Acting : I'm so new I'm still in the box!!! by Ngozi Kareem Cutley

Cool dream, Ngozi. There's plenty of working voice actors here on Stage 32, hopefully somebody will be able to lend some advice. It may also be worth connecting with members with the same goal and getting to know them.

Ngozi, if you mean you live in the San Francisco Bay area, you're in a good place to get started. I'd suggest putting together a professional quality demo reel and then getting it to sound designers in the video games business. There are quite a few of them in the SF Bay area. You can also seek out animators who are creating content for YouTube and get your reel to them. It takes a lot of time making connections but you can get there if you keep working on your craft and on getting your reel in front of people. Don't take rejection personally. You might not be right for a particular part but if you are easy to work with, friendly, and professional, people will remember you and you will find work eventually. Best of luck. I look forward to hearing your work in professional media!

Hi Ngozi, The very first thing should be to get some training. If you Google Voiceover classes San Francisco, guarantee you'll find a lot of choices. Take a beginner class. As you progress, you'll ultimately need a professional voiceover demo reel. Then you start submitting it to agents to gain representation, plus you market submit to sound designers, film/video prod companies, corporations, etc. Train, be confident in "who" you are, and be persistent. There's a boatload of competition out there, so starting young is a good thing. Best of luck!

Hi Ngozi - I agree with fellow members: the first thing you ned to do is get training. Hire a private coach and then produce a demo reel. Your coach can tell you the details.

Hi Ngozi! Welcome to the wonderful world of voiceover! It's an incredible way to make a living, and can be quite rewarding! What everyone has said so far has been spot on. Taking classes with a voiceover coach is absolutely a great way to go. If you're not doing it already, I would also recommend acting classes, and even seeking out opportunities to perform in local theater. My stage acting background has served me very well in my voiceover career, as so much of the work calls for natural and conversational reads. While you're at it, I would also recommend checking out edgestudio.com. You can join their site for free and have access to thousands of voiceover scripts to start practicing with! I'm in no way affiliated with them, but they do have some wonderful resources for subtribe just starting out. You could also join voices.com with a free membership and have access to the audition pages. While you can't submit an audition with a free membership, you can get a great start reading live copy and see what is being put out there right now. Good luck!

Ngozi - Do take VO classes. Your classmates will give you feedback which is very helpful.

Ngozi - Get to YouTube and watch the BillDeWees videos. He is a treasure trove of free information!

Start with group workshops and then get private coaching, before having your demo produced and acquiring an agent. And, most importantly, DO STUFF - join in the film-making and other production activities at your local university, radio and TV stations, and theater groups to gain as much experience as you can.

Hi Ngozi - I agree with Stephen and forgot to tell you - one way to get voice experience is to volunteer as a voice actor for your local Guild for Blind or equivalent. many cities have organizations for the sight impaired and need people to read news articles, act out plays or even read homework assignments to blind students. In Chicago I was a regular reader for Chicago Radio Information Service (CRIS) and it was a an amazing experience. In addition, you will become familiar with the broadcasting biz and will make contacts. Good luck top you and don't give up!