Excerpt from How to Break into Voiceover:
The voiceover business, like all acting, is unionized for most of the major work, such as national television commercials, network promos, and animation. Many local and regional commercials, as well as a great deal of non-broadcast narration, are non-union. The unions that cover voiceover are the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and AFTRA. Just about any voice actor can gain membership with AFTRA as long as they pay the initiation fee, which is about $1500. SAG, however, requires that you actually book a union job first; then you are eligible to join the union after paying an initiation fee of about $2300. AFTRA covers radio, audiobooks, and some types of TV and internet commercials, while SAG covers most television and other new media.
The voiceover business, like all acting, is unionized for most of the major work, such as national television commercials, network promos, and animation. Many local and regional commercials, as well as a great deal of non-broadcast narration, are non-union. The unions that cover voiceover are the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and AFTRA. Just about any voice actor can gain membership with AFTRA as long as they pay the initiation fee, which is about $1500. SAG, however, requires that you actually book a union job first; then you are eligible to join the union after paying an initiation fee of about $2300. AFTRA covers radio, audiobooks, and some types of TV and internet commercials, while SAG covers most television and other new media.
You may find it difficult to get a voiceover
agent without being in the union (particularly SAG) and without having booked
voiceover work before. So in the beginning, you may want to submit your
voiceover reels to casting directors with a cover letter that states you are
interested in doing non-union voiceover work, or what they call “special
projects.” Some voiceover casting directors will cast for special projects, and
it’s a good way for you to get professional voiceover experience and the
opportunity to book some voiceover work. This will help you to build your
voiceover reel and make you more marketable to voiceover talent agencies.
Eventually, if you are good at what you do
and have demonstrated an ability to book voiceover work, you will get a
voiceover talent agent. And once you start booking union voiceover projects,
you will be eligible to join SAG.
To learn more about the many advantages and disadvantages of joining a union, read How to Break into Voiceover by Christopher Prince.
To learn more about the many advantages and disadvantages of joining a union, read How to Break into Voiceover by Christopher Prince.
Also See: