I searched the boards before posting, and I apologize if I missed it and something like this has been covered already.
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For the last 3 years I have hosted an Internet Talk Radio program, and recently I have been doing a fair amount of Voice Over work for various other internet personalities (most of it for free to get my voice out there), and the requests from others for work continue.

Given the attention I'm getting, I would like to explore the possibilities of expanding my Voice Over/Voice Acting into other arenas, but I don't know the first steps to take. Also, I do not know how serious agents, directors, ad agencies, etc. would take a demo reel comprised of work done for little known internet outlets - or if that even matters.

Coming from the political circles of the internet, this is unknown territory for me and I'm just seeking some direction on how to advance my options and possibilities.

Thank you in advance for any and all input

-TJ-

(forgive me if "Voice Over" and "Voice Acting" aren't regarded the same)

Do you have samples of your hosting?

Ideally, you want to take good acting classes AND A LOT of improv.

Voice acting is NOT just reading off of a paper. It's harder than film acting because you have to tell the story with just your voice and not your face or reactions.

Voice acting ranges from commercial, promo, narrative, animation, audio book, foreign language, etc. Ideally you want a minute demo for each category your voice is right for. For animation, no impersonations

Truthteller,

I do have samples of my hosting, as well as commercials/ads, show intros, and other items. I have only uploaded one show to YouTube, and was contemplating uploading other items as well, but decided to wait until I had some direction before doing anything else.

With the one minute demos, is it best to have voice only, or a fully produced piece (music, etc), or both?

Forgive me is this question is stupid... but with improv, what kind, exactly? Comedy, conversation, etc? Or all of the above?


EDIT: Here is the link to the one show that I have uploaded thus far: http://youtu.be/95X-s1UmlH4 ...it's talk radio, so fast forward to basically anywhere after 2 minutes.

EDIT 2: I forgot about this - I did a narration of an article I wrote, as well: http://youtu.be/ybR3XUKnVjw

If you have the resources to make your demo sound like actual commercials with music and all that, awesome!

Improv in general. Improv teaches you to think on your feet and bring spontaneity. When you record professionally in the booth, the booth director might have you say the same line 3 times but differently each time. Improv helps with that.

I do have the resources to produce demos that have the whole ball of wax!

I think I might be fairly decent with improvisation currently (at least I feel that I am) due to the fact that I was a candidate for US Congress previously, and in that position, you are forced to change HOW you say things so you don't become predictable, and being a guest on live radio & TV forces you to think on your feet, also. But, as with anything, there is always room for improvement, so I will look into finding resources to help me improve in that department.


Once I have my collection of demos, naturally I will put them on my website. But where do I go from there? How do I get my voice to those who are seeking voice talent? How do I get "Them" to see (or hear) Me?


...and also: thank you. Clicking around this site, I see that you provide answers to seemingly everyone. It must be time consuming and tedious to do so, and with me being completely green and unfamiliar with this territory, you have already given me more direction than I had. So again, thank you.

Once you have your demos, you can email them to VO Agents who accept emails and mail CDs to the ones who prefer mailing. And you can have one per state if you have the recording equipment and access to ISDN source patch or something similar.

Dee Bradley Baker has a good site with general info. He has addressed it specifically to the animation crowd, but it applies across the board.

http://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com/