Creating a Voiceover Demo

Voice actor's demos are like screen actor's headshots. The obvious difference between the two being they showcase your talent, range, and any niches you occupy, not just how you look. My first demo was produced for me when I used to live in Houston, Texas. It was a commercial demo, and you can listen to it on my home page.

I'll never forget getting that demo made. I reached out to a now friend and mentor of mine named Ray Schilens at Radio Lounge (shout out!). Ray is from the radio world and has the coolest classic voice. After working with him I definitely recognized a few spots on the radio with his voice. I knew from the first moment that he answered my preliminary phone call that I was in the right hands.

I show up to this beautiful, modern studio tucked away in a Houston business park full of egg carton foam and big, thick bass traps. That photo of me on my about page actually was taken from inside the recording booth at Radio Lounge. I did a few weeks of coaching with him just to work out some kinks so I'd be ready to record the real deal. I really enjoyed working on it. I got used to coming into the studio, catching up with Ray for a bit, and then reading a new type of commercial copy. We worked to figure out my range. I tried empathetic, slower copy, energetic copy and businesslike medical copy to name just a few.

Once I had a niche carved out and Ray and I had come up with a few words to describe my style of professional voiceover, he selected some specific scripts for me and I was all set for the recording.

It took under an hour to get all the tracks laid out. Once it was all done, I waited for a few days while Ray added appropriate music beds, did all the mixing and mastering, all that fun stuff. I was absolutely thrilled by the finished sound, it was so weird to hear my voice in these produced spots that sound like real commercials and sure enough, once I got that demo out there, I got to be in those real commercials!

My character and narration demos are a story for another post, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

In short, if you’re a voice actor just getting started and you’re mulling over a demo, get that thing made ASAP! A good demo (that doesn’t date itself!!) can last over a decade. Really, it lasts as long as your voice sounds the same. It might be a little pricey, but when you remember how long this thing could last you, and how it will eventually pay itself off, it’s absolutely worth the time and money. And it’s fun!