Voice Over Auditions, Mindset and Perseverance with Amanda Sellers

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Hi there and welcome to Vox Talk, your weekly review from the world of voice over. I'm your host, Stephanie Ciccarelli from Voices. Do you want to do better auditions? Joining me today is Amanda Sellers, one of Voices’ top talent and a wonderful voice over coach. Amanda is going to share some tips for how to prepare to audition and set yourself up for success. She'll also discuss why it's important to keep going even when you're feeling discouraged. Welcome to the show, Amanda.

Amanda Sellers:

Thank you so much, Stephanie. An honor to be here.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

It was an honor to have you here Voices, actually, just last week, so, yeah, that was awesome. So we had a blast and I just wondered, what was it like for you?

Amanda Sellers:

Well, so I think the young kids use the hashtag IRL, which is in real life. I have been a member of Voices.com since 2009, and I've messaged so many of you over the years and have been friends on social media and have been following Voices for so long. So to be in the flesh, seeing the office, it was a dream come true, to be honest. And I loved the layout that you have and all of the rooms and the energy of the studios and the space and your team. You know, when you go on a website and the website just seems like it's like a tactile, like it's not a real thing, right? Like, it's just a website. But I really appreciated to come in and see the team and see how much you guys care and how hard you guys work and just how cool everyone was. So thank you so much for having me and it was a lot of fun.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Well, the feeling’s mutual. We just loved having you here. And I know you got to sit on a product demo day meeting, so, you know, there's a lot of good stuff coming for your friends, your voice of our friends.

Amanda Sellers:

Yeah, that was awesome. I actually had someone message me about one of the tiers that she was on and like, oh, I don't know what's going to happen. I'm like, no, just trust me, there's good things you're taken care of. Just stick with it.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

That's awesome. And I love that. And the whole message to just stick with it is kind of what we're going to be talking about today with auditioning, because it can be so easy to become discouraged and wonder, like, am I being heard going in a black hole? Like, what's going on? So, for someone like you, who's actually done extremely well on our platform and in other places, too, just would love to learn from you today. So, you know, Amanda, obviously you've got this auditioning thing down, so what is your process like?

Amanda Sellers:

Well, I would say it's very nowadays, it's sporadic. It's more just where the time comes. There is also an element of commitment and dedication, but my process would typically be to just keep an eye, say if I'm auditioning, like, okay, it's voices.com. Keep an eye on the auditions that are coming in. And I like to do them kind of in chunks, so maybe three at a time. And then just like copying the scripts and taking them in and doing them all at once and then exporting and editing at once and uploading kind of at the same time. That's one way. Or if something's really calling me and it comes in, then I'll just do that one and try to get it in as quick as I can and do as good of a job as I can. But I don't really have a set process now. I think my whole overall process is just not giving up, if that makes any sense.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Say persistence, right?

Amanda Sellers:

Yeah. I mean, in the beginning, and I know I've mentioned this before, but I was really dedicated to the process. And I would wake up in the morning, I would do my tongue twisters, I would do my vocal warm ups, and I would just get ready to audition. And I would audition everything that came down the pipe all day long and even when it came to night. And I did work a side hustle. When I first started, I was bartending and I actually read a quote that I wanted to share. It was from Adam Grant. Because I get asked all the time, how do you break into voiceovers? But I have this other job. But I really think that if people want to get into voice acting, his quote is, you don't have to quit your job to follow your dream. The safest way to pursue your dream is to launch it as a side hustle and test and learn until you figure out what works. Then you would audition when you can. And that's what I did too. I had to work, but whenever I had time. So it evolves when you've been doing this since 2009, it'll evolve, like as you have kids and what that looks like. And I also do some side projects myself, doing meditation and stuff. So it's just making room for everything.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I like how you can be doing something else and then decide, I'm going to try voiceover, I'm going to put my toe in. You know, it doesn't have to be, you know, you go fully into something before you're a real talent or anything like that. So I appreciate that. And your process has changed over time, as you've said. And as you build up your own client base and your routines and the way that you run your business, then you tend to have a whole other way of working. In the early days, it's very different. It's kind of more hustle, more get it all done, go after almost anything. But as you've learned, it's more about what jobs are actually in your wheelhouse,

Amanda Sellers:

Totally

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Feel great about doing so. I appreciate that.

Amanda Sellers:

Yes, for sure. Stephanie, back in the day, I would just audition for anything. Right. But now I am specific. Okay, what's the budget? What's the tone? Is it something I can see myself doing rather than time is of the essence? Especially now. Before kids, you have a lot of time. You can really invest, I think, with kids, just I'm a little bit more picky now on what I'm going to audition for. And you learn as you go, because I think I needed that time in the beginning to see, well, what am I good at? What is resonating? But as you grow and your business grows and you see what you're booking all the time, then you're like, okay, I know I can book this kind of a role. So that's where you go to.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

You're more strategic with what you're doing now. Just in your early career, things are different. You do almost anything that comes your way that you might be a good fit for. But as we were talking about strategy, so are you taking similar genres of reads? Do you do all of those sorts of jobs in the same batch of auditions? Or do you like to spice things up and have a variety of different reads that you're doing in that batch?

Amanda Sellers:

Well, like I said, time is of the essence now, so I would honestly say that nowadays I am more leaning into just ones that I know I'm going to book, so I'm not doing anything that's too outside of my wheelhouse. And something like elearning or narration is kind of easier for me, so that will be the one that I will knock out first, and it's almost a way to get warmed up and kind of get your mouth around the words. And then I'll leave something that might be like a bigger budget commercial that I really want towards the end, because then I feel like I'm loose. I've gotten kind of the stuff out of my mouth that needs to come out, and I'll really focus in on, okay, how do I want to present this one? I definitely leave the hardest to last, to be honest.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, I was thinking about back in school, like, when you're on a test, you're like, looking for a test, like, oh, I know the answer to that one. I know that one. And you're like, you leave the last, the hardest one alone. And he's like, well, get there. Because you know that if you tackle those ones that you do that become easier to you, you just have more confidence when you get to that last question.

Amanda Sellers:

That is such a good point. I absolutely love that. Yeah, it's just like an athlete getting ready for a race or a sport. You're going to do your warm ups first. So if I was going to give advice, my first warm up would be actually warming up your voice and doing some tongue twisters and some vocal exercises. And then maybe reading some things out loud. So as you get going, maybe you're going to do a little bit less of a less practice with it. Maybe I'll read the script a couple of times and then go into it. But there's some great ways to warm up your voice. Like reading it really fast, so fast that you're just almost like barely get your mouth around it, but that actually warms up your voice. And then you could even read it very slow and all of that just stretches the vocal cords. And then when it's time to get right into the pocket and you can feel when you're in the pocket. That's what I love about voice over. It's almost like you're in the flow. It's almost like its own meditation. You're in the flow state and you're not really thinking about anything else and you're in the zone. So it takes a bit to get there.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

But I think vocally you can go there too. So you can have just your tessitura. I don't know how many people are familiar with that term, but it is essentially the comfort zone of where your voice sounds like the most optimal. It's your range where you really shine and you sound more, I guess, yourself. So definitely warming up, getting in that right place mentally to be able to read through a script. Because if you're not actually believing what you're saying or you don't feel convincing enough, how on earth are you going to book that job let alone, I don’t know, it would just be so tricky. You couldn't sell an audience on it. You certainly won't sell the casting director.

Amanda Sellers:

That's right. And a lot of times when I am auditioning, I am picturing who is on the other end. There's the little tips to imagine you're talking to a best friend or who's your audience. And a lot of times I am thinking about the casting director or the client on the other end and what they're thinking when they hear me, or imagining it on a commercial, seeing it on TV. Are you in that pocket where it's actually on television? Is it competitive?

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

That would be exciting. Actually manage to think, I'm going to voice this as if it is the final product. Because then you have that extra layer of like just you see yourself doing it and maybe that confidence will shine through and they'll be like, yeah, they really sound like they're convicted about this. They think that this is something that they can get their head around and that they want to be the voice of our company for.

Amanda Sellers:

Yeah. And the client wants to feel good about their choice. So to help them feel good about their choice, you have to come in confident and to solve their problem on the other end. Like, don't worry, I'm the voice talent. I got you. I'm going to give you what you want. And then your client or the end product is just going to make them shine, so the more that you can get into that headspace of, okay, I'm going to make their job easy by knocking it out of the park and making them just feel really good about it. Because sometimes they don't know what they want either. They will put their descriptive words, they'll put their vision, but they're feeling it out too. And sometimes they'll put way too many words and they're like, wait, you want me to go that way and that way and up and down? So then at that point, you just have to make a commitment and just think like, okay, what should I give them? And then you have to, as an actor, commit to your choice. And that's part of that confidence. Because if you're not sure, well, I don't know, I'm going to be kind of happy, but kind of conversational, but kind of a warm tone. It will just kind of mess your head. Just like pick something, go with the vibe. I had this really great advice from, he's award winning slam poet. And he said to fill the room with the emotion that you want to portray. So I do that as well. In my sound booth, it's like, okay, what emotion do I want to emit here? And then I'll try to fill the sound booth with that warmth or that love or confidence or a word. It can be a word, doesn't have to be an emotion.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

So like, getting into character a bit better by painting your environment to have more of a this is kind of the ambience that I would like to set, right? Just the setting. You're setting the stage in your own way.

Amanda Sellers:

Yeah.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

That's interesting because you might say, well, what is the theme of this job? What is the goal? What's the desired outcome? And then it's like, okay, well, it's for them to achieve this, it's for that to happen, it's for them to learn or understand this particular thing. Then you might bring a different approach to how you're reading. Definitely. Yeah. I appreciate that. So I know in a previous conversation that we had via email, you spoke a bit about peeling back the layers and I'd like to get into that with you if I could.

Amanda Sellers:

Yeah, well, I have taught people over the years and definitely helped people become voice actors, which has been really rewarding. And I find that one of the biggest things people come in with is almost like a shell around themselves. And the more that somebody can just peel back the layers of who they are, it's crazy because your voice is your instrument and it's attached to your body. So it's like everything that's kind of within somebody is coming out through their voice and then you can hear that maybe they're nervous or taking things too seriously or often radio DJs have that kind of put on sound. So when I say peel back the layers. It's just like, OK, just take it down a notch. Take it down, take it down. And the more you that you can be, the more real. Even if you are putting on a voice, even if you are doing something like high energy and high pitched. But does it sound like a real person? Yeah, and just to just keep bringing it down and sometimes this is a weird analogy, but like a happy content, but tired mom. And honestly, I booked one of my biggest jobs when I was in that space. I was tired, I didn't want to do it. I literally had dinner going. I'm like, okay, let's do this. And then I ended up booking this huge campaign because I had no layers, it was just me. Does that make sense?

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, I think it's authenticity. If you boil it down, like, pardon the meal puns here, but they're going to start coming, but just boil it down to the essence of what it is and it really is about authenticity. And as you were saying, you were in that place where the script was calling for you to be right? So in effect, like, if the direction says, we want you to be a tired yet contented burned, almost burned out, but not quite there yet, I think that sometimes life experience does play quite a bit into your auditions. We've talked a bit about Pixar and one of their movies, Inside Out, and just evoking a core memory. Like in the film, they had these kind of those memories that were encapsulated in balls and the more important ones were called core memories because they kind of built who you were and what you remembered from your past and they could be sad or happier or whatever else it might be. But being able to draw an experience that is so deeply rooted in who you are. I think that that would bring not just authenticity, which is an obvious outcome of sharing something from yourself, but it also makes your auditions distinct in that no one else can pull on that same memory or that same thought that you might have had, or the same way that you see the world. So yeah, I think that everybody out there who's like, oh, I don't know how to get into character or whatever, is like, well, sometimes you just need to be you. You don't need to be thinking the overthinking is something else that you've mentioned to kind of a trap sometimes that people fall into. So we'll get to that in a minute. But as we know, not everything in voice over land is planned. Sometimes there's an improv or there's spontaneity. I know that sometimes you just got to go with your gut. So what does that look like in your voiceover career? Do you find that it's more gut centric or is it more planned?

Amanda Sellers:

Honestly, my whole life has been gut centric. So I would say that has definitely spilled out into my voice over a career. But I just think that if somebody is curious about it, they just got to go for it. And you don't have to see your whole career planned or you don't have to set deadlines for yourself. I've heard people do that. I'm going to give myself six months and if I don't book this many jobs and I quit, literally have to do it because you want to do it and you love it. And I know people are more planners than I am, so those are the good metrics to get into. Like you guys have great metrics on your site with how many auditions are you doing and all of those statistics, which are wonderful for those people that like to see the numbers and the stats. Myself, honestly, I just have always been just set it, forget it. I go in, I do my thing and I just kind of move on. And that's me. And there's no right or wrong way to do it. But I definitely am more spontaneous when it comes to voice acting.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I want to say it's almost more fun to be spontaneous in a way because you get to kind of explore and it's not always, well, if I don't do it, I wonder if there's more perfectionism involved in the planning approach then there is in, because sometimes being a perfectionist can actually really hurt you. And it's better to just kind of experience something and move on and try this or do that, or if an opportunity comes your way and then if it's the right one, then go for it. Why are you just sitting there and not doing it? Because you have to plan how you're going to do this and that and what order you do, whatever. It's just like sometimes it's just doing the thing. So I think that's definitely an area that some people do struggle with, especially those of us who are more and I don't count myself on this, I'm just saying those of us, who are more left brained, I am far more right brain than I am left. More creative. Yes.

Amanda Sellers:

Well, it's funny. Brent Hirose is a voice actor on Voices.com and I've been chatting with him and he kept so many stats, like everything. But I mean, for someone like him, it actually turned out really well because then he was building on all of his stats and he ended up just doing so, so well on the site because he was just like so involved in that. So that was great for him. And then other people like myself, it's like, yeah, it is going to be spontaneous and it is going to just be in the moment and that can work as well. So, yeah, I think both work, but,

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, well, you can over measure, but I've also like what gets measured matters, right? So if you really care about something, you want to know, is this strategic for my business? I need to know what the stats are here, then. You do, but just to cover very quickly, because I know we have only a couple of minutes left. What are the pitfalls of overthinking? So, like, obviously we can go from one extreme and not be thinking too much about anything and see where that goes. But then there's, like, the overthinking. How does that hold someone back?

Amanda Sellers:

Yeah, that is a big one. I think this is in all aspects of life, but especially because voiceover is just an extension of yourself and your vocal cords, it's like you really just have to keep moving forward and not just focus on the future and the now and don't worry about the past. Like, you do an audition, you submit it, it's done. You did your best. As long as in the moment, you're giving your all, you're putting your heart and soul into it and you're doing your best, don't overthink it. Like, just do it. And I know some actors are so strategic and all of the planning and the characteristics of the part, but just feel it, do it and move on, because in this business, it is a lot of movement. Like, it's fast paced. You do not have time to overthink. You just don't have time. You got to love what you're doing and then you just keep moving forward, because by the time that you're still thinking and then you go on to the next audition, well, that one's already going to be booked. And then you'll miss it. So it's like almost like by not overthinking and just practicing the art of continuing on and just moving forward, you will find more opportunities for yourself because you'll be more present, so.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Opportunities and time and the essence of that time. I'm just thinking we have come to the end of our time. But I know that everyone who's listening right now is probably going to hop off and see what auditions might be waiting for them. Because I don't know about anyone else, but I'm hugely inspired by what you said. And I really do think that one of the pitfalls of overthinking is just that the overthinking, it takes time. Just don't be afraid to go and do something, especially if it's a job that's been sent to you and you really feel that you're the right fit for it. So on that note, Amanda, how can people find you and learn more about what you're doing?

Amanda Sellers:

Yeah, I would be happy to answer any questions about the site or voice acting. I am on Instagram at MissAmandaSellers, and you can also go to my website, which is AmandaSellersVO.com. And I'm always so happy to help people that are interested. And the more dedicated that you are, the more I'll help you. So reach out and yes, I'd be happy to help.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Oh, that's wonderful. Well, thank you, Amanda. It's always a pleasure to see you and we're so happy that you came on Vox Talk today.

Amanda Sellers:

Thank you for having me. It was so much fun.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

And that's the way we saw the world through the lens of voice over this week. Thank you so much for joining us and following Vox Talk wherever you get your podcasts. On today's show, we had Amanda Sellers and she was talking to us about auditioning, how to get in the right mindset and also how to know which jobs you should be going for and what you can add to it that's special and unique to you. So thanks for tuning in. I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli from Voices. Our producer is Geoff Bremner. You've been listening to Vox Talk. Thank you so much for joining us, and we'll see you next week.