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business. Throughout this book, I’ll encourage you to do the same.
If you produce your demo immediately following a workshop, you will be wasting your money. Your money will be better spent on additional training and personalized coaching. Do not even think about spending money on producing your demo until you know you are ready. See Chapter 18 , “Your Voiceover Demo,” to learn more about how to prepare for your demo.
If a demo is included as part of a course… find a different course! No one is ready for a demo after a single workshop. Your demo must be great—it cannot be merely “good.” Even more than that, your performance must be comparable to the best voice talent out there. That level of skill only comes with time and proper training.
Be wary of workshops and coaches who promise success and a substantial income from taking their course. No one can promise you success, and no one can promise your demo will even be heard. Your degree of success in voiceover will be directly related to your dedication to running your business in a professional manner.

3
Where to Start: Voiceover Basics
    The Voiceover Performer as Actor and Salesperson
    When you stand in front of a microphone as voice talent, your job is to effectively communicate the message contained within the words written on the paper in front of you. You are a storyteller. You are an actor! The words, by themselves, are nothing but ink on a page. As a voice actor, your job is to interpret the words in such a way as to effectively tell the story, bring the character to life, and meet the perceived needs of the producer or director. I use the words “perceived needs” because many producers or writers only have an idea in their heads. The producer may think he knows what he wants, when, in reality, he hasn’t got a clue as to the best way to deliver the message. This is where your acting skills and performance choices come in. You may find yourself in the enviable position of solving many of your producer’s problems simply by performing the copy in a way that you feel effectively communicates the message. In other words, your acting abilities are the vital link between the writer and the audience.
    YOUR ROLE AS A VOICE ACTOR
    You are the actor playing the role of the character written in the script. On the surface, that may sound like a fairly simple task. However, mastering the skills to create interesting and compelling characters on a consistent basis can be very challenging. Unlike stage performers, who may have several days, weeks, or months to define, internalize, and develop their characters, you may have only a few minutes. You must use your best acting skills to deliver your best interpretation of the copy—and you must do it quickly. Your job is to breathe life into the script, making the thoughts of the writer become real through the character you create. You need to be able to quickly grasp the important elements of the script, figure out who you aretalking to, understand your character in great detail, find the key elements of the copy, and choose what you believe to be the most effective delivery for your lines. Every script is written for a purpose and you must be able to find and give meaning to that purpose, regardless of how or where the voice track will be recorded. In many cases, especially in studio sessions, the producer or director will be coaching you into the read that gets you as close as possible to his or her vision. However, with the increasing prevalence of high quality home studios, more and more voice talent are being asked to provide self-directed, unsupervised, sessions.
    One mistake made by many beginning voiceover performers is that they get nervous when they approach the microphone. They are focused on their voice, not their performance. They fidget, stand stiff as a board, cross their arms, or put their hands behind their backs or in their pockets. It is impossible to perform effectively under those