Your voice demo is the ultimate tool for a competitive edge (or chance) for a job.

You’ve got 20 seconds...if you’re lucky!

Get in line, cross your fingers, say a prayer. You’ve just sent in your voice demo for a possible voice-over job...along with anywhere from 5 to 200 people.

In 20 seconds (usually less) a producer is going to toss your demo into the

• "keep for review pile" (which will get whittled down again until the producer picks "the" voice)

  or

• "throw in the garbage" file.

Anyone in voice-overs (even the so-called "big names") know a voice over talent is going to get rejected more often than they get hired...the numbers are not in the voice over talent’s favor no matter how voice over talented. And since most times the voice actor is not likely to be auditioning in person (especially outside the big 3 U.S. markets) you (the voice over talent) have only one tool at your disposal to represent your enormous voice over talent, range, creativity, charming personality, client-friendly demeanor, multi-faceted character repertoire and stunning good looks (in the eyes of the listener). That tool is your demo.

And now you’re only getting 10 seconds...this better be good.

A 10 second demo?

No, more standard is a minute for the length of your demo with segments of spots ranging anywhere from about 6 seconds to 12 seconds depending on the content. The point is that whatever the producer hears in the first 10-15 seconds will determine whether your voice has the exact (or very close to exact) quality the producer is looking for. What is that quality? Only the producer knows (it's very subjective) so all you should worry now only about showing your best work as professionally as possible.

Generic or tailored?

Every voice artist should have at least one strong generic demo to be able to present to a prospective client (at the moment, the most favored demo format is an MP3 for e-mail and a CD for snail mail...and yes, the CD should have a professional look to it, not a Sharpie scrawl of your name across it). Some folks create generic demos based on category...a generic commercial demo, a generic narration demo, a generic character voice demo and so on. Tailored demos simply mean the producer has a demo script he/she wants you to voice; if you are asked, do it.

How do I determine demo content?

Assuming here we’re talking about creating a strong generic demo (not a category demo) the recommendations here are:

• The best or most widely heard of any spots or narrations you’ve been paid to create (this should include straight reads as well as character voices). Preferably you want the fully produced cuts on your demo, not the dry reads unless that’s how they were produced.
• Any tailored demos that you felt really presented your voice over talents well.
• Determine your best work from all your categories (commercials, narrations, imaging, on-hold, audio.books etc.). Then consider the type of work you’re most often hired or considered for and include best of all those segments mixed as you think works best.
• When you’re done producing your demo...you’re not. Play it for other people in the business, get their opinions, and tell them to be cruel, put it up on some voice over bulletin boards that encourage member-to-member critiques. Take all the info to heart (but not personally, the critiques are about "the voice", not you) and make the changes that you think make the most sense.

What’s in that first 10 seconds?

Your money voice. Every voice artists has one, some have a few. The money voice is either

• That voice that seems to bring you the most work/that you’re most known for

  or

• The voice that you can do well that seems to be in vogue among those who are hiring (at the moment, it’s the sort of conversational, everyman voice as opposed to the big-balls announcer voice).

Now the truth.

Voice demos are close to the apex of imperfect sciences. It is an ever-evolving tool and one for which your lively hood depends...but no matter how good it is, your demo is useless if no one hears it. That requires marketing.

And that’s a subject for another day.

Hope this helps.