Camp Vox: Why Voice Acting?
Why would you want to do voice acting? Camp Vox’s Lisa Biggs shares why voice acting is so cool for younger children and how voice-over can make a positive impact on your life. Imagine being the voice of a talking toy! The possibilities to do meaningful work as a voice talent are endless. Parents, listen in as Lisa Biggs shares her unique perspective regarding opportunities for young voices (real kids) to do voice-over work and how voice acting can be part of your child’s life.
Links from today’s show:
Camp Vox
Lisa Biggs
Camp Vox was created by Lisa Biggs & Stanley Fisher as an educational experience for young actors. Camp Vox also serves as an outreach opportunity for under-resourced kids & teens though non-profit organizations across the country.
Your instructor this week:
Lisa Biggs is a full-time professional voice over actor, creator of Voxy Ladies and co-creator of Camp Vox. Lisa’s voice is in demand for A-list clients around the world, and you can hear her in TV promos for Cartoon Network & Ion Television, running from zombies in Dying Light, giggling as Cuddles My Giggly Pet Monkey, as Charlie Brown for the Peanuts Franchise and so much more! In 2014 alone, Lisa voiced over half a million words as “Liam,” her signature little boy voice, for various e-learning & narration projects for clients around the globe.
When Lisa is not behind the microphone she enjoys making guacamole, snuggling with Banjo, her 75-pound Goldendoodle, and teaching voice acting to a very special group of Camp Vox students through Frazee Dream Center.
Welcome to Voice Over Experts, brought to you by voices.com the number one voice over marketplace. Voice Over Experts brings you tips, pearls of wisdom, and techniques from top instructors, authors and performers in the field of voice over. Join us each week to discover tricks of the trade that will help you to develop your craft and prosper as a career voice over talent. It’s never been easier to learn, perform and succeed from the privacy of your own home, and at your own pace. This is truly an education you won’t find anywhere else. Now for our special guest, Lisa Biggs.
Lisa Biggs: Hey talented voices, this is Lisa Biggs from Camp Vox. I’m so excited to kick off this series of voice over podcasts through our friends at voices.com. Everything you’ll hear from us at Camp Vox is specifically geared for young talent like yourself.
So I’m going to start with a simple question, and that is why voice acting? I believe before we go head-first into trying to answer all of the how questions it’s important for us to camp out on why – why voice acting? That question has innumerable answers, and your personal answer will probably change as you grow older and get further along in your career as a voice actor.
I know when I first began my journey nearly 20 years ago, my why was to show the world that I was more than just a teenaged girl with a tiny voice. I was tired of people telling me what they thought I couldn’t do because my voice was so different. Don’t ask me how I made it this far. Back then we didn’t have amazing resources like voices.com or Camp Vox, but every time someone would make fun of my voice or bully me, I would remember my why and that would encourage me to work harder, audition more and take more voice over and acting classes. And that was my why.
Although my why has changed significantly over the last decade and a half, my love of voice acting hasn’t. In fact it’s grown exponentially. Do you want to know one of the things I love about voice over? Voice over doesn’t judge. Voice over doesn’t care about what you look like or what table you sit at during lunch or how athletic you are. And thankfully for me it doesn’t care about how old you are. Voice over acting gives you a whole different universe to play in and be whoever you want to be. And the boundaries in the world of voice acting are as limitless as your imagination.
Here’s another why for you, and of course this one’s a little more bottom-line for those of you who are thinking oh, that’s such a sweet story. But let’s talk about money. Voice over can be very lucrative. My talented friend Anna-Kate, who’s a talent on voices.com, recently snagged a talking toy. And she will make more than $10,000 to be the voice of this talking toy. She’s 11.
When I was 11 I used to bake chocolate-chip cookies and go door to door to my neighbours’ houses, selling them for $2.00 a dozen. I would’ve had to bake more than 60,000 cookies to make what Anna-Kate is making with this one voice over job. Here’s the thing – voice over is incredible receptive to young talent. Now more than ever, producers, casting directors, studios, etc. Are actively seeking young voices, real kids, to voice everything from commercials go animated series, to promos, to talking toys, yada-yada-yeah. The opportunities are endless.
And even though there’s quite a bit of competition, the fact that you’re listening to this podcast and that you’re in voices.com, means you’re actively seeking those opportunities and are working harder than most kids your age so that you’re ready when opportunity comes knocking at your door.
If you want to know more about being a successful young voice actor, drop me a line at [email protected]. We hold regular workshops in person and online that will equip and encourage you on your voice over journey. Hey, I want to know your why. Let me know in the comments or by connecting with us on Facebook at facebook.com/canvox. Later, go-getters!
Thank you for joining us. To learn more about the special guest featured in this voices.com podcast, visit the Voice Over Experts Show Notes at podcasts.voices.com/voiceover experts. Remember to stay subscribed. If you’re a first-time listener you can subscribe for free to this podcast in the Apple iTunes Podcast Directory or by visiting podcasts.voices.com.
To start your voice over career online, go to voices.com and register for voice talent membership today.
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