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We all love those cool voice over narrations for anime, cartoons, and films. Did you ever wonder how you could do it as well?

Sabrina Mapp, lifelong Blerd, voice actor, podcast host, part-time performer, web developer, and social media strategist gave a presentation to a packed crowd at Blerdcon 2024 on how to be a voice over actor.

In 2018, the native Washingtonian started her career as a podcaster. Mapp created BlerdMom to discuss her favorite topics such as cosplaying, movies, and games.

“People kept telling me my voice is nice, and I was like whatever. Then I started doing podcasts, and people were like hey your voice is really soothing. You should do voice overs,” Mapp said.

So, Mapp decided to take the next steps.

“I went to a podcast convention, and they had a session on how to be a voice over actor. I started doing research, then I started coaching for a while. I did a demo in my home studio and started marketing myself and booking jobs,” said Mapp.

Since then, she has booked a steady stream of voice over work that includes audio descriptions, sleep stories, corporate e-learning, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and general narration.

Essentially, voice acting functions in a very wide industry, from commercial to niche markets, with several genres including animation, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other related ones. There is a place for every voice.

“A nice voice means very little,” Mapp commented. “It means way less than you think it does. I don’t care what your voice sounds like, there is a place for you in voice over because there are lots of little niches around for different types of voices. It doesn’t matter your accent if you want to do this, and you’re willing to put in the work because there is a lot of hustle. There is a place for you.”

Iconic voice actors like James Earl Jones (Star Wars, The Lion King), Julie Kavner (The Simpsons), Cree Summer (Rugrats, Tiny Toon Adventures), and Phil Lemarr (Samurai Jack, DC Animated Universe), all started somewhere. It was their persistence that propelled them to where they are.

“In the beginning, you’re going to spend a lot of money getting training and getting your home studio set up,” said Mapp. “Don’t trust anybody who says oh, you can just start booking jobs. You might start booking jobs in the beginning a little bit, and anybody can get on Fiverr and get paid $5 to do their voice, but if you want a real career with this, you’re going to have to get trained. And there is a lot of competition, no way around it.”

Still, Mapp encourages anyone to begin where they are, using what equipment they have until they can upgrade. “Work with what you got,” Mapp said.

Mapp emphasized the importance of identifying your niche as well as a coach who specializes in it.

“There’s lots of coaches out here. They’re going to tell you about commercials and narration first. I personally think you should find a coach in the field/genre that you want to enter because there’s no point in coaching for commercials if you don’t want to do commercials,” said Mapp.

To get started, Mapp recommends designating a room and soundproofing it with paneling, foam, or other materials. Purchase a condenser or dynamic microphone. Mapp uses an XLR condenser microphone with an audio interface that connects to her computer. She also has a couple of studio monitors. For editing, Mapp uses Adobe Audition.

Essentially, the more professional work one accrues, the higher the cost of a quality home studio. This includes specific tools for specific work.

“If you want to get into anime, they will probably require you to use a specific mic because they want to have a specific sound across all their recordings,” said Mapp.

Mapp spoke about the practices as well as pitfalls with the voice over industry. First, she spoke about coaching. “Make sure you keep up with your coaching. I don’t care how good you are. Phil LeMarr, Cree Summer, they all have coaches.”

“Vet the person carefully. Look at what the person has done. If they’re not a casting person, make sure that they are an artist themselves. What work have they done? What kind of work do they do? Ask for references. Everybody is not a great teacher. Some people are great at the acting part but not the teaching part,” Mapp added.

She also spoke about avoiding scammers including companies that will use fake websites to lure potential clients. “There are a lot of people out here who are just trying to get your money,” said Mapp.

Then there is the overpayment scam. Mapp cautioned that sometimes an unscrupulous person will hire you and tell you to work with a studio, and that they will reimburse you. You pay the studio and the engineer but then when their promised check arrives, it bounces. Now you are out thousands of dollars and have not been paid for your work.

While ACX (www.acx.com) is a popular site that voice actors use to get audiobook work, there are plenty of websites for those who want to do voice overs for anime, cartoons, science fiction, fantasy, and others such as Voices.com and Voice123.com.

As a voice talent agency/studio, Voices of Color focuses on talent of color/LGBTQ with its tagline “a community that uplifts voices of color and promotes diversity.”

Additionally, there are platforms like Gravy For The Brain that can provide necessary training and support.

Like James Earl Jones who overcame stuttering to become one of the greatest voices in history, Mapp overcame her shyness to become a successful podcaster and voice over artist, endeavors that she continues to enjoy and love.

Mapp remarked, “Like the saying goes, do what you love, and the money will come.”

To learn more about Sabrina Mapp, visit her website. To schedule a custom audition or to discuss your project, you can contact her through her website or on Instagram.

And best of luck with all of your voice over dreams!