30 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Summer 2009

Drew Liming

Drew Liming is an 

economist in the 

Office of Occupational Statistics 

and Employment 

Projections, BLS. 

He is available at

(202) 691–5262 or 

liming.drew@bls.

gov.

When Tony Oliver was in high 

school, he and a friend enjoyed 

muting the television and making funny voices to accompany the onscreen 

action. One afternoon, his friend’s mom told 

them to stop goofing around, asking, “Do 

you think anyone will ever pay you for this?” 

Little did she know that both boys would one 

day pitch their vocal creativity as professional 

voice actors. 

Voice actors help to bring our favorite cartoon and video game characters to life. They 

also do voice-overs for radio and television 

commercials and movie trailers. Even though 

you don’t see them, these actors use the sound 

of their voice to sell a character’s emotions—

or an advertised product.

Tony was first introduced to voice acting 

when he was trying to find work as a stage 

actor in Los Angeles. He saw a newspaper ad 

for a voice-acting gig and, after completing 

that job, was able to land work on numerous 

similar projects. These jobs were Tony’s introduction to a side of show business he hadn’t 

known existed. “In voice acting,” he says, “I 

found this secret enclave of acting you could 

get paid for that no one knew about.”

For professional voice actors like Tony, a 

busy workday might include multiple recording sessions, each several hours long. Before 

the session, voice actors meet with the director and are given the script they’ll read. Voice 

actors rarely have an opportunity to read 

scripts in advance and must be able to produce high-quality material without practicing 

the lines. 

After speaking with the director, a voice 

actor enters the sound studio where the 

recording sessions take place. Most studios 

consist of two rooms: a recording booth and 

a control room. In the booth, the voice actor, 

either alone or with other voice actors, reads 

through the script line by line. The director 

and a sound engineer listen from the control 

room and provide feedback between takes. 

For most professional voice actors, getting hired requires versatility in addition to a 

pleasant voice. Most voice actors use a number of voices and accents for various characters. Some actors have enough voices to play 

multiple roles on the same project. 

New voices take work to create. Tony 

has found that the best inspiration is usually 

people he overhears. “A lot of creating new 

voices is mimicry,” he says. “Sometimes, you 

don’t even realize what you have until a director gives you a new character and something 

you’ve been playing around with pops out of 

you.” 

Even after developing new voices, regular 

practice is essential. Voice actors must be able 

to re-create or tweak a voice at a director’s 

request. Practice also helps to prevent strained 

throats and to maintain vocal range. Tony, a 

trained singer, gives his voice a musical workout almost every day; other voice actors find 

different ways to practice.

Becoming a successful voice actor, like 

other jobs in entertainment, requires strong 

networking skills. The voice-acting community is relatively small and can be difficult to 

break into. Frequently submitting demo tapes 

to directors and auditioning for them is vital, 

especially for newcomers. “It can be hard getting those first few roles,” Tony says. “Directors don’t want to take a chance on a voice 

actor they don’t know.” 

Voice actor

You’re a what?
Summer 2009 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 31

Many professional voice actors have also 

been trained as stage actors. A background in 

stage acting, although not mandatory, provides performance experience and teaches 

voice actors how to develop characters. Like 

stage actors, voice actors create a character 

for their audience. Unlike stage actors, however, voice actors can’t rely on their physical 

movements or facial expressions to connect 

with the audience. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

does not specifically track the employment 

or wages of voice actors. Voice actors are 

grouped with other types of actors, including 

those who work on stage, in television, and in 

motion pictures. Some voice actors also work 

in these other mediums.

 Although opportunities for voice actors 

are available throughout the country, work is 

easiest to find where the studios are clustered. 

Like the rest of the entertainment industry, 

most voice actors are concentrated in southern 

California. But many also work in large cities, 

such as Houston and New York.

Anecdotal information suggests that voice 

actors are usually paid by the hour. Typical 

rates for a recording session are between $300 

and $500 for the first hour and between $200 

and $350 for each subsequent hour. Voice actors working on longer projects might negotiate their own rates.

But voice actors freelance, which means 

they are self-employed and often have inconsistent work schedules. Some long-term jobs 

are available to actors voicing a main character in a cartoon show for an entire season or 

series. In most jobs, however, a voice actor’s 

services may be required for only a single recording session. “When business is booming, 

you’re working all the time,” says Tony. “And 

when it’s not, you’re on the phone trying to 

hustle up work.”

 Still, freelancing allows voice actors to 

choose the productions and characters they’re 

interested in auditioning for. Tony enjoys this 

creative freedom. “When work is going well,” 

he says, “I have a lot of control over what’s 

happening in my life.” 

Being able to make a career out of something he enjoys satisfies Tony. “If it weren’t 

my job, I’d take up acting as a hobby,” he 

says. “I love that I get paid to do something 

I’d do for free.”

From ads to animation, Tony Oliver speaks for his supper.