If you’ve been on your VO journey long enough, you know that one person will say DO THIS and another will say NEVER DO THAT.
It can feel so frustrating. That’s why we’re always trying to share the latest information with you. The good news is that the more you learn and grow, the more you’ll gain clarity.
I asked 5 Atlanta Voice Over agents and 1 manager (Jeffrey Umberger of ACM), what they NEED to hear in your voice over demo and what they DON’T NEED to hear.
Since all these agents require at least a commercial demo for submission, this insight is in relation to commercial demos.
What AGENTS NEED to hear in your demo:
- Your sweet spot for what you will book the most (i.e., young mom, guy next door, etc).
- A good range
- Vocal variety with levels
- Your best work up front-“your bread and butter”
- Variety that’s authentic to your range. If you aren’t comfortable in a “type”, don’t push it! I want to see a variety of voices that I could book you TOMORROW for!
What AGENTS DON’T NEED to hear in your demo:
- Lots of wacky characters
- Other voices
- Recognizable copy (Meaning if it’s a very recognizable celebrity voice for a brand or character, ie Aflac Duck)
- Mixed genres in one reel OR unreleased work/audition reads
- Bad audio. If you are going to have a VO demo, it HAS to be professionally recorded. This isn’t something you can just throw together on your own.
What VO MANAGERS NEED to hear in your demo:
- Something genuine, authentic, and story-engaging within the first 3-7 seconds
- The first spot nailing the overall voice-print of the talent
What VO MANAGERS DON’T NEED to hear in your demo:
- Character voices
- Same-gender dialogue (it could be difficult to discern which talent is which)
- Spots lasting longer than 7-10 seconds
If you’re needing to record a FULL or UPDATED demo, check out our process, rates, etc HERE.
