When you’re looking to have a voice-over demo produced, it’s essential to work with someone who understands the industry and really “gets” your specific needs as a voice-over actor. Especially if you’re new to the industry, you might be wondering what goes into the voice over demos I produced. What you’d need to include, or how demos can fill the gaps in your work history. It can seem like a daunting process, but voice talent demos are essentially a marketing asset (like an actor’s headshots), but a critical one. A great demo will make a world of difference in your career. They show directors, copywriters, casting agents, and other voice seekers how you can “play your instrument” and whether or not it suits their needs.
While I’ve been working as a professional voice over artist for nearly 30 years, I’ve been producing voice over demos for the last five years and receiving some great feedback.
Recent Voice Demos I’ve Worked On
When I produce a demo, I’ll often work with voice over artists who’ve heard about my services. For my former students, it’s more of a logical progression from knowing their range and working with them. As a voice coach, it’s my job to get the best out of my students. When we produce a voice over demo together, our level of trust allows me to bring it out of them.
And voice artists already in the industry usually seek me out because they’ve heard about the quality of my demo production – I’m also the only demo producer that offers mix-and-match services and refreshers at a great price point. Some great voice over examples of the recent talent I’ve been privy to work with include voice-over actors Natasha Marchewka, Charles Isen, and Michael Bigayan.
Natasha Marchewka: Natasha has been a fantastic female voice-over actor in the industry for 15+ years – we’ve just completed eight demos together. The exciting thing about Natasha’s voice is that it ranges from natural and friendly to authoritative and knowledgeable. She’s rebranding her website (with Celia Segal), and these demos will be part of her new reveal. She’s been an absolute pleasure to work with each time. Some of the demos I’ve worked on with her include Meditation, Events/VOGs, Explainers, eLearning, Corporate narration, Case Studies, and Fundraisers.
Examples of Demos I Produced
Charles Isen: Charles is an excellent storyteller who, much like myself, has been in the industry for the last 30 years and has enjoyed a successful on-cam career too. His signature voice is the perfect blend between friendly and smokey, and some of his featured voice over work includes spots for big names like Audi, Apple, and Doordash. We’re currently working together on some new narration demos, chiefly, Explainers, eLearning, and Corporate Narration.
Michael Bigayan: Michael and I recently worked on a series of voice over demos together. New to voiceover, I coached with Micahel for several months privately and in my popular group class led by Lisa Sliteanu and myself. We produced commercial and narration demos.
Want You Need Out of a Voice Demo Producer
When finding the right demo producer for you, make sure you work with someone who can direct the best reads out of you and understands the market. Custom demo script copy is essential. It needs to suit your storytelling capability and fill all gaps to effectively showcase your range while ticking the boxes of current (lasting) market trends. Every voice-over artist is one of a kind, so why shouldn’t their copy be? Voice demos aren’t a cheap endeavor, and it usually helps if your producer is an experienced voice-over artist. Having been in the industry for a long enough time, I always write or subcontract custom demo copy for my clients’ unique voices.
Secondly, you want to ensure that your voice demo producer works with an excellent sound engineer. If you’re going to produce (and pay for) a voice demo, people will critique you on your performance and your sound. When you submit voice over demos, professional voice over samples are critical – poorly edited demos with a fuzzy or muffled sound quality can make you seem unprofessional and inexperienced. As both a voice actor and demo producer, I only work with an award-winning sound engineer who knows how to get the best out of the voice actors I produce for.
The Process for Demos I Produced
When you head into the studio to produce a series of demos, you want to make sure that you’ve had enough time with the script to let it resonate with you, but still be open to suggestions from your demo director. Think about the type of projects you are hoping to attract, what you are trying to show casting directors and which style best sums up your voice acting type or any branding you’re creating. If you’re still having trouble, listen to voice demos before hiring a producer and figure out what direction you’d like to go.
When I direct voice demos, I ask my clients these questions and study their existing reels to figure out what type of copy I need to write and what their voices are capable of and comfortable with. I then coach them through the custom scripts and direct the actual recording of the demo cuts before proceeding to the editing stage.
Having been a music director for a radio station early in my career and a radio and tv producer, I have a good feel for music and sound effects. I also work with my sound engineer to make sure any music, ambiance, and sound effects frame the performance nicely. Then, we send our deliverables off for approval and possible tweaks.
What’s the Difference Between a Reel and a Demo
Not to be confused with Instagram’s new video feature, reels are snippets of your work history. If demos are voice-actors headshots, then reels would be their resumes. They show off what you’ve done in the past and prove that you’ve got the skills to cut it. Reels are jobs you’ve already done, and demos are jobs you want – simple as that.
That’s why demos are so important. They fill in the gaps and give directors a complete look at you; they make it a total package. I also offer demo refreshers that show off updated skills as a voice actor. Call today to learn more about the demos I produced!