Getting Started in VO, Part 9: Do You Need an Agent? And Where Do You Look for Work?

The answer to the first question is yes. At some point.

But before you go looking for an agent, I think you want to feel as secure as you can that you are READY for representation.

First, we should look at what an agent actually does. And the best way I can think of to find that out is to take a look at a book written by an agent, Margaret Emory, called Ask An Agent: Everything Actors Need To Know About Agents. Having realized that most actors really have no idea what an agent does, Ms. Emory wrote this book to answer all the questions you might have as well as the ones you’d never have thought of asking.

As to how you go about getting an agent, that’s a bit trickier for me to answer, since I have never really had to look for representation. In most instances, the agents approached me and asked if they could represent me. This was at the same time that wonderful actors who had been working for years couldn’t even get a sit down with an agent.

Sadly, this business is not always fair.

Find out where the agents are. If you live in a city large enough to support talent agencies, you will want to find out what sort of service they offer and what they would require you to go out and pay for (resume, photo, demo, reel). If you have friends who have representation, ask them about their agents. Do NOT ask your friends to recommend you to their agents. That puts them in a very awkward position. If they suggest that they would be willing to talk to their agent about you, that’s an entirely different matter.

Assuming there is an agency or two in town, be prepared to send letters to the agency, enquiring politely if they are accepting new talent as clients. If they say no, or don’t respond at all, try back in a couple of months. If they say yes, be prepared for an interview.

The best approach to an interview is to be serious but not humorless. Be prepared to tell the agent(s) you meet with what you have done and what sorts of things you would like to do. Have questions ready for them. It’s like a job interview and you want to make a good impression but don’t come across as desperate. Try to be yourself at your best. And then cross your fingers.

If an agency is not interested in seeing you or, having met with you, decides not to take you on then it’s up to you to go looking for work. There are plenty of ways to do this. The internet is a great place to start. Look into what casting opportunities come up in a search for the specific kind of VO work you want to do. There are also many sites that offer opportunities to audition for work. Here’s a link to a terrific article by a VO actor who tried out a bunch of those sites and gives his opinions of them: https://martinallanson.com/voiceover-casting-websites/

Finally, if you choose to take classes, most teachers will have suggestions of where to look for work.

Don’t be deterred if you submit an audition and then don’t hear back right away—or ever. There are thousands of people doing exactly what you are doing and most casting folks are doing their best to consider all applicants. Be patient and be willing to check in occasionally (not TOO often) to see if they are willing to see you. Persistence is a quality you will need to cultivate.

So, there you are. I hope these Blog articles will prove useful to you. If I haven’t said it before, let me say it now: these are my thoughts and suggestions at the moment. Some of the things I pointed to are already out of date. For instance, Mike Adams whose course on Audacity I suggested you check out has discontinued it for the moment. Many of the videos he created can still be found on YouTube or you can check out courses from George Whittam and Larry Hudson.

This profession is a bit of a rollercoaster—it doesn’t stand still. But don’t let that discourage you. Instead, do what I did. Decide what you want to know and use Google to help you find out where to learn it.

The important thing is that you persevere. There will be good times when the work comes rolling in and bad times when everyone in the world seems to have forgotten you exist. Keep going. And have FUN!