How Do I Get Into Voiceover? A Voice Actor and Coach Answers

Voiceover looks like the perfect creative job: work from home, talk into a microphone, get paid. Nate Begle, a voice actor and voiceover coach with over 25 years of experience, gets asked how to break in multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day. Here's his answer.

Short answer: Don't start by buying a microphone. Start with acting. Take an acting class, take another one with a different teacher, and take improv. Voiceover is an acting job first.

How do I get into voiceover?

According to Nate, it comes down to three things, and none of them involve buying equipment. One, take an acting class. Two, take another acting class with a different teacher and a different technique. Three, take improv.

Do I need a professional microphone to start?

Not yet. Nate's rule is that the craft comes first. You need to know what you're doing behind the mic before you buy one. Build your acting skills, and then worry about the microphone.

Why take more than one acting class?

Because there are different acting techniques, and many beginners don't know that. Learning from different teachers gives you more tools and a broader understanding of how to approach a script.

Why is improv important for voice actors?

Nate calls improv one of the most underrated tools in a voice actor's kit. It trains discovery instead of recitation, keeps you spontaneous on take 15 and not just take one, and teaches you to stop chasing perfect and just be present.

Is voiceover a voice job or an acting job?

It's an acting job. Nate says you're never just a voice in a void. You're somewhere, feeling something, talking to someone specific. As he puts it, it's voice acting: lowercase v, capital A.

Transcript

"A question I get asked more than any other is, 'How do I get into voiceover?' Multiple times a week. Sometimes multiple times a day. And here's my answer. Three things, and none of them involve buying a microphone. One, take an acting class. Two, take another acting class. Different teacher, different technique. Oh, you didn't know there were different acting techniques? Well, that's why you need the class. Number three, improv. Now, the third one surprises people, but improv might be the most underrated tool in a voice actor's entire kit. It trains discovery instead of recitation. It keeps you spontaneous on take 15, not just take one. And it teaches you to stop chasing perfect and actually just be present. Because here's the thing that nobody tells you at the start of this whole thing: this is not a voice job, it's an acting job. You're never just a voice in a void. You are somewhere, feeling something, talking to someone specific. It's voice acting, lowercase v, capital A. You build that, and then you worry about the microphones. The craft comes first. You've got to know what you're doing behind the mic before you buy it. I'm Nate Begle. I've been a voice actor and voiceover coach for over 25 years, and you can find me on ProPass in the App Store."

Watch Nate answer the question (tap the video to play):