Sample Question List for Affiliate Live Events

Questions to draw from for our live event Q and A’s (the first 100 were graciously offered from affiliate veteran Karen-Eileen Gordon – contribute yours in the comments below!):

  1. Why the heck is it called Voiceover?
  2. I’m an actor but have never been in this world—what’s the first thing I need to be doing?
  3. I heard the VO world is impossible to break into. True or False?
  4. My friend says in order to do animation you have to be a celebrity. What’s the story?
  5. What’s the area of VO where I can make the most money the most quickly?
  6. I heard there’s no money in audiobooks. Why would I want to do those?
  7. What the heck is IVR?
  8. Are there still audiobooks made on CD?
  9. How do I break into commercial VO?
  10. I live outside of L.A. and New York — can I be successful doing this without having to travel all the time?
  11. Don’t I need to spend $10,000 or more for a real studio if I want to be competitive?
  12. I can’t do any accents or dialects. How am I going to be successful in VO?
  13. How do I learn what do to when I go into a studio to record something, like for an audition?
  14. How many categories of voiceover are there?
  15. What is the most popular category of voiceover, in terms of what producers buy?
  16. How many kinds of microphones are there, and how do I know what to use?
  17. I hear I have to know ProTools and lots of tough-to-learn programs—what’s the deal?
  18. What is voices.com? (And should I be on it?)
  19. What’s voices123.com? (And should I be on it?)
  20. What’s Voquent? (And should I be on it?)
  21. What’s Voices.com? (And should I be on it?)
  22. How do I get a voiceover agent?
  23. What do I need before I look for an agent?
  24. What do I need in order to start being considered for VO work?
  25. What’s ADR?
  26. What’s Looping?
  27. What’s the difference (if any) between ADR & looping?
  28. How do I get ADR/Looping work?
  29. I need to hire a producer for all my demos, correct?
  30. How much should a demo cost?
  31. What are good questions to ask a demo producer before you hire them?
  32. How many demos do I need?
  33. How do I decide which areas of voiceover to focus on?
  34. How many areas of VO is it reasonable to focus on without being “spread too thin?”
  35. Can I have a different agent for each category of voiceover?
  36. Can I have multiple voiceover agents? Don’t they dislike that?
  37. What if I’m non-union—how much VO work is there for me?
  38. Once I have a demo, where should I put it?
  39. Do I have to have a voiceover-specific website, something separate from my other entertainment work?
  40. Are there voiceover-specific casting directors, and how do I find them?
  41. It’s okay to email voiceover people who can hire me my demo, right?
  42. How do I learn how to make strong choices when I have a voiceover script for an audition?
  43. What’s the Don LaFontaine Voiceover Lab?
  44. How is voiceover acting different from stage or film or television acting?
  45. What’s the funniest thing that’s even happened to you in a voiceover session?
  46. What’s the biggest paycheck you’ve ever had from a voiceover job or project?
  47. What kind of warm-up do I need to do before recording?
  48. Is there anything I should eat (or shouldn’t eat) before auditioning or recording?
  49. Do I pay commission to my non-voiceover agent for voiceovers?
  50. Can I do a union voiceover if I’m non-union?
  51. I know about Backstage — are there voiceover-only trade publications?
  52. What’s the best voiceover podcast?
  53. Are there any awards in the VO industry, like the voiceover equivalent of the Emmys or Oscars?
  54. What SAG-AFTRA contract does voiceover fall under?
  55. I hear there are some voiceover scammers going around — how do I tell what’s legit to audition for?
  56. Can I audition for a voiceover if I’m traveling? How?
  57. Is it better to be with a voiceover-only agent, or can my film or television or commercial agent send me out?
  58. I speak another language. Will that help me in voiceover? How?
  59. I have a pretty heavy accent. Can I still work in voiceover? Where?
  60. Don’t you need to start really young to be successful in VO?
  61. Can I just record some copy on my iPhone and make that my first demo, until I get a “produced” one?
  62. Can I get voiceover work on my own, not through agent?
  63. If I get voiceover jobs on my own, how do I figure out what to charge them?
  64. What is APAC? And should I attend?
  65. What is ACX? And should I be on it?
  66. I want to record audiobooks for the “Big” guys. Don’t I need to be in New York or Los Angeles to make real money doing that?
  67. How the heck do I learn to think like a voiceover business owner?
  68. If I’m doing voiceover auditions and work, can I deduct related expenses on my tax return?
  69. Do I need to have an LLC?
  70. Can I turn non-union voiceover work unto union work?
  71. Don’t I need a fancy computer to have a working home studio?
  72. I’ve been told I “pop” a lot, will that keep me from working? How do I fix that?
  73. What is a noise floor?
  74. How do I prevent or lessen mouth noise?
  75. Are there good social media groups for voiceover? How do I find them?
  76. How long should my voiceover demos be? How many clips in the demo?
  77. I hear editing audiobooks makes people want to cry. Why would I want to do that?
  78. What if my agent is sending me out for voiceover stuff I don’t think is right for me?
  79. Does it dilute my “brand” if I’m mostly on-camera or stage to now ALSO be doing voiceover?
  80. What are the really good voiceover blogs and bloggers?
  81. Things in the voiceover world and tech world seem to change so quickly; what’s the best way to stay really current?
  82. Can I create my own voiceover content and sell it?
  83. What are some ways to monetize voiceover content I create?
  84. What is iActor?
  85. Do I sit or stand when I audition and/or record booked work?
  86. My agent sometimes sends auditions that require ISDN, phone patch, or SourceConnect. What the heck is all of that, and can I get it?
  87. How do I make sure I’m making good choices if I’m self-recording and sending auditions?
  88. Is there a way to tell what area of voiceover I’d be best at, or best suited to?
  89. How much money can I really make doing voiceovers?
  90. I heard that there are even legit VO jobs on Craigslist — true or false?
  91. Are there VO-specific signatories? Can you talk about using signatories for VO a bit?
  92. I get contacted by voiceover companies out of the U.S. on LinkedIn…how do I tell who’s legit and who’s not?
  93. Is there any kind of international VO organization, anything global?
  94. How long is it healthy to record (say, for an audiobook or long-form narration) without a break? How do I know when to stop?
  95. I heard some voiceover talent use things like neti pots, Grethers and Slippery Elm lozenges, Throat Coat tea, Lo Han Quo etc. Good? Bad?
  96. I’m getting voiceover auditions, but not booking. What’s up? Where do I start to correct?
  97. What is dubbing, and where can I find that work?
  98. What’s the best way to stay in touch with voiceover casting directors? And how often?
  99. I want to be the voice of a toy, or a greeting card that talks. Where do I find that work?
  100. How do I find government voiceover contract work?

Add yours below, and see what your other affiliates and their tribe members are asking!

Responses

Leave a Reply to Thomas Machin

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cancel reply

  1. Add your questions here! Mine are:

    Should you wear headphones when you record?
    Should you use earbuds or headphones?
    How many auditions can I expect to get per month?
    What computer do you use for your VO work?

  2. Even though a nice pressed shirt with a tie may make you look good in a studio, what are the types of clothes or even shoes to avoid?
    What’s considered a good booking rate or how many auditions should I expect to do before I win a gig?
    How do I tell when my recording space is right for VO/audiobooks?
    Why do we hate the sound of our own voices and when does all the little things that bother us about our voices finally go away?
    For ACX, what’s the best combination of the Royalty Share/PFH Hybrid to standardize on. (considering that the book is one that will sell well)?
    There is talk that IF you are working through sites like Fiverr, many agents and casting directors will never hire you. How true is this?