What would be the best way to get started in the Voice over business?
I have been told I should research this and do like Ashton Smith,
movie Trailors etc.
My main hang up is were to start? Can you help....

You need to make a demo, a collection of at least several different
V.O. tracks.  Try to do this professionally, so that everyone will
take you seriously.  If you are computer savvy, this is something you
can do at home, burn CDs, print nice labels and you're set to go.  But
you need to know what kind of tracks to record.  Why kind of
voice-over talent do you want to be?  Try to be versitile. Record a
commercial announcer track, a movie trailer track, a quirky or funny
guy character, a new reporter type... anything that will show the
range of your talent.

When you have this, you can submit it to agents in your area. Try to
arrange a meeting and hopefully you'll find representation.  It will
be their job to try and find you work.

Hope this helps!

Fat_bmw --

Jason's advice is right on. . . and here's a great voice over industry
website where you can listen to the demo tapes of hundreds of VO
artists and agency reels.

http://www.voicebank.net

It asks you to register, but you don't have to if all you're going to do is listen.

The first thing you need to do is get some scripts (copy). Radio
stations are usually more than happy to give you some old commercial
scripts you can practice with. If you know someone in radio, that
would be even better. They could get you into one of their recording
studios to read and record your script. Also, their are a number of
voice over courses out there that you can sign up for. They provide
the scripts, the recording facilities, and help you put a winning demo
together. Usually contacting a Talent agent or performers union, will
get you started in the right direction. Other things you can do
include; purchasing a recording program like Adobe Audition, and
installing it in your computer. It is not that expensive, and you can
use it to develop your voice skills. Talk to one of the staff at a
Musical instruments store. They can get you set up. Eventually you
will need a website to promote yourself and your demos. Here's a link
to my website: http://www.garyryanonline.com/
Best of luck!

Definitely need a demo reel and for agents go to
www.actingcommunity.com , go to the Reps page and they list this
resource book of agents. The book I'm talking about is called "The
Right Agent" (the rest of his servcies, I haven't used). The book
lists agents in your area and lists what specifically they do and what
they're looking for. There are always voice over agents looking for
new talent. I don't do voice over but this is how me and my friends
find agents.

(This is a very over simplified explanation of what it takes to get
into voiceover work)

The number ONE?MOST important?absolutely most VITAL tool? a potential
voiceover personality must have (ready?). A demo. ?Oh sure?, you say,
?But how do I get a demo when I am trying to break into the business??

1 ? Get Experience

In order to get experience in voiceovers, you may have to be willing
to work for free for a while (or at least really, really, REALLY
cheap). Find a community radio station in your town. Most will readily
welcome volunteers. Ask for the ?Production Director?. If they have
one, tell them you are interested in voiceovers and ask if they might
need an extra voice from time to time. They might use you for an ad
here and there. KEEP A COPY OF EVERTHING YOU DO. You will need it
later to put together a demo.

2 ? Assemble Your Demo

Hopefully you the more you do, the more opportunities you will have.
Depending on your experience with audio editing, you may need some
assistance in putting together a quality demo. Gather your ?best of
the best?. You can hire someone to help you with your demo, have a
friend do it for you, or try doing it yourself. Several good and bad
demos can be found at http://www.voice123.com. You will soon hear the
difference.

3 ? Make Contact

Burn your demo to CDs and start sending them out along with a good
resume and cover letter explaining what you are doing. You can send
them to advertising agencies in your town (stay local for now; don?t
try to go global yet). You may even try sending them to Production
Directors of other radio stations or TV stations, although these
places usually have an abundance of voices already in-house.

4 ? Talent Agencies

If you do a little research, you may find that there are a couple of
local talent agencies that represent voiceover talent. DO NOT call or
e-mail talent agencies. Send (you remember snail-mail) your demo in a
professional looking package with your resume and cover letter. Ask
them to review your demo and state that you are looking for
representation for your voiceover work. DO NOT pay an agency. REAL
talent agencies make a commission from the work they get for you. If
an agency asks for a few hundred (or thousand) dollars before they
will agree to represent you?RUN.

You will need an agency for most "audition-able" opportunities out
there. Don't count on just finding "open auditions" for voice work.

5 ? Don?t Give Up

Do not be easily discouraged. If voiceover work is what you TRULY want
to do, keep trying. It can be a lot of fun. It WILL be a lot of work.
Its not easy, but you can do it if you keep trying.

6 ? Voiceover and Voice Acting

Here?s a quick side note on voice ACTING. This is an entirely
different type of voiceover work. I have worked with voice talent for
over 15 years and there are many who can read narrations and sound
really good. Yet if I were to ask these voice veterans to ACT?they?d
read a narration for me?blah. Voice acting is just that? acting.
You?re not just reading lines. You have to BECOME the character. This
is not something I can teach in an article like this. This takes time
and experience, and for some, it just doesn?t ever happen.

If you have any other questions, pleas feel free to ask. My specialty
is character voice work. I have a home studio in Colorado. I have one
or two years of experience and I record new stuff almost every day.

If you would like to hear MY humble demo, visit my website
(http://www.davechristi.com).