Kill them with k̶i̶n̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ customer service

Kill them with k̶i̶n̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ customer service

It's a big worry for most service providers.

How do I stand out?

Sure, we all offer subtly different skills.

But you tend to be offering the same broad solutions as your peers.

For example, any competitive voice actor needs to be:

✅ A great actor.
✅ Offer fast turnaround.
✅ Provide broadcast quality audio.

These are non negotiable.

But offering exceptional customer service is probably the next best 'hack' to make yourself memorable and become a client's go to provider.

Do you want two examples for one?

Last month, I was experimenting with my mobile recording set-up.

I wanted to see if I could get a truly portable but affordable solution that would allow me to offer a consistent, professional sound while travelling.

When I enquired about the portable VOXBOX to Richard Holmes, he was kind enough to offer me a free trial so I could test his invention firsthand.

He even delivered it to my house as we happen to live in the same area of London!

At the same time, audio wizz Henry Willard offered to lend me two of his own mics so I could compare and contrast them.

What resulted was a 'VO on the go' crash course which took in South London, Somerset and Nottingham.  In each new space I tested both mics with the VOXBOX in a variety of configurations.

At every new location, I'd record samples and send them to Henry and he'd take time out to feedback on the quality of sound.

The result?

I purchased the VOXBOX and am taking delivery of a Sennheiser 416 as my travel mic this morning.

There might be comparable solutions to the VOXBOX.
Or engineers who have similar knowledge to Henry.
But because of their exceptional customer service...

I'm never going anywhere else.

We all THINK we know what good customer service looks like.

But it's only when you experience it at a high level that you appreciate just what an impact it can have.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

Conjuring Demons 😈

That's what I spent last week doing...

But all within the sound-proofed warmth of Games Workshop's Black Library, working on my fourth Warhammer audiobook.

It's lovely to mix things up by working in person in a new studio, but what I most admire the directors I work with here are their consideration.

🔷 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 🔷

They're clients who know what they want.
Because they know the material inside out.

Every project has been prepped twice so there's absolute alignment about what the end product should be.


🔷 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 🔷

The Black Library supply the most material in advance of any producer I know.

✅ Thorough pronunciation guides.
✅ Character breakdowns.
✅ Chapter guides.

You name it - all bases are covered in advance.
And that potentially stupid question you want to pose just to be safe?

It's dealt with 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺.

🔷 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧 🔷

They let me do my job.

Even when I keep getting the same pronunciation wrong.
They still always allow me space to play creatively.

And because of that, I'm encouraged to try things, be playful and offer my best work.

These are ALL fundamental qualities I look for when working with any client.

If you can have a clear brief, provide the supporting materials necessary and are willing to provide space for the voice talent to do their thing, then the job is 99% done.

Do you provide your clients with a checklist of requirements?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

To take the work with you?

Holidays are for holidaying.
Not for taking your work to a different location.

But this week, I've been experimenting with portable recording set ups.

Assisted by Honey the studio cat, obviously 🐈

Why?

Because I've promised myself to embrace more in person work events (such as conferences and out of town opportunities), leaving the comfort of my beloved and meticulously constructed home studio.

Leaving town doesn't stop the enquiries coming in.
(𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 😅)

So a huge thanks to Richard Holmes for allowing me to trail his ingenious foldout VOXBOX.

And to the wonderful Henry Willard for lending me two different mics to experiment with.

Every day, I've been setting up this travel set-up in a different room of my home.

Each room has a different level of outside noise and it's own acoustic to be navigated.

And so I record text audio with both mics, varying positioning and set up to see how it effects the sound recorded.

So far, I've been really impressed with the results I've been managed to capture with this set up.

The whole process has taken my back to the first four years of my fulltime voice acting career, where I created a temporary set-up using acoustic blankets every morning which had to be deconstructed every night!

The acid test with this will be taking everything on the road next week, when I'll be visiting Somerset for my mum's birthday followed by a few days in Nottingham recording an audiobook.

I won't NEED to use this travel set-up.  But it's as good a time as any to test it out and see how viable it truly is.

Do you ever take work on the road with you?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

Daring to trust the process.

This week, I ticked something off my bucket list.

I got to record a video game at OMUK.

For those who might not know, they are one of the foremost providers of voice casting and production in London.

Amongst the countless titles they've worked on, I'd pick 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝟯, 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗻 and 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗲 as three personal favourites.

I first did a workshop with OMUK's director Mark Estdale back in 2017,  so to be finally in the studio for an actual job rather an audition was a huge relief 😅

The session itself was fantastic too:

✅ A wonderful project.
✅ We finished an hour early.
✅ Enabled by OMUK's fantastic set up.

And I even got to share a scene with VO royalty Stephane Cornicard 👑.

And yet...

It would feel disingenuous to leave it there.

Because I've been on the other side, 'looking in' too.

Whenever I see one of my VO friends (and they almost always ARE friends) taking a selfie at a studio I'd love to work with, a little part of me questions what I'm doing wrong.

Not that that 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 don't deserve.
Not that 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 should't celebrate their work.

But the inevitable shadow of comparison looms.

Now this isn't new to acting life.
And we all know what comparison is the thief of.

𝗡𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼.

You train with the right people.
You trust the process you've built.
You audition to share your interpretation, not second guess.

And if other people's content triggers you (however unwittingly), you remove it from your life.

This post is just my way of sharing the struggle.

I'm incredibly grateful for every opportunity that comes my way (including this courtesy of Voicefox).  And I'm currently on a pretty good run with a number of great projects on the boil, my first VO award win etc etc.

But I still get knocked back on a daily basis. Indeed, I've spent the last decade fighting for the opportunity to be knocked back in the first place.

And while I'd love to say 'it's nothing personal', when it's your voice and personal creative response that's being rejected on a consistent basis, that just sounds a bit mad to me!

So, we learn to adjust and cope best we can.
For me, it's sharing these thoughts here.

If that makes you think me unprofessional,  then I'd call that 'lead qualification in action'.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

Returning to the 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧.

After 22 consecutive winless award nominations...

I was named 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 at VOX, the longest running voiceover awards in the UK.

Now if you've been following me for any length of time,
you'll know that I embraced my winless streak as a perverse form of anti-marketing.

In fact, for myself and fellow winless-multi-nominee Anthony Hewson - it's been a consistent source of black comedy.

(Which is why I started my acceptance speech with a shout out to him).

But that interaction reveals a wider point about the voice acting community as a whole.

It really is overwhelmingly supportive.

I cannot put a number on the number of hugs and messages I've received - from people I've known for years and people I've known for days.

Maybe it's because we work solo most of the time.
Maybe it's because we're all freelancers.
Maybe it's because of the free wine.

But without that support, it would have been impossible to build the career I have so far.

That support has meant such an incredible amount to me, I'm scared of attempting to start naming names in the knowledge I'd inevitably leave people out.

So rather than attempt something clever, I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to the community as a whole for everything.

Second to the sound of my mum shrieking down the phone when I told her I'd finally won, it means the world.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

This weekend, I destroyed my brand.

After 22 consecutive winless award nominations...

I was named 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 at VOX, the longest running voiceover awards in the UK.

Now if you've been following me for any length of time,
you'll know that I embraced my winless streak as a perverse form of anti-marketing.

In fact, for myself and fellow winless-multi-nominee Anthony Hewson - it's been a consistent source of black comedy.

(Which is why I started my acceptance speech with a shout out to him).

But that interaction reveals a wider point about the voice acting community as a whole.

It really is overwhelmingly supportive.

I cannot put a number on the number of hugs and messages I've received - from people I've known for years and people I've known for days.

Maybe it's because we work solo most of the time.
Maybe it's because we're all freelancers.
Maybe it's because of the free wine.

But without that support, it would have been impossible to build the career I have so far.

That support has meant such an incredible amount to me, I'm scared of attempting to start naming names in the knowledge I'd inevitably leave people out.

So rather than attempt something clever, I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to the community as a whole for everything.

Second to the sound of my mum shrieking down the phone when I told her I'd finally won, it means the world.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

The benefit of 'exposure'.

This week, I've spent four hours recording a dream project.

❌ But I didn't audition for it.
❌ I didn't pitch myself for it.
❌ I didn't even know about it.

Instead, a director simply dropped into my inbox wanting to collaborate on something that combined two of my favourite things:

𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀

𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗘.

Now I've signed an NDA, so I can't share much more other than it's very much a proof of concept.

But this is a perfect example of when marketing 'for exposure' - done right - can actually work in your favour.

How?

Because the director in question had seen me on Instagram, performing excerpts from 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 Shakespeare and games.

And because the deeper he dug, the more my body of content hammered home 𝗪𝗛𝗢 I am, 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 I love and 𝗪𝗛𝗬 I do it.

So rather than spend time auditioning hundreds of actors, he saw what he wanted and reached out.

The project itself hasn't been formally announced, so I would never have known to put my hat in the ring in the first place!

Thus proving one of the benefits of social marketing...

It opens you to leads and projects you never knew existed.

I'm not saying this is the only way to market.
It DEFINITELY isn't.

And neither is it for everyone.

But if you consistently position yourself in the right way, putting out the right content that refelcts your passions, your personality and your values...

Things. Do.  Happen.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

Are you an addict?

If you speak to a freelancer about their work, there's a good chance that they have difficulty in switching off.

When you're the one responsible for:

😅 Paying the bills
😳 Booking the clients
😱 Making the connections

You feel you must be CONSTANTLY hustling,
otherwise you simply don't 'want it' enough.

Even the wins pass fleetingly, because you've cultivated a mindset of insatiable progress.

No one job will ever be enough.
No one award will ever be enough.
No one financial milestone will ever be enough.

So here's your reminder to TRY and give yourself a break today.

This game is about working SMART as much as hard.
And a big part of that is sustainability.

In order to win the game, you need to be sure you keep in it.  And that requires looking after your health and setting boundaries as much as it does wanting it hard.

The 'addiction' mindset to work can be very attractive.

Eddie Guerrero demonstrates a pretty compelling argument for it in this wrestling promo,
deftly flipping his 'problem' into a solution.

But he died of heart failure within a year or so of delivering this speech.

Have I really used the passing of a much loved pro wrestler to make a point about business?

Yes.  Yes, of course I have.

But hopefully you get the point!

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

So I'm back.

After 9 days in Mauritius eating amazing food, reading on the beach, kayaking, sailing and generally being insufferable, I'm back behind the mic.

Thanks to Lux Grande Gaube for the trip of a lifetime.
And thanks to the single VO job that paid for it all.

My 'holiday hot take' about business?

Nah... I'm not going to pretend I don't have one.
Because everyone does that joke 👀

I͟t͟ ͟w͟a͟s͟ ͟t͟h͟e͟ ͟v͟a͟l͟u͟e͟ ͟o͟f͟ ͟c͟u͟s͟t͟o͟m͟e͟r͟ ͟s͟e͟r͟v͟i͟c͟e͟.͟

Yes, the resort itself was absolutely stunning.
But it only worked because every member of staff I encountered was 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 and 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲.

Not sycophantic.
Not scared to push back.
Not underpromising to over deliver.

Lux markets itself as a 𝘓𝘜𝘟𝘜𝘙𝘠 brand.
And they absolutely live up to it.
With every.  Single.  Detail.

What does 'luxury' look (or more sound like) in voice acting?

For me:

✅ Fast and attentive communication.
✅ Instinctive and malleable acting
✅ Rigorous attention to detail.

And to be more specific, this means that I'm going to be even more focused on quality over quantity when it comes to clients so I can offer that high level of service without running myself ragged.

Anyway, great to be back (*sobs into sunhat*).

What did I miss?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

Watch your mouth 👀

I had one of my favourite voice over directed sessions recently.

Why?

Because of the language used.

Most actors who have done any form of improvisation will be familiar with the 'Yes, and...' approach.

In short, this means that an improviser should always accept what another improviser has stated and then 𝘽𝙐𝙄𝙇𝘿 on it.

What they shouldn't do is 'block' it by rejecting or undermining the suggestion.

Why is this approach creatively effective?

✅ Because it means people feel heard.
✅ Their suggestions are being explored.
✅ They're contributing.

So, in the session, this director never said 'not like that'.

Instead, they always took what I gave them and then built upon it.

Rather than creating a binary of right or wrong choices, the recording became a G͟A͟M͟E͟ (very meta) of exploration.

Searching for different flavours.

This does NOT mean I didn't make wrong choices.
This does NOT mean I wasn't corrected.

And it certainly doesn't mean that I'm a sensitive soul who needs to be spoken to in a particular way to get results.

But when we're talking about the difference between good and GREAT (which is what I'm aiming for), using language that opens people up will always lead to a win.

Has the WAY someone spoke to you helped you do your job better?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

Hanging with the cool cats 🐱

So this week I was invited to join BAFTA Connect.

What's that?

According to the website:

𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙧-𝙩𝙤-𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡-𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨.

In reality?

It'll be me standing in a busy room trying to overcome my crippling imposter syndrome.

But we've got to be in it to win it, right?

Plus, there's lots of wonderful people I know already who are a part of it.

I can probably just cling to one of them 👀

Life as an actor is an emotional see-saw at the best of times.

I've landed some of my favourite projects this year, but also feel a bit beaten down after a few too many (possibly near but you never know) misses.

So to get this news at the end of a long week was lovely!

Congrats to all other successful applicants and I look forward to seeing you at the networking events.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

This way... madness lies.

My three years at drama school was traumatic.

I spent two years auditioning to get into one of the top institutions in the world.

Finally selected as one of 30 in a field of 3,000.

I'd read countless actor biographies about the importance of training and was totally focused on dedicating the next three years into making myself a better actor.

But then the wheels came off:

😅 New teachers on the course weren't qualified.

😩 New building works for the course were delayed, leading to less than ideal facilities.

😱 The school took over another drama school, thus doubling the number of students.

It was a salutary lesson about putting ANYTHING on a pedestal.

There were still a lot of good things about the school in question, but there was no sense of safety. Which I'd argue is pretty integral to effective learning.

I'll be honest that the disparity between what I'd hoped 'my dream' would be and the reality got to me.

I got depressed.
I second guessed myself.
I became overly-competitive.

And by the end of my second year... I was NOT in a good place.

So I did something radical.

I asked the head of the course if I could take a year out, so I could get my head back together and rediscover my love for the craft.

And to their credit - they said yes.

I spent the next year back in the 'real world', and it was the single most important year of my acting career.

✅ I took time out to actually LIVE a life outside of my passion.
✅ I took time to work with an acting teacher who spoke to me.
✅ I took time out to make my OWN work.

And the result?

A greater sense of who I was as a person and artist.
A confidence that I was in this for the long haul.
And a critically celebrated one-man show*.

It's not all been smooth sailing since then.

But it's a necessary reminder that we're shaped as much (if not more) by adversity than success.

Have you ever suffered a set-back that ended up helping your career?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

The most important anniversary of my life.

(okay, and also my biz, LinkedIn 😉)

Sunday marked 5 years of married life with my wonderful wife, Sophie.

We marked the occasion by watching PJ Harvey perform at Gunnersbury Park, which was phenomenal.

To say Sophie has had a huge impact on my life would be an understatement.

The unconditional love.
The unconditional support.
The unconditional encouragement.

But when it comes to voice over, my business simply wouldn't exist without her.

I'd done one voice job in 8 years of acting when we met...

Sophie was the one who encouraged me to do my first VO courses.

Sophie was the one who said yes to turning the bedroom into a studio.

And Sophie was the one paid the bills while I found my feet.

For a lot of us, the career we want simply isn't possible without the support of someone else.  Which is why my biggest work goal isn't to do with the brands I work with but the life and love I can offer in return.

It's not a new thing.
But it still needs to be said.

Here's to those partners who change our lives (and work) profoundly.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

What to try on a second take?

Most of my clients know what they want.

By the time a script reaches me - whether for an explainer video or video game character - it's passed through so many hands, the brief is clear.

If you're working with an excellent actor like me, I'll be able to provide you with what you need with time to spare.

So how do you make sure any additional takes offer up something 𝘐𝘕𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 rather than just repeating what you have?

Here are three things you can 𝘚𝘐𝘔𝘗𝘓𝘠 adjust:

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀.

Give both the voice talent and the audience a͟ ͟s͟t͟a͟t͟u͟s͟ ͟f͟r͟o͟m͟ ͟1͟ ͟t͟o͟ ͟5͟.͟

For example, a CEO talking to staff  might be a 5 talking to a 2 - leading to a more formal and instructional tone.

Whereas peer to peer might be 3 to 3 - typically more conversational.

But that will be different from a 1 to 1 or 5 to 5, and that's when nuance comes in.

This approaches takes generalised direction like 'make it conversational' and places it in a clear context.

2️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲.

Establish what 'space' your first read was in and c͟h͟a͟n͟g͟e͟ ͟t͟h͟e͟ ͟s͟i͟z͟e͟ ͟o͟f͟ ͟i͟t͟.͟

For example, if it sounded emphatic and more presentational as if being delivered from a stage, turn the space into something quiet and intimate.

If the first read was 'comfortable', what happens if the actor imagines its much colder or hotter?

3️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱

Take the speed of the first take and t͟u͟r͟n͟ ͟i͟t͟ ͟u͟p͟ ͟o͟r͟ ͟d͟o͟w͟n͟ ͟b͟y͟ ͟2͟0͟%͟.

A good actor will be able to 'justify' this so it doesn't become a technical exercise:

They're that bit more urgent because of a tight deadline
𝘖𝘙
They're that bit slower because they're scared to say something out loud.


A second take isn't about reinventing the wheel.  But it should only take a relatively minor adjustment to get a very different result.

Whether you end up using it or not, it means you've interrogated the brief thoroughly with the talent you've hired rather than just made do.

Do you have any 'go to' directions for an interesting second take?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

Don't confuse 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗘 with 𝘗𝘙𝘐𝘊𝘌.

How to respond to the dreaded '𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁'.

When someone comes to me for a quote,
I always show my work.

I'll refer to the relevant section of my rates page or an established 'rate card' to demonstrate I'm not just plucking numbers form the air.

But when I'm told that I'm 'higher than the budget',
I'll rarely just walk away.

If the budget isn't negotiable -  when I'm not talking directly to the end client - then we can quickly establish what the gap is and whether it can be bridged in any other way...

Maybe a longer lead time or less services being involved is a route to a happy compromise.

But if I AM talking to a client, then I shift the conversation to one of VALUE over price.

It helps me understand what the aims behind the project truly are.

And gives me the framework to demonstrate my worth.

How do you respond to the words 'small budget'?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

YOUR cash flow is not MY problem

I hire freelancers regularly.

In an average month, I'll use:

🎧 An audio engineer
📝 A virtual assistant
🗣️ An accent coach
💰 An accountant
👀 A proof reader
📽️ A video editor

And 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 one of them I will pay within 24 hours of having received an invoice.

Why?

Because I value their expertise.
And I want to build relationships with them.

But ALSO - it's because I've budgeted with a clear knowledge of their terms of payment.

Four times in July, I've encountered late payment of my own invoices because of the same issue:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝙈𝙔 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁...
𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗲.

And while I get that scenarios like this can happen, especially with bigger projects - I 𝘖𝘕𝘓𝘠 found out about this when my invoices ran late and I had to chase for an explanation.

Time and energy I could be using 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 😠

So... I'm updating my payment terms.

If a client's payment is dependent on THEM getting paid, I will need this clarified 𝙄𝙉 𝘼𝘿𝙑𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀.

And if a client doesn't have the means to cover my session fee as a minimum, then it's a non-starter.

This isn't another post about how best to chase late payments - I've done that.

It's just asking for transparent, CONSIDERATE communication with freelance talent and some level of respect for their terms of service.

Does your payment ever get caught up in a client's cashflow?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

The biggest factor in my success?

My recording studio.

Yes, you need to be able to act in order to book voiceover work.

But without a space that allows you to....

1️⃣ Act freely.
2️⃣ Deliver perfect audio.
3️⃣ Connect with clients worldwide.

Acting 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 simply won't be enough.

(It's an over-subscribed profession, apparently 👀)

I got my current studio built by Miloco Studios over lockdown.

That's why my hair is longer and I'm ten pounds heavier in the video.

But even when making it, I didn't fully realise just what a game changer it would be to my 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚.

Having a space where I can create content easily transformed my marketing output.

It encouraged me to shift from cold emailing to creating video.

And as a result, there have been over 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪𝗦 of me recording in it online.

So I'm pretty proud of it.

For 14k all in, it's been my single shrewdest investment.

(Beyond the three years of classical acting and countless workshops, obviously).

Is there one single purchase that transformed your business?

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

200 applications. 0 agent responses. 0 jobs.

That was the first 8 years of my voice acting journey.

Despite having a 'nice voice' and being a classically trained actor, I just assumed it was never meant to be.

Today, it's quite different:

- I've voiced campaigns for BMW, Google & Warner Bros.
- Nominated best male VO x 6 years consecutively.
- I have 500,000 followers across social.
- With over 100 satisfied clients.

But surprise!  It's not been easy. 😅

My biggest lesson?

To control the controllables.
And not sweat the rest.

There's no 'right way' to voice act.
There's no 'right way' to market.
There's no 'right way' to work.

The quickest way of finding out what 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 work for you, is to dive straight in and learn first hand.

I've found my own balance that seems to be working okay and I share my insights freely.

But I never landed on the solution first time:

I lost money.
I wasted time.
I broke promises to myself.

That's just the reality of running a business.
All the truly successful people you see on your feed?
They've got good at making mistakes fast and often.

It's tough out there.
But if you ask me about my 'why'...
I've got a slave driving cat to feed 🤷‍♂️

You need no other explanation.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

The quickest way to p*ss me off...

Do you judge a painting by how it looks in the dark?

Do you judge a meal by how it tastes hours after cooking?

Then for the love of good audio...

Don't complain about the sound quality of a recording until you've listened to it...

✅ On decent equipment
✅ In an appropriate environment.

I pride myself on the quality of my home studio.

I've voiced thousands of projects from it.

It's been vetted by three different audio engineers.

But on a handful of occasions I've received complaints about the quality of my sound 😱

Whenever this has happened, I've always asked the client in question to listen back on a 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 in a 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

And every time... it turns out fine.

👂 That echo you sensed?

It's because you're listening in a bathroom cubicle.

🚗 That car noise you heard?

It's because you're listening in the middle of a car park.

🎧 That crackle you made out?

It's because you bought your headphones from Wish.

You don't  need expensive equipment to check sound quality.

But having an awareness of what you're using and where your using it is much appreciated.

(And PLEASE... this goes even harder if you're attending a live directed session.  There's few things more mortifying than being told that Steve plans to listen in to the recording from a lay-by on the M1)

Otherwise - you might just trigger a revenge trail of Raymond Reddington proportions 🙃

And NO ONE wants that.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor

The arts are a vital British export.

Yet in the past 14 years,
they have suffered immensely due to Tory-led austerity measures.

I've witnessed firsthand the closure of theatres, galleries, arts centres and museums.

I've seen the financial strain on creatives forced to abandon their careers due to a lack of opportunities.

For five years I was a producer and performer for a theatre company that had been nominated for twenty five awards....

Only to see the venues that we'd nurtured relationships with forced to shutter due to lack of support.

The relationship between business and art is frequently an odd one.

Every day, I see the tools of 'storytelling' commodified almost as a grudging justification for creativity.

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 = 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 = 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆

Indeed, that's how I often pay my own bills with VO! 👀

But to see art 𝘖𝘕𝘓𝘠 as that is where things get dangerous.

A large part of that attitude is down to the policies of the outgoing government.

So regardless of what you may think of this week's result, all I can hope for is change.

By Chris Tester - British Male Voice Actor