Real Talk with Kelly Wilson

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: Here's how I voice match myself when there is a line pickup from a REALLY long time ago.  Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you!

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: My client's ROCK, but...they won't be at my funeral.  Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you!

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: Understanding your client's needs, only helps them.   Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you!

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: Sometimes I forget my own talents.  Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you!

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: Client feedback and how to receive it.  Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you!

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: Why I watch the commercials.  Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you!

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: Learning how to portray a REALLY good teacher to children vicariously through my son's virtual first grade teacher. Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you!

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: The highlight of my day...as a voice actor (and a proud parent moment).  Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you!

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ and this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: What a normal week looks like for me...as a voice actor, content creator, business owner, mom, virtual homeschool teacher... Got a question for me? Email me your question and maybe I can cover it here on the podcast: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thanks and Happy New Year! 

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor, mom, mismatch sock wearer, a real person with a real voice, based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  And this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: When sweet validation hits...when someone you really look up to calls you a professional. If you have a question you would like me for me to cover on this podcast OR if you want to interview me for your podcast, email me: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” And if you hire voice actors, you can Subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you.

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor, mom, mismatch sock wearer, a real person with a real voice, based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  And this is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: Goal setting....90 Day goals instead of one year goals.  If you have a question you would like me for me to cover on this podcast OR if you want to interview me for your podcast, email me: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk.” And if you hire voice actors, you can Subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you. 

Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor, mom, mismatch sock wearer, a real person with a real voice, based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ . This is my podcast, "Real Talk." Today’s Topic: Figuring out if you’re actually afraid of something REAL or fake. I have night terrors and they tend to come on when I’m really stressed out. I call them my reoccurring spider dream. I probably had those night terrors about once a week from March till May of 2020. It was a stressful year, no question, BUT if you're frozen in fear, here's what worked for me...and I hope it will help you out too. If you have a question you would like me for me to cover on this podcast OR if you want to interview me for your podcast, email me: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe to my podcast “Real Talk”, available everywhere you can hear podcasts: https://anchor.fm/kellywilsonvo  Hire voice actors? Subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ Rate, review, share, and tell a friend. Thank you.

Today’s Topic: Did you know that kid snacks and a voice over directed session are intertwined? They are for me. Hi, I’m Kelly Wilson, a voice actor, mom, mismatch sock wearer, a real person with a real voice, based in Twin Falls, Idaho, check out my story at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com. This is my podcast, "Real Talk". If I’m going to be hired for a directed session, just know that I take it seriously. Here’s how I prepare for a directed session...and yes, kid snacks are included.  If you have a question you would like me for me to cover on this podcast OR if you want to interview me for your podcast, email me: Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe, rate, review, and share my podcast “Real Talk” with a friend! Available everywhere you can hear podcasts: https://anchor.fm/kellywilsonvo  If you hire voice actors, you can subscribe to my email community at: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe  Listen to my demos at: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ 

This week on the podcast: I’m talking about that as a voice actor, I understand that when you are hired for a project, YES, you need the goods, you need to deliver, but FIRST… You need to take complete ownership of your client’s project, because if you are hired by someone, that means, that YOU have been trusted to be part of THEIR team and you better BRING IT. If you have a question you would like for me to cover on the show, email questions to Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com .   If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe  Demos here: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com  Audio Podcast: https://anchor.fm/kellywilsonvo

Talking about myself feels like bragging, but the truth is people are SO BUSY, in their own heads about their own problems and never remember what you can do, because they’re too busy worrying about their thing….so, it's good to tell people about how you can help them. Here are some ways I can help: I have a varied background, which means various experiences and that is very good for voice over. I like to set expectations and boundaries when I work with someone new.  I voice out of my professional recording studio (which is still so cool that I have one in my house...I'm still stoked about that! I was put on this Earth to be a voice actor (and annoy my husband), so I take it seriously (both things). I prefer being an "artist" and a performer, but I can Type-A it up as well.  I can sound like a little kid, usually I get typecast as a little boy voice, that's actually how I started in voice over, as a cartoon boy voice. I have even sang as the little boy voice for a couple of children's eLearnings.  If you need a voice that is NOT like mine, please ask, I can always refer you or ask around for leads.  I’m sure I will think of more to add here, but that’s what people should know before working with me. Join my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe  Demos: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/  Rate, review, share, tell a friend, hug yourself, take nap, be well.

And now to complain about my son… He spends more time complaining about all the work he has to do, instead of just focusing on one problem at a time. He gets overwhelmed easily by the work. He gets frustrated when he does not get the answer correct on the first try. He doesn’t want to practice boring things like math and reading and those building block activities. He tries to just power through and not take breaks so he can finish all his work quickly, but then since he didn’t take a break, he can ’t focus. Watching him do these things made me think about voice over…naturally. When I try something new, a new voice over genre, a new way to approach a script, a new audio editing software plugin…well, if I don’t get it 100% right on the first try, I get really frustrated with myself. Sometimes I don’t want to practice the little things that add up to big things after doing them day in and day out. I spend a lot of my day trying to convince my son that he won’t get it all right the first time and possibly not the fiftieth time, but if he keeps on trying, he will get better. He will get his practice reps in, he will learn, he will sharpen his skills, he will get faster, better, strong, smarter. This is the work. The grind. This is what living the dream is. Now get to work.

Today’s Topic: I hate myself as much as the next guy…. Here’s the truth…Most of the time, I think ONLY about my faults, the bad stuff, the things I mess up, I nitpick myself, I troll myself. Sometimes out loud and sometimes just in my own head. If you only knew the horrid things I think about myself. And I fully understand that it’s all a lie. Sometimes it feels VERY real, but it’s all a lie. Also, I know that other people hate on themselves also. I think everyone is worried about themselves, their “not enough-ness.” THEN, if someone hates on ME, for example, I fully understand that the person who shared the hate was either giving valuable feedback or just having a bad day, overtired, or just hurt themselves. Hurt people, hurt people…right?! My whole point of this podcast is: I’m an actor, so I will act like I love myself till I can actually love myself. OK now back to this visibility thing: Most social media platforms are set up to throttle your content unless it is consistent, engaging, and good. So, if you are afraid of putting yourself out there for fear that your content will…well suck. It probably will at first, but guess what? Not many people will see it. So problem solved. Get out there, get visible, and you will get better. By the time you do get better, you will be more visible. Also, if your crazy aunt sees your content and gives you lip…if she ain’t buying, then you ain’t listening. If one person listens to this podcast and just starts their journey in getting more visible in their business, I will call that a success. Also, if one person listens to this podcasts and hires me or send me an audition opportunity, I will also call that a success. :-) My last piece of advice: Sleep…it heals the brain, allows you to be rational, and recharges you. Get some sleep. Finally, surround yourself with good people. You see, my best friend and I had a falling out a couple of years ago and I currently don’t have a best friend, so I have to do that best friending myself example I did. So do that if you need to too. If you’re liking what I’m doing here, subscribe, rate, review, and share this podcast with someone who will find it useful.  If you hire voice actors, subscribe to my email community: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe Demos here: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com 

Welcome to Real Talk. I'm Kelly Wilson. I'm a voice actor for commercials, eLearning, politicals, explainers, medical narration, corporate training, IVR, children's content, commercials, and a whole lot more. Hear my demos at www.KellyWilsonVO.com or subscribe at www.KellyWilsonVO.com/Subscribe Today's Topic: Don't work with meany butts I have kids so I’m training myself to not say potty words. I have some great clients, but it wasn’t always this way.  I am thankful for all the meany butts that I have worked with, because they taught me what I don't like. I am a BIG believer in attracting your tribe and when you do attract those you do NOT want to work with, it is a lovely test from the universe saying, "are you sure?" It has taken me a LOT of learning to get here and sometimes I still need to learn this lesson, but most of the time, I just don't work with meany butts. :-)  Thanks for listening to “Real Talk” with Kelly Wilson, voice actor for commercials, eLearning, narration, explainers, training videos, children’s content, political commercials, and more. Hear me in action at my website: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ For more “Real Talk”, subscribe, like, share, rate, review...show me some love! Stay Connected: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe

Welcome to Real Talk. I'm Kelly Wilson. I'm a voice actor for commercials, eLearning, politicals, explainers, medical narration, corporate training, IVR, children's content, commercials, and a whole lot more. Hear my demos at www.KellyWilsonVO.com or subscribe at www.KellyWilsonVO.com/Subscribe Today's Topic: Educating your client about the process Sometimes my job as a voice actor is NOT to voice, but it is, my job is to educate my client and/or my client's client how I roll. How voice over works. The process. How long it takes. What I need. What I don't need. What they need.  Sometimes the job is to educate the client about the world of production and voice over.  Thanks for listening to “Real Talk” with Kelly Wilson, voice actor for commercials, eLearning, narration, explainers, training videos, children’s content, political commercials, and more. Hear me in action at my website: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ For more “Real Talk”, subscribe, like, share, rate, review...show me some love! Stay Connected: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe

Welcome to Real Talk. I'm Kelly Wilson. I'm a voice actor for commercials, eLearning, politicals, explainers, medical narration, corporate training, IVR, children's content, commercials, and a whole lot more. Hear my demos at www.KellyWilsonVO.com or subscribe at www.KellyWilsonVO.com/Subscribe Today's topic: This is how I use LinkedIn to network as a voice actor 1 - Optimize your profile. Make it easily searchable with keywords that describe you. Keep it up-to-date. 2 - Search for people you want to work with using the LinkedIn search tool. 3 - Connect with people you want to work with. 4 - Once they have added you back, message them and say hello. DON’T sell them anything, please god! Sure LinkedIn is for networking, but who wants to get hit on as soon as they walk into da club? No one! It’s annoying and a HUGE turn off. I hardly ever sell to anyone. We all know what we are doing there. I see it this way, I know what I offer, so it’s my job to get in front of people who can use my services and remind them I exist. (In a non-annoying way.) Find people you want to work with, then cultivate a real relationship with them, then follow up with them, forever. :-) 5 - Post at least twice per day on LinkedIn...as in you write social media posts at least twice per day. Make those posts something your ideal client would actually want to read. Experiment here. You will get better. More ideas will come to you the more you create content and actually talk to your ideal clients. 6 - Sign up for LinkedIn Live and then actually use it. Again, experiment with this. Create lives your ideal clients would actually want to watch or talk about your process. Again, you will get better the more you do these and you will get more ideas the more you do them. That’s how I do it. Thanks for listening to “Real Talk” with Kelly Wilson, voice actor for commercials, eLearning, narration, explainers, training videos, children’s content, political commercials, and more. Hear me in action at my website: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ For more “Real Talk”, subscribe, like, share, rate, review...show me some love! Stay Connected: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe

Welcome to Real Talk. I'm Kelly Wilson. I'm a voice actor for commercials, eLearning, politicals, explainers, medical narration, corporate training, IVR, children's content, commercials, and a whole lot more. Hear my demos at www.KellyWilsonVO.com or subscribe at www.KellyWilsonVO.com/Subscribe Today's topic: A former colleague emailed me and asked me to pick my brain for advice about voice over. I'm at the point where I don't always have time for that kind of stuff, so I am answering it here on today’s podcast. He's looking for tips, advice, good places to start for someone looking to begin a career in voice acting. He is currently a videographer, so he has experience with production and knows that world. He says he's got a quality microphone set up. And he's got a small, soundproof closet situation happening that he can record in, and he has no idea where to go from here. It all seems fairly daunting. Dude, well put, yes, it's overwhelming for sure. My three pillars of advice are always this: 1 - Get training, get a VoiceOver Performance coach, never stop coaching. Check out https://rhondasvoice.com/ . She is a fantastic coach, voice actor, and human. 2 - Get a professional demo or demos. Once your coach clears you to record a demo, THEN do it. Beware of demo farms. Listen to your gut and get a couple of different opinions. 3 - Market your butt off! These three things are A LOT! I highly recommend only setting 90 day goals. Check these out, I highly recommend: https://12weekyear.com/ https://www.90dayyear.com/ (I REALLY like this one!) So pick one thing, if you are just starting out, pick the first one and start with a coach. Only work on one project at a time, ONLY THEN move on to the next project. As for your home studio…does it sound like a professional, studio grade recording studio? Get it checked by the best: http://www.georgethe.tech/ Also, invest in BASS TRAPS: https://youtu.be/41liBn-QNW4 Next, go down the YouTube rabbit hole of voice over: Check out Bill Dewees, Booth Junkie, Gabby Nistico, & Lisa Biggs (there are more!).  It’s a lot, but I hope this will help those who are interested in starting the path of voice over. Thanks for listening to “Real Talk” with Kelly Wilson, voice actor for commercials, eLearning, narration, explainers, training videos, children’s content, political commercials, and more. Hear me in action at my website: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/ For more “Real Talk”, subscribe, like, share, rate, review...show me some love! Real Talk Podcast Real Talk YouTube Channel Stay Connected: https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe

My name is Kelly Wilson, This is “Real Talk” where I talk about voice over. I am a voice actor for commercials, elearning, explainer videos, medical narration, trainings, children’s content, and more.  You can find out more about me at KellyWilsonVO.com and if you want to score my freebie, 5 fantastic voice actors to add to your roster, then go to www.KellyWilsonVO.com/Subscribe and get it.  Yes, one of those VOs are me.   Why taking singing lessons was THE BEST thing for my voice over career.  5 years ago, I took my first singing lesson.   Local community college.  Saved money.    Time. This was one hour each week with a professional opera singer…one - on - one time.    Uncomfortable. This was HARD!!!!    Practice…I had to practice EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.    Pressure. I was supposed to do a live singing performance at the end of the semester.    Performance.  Just like in a live directed session, I was going to have to perform on stage for actual humans.    Mind, Body, Voice Connection. Singing every day allowed me to figure out what my body is doing, so then my voice would be able to follow. How I stood, what I did with my body, where my voice was coming from in relation to how it sounded. I use all of that TODAY in voice over.    Confidence. My singing teacher told me, out of the blue, that my voice is unique and it’s full/robust/and some other words that I can’t remember, but I remember feeling surprised and delighted when he said that. THEN, I was able to hear how amazing sauce my own voice was too.   Singing lessons gave me a LOT of tools in my voice over tool box that I continue to use today, it went over a full semester, which means the learning stuck, and it was fun and affordable.    I’m Kelly Wilson….I am a voice actor for commercials, elearning, explainer videos, medical narration, trainings, children’s content, and more.  You can find out more about me at KellyWilsonVO.com and if you want to score my freebie, 5 fantastic voice actors to add to your roster, then go to www.KellyWilsonVO.com/Subscribe and get it.  Yes, one of those VOs is me.  Subscribe/rate/review/follow/ALL THE THINGS!!! so you can check out the next episode AND never miss out on what I’m putting out into the world.   If you have a question you would like for me to cover on here, please pop them in the comments or email me Kelly@KellyWilsonVO.com   This has been “Real Talk” where I talk about voice over.    Have a fantastic day and I hope you found this helpful…Remember…Fill your cup first, THEN you can actually help others.    Later.

When someone says, “You should do THIS!”  AHHHHHH! NOOOOO!   I love listening to tips, tricks, and trainings, and then cherry pick the things that work best for me…Do you do this?   I explain more on this week’s podcast episode of “Real Talk.”  For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

Getting into character is well, what you do as a voice actor...you're an actor. Sometimes dressing the part helps.  For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.  For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

My life is all mixed up. As in my children are at home with me while I work. I do have quiet times to record my voice over projects, but when that is NOT happening, they are being children and children are loud. I found myself apologizing for my children…as if…how dare I have them. Saying that out loud sounds ridiculous. Now with this pandemic, everyone’s lives are all smushed together. This is how it is. This IS the new normal.  For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

Did you live and work through the last recession? The Great Recession? I did and so much good came out of so much pain. Now in this recession, I know more learning and growth are to come.    For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

Have you ever engaged with someone, then the moment passes, and you replay that full conversation in your head, only you recreate it in the perfect way you can best imagine? That’s how I see voice over. Full control over the conversation, images, story, end result, the win, the loss, everything. For a moment, you are a movie director and you create the reality. For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

Six months into a pandemic and both my children are home with me now, I work during naps, early morning, late night, and when they're distracted. It's hard to think I am making it work. I am. Voice over has been a saving grace...like a comfortable pair of jeans I can slip right into VO. As for mom life, that's a hot mess though, but I'm doing what I love to do with the people I love.  Talking about the messiness of it all and honoring it and embracing it. Bring it on.  For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

Hey, I’m Kelly Wilson and I am a voice actor, however, when I worked in previous jobs in corporate settings, I have hired and worked with other voice actors. The hardest part about hiring the voice actor, I found, was convincing my colleagues that a quality, professional voice actor was worth it. The BEST way I found to do this, was one of two ways: 1 - Give up. Yup, some people will never be convinced and you can better spend your time elsewhere.  2 - Let them hear it. Make a spec ad with a professional voice actor and play the old project next to the professional project. Let them hear the difference between the two.  For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

The next time you walk through a store or your own home and you hear a child speak, it sounds different right? Does it stick out more? It does for me. So, if you can, get a real kid when you are casting voices for a child part. Real kids sound…real. BUT real kids are real unpredictable. So let’s say you want an adult who can sound like a kid, because maybe it’s more of a cartoon character instead of an authentic kid. Many women can sound like little boy voices, hello Bart Simpson. I can do a crazy, mixed up squirrel voice myself. Really no difference here in hiring a voice like this. If you work with a usual voice actor anyway, ask them if they can provide the voice, you never know…but also ask them if they can refer anyone. If they know someone who would fit the project, they will be able to quickly connect you to someone in their own network. So let’s say you want an adult who can sound like a kid, because maybe it’s more of a cartoon character instead of an authentic kid.Many women can sound like little boy voices, hello Bart Simpson. I can do a crazy, mixed up squirrel voice myself. For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

So what if you DON’T want to direct a voice actor, but you do want some multiple takes? Just ask for it. Whoever you hire for voice over, just communicate what you want to the voice actor. Here’s what I usually do, depending on the length of the script, for example, if it is short and I don’t want to direct them, I do this: I tell them about the brand, the video, who they are playing and who they are specifically talking to. Then, I will ask for three takes. The first two are variations on how I want it done. The last take I ask them to just give me a version they prefer or they think how it should sound. Don't want to direct the talent? No problem. Just tell them what you want.  For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

When I was a kid, I did this science project with playing cards and we tested people’s memory recall. We learned that people remembered the cards far more often when we showed them the playing card and said the playing card type aloud to them. I’m reminded about this experiment anytime I’m working on an eLearning project. So when you are hiring a voice actor for a project where recall and/or learning is required, you will want to make sure they slow down so the viewer can fully comprehend the content. For eLearning, I find it helpful to bring the voice actor into your project. If you have a scratch track or previous versions of your project, show it to them. Let the voice actor know how the voice over and the video will come together. For example, will the final project live inside a Learning Management System (LMS)?  Remember, you are the project creator…you are the parents. Think of the voice actor as the cool aunt or uncle. While the project is your baby, bring the voice actor into your world, so they can take care of your baby, but also livin’ it up, bring it to life, and possibly sugar it up and spoil it. For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself.

Should you use a male or a female voice? Now we could go on this long rabbit hole of branding, BUT skip all that. Now ask yourself about the end user. Who are you talking to in your project?  NEXT, who does the end user need to talk to in order to have the outcome you want. NOT, who do they want to talk to, but WHO DO THEY NEED to talk to. For example, when I ask my husband if he likes what I am wearing, I fully understand that he will say yes no matter what I am wearing. I also know that he really means it. He is not who I need to ask..maybe who I want to ask, but not who I need to ask. For more Real Talk with Kelly Wilson, join my email community at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe and receive my free gift of 5 voice actors to add to your voice over roster, including myself. 

Be honest, have you ever been emailing or texting someone back and forth and you are more confused then when you started? So you pick up the phone and you say, “hey, I am trying to say X, can we do Y. Oh yeah, let’s do that. Done.”  This is how I feel about a voice over directed session. Some projects just move faster if they are directed by you. Now this episode is NOT for advertising agencies or voice over agents or anyone who knows all about directed sessions. This episode is for corporations, small businesses, or videographers who don’t often partake in directed sessions.  So what is a voice over directed session? A set time where the voice actor, the director, audio engineer, and sometimes other people, like…copywriter, client, producer, mother in-law, and others…all get together, either in one room OR one conference line and live direct the voice actor through the script or scripts.  There are MANY ways to connect online with a voice actor: phone, Skype, Zoom, WebEX, and also Source Connect. Source Connect, which isn’t the only option like this, but is the only option that will connect you into the voice actor’s studio and it will sound like you are actually in the voice over’s studio with them.  I am a big fan of Source Connect. There is a paid version and a free version. The free version is Source Connect Now, and you must download Google Chrome to use it. Also, make sure you have the voice actor record a back up of the audio on their end, just in case.  Leave a review and rate! Join my email community and never miss out on an episode of Real Talk with Kelly Wilson - Visit https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe . When you join my email community you will receive my gift of five fantastic voice actors to add to your roster, including myself.

"Please use your confident librarian voice." Honestly, the first thing that pops into my head is Van Halen, but I get it…instantly. When I am working on a voice over, I will ask my client, WHO am I here? WHat’s happening? So last week, I heard, “you are playing a confident librarian.” I’m transported there, to the library. What is this confident librarian wearing? How is she sitting? What is her specialty? What fires her up? Who is she talking to? If she’s talking to a student, she might slow down her speech, point when she talks, write it down or draw a diagram for the student? If she’s talking to a coworker, she’ll probably still be a bit quiet (because we’re in a library here), but she’ll be less formal, more laid back. Is that same confident librarian presenting to her department? Is she now in power suit mode? So once I know WHO the character is, I like to next find out WHAT am I doing? WHO am I talking to? At this point, I am pulling from all my past experiences in my life. Movies I’ve watched, books I’ve read, actual meetings I have been in, actual conversations with confident librarians I have had, actual power suit moments. All the things.  It’s like I am accessing all my memories in my brain or data base…like Neo in the Matrix or something, I’m putting all the pieces together, taking only what I want to access and use, then boom, it comes out of my voice. This is why I am a HUGE fan of having past jobs in corporate, in higher education, (I was even a TSA agent for awhile) so I can pull actual real life situations to translate them into real voice overs, so they sound real. (How many times did I write the word "real"?) That is why I always want to know who I am playing when I get a part or an audition. Or if I am hiring another voice actor, I give them a brief about the project so they can deliver.  Please do me a huge favor and share this podcast with a friend or a colleague who wants to know more about what it’s like to hire and work with a voice actor. Leave a review and rate! Join my email community and never miss out on an episode of Real Talk with Kelly Wilson - Visit https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe . When you join my email community you will receive my gift of five fantastic voice actors to add to your roster, including myself.

Auditions are like dating and LinkedIn is like Tinder. In this strange example, I’m on LinkedIn and say I post a voice over project that I worked on recently. Now instead of swiping right (or is it left, I’ve never been on Tinder) you send me a direct message, we start a conversation, then you have me audition your project. At this point, you think I sound good, there’s an attraction, but am I crazy…are you crazy? That’s why we go on our coffee date or audition. During the audition you are trying to figure out if my voice will fit your project, but I also have a feeling you are trying to see: What does my studio really sound like? How long will it take for me to respond? Do I ask good questions? Do I seek clarification? Do I self-direct well? Do I give you multiple takes? How’s are my production skills? How do I interpret your script? How do I deliver the audio? How do I follow up? Am I annoying to work with? Am I crazy? Do I mess up? And if I do mess it up, how do I handle it? (Because we’re all humans here, I believe it’s all in the recovery. SO that’s what you are trying to figure out about me. Here’s what I’m trying to decide: Do you communicate well? Are you looking for quality or just a transaction? (I’m after those who seek and understand quality voice over and not just a transaction.) What kind of projects do you work on? Is this something I personally believe in, which doesn’t always have to happen, but it’s nice when it does. Is this a client I could refer one of my other voice over friends to? Sure an audition is about seeing if I can pull off the job, but it’s also a laid back way to see if we both work well together and want to continue to work together. That is why auditions are like a coffee date…on that note I’m so glad I’m married, because real dating sucks! Please do me a huge favor and share this podcast with a friend or a colleague who wants to know more about what it’s like to hire and work with a voice actor. Leave a review and rate! Join my email community and never miss out on an episode of Real Talk with Kelly Wilson - Visit https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe . When you join my email community you will receive my gift of five fantastic voice actors to add to your roster, including myself.

When you need to be someone’s internal monologue...Ya know those voice overs when you need to sound like the internal monologue inside someone’s head, but inside THIER HEAD, NOT your head? The fun part about voice over is I get to play other people and sometimes multiple people at once and get inside their heads. Luckily, I am an introvert and naturally live here…in my own head….every…second…of my life. You see I’m a natural observer of life, people, social situations. At times I feel like an alien from another planet, watching how others interact only to assimilate and parrot the human race to fit in…when honestly, I’m just weird…but now it's my voice over super power. NERD! Anyway, have you ever stopped to listen to the inside of your mind? It’s a crazy house in there, mine at least. So there are all these forces at play…internal monologue, childhood memories, memories from five seconds ago when you were slighted by the candy machine in the break room, that “talk” you need to have with your boss, and on and on. So knowing we all have these racing thoughts in our heads…most of the time, allows me to know that when I am asked to play the part of someone’s internal monologue, I am doing a couple of things simultaneously. So I pull up the script and any notes about the script, the product, service, company, direction, anything of note. OK, I’ve established the context of the ad, video, whatever the project is. Next, who is talking…or thinking in this case? Where are they now? What just happened to them? What has happened to them? Where is their head at? OK, now who’s my audience, what are they thinking, feeling, doing when they watch this video? How will the audience react to what my character is thinking? Then I put it all together and do the voice. Honestly, I was challenged to break down my process and it sounds like a lot, but it happens so quickly so automatically now, but that is why I ask for context, I ask for voice direction, I look at who the company is, what the product or service is. Perks of being an introvert. Use what you’ve got. For more of my podcast “Real Talk with Kelly Wilson” subscribe, share with a friend or colleague who would enjoy it, and it would help me out if you rate and review it. Be sure to join my email community so you never miss an episode at https://www.kellywilsonvo.com/subscribe . Later!

No matter who I work with. No matter what I work on. I ask these two question: What do you want them to do? How do you want them to feel? Writing copy? I ask the questions. Voicing a script? I ask the questions. Picking out a music bed or even the sound effects for the project? I ask the questions. Meeting with a friend or colleague who's trying to help their employee succeed. I ask the questions. Concrete Action First I start with what do you want them to do first, because if you’re selling something, it’s usually easier to say the result you want. Just is. It’s the concrete thing that will help you achieve your goal (which needs to be the solution to your customer’s goal too.) Abstract Thoughts Second Then, I ask how the customer or listener or viewer or end user wants to feel. This is the branding, the tone, the mood, the big picture, the customer service part. Now, just because I ask this part second does NOT make it any less important, it’s just less concrete and sometimes more difficult to emote. So, for example, in this article... How do I want you to feel? That I am an expert in my field. What do I want you to do? Subscribe to my email community (and score five fantastic voice actors you should add to your roster…including yours truly). Click here to subscribe. Bonus For each answer to those two questions, you should ONLY have one answer per question. In a perfect situation, just focus on one thing. One thing they should feel. One thing they should do. Stay well, Kelly Voice Actor, Mom, Mismatch Sock Wearer www.KellyWilsonVO.com