myths about getting into voice acting

MYTH: If you go into voiceover, you can easily make tons of money…all in your pajamas.

TRUTH: This is one of the most obnoxious phrases that constantly gets thrown around, usually to promote some type of get-rich-quick scheme (“if you’ll just take THIS class and get your demo produced with us at the end of it, you’ll be making bank in no time!”)

But the reality is, this field is incredibly competitive and requires lots of hard work and financial investment. It can absolutely be lucrative once you are working very consistently, but for most people, it requires many years of grinding to get to that level. And as for “working in your pajamas”, you could theoretically do that if you were recording a job that works remotely, but many jobs – particularly for character work – ask talent to physically come into the recording studio, in which case people usually try to look somewhat presentable!

MYTH: If you have a nice-sounding voice or people have told you you should go into radio, you’ll be successful in voiceover.

TRUTH: While having a “good voice” can be an asset, it’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what will actually get you booked. Your vocal type will of course play a part in what types of roles you’ll be suited for, but just because someone has a pleasant voice doesn’t automatically make them a good performer.

Ultimately, what will book you the role has less to do with how you sound and more to do with how you bring that character or copy to life through your acting choices. And even a “generic sounding” voice can be a blessing in disguise because it allows you to be somewhat of a vocal chameleon and fit all types of roles! Furthermore, even commercials now are straying away from the polished, booming “radio announcer” voices and are seeking more of an everyday person feel.

MYTH: Becoming a voice actor requires innate talent.

TRUTH: It’s true that certain skillsets come more naturally to certain people than others. However, even people who are naturally adept at something need to refine their skills through training and practice, and not being predisposed to something from an early age doesn’t mean it’s impossible for you to succeed at it. For example, someone who instinctively knows how to draw as a child might find it easier to make progress as an artist as they grow up, and someone who can’t draw at all is going to have to work longer and harder at it, but chances are that person can still learn to draw through art classes, individual study, and constant practice and discipline. Don’t let “I don’t have talent” be a roadblock to pursuing what you want if this is what you’re passionate about. You just have to be willing to learn and work hard.

The majority of currently working voice actors you hear in media didn’t start out being great at what they do. In fact, if you asked them about their early recordings or first demos they’d probably tell you they were terrible! Even though people can progress at different levels, everyone has to start somewhere.

That being said, if you’re training and working hard for years upon years with absolutely zero return on your investment despite doing everything “right”, there may come a time where you have to take a hard look at whether or not this is the right career path for you. If it’s what you love and you can’t imagine doing anything else, then keep going for it, but if it’s making you burned out and miserable than it may be better to take a step back, at least for a while, and see how you feel.

MYTH: If you’re a beginner, you need to drop a lot of money on expensive equipment and sound treatment.

TRUTH: If you’re just starting out, there’s not much sense in spending thousands of dollars on top-of-the-line equipment that you’re not sure will even give you a return on your investment yet. While USB mics tend to get a bad rep (and it’s true that you should upgrade eventually if you are consistently doing professional recordings from home), a decent-quality USB mic is fine for most hobby and indie projects and also beginner-friendly in terms of how easy it is to use. Truth be told, the most expensive microphone in the world won’t make up for a lack of acting skills—-if you don’t have proper training and practice, a great mic won’t magically make you sound amazing.

Recording in a sound-treated space is important no matter what level you’re at, but you don’t need to go in to debt to buy a premade booth when you’re still early in your journey. There are free tutorials online for solutions such as PVC booths that won’t break the bank. Your home studio is going to be a constant work-in-progress that you will improve upon as time goes on.

MYTH: Becoming a content creator, streamer or influencer will help you get a career in VO.

TRUTH: There is a fair amount of crossover between content creators and voice actors, as both fields essentially involve performing. It’s not uncommon for someone to want to become an actor but to do content creation on the side, or for someone who starts out as a content creator to also decide to explore voice acting. However, neither of these fields are quick and easy ways to make money. There is no harm in trying out streaming or content creation if you are genuinely interested in it, and it may help you feel more confident as a performer, but it’s not necessarily going to get you “in”. People may point to influencers who get VO cameos due to having lots of followers – yes, this sometimes happens, but the majority of people who work on these projects day-to-day are regular voice actors, some of whom also happen to do content creation.

MYTH: Doing good impressions of cartoon characters or celebrities will help you get a career in VO.

TRUTH: There are already people who have been cast to play those characters, and while voice-matching auditions may come up once in a while, they tend to be quite rare. These skills CAN be valuable as one of the many tools in your toolbox – for example, by giving you a baseline from which you can come up with your own new characterizations – but many beginner actors tend to focus too much on impressions and assume that because they can do a great Vegeta or Stewie Griffin, it’s going to get them hired. Again, the acting must come first. Everything else is a bonus.

MYTH: The first step to getting auditions is to get an agent.

TRUTH: It is very rare that an agency will be willing to sign someone with virtually no acting training or experience. An agent’s goal is to sign on talent that will make them money (meaning you must already be at a somewhat competitive level to get an agent meeting). There are always exceptions, but they are few and far between.

Before attempting to jump into agent submissions, it’s best to take classes as well as practice by doing independent work online. There are plenty of open auditions and talent rosters you can submit to that do not require having representation.

MYTH: You need to live in Los Angeles if you want to be a professional voice actor.

TRUTH: If you have your sights set on certain types of voice work (such as anime/dubbing, prelay animation, and video games), most of these are recorded in-person and you do need to be where the work is in order to be considered for these types of jobs. For dubbing, that’s primarily LA or Dallas, and for video games, that’s primarily LA or London. There are a few outliers where some additional English-language character work is available (Houston, New York, Miami, Tokyo, Vancouver, etc) so it is worth at least checking if there are any studios in your market that act as production hubs for voiceover work

HOWEVER. It is important to note that as technology has evolved, many other types of voice work—-such as audiobooks, commercials, industrial narration, promos, phone messaging, eLearning, and mobile apps—-do often allow home recording as long as your setup and space is up to par. Believe it or not, there are actors who make a full-time living doing remote voiceover work! That work just rarely if ever happens to be anime, so you’ll need to expand your horizons a bit if you’re not planning to relocate anytime soon.

Even if your goal is character work but you’re not ready or able to move yet, you can still submit for projects like indie games and online animation that are willing to record from wherever you’re currently based. And because the 2020 pandemic proved that remote recording was feasible, there are even some dubbing and game jobs nowadays are willing to consider it if there is an actor they really want to cast. There’s likely a limit to how far you can go in certain aspects of your career if you don’t live in LA, but it is still possible to work regularly if you get a bit creative, have a great home studio and are good at marketing!

(Note: Do not spend money moving to an area with high cost of living just in hopes of getting noticed by a recording studio, unless you are already industry-level competitive and/or have strong connections such as agency rep in that area already. Take classes and do what you are able to do online and in your current market first!)

MYTH: You don’t need a voiceover demo to get work.

TRUTH: Some actors who are already very established in the industry might tell you that they don’t have or need a demo because by this point, everyone knows their work—-their agents know how to pitch them, they’re on casting directors’ radar for auditions, and they don’t need to seek out independent clients. That’s great, but for the vast majority of actors, a demo is still crucial because you need a way to get access to those audition opportunities in the first place! If you want to get signed by an agency or submit to a closed talent pool or even just solicit potential clients via your website, a proper voice demo is a must-have. Some people simply slap a compilation together of work they’ve done in the past, which is functional enough as a placeholder, but your demo reel is ultimately the core of how you market yourself as a voice actor and it shouldn’t be overlooked unless you’re already far past the point where you don’t need one anymore.

However, it’s important not to jump right into getting a demo produced when you’re first starting out. Chances are you will not be seeing the types of opportunities yet to where such a demo would meaningfully serve you, and your skills will improve rapidly enough during the beginner stage that it’s easy to outgrow the demo and feel you wasted your money. If you’re still a hobbyist, there are plenty of open casting calls on Discord and social media that you can read for which do not require a demo, and you can even consider making your own for hobby/indie work in the meantime until you are ready to submit to the big leagues.

MYTH: You must have your demo made by a professional demo producer.

TRUTH: If you are seriously at the point in your career where you are industry-level competitive and ready to submit to agencies and major production studios, then a professionally made demo can certainly be an asset to you. Established and respected demo producers tend to keep up on industry trends, know what agents and casting directors are looking for, and can mix the demo in a way that makes the audio sound as if it could be taken from professionally recorded projects. If a demo sounds homemade, some agents may be unimpressed.

That being said, these days, the focus is more about the acting and less about fancy production and effects. Plenty of actors manage to get signed with demos that didn’t cost them thousands of dollars, because they are great at what they do and they already have credits and work experience to back them up, which shows the agents they are already bookable. A professional demo can certainly help you, but you don’t need to spend the money on it until you are at the level where it will seriously benefit your career.

MYTH: Some people are just not cut out for voice over.

TRUTH: If this is something you want to pursue, it’s best to at least give it a try—even as a hobby. Some people may assume they are not cut out for VO because they are auditioning a lot and not getting booked, but that is actually fairly common in the industry. Or they may assume that their voice isn’t anything special, but not only is there work out there for pretty much any voice type, giving a believable performance is far more important than how your voice sounds or how many voices you can do.

Of course, the hard truth is that not everyone is going to be successful in the industry, and even fewer will be able to make a living solely from acting, which is one of the reasons it’s important not to try to get into it mainly in pursuit of money or fame—neither of which may come! But if you are truly passionate about performing, you can almost always find ways to do so.

myths about being successful in voice acting

MYTH: You just need to book one big job to “get your foot in the door”, after which you can have a career.

TRUTH: There is a lot of emphasis put on actors to get their “big break“, which is actually far less of a phenomenon for voice acting than it is for on-camera. In fact, it is entirely possible for a voice actor to book one or two lead roles in major properties but end up falling off the grind for one reason or another and have a hard time booking new work afterwards. Meanwhile, there are plenty of actors who cannot recall one single defining moment where they felt they’d “made it”, but are fortunate enough to work regularly on a variety of projects and make a decent living.

A fan-favorite character can open up new opportunities in the form of public appearances and potential new bookings, but it is unwise to hinge everything on the expectation of being able to coast on this forever. A far better business strategy is to focus on longevity and consistency in bookings, whether or not those particular projects result in notoriety.

MYTH: You can “fast-track” success in VO with the right coaching, equipment, and materials.

TRUTH: There are of course business strategies to boost your odds, and if you are able to invest in these things, it may help you progress a bit more quickly. However, skills are not developed overnight. Even if you had access to the highest quality recording studio and were trained by one of the most successful pros in the entire industry, they can’t just magically make a career happen. It will take time, patience and hard work. Again, many organizations that offer class packages will be happy to “sell you a dream” by making unrealistic promises of being super successful right after completing their courses, but the reality is it takes most people years to get a solid footing.

MYTH: If you want to be successful in this field, you need to have started young.

TRUTH: People who started as child actors may of course have an advantage, as they got a head start. However, it’s not a requirement for success. There are people of all ages who are successful in this field, including those who start well into their 40s and 50s. Characters of all ages need voicing, too! While it may be frustrating to feel like you have to play “catch-up” or watching talent much younger than you succeed sooner, it is never too late to start. If it’s something you want to do, it’s better to dive in than to wonder “what if”.

MYTH: Voice actors who work in anime are considered highly successful.

TRUTH: Due to the popularity of anime (and anime conventions), voice actors who play main characters in popular anime shows do tend to develop some sort of a fan following. These actors may be invited to appear as guests at anime and comic conventions, where they can make money by selling autographs and photo ops. However, the work itself does not actually pay as much as most other types of voiceover work. While successful efforts have been made over time to raise pay rates and get more dubbing jobs on union contracts, it’s difficult to make a living solely on anime. Plenty of these actors supplement their income in various ways—this could be by doing other types of voice work (such as video games, commercials or audiobooks), industry-adjacent jobs like directing, script adaptation or production assistant work, or perhaps even a day job.

MYTH: You must come from theatre if you wish to “make it” as a voice actor.

TRUTH: Plenty of currently working voice actors started off doing plays and musicals, and may credit their stage experience as a big factor for getting into VO. But not everyone was a “theatre kid” for one reason or another—perhaps they were shy, perhaps they were pressured by family to do other types of extracurricular activities instead, perhaps they didn’t develop an interest until after they graduated…you name it. The good news is that while theatre can be incredibly beneficial to your acting journey, it’s not a requirement to be a good voice actor. Studying acting fundamentals is important, and while theatre is certainly one way to accomplish that, it’s not the only way!

MYTH: Being successful in voice acting is less about skill and more about who you know.

TRUTH: Sure, this is one part of it. We’ve all heard the stories about someone who fell into the industry “by accident” years ago by being in the right place at the right time, or someone who was working on the production side and got pulled in to do VO. Those scenarios were far more common decades ago than they are in today’s ultra-competitive market, but it is true that being well-connected in the industry can help you get jobs… assuming you are good at what you do. Again, if someone does not yet have the acting skills to be competitive, just knowing somebody probably isn’t going to help them—and people can feel resentful if they feel they are being “used” for their position in the industry. The best way to network is to make friends and connections naturally, be a genuine person, and be a great actor!

MYTH: Booking even one lead anime or game role will allow you to capitalize on convention appearances.

TRUTH: Yes, this can happen…if you happen to be extremely lucky. But is it likely? Not exactly.

Conventions are an entirely separate industry, and there are many factors that go into who gets invited as a guest. Yes, some actors are able to secure invites with only one big credit to their name, especially if they happen to be invited as part of a group along with their castmates from the same property. And this is assuming that the particular show or game they worked on blows up enough to become the “hot new thing” of the moment, which is beyond your control as an actor.

It’s also important to be aware that just because you manage to get a table at a convention does not necessarily mean people will come to your table and purchase autographs. Plenty of conventions result in slow foot traffic for one reason or another which is also beyond your control. Making money is a possibility particularly if a character you played happens to have high-value collectibles, but it’s not a given. Focus on your craft first and foremost, and if these types of opportunities come, consider it a bonus rather than an expectation.

MYTH: You can’t be cast as a main character or work on a popular franchise unless you already have big credits behind you.

TRUTH: It can be hard to get access to audition for certain major opportunities if you don’t already have experience, as it means the agency or casting director has to be willing to take a chance on you by putting you on the roster in the first place. And it’s true there are some clients who do care about one’s past resume—sure, sometimes it may be about wanting “big names”, but it’s often more innocuous: the client or casting director may have heard an actor’s work in other projects and happens to think they’d be a great fit for an upcoming one they are casting. The audition process is still prevalent in the industry, but the reality is sometimes deadlines are too tight to hold auditions or they don’t want to waste time holding auditions if they already know who they want for the role.

That being said, there are plenty of projects that do consider auditions from a wide range of talent and evaluate those auditions on the basis of suitability for each role. As easy as it may be to get jaded and feel that “it’s always the same people getting cast in every new project”, keep in mind there is still a constant stream of new projects out there in which newer or lesser known talent are getting a chance to shine, too.

MYTH: Social media followers are a metric of success for voice actors.

TRUTH: Social media is only a small picture of an actor’s overall success. Keep in mind that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of voice actors out there who aren’t active on social media but who are constantly working and making a great living behind the scenes. While social media may matter a bit more in the public-facing areas of the industry such as high-profile character work, do not put too much stake into things like follower count—focus on being great at what you do, and the rest will follow in time.

general myths about the industry

MYTH: Voice acting isn’t real acting.

TRUTH: Any voice actor who has done an interview of some kind has probably been asked at least once if they’ve ever considered “doing REAL acting”. When people ask about real acting, they’re referring to on-camera roles for film or TV. This implies that acting with only your voice doesn’t actually count as acting, but in reality it’s simply a different form of acting!

Acting is still acting, regardless of the medium. On-camera actors, theatre actors, and voice actors are all valid as actors, and each of these professions come with their own unique challenges. (Tip: If you find yourself wanting to ask this question to a voice actor in the future, a better way to phrase it is “Have you ever done on-camera acting?”)

MYTH: The majority of voice acting work consists of anime, cartoons, and games.

TRUTH: Character work is only a fraction of the type of work that’s out there. Voiceover artists are used for all sorts of work—-from the ads you rush to skip at the beginning of YouTube videos, to podcasts and audiobooks, to the automated phone systems telling you to press “0” to speak to a representative and so much more. A lot of people aspire to get into character work because they grew up watching cartoons and playing games, and that’s completely valid—-just don’t discount the other opportunities out there to help you make a living!

MYTH: Voice actors get royalties when copies are sold of games or shows they worked on.

TRUTH: Generally speaking, voice actors get paid based on the number of hours worked, or sometimes by a flat session fee depending on the job. If you’re working on a commercial through your agent that goes to broadcast radio or TV, then you may get “use fees” based on how long the spot airs, and certain union productions like original animation or “looping” work that premiere in movie theaters or on broadcast TV can also be subject to residuals. But for something like a video game, the number of copies sold doesn’t have any effect on how much actors get paid. So while it’s great to buy games and DVDs your friends or your favorite actors are in to support the industry, they’re not receiving any extra from it (and the same goes for those who try to “boycott” a show or game because an actor they don’t like is in it—-they already got paid for their recording sessions, so your money wouldn’t be going to them anyway.)

Let’s imagine you work on two different video games around the same time. Both pay the same industry standard hourly rate (with a minimum session fee.) Game A requires 20 hours total of recording, but ends up being a small mobile game that very few people play and the servers get shut down within a year. Game B only requires 10 hours of recording, but ends up being a Game of the Year contender and sells over one million copies. Putting aside any external factors such as autographs or promotional appearances, you’ll still have gotten paid more from recording Game A rather than Game B, simply due to the number of hours in the studio.

MYTH: Voice actors routinely get recognized in public.

TRUTH: While voice acting has gained quite a bit more prominence in the past decade or two, it’s still a relatively anonymous field. Outside of specific fandom spaces, the average person generally wouldn’t know who most voice actors are or especially be able to recognize them on sight. It’s also rare that they’d be recognized by voice, as plenty of voice actors have “regular-sounding” voices and most certainly wouldn’t be doing character voices out in public. Voice actors who also do a lot of on-camera content, particularly viral videos, may be recognized sometimes out and about—but it’s not something most people need to worry about when going into the field.

MYTH: Actors are primarily cast based off their demos and/or past work.

TRUTH: Everybody auditions—even the highly prominent voice actors you look up to.

Short of actual mainstream celebrities who may be more likely to receive direct role offers, auditioning is one of the biggest parts of a voice actor’s day-to-day job. It’s certainly not unheard of for a casting director or client to decide to bring an actor in based on their own knowledge of what that actor can do, but auditioning is still by and large the biggest way to get cast in new projects. Many projects will audition the main characters only but then cast side/background characters based on the auditions they receive for the leads—which is one of the reasons it’s still generally a good idea to submit even if you don’t think you’re a great fit for a particular character.

Demos actually aren’t used in voiceover casting quite as much as you think they are—a major function of the demo is to help you get into an agency or onto a talent roster in the first place by showing examples of what you can do. The demo can still be useful to help agents or casting directors “pitch” an actor to an end client, and will of course assist you in cold marketing yourself to potential new clients, but auditions are still the primary way many new projects are cast.

MYTH: Actors often make up their own lines in the booth.

TRUTH: Certain types of projects, such as original animation or games recorded in English first, may allow room for improvisation—and improv training can be beneficial to voice actors in various ways. However, particularly when you’re dealing with media localized from another language, there are a variety of restrictions that go along with that. The end clients may be particular about accuracy to the original translation and not want the meaning of the work to be changed, or there may be specific timing paramaters that mean actors are locked in to performing the words on the page. For dubbing, it’s not uncommon for the director to have to rewrite the adapted lines a bit during the session to help make a line shorter or longer, but the overall meaning of the line typically cannot be changed.

While some fans may understandably be upset if they feel a translation isn’t accurate or doesn’t honor the author’s original intent, keep in mind that voice actors have very little, if any, control over the script they are asked to read. The adaptation process for something like an anime script must take place (and generally be approved by the client) before the actor ever goes in to record.

MYTH: Voice actors are employees of a specific company (ex: Disney, Nintendo, Crunchyroll, etc.)

TRUTH: As a voice actor, you are considered an independent contractor. Even if you happen to work a lot with a specific studio or client, or even if virtually all of your work comes from that one source, you are still not considered an employee of that company (at least in the United States). When you are “hired”, you are hired for that one specific project and when that contract ends, so does your work (until the next thing comes around that you happen to get cast in.) Voice acting isn’t like a traditional day job where you can simply apply to a specific company and know you’ll have guaranteed work. Even if you’re with an agency, your agent isn’t your employer—you’re still a freelancer and have to deal with all that entails (in the US, it’s important to know what that means for taxes.)

It’s also important to note that you may not be dealing directly with the end clients at all when getting cast on a project for a major company. Most big game corporations for example do not record onsite at their own facilities but rather contract a third-party recording studio to handle casting and scheduling and to use as a facility for sessions. Reaching out directly to a game company for cold marketing can work if it’s a smaller independent company, but in most cases you’ll have better luck figuring out what intermediaries a certain publisher tends to use and submitting your materials to them instead.

MYTH: Cast members on a project record their lines together as a group.

TRUTH: While actors do sometimes record as a group for prelay (original) animation or play off of each other for “partner reads” in commercial spots, this is rarely the case for games and most other types of projects (especially dubbing). Even if your character has constant dialogue with another character in a video game, chances are you’re not reading with the other actor or even hearing what they’re doing (you may not even know who the other actor *is* until the game is out!) For context, you’ll be relying on the information given by the voice director as well as quickly skimming over the lines that come before yours in the script.

There are a number of reasons why group records for most projects aren’t practical, but the basics are budget, time, and scheduling. Thankfully, part of the job of the voice director is to direct the actors in such a way that everything will sound seamless when put together, like the characters are actually having a conversation in the same room.

MYTH: Being a voice actor means you get to be your own boss and set your own schedule.

TRUTH: You are technically running your own business, but at the same time, your directors and clients are essentially your “bosses” for the duration of that particular job and you have to work according to their specifications. “Being your own boss” implies that you don’t have anyone to answer to, and that simply isn’t the case when someone is contracting you to perform work for a project of theirs. In a live session, your director is considered the one in charge.

In regards to scheduling, it’s a mixed bag. When recording independent projects from home you’ll have a lot more freedom with what hours you actually record as long as you meet your deadlines, but in-person sessions or anything else with live direction requires you to show up and be on time just like you would for a regular job. For the most part, studios can work around your availability within reason, but they’ve still got deadlines to meet, and sometimes you’ll have to make compromises by recording at less-than-ideal hours when working with clients in other time zones. If you’re too difficult to schedule, it may impact your ability to be cast for main roles that will require a lot of hours.

MYTH: If someone has had success as an actor, that means they are qualified to teach classes, produce demos or coach students.

TRUTH: Many actors pursue teaching as a side job, usually as a mix of a passion of sharing their knowledge and also a way to make a bit of extra income. Some will also attempt to step into casting, directing, and demo production. Some of these actors are great at all of these things; however, keep in mind that acting and teaching are separate skill sets. There are great actors who aren’t great teachers and vice versa. It’s good to listen to recommendations from others as well as trust your gut instinct when it comes to who you study with. (Also, keep in mind that a certain teacher or coach’s method may be effective for some students but not for others.)

MYTH: If the voice acting in a production sounds bad, it’s because the actors aren’t very good.

TRUTH: There are many factors that go into whether a performance sounds good or bad, and the actor is only one link in that chain. Sure, maybe that actor really just isn’t that great, but consider some of the other possible contributing factors:

• The recording was rushed. Sometimes due to client budgets and/or deadlines, the recording must be completed as quickly as possible, leaving little time to do extra takes or go back and refine performances.
• The actors weren’t given proper context as to what the scene was or what they were responding to.
• The director or client directed them to perform the lines in a way that ultimately didn’t fit with the genre or vibe of the project.
• The actors had strict timing restrictions they had to match (commonly seen in projects adapted from other languages).
• The post-production work wasn’t up to par (the audio wasn’t edited or mastered properly, or levels were off when mixing)
• The actor was miscast for their role. Even a great actor can sound off if placed into an unfitting role.
• The writing/adaptation for the project was stilted or awkward (sometimes happens in translated works).
• Whether a performance is “good” or “bad” is ultimately subjective, and not all audiences will feel the same way.