Earlier this year, Tony Acland enrolled in Such A Voice’s accelerated program. Since completing the program, he has been successfully booking voice-over work. Let’s catch up with Tony and see what he’s been up to!
SAV: Thanks so much for taking the time! Tell us, what inspired you to get into voice-over?
Acland: I’m a professional auctioneer and MC. I’ve always loved the concept of voice-over but had no idea how to get into it until I stumbled upon Voices.com. I love the idea of telling a story, working for myself, and being able to reach people in all sorts of ways.
SAV: What was your inspiration to start the Such A Voice program?
Acland: Such A Voice contacted me after I signed up on Voices.com. I am a firm believer that you have to learn the business and its nuances plus the program sounded great!
SAV: What was your favorite part of the Such A Voice training program?
Acland: Working with all the different coaches. They were all amazing and so supportive! Special thanks to Dave Tolar, Nancy Wilson, Adam Michael Rose, and Justine Reiss. Their support and encouragement will stay with me. The program was fairly concise. It took just over eight months to complete, finishing in November 2017
SAV: Did your coach help you overcome any specific obstacles?
Acland: Adam did an excellent job with helping me with my dialect. As a Canadian, I had to learn to speak with an American accent! Dave and Nancy both got me to slow down a bit. Remember, I am an auctioneer after all.
SAV: What do you think is the hardest part of voice acting?
Acland: So far, I haven’t found anything really hard. If you love doing something, it’s never hard. You just have to do whatever it takes.
SAV: What types of voice-over projects have you done since graduating?
Acland: I signed onto ACX and landed two short books and one blog almost immediately. I auditioned for my first book a few days after I finished my training. It was a short motivational book by James David Rockefeller called, Personal Branding. I was notified that I got the job the same day. Now THAT was exciting! I did one more for the same author about numerology. I did voice-over work for the short motivational book called, Get Off Your Ass and Do Something, by Peter Woods. It was quickly followed up by another by Peter Woods called Producer or Consumer. The books are educational and/or motivational, so there are no “characters” per se. This project suited me very well since I have an affinity for this style of book. I was also able to hone my editing, recording, and auditioning skills for my first books that I produced. What a great start in my journey as a professional voice-over artist!
SAV: What kind of jobs are you hoping to get in the future?
Acland: I really enjoy audiobooks. I might concentrate on that for a bit.
SAV: Who is a voice-over artist that you look up to?
Acland: Anyone who is successful, so that includes all my coaches at SAV.
SAV: What sort of home studio do you use?
Acland: I built my home studio in my home office. It’s 4′ x 4′ with 2’ x 4’ walls with Roxul Safe and Sound in the wall to stop outside noise, and then there’s dimpled foam on the walls on the inside. It’s really quiet and quite roomy. I use an Audio Technica AT 2020 mic and Audacity as a recording program.
SAV: What advice do you have for aspiring voice talent?
Acland: The best advice I can offer is take a serious look at this industry.
If you really want to succeed, then you will do whatever it takes. Great
coaching can make a great VO artist.
Tune in next week as we will be interviewing one of our staff members to hear more about what they do here at Such A Voice!
