GUEST POST: Why I love being a voiceover artist

Introducing the fabulous, and fabulously sounding, Rachael Naylor. Rachael works full time in the UK as a voiceover artist and you might even recognise her as the voice of Virgin Media, amongst other voices. I have been bugging Rachael to guest blog for me for a while now as she is constantly providing me with wonderful insights and wisdom into the voiceover world and I was desperate for the world to hear all about what she does. I was so pleased when Rachael agreed to write and and share with the B.A.B.E. audience why she loves being a voiceover artist (and so do I so I kept nodding in agreement the whole way through reading it!). Enjoy.

Why I love being a voiceover artist

– By Rachael Naylor

Do you remember that kid at school who was always getting in trouble for talking too much? Every report they ever had said that they talked too much? Yes? Well that kid in my school was me. I like to think I was honing my skills and now I’ve turned those skills into a career and I get paid to talk!

There is a lot more to being a successful voiceover artist than just being good at talking though! There is the business side of things too. I view my voice as an instrument and I get to create music with words everyday which is fantastic. Things have changed in the way the voiceover world is viewed massively in the last few years. It used to be the little brother to the acting industry. But now it has risen up to be a much respected career and the A-list actors from Hollywood have cottoned on to what a fantastic job it is and are getting in on the action. When people ask me what I think about all the celebrities and well known actors doing lots of voiceovers like TV adverts, animation films and computer games, I say to them that I think it’s brilliant! These talented actors are creating a lot of awareness of the industry and showing that it’s a great place to be.

I’ve been a voiceover artist for 10 years now. I worked on my voice at drama school like most actors. When I left drama school I saw an advert for a voiceover workshop, so I went along as I was intrigued. As soon as I got into the booth I felt at home and knew that this was something I really wanted to pursue. I got my showreel produced, started learning as much as I could about the industry, went on other workshops and then I started sending my showreel’s out. After a few jobs I got a call to audition as the new telephone voice for Virgin Media which was exciting! I’m pleased to say that I got the job and I’ve been recording every week for Virgin Media for the last 7 year!

As well as heading into studios in town to record I also have a home recording studio. This means that I can work from home and I also get to work with clients worldwide, the world is my oyster! I currently have clients in the States, Dubai, Thailand, Chile, Australia and all over Europe. This can sometime be tricky with all the time differences!

Some of the reasons I love being a voiceover artist are that I get to work on different voiceover jobs every day, sometimes lots in the same day; I’m kept on my toes as I never know what’s coming in next; I get to work with some fantastic clients; I create character voices; I bring words to life; I connect brands with their audiences and customers; I get to run my own business; I decide what direction my career is going to go in and I love the business side of things too.

The business side of things I find really interesting. As well as working with my fantastic agent I get to find my own work too. I set up my business before signing with her and we work well together which is important.

I used to think that I wasn’t into business as I’m a creative! Just that word would conjure up an image of suits and being corporate. But my opinion on the word has changed and business is fun and can be very creative too!

So as well as getting into the booth to record things like TV ads, documentaries, radio imaging, corporate videos etc. what else do I do in my voiceover business?

• Marketing
• PR
• Social media
• Blogging
• Networking
• Keeping a good CRM
• Constantly learning

These are all important skills that I have learnt over the years.

It’s all very well to have a fantastic voice, be able to do lots of brilliant character voices, have an amazing showreel….but if you’re not getting work you have to add something and I’d say it’s the business side of things.

I would actually say that the voiceover part of my business is about 20% of the actual work. The other 80% is all the other business side of things.

So becoming a successful voiceover artist is not an easy option, it is a career and a business. But I’m a big believer in what you put into life you get out. So if this is something you want to do, go for it as it really is the best job in the world!

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So there you have it ladies and gents. And if this resonates with you, you might also want to see the Masterclass that Rachael will be running in London this month on Saturday the 24th May. The great news is that until the 9th May, if you enter the code earlybirdspecialAngela you can get a £50 discount on the full day course. It is a fantastic saving. Just pop the early bird code in here as you book.