Voice Acting Jobs: Where to Find Work, Auditions and Safe Sources

Where do you find voice over jobs?

Postings are spread across several kinds of places. You don’t need all of them. Pick two or three, do them well and add more once you are booking.

Casting sites and voice marketplaces

Voice123 is an online voice casting marketplace. Its guide says that when clients post a project, they choose between asking for related samples or a custom audition. Bodalgo works in a similar way. Clients describe a project, and voice actors respond with custom auditions that often include a read of the script.

Traditional casting services carry voice work too. Breakdown Services, the company behind Actors Access, says in its FAQ that it posts voice and animation projects next to film, TV, theater and commercials. Backstage and Casting Networks are the other big services actors use. We compare all three in Actors Access vs. Backstage vs. Casting Networks.

Audiobook voice acting jobs on ACX

ACX is the audiobook marketplace run by Audible. According to ACX’s page for narrators, you create a profile with vocal samples, search for projects and submit an audition that follows the author’s notes. You and the author then agree on the timeline and the pay structure. After you record and master the audio, ACX’s quality assurance engineers review it before the title goes out through Amazon, Audible and iTunes.

You choose how you get paid, either per finished hour or through a royalty share. Read the current terms on the ACX narrator page before you accept a project, because they change.

Agents with a voice department

Some talent agencies have a team that handles voice work, and a few agents handle nothing else. A strong demo or set of samples helps you get a meeting. SAG-AFTRA publishes a franchised agents list, which is a safe place to start checking who is legitimate. Our guide to getting a talent agent explains how to approach one and how to check them.

Union voice acting jobs with SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA says voice performers work under several collective bargaining agreements. Those agreements address minimum pay, health and retirement contributions and residuals. Union jobs often come through agents. ACX’s narrator page also has a help topic on accepting projects with SAG-AFTRA.

Rates change, so we do not list amounts. The National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA) keeps a rates page that points to the right sources for union and non-union work. To weigh membership, read how to join SAG-AFTRA and union vs. non-union acting.

What are voice acting auditions like?

Voice acting auditions are almost always recorded at home. Voice123 says performers now record many video game auditions entirely from home. You receive a script, often called copy, along with notes about the character, the tone and the length. Then you record a few takes and send the best one.

A few habits make your audition easier to say yes to.

• Follow the posting exactly. If it asks for a slate (your name before the read), a certain file type or a certain file name, do that and nothing extra.
• Act the line. Clients hire someone who sounds believable and takes direction. A big voice isn’t the point.
• Label your file correctly. A casting panel hosted by Iyuno, a localization company, advised that a mislabeled file can land in the wrong pile and go missing.
• Send clean audio. Clients judge your recording along with your performance.

When a casting asks for video instead of audio, our self-tape guide applies. In every case, treat the audition as a short scene and not as a vocal exercise.

How do you start applying for voice acting jobs?

A simple routine beats a burst of applications. Here is one way to run your first month, and you can stretch it if life gets busy.

1. Pick one or two kinds of work, such as commercial reads and audiobooks, so your samples have a clear focus.
2. Record short samples in a quiet room and ask a teacher, a coach or a trusted peer to listen before you post them.
3. Create a profile on one marketplace and read how its auditions work before you submit anything.
4. Audition a little every day. Voice123’s beginner guide stresses consistency, and each submission teaches you something about posting notes and file requirements.
5. Keep a simple log of what you sent, where you sent it and what you heard back.

After a few weeks, look at which postings invited you back. Those tell you where your voice fits today. Then you can invest in better samples, a coach or an agent search with real information in hand.

Keep your expectations realistic as well. Voice over jobs are competitive, and a single posting can draw a lot of submissions. Treat every audition as practice, and give each one a clear read and clean audio even when you doubt it will book. Over time, that habit is what makes clients remember a name.

What should a voice over audition script include?

Most postings share a few details with the script. Read them before you press record, because they decide how you play the line.

• The character or brand. Who is speaking, and to whom?
• The tone. Warm, urgent, playful, calm or serious will change your pacing and breath.
• The length. Timing matters for ads and e-learning, so practice with a clock.
• The delivery notes. File type, how many takes and whether to slate all appear here.

If a detail is missing, ask the client through the platform when that option exists. If it isn’t, make a clear choice and play it with confidence. A committed read usually beats a hesitant one.

What do you need before you apply for voice acting jobs?

Start with the basics, because the first impression is your audio.

Training that fits the work

Voice123’s guide to video game work says studios hire performers, not impressionists, and that acting classes and scene study improve a performance more than copying famous characters. NAVA also says a voice actor should work with a teacher or coach in the genres they want. Our guide to voice acting classes shows how to choose a program, and how to choose acting classes covers the acting side.

A home recording space and samples

In general terms, you need a quiet room, a decent microphone, an audio interface, headphones and recording software. Every client has its own technical requirements, so read them before you spend money on gear.

For the demo, NAVA says some demos use material written and produced on spec, others compile booked work and some combine both. A good one can help you land an agent, work with clients and be heard on online casting sites. Voice123 argues that marketplaces have moved toward short samples, roughly 20 to 30 seconds in each category you work in, as explained in its guide to voice over demos. Before you pay anyone to produce a demo, read NAVA’s best practices for demos and ask for examples and references.

Contracts and AI

Read every agreement for words such as simulation, synthesization, digital double or machine learning. NAVA offers a free AI rider and a list of questions to ask clients. This is general information, not legal advice, so ask a lawyer or your agent about a specific contract.

How do you spot scams in voice acting jobs?

NAVA says most scams aimed at voice talent are versions of the overpayment scam. A “client” sends a check for more than the job pays and asks you to forward the difference, often by wire transfer, money order or gift card. The check can look real and still be fake, and you can lose the money you send.

Watch for these red flags from NAVA’s scam guide.

• Heavy urgency and conversations that only mention payment.
• A contact who writes from a free email address while claiming to represent a known company.
• A contract that differs from the offer in the email.
• Blind emails that ask you to read sample text, which NAVA says can be an attempt to collect audio.

Also be careful with anyone who asks you to pay to be considered. A real job pays you. For casting calls of every kind, see how to spot a fake casting call, and browse verified listings on our castings page.