VO BOSS

What happens when 4,000 voice actors audition for one commercial campaign, but only 10 to 20 make the shortlist? In this episode of the VO BOSS Podcast, Anne Ganguzza sits down with voice actor and strategist Tom Dheere to talk about what he learned after paying for a private casting director consultation to review his auditions, commercial demo, and agency strategy. Even experienced voice actors need an outside perspective. From understanding why auditions can be eliminated before they're fully heard to interpreting performance specs without imitating someone else's voice, Tom shares practical insights into how casting decisions are made and how you can use feedback to make smarter business decisions. In this conversation, Anne and Tom discuss: Why auditions can be eliminated before the performance is fully heard How file naming, slating, and following directions can affect your chances Why referencing a recognizable voice doesn't mean you should imitate it What casting directors mean when they ask for a more conversational read How to evaluate your commercial demo and make sure it reflects your range Why having more agents doesn't necessarily mean having more opportunities How to identify overlapping auditions and build a more intentional agency strategy Why personalized, professional outreach matters when connecting with potential agents How to use outside feedback to identify gaps and improve your voiceover business Podcast Chapters 00:00 – Getting Objective Casting Feedback 03:48 – The 4,000-Audition Slush Pile 07:24 – File Names and Immediate Eliminations 09:45 – Slating and Performance Specs 13:29 – Audition Feedback and Conversational Reads 17:24 – Building a Better Agency Strategy 23:57 – Reaching Out to New Agents Listen to the Full Episode Listen to the full VO BOSS Podcast episode for more conversation with Anne and Tom about casting director feedback, audition strategy, commercial demos, conversational reads, and building a more intentional approach to agency representation. Work With Anne Book time with Anne to work on your voiceover career, business, or a specific genre. More From Anne Ganguzza Anne Ganguzza is a voice talent, producer, coach, and host of the VO BOSS Podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday with practical conversations about voiceover, business, marketing, and building a sustainable career. Subscribe to the VO BOSS YouTube channel for new episodes and more voiceover business content. Sponsored by ipDTL

How do you market your voiceover business when social feeds are crowded, inboxes are full, algorithms control what gets seen, and AI makes it easier than ever to create more content? In this episode of the VO BOSS Podcast, Anne Ganguzza sits down with voice actor, business strategist, and coach Marc Scott to talk about what voiceover marketing looks like in a much noisier digital world. Standing out today isn't just about posting more often or sending more emails. It's about being intentional about where and how you show up, creating content that helps people find you, personalizing your outreach, building confidence in what you're marketing, and developing genuine relationships with the clients you want to reach. In this conversation, Anne and Marc discuss: Why posting on social media doesn't guarantee your audience will actually see your content How changing algorithms are affecting organic reach Why Marc is focusing less on likes and views and more on search indexing How useful, genre-specific content can help voice actors become more discoverable Where AI can support your marketing without replacing your experience or personality Why some voiceover clients are increasingly looking for storytellers and more natural performances How confidence in your demos can affect your willingness to market yourself Why your demo needs to reflect a performance you can deliver in a live session How personalized outreach can stand out from generic, AI-generated emails Why long-term voiceover marketing still comes back to trust, relationships, repeat clients, and referrals Podcast Chapters 00:00 – Marketing in a Noisier World 07:18 – Think Beyond Social Media Reach 18:16 – AI, Genre Changes, and Human Storytelling 28:29 – Confidence in Your Demos 34:31 – Personalize Your Marketing 43:31 – Algorithms, Relationships, and Long-Term Growth Listen to the Full Episode Listen to the full VO BOSS Podcast episode for more conversation with Anne and Marc on voiceover marketing, AI, search visibility, personalized outreach, stronger demos, and building relationships with the clients you want to reach. Work With Anne Book time with Anne to work on your voiceover career, business, or a specific genre. More From Anne Ganguzza Anne Ganguzza is a voice talent, producer, coach, and host of the VO BOSS Podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday with practical conversations about voiceover, business, marketing, and building a sustainable career. Subscribe to the VO BOSS YouTube channel for new episodes and more voiceover business content. Sponsored by ipDTL

How do you grow your voiceover business when you already have clients, experience, and a solid foundation? In this episode of the VO BOSS Podcast's Business Superpower Series, Anne Ganguzza sits down with Lau Lapides to talk about finding new opportunities, reaching new clients, and expanding your business beyond the voiceover community. Growing your business isn't just about posting more on social media or collecting more demos. It's about understanding your market, building relationships, creating consistent outreach habits, and making sure you're prepared when the right opportunity comes along. In this conversation, Anne and Lau discuss: How mindset can influence the way you approach business growth When expanding into a new voiceover genre makes sense Why lead generation needs to be part of your regular business routine How to reach out to potential clients without making every interaction a sales pitch Building genuine relationships instead of simply collecting contacts Finding clients and opportunities outside the voiceover industry Using content and collaborations to reach new audiences How local businesses can become potential networking and referral opportunities What to have in place before you start reaching out Why your marketing should be intentional and connected to the market you want to serve Podcast Chapters 00:00 – Expanding Your Voiceover Business 01:54 – Start With Your Mindset 03:57 – Expand Your Skills and Markets 05:51 – Get Seen by the Right People 09:44 – Build Your Professional Network 11:01 – Work, Experience, and Credibility 13:55 – Reach Out to New Leads 17:47 – Build Relationships Through Outreach 19:41 – Use Content to Expand Your Reach 21:41 – Collaborate and Create Exposure 24:36 – Find Opportunities in Your Community 31:12 – Align Your Business With Your Market Listen to the Full Episode Listen to the full VO BOSS Podcast episode for more conversation with Anne and Lau on growing your voiceover business, finding new clients, and building relationships that can lead to new opportunities. Work With Anne Book time with Anne to work on your voiceover career, business, or a specific genre. More From Anne Ganguzza Anne Ganguzza is a voice talent, producer, coach, and host of the VO BOSS Podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday with practical conversations about voiceover, business, marketing, and building a sustainable career. Subscribe to the VO BOSS YouTube channel for new episodes and more voiceover business content. Sponsored by ipDTL

Vulnerability can be one of the hardest things to bring into the voiceover booth—but it's also one of the most important. In this episode of the VO BOSS Podcast and Truth in the Booth series, Anne Ganguzza and Tim Powers talk about why emotional connection is at the heart of authentic voiceover performance. They explore how your own life experiences can inform your acting, why we learn to suppress emotion, and what it really means to sound "conversational." Whether you're working in commercial, corporate, e-learning, narration, animation, or another voiceover genre, the goal isn't to sound perfect. It's to connect with another human being. You'll learn why: Your life experiences can become an asset in the booth Vulnerability doesn't mean overacting "Conversational" voiceover is really about authenticity Trying to sound perfect can disconnect you from the story Physicality can help you access emotion Your own perspective is more valuable than imitating another performer Authenticity and emotional connection matter in every voiceover genre Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to Truth in the Booth 01:55 — Why Acting Requires Vulnerability 03:50 — Bringing Emotion Into Corporate Voiceover 06:01 — Why We Suppress Emotion 09:38 — Emotion Creates Connection 11:27 — Vulnerability Makes You Accessible 14:00 — Finding Your Own Voice 16:22 — When Coaching Becomes Personal 18:23 — How Do You Feel? 20:11 — Authenticity Over the "Perfect" Read 26:14 — What "Conversational" Really Means 28:37 — Truth in the Booth

Podcast Chapters 00:01 — Welcome to the VO BOSS Podcast Tom Dheere and I begin our conversation about coaching, training, and what aspiring voice actors should understand before investing in a demo. 01:03 — The Problem With Rushing Into a Demo I share a recent experience with a student who had a demo produced after very little training and why that immediately raised questions for me. 03:09 — How Much Voiceover Training Do You Need? Tom explains why there isn't a universal number of coaching sessions and how previous performance experience can change the amount of training someone needs. 05:40 — The Four Layers of Voiceover Training Tom breaks training into storytelling, voiceover fundamentals, genre-specific skills, and demo preparation. 07:11 — How I Vet Potential Students I talk about my consultation process and why understanding someone's background and goals matters before recommending training. 13:55 — How to Know If You're Demo-Ready Tom shares a practical test for determining whether a voice actor can analyze, perform, record, and self-direct independently. 15:21 — Your Demo Is About Storytelling We discuss why a successful demo has to demonstrate acting, connection, and intention rather than simply a good-sounding voice. 17:24 — Become the Solution We talk about why today's working voice actor needs performance, business, technical, and marketing skills. 19:13 — The Three Dials of Voiceover Tom explains his framework of inform, engage, and entertain. 25:18 — Why Cold Reading Matters We discuss why being able to quickly analyze unfamiliar copy and make strong choices is such an important skill. 28:59 — Be Patient With the Process We talk about why it's smart to budget for additional training and give yourself permission to develop before investing in a demo. 30:40 — Vet Your Coach Tom and I discuss researching coaches, looking beyond testimonials, asking questions, and making sure the person you're hiring is the right fit for you. 10 Things to Remember Before You Make Your Demo A great voice isn't enough. Voiceover requires performance, communication, interpretation, and storytelling skills. There is no magic number of coaching sessions. Your background, experience, and existing skills will affect how much training you need. A demo should be the result of preparation, not the beginning of it. Your coach should evaluate you as an individual. Training shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all process. Your demo is a marketing tool. Every spot should demonstrate something meaningful to a potential buyer. Connection matters more than simply reading clearly. Your ability to communicate a thought and engage another human being is what makes the performance valuable. You need to learn to make choices independently. Your coach won't be sitting beside you when the audition arrives. Voiceover is a business. Performance is only one part of building a sustainable career. Vet your coach. Research their experience, work, reputation, teaching philosophy, and results before you invest. Don't be afraid of "not yet." More preparation now can save you from an expensive and ineffective demo later.