voice artist

4 Keys Successful Voice Artists Use to Unlock The Perfect Delivery

As a voice over artist, what do you do with a script when you get one? Other than just read it cold into your microphone. Do you analyze it for meaning? For nuance? What about its message? The writer of your script definitely spent much more than a few minutes putting it together, so you as the performer must spend more than a few minutes analyzing it. Discovering the perfect delivery for any script separates the professional from the amateur in our business. I’m going to discuss four keys successful voice artists use to unlock it.

No matter the genre – commercial, narration, promo, game, etc. – dozens of hours go into the script before it ever gets to your studio to voice. Clients hire a creative team – copywriter or script writer, creative director, producer – or they go to an advertising agency, elearning company, explainer video shop, etc. who then provide the directives and all together they sit down and discuss end goals. They dream up a concept, stories they intend to tell, messages they want included to resonate with their intended audience. The writers then pack all those nuggets into an engaging, intriguing script. Your job is to unpack that.

Step One: Read the Script For Flow

It may sound obvious that you will need to read the script. But this means giving it more than a cursory glance. You need to read the script for flow, to start to absorb what is being said, why and how. Read it multiple times. Like eight or ten. While you’re doing that, think about how the script might be said aloud. Then think about multiple ways it might be read. Ask yourself what the script is about. If you’re having trouble figuring that out, try this: if you had to sum it all up into one or two words, what would they be? Does the story have a problem/solution structure? Does the narration build slowly or move quickly between points? What is the environment where the story takes place? A kitchen table? A grocery store? A science lab? A forest?

How does the actual language flow? Does changing emphasis assist in the voicing of the script? There is a great exercise for quickly seeing how emphasis can enhance story telling. Take the sentence “I am going to buy shoes”. Read through the sentence 6 times, each time with the emphasis on a different word, i.e. “I AM going to buy shoes” or “I am going to buy SHOES”. Where you place the emphasis can expose the subtext of the script and improve your delivery.

Step Two: Understand What the Script Is Saying and Why

If you are not clear on why you are saying something, do you understand the language? What is the deeper meaning behind it? If it’s uncomfortable, how would you say it? You can’t change Shakespeare. You have to find ways to understand what the script is saying and why.

In a workshop on unpacking the Bard I took several years ago, the instructor had us paraphrase lines in Hamlet in our own vernacular. This helped those who hadn’t grasped the meaning really isolate why they were saying what Will had written. So “To be or not to be, that is the question” became something like “Do I keep on living with this pain or should I just kill myself? That’s what it comes down to.” Once you’ve put it in your own words and it’s comfortable, switch it back to the existing script. ‘Cause you can’t rewrite Shakespeare, neither can you rewrite the Whole Foods ad you’re about to record.

Step Three: Sort Your “Who’s”

Part of understanding the what and the why is understanding the WHO. Every script has at least one character and you need to sort your “who’s” – Who’s talking? Who’s listening?

For example – let’s say you’re voicing a commercial for Skippy peanut butter. Who are you? Are you the company that makes and sells it explaining its nutritional value to consumers? A mom thankful for a food her kid likes who is sharing this discovery with another mom? Or are you a kid who tells her friend she can’t wait to have lunch because it’s a peanut butter sandwich? These three characters are going to have vastly different perspectives about Skippy. And that perspective is going to then influence what they say, how they say it and why. You can’t find the right delivery without knowing what character you are portraying.

Or another example – now you are providing narration for an explainer video discussing 5 steps to help flatten the curve of coronavirus outbreak. Who are you now? A doctor? An authority such as a mayor or a governor? A concerned family member or friend? Are you speaking to a patient who is worried about catching it? Or to a city or state who needs to understand the risks or new rules? Are you hoping to help those you love stay calm and do what’s necessary. Again, a serious subject, but who you are will guide you to why and how you are saying what is in the script.

Work on making the connection between speaker (you) and listener strong and clear.

Step Four: Connect Emotionally With the Script

Finally, give yourself the chance to connect emotionally with the script. This is another reason why a cursory glance through the words on the page before recording really won’t help you nail the voice over delivery. What emotions come up for you when you read the script? What emotions is the client looking for? Was the script funny? Did it make you tear up? Did you want to shout “hell yeah!” when you got to the end? Note how you’re feeling.

Now, see how that aligns with what you understand to be the creatives’ intention. What is the obvious emotion or intention being invoked? Is it happiness? Does the spot fuel outrage (like in political spots)? And what is the subtext – the unspoken or less obvious meaning or message?

Why are you opening your mouth to say anything at all in this? Aka – What do you want to share?

If script analysis is new to you, work on this a lot until it becomes second nature. Practice makes the process quicker, but it also makes you better at analysis which makes your performance better too.

How to Approach Voice Over for Family Friendly Commercials

Voiceover Styles

Summer time and the living is full of family friendly get-togethers and outings and commercials offering advice on what to do to keep everyone happy and how to save money doing it. To be able to serve Mom, Dad, the kids, Grandma and the clients as well, we as the voice over actors have a few things to keep in mind regarding how to approach these enticing little packets of advertising invitation and fun for all in 30 seconds or less.

Family Friendly Activity Ads

Whether roller coasters or science centers, museums or events, family friendly activity ads seek to entice the gang to come together for some sort of way to spend time and make great memories together. From a voice over perspective the approach can go a couple of ways. Joyous, raucous, good time fun or slightly wry amusement at the antics the gang will get into. It’s a lot easier to stay in the moment with these kinds of spots if you can see the visuals at the same time. For most of us recording remote, that’s not possible and of course, that never happens in radio, so here’s where you get to pull in your imagination and see in your mind’s eye the gang running toward the entrance, pointing upward in awe or getting more ice cream on their faces than in their bellies. Building imaginary visuals makes it real, keeps you in the moment and makes your voice over performance spectacular. Here’s a lively ad I did for the Birmingham Zoo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_tRrm9B1DQ

Birmingham Zoo – Kim Handysides Voice Over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_tRrm9B1DQ)

Fun in Your own Backyard Commercials

Fun in your own back yard commercials are centered on smaller budget enjoying time together every day time. So, picnics and pools, pup tents and barbeque, playgrounds and slip and slides, even gardening and lawnmowers. These spots roam from the Dad’s Day and Mother’s Day territory through Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. While occasionally high-energy (think slip and slide) commercials in this family friendly realm are often a little more pulled back. Relaxed fun, warm n’ cozy. Obviously the script will reveal which direction to sink into and you’ll bring your own choices to the table. This is a chance to really pull out your storytelling voice over skills.

Voice Over for Family Friendly Destination Vacation Ads

I don’t know about you, but many of the best memories of my life are centered on trips taken and shared with family. We particularly love visiting National & State parks and spots for these wilderness & adventure areas fall in this category. So do some tourist board and airline ads. But mostly this is the domain of the week or two at Disney or the all-inclusive fun-cations at Club Med and other companies or on cruises. Draw on your own experiences (or perhaps the ones you wish you had or want to have) to voice this kind of ad. Sharing relax time, adventure and the delight of discovery with my kids, husband, cousins, siblings and/or parents have been just the best. That’s what to keep in mind when doing voice over for family friendly destination vacation ads. (like this one I did for Club Med)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSkYlQq8xfM

The Amazing You Can do All Kinds of Things Commercial – Kim Handysides Voice Over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSkYlQq8xfM)

Voice Over for Family Friendly Retail Commercials

The voice over for successful family friendly retail ads is welcoming, approachable, smart and understanding. You know that $30 in savings this week on bathroom tissue and sundries or that 25% off on back-to-school items will make a big difference to the (one) person you’re talking to. Maybe the difference between having extra money to take the kids out for pizza or maybe the difference between having to put in extra shifts to make ends meet that week or being able to stay home with their kids. I always find the way to make these commercials pop is building back story for the person I’m talking to. A back story I personally care about (or can relate to) and then, sharing the excitement of getting to be the one to help make a difference in their day to day lives. Retail ads encompass everything from groceries and pharmacies to hardware and clothing. Our everyday essentials and little extravagances. Even healthcare – check out my Texas Children’s Hospital Plan ad here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6HhSwtfyCQ

Texas Children’s Health Plan TV Commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6HhSwtfyCQ)

Voiceovers where the Ad is aimed at Kids

Three kinds of style choices when voicing ads aimed directly at kids are very effective. There’s what I call the camp counsellor or scout leader style. Where you’re rallying the kids together on a fun adventure. You’re a little older than them and you’re in a relaxed position of authority but you talk directly to them and get them pumped for next activity or game you’ve got planned. The second is where you are either one of the kids yourself or you’re playing with the kids. Think toy ads, cereal, snacks and merch based on cartoons and movies. Remember when you were over the top excited and having the time of your life all because of a toy, and Saturday mornings and after school times were the best ever because of that cereal or snack? That’s the direction. The third choice is the character approach. Much the same as animations, these voiceovers where the ad is aimed at kids are driven by character choices as wide as the world. Fairies and princes and zombies and unicorns and dragons and fish. Anything under the sun and stars. This ad I did for the Virginia Air & Space Center combines the energy and rallying call of a family friendly activity ad with the cartoon fun of talking directly to the kids through their “shopping list” of activities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibWJajkWEp8

Commercial for Virginia Air & Space Center – Math Alive Exhibition – Kim Handysides Voice Over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibWJajkWEp8)

As well as voicing tons of family friendly commercials myself, I offer voice over performance coaching on commercials, narrations and eLearning. If you ever need either, contact me.

Bridging the VO Gap – International Voice Work with Shelley Avellino

Voiceover Coach

head shot of Shelley Avellino Bridging the VO Gap — Shelley Avellino

I don’t know what percentage of VO work is done internationally in the current market, but it’s a lot. Personally, 80% of my voice work is for clients outside my home and native land, eh? Whether you’re an expat working for the US market back home, or live on here but are accessing work abroad, bridging the gap between home and away takes finesse. Shelley Avellino knows that more than most. A Brit from Wales who’s been living abroad (in the US and Hong Kong) most of her adult life, she’s just launched a new service to voice over artists helping us navigate customs and costing and clients, oh my.

A casting director for Sweetrush, and director and performance coach at Melissa Moats’ Voice Over Studio in Las Vegas and a terrific talent herself, Shells was on her way from Vegas to London today for the One Voice conference, but I caught her for a few minutes to shed light on her new site and service.

Kim: What led you to create Bridging the VO Gap and offering the service you do?

Shelley: I’d been thinking about doing it for a very long time. I actually have to thank Tom Test for this because six years ago at my very first FaffCon, he was doing a talk on International voice work and said “Hey Shell, you’re foreign, why don’t you be part of my talk and tell people what you do?” And I did and after a lot of people approached me saying, “I didn’t even think about looking abroad for work.” To me it was normal and I thought everybody was doing it, but of course they weren’t. So, I began writing all the information I had and have been gathering for the last six years or so properly and put it together to be able to help other voice actors realize that they don’t have to just stick to their own back yard. There’s so much work out there, but they may not know exactly where to start. SO Bridging the VO Gap is a great way for people to know there’s somebody out there who’s been there, done that, got the T-Shirt, learned sometimes the hard way and can give people guidance on what mistakes to avoid.

Why You Should Go International with Your Voice Over

Kim: There are a few moving parts to going international with your voice over work? What are they?

Shelley: Exactly. It’s just like when you market yourself here. You may have an agent, may belong to a Union, and get a lot of work that way and don’t do a lot of self-marketing and that’s great. But for those who don’t have that or rely on Pay2Play sites, again you’re limited, you may get jobs from P2Ps, but not clients. Clients are a little more hard to come by. So, for those who are not Union and not relying on P2Ps, international marketing is a great way to start, and the first “moving part” is where. Where do I even start looking? ‘Cause the world’s big, right? It can be quite scary to know what to do, where to begin. So, I help people break it down. Where do I look, where are the good resources, search engines, how do I get around that. And then we move on to how do I contact these clients. People speak different languages and have different customs, so you have to navigate that moving part. And then once you’ve booked a job in say, Italy, it’s what voice over rate do I charge, do they do usage, how do they do business, how do they talk to their clients, what’s the best way to contact them? So it’s all those moving parts, knowing different currencies, different time zones, all that kind of stuff.

Kim: Theses are one-on-one lessons over Skype or Zoom, right? Without revealing the info you give away in your sessions, what can participants expect to get, in a nutshell?

Shelley: Yes, Skype or zoom and the reason I’m doing them one-on-one is that everybody’s journey is different and I want to be able to tailor it to best fit each person’s needs. What I do covers so much, some people might only want info in one area, they might already be marketing abroad, but they want to expand and they don’t know how to find rate cards for certain countries, or other aspects they want me to cover with them. Or it might be they’ve got a live directed session with someone in another country and they’re not sure of themselves. I do performance coaching as well, which is something I love to do and I always give a little bit of insight into customs of say live sessions in France, or China, or Singapore, or India, because it is very different. They deal with clients and business in different ways. I can go quite in-depth depending on what someone’s needs are, or I can give a broad outline. It really depends, it’s kind of bespoke.

Diving into International Voice Over Rates and Customs

Kim: The world is wide and there is so much cultural diversity. You dive into voice over international rates and customs in your course. You must have put a lot of research into the various markets. How did that happen?

Shelley: That was a bit of a task. It’s all right getting voice over rates from production companies and Unions in specific countries, but if there’s a South African client, for instance, how am I going to get rates for that country? I decided the best way to get an indication of rates in various countries was to reach out to the voice over talent themselves. So, I spent a long time over many years building this info and getting input from more than one VO actor in each region and building up my rate sheets that way.

Kim: Who do you think will best benefit from working with you?

Shelley: I think somebody who’s been in the craft for maybe a couple of years and just wants to branch out to get new clients. People new to the industry can get an overview of what’s out there, so really most people can get something out of Bridging the VO Gap. Even those who’ve been at it for years and years, because guess what? They may have a couple of areas they work at outside of where they live, but they may not know about certain directories or certain places to go for usage rates, or sweet little websites to be aware of. So, I’d say probably everyone could find something of value.

Kim: Is a one-hour session sufficient? Or if voiceover artists want to really take on the world, do they need more time with you?

Shelley: I’ve done a bit of both with people. Again, it depends on what they need. Some people may only need an hour, and some may come back to me and say, ok, I’ve got a handle on this, now I’d like more insight into listing on certain websites, currency or payment issues. An hour is good to get the basics or work on something specific. And if someone wants to work with me on voice over performance afterwards, I’m totally down for that.

Determining Rates: A Formula for a Simple Voice Over Pricing Guide

Voiceover Business

Female Voice Over actors Event — At Uncle Roy’s with Shelley Avellino, Dearbhla Trainor, Laura Schreiber & David Toback

While eating cake in Uncle Roy Yokelson’s Jersey living room this past weekend at the 13^th Annual VO Barbecue, I tossed out this blog idea to Dan Leonard, George Whitham, Brad Newman, and a few others and got a thumbs up. So here goes. I am about to stir the pot. Having been a full-time voiceover artist for over 25 years, I am very passionate about voiceover rates, have heaps of experience in what constitutes industry-standard voiceover rates and (obvi) a lot of opinions. What has been bothering me is a lack of clarity around where different talent price themselves vis a vis their particular pecking order and ta-dah! I have a solution for that.

Union Voice Over Rates

Firstly, it’s an excellent idea to become familiar with SAG/AFTRA, ACTTRA or Equity pricing. Union rates have been negotiated between producers and entities that represent the performers. Having sat on some of the committees elected to participate in these great discussions I can say coming to agreements are long and arduous. One thing people always seem to forget is that these negotiated rates are the basement in pricing. One should not ever work for anything lower than what has been negotiated, and with talent, experience and demand, one can negotiate higher rates.

Non-Union Voice Over Rates

In the expanding world of non-union voice over rates, the debate is great on how much to charge for voiceover work. If you partake in any form of non-union voice work, I caution you to avoid a desperate race to the bottom in order to continue to get your share of the pie in our market. There lies the path of fiverr, burn out and not being able to sustain a healthy career in VO. That being said, how you price your voice work is not one size fits all. Yes, look at some of the rate guides that are out there, but also check each other out. A lot of us are now posting our rates on our sites. Survey some of the better talent and constantly working talent to determine what that might be.

5 Pricing Factors to Determine Your Rate

Our art is a craft. Some of us craft better than others. Some have chosen to polish one aspect above another. Not every voice actor is equal. But then not every job is equal either. How do you sort out what to charge? Inspired by a copy writer friend, Steve Roller, I give you the factors to take into account when sorting out what you should charge for a particular job. First of all, go through these and rate yourself 1-3 (low, medium, high). Keep track of your numbers & I’ll tell you what to do with them further down.

Your Voice Over Experience

Are you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro? How long have you been at this? Are you full time or are you working at something else to support your voiceover habit? How long have you been able to write “voice actor” as your job on your tax forms? Have you won awards or been in any stand-out or high profile series or jobs? If you are not yet full-time or have been full time in VO less than 3 years, give yourself a 1. If you’ve been making 6 figures for more than 10 years, give yourself a 3.

Your Perceived Voice Over Value

How do people see you in the market? Not your peers, but your clients. Are you known? Have you done something remarkable and do you promote it? What does your reel sound like? What does your web site look like? Is your YT or Vimeo Channel full of samples of what you’ve done? What is your social media presence? How many connections do you have on LinkedIn, or followers on Facebook or Instagram? Are you one of the go-to talents in your city? Your country? 1-3. Mark it down.

Your Actual Voice Over Value

Strip everything away and ask yourself honestly, how good are you? What feedback have you received about your craft from your clients? And how good in their industry are those clients? Are you working on triple A video games or is your income mostly from games produced in countries with developing economies? Have you ever won or been nominated for an award, or do you have dozens under your belt? Below, average or above? 1, 2, or 3?

Your Geography in the Voice Over World

How expensive is the city in which you live? New Yorkers and SoCal people have high rents/mortgages. You guys live in the 3. Whereas if you live in Greenville, SC, Omaha, NB or in Canada (like me) things cost less. Jot down a 1.

Your Hunger for Voice Over Work

Are you crazy busy this week? Do you have a mammoth project in your inbox that you need to set aside time to prepare? Have you met all your financial targets for the last couple of quarters? Then you, my friend, are happily not that hungry for voice over work right now. Give yourself a 3. But if you haven’t booked yet this week (or this month), you qualify for a 1.

Figuring Out Your Own VO Rates

Old Fashioned cash register voice over rates — Source: Alvaro Reyes

If you’ve added all your numbers up, you have something between 5 and 15. Multiply that by .1 So a newbie will be at .5 and an Award winning, 25+ year pro (like yours truly) will have a 1.5 Here’s where the magic happens. Now go back to your guide whether it’s the Union rates or non-Union (which are actually about the same) and multiply their suggested rate by your personal number of .5 to 1.5 SO, if your tally was 1.1 and the suggested rate is $500, you can with clear conscience (and data to back your decision), comfortably charge $550. If your tally was .8, your rate might be $400.

Variability in Voice Over Rates

Why shouldn’t we all just stick with the rate as-is? Same reason my narration rate doesn’t match Sigourney Weaver’s. We’re not all at the same point in our careers. I was a full time radio announcer for 4 years before I became a member of the Union. Those 4 years and the increasing quality of the work I did within them gained me access to qualify for Union rates. Before that, I may have thought my work was as good as. But it wasn’t. I wrote this because of so many friends and colleagues with lesser degrees of talent/experience who aspire to charge suggested rates, but aren’t there yet. It’s also for the multitude of experienced, talented voice artists who should be charging more. A lot more. Know your worth. Know the market. Price yourself accordingly.

I will now remove myself from the soap box I have been spouting and ask for your comments. What do you think? Rates are a hotbed in terms of topics. I’ve pulled the covers back. Want to climb in?

A Voice Actor’s Guide: How to Make your Voice Sound Better

Voiceover Coaching

Amber speaks too quickly. Her words slam and stumble into each other and she comes across as alternately nervous or excited or uncomfortable in the situation or space she is in. Rose’s voice is thin, brittle and cracks. She sounds much older than she is. From her mid-twenties, strangers on the phone have mistaken her for a senior. Derek is too loud. People are always telling him to shush or backing away a foot or two from him. Kevin sounds nasally. He is very self-conscious about it and it makes him limit his social interactions.

bird singing Kim Handysides Voiceover — Credit: Ryk Naves

As a voice actor I am often asked if there is any advice I can give to help friends, family (or others) improve their voices. Some vocal problems are physical. Some are psychological. Not all vocal problems can be addressed by tips from a voice actor. But since voice is my profession and art, the answer follows:

The best way to improve your voice is to become conscious of it and take lessons. Depending on what your goals are, this may involve sessions with a speech therapist, coaching with a voice artist or singing teacher or signing up for toastmaster workshops. Bottom line: The more you become aware of your voice and the more you work with it, the better it will become.

Voice Issues May be Rooted in Childhood

Because yes, like our physical traits and talents (or lack thereof), our voices are judged by others. Occasionally vocal problems are entrenched in childhood issues. Maybe you were told to be quiet or not to say things. Perhaps in school you felt judged by an accent or speech pattern that was different than others. Cruel, excessive or inappropriate judgment can breed vocal shortcomings.

A child habitually told to keep quiet may end up believing that what they have to say is not important. They may grow up speaking too fast to try to get a word in edgewise or get out what they have to say before they are told to shut it. They may speak too softly, out of range of critics. They may be reluctant to speak at all. Someone who thinks their accent or speaking style is unacceptable, may alter their breathing adequately for clear speech. Fault finding of how you speak can lead to holding tension in your jaw, throat or shoulders.

Key to a Great Voice is to Relax

Morgan Freeman yawning Kim Handysides Voiceover — Source: Tyvark

The root of many physical voice problems have to do with tightness in your jaw and/or throat. Morgan Freeman, arguably one of the smoothest richest voices in popular culture often talks about how he yawns to help open and relax his throat before any storytelling or voice acting gig.

Advice for Amber? Relax. Think about taking your time. Luxuriate in the words as you tell them. Plan pauses by focusing on breathing more fully through your conversations…Forgive me fellows, but manspread your speech, Amber. What you have to say is important. Let your words linger on the air.

Rose? Watch your posture. Shoulders back and chest lifted will give you more air in your lungs. Also a thin reedy voice means the cave of your mouth/throat is not open wide enough. Open the back of your throat by imagining a large egg or kiwi or something round that keeps that soft palate up and open. Again, like Morgan says, yawning helps you find that space.

Derek. The first way to lower your volume is to become conscious of it and then vary it. Imagine a volume control dial and play with it up and down. Focus on one word per phrase that you get to turn the volume up on. Listen more. Listen to the volume of others and emulate it.

Kevin? Unless you have a cold (or always sound like your do, so specialist required), a nasally voice usually means you sound like you’re talking through your nose which often comes from a tight throat or clenched jaw muscles. Invoking Morgan yet again, relax your throat & jaw. Imagine you have a plum (or something) in your back teeth (or back of your throat) and talk like that. It will bring that sound down into the space in which it needs to be.

Practice and Play with Your Voice

hearts on blurred background KimHandysides Voiceover — Source: Freestocks.org

Vocal technique and faithful exercise can foster a better relationship with your own voice. It will create confidence and help overcome the pressures that can make speaking difficult. Learning to control your voice, owning it and falling in love with it is magical. You will want to talk more and people will want to listen to you. Enhancing your voice is like regaining what should always have been yours to love.

An Award winning successful voice actor for longer than millennials have roamed Earth, Kim Handysides records commercials, narrations and crazy characters daily from her professional studio and delivers them to yours.

Male or Female Voice Over: When Gender Matters, When it Doesn’t

Voiceover Business, Voiceover Styles

To the average Jane or Joe, voice overs are ubiquitous. We hear them on the radio, on TV and in movies. We hear them in ads on YouTube or Spotify. Yet, how many of us stop to think about whether the voice artist is a man or a woman and whether it matters to us as consumers. A lot that can be said based on what type of voice you choose in your voice over and that includes whether you choose to go with a male or female voice. Sometimes gender matters a lot and sometimes it doesn’t. It all depends on what you are trying to say.

Traditional Views on Gender in Voiceover

Traditionally, voice artists were men. The first recorded spoken voice was none other than Thomas Edison reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb on a phonograph in 1876. Reginald Fessenden, a vital contributor to the development of radio was first to broadcast his voice. In 1901, his Christmas message was heard by ships across the North Atlantic. Walt Disney gave us another first in the ‘20s, when he synchronized his voice to his Steamboat Willie cartoons. Mel Blanc became the first prominent voice actor. Originally a radio personality, he became the voice of many beloved Looney Tunes characters: Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Porky Pig, and the Tasmanian Devil. He also was responsible for ensuring voice actors were mentioned in the credits. By the mid century, the need for voice actors increased, not only for cartoons and radio but also advertisements and movie trailers. One of the most well known voices among voice artists is Dan LaFontaine. He voiced hundreds of thousands of promos and commercials over the course of his career. He set the standard for how movie trailers were edited and voiced. These men played huge parts in the development of voice over as an art. In other words, historically speaking, voice artists were men. Now you might be wondering, where do women fit into this?

June Foray at microphone Kim Handysides Voice Over — Credit: GregBellMedia

In a nutshell, at a rate that does not reflect their actual percentage in society. To enhance story, a smattering of women actors found their way behind microphones in the ad world and June Foray will forever be lauded as the first woman of animation voiceover. In the ’80’s, when I worked in broadcasting, the staff ratio of men to women on air was 6:1 in the dj and voiceover world. 5:1 in news and talk show hosts. The tradition of seeking male over female voice artists is alive and well. However, a recent industry trend report showed a 24% increase in demands for female voice artists while demands for male artists has only increased by 16%. While this report only outlined voice seeking, not hiring behaviors, it seems as if people are becoming more interested in female voice artists than they were before.

Mixing the Voiceover Up

Online casting sites and casting directors for all forms of voiceover currently see a 2:1 ratio of hiring male over female voices. This is certainly an improvement toward a more equitable ratio than fifty or even twenty years ago. But what we hear around us still does not reflect the reality in front of us. The animated series Bob’s Burgers, with over 80% scores on both imdb and Rotten Tomatoes, presents a cartoon character cast of 3 female leads to two male, however the actual gender of the actors who portray them is 1 female and 4 males. This mixed message is passive aggressive and imho more destructive than positive in the search for gender balance in voiceover. The show presents the validating veneer of gender equity on the outside, but does so from the position of a pocketbook slap to voice actors and a confusing ethic to audiences.

In advertising, studies over the past couple of decades continue to reveal a preference for the male voice in a persuasive ad such as automotive or appliance retail. Whereas the female voice continues to evoke our trust. Female vocals have gained ground in beauty and health and have infiltrated the sound of financial institution advertisements. Of course, the advertising world is constantly looking for ways to mix it up, to get our attention and influence our behaviour. Lately, for example, women’s voices have made an upsurge in car retail especially on a national level. Female voices in the lower range, i.e. lower pitch voices, tend to be perceived as powerful and so are the best to gain access to traditional male domain roles. Medium or high pitched male voices by contrast are perceived as being non-threatening therefore more capable of earning our trust. The guy or girl next door are seen as allies.

Current Gendered Voiceover and the Future

gendered restroom signs Kim Handysides voice over — Credit: LGBTQ Connection

Interestingly, 2017 saw a number of requests in voice-over spec sheets for an androgynous voice. There are a number of factors that could be playing into this. The proliferation of artificial intelligence and the desire to keep AI as something different from what we’re used to hearing. At the same time, the fight for LGBTQ rights has gained a lot of ground over the past couple of years. Playing with gender in voice and the search for neutral ground may be a reflection of this or an attempt to be more inclusive. Either way it’s giving voice to a community who has been struggling to be heard. Many artists such as Elton John and Lady Gaga have made music that play with themes of sexuality and gender. Today’s trends bring this theme into voice overs and voice artists.

Kim is an award winning female commercial voice over artist with a lot of opinions on gender nuances of voice overs. What are your experiences with gender preference in the voice industry?

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kim@kimhandysidesvoiceover.com