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UVT Blog

Don't Pigeonhole Yourself


Quality coaching and getting a few demos produced should always be the number one priority when it comes to having a chance to succeed in the voiceover business. Once you're out there marketing your demos to VO buyers and talent agents, be open to a variety of work. Occasionally, newer talents feel the need to identify their "niche" or "specialty" soon after their voiceover training has been completed. While finding your niche is essential, be careful not to pigeonhole yourself before getting some experience.


I went through this during the early stages of my career. I had an excellent coach but he was too aggressive in steering me towards only audiobooks and corporate narration. While I can understand why he thought I would find some success in these genres, he never told me to be open to more than these kinds of projects. So, I kept skipping over TV and radio commercial opportunities because I thought I was only supposed to go for audiobooks and corporate narration.


Some training programs around the globe tend to be too focused on branding and finding that unique niche. I don't disagree with this training method, but sometimes talents become overwhelmed when they haven't figured out their specialty. It can take a while and it's important not to become too obsessed with what that niche is or how your logo should look.


Focus on booking anything and everything. Let the client decide whether you're the right fit for a gig. Don't turn away an audition or job opportunity because your coach convinced you to stick to a particular niche. Imagine how silly you would sound if a client offered you a commercial gig but you turned it down and told them that you're just a corporate narrator. Guess what? I did that when I first started. Ouch.


When you're in the early stages of a voiceover career, it's next to impossible to know what that exact niche is. After years of experience as a voice actor, my niche became commercials, eLearning narration and theme park promos. However, I still enjoy a wide variety of work, so you might say that my niche can also depend on the day.


Learn to be a versatile voice actor. It will open the door to more opportunities, variety, and fun in your day-to-day assignments.


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