How did I get into the business? How can they get into V-O work?

So, although I don't claim any particular expertise--and in fact my voice-over career isn't yet where I would like it to be--I thought I'd answer these questions, from my perspective.


Quite simply, a voice-over artist provides a voice narration for a recording. Those voices you hear on radio and TV commercials? Those are voice-over artists. The dramatic guy you hear on the movie trailer? A voice-over artist. The voice on an instruction video? Yep, a voice-over artist.

When I first got into radio. Oh, how the years go by!

For me, it all started with radio

It all began when I was 19 years old, in Bible college in Springfield, Missouri, and wangled a part-time job at a Christian radio station.

I worked there for three years, then moved with my husband to his hometown, where I had my first child (Jonathan), and a year later, got a job at 101QFL.

If you're interested, this post will tell you more about that.

A few years into working at the station, I got a call from a man who owned a local video production company. He needed a female voice for a TV commercial, and he liked my voice on the radio.

That became my first voice-over job. I remember how excited it was as I entered the booth to record. I've never been nervous about doing voice-overs--it's something I feel I was, as cliche as it sounds, "born to do."

Right then and there, I knew that if I could quit my day job, voice-over is what I would do all the time.

Coasting along in a V-O career....

That V-O job led to several others with the same company, but still rather few and far between.

Then a guy who had been a DJ at the radio station and now owned his own recording studio called me and asked me to do some work for a local advertising agency. That led to several years of occasional V-O jobs at his studio.

All this time, I wasn't actively promoting my V-O career at all. The occasional jobs I got simply fell into my lap. They were nice extra money, and I loved doing them...but my life was really taken up with my radio station job, being a wife and raising three children.



Interviewing Peter Furler of the Newsboys, 2003

Getting in deeper...

I've been blessed to have a variety of V-O jobs come to me through various sources, so I really do have a wide array of experience is most aspects of the job: video narrations, commercials, phone surveys, phone prompts, voice acting, book trailers, and much more.

The two major, ongoing V-O jobs I have had also came without me seeking them. As a Christian, I believe they were both a "God thing," and they've been a source of real financial help to me and my family (although I'm definitely not getting rich!).

In early 2003, I got an e-mail from a company that records e-learning courses in Mumbai, India. They had somehow found me on the internet (I had a small voice-over page on my now-extinct website), and they asked for a demo.

(I now know that many V-O artists have had some terrible experiences with these types of companies--some are unreliable and downright fraudulent. I didn't know that then!)

This V-O job has been ongoing, off-and-on, since early 2003, and for the most part it has been a good experience. The company is quite legit, and although they tend to need things frantically and are sometimes slow in paying, they always do pay up.

A few years later, I got a call from a company that produces phone surveys for all kinds of businesses. Apparently their CEO had heard my demo on, of all things, this blog.

This has turned into my most beneficial V-O job, and one which I hope continues indefinitely. This company is a genuine pleasure to work for, and (something that is rare in the V-O world), they pay me regularly and PROMPTLY. This has been especially helpful--in fact, essential--since I lost my radio job this past March.


As co-host of "Marlar in the Morning" on 101QFL, 2008

Speaking of that...

I can't say my world wasn't rocked when I lost my job at 101QFL after 29 years of working there. However, I can see God's hand in the whole experience. (You can read more about that here.)

Losing my job has been very difficult, but it has forced me out of my comfort zone and made me realize what I really want to do--and that is voice-over work.

So, I'm now taking steps to expand my V-O career, and for the first time, really market myself as a voice-over artist. It's an ongoing thing at the moment, and I'm trying to learn all I can. (For example, do I try to get an agent?)

I also still have one foot in the door of radio, as I'm doing fill-in work at Cumulus Broadcasting here in Rockford, mainly News/Talk 1440 WROK.

If you'd like to hear some samples of my work, go to my Voice-Over Universe page or to my Voice 123 page. And if you need a female voice for a project, don't hesitate to contact me! :)

Tomorrow...

In Part 2 of this post, I'll share the advice I give for people who ask me how they can get into the voice-over business.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, fire away!

Finding True Freedom: A true story of Watergate redemption

My latest book trailer



Go here for more information about my voice-over work.

Check out my latest book trailer narration!

What is a book trailer, you ask? Well, it's pretty much like a movie trailer, except it promotes a book.

One of the hats I wear is "professional voice-over artist," and I really enjoy when a book trailer narration comes my way.

This trailer was produced by Misty Taggart of Trailer to the Stars, who always does a beautiful job.