Voiceover. Why do they do it? A VO entrepreneur sounds self-explanatory right? They have talent, training, equipment, a business mindset, and all the tools to be successful it seems. There’s something else that’s not so obvious unless you’ve experienced it for yourself, but it benefits all parties involved when creating a great project together that involves voiceover. It is simply the attitude of being in service to others, and it is a driving force in the VO industry.
A voiceover artist is first and foremost a business owner, and yes, earns for what they do by providing their talent as a service. But service is defined by more than just the product provided. It is the relationship, the commitment, the “going above and beyond”, the favors, the camaraderie, the professionalism, and everything else that considers the well-being of the working relationship. If you recognize that a voice actor is willing to ensure that your project is successful by seeing how they sincerely take those steps, then you have a winner! The person that’s comes to your aid at the eleventh hour and delivers at a discount, or even pro-bono is not uncommon in the voiceover industry.
Look for even the smaller things – catch up email or phone calls, even if it’s not necessarily related to business, finishing a job with time to spare, or insider info-updates on something that might affect you. Transparency and solid communication are ways that the VO artist is telling you, “I’m here when you need me.”
As voiceover tends to be a solo-venture, we have the agency to guide our own philosophy and apply it to our work ethic. It is in our best interest to express these virtues to clients. If voice over artists did this only for the paycheck (don’t get me wrong – that’s nice too!) working relationships would not last if the only incentive is money for service, which can be fragile for many reasons. But recognizing a solid foundation of trust, openness, and a genuine desire to serve on the part of the voice actor means that you have made the right decision in continuing to work with that person.