The voiceover business sure has come a long way since I broke into the biz, which are  more years ago than I care to admit.  Back in my day it was all about promoting youself to the local production houses and ad agencies in hopes that you could, with time and perseverance, break into the 'good old boys club' and develop a steady stream of paying customers.

It wasn't easy.

Today the business runs in a completely different way and we all must thank the world wide web for opening  up the voiceover business to well, the whole wide world!  

It still isn't easy.   But it certainly isn't impossible.  And it is definitely worth it for those who  train to compete.  The money can be very, very good!

The voiceover business has been very good to me and I continue to earn my living behind the microphone after more than 30 years in the voiceover industry.  I have learned a lot, feel very blessed and am at the point in my life where I want to pay it forward and share my years of experience with those who are intrigued, interested or want to learn more about starting a voiceover business.

 Intro to Voiceover is a 90 minute private coaching session in which you will learn how to start your own voiceover business, learn what equipment you'll need, what skills you'll need to develop, how to find the jobs, what kind of money you can make PLUS you'll also get time behind the mic reading copy along with analysis of your current level of skill. 

Price is $100.00 and includes a folder filled with everything you need to know about getting started in the voiceover business along with practice copy.

Sessions are taught in my home studio, just north of Sacramento, and are by reservation only.  

Please send me an email at cammie@cammiewinston.com for more information or call  (916) 956-2466 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (916) 956-2466      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

If you are curious about what it takes to make money in voiceovers this is the class to take!

• Practice using your home studio, recording mulitiple takes, buidling mp3 files and sending them in the proper format.....it's what you need to do well in order to compete for today's voiceover jobs!
• Practice taking direction and interpreting what the director wants via email....helps you become a diversified voiceover talent! 
• Practice your technical skills including audio quality and timing......sometimes the difference between winning and losing a job comes down to your technical abilities.

What do you do at Voiceovers International?

Audio!  And for almost any application....radio, TV, internet, business seminars, training modules, voiceover demo production and much more.  Voiceover coaching is also available with Cammie on a one-on-one basis....which is the fastest way to learn and become competitive in the lucrative business of voiceovers.

  Surprisingly, in today's voiceover world it's not so much about having a "good voice" as much as having a trained and skilled voice.   I'd recommend taking the Voiceover 101 session, which is a private 90-minute class that covers everything you need to know about getting into the voiceover field. 

 Besides training there anything else I need to get started?

Yes, you will need a professional voiceover demo that showcases your vocal abilities.  It's the standard in the voiceover business and is difficult to secure paying jobs without one.  Also, you will need a home recording studio set-up, which we cover in Voiceover 101.

Do I need to join the union or get an agent to get jobs?

No, you don't need an agent to get voiceover jobs.   Down the road, as your level of skill increases, you may want to get an agent but in my own experience it's possible to build a nice income in voiceovers on your own, with hard work and patience.

Is it difficult breaking into the voiceover business?

No and yes.  It depends on YOU.  If you love being behind the mic and have a passion for the business and are willing to work hard......voiceovers can be the best thing you ever did!

On the other hand, if you are easily discouraged, if  practicing behind the mic feels like a chore and you get frustrated, then maybe this isn't the business for you. 

So, only you can answer that question.  And most times, you won't know the answer until you've taken a couple coaching sessions, starting with Voiceover 101.

How much training will I need?

The answer is different for each person.  It depends on your current level of skill, what your goals are and how quickly you want to start competing for work.

How much do private coaching sessions cost?

The price of private voiceover coaching sessions is $100.00 for a 90 minute session.  Sessions are microphone-intensive and you will break a sweat.  You will also hear positive growth in your skills from session to session.  

Where do I go when I'm ready to have my voice demo produced?

We offer professional voice demo packages, including custom copy with full production, including music, sound effects and sweetening.  You will sound like a star!

I've got more questions!

Give us a call at 916 446-2004 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            916 446-2004      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email me at:  cammie@cammiewinston.com.

The world of voiceovers is one of curiosity for many. Think about it. We hear voiceovers everywhere from radio commercials to movie trailers to telephone phone prompts but there is little info out there about the actual business.

Which means we get lots of calls from people asking lots of questions.

"What's it like to work in voiceovers?" How do I get started in the business?" "How much money can I make?"

Today I will tackle the question: What's it like to work in voicovers with "The Six Truths About Voiceovers". There are literally dozens more but I narrowed it down to these top six. The rest will be discussed in my voiceover book, to be published in 2010.

The Six Truths About Voiceovers:

1. The voiceover you record "in your head" always sounds better than the one you actually recorded.

2. The bigger the voiceover project and the bigger the paycheck, the better your chances are that you'll come down with a horrific head cold on the day you're to record.

3. There is no crying in voiceovers, however some directors (not naming names!) will give you plenty of reasons to shed some.

4. When a client requests a voiceover ASAP what they are really saying is they need it RFN.

5. The Federal Government is not offering bailout money to the voiceover industry

6. Voiceover artists don't need a BAILOUT because the voiceover business is going and growing strong in 2009!

Interested in learning more? Sign up for our Introductory classes held monthly at our midtown Sacramento studio. With more than 30 years of fulltime experience in the voiceover industry, we are able to teach you the practical, real-life voiceover skills needed to to be successful in the voiceover business.

It used to be, back in the old days (like 5 years ago), that all voiceover work was done in a professional recording studio. The client, producer, engineer and voice talent would all drive to a local recording studio and produce audio.

Nowadays a very high percentage of voiceover work is produced in home studios. In my case a good 80% of all the voice work I do is done in my home studio. Clients love voiceover talents that have home studios as it as it saves them money and time. And with today's advanced audio editting software a professional sound is easy to achieve. Not only that, but it creates opportunities for you as a voiceover talent to do work for not only local clients, but for clients spanning the globe.

While putting together a home recording studio sounds like an expensive proposition, in reality it is surprisingly affordable. In most cases, a quality-sounding studio can be put together for less than $300.00. Really!

This is a "must-take" workshop for anyone serious about building a career in voiceovers! Our next session of building your Home Recording Studio will be will be scheduled in May. This is also a great opportunity to "try it before you buy it"including a variety of microphones, mixing boards, etc.

Make your reservation by calling our office at 916-446-2004. Cost of the workshop is $75.00 and includes all materials.

Lately we've been getting calls at the office from aspiring voiceover artists asking us:

"Am I ready to get my voice demo produced?"

And though we know many of you very well and have been working with you in workshops and individual coaching for a while now, we cannot tell you when you are ready to take the big step of getting your first professional voice demo produced. Sorry.

What we do know is that you do need to feel ready. The confidence in yourself must be there. You'll know when you are ready. And you won't need someone to tell you.

Keep in mind that you must be ready to compete with other voiceover artists who have been doing this type of work for a long time. But, don't let that discourage you....fresh new, skilled talent is always in demand.

With that in mind, our new advanced skills workshop, "Tightening the Nuts and Bolts in Your Delivery I and II" prepares you to compete in the real working world of voiceovers and is an excellent way to fine tune your voiceover skills in:

energy

phrasing

pitch

dynamics

articulation

breath control

storytelling skills opposed to reading

your ability to understand and relate to various target audiences

developing your discernable ear and

your developing your critical technical ear!

Yes, a LOT goes into a GOOD VOICEOVER and the pros make it look EASY!

Our job is to teach you how to go from being someone with a good voice that can read well to being a great storyteller...no matter what the script may be. When you can do that you will be a voiceover artist.

 Nuts and Bolts I & II will be offered in the last half of April in April.

2009 is the year to go from being a good voiceover talent to a great voiceover artist!

Call our office at 916 446-2004 to reserve your seat today. $75.00, includes all materials. Bring a pencil with an ERASER! A couple seats are still available!

All workshops are held in the beautiful Sacramento Art Complex, of course!

2110 K Street, Suite 17 in Midtown.

New for 2009......FREE voiceover labs! This is a great opportunity to increase your level of skill behind the mic. Check the schedule for dates. We are also offering NEW advanced workshops in 2009. There's something for everyone and every skill level.

INTRODUCTORY SKILL LEVEL WORKSHOPS:

1. Step Up To The Mic! Learn everything you need to know about the recording studio and studio etiquette, the various mics you'll use in voiceovers and the importance of proper breath control. You'll also get time behind the mic to try out the microphones and record a couple pieces of copy. And, you'll be able to download what you record during the workshop off the internet to listen to at home.

2. Acting in Voiceovers: Developing your acting skills is imperative to your success as a voiceover artist. Plus, it is a lot of FUN! You'll learn how to "get out of your box" and lose your inhibitions to be able to adapt your delivery to a variety of vocal styles. We'll team you up with other voiceover artists to "voice act" in 4 dialogue commercials. And later you'll be able to download your recordings off the internet to play for your family and friends!

3. The Business of Voicevers: This workshop is designed to give you a look into the real working world of a voiceover professional. What does it take to make it? How do you find the work? How much money can you make? These questions and more will be answered in this 3-hour workshop which also give you time to read copy behind the mic along with professional analysis of your growing skills

INTERMEDIATE SKILL LEVEL WORKSHOPS:

Discover Your Money Voice: In today's voiceover world there are so many different styles and types of voice work. Narrations. Long Form Technical Narrations. Radio and TV commercials. Radio and TV Image Liners and Promos. Movie Trailers. Audio Books. Video Games. Telephone IVR. The possibilites of voiceover jobs is endless! So, what are your vocal strengths? In this workshop you'll have the opportunity to record a variety of different scripts in order to analyze what your strengths are and to ultimately discover your money voice! $75.00

Develop Your Internal Time Clock: Time is money and that is especially true in voiceovers. Getting the timing correct while still adding personality and energy to your delivery is a skill that must be mastered. We'll bring out the stopwatch for this workshop as you develop your sense of time reading a variety of tags, donuts and commercials. $75.00

Nailing the Read: Taking direction is one of the most important skills a voiceover artist must develop and in this workshop you'll fine tune your voiceover skills by learning how to interpret what the director wants....and most importantly, learn how to deliver it!
$75.00

The IVR and MOH Phone Voice Industry: There are many voiceover artists that specialize just in phone recordings. Why? Because there is a LOT of work available in phone messaging including IVR (Interactive Voice Response), phone prompts, messages on-hold and recorded automated attendant are just a few of the ways in which your voice can be used on the phone. Learn the skills you need, practice recording some phone scripts and get the inside scoop on how to find the work in this lucrative voiceover niche. $75.00

How to Build Your Own Home Recording Studio including Basic Audio Editing: Today voiceover jobs can easily be found on the Internet and because of it it's feasible to develop a worldwide clientele without ever leaving the comfort of your own home! The professional recording studio of today is easy to put together and extremely affordable, too. Our audio engineer extraordinaire, Jim Naylor, will lead this informative workshop and show you how to build a quality home studio on a budget so you can start making money doing voiceovers from home. $75.00

Marketing Your Voiceover Career: It takes more than a great voice and a stellar voice demo to get work in this highly competitive business. Marketing is integral to your success as a voiceover artist and in this 3-hour workshop we'll show you how to write your marketing plan, give you tips on how to find the work and show you ways to stand out in the crowd. Be sure to take this workshop before you produce your voice demo! $75.00

ADVANCED SKILL LEVEL WORKSHOPS:

Preparing For Your First Voice Demo: When you feel you're ready to take the next step towards having your very own voice demo produced this workshop will help you prepare by pinpointing your strengths, highlighting areas to work on and pushing you to be your very best. $75.00

!!!**NEW**!!! Tightening the Nuts and Bolts in Your Vocal Delivery Part I : You'll learn the 12 Steps to Voiceover Success in this skills-intensive workshop. It's the subtle nuances in your voice that brings copy to life and makes your delivery unique. In this workshop we'll concentrate on phrasing, emphasis, energy levels, pitch, tempo and volume variances. You'll be impressed on how your vocal performance will dramatically improve when you incorporate these proven techniques into your delivery. $75.00

!!!**NEW**!! Tightening the Nuts and Bolts in Your Vocal Delivery II: Becoming a Versatile Voiceover Artist: The in-demand voiceover artists are the ones who are versatile and flexible in their vocal skills. They are the ones who can make minor changes to their delivery to please even the pickiest directors. The ones who can make boring copy sound fascinating. The ones who can read one sentence 5 different ways....and be able to do it RIGHT NOW. The ones who can read a piece of copy to appeal to a 30 year old and then read it totally different to appeal to a 50 year old. This workshop is for those of you who are ready to really challenge yourself and to be pushed out of your comfort zone. If you have at least 5 workshops under your belt.....this one is for you! $75.00

!!!**NEW**!!! The Wonderful World of Narrations: We've briefly touched on narrations in other workshops but since there is so much voiceover work in narrations we feel it's important to really dig deeper. In this workshop you'll read 2 and 3 minute narrations, whereas in other workshops we'd read 30 to 40 second narrations. We'll offer a variety of scripts for you to work with from easy-going documentaries to long-form technical narrations. Also, we limit the size of the class to 4 participants to make sure everyone has time to read at least 3 long-form pieces of work. $100.00

!!!**NEW**!!! Advanced Acting in Voiceovers: By popular demand, this advanced acting workshop focuses on in-depth character development to create believable voice acting scenarios. A great opportunity to work with other voice actors and grow your level of skill.

ALL SKILL LEVELS: