Recently, I had a really lovely virtual coffee meeting with a producer.
She wanted to know about voiceover...how I got into it, how one goes about hiring voice talent. And I was a little shocked, because I guess I assumed that any producer would already know how that works.
The lesson is that we shouldn’t take for granted that anyone else understands our industry.
I don’t understand most people’s corporate jobs, so there’s no reason I should expect anyone to know the first thing about being a voice actor. (I think most people assume that I just make funny voices into a microphone for a few minutes a day and then bathe in my money pit like Scrooge McDuck)
Hiring a voice actor isn’t like hiring a new HR manager or a marketing intern. We aren’t generally looking at the job listings on Monster, and a lot of us stay away from freelancing sites as well.
Wanting to be of help, I figured I would put together a quick guide for potential clients on where and how to source voice actors for your next project.
Main places to source voice talent:
1. Talent agents
The most traditional method of procuring voice talent, agents act as a go-between between talent on their own roster and the client. An agent negotiates rates for actors, and gets a percentage if an actor books the job.
Really great agents will curate talent for you so you get more great options to choose from and fewer duds. There are a TON of awesome agents out there, and I’m not going to list them all, but my agents at Wehmann, Houghton, and VoiceFox UK are all wonderful, knowledgeable, and easy to work with.
2. Pay-to Play (P2P) sites
Not all P2P sites are created equal!
The really good P2P sites vet their talent ahead of time, making sure their skills and studio sound are up to par so that you don’t have to. VO Planet and Bodalgo are my recommendations for reputable sites that don’t just allow anyone with a microphone and a credit card to sign up.
Be aware that certain sites are less reputable and are only out to make a quick buck by exploiting voice actors for very low rates, so on those sorts of sites, you’ll potentially have to wade through a lot more auditions by newbies pretending to be professionals.
Whatever site you go with, if your budget is extremely low, you might struggle to find talent who can deliver the quality you want.
3. Production company rosters
This only really applies if you're already working with a production company. Some production companies maintain a roster of talent that they frequently work with.
The upside is that they will probably have set the rate or negotiated with the talent. A potential downside is limited voice options.
4. Directly
Not all voice talent (or their studios) are created equal, so if you go the direct route, it's best to check out their demos, ask a lot of questions, and collect more info.
A professional voice actor will be able to provide you with a quote quickly, so long as you provide them with all of the pertinent information. Any details you leave out could cause a delay or potentially change the quote drastically.
Knowing what questions a voice actor will probably ask will save you both time
When hiring voice talent through any of these methods, be prepared to provide these details in order to get an accurate quote:
What is your budget? Providing the voice talent with your budget information helps us not waste your time. This helps us make sure the job is going to fall within a reasonable range. If your budget is $300, but you want ten hours of finished corporate narration, this is an easy way for us to know that we’re not the right voice actor for your job before we get in too deep and waste everyone’s time.
What genre is the job? Is it e-learning, corporate narration, museum, medical narration, broadcast TV, broadcast radio, etc. Different genres pricing structures vary because our rates are based on value, not on how much time it takes to record something.
What is the usage? What is usage? Think of it as holding the copyright to our voice. (Click here to Gravy for the Brain’s full guide to usage/voice licensing to learn more)
Usage is mostly for public-facing commercial advertising like broadcast TV/radio, but also increasingly for paid placement or boosted internet advertising. Usage entails both geographic location and length of time. (For example, a :30 TV spot that is going to run for 13 weeks in a small local market will be quoted much differently than a :30 TV spot to run nationally for 12 months.)
Many talent will separate the Basic Studio Fee or Session Fee (time spent recording) from the usage, as they are two separate things. That way, if we do the job, but the client for whatever reason decides not to run the spot, we still get paid for the work we actually did.
If you’d like to learn more about usage and how it works, click here for Gravy for the Brain’s full guide to usage/voice licensing.
What is the word count of your script or finished length of the video? For e-learning, we will want to know the word count. For corporate narration, rates are instead often based on a per finished minute (PFM) scale. If you don’t know for sure, you should provide an estimate, but with the understanding that the rate quoted may not be entirely accurate, and could change based on the finalized script word count or video length.
What a talent’s studio looks like is a lot less important than how it SOUNDS
That’s already a lot to consider, but here are a few other things you might want to take into consideration:
Do you want to be able to direct the voice talent through a supervised session?
If you do require a directed session, do you need the talent to connect to a recording studio so the recording studio can record on their end? If so, you’ll need to know if the talent has ISDN, ipDtl, or SourceConnect Standard or Pro.
If you’re only listening in, what is your preferred method of connecting? Phone, Skype, Zoom, or another meeting software?
What level of editing do you need on the files (raw files, cleaned up without mistakes, fully edited, fully de-breathed?) and in what format would you like them (mp3, wav, etc)?
What is the revision policy? Voice actors should fix any mistakes on their part for free. For other revisions after the initial recording (due to script changes, client’s change of mind on tone, etc), it’s best to get the policy up front. Some might include a round of revisions in their rate. Others do not.
Do you require additional services beyond a voice and basic editing?
Do you need a fully produced final product, fully sound engineered with sound effects or a music bed added? These often require licensing fees as well
Do you need other voices for the project?
Do you need help with the script? (e.g. writing, editing, or translating)
Some voice actors are able to provide these other services for a fee, but it’s best not to assume.
And that’s it!
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when hiring voice talent. But if you find it overwhelming, start with an agent or one of the reputable P2P sites I mentioned above. They’ll make the process easier.
Or feel free to reach out to me, and I’d be glad to help with any questions.
Has this guide been helpful? Please bookmark it for future use or share it with a friend!
P.S. If you’ve got a project you’d like help with, click here to send me an email with the above details (budget, genre, usage, word count/finished length), and I’ll send a quote back asap.
(If you want a sample read of your script, please include that as well, and I’ll be happy to give you a partial read of up to one minute.)