–

A Voice Actor Must Be Aware of

Their Readiness in Two Key Areas

–

–

By Bob Bergen, September 1, 2024

---

–

Ok, gotta share. So, I had a private student this past weekend. Freakin’ brilliant. Young, maybe 22 at the oldest. Came to the table with awesome choices and took direction like a dream. Now, I’m pretty expensive. I asked him if his parents helped pay for his VO coaching. He told me he’d been on his own since he was 16. His dream has always been voiceover. He got his first job as a janitor while still in high school. He works odd jobs five days and seven nights a week to pay for his acting and VO classes. (As did I when I started out.) He said he wants to work in high-end VO and only invests with those at the top of the VO food chain. He’s in acting classes two days a week. He lives in a tiny single apartment with three friends and sleeps on the floor. I told him he was admirable. He said, “Not really. I’m a result of good parents who taught me values—to never play the victim, to go after my dreams by hard work and earning.” I said, “Your parents must be so proud.” He told me they died when he was 16, which is why he’s been on his own all this time. And what they left him is in a trust that he cannot touch until he’s 30.

–

The lesson here is that hard work and learning always pay off. Choose meritocracy over handouts. Strive for excellence. And stop using social media to complain. That is time you will never get back! Live like this kid, who will be competing for my jobs sooner than later…which I so welcome!

–

A Few Days Later

So, by the end of the day, I heard from four VO agents and had two possible job leads for this young man. One potential gig for a series, one for a loop group. I let him know about all of them. His response: “Oh, wow! That is really flattering. But I’m not ready yet. Please thank them for me, and when I feel I am ready, I’ll reach out.”

–

Article continues after announcement.

–

---

From Society of Voice Arts and Sciences

–

Enter the Voice Arts Awards Here

---

Article continues…

–

This is lesson #15 from VO 101. Most pursuing VO today missed this class. Most who pursued VO when I was studying 40-plus years ago earned a Master’s Degree in this lesson. These days, more often than not, a student will ask me after one coaching session, “Do you think I’m demo-ready?” Or, “Do you think I have what it takes?” My response to these questions is always the same: If you have to ask, you are not ready. No one but you, the actor, can know the answers to these questions. One of the things I so admire about this kid is that he knows he has the chops. But he also knows he will get one chance to make a good first impression. Never during my coaching session did he ask what I thought. However, he did ask what he needs to work on, which I shared, and he took about a journal’s worth of notes.

–

There are two places an actor, and in this case a voice actor, needs to know if and when they are ready: in the heart and in the head. You need to have your skills honed. In your heart, you need to know you have what it takes—that you are as good as or better than everyone else already out there pursuing and/or working in VO. In your head, you need the confidence and business savvy to dive in. This kid has the talent. But he’s not yet ready in his head. The key word there is “yet.” He will be. And when he is, he will know it. ♦♦♦

–

---

Bob Bergen, is a multi-Emmy nominated voice actor who voices Warner Bros. cartoon characters Porky Pig and Tweety and has voiced characters in the English dubs of various anime. He is also renowned and highly sought after voice coach, and is responsible for the voice of Luke Skywalker in over a dozen Star Wars video games as well as the Robot Chicken episodes Episode I, II and III. Follow Bob on social media, as he frequently and generously shares his thoughts on current voiceover trends, hot-button topics, and career development. www.BobBergen.com

–

–