If you’ve been at this sort of work any time at all, you’ve probably heard those dreaded words: “How Can I Break Into Voiceovers?”
First, let me post a disclaimer. I’m probably not qualified to answer this question anyway. I didn’t really Break Into Voiceovers. I sort of sneaked in the side entrance. (*see previous post about my transition from radio, and years in a basement playing with tape recorders. rg)
But think about it. Isn’t that what you’d rather do anyway?
I mean, consider the burglar.
He (or she), by “breaking in”, is obviously in a place he doesn’t belong. He really won’t benefit from any sort of attention…nor, if he’s a smart burglar, will he want to keep coming back to the same place to do his thing. There’ll be too great a risk of being “found out”!
Mind you, I’m not trying to paint new talent as interlopers, looking to “steal” work that was meant only for established Voice Actors. That’s another rant for another writer.
No, my point is simply this. In my experience, it’s been better not to “Break In”…but to “BE”…to just sort of “Appear”. We show up in the places a VoiceOver Artist is expected to be. We already know enough to blend in…we appear to be just what we’re supposed to be. In fact, we give every impression we’ve always been there. We’ve learned how to interact…gain confidence…make contacts. And if we do our job right, eventually, we can return again and again to the “scene of the crime”. …by invitation!
Besides, which is better: being noticed as a “Burglar”- found out in a place you don’t belong? …or being noticed as someone who’s precisely where he/she should be, and able to “Deliver The Goods”? (Burglars, by their very nature, never Deliver.)
So while I appreciate the enthusiasm, directness, and thirst for learning which many new or aspiring Voice Talent display…I think the question might need to be re-thought.
“Breaking In” is probably the least helpful thing you can do.
— over and out —
