intro........................................................3

25 things you need to know:

- improving your odds............................4

- know your etiquette.............................7

- how to get that gig..............................10

how to cut a smashing demo..................13

spamming your link................................16

eXtRAs:

- list of ad agencies.............................18

- list of sound studios..........................20

- list of agents.....................................21

whAt neXt?..........................................24

Contents

intRo

Out of all the tough ways of making money these days - let’s face it,

commercial voiceover work is not one of them. You rock up at the

studio, have a cappuccino, do the gig and bam, half an hour later,

you’re cooked. And for that “mammoth” effort you get a few hundred

to a few thousand bucks, depending on the job.

Many actors achieve great success in this industry. Its fun, they

make great cash, and they keep getting work over and over again.

Then there are others who are struggling to even get one gig. After

many years as a copywriter working with successful (and a few not-

so-successful) voiceovers, and founder of online voiceover directories

www.piehole.ie and www.piehole.co.uk - I’ve been studying what

makes certain voiceovers successful.

This e-book will give you all the need-to-knows to become successful

in this business. We’ve listed 25 insider tips in an easy-to-digest way.

At the end of the book is a section on how to cut a good demo as well

as an appendix of ad agencies, sound studios, agents, co-ops and

other important resources you might need in your quest for global

voiceover domination.

impRoving youR odds

There are a number of things for you to do to increase your

chances of success in this game. Here is a list of general things

that the successful voiceover artist knows. To give yourself the

best chance of success, try to follow as many of these points as

possible. Actually – scrap that. Try to follow ALL of these points.

1. is your demo good enough?

You can promote yourself as much as you like - but at the end

of the day, it comes down to your demo. You’re competing

with some very talented people out there. An “Ok” demo is not

good enough.

See page 13 for how to cut a great demo.

2. Call back immediately

If you get a message that someone is trying to book you for a

gig, don’t wait a minute. Ad agencies are usually up against

very tight deadlines, and if you take too long getting back to

them, they’ll simply book someone who is answering their

phone.

3. it takes time

It can take a while to break into this business. If you’re new,

you’re not just going to get booked on day 1. It’ll only be af-

ter you’ve done a few gigs (successfully) that people will start

booking you again and again. So don’t go beating yourself up if

the phone’s not hopping.

4. get some training

If you are inexperienced, try to go on a training course. It’s a

small investment in comparison to the amount of money you

can make doing voiceovers.

5. pick someone’s brain

If you are inexperienced, go for coffee with a more experienced

VO and pick their brain. Ask them everything about what to

expect when you do a gig - from the minute you walk in to the

minute you leave. Sometimes just knowing what to expect will

calm the nerves when you’re doing your first gig. You can also

take a few scripts along to this coffee and ask them to crit you

doing a read.

See page 13 for more info on getting material together.

6. Listen to the radio

Spend half an hour a day listening to existing radio ads, and

giving them a bash yourself (out loud, and preferably to a

guinea pig). This is imperative and the absolute least you can

do to get a bit of practice.

7. get a dictaphone

Buy yourself a Dictaphone and recite and record scripts for

practice. (Some mobile phones also have voice recorders.)

Sometimes it’s amazing how great something sounds in your

own head, but only once you hear it out loud can you really

figure out which bits need improving.

This is fantastic exercise – schedule ten minutes a day to

practice.

The biggest way you are going to get money in this job is to get

repeat business. People tend to use those they like and trust

over and over again. And how do you get repeat business? Be

nice.

8. Arrive 10 minutes early

You want to make a good impression. (Especially since there’s

a room full of clients/sound engineers/producers/copywriters/

account directors waiting just for you.)

9. drink up

Have a glass of water with you when you’re in the booth to

keep your voice clear. Don’t order a coffee at the studio; it

mucks your voice up.

10. Be patient

Remember, copywriters can be quite anal, so you will be asked

to do something over and over and over again. It doesn’t mean

you’re not doing a good job. It’s just the nature of the beast.

know youR etiquette

11. it’s not your ad

Again, copywriters can be quite anal. They probably have a

specific idea about what they’re looking for. All you can do is

try to figure out what the fcek they mean when they say ‘warm

yet corporate’ or ‘more energy, but slow it down a bit’ or some-

thing else vague. Try to be patient and not have too many

“creative differences”.

12. make your escape

When you’re done your gig, say your goodbyes and thank you’s.

No need to stick around.

13. Leave a business card behind

Give it to the copywriter or agency producer, and simply say

“thanks for the gig, here’s my card if you need anything”. At

Piehole we offer to design business cards for our VO’s, as it

leaves such a good impression when they leave their cards be-

hind in studios.

14. don’t go with a hangover

Don’t get boozed up the night before a gig - or at least not if

the gig is in the morning. Your voice will thank you for it.

15. do your thing

If you’re doing a voice over with a few different actors in studio,

don’t have a bash at their lines (actors can also be quite anal

sometimes). Just do the lines you were asked to do.

16. make suggestions

Its Ok to make suggestions for minor script changes, for ex-

ample, if something isn’t reading well or sounding natural. But

just test the waters. Sometimes, for a plethora of boring bu-

reaucratic reasons, the client can be strict about script changes,

so don’t push it too much.

how to get thAt gig

Below is a list of clever marketing tips that can help you to get

more publicity for yourself. These will take a bit of effort, but

the rewards could be huge.

17. get an agent

The more people you have promoting you, the better.

See page 21 for a list of agents.

18. you gotta be online

There are voiceover listing websites like www.piehole.ie or

www.piehole.co.uk that promote voiceovers to ad agencies.

Even if you already have an agent, join up! The more people

you have promoting you, the better.

19. email marketing

Email all the copywriters and producers in ad agencies your

personal link (i.e. www.piehole.co.uk/yourname) so that they

can listen to your demo.

See page 16 for tips on how to spam yourself.

20. signature your emails

Set your URL (e.g. www.piehole.co.uk/yourname) as a signa-

ture at the bottom of EVERY email you ever send. You never

know who might end up clicking on it. And what the heck, it’s

free promotion.

21. send out your Cd

Send a CD with your demo on it. The downside is that it’s quite

a pricey operation, and many copywriters don’t even listen to

CDs that land on their desks. The upside is you might get a gig

or two out of it. Might. See the next point for a better way.

22. personally deliver your Cd

Go around to sound studios and introduce yourself to the sound

engineer personally. Give them a CD with your demo on, and

ask them to listen to it. Do something cute with the packag-

ing - attach a chocolate or something. Call the receptionist in

advance to get a contact name of the sound engineer. Always

have a contact name. You could do the same thing with ad

agencies. Rather go personally to 10 people than blindly post-

ing your CD to 100 randoms.

23. have a good photo

Do you have a good photo up on your voiceover site? People

with photos get 5 times as many hits as those without! Don’t

have a cheap looking home-made photo from the 1980s. Have

a fancy, black and white, professional one.

24. have a photo on your business card

So that when you’re networking, those potential contacts will

remember you when they look at your card again in a few

weeks time.

25. offer your services

If you’re new to the industry and are trying to break in - offer

to copywriters that you’d be happy to do a free gig if they have

a personal script (not for broadcast) that they’d like to produce.

(Copywriters often try to record their own personal work for

their portfolios; as such they wouldn’t have money to pay for it.

This could make a great impression – even if they never take

you up on the offer). You can send an email or call or go and

see them personally.

See page 16 for ideas on how to get a database of contacts together.

The biggest mistake VOs make when they go and record their

demo is rocking up to the studio without having done any

preparation. Most depend on the sound engineers to provide

the scripts for them. So now they’re using valuable studio time

finding their feet with an unfamiliar script - something they

could have done at home.

No ladies and germs. That studio time is costing you a fortune

and you’ve got to make it count. The key is to have all your

material in advance - and practice your *ss off before you ever

get to the studio.

how to mAke A smAshing demo,

dARLing

here’s how you can get your material together:

1. Listen to the radio and take note of the ads that you like.

keep a pen and paper handy, and copy the script. Then

practice the script over and over. Not just in your head - but

say it out loud. It doesn’t have to be an entire ad - it could

also just be a snippet, like the announcer bit of an ad.

2. This is probably the best way to go about getting script

material. Go to advertising awards websites that have radio

sections. For example: www.bestadsontv.com would be

your best bet. Then you can also look for winner’s results

in the radio categories on www.radio-awards.net as well

as www.dandad.org and www.canneslions.com. There

are tons of mp3s online of great international ads to choose

from.

3. Another way of finding material is to go onto advertis-

ing agencies’ websites and look at the work they’ve done.

Go to their TV or radio section and take sections from those

scripts.

See page 18 for a list of ad agencies.

4. You can also ask your sound engineer to send you a few

mp3s of scripts he has recorded in the past. You can choose a

bit you like, copy down the script, and practice, practice, prac-

tice.

And that’s all there is to it. The sound engineer will help you

and guide you on the day, but you’ve got to bring something to

the party. Otherwise it’s just like flushing your money down the

bog.

impoRtAnt: make sure that your sound studio is one

that is used by the top agencies. don’t try to do your

demo on the cheap – find the right guys for the job. See

page 21 for some good sound studios that you can en-

quire with to do your demo.

The first thing you need to do is get a list of ad agencies in your

area. See page 18 for a comprehensive list. Once you have

their details, pick up the phone and start calling them. Speak

to the receptionist and request an email address of a copy-

writer and radio producer in the agency. (Not all agencies have

in-house producers, but many do.) This is how you build up a

database. It’s a bit of a slow and painful process, so one solu-

tion is to work together with another voiceover and share your

information.

Once you have your database, think of something short and

snappy to say in your cover email. Remember, you’re talking to

advertising folks. Attention-span = zero.

Something like:

“Hi Mr. X, I’m so shit-hot right now. Here’s my voiceover demo

to prove it. www.piehole.co.uk/yourname. Next time

you’re looking for seductive temptress, please give me a call.”

spAmming youR Link

Or something like that. The key is SHORT and SNAPPY. And

include one short explanation of something of your voice - the

example given “seductive temptress” could also be something

like “a down-to-earth straight read” or something else specific.

Spamming is a bit of a lottery - it might or might not result in

work. However, it is free and it is promotion for you. Stuck

record here, but the more ways you have of promoting yourself,

the better.

Below is a list of some of the best ad agencies in London and

Dublin. Check out their websites and listen to their radio and TV

ads to hear what some of the other VO’s have been up to. You

can also use this list to start your database as mentioned in the

chapter about spamming yourself on page 16.

Ad AgenCies

Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO www.amvbbdo.co.uk

Bartle Bogle Hegarty www.bartleboglehegarty.com

DDB www.bmpddb.com

Fallon www.fallon.com

JWT www.jwt.co.uk

Leo Burnett www.leoburnett.co.uk

Lowe London www.loweworldwide.com

MCBD www.mcbd.co.uk

Mother London www.motherlondon.com

Proximity London www.proximitylondon.com

Saatchi & Saatchi www.saatchi-saatchi.com

VCCP www.vccp.com

WDMP London Uk www.wdmp.co.uk

Wieden & kennedy www.wklondon.com

WWAV Rapp Collins London Uk www.wwavrc.co.uk

London

duBLin Publicis QMP www.publicisqmp.ie

McCann Erickson www.mccann-erickson.ie

Chemistry www.chemistry.ie

Owens DDB www.owensddb.com

Adept Creative www.adept.ie

AFA O’Meara www.afaom.com

Bonfire www.bonfire.ie

Cawley Nea www.cawleynea.ie

DDFH&B www.ddfhb.ie

Helme Partnership www.greyhelme.ie

Hunter Red Cell www.hunter-redcell.ie

Irish International www.iibbdo.com

Javelin/Young & Rubicam www.javelin.ie

Language www.language.ie

Leo Burnett www.leoburnett.com

McConnells www.mcconnells.ie

Ocean www.ocean.ie

Rothco www.rothco.ie

Young Advertising www.youngeurorscg.ie

Below is a list of the top sound studios around.

Mutiny www.mutiny.ie

Moynihan Russell www.moynihanrusell.ie

Beacon Studios www.beaconstudios.net

Reelgood Studios www.reelgood.com

Windmill Lane Studios www.windmilllane.com

The Farm www.thefarm.ie

Screenscene Post Production www.screenscene.ie

Avondale Studios www.avondalestudios.com

Slate Post Production www.slatepost.ie

The Base www.basestudios.net

750mph www.750mph.com

Aardvark Sound www.aardvarksound.co.uk

Angell Sound www.angellsound.co.uk

Factory Studios www.factory.uk.com

Grand Central www.grand-central-studios.com

Scramble www.scramble.co.uk

The Jungle Group www.thejunglegroup.co.uk

Wave www.wavestudios.co.uk

sound studios

duBLin

London

Actors & Movers www.actorsandmovers.com

Lorraine Brennan www.lbmactors.com

TN Enterprises www.tnenterprises.com

Lisa Richards www.lisarichards.ie

Voicebank www.voicebank.ie

Endline www.endline.ie

The Agency www.the-agency.ie

Co-ops:Castaway www.irish-actors.com

Frontline Actors Agency www.frontlineactors.com

Reactors Agency www.reactors.ie

Here is a list of some agents in who have websites you can check

out. It is worth enquiring whether you can get into their books.

Even if you are already on piehole, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it,

eh, about 7 times: the more ways you have of promoting yourself,

the better.

duBLin

Agents

Accent Bank www.accentbank.co.uk

Another Tongue www.anothertongue.com

Burnett Granger Crowther www.burnettgrangercrowther.co.uk

Calypso Voices www.calypsovoices.com

Cinel Gabran www.cinelgabran.co.uk

Conway Van Gelder Grant Voices www.conwayvg.co.uk

Debbie Elder Management www.demagency.co.uk

The Excellent Voice Company www.excellentvoice.co.uk

Harvey Voices www.harveyvoices.co.uk

Hobsons International www.hobsons-international.com

The Joneses www.meetthejoneses.co.uk

Just Voices www.justvoicesagency.com

Rabbit Vocal Management www.rabbit.uk.net

Radiotalent.co.uk www.radiotalent.co.uk

Rhino Management www.rhinomanagement.co.uk

Rhubarb Voices www.rhubarbvoices.co.uk

Shining Management www.shiningvoices.com

Speak-easy www.speak-easy.co.uk

SueTerryVoices www.sueterryvoices.co.uk

SVMk Voices www.svmk.co.uk

Talking Heads www.talkingheadsvoices.com

Voicebookers.com www.voicebookers.com

London

Voicecall www.voicecall-online.co.uk

The Voiceover Gallery www.thevoiceovergallery.co.uk

Voice Squad www.voicesquad.com

Vocal Point www.vocalpoint.net

Voice Shop www.voice-shop.co.uk

Voiceovers Ltd. www.voiceovers.co.uk

Wise Buddah www.wisebuddah.com

Co-ops:Performance Actors Agency www.p-a-a.co.uk

Markham & Froggatt www.markhamfroggatt.com

So now you know what you need to know. You are officially

in the know. With a bit of luck, a bit of patience, a lot of

talent and the 25 pointers in this book - you could soon be

sipping pina coladas and laughing all the way to the piggy

bank.

Don’t just sit there. Take the first step and get yourself out

there. Try to follow as many tips in this book as possible -

because if you’ve got the talent, the money will follow. All

you need to do is get yourself out there.

You can start by signing up to one of my lovely little web-

sites, www.piehole.ie or www.piehole.co.uk.

Good luck, soldier.

whAt neXt?