A Lot to Like About the Little Guy By Jeff Hoyt

"So, what have you voiced that I would recognize?"

People ask me that all the time. It's the first go-to question asked of any voiceover actor. And there's a natural tendency to want to impress with the answer.

"Well, let's see, I've done commercials for Ford, McDonald's, Microsoft, Pizza Hut, AT&T…." Of course, I could go on and on with a litany of instantly recognizable names for whom I've voiced something or other at some time or another.

Of course, no one would recognize my voice from any of those commercials. They were usually one-hitters. I was the hired help who won the audition and got booked for the gig. Then, my ISDN box here in my home studio lit up, the producer said hello to me for the first time, directed me through the spot with the client looking over his shoulder, and after however many takes…job over, relationship pretty much finished. Of course, it then becomes my job to keep the flame lit with my new-found client, but when you're 'selected' to be the one to fill this hole or that role, it's tough to get the relationship off the ground.

What amazes me is that these are the projects that we voiceover actors like to tell our universe about. We want to be known as big-time, national voice talent who are working for all the big companies with the huge budgets. My experience, though, has been that the bigger the fish, the harder it becomes to turn that business into something ongoing. Or even something that may one day repeat itself. It's not that we don't do a job worthy of getting a repeat call. It's just that the nature of the job is to fill the role, perform the script (as written), and get the check. Additionally, the pressure to succeed for the client and producer is almost always much greater with the high-stakes, high-profile voice gigs at the national level. Therefore, the opportunity to forge a relationship or create a memorable impression at the time of the session is often limited at best.

That's why when people ask me what I've done that they would recognize, I tell them about the work they wouldn't recognize. I tell them about the chain of camera stores for whom I've provided creative and voiceover services for over 20 years. I tell them about the start-up contact lens company that made me their spokesperson nearly a decade ago. I tell them about the small ad agency in North Texas that has used me as their signature voice for nearly a third of their clients since the mid-80's. I tell them about the bank in North Carolina who hired me a few years ago to adopt a folksy persona that would set their customers at ease and make them feel welcome. And I tell them about the yogurt manufacturer who hires me to be the straight man to a major league ballplayer every year at the start of their annual baseball sponsorship campaign.

None of the clients that I list when I answer the magic "what have you done" question have gargantuan budgets or names that are instantly recognized. They have something far more important to me. They have people who view my contribution to them as critical to their success, and see me as a creative partner or consultant before they would ever see me as just a voiceover actor.

These are the clients I list with pride because these are the clients who provide for me what every voiceover actor wants and needs: A secure income base that can generally be counted on from one year to the next, along with the joy of being viewed as a critical part of a team trying to help the company meet its goals and objectives.

I learned the value of the "little guy" before I ever became a voiceover actor. I ran a creative radio "boutique", writing humorous ad campaigns for companies all across the land. As a youngster in the field, I thought that prestige could only come by being hired by the big guns. It was all about building the hottest demo in the business. In the end, though, I came to discover that the larger the account, the more restricted I was as a creative. In like manner, the smaller the account, the more freedom I had to push the envelope and create magic for my clients. These were the companies that came to us time and time again, viewing us more and more as an extension of their own creative department.

The same thinking applies to voiceover. Sure, it's great to land the occasional national gig and get to voice something for Toyota, Verizon Wireless or General Foods. In the end, though, give me a local retailer with an aggressive radio budget any day. If they're looking to settle on an ongoing voice that can take them into the distant future, all the better. -----------

Jeff Hoyt has been reading other people's words for money since the Carter administration. He doesn't do wacky characters, impersonations or dialects. He pretty much gets hired to be himself…or some semblance thereof. http://www.greaterradiio.com