Getting Started in VO, Part 6: Do You Need a Demo?

The answer is…maybe?

It’s important to understand why you would need a Demo.

A Demo is a assemblage of audio samples that you have recorded. When I started out, you sent this out on a casette tape, like the one in the photo on the Blog page. Now, all Demos are digital. They can be from work you’ve actually been paid to do, or, for a beginner, scripted copy you have found or that has been provided for you to read and record.

Some Demos try to include a little bit of everything you want to do. Others are more specifically targeted to a particular genre, such as Commercial or Animation or Games.

Most Demos these days are about a minute long (by contrast my first Demo which I used for over 30 years ran closer to 5 minutes!). The casting folks are going to have to listen to a lot of these so they don’t want one that goes on…and on…and…well, you can see their point, can’t you? So today’s Demo will most likely be short.

And yes, you will want to have one. As a headshot and resume is to a stage or film actor, the Demo is for the Voice Actor. It’s a way for a casting person to quickly get an impression—hopefully favorable—of your work. Which means that your Demo should be as good as you can possibly make it.

And THAT means as good as a PROFESSIONAL can make it.

There are folks on the internet who suggest you don’t need a professional demo producer, that you can do it yourself.

You could.

But I don’t think you should.

Your Demo is your calling card and you want to be noticed. That’s not easy in a field as crowded as Voice Over. I just auditioned for a commercial against 500 other Voice Actors (and got down to the last five). That’s typical. And always remember, these days we are competing with celebrities. If a Producer can get someone who is even a little bit famous, they will do so. So you really need to stand out. to be considered for what’s left over.

A professional Demo Producer can help you do that.

So, where do you find a Demo Producer?

There are a lot to choose from. I picked a husband and wife team in LA, Ryan Ricks and Brittany Cox, whose company is called Next Level Voice Demos. I thought they did a fantastic job for me. They helped me engage time in a local studio—we worked long distance, me in Seattle, them in LA; they sent me copy they had prepared exclusively for me; oversaw my recording session and gave my lots of really useful advice; took my recording and edited and mastered it, adding music to the mix; and then delivered it to me for my approval. I sent the new Demo to my NY agent who was absolutely bowled over by it, telling me it was going up on their website that day!

A Google search will turn up other options, and I would also suggest going to www.voiceoverxtra.com where you will see ads for folks like J. Michael Collins and Anne Ganguzza. This link will take you to a page at that site for more reading about Demos.

Now, there is one thing to keep in mind. If you want a great Demo, you will need to spend some real money. I’ve always maintained that you get what you pay for, so if you choose to go cheap that’s likely what you will end up with and I promise you you do NOT want that!

At the same time, ask yourself if you’re ready for a Demo. Consider where you are in your VO journey. If you are just getting started and haven’t actually booked any jobs, I’d suggest you wait a bit before investing in a demo.

And here’s why:

If your Demo makes you sound spectacular, and gets you an audition or even a job, you better be prepared to give a performance as amazing as the one on your Demo! Which you will only do once you have mastered recording and editing, done a bit of training, and practiced, practiced, PRACTICED! If your Demo suggests that you are up to the job at hand and then you can’t deliver…that’s not the kind of reputation you want to build for yourself. So be sure you are ready to take this next step in preparing to perform.

Once you think you’re ready and have a Demo that you think shows you off at your best, you’re going to need to have some place for casting folks to go to listen to it. Should that place be a website? Or are there other options? We’ll discuss that in Part 7 of this series.

(To hear some examples of VO Demo Reels, here is a link to my talent agency, Stewart Talent, where you can listen samples of Voice Over Talent in various genres.