Whether you dream of becoming the next Mel Blanc, June Foray, Daws Butler, or one of many other famous voice actors, or want to start with smaller roles and work your way up, there are a few key skills that are necessary to become a professional voice actor. Investing in the right equipment and taking regular voice acting classes are all part of the journey, but so is learning the business side of things. You are basically running your own small business, and with any new business comes a set of responsibilities that must be met if you want to succeed.

One of the most important parts of voice actor training is practicing daily. Reading out loud and recording yourself is a good place to start, but more importantly is practicing with emotion. When you practice with emotion, it helps to push yourself out of your comfort zone in the studio. For instance, if you are working on a character who should be elated, try saying “wowwee” several times and adding a different emotion with each take. This will help you get comfortable with performing in the studio with emotions and not feeling self-conscious when working on more complicated scripts.

Another part of voice actor training is determining your niche. It’s fine to not define your genre right away, but you will need to know which types of projects you are most interested in and what areas are the best fit for your unique voice. For instance, some voice actors have a specialty like character acting, while others focus more on commercial or corporate work. Choosing a niche will allow you to connect with producers and coordinators that are most likely to hire you for repeated projects. Voice actor training