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SOME VOICEOVER QUESTIONS WE MIGHT NOT ASK HARLAN

Gaylord Villers is a strategic planner and a friend of Harlan Hogan. When he heard about Harlan’s “Should I Start My Own Voiceover Business in 2009?teleseminar, he offered these starter questions.

  • Everyone says I have a really good voice; don’t you think this is a slam-dunk for me?

  • Would you mind if I like “rode with you” for a few days to master this business? I might even have some ideas for you. I’d need a place to stay, though.

  • My wife is really hot. Should I bring her to auditions? She’d do anything to get me work.

  • How do you handle V/O groupies? Is this a big distraction for you?

  • I’m semi-retired, and all I’d need is one $500 gig per day. This should be pretty easy to get, right?

  • People say I can sound just like William Shatner. Should I promote this talent now or wait until he dies?

  • By the way, I can sound just like you, too. Why not let me work in your place on your days off — I’ll cut you in.

  • With all the aging baby boomers, I predict there will be a Nursing Home Network (aka Assisted Living Radio) — at the end of your radio dial. Can I help you move into this? Then I can take your jobs that need a younger voice. Let’s get together.

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  • Anonymous February 6, 2009, 3:16 pm

    Awww! I wanted to ask these questions. Now the only ones I have left sound dumb.

  • Dan O’Day February 6, 2009, 3:53 pm

    @Anonymous: In that case, Harlan wants to know if he can talk to your wife.

  • Anonymous February 6, 2009, 4:01 pm

    If I get one more yahoo who says to me, “everyone tells me I have a great voice for radio …”

    Actually, what I usually say is, “No one ever told me that. Yet, here I am, working in radio! Funny, isn’t it?”

  • David S February 6, 2009, 4:33 pm

    That Shatner one really cracked me up!

    My wife has been pretty enthusiastic about me getting into voiceovers. Better not tell her about the groupies…

  • Anonymous February 6, 2009, 4:42 pm

    Scary…but that baby boomer one doesn’t sound too far off the mark!

  • BIG John Small February 6, 2009, 6:51 pm

    I am not a fan of the “radio voice” ads anyway. They SOUND LIKE ADS to me. I’m a fan of the conversational ad that “creeps into your brain” and is allowed to set up camp because no one even knew it was an ad… then when it’s time for him to go to work he says “hey… remember me…. I told you about that cool place to take your wife for valentines day… she’s gonna like it and you’re gonna get lucky” or whatever the message said!!

    Anywho… I agree with the fnny list and I’ve heard several of them too!

  • Anonymous February 6, 2009, 8:26 pm

    Did you say that Gaylord is a Strategic Planner? That makes sense because the questions are stategic and planned. And sure they are funny.The folks in Continuity and Sales would laugh more than I would because they were told they had great voices and they are talking for their money…not what they hoped for but then again they don’t get Shatnercoin either.KHANNNNNNNN!!
    adam

  • Corky Coreson February 6, 2009, 10:56 pm

    Nice!
    Have you noticed that most of the people that say “People tell me I have a great voice” actually have a voice that sounds like a fork in a garbage disposal?

  • Don May February 7, 2009, 1:30 am

    Potential Studio Client: “I’ve been told I have a great voice and want to cut a Demo”

    Don: “Step right this way, you’ve come to the right place…and yes, your voice is truly UNBELIEVABLE! I don’t any reason see why you shouldn’t be the voice of the Tonight Show by spring…you brought cash, right?”

  • Barry Cole February 9, 2009, 9:47 am

    I have found that some of my not so sexy voices I do get me the most call backs.
    You know the voices you do when your friends are picking up the bar tab.