1. Experience

A professional with many years of experience.

2. Industry Knowledge

Understanding how the components of a voiceover project work and what is expected of the voice talent, including sensitivity to the needs of all the players in the process, such as the client, production company, ad agency, director, producer, writer, video editor and audio engineer.

3. Professional Studio

Owning and maintaining a professional quality personal studio, thus saving you additional studio fees and avoiding scheduling difficulties.

4. Trained Actor

A skilled voice actor understands how to deliver an authentic performance in front of a microphone (as opposed to on stage or in front of a camera), and is able to interpret your script in the context of its intended audience and medium in which it will be heard.

5. Trained Editor

Today, a voiceover artist who works remotely is also a skilled technical audio engineer, ensuring professional quality recordings of your script.

6. Readily Available

Full time professional voice talent are able to quickly turn around your projects, readily accommodating your schedule.

7. Commitment

A professional stays abreast of trends in the industry, from varying styles of vocal performance to the latest technologies for recording live with clients around the globe.

8. Valuing Your Brand

The most important thing to consider is the impact that a professional production will have on your brand identity. When you invest in your business, it’s for the benefit of your company— signaling to your customers that you value quality.

Why is it important to hire a professional voice talent?

Hiring a professional voice talent or voiceover artist is essential for creating impactful and engaging content that captivates your audience. With their expertise, professional voice talents bring a polished and polished delivery that enhances the overall quality of your project. Their skill in interpreting scripts, modulating their voice, and capturing the right tone ensures that your message is conveyed effectively.

Moreover, professional voice talents possess the technical proficiency and studio setting to deliver crystal-clear recordings, free from background noise or distractions. Their versatility allows them to adapt their voice to suit various genres, whether it's commercials, narrations, e-learning, or telephony recordings.

By investing in a professional voice talent, you elevate the professionalism and credibility of your brand, leaving a lasting impression on your audience. Partner with a professional voiceover artist and let their expertise breathe life into your project.

But what about Mary from Accounts? She has a nice voice!

While it may seem tempting to enlist someone like "Mary from Accounts" (who has a pleasant voice) to handle voiceover work, it's important to recognise that it’s not Mary’s skillset (after all, she’s an accountant, not a voice talent).

Skilled voice actors bring a wealth of expertise in voice modulation, projection, and delivery that can significantly enhance the quality of your project. It’s unlikely Mary can do this. She’s also likely to take a lot longer in the studio to get anything like a usable result, so using Mary rather than a professional voiceover is almost certainly a false economy in the long run: you’ll get frustrated as you watch the clock tick and the studio costs mount, and poor Mary will be stressed out as she realises how far out of her comfort zone she is as she tries to please you…

Utilising the services of a professional voice talent saves you time and effort in the long run by ensuring a streamlined recording process, with minimal retakes or errors. Their experience and proficiency contribute to a faster turnaround time, allowing you to meet project deadlines efficiently.

Ultimately, investing in a professional voice talent guarantees a superior end result, conveying your message with clarity, precision, and the right artistic touch.

How to hire a professional voiceover artist

Getting started with professional voiceover for your project is usually as easy as getting in touch. If you’d like to talk about working with me, just fill in the form below (or send me an email if you’d like to include an attachment with the script) and give me some basic details. The details vary a little depending on the project, but it’s helpful to include the running time, your timescale for completion, your intended budget, and where you expect to use the finished project.

If your piece is already edited then we can fit the voiceover narration to the existing pictures and sound. Or we can create a “dry” narration track which you can use in the edit to build the rest of the project around - whatever works best for you!

I’ll record the narration in my professional home studio, either alone or with you on the line so you can direct and offer feedback. I have a number of ways of connecting for a live directed voiceover session, including everything from Source-Connect Standard/Pro, to Zoom or Google Meets, anything that runs in a web browser, and even down to the humble old telephone. (Basically, if you can talk to me on it, I can probably patch it into my studio.)

Depending on the type of project I’ll either upload all the takes from our session for you or your editor to work with, or I’ll fully edit the audio for you. It will then be uploaded to my secure storage site on WeTransfer or Citrix Files, ready for you to download when you’re ready.

We’ll agree fees and terms for payment before I begin work. Payment will usually be required before final delivery of audio for first projects and overseas clients. When you come back for your next project (which I hope you will - most of my clients do!) I’ll be happy to discuss post payment terms.

The fee we agree on will usually be in your local currency (pick from USD, GBP, EUR, AUD, NZD, CAD or SGD at time of writing) which can be paid to a local bank account held by Wise* in your local banking area. This avoids any senders fees for you, keeps my fees to a minimum, and means your payment isn’t subject to credit card/PayPal fees or exchange rate fluctuations.

Any mistakes I make during recording are always corrected free of charge. Any changes you request to your script, or errors in copy not notified before start of recording, will incur fair fees for recuts. If you believe you will require multiple rounds of recordings and approvals, please let me know when you make your booking, and we can agree a suitable fee structure in advance.

*PS - If you use this referral link, we both get something the first time you use Wise to send money!

Mike Cooper

Mike Cooper is a British voice talent who swapped big city life in London for log cabin life in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Mike is recognisable from his many years on air with the BBC World Service, and as the narrator of countless television documentaries and a growing library of audiobooks. A disruptive influence in school, Mike's first break in narration came at age six, when his teacher realised he could tell the afternoon story better than her (and she could get a nap by way of a bonus!)

When he's not in his home studio, you'll find Mike enjoying hobby farm life and tending to a small herd of charming pet goats, an adorable mini horse called Annie, and a hornless unicorn called Melodie (among others…)

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