01/11/2020
Voiceover Coaching
How Many Demos is "Enuf?"
First of all, let me make clear the obvious, that the illustration is a throwback just for fun, and I don't actually store my VO demos this way! :-) These days, demos are digital files. Onward...
Every VO artist starts with one demo. It may be a catch-all of the styles they do best at the moment, or it may represent just a single genre of VO that is currently their strongest one, such as game characters, image voice, or hard sell. But as your repertoire increases, so can the number of demos you keep on hand.
Personally, I like having LOTS of demos!
I have several general demos of varying lengths, including a longer one for situations where the client seems to want to hear the full gamut of things I can do. I have a cluster of demos for various styles and genres, including things like phone messaging, characters, etc. In addition, I keep on hand individual clips of very very specific, single voice styles that drill down to just one voice...so I'm ready if the client asks if I can do Rod Serling, a fantasy "Lord of the Rings" style narration, a children's storybook narration, a cowboy, etc.
In all, I have over 30 different demos and sample clips I can send clients, and find myself dipping into the collection for more than the top two or three with some regularity. It's great fun to be able to say, "sure, I have an example of that," and fire it off to them.
So yeah, as you expand what you find you're able to do, don't be afraid to packrat away any VOs you think showcase something interesting in your voice or illustrate the depth of your repertoire. Store them as individual clips so they can be shared separately, or combined in a style demo or general demo. To my way of thinking, the more, the merrier!
Maybe you're new to voice-over work and need a demo, or have some experience but creating demos isn't a strong point for you? Let me help! PM me and I'll be happy to assist in identifying your strengths, selecting scripts (or clips from what you've already done), compiling, and producing a demo that'll help win you work!
One last thought. A great starting point if you're just getting into creating demos is this dirt-cheap but extremely helpful course, which I'm making available at a discount on Fiverr: It covers a LOT of ground, and can tell you all the steps to creating a demo that will get you some sales.
https://www.fiverr.com/share/6YdXRw
Offering versatile voice-overs for TV, video, radio. telephone, Internet, multimedia. Complete audio production services.
