The voice acting industry in larger cities worldwide has been mature for decades.
The voice acting industry in larger cities worldwide has been mature for decades. As a result, the industry has come to count on terrific performances captured brilliantly by professional studios using best practices, broadcast-quality recording environments, and a deep, skilled talent pool.
One of the dominant trends of the past two decades is talented voice actors joining the fray from "the regions," as one agent lovingly called anyone working from centers outside the top 5 markets in North America and regions across Europe, often to record eLearning projects.
However, the variability and quality of performances and business practices foisted on clients continue to be astonishingly haphazard to the detriment of every stakeholder in the process. That includes content producers, consumers (in this case of eLearning, learners), and over the medium to long term, the voice actors involved, and their community of peers who suffer because a significant minority of voice actors are hobbyists more than actual professionals in any genuine sense.
So, let's bring that definition out in the open to get to the first of at least three essential qualities producers should consider when hiring a voice actor. Are they professional?
pro·fes·sion·al| prəˈfeSH(ə)n(ə)l | adjective…
1 - engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
2 - worthy of or appropriate to a professional person; competent, skillful, or assured.
In eLearning, the voice actor you hire is the end-stage project manager, working hand in hand with the other "shepherd or shepherds" involved on the development end.
A professional voice actor will:
- Be reliable with the ability to deliver on time, on budget, and with above-average and adaptable communication skills (small company to large enterprise) because they do this every day, all day. It’s not an after-school special for them.
- Have market-based pricing based on objective metrics.
- Have traditional studio services best practices which include redundant backups, proper archival of documents and recordings, broadcast-quality sound with no extraneous noise.
- Bring high-level performance craft, experience and current training, and of course a personality and point of view to the table to bring the content on the page to life