This event was hosted by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, an educational, humanitarian and philanthropic 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to assist, educate and inspire actors.

The Business of Voice Overs Seminar featured a panel of working voice over professionals, casting directors, an agent and producer in order to provide a comprehensive look into the voice over profession.

Since I’ve worked primarily as an on-camera actress, my voice over experience has been in ADR.  So far, I’ve voiced a Reporter on the TV show “Clueless” and a Nurse on “The Young and the Restless”, in addition to looping lines on other projects.  Each time, I’ve worked in a studio environment.

Over the years, technology has really changed the voice over industry.  Gone are the days where an actor/voice over artist goes into a booth at their agent’s office to audition.  The internet has made it possible for artists to record at home and e-mail material to their representatives.  The upside is the convenience, the downside is that there is no longer the benefit of being directed in a session.

The panelists were:

Bob Bergen (Animation V.O. Talent, Animation instructor), Carroll Kimble (Casting Director, Carroll Voice Casting), Don Scotti (Producer/Director, SweetSpot Productions), George Whittam (Technical Engineer, Owner of El Dorado Recording Services), Joe Cipriano (Promo V.O. Talent, Announcer for the Emmy Awards), Marabina Jaimes (Hispanic V.O. Talent), Paul Pape (Moderator/V.O. Talent), Rodney Saulsberry (V.O. Talent & Book Author on the V.O profession), Vanessa Gilbert (Co-Owner, TGMD Talent Agency).

We discussed the most common types of voice over work:
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement), Animation, Books on Tape, Commercial, Narration, Navigation, Promos, Radio, Radio Imaging (Station Identification), Trailer, and Voice Prompts.

If you are looking for a way to stay current in the voice over field, two resources that were mentioned during the seminar are the websites for Voice Over Universe and Voice Over Bulletin Board.

When you are browsing voice over blogs, it’s worth mentioning that a friend of mine, Dina Sherman, is using her voice philanthropically. For the next year, she is donating 50 per cent of her net earnings to the California Southland chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s always inspiring to have a fellow performer put their talent to use to support a worthy cause.

Tags: SAG Foundation Events, SAG LifeRaft, Screen Actors Guild, Screen Actors Guild Foundation, The Business of Voice Overs Seminar, Voice Over Resources, Voice Overs