What are the different types of demos?
There are many different types of demos: promo, eLearning, animation, video game, foreign language, live announce, corporate, explainer video, telephony (voicemail/IVR), documentary, trailer, ADR/looping, museum tours, and TV narration. But, this isn’t an exhaustive list. Within audiobook demos, there are non-fiction, fiction, and children’s audiobook demos. Within commercial demos, there are automotive and pharmaceutical, to name a few. There’s also a new trend of 6-second commercial demos. These demos showcase your ability to create a mood quickly. You can drill down to even more specificity within genres if there is something that you are interested in voicing. For instance, you could develop a medical narration eLearning demo if that’s your desired niche.

Why are different demos needed?
If you only wish to do commercial and narration work, you really don’t need any genre specific demos. If you want to be competitive in a genre that requires a certain voice-over skill set, then that’s where you’ll need a demo to showcase what you are capable of. Let’s take eLearning. You need to be able to show that you can train the learner in an engaging and natural way – and show that your range is capable of doing that! Ultimately, you want to be perceived as an expert, or at least highly knowledgeable, in your area of interest. When you have a demo in that genre, you show that you know what you are doing and instill confidence in your potential client.

How do you market with different demos?
The first step in marketing with your genre specific demos is to find the exact “buyer” for that type of voice-over work. You don’t want to send an eLearning demo to an advertising agency or a children’s audiobook demo to a VOIP (telephony/voicemail) company. The second step is to contact the buyer, introduce yourself, and let them know that you specialize in their type of work as evidenced by the demo you are sending them. You are speaking each other’s language (in a way) and creating a connection because you “get” each other – you work in the same genre and you are offering yourself as a resource for them.
You could send a commercial or narration demo to these companies too, however, with a niche specific demo, it makes you stand out more & gives the client the exact type of read that they specifically hire. On a side note, I spent my first 6 years working in eLearning without an eLearning specific demo. But…when I created an eLearning demo, my marketing became exponentially more effective.

Your demos are your resume. When you have a demo in the genre you are marketing yourself, you create credibility. During the coaching and recording process of the demo, you are getting some great practice for working in the genre, which is an added bonus. By having a genre specific demo, you’re giving yourself an advantage in getting the audition and possibly even the gig!

Check out our VO Pro Membership and the Such A Voice blog for more content like this!

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For this week’s staff spotlight, we’d like to introduce you to Immanuel Gebhardt, one of the members of our post-production team.

SAV: Hi Immanuel! We’re excited to have this time to talk. Tell us some fun facts about yourself.

Gebhardt: Hi, thanks for the opportunity! I’m 18 years old. In my free time, I snowboard and skateboard. I’m also a producer, engineer, and the studio manager at Soundloom in Burlington VT.

SAV: Can you explain more about your role here at SAV on the post-production team?

Gebhardt: When I get a client’s ProTools session, the audio is completely raw. I edit out the background noise, any mouth and breath noise, adjust the pacing, add music and sound effects, and create tight transitions from spot to spot.

SAV: What got you interested in the work that you do now?

Gebhardt: I’ve always been interested in music/production/engineering and after becoming fluent in Pro Tools, I realized working for SAV would be a perfect opportunity —  it combines many of my passions and it’s a job in the audio industry.

SAV: What do you like to do to relax after a hard day of work?

Gebhardt: Sit down on the couch and watch The Office with my roommates.

SAV: What’s the best single day on your calendar?

Gebhardt: FIRST DAY OF WINTER

SAV: What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

Gebhardt: I think everyone should go camping at least once. People need more of a connection with nature, especially if we actually plan on saving this planet!

SAV: What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten around to it?

Gebhardt: Brussel Sprouts! “YUCK,” just kidding. I’d love to try snowboarding in Japan, just haven’t gotten around to it yet!

SAV: What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

Gebhardt: MYSPACE

SAV: What song or artist do you like but rarely admit to liking?

Gebhardt: My roommates listen to Kenny Chesney and it’s starting to grow on me.

SAV: What are you looking forward to in the coming months?

Gebhardt: I’m looking forward to a trip to Bozeman, MT to see family and snowboard.

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As a voice-over artist, your voice-over demo is the most useful tool you have in getting your voice heard and allowing potential clients and agents to have a comprehensive understanding of what you offer as a unique and capable voice talent. When you think about it, your demo is your calling card, business card, and resume all rolled into one! That’s why

Here’s how to create a compelling voice-over demo:

Get up to Speed

It’s important to become familiar with industry standards and understand the reasoning behind them before creating your voice-over demo. Most demos are around 60 seconds long these days. One reason is because people have shorter attention spans than ever before. Another reason is that there is more content being made nowadays and potential clients simply don’t have enough time to listen to longer demos in order to decide who they are interested in working with. Making sure your demo fits into the voice-over landscape shows clients that you’re in tune with what’s going on in the industry.

Focus on Genre

It’s important that your voice-over demo showcases one specific genre, as opposed to being a compilation of different genres on one demo. Voice seekers are busy, and they don’t have time to wade through a long montage to eventually see if you can master the style they’re looking for. That’s why having a genre-specific demo that accurately showcases your current skill set in that particular genre is a must for any voice-over artist.

Commercial and narration demos are common genres to focus on initially, and will remain staples of your demo arsenal. As you grow in your voice work, you may want to create specialty demos in other genres. These include animation, promo, audiobook, narration, and foreign language.

Great Content

When selecting scripts for your demo, make sure the copy is strong and allows you to shine as a performer. Choose marketable content that accurately reflects your capabilities. Ensure the spots you choose are evergreen, meaning that they can be used months and potentially years down the road without the content feeling dated.

Show Your Range

As a voice actor, you’ve honed the ability to create a variety of different reads and interpretations. Your demo should showcase your best performances, showing enough range and versatility to capture the listener’s attention, hold it, and leave them wanting more.

Quality Matters

Your demo should reflect the level of professionalism and quality you aim to offer your future clients. In keeping with a high standard of excellence, it’s optimal for your demo to be professionally recorded in a studio. The most marketable passages with the strongest performances should then be selected, ideally by a post producer with experience in the industry. Finally, an audio engineer should bring their expertise to the table, adding music and sound effects, and ultimately editing, sequencing, mixing, and mastering the demo.

It’s easy to feel nervous about creating your voice-over demo, especially for the first time, but if you start out having these key points covered, you can feel confident that you’re ready to create a compelling voice-over demo.

Check out our VO Pro Membership and the Such A Voice blog for more content like this!

About the Author

Claudine Ohayon is an Emmy Award-winning director/producer, commercial and promotional voice talent for brands like Verizon, Listerine, and MasterCard, native Brooklynite, published photographer. She was also the live announcer for the first ever televised Hollywood Film Awards on CBS.

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