Promo Pâté
– TV Series
– Variety of different styles
– Mix together with the personality of TV show or station
– One flexible schedule
– A top quality studio
– Reliable Voice
– Clients with a certain delivery in mind
Once you put just the right ingredients together and give the client exactly what the show requires, this could be a recipe you will have to cook over and over and be consistent and ready for change.
Promo is an industry many talent don’t even consider. This is where you are the voice for a TV series. It’s TV’s version of Trailer or radio voice, mixed in with a more intimate delivery in most cases. Promo has many genres, it’s really just dependent on the personality of the show. The best thing you can do as a voice talent is figure out what kind of personality this show is. Each genre requires a different type of read, so you really have to get to know your genre’s and truly study and/or watch the show when able.
The challenge with the world of promo is that once you do land a job (which isn’t always easy and timing and connections are crucial) they own your time. It’s almost like taking on a management position in a retail company. They need updates, changes, re-writes etc. Or they book you in advance a certain day of the week – each week, or once a month etc. They expect the sound to be consistent, so if you travel much, this makes it hard to meet their demands.
Voice Talent with a broadcasting background, but know how to internalize their feelings or opinions stand out well in this industry. Imaging for radio is much the same, it’s just a different group of styles. Promo is TV so there are visuals to help paint the picture. The talent doesn’t have to push the thoughts as much – where as in Radio, you have to truly paint the picture in the listeners mind – along with good SFX and music, so a certain type of energy needs to be present.
In the world of Promos, many shows or stations will want you recording in their studio or will be directing you via ISDN or Source Connect, so being accessible to a HIGH quality studio is imperative in most cases. Many shows have a contract for you so they may own you for a year etc.
All these things are important to consider when entering this field. Learning how to become the personality for the show is the most important part of the equation, then finding the companies that are looking to hire that type of voice talent helps put it all together.
Much more to learn in this topic, but this is a great introduction,
Until Next time
All my best
VO Chef Deb