Meet Vito Jamieson, Voice Over Artist and More

Vito Jamieson is a voice over artist, internet marketer, and copywriter who has worked on campaigns for Google, Seagrams, and many other businesses around the world.

Learn more about him by visiting VoiceOversPlusMore.com.

1. What drew you to the field of voice over work?

When I was about 13, my voice dropped overnight. Suddenly girls were paying attention and I liked it. Whenever there was a school project that required a voice, then I was "voluntold" to put my voice on the projects.

Over time the same thing started happening at work. At one point, my boss wanted me to put my voice on an animated project but wanted me to keep up with my regular work. I let her know that I couldn't do both and named a price to do it on my own time, and my first paid gig was in the pocket.

2. Do you find that a lot of your voice over clients also benefit from your copywriting services?

Copywriting is a natural extension of my voice work. So many times, people sent me work with errors, so I began to charge them to correct the work. People also started asking me my opinion, and at times the material was so bad I would tell people I could not put my voice to bad material in order to maintain my reputation.

My voice is a tool for sales and moving people to action. Copywriting does the same thing and it can be just as fun.

3. What types of projects do you find yourself doing most often--and what are some of your favorite things to work on?

It's really a mixed bag. I find myself doing a lot of narration, radio commercials, and station identification. I would say the most common are when people want a deep voice and a tone like Dennis Haysbert or Morgan Freeman. Quite often I get people who want me to imitate James Earl Jones' "This is CNN." That's always fun.

I think my favorite thing is when parents ask me to call their kids as Santa Claus. Kids get a kick out of it, and parents are thrilled when their kids behave themselves!

4. Why do small businesses need to hire voice over professionals instead of just doing their own narration for videos for social media (etc)?

When people do things in a less than professional way, it is a disservice to their business. Yes, people may be passionate about their business, but a lot of times they are going to come across as too cheap to use a professional or worse, cheesy.

If you own a store front shop, would you create a hand painted sign for your business and expect people to take you seriously? I hope not. A hand painted sign for a lemonade stand is cute but not elsewhere. Using a professional voice is like using a professional sign that says, take a look at me, and look at me for the right reasons.

5. What else would you like readers to know about you and your work?

Well, I'd be remiss if I did not say go to VoiceOversPlusMore.com and listen to samples of my voice and to connect with me. I love doing creative projects and would be happy to discuss whatever your project ideas may be.

Thanks, Vito!

Meet JC, Voice Over Professional

JC has been a voice over professional since 2011. His voice over experience has included a range of projects, from explainer videos to ebook narration (small to large) as well as phone scripts, sales videos, elearning, and so much more.

You can hire JC through the freelance platform Fiverr, where to date he has completed over 100 projects with 100% client satisfaction. Learn more by visiting https://www.fiverr.com/jcforyou/record-a-professional-voice-over-up-to-400-words-in-24-hours.

1. How did you first get into doing voice over work?

I started doing voice over in 2011 as I was looking to make extra money. Many people throughout the years have come up to me and told me I had a great radio voice, so I decided, after hearing about Fiverr, to give it a try.

From 2011 to 2015 I dabbled in voice over projects off and on without putting any serious effort into it, and I always received great reviews.

In January 2016, a friend and I were having a conversation, and in so many words or less, my friend told me I should get serious about voice over work as I could build a great reputation for myself. So, I got busy and started working hard at growing my online presence in voice over.

2. What inspired you to choose Fiverr as a platform for offering your voice over services?

The reason I choose Fiverr is I have heard so much about the platform from many other marketers and how it was a great place to buy services for various online tasks. After checking it out, I realized I could be a seller and start voice over projects, and voila here I am. :)

3. In addition to recording voice tracks for videos (which I'm assuming is your most requested service, but please correct me if I'm wrong!), what are some of the types of recordings that you've been hired to do?

So far I have been involved in video voice over projects but this has only been more lately. In the past six months to date, I have been involved in advertising projects, motivational projects (lots of them), spiritual projects, sales page voice overs, and ecourses in teaching people how to learn internet marketing, use online services and use software programs. I have also done phone scripts and acting projects (even though I am not officially a voice actor). I even did a project for the city of Chicago which was amazing, and I have turned eBooks into audio books for various clients (small and large projects).

4. In your opinion, what are some qualities that give a recording a professional feel?

In my opinion, caring about the project is number one. Even if you don't care for the actual content, you need to care about the end result the client is looking for. Learning breathing techniques, and having an excellent quality microphone and setup is also very important to the success of the project.

It's crucial to maintain a professional attitude throughout the project regardless if it is a $5 gig or a $5000 gig; I treat them all with the same quality and always give 150% so every project is a success.

5. How do you approach each individual project to make sure you're capturing what the customer wants in the recording?

I could get the same project from different clients and each client would want a different ending result. That is an example to make a point, as getting the same project from different people doesn't happen, of course. But there are similar projects that people look for, and as I said, they all have different ending results they are looking for, so my commitment on every project is to keep open communication and keep my clients informed throughout the process and ask questions to confirm what they are looking for at certain points in projects (when necessary).

When I am not 100% sure about a voice over project, I will send a part of the project to the client for review so they can give me feedback on whether I am on the right track as I should leave nothing to chance.

The one main thing I offer is unlimited revisions even after the gig is completed and closed. Also, I offer revisions regardless if it is my error or changes they want to make after listening to the project. My clients have been very happy with this added benefit, and just the same I rarely have too many revisions and 99% of the ones I do are due to changes the client makes.

Thanks, JC!

Meet Robert James, Marketing Manager of The Voice Realm

The Voice Realm is a website which connects voice actors with those wishing to hire a voice. The site lists high-rated freelance voice actors available for casting in radio or TV commercials, telephone on-hold messages, narration, in-store announcers, corporate recordings, and more.

Our interview is with The Voice Realm's marketing manager, Robert James.

1. How has the voice over industry changed in recent years?

It has changed dramatically. We are seeing a shift in clients moving online to save time and money when casting voice actors. Many voice talent now have their own professional home studios, so this can pass on massive savings to clients, by not needing to book expensive studio time.

2. How do clients find and collaborate with voice talent using your site?

They can easily search through our database of talent, or they can have the system send out their script, and voice talent will record a sample audition for them free. Then once they find the voice they like, they simply hire the voice and download the recording.

3. My thought is that online services like yours make it easier for small business owners and individuals to afford voice over services for a variety of projects. What other benefits do you see to making voice over services available online?

Other than the cost, it is the time that is saved. Prior to online websites such as The Voice Realm, there would be the need for casting directors and studio time and the engineer. It was a long, drawn out process that took days and sometimes weeks.

4. Do the voice actors you work with have home studios or other professional recording equipment/resources that they utilize?

All our talent record in their own professional home studios. It is exactly the same sound you would get from a big studio in NYC or London, but at a tiny fraction of the cost.

5. What are some unique uses for voice over work that you've seen (heard?) in your experience in the industry?

We've cast voice talent for toys and dolls, and someone once paid one of our voices to make a dramatic opening, kind of like a movie trailer, to be played at his wedding. That was quite funny and unique.

Thanks, Robert!