Voice-Over Voice Actor

You hear them everywhere, from animated films to video games to the commercials with the kind, reassuring gentleman telling you that your insurance guy will be by your side in an emergency. Voice actors enhance films, television and radio, and Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt expertly tell you how to join their ranks in Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic.

Lowenthal and Platt lay it on the line from the start—their instructional handbook is meant to be fun because, well, “fun is way cooler than fame.” But don’t let the comic illustration, and actual Scratch Tracks comics playfully interspersed throughout the chapters, fool you. Those readers seriously considering a career in voice-over (VO, to those in the know) acting will find this book a valuable guide to every aspect of the craft, from the history of VO, finding your voice, learning what it’s like in a recording booth or studio, and even the need for representation, and union versus nonunion work.

It is clear from their broad yet detailed overview and that Lowenthal and Platt are passionate about their talent. However, the authors are also serious about supporting future VO actors. In fact, many chapters provide first-class career advice, transferable to job seekers in any field. Never straying into zaniness, Voice-Over Voice Actor presents staid and sober practices, such as the ever-important “preparation,” with glee, snark, and wisdom. No, seriously, read Chapter 9’s “Ready, Set…GO! (No, Seriously, Go)” if you don’t believe us. In fact, read the whole thing. With an amusing yet authoritative voice, even a VO layman can expect to gain considerable knowledge about the industry and trade.

And if all else fails, you’ll have a hell of a lot of fun while doing it.