Have the Voice of a Jolly Old Elf? How to Find Santa Voice Over Work this Christmas

by Victoria DeAnda on December 1, 2017

Ho, ho, ho! It’s special holiday time again! If you have a booming radio voice, a great “movie trailer guy” voice, or the classic “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday” Monster Truck pipes, just a small adjustment and a little bit of Christmas spirit could turn you from a high-impact narrator to a Jolly Old Elf. Many companies and organizations hire voice actors at this time of year to perform the voice of Santa Claus. If you’ve never considered looking for Santa voiceover work, perhaps this could be the year you dash away with an exciting new line item on your resume.

Who Hires Santa Claus Voice Overs?

There are many opportunities for Santa Claus voice-over work throughout the holiday season. Many businesses, including retailers, car dealerships, and shopping malls host Christmas events, and they’d like for their advertisements to be narrated by none other than the man in red himself. In addition, YouTube series, animators, and broadcasters are almost always seeking a Santa for some project or other during the season. Of course, his schedule is always jam-packed at this time of year, but voice actors like you could be Santa’s little helper this year.

Why Pursue Santa Claus Voice Acting?

Holidays are stressful and expensive. Just as there are actors who fit the ‘look’ for old Saint Nick and make a tidy living every winter playing Santa Claus in malls, parades, and special appearances year after year, getting a solid gig as a Santa Claus voice actor could mean reliable employment every holiday season – and in a gig-based profession like voice over work, that’s peace of mind we can all use during the holidays.

What Are Some Other Christmas Voice Acting Opportunities?

While Santa Claus voice over work is definitely a niche that only some of us will fit into (sorry, voice actresses out there) there are certainly other ways you can find a spot in holiday-related voice acting opportunities. After all, what is Santa without elves, reindeer (who of course can and do talk), and good old Mrs. Claus? In addition, plenty of Holiday advertisements are in need of narration both of a whimsical and serious variety, and for those who would enjoy the work, larger churches can often seek out voice actors for their own video projects – especially at Christmas.

Whatever your voice acting style or niche, we hope you find the projects you’re looking for to make your Holiday season bright.

The Differences Between Voice Acting and Acting for Film or Theater

by Victoria DeAnda on June 2, 2014

Many people who have had experience acting in front of audience may find it easy having to transition from theater or film acting to doing voice-overs. This is precisely why many celebrities have also served as voice-over talents for some top-name brands and companies. But, the good news is that there is plenty of room for the right people in the industry of commercial voice-overs. You don’t really need to be a popular actor or celebrity to become a voice artist. In the end, there are significant differences between acting and acting as a narrator.

Your Voice Does All the Work in Storytelling

One of the first things you need to remember is that in voice acting, you need to make your voice work for the audio recording project at hand. Your listeners will not be looking at your facial expressions or gestures; they will be listening to you. In fact, they will not be listening to you; they will be listening to the advertising spiel, e-book narration, or whatever the audio narration project is. To be truly effective, your voice needs to be creative, flexible, and able to deliver the quality required by the project.

Throughout my years in the industry, moreover, I have discovered that anyone can do voice-over work but not everyone can voice act. Someone who’s good with narration may not necessarily be good with storytelling, for example. Success in this business comes as a result of knowing when to do narration work and how to carry out voice acting depending on the requirements of the project on hand.

Beyond Just Scripts 

One of the things that sets a voice actor apart from a mainstream actor or film actor is that the former will need to read more than just scripts. If you will be endorsing a product, for instance, you also need to research about and study the company, its market, as well as the actual users of the product or service. This will allow you get acquainted with the company and adopt the kind of narration style that will fit the market and audience.

Varied Opportunities

Of course, there is a world of difference between voice acting and acting for the movies or theater productions. Whereas you employ your voice skills when doing narration or commercial voice-overs, acting for films require bodily movement, projection, and even theatricality. But there is not much difference between doing voice-overs and acting for the screen when it comes to one thing: authenticity. In any case, it’s important to know whether you’re better off acting on stage or in film, or doing audio recording projects. There are many opportunities for you as a voice actor if you know where to look. With experience, you will be able to take on as many projects as you can and establish yourself as a trusted authority in the field.

If you’re looking for a voice actor that understands the importance of believability in delivery, don’t go anywhere else. Get in touch with me today or check out my demos on this site to find an experienced Spanish voice-over talent for your next audio recording project!

 

 

 

Top 5 Things that May Hurt your Voice-Over Business

by Victoria DeAnda on April 3, 2014

Have you just recently put up your own voice-over business? Do you have trouble attracting the right prospects for your voice-over services? Or do you find establishing yourself as a stable online voice artist difficult?

If it seems like your voice over business can’t take off in the right direction, you may be doing a few things wrong. Here is a list of 5 things that may be hurting your chances at audio narration success:

You don’t take care of your voice or your clients. 

While voice talent is just one factor in your success, it is still the most important factor.  Thus, you need to be able to take care of your voice at all times.  Avoid things that may cause dry mouth, mucus formation, and hoarse throat.  When you take care of your voice you also take care of your clients who are, after all, paying for your voice acting services.

You allow distractions to take over. 

You may not notice it at once, but little distractions can affect your audio recording performance. Thus, regardless of the problems you have outside of work, you need to focus on your voice-overs wholeheartedly. As a voice artist, you have to be totally involved in what you are doing. Otherwise, you’ll end up with half-baked performances that fail to establish your spot in the competitive voice-over market. 

You don’t update your website. 

Have you recently changed your e-mail address or contact numbers? Have you decided to expand your voice acting services to include commercial voice-overs?   Is your website well- ranked in popular search engines? When you don’t update your website, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities out there.

You forget to take care of business matters. 

Your voice-over business should be a legitimate business. Thus, you have to get the right permits and pay the right taxes. Clients will want to transact with legally-operating entities especially on the web. This way, your audio recording company will be a legitimate, responsible business that your clients can rely on.

You don’t network with the right people.

If you think your voice-over business is not moving in the way you’d want it to go,  you may       want to expand your contacts and participate in offline events. Surely, the Internet is a great   way to network and earn more contacts. But getting involved in actual events such as meetings, conferences and seminars with fellow voice artists can help establish your presence in your chosen profession. These events can also serve as opportunities for you to get in touch with people or organizations that may need your voice over services now or in the future.

Call to Action:

An excellent voice artist not only knows how to take care of his or her voice. A successful voice-over professional also knows how to find solutions to pressing problems as soon as they crop up. Are you in need of a creative professional for your Spanish voice-overs? You have come to the right place. Check out the rest of this website to know more about me and my Spanish voice-over skills!

Top 5 Voice Qualities to Look for in a Voice-Over Talent

by justin on August 20, 2013

Whether you need a voice actor for a commercial, a business presentation or a tutorial, it’s clear that no two projects are the same. However, all of these projects require one common thing: a voice-over talent that clearly communicates your business, product or idea.

I have listed below the top 5 qualities of an exceptional voice artist and why it pays to check for these defining factors before hiring a voice-over talent on your next project.

1. Clarity and Flexibility

Not everyone has developed the ability to be comfortable at the microphone, but the ones who have the skills are usually known for the clear quality and flexibility of their respective voices. As someone who has had experience with hundreds of successful recordings, I can say that it is extremely important for any message to be conveyed clearly to the appropriate audience. Different recordings will also require various voice personalities. Thus, you need to work with someone who possesses a range of voice qualities, from energetic and casual, to smooth and formal, depending on the requirement of the project.

2. Impeccable Enunciation

Enunciation is the manner of pronouncing words correctly and clearly. This is very crucial as it can make or break the entire recording project. A great voice actor should be able to pronounce all of the words correctly and to enunciate them in a clear and confident manner. Not only does poor enunciation affect the message being conveyed, it can also adversely affect the image of the brand, company or organization conveying the message.

3. Voice Acting

The very thing that differentiates professional speakers from professional voice artists is the ability of the latter to act. Simply put, you don’t just need someone who has exceptional speaking skills. You need a voice talent that can truly act. Each commercial, documentary, movie trailer or eBook narration assumes a specific voice appropriate for the script. A professional storyteller can bring any script effortlessly to life and own the attention of the audience.

4. Appropriate Pacing

Pacing is another ability to look out for in a voice artist. A narrator who has perfect pronunciation and enunciation will still fail at his performance without proper pacing. By employing the right rhythm and tempo during voice-overs, a talent will be able to bring the needed personality and creativity into the entire narration.

5. Natural Articulateness

While voice artistry is something that any talent can develop over time, a certain natural articulateness is always an advantage. This quality comes from being a native speaker of a specific language and also stems from years of experience. Working with a naturally articulate narrator means it won’t take long for him or her to master the script and deliver the lines clearly and interestingly.

Remember, the script is just the beginning of things. The clear, appropriate, and creative delivery of your audio or video message helps to hook the attention of your listeners and viewers from beginning to end.

If you’re in need of a professional voice-over talent in Spanish, work with me today to see why you need not go anywhere else!