Would You Let An Untrained Person Do Your Surgery?

Last week, we got a phone call from someone who wants to "change careers and work in voiceover." 

Great! We'd love to be a part of your VO journey. We train a lot of actors and voice actors from all walks of life and many have gone to have very successful careers. As we explain the basic process (a question we get asked a lot everyday), the caller very adamantly exclaims that they have no interest in training and would like to start auditioning right away and working. 

This is the moment where we stifle a laugh and ask for a demo or some sort of voice sample so we can hear their voice and skill level so if they seem competitive and we have something come through that they'd be right for, we can invite them to audition for us. The caller then states they "don't know what a demo is" and proceeds to ask us to describe a VO demo so they can make one to send to us. Oh boy.

There are several things in this conversation that are unsettling (and to some, maybe even insulting that someone thinks it's such an easy job anyone can do it). So, let's try to really understand what this person is trying to do. Say one day I decide that I wanted to be a Cosmetologist so I can cut and dye people's hair. I'd need to have training to know what I'm doing, right? But what if I didn't want to get trained and licensed but I didn't really know anything about the different types of dyes, or scissors, and other trimming devices? You'd still let me do your hair, right? 

My guess is probably not. 

We could use the same analogy with a surgeon. I want to be a surgeon but I don't want to go to med school. Besides, I don't really need to know how to use a scalpel or what organs are where to do surgery. You'd still let me perform your surgery, right? 

Again, probably not. 

This is exactly how we feel when people want to get into voiceover but are not willing to get the proper training to be competitive and learn about the basics industry. 

Even if you cannot afford to get training from classes and workshops, there are a number of fantastic and reputable resources online including websites and podcasts that are FREE to listen to and learn. 

If you want to be a successful voice actor, you must be willing to put into the time and work. Simple as that.