https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-hnz2t-1265009

TRANSCRIPT:

Hello, Ladies and Gentleman, and welcome to Voiced By Webb. My name is Emanuel Webb, and I’m a freelance voice-over talent. This is a podcast where I share my thoughts and opinions, whether about the voice-over industry, or my improvements and lessons as a voice-over talent and all-around person.

One of the hardest parts of a voice actor’s journey is getting started. How do you go about doing voice over work? Where can you find those jobs? The typical routes for voice over work are directly marketing to production companies, gig websites like Fiverr and Upwork, getting a talent agent to send auditions your way, or auditioning on voice over casting sites like Voices.com, Voice123, etc.

Today, I want to talk about Casting sites, often times called “pay-to-play” sites. With these websites, you set up an account (some for free, while others require a paid membership, hence the term “pay to play”) and you audition for openings to different projects and genres. Out of all of the methods that I mentioned to get voice over work, this is probably the easiest to get started with. But like with most things that are easy, they come with some pros and cons. Let’s break down the good before we get to the bad:

One of the best benefits of joining a casting site is that there is no experience required. If you’re just starting out, this is one of the best ways to get your feet wet in the voice over industry. Every day, you have an opportunity to audition as many times as you are physically capable of doing. This helps you get the reps in and shows your progress with how much you’ve been practicing on your voice.

As a newbie, you get to see current trends in the voice over industry. You get a better understanding of what kind of voice and content the market is looking for. For example, I got started auditioning right before Covid started hitting the news. Suddenly, a BUNCH of auditions and openings came up for medical explainer videos, health insurance videos, safety videos, etc. And usually a few times a year, during local and national elections, a WHOLE lot of political ads require someone to narrate. What the people or what the client wants usually changes like the seasons, so this is definitely one way to stay ahead of those wants and needs.

One of the more daunting tasks when it comes to voice over work is putting yourself out there for direct marketing by cold calling or cold emailing potential clients. Or waiting for your talent agent to find an audition to send your way. With pay-to-play sites, you save time and energy by auditioning directly on opportunities the website already found for you.

Now that we mentioned some of the best parts of casting sites, let’s talk about the worst:

The phrase “pay to play” came up so much this episode because it comes up a lot when you try to set up an account. Most of these sites allow you to set up a “free” account, but you get more benefits and opportunities with a paid membership or subscription. This alone can be a big deterrent for those starting off who may feel like they’re spending WAY more than they could potentially be earning.

On the topic of spending, when it comes to rates that you get paid, usually the person sending you the work gets a commission out of it. With talent agents, it could be a small 5-20% fee (so if you had a job for $200, for example, the talent agent would get anywhere from $10 to $40. With some casting platforms, YOU can be the one getting the smaller cut of the deal that they make with the clients you’re recording for. A few of the major platforms got a lot of criticism a few years back for how unethical a few of their practices can be (or were).

Some of those practices, besides taking a larger cut, could be outright underpaying voice talent. A new voice actor may not realize that the job they’re putting hours into for $10 could actually pay them hundreds of dollars if they didn’t have a better understanding of their worth or the industry-standard rates for certain jobs. Sometimes, this isn’t always the fault of the Pay to Play sites. Some clients can be sneaky with how much work they’re asking you to do with how much pay they’re willing to give for it. What they say is a small voice over for a company video could actually be an advertisement that you see on the internet. Paying attention to the rate and what’s known as the “usage rights” can go a long way toward not being exploited.

And the last negative with casting platforms that I’ll discuss today is the high levels of competition. Don’t get me wrong: competition is typically a good thing. You have to understand what the standard is and see how you measure or raise it. But with most casting sites, any high paying audition is full of entries from people that see dollar signs over a good fit. Some are professionals with good equipment, experience, and great technique. Other entrants are just starting out or refuse to invest in their craft. Some ask for a high rate that matches the quality or time they’re willing to put into the project. Others are willing to ask for a super cheap rate to get work immediately. This can flood the inbox of the potential client, who has to sift through all the mess to find what they’re looking for. And sometimes, you can get lost in it if you’re not quick enough or don’t do anything to set yourself apart from the crowd.

So those are just a few of the pros and cons of working on Casting sites. Hopefully, this didn’t scare you off from putting yourself out there and grabbing the best opportunities you can find in voice over. Personally, I find that it’s best to diversify how you market yourself. Not only should you be on these sites (most companies go there first when they have a project unless they have a personal connection with voice over talent), but you should also look into marketing yourself, by cold calling, cold emailing, being on social media and having a personal voice over website.

Speaking of which:  You can follow me on Twitter at Webb859, on Instagram at webb.859, on LinkedIn using emanuelwebbvo, or visit my website at http://www.voicedbywebb.com. Once again, this is Emanuel Webb. Thanks for your time. Peace.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7g7pk-1249d62

Exercise not only helps your body but your mind as well. During a workout, some exercise advice hit me with an idea…

TRANSCRIPT:

Hello, Ladies and Gentleman, and welcome to Voiced By Webb. My name is Emanuel Webb, and I’m a freelance voice-over talent. This is a podcast (or audio blog) where I share my thoughts and opinions, whether about the voice-over industry, or my improvements and lessons as a voice-over talent and all-around person.

 

Okay, now bear with me as I get a little abstract with this one. So I was in the gym today, and it was a heavy lifting day. I had squats, followed by an overhead press, then into a deadlift. All three are very important movements, but probably where I feel the weakest. I was going over the technique for each exercise, preparing myself for the amount of weight I’d have to push and pull when I thought of some advice that gave me this idea:

 

Before you put the weight on your back, or wrists, or however way you need to start, you’re told to “Brace Your Core”. Take a deep breath from your diaphragm, tighten or flex your abdominal area, and then go through with the lift or movement. Hopefully, I explained that correctly.

 

when you think of abs, most people visualize a six-pack and think that’s what it means to have a strong core. but it’s more than just an aesthetic look. the whole point of your abs is to help allow movement and hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure. combine that with the muscles in the back, and you have your ‘core’, which is meant to help keep your body stable and balanced and protect your spine. so when you brace your core for a lift, you avoid getting your spine mangled because you didn’t properly prepare yourself.

 

That advice gave me the idea for this episode. Bracing for a heavy lift is an often-overlooked skill that could literally hurt you in the long run (and sometimes immediately) when you ignore it altogether. Not bracing for your lift can also delay you from reaching your full potential and strength.

 

And that’s something I’m working on in my voice-over career. I can literally brace my core to help with long-form narration, like audiobooks and e-learning. and I can figuratively brace my core by relying on the training and experience I’ve gotten over the years before something big like a commercial comes around. Being confident with myself has helped me step up to the plate and put myself out there, without crumbling under the pressure. 

 

And with that, I think I’ve stretched that metaphor out as long as it can reach. If you’d like to hear more, leave a comment on what you’d like me to speak on for the next episode.  You can follow me on Twitter at Webb859, on Instagram at webb.859, on LinkedIn using emanuelwebbvo, or visit my website at http://www.voicedbywebb.com. Once again, this is Emanuel Webb. Thanks for your time. Peace.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-je2rq-1242d41

Animation: the very thing that started my VO dream. How much of an impact has it had on me and others?

TRANSCRIPT:

Hello, Ladies and Gentleman, and welcome to Voiced By Webb. My name is Emanuel Webb, and I’m a freelance voice-over talent. This is a podcast (or audio blog) where I share my thoughts and opinions, whether about the voice-over industry, or my improvements and lessons as a voice-over talent and all-around person.

Before I get started, I’m going to be a little transparent with how I do these episodes. I set up a list of topics involving voiceover and try to run through them to the best of my ability. Truth be told, I’ve been putting off going down the list specifically because of this prompt that I’m working on right now. The prompt asked: “Will Animation Ever Rule the World?”. This has got to be the most abstract title I’ve had to fight through. Like honestly, what does that even mean?

Okay, let’s try to break this down with what I KNOW about animation. Did you know that it takes 24 frames, or drawings, to equal just ONE second of animation? Sounds crazy, right? It sounds pretty damn tedious to me, I can’t lie. I actually remember wanting to create my own cartoons, obsessing over that number of frames needed. For a a one minute animation, that’s 1440 frames. For a 30 minute show (which was actually 22 minutes if you take out commercials), that’s almost 32,000 frames. Back in middle school and high school, i used to take printing paper to draw when i didn’t have a sketchpad. I remember taking a whole stack every now and then to try to keep up with my ideas. Suffice it to say, I never did get the exact amount needed to complete any animations (well, it was that, plus not having the focus and inspiration to follow through with it either).

Ironically, wanting to be a part of animation was what started my dreams of voiceover. My earliest memory of seeing it in action was from some behind-the-scenes feature that was on tv (funny enough, I think it came on after the Saturday morning cartoons were over). The feature was about Disney’s Aladdin, which came out in 1992. I won’t say how old I am now for this episode, but I was pretty young when that came out. Man, mortality can be funny and cruel all at once.

Anyway, let’s get back on topic. I won’t go so far as to say that Animation is “Taking Over the World”, but it’s definitely having a significant and growing hold on it. For starters, little by little, cartoons are starting to move away from being pigeonholed as “just for kids.” For years, Fox has “Animation Domination”, which is probably the closest thing we can get to this title. Their primetime lineup usually consists of Simpsons, Family Guy, and a combination of other cartoons that entertain usually older (sometimes mature) audiences). Adult Swim on Cartoon Network is in the same vein (with fewer restrictions than broadcast tv). And streaming services are offering more adult content in animation form, like Bojack Horseman on Netflix (which tackles addictions, depression, and other heavy) or Invincible on Amazon Prime, which is hilarious and gory fun.

But animation isn’t just used strictly for entertainment. A lot of companies use animated explainer videos that showcase a product or service that they provide. I have had the fortune of providing my voice to a few a them, which ALMOST fulfills that childhood dream I had. I’m still holding out hope that I’ll voice a superhero one day.

And with that, I’m about to call it a day. If you’d like to hear more, leave a comment on what you’d like me to speak on for the next episode.  You can follow me on Twitter at Webb859, on Instagram at webb.859, on LinkedIn using emanuelwebbvo, or visit my website at http://www.voicedbywebb.com. Once again, this is Emanuel Webb. Thanks for your time. Peace.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ka7r5-1232915

Transcript:

Hello, Ladies and Gentleman, and welcome to Voiced By Webb. My name is Emanuel Webb, and I’m a freelance voice-over talent. This is a podcast (or audio blog) where I share my thoughts and opinions, whether about the voice-over industry, or my improvements and lessons as a voice-over talent and all-around person.

 

For the longest time, I had the most difficulty with writer’s block. anytime I wanted to jump into a song, put a blog out, or even so much as tweet consistently, I would constantly draw a blank. I couldn’t figure out what it was for the longest. I went ahead and looked up articles and videos on how to fix it. I would temporarily get motivated, then come right back to the page zoned out with no idea how to fill that page.

 

Recently, I came across a video that simplified overcoming writer’s block in a way that FINALLY clicked with me. The video was by Fast Screenplay and it’s titled “Writer’s Block Instant Cure”. It’s pretty obvious how that was gonna catch my attention. Anyway, it’s a really short video (probably just as short as this podcast) and I’d recommend watching it if you’re the creative type. The basic gist of the advice was to tell yourself that it’s okay to give yourself permission to write trash.

 

As with most advice, you hear it enough times from multiple sources, you can’t help but find some validity to it. This reminded me of several videos from Gary Vaynerchuk, also known as Gary Vee. He constantly preaches about posting multiple times a day. That idea of putting out such a high volume of content sounded daunting, I can’t lie. I kept thinking to myself: honestly, how would I have so much to say and why would anyone care about what I had to say?

 

We (meaning myself) get so caught up in Quality over Quantity that we tend to censor ourselves by trying to be perfect right out the gate. Another phrase that stuck with me on this subject is “Done is better than Perfect”. If you strive for perfection, you’re just running on a treadmill with no real progress on getting to your destination. Done is better than perfect. Back in episode one, i mentioned “Fail Faster”, and that may actually start becoming a recurring theme in this podcast. The more you write, or rap, or draw, or speak publicly, or shoot your shot, or cook, whatever; the more you do any of that, the more you improve. What you view as “trash” will become less and less like trash to you as you get your reps in. Soon, it becomes second nature to you (at least I hope). And the funny thing about “Quality”? What might be trash to the writer may actually be something incredible to their audience. There’s been plenty of times where I would start to erase what I wrote or try to forget about a song i posted that I didn’t like how it came out, only to be complimented on it later by people with genuine interest in what i do.

 

What I’ve learned (actually, what I’m Still learning) is that I am my biggest and worst critic. What i’m hearing in my head isn’t just this strive for perfection. What I’m hearing isn’t just this need to not waste people’s time with my ramblings or trash. What I’m hearing is my own personal fear. Fear of ridicule. Fear of rejection of my ideas, which might lead to rejection of me as a person (which is a fear that seems more prevalent on social media nowadays). This is something that I HAVE to push through if i want to succeed in Life, not just voice over. That little voice in my head Has to Go. Especially when the words from outside myself are confirming that I’m on the right path with putting myself out there. For those listening: what’s something you’ve always wanted to start on, but keep telling yourself “no” to? Hopefully, me talking my fears out might have encouraged you to do the same.

And with that, I’m about to call it a night. If you’d like to hear more, leave a comment on what you’d like me to speak on for the next episode.  You can follow me on Twitter at Webb859, on Instagram at webb.859, LinkedIn using emanuelwebbvo, or visit my website at http://www.voicedbywebb.com. Once again, this is Emanuel Webb. Thanks for your time. Peace.

Transcript:

Hello, Ladies and Gentleman, and welcome to Voiced By Webb

My name is Emanuel Webb, and I’m a freelance voice-over talent. With becoming a voice over talent, I had some preconceived notions about what it takes to get into the industry and succeed. Here’s a few of those expectations I had that I’m sure others have as well:

My first assumption was that because I have a good voice. This should be easy.

I would constantly get complimented about my voice either on the phone, in music, or from podcast episodes. I figured this would be an easy transition from rapping and talking. The reality hit in the first week of voice training. Sounding good and Voice Acting are COMPLETELY different from each other. If you don’t sound convincing about the story you’re trying to tell, why would anyone want to hear it?

One of many worries I had was that I can’t do a bunch of diverse/funny voices.

When I was getting started, I was worried that I couldn’t change my voice to sound like a cartoon character, or a supercharged “Sunday Sunday SUNDAY!” Announcer. But I found out that not every project is asking for that. Once again, you have to sound like you mean what you say, regardless of how you speak.

Another obstacle (or what I thought was an obstacle) was that I needed a whole studio and an expensive mic to do well in voice over.

What used to keep me from making the jump (and what might be stopping others as well) was thinking I didn’t have the “perfect equipment”. It was kind of like how kids used to think that if you have the newest shoes, they make you run faster and jump higher. But after a while, I realized this was just an excuse. Most people succeed by doing what they can with what they have. Eventually, you work your way up to better equipment, not start off with it. 

And with that, I’m about to call it a night. If you’d like to hear more, leave a comment on what you’d like me to speak on for the next episode.  You can follow me on Twitter at Webb859, on Instagram at webb.859, LinkedIn using emanuelwebbvo, or visit my website at http://www.voicedbywebb.com

Once again, this is Emanuel Webb. Thanks for your time. Peace.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-stivh-123106b