David Gavin

Shawn Saacke Crawford - Over 30 days ago

Nice! So do you speak this way in everyday life? Lucky for your wife! So, how the heck do you get started in the VoiceOver biz? As a teacher I've always been interested in this possibility.

David Gavin - Over 30 days ago

Hi Shawn,
Thanks so much for your kind words. This piece is actually pretty close to my normal voice... except for the bit of extra gravity and emphasis that narrations usually call for. This particular project just landed me a series of radio and TV commercial narrations for Smith & Wesson... a really great break!
Hmmm, that would be my "almost wife." My fiancé and I split a couple of years ago, so I'm back to single status... she was a huge supporter of my getting started in this business though!
As for the how... well that could take up pages!! In short, it starts with putting together a demo, pulling together a profile (voice description, any experience, etc.), setting up a website and trying out a few of the "free" freelance sites for jobs, before joining what are commonly known as Pay-to-Play sites such as http://www.voices.com, http://www.bodalgo.com/index_english.php and so on.

This page on my website has a bunch of helpful links:
http://thevoiceoverall.wix.com/davidgavin#!links/c8te

Here's some other links that will help you get a bit of a look behind the scenes:
http://www.voiceoveruniverse.com
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2013/01/how-to-succeed-as-a-voiceover-artist-in-the-digital-age031
http://www.voiceoverresourceguide.com

There's also a ton of voice over discussion groups on Linkedin, if you happen to be there.
Thanks again Shawn and best of luck in your new venture!!

Shawn Saacke Crawford - Over 30 days ago

I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge about your specialty. Thank You! Here's a bit of female knowledge for you: When meeting women, don't go for online dating... They need to hear your voice! Play to our strengths, right?

Shawn Saacke Crawford - Over 30 days ago

So when did you first figure out that you had such a great voice for recording and narrating, etc? What was your first job? I can just imagine someone overhearing you in a conversation, and asking you if you'd be interested in narrating their commercial.

David Gavin - Over 30 days ago

Actually my first job was a radio jingle for an audio company, when I was about 18 years old. I've been singing with bands and duets for most of my life and never really took the voice over thing too seriously until about 6 years ago... although people have always said "You should do commercials or something"
I trained for a bit with a great pro named Chuck McKibben and got the beginnings of a demo.
Roughly 4 years ago I finally invested in some equipment, set myself up online and joined voices.com
I've been doing it full time ever since.
Like any self owned business, it can be a rocky road... but it's something I can call my own :)
These were actually the first two jobs I did through voices.com:
"Anger Management" by Peter J. Favaro, Ph.D.
http://myselfhelpcourse.com/pif_ang/pif.html

Intro to Michael Jackson Zombie spoof for
Award winning Videographer - Zach Daulton:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v2YULKFAfM

Shawn Saacke Crawford - Over 30 days ago

Thanks for sharing, David. I love hearing how people got to where they are today. I am always impressed with people who take that leap of faith and step out on their own to do something they truly love and are gifted to do. My Dad has always been a good example of that entrepreneurial spirit. And hey! Look at me now!
Nice to hear you were smart enough to believe in your voice and explore your options after so many people had commented on it. It's important to listen to your (future) public!
I can't wait to go hear these first two jobs. Well, back to work for now!