When I started out doing voice overs, I remember that getting as much experience was my initial goal. As the years passed and my confidence grew understanding what areas to focus on in voice acting became more of a focus.
I struggled with this because although I kept a ‘resume’ of all the work I was getting, across corporate, commercial, e-learning and gaming. I knew that I could not do it all. I also knew that I had to specialise in certain areas and become known for those genres of voice work. So I positioned myself within the corporate, commercial and e-learning sectors and what I have noticed over the last year or so, is that not only has there been a significant increase in the amount of work that I am getting within these three genres, but perhaps more importantly more repeat work.
A good example was about a year ago, I decided to create an accent demo reel, because I was getting requests from clients for more accent work. So on my accent reel were the accents that I knew I could do well, they included Nigerian, Cockney (London) Russian and Jamaican-Patios. I recall seeing a casting in 2018, for a radio commercial that required an ability to do a convincing Jamaican-Patois accent. I recorded 3 takes and emailed it across to the client. I got shortlisted and then heard that I got the commercial, which incidentally was for the global brand Mastercard.
As you can imagine I was pleased to have gotten the part. 6 months later, the same client asked me to audition for another radio commercial, also for Mastercard. After two rounds of auditions, I was successful. 2 weeks later, I was asked by the same client to audition for the same global brand, but this time, the commercial if successful, would be aired across the whole of the Caribbean market. After waiting over week to find out whether I was successful, I got the role.
Reflecting on this I do put this success down to a variety of factors, investing in great training with a voice coach, listening to the guidance of the client also played a key part, but I also believe that working on improving my performance skills also contributed to me getting repeat work, which I believe has enhanced my personal brand. I continue to use this experience to build, develop and enhance my voice over business. I would also say for other budding and experienced voice talent, try to continue to build and nurture your relationships with clients, invest in on-going training, and above all believe in your own abilities.