Voice Actor

A Voice Actor’s Lessons from VO Atlanta 2025

March 30, 2025 by GenevieveBaer

VO Atlanta 2025

I’m back from second VO Atlanta (I’ve gone 2 years in a row) and once again, I am impressed by just how much I gained in those 3 days.

So much as been written about whether or not voice over conferences are “worth it”. For me? The answer is ABSOLUTELY!

Look, conferences are what you make of them. So, if you’re going to stay locked up in your room and not engage, then you’re not going to get anything out of them.

But if you put yourself out there, attend the sessions that are available, and simply involve yourself in conversations, it’s almost impossible not to come home with massive gains.

My Gains

I could go on for hours, so I’m going to limit myself to 5 incredible gifts of VO Atlanta 2025.

Insight: I’ve been a voice actor for over 20 years now, and I am still learning about the inner workings of the business. For example, this year I learned more about the different opportunities that are afforded a voice actor who is on an elite LA/NY VO roster. I learned important information about the prolific Commercial voicecasting agency (Voicecasters) casting process. This info will affect how I audition for their projects in the future. And the list goes on and on. Not to mention, that the business is constantly changing…so just when you might think you have a full grasp on how it works? It evolves once again.
Connections: Once again I walked away from the conference with a multitude of new business connections. From the direct email address of the fabulous Denise Patierno (in charge of VO casting for CNN promo department) to being added to the direct roster of a prevalent Casting Director, to learning the name of a large Automotive advertising company, I have not doubt that the connections I made this year will continue to serve me throughout my career.
Relationships: This business can be a lonely one. We are working all day, by ourselves, in padded rooms. The value of connecting with others who completely understand what my daily life is like cannot be understated. It feels amazing to know that I have a pretty sizable group of voice actors that I feel comfortable reaching out to should I have a question or simply need commiseration. Mental health affects productivity (among many other things) and having trusted friends in the same business is a huge boost to my mental health.
Perspective: Meeting all of these colleagues and learning all of this information in a short amount of time immediately adjusts my perspective on my career as a whole. I found that it was a reality check that was both positive and negative. On the plus side, I left inspired and the experience reaffirmed my belief that no dream is too big and nothing is really off limits as long as I keep working towards it. On the other hand, I was reminded that achievements often take many, many years, a whole lot of frustration, and the feeling that you are scratching and clawing your way to your dreams. I was also reminded about the fact that there are SO many wonderful, talented voice actors out there who are competing for the same jobs. Again, this is good and bad. On one hand, it’s a whole lot of competition making each job statistically unlikely. On the other hand, it’s a good reminder not to take it personally when I don’t land a job.
Belonging: Finally, I left with a deeper sense that I am in the right place. I reaffirmed that fact that I love this business with all of my heart and I deeply enjoy the other people who are part of the voice over industry. It is creative industry full of funny, open-minded, generous, and warm people. I am so lucky to be a part of it and it is true gift to feel like I belong there.

One thing I do wish I had done was take more pictures! But I will include one that was sent to me from Saturday night (after a great dinner with Harry Dunn, Andy Barnett, Imari Williams, and Libby Clearfield).

I have no doubt that this will not be my last VO Atlanta conference. Until then, I return to y booth with renewed inspiration and a fuller heart. ♥️

New and old friends!

A Spring in my Step

May 2, 2024 by GenevieveBaer

Spring Voiceover Motivation

Spring has always been my favorite season. I am giddy with all of the gorgeous flowering trees and bulbs and other blooms seemingly appearing overnight. I love the colors, the smells, and watching my dogs sunbathing on our deck. The creeks are flowing and our favorite hiking trails are green and lush. Each year, the sight of our gorgeous Eastern Redbud tree blooming in all of it’s glory takes my breath away.

Hope Springs Eternal

So what does any of this have to do with voice-acting? Nothing. And everything! It’s a chicken and egg situation but– just as there is new energy, growth, and hope in the air–those same things are appearing in my career right now as well.

It’s been a busy and incredibly fruitful couple of months for me with lots of wins and new and exciting projects. Right after I booked the campaign for UC Health Cancer Care, I booked and recorded a new navigation voice for Waze, a digital campaign for Pampers, and an upcoming session to record a couple national radio spots for a huge brand.

At the same time, Political voice-over season is in full swing and I’ve had the great pleasure of voicing quite a few spots in recent weeks. I really enjoy Political VO. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that my skills could potentially be helping to make a positive impact to the world.

Seasons Change

Here in Colorado, the saying is “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute” in reference to the fact that our weather varies an incredible amount from day to day..even hour to hour.

The same can be said for the voiceover industry. After 20 years in this business, you would think I’d be totally comfortable with the natural ebb and flow of things. Sometimes I am so busy that I don’t have time to eat and emerge from my booth at the end of the day like a groundhog being rudely forced from slumber. My voice and style seem to be right on trend and the bookings come fast and somewhat “easy”. Other times are far slower and the anxiety and doubts creep in.

Just as it feels like the gray winters will never ever end whilst in the midst of the winter months, I start to worry that the slower times will be my new normal.

And so the cycle continues year after year just like the changing seasons.

Enjoying the Moment

Is there a lesson in all of this? I think that my takeaway should be to continue to recognize the patterns in everything and strive to maintain my trust in myself and my skills through the ebb and flow. It would be wonderful if I could learn to recognize the successes and so-called failures equally and not put too much weight in either.

It’s a work in progress and most likely something I will be working towards my entire life.

In the meantime, I’m going to try and stop and smell the roses…literally. Because, despite the fact that seasons change, here we ARE in this beautiful one and I want to savor every drop of it.

Happy Spring and may your days be filled with vibrant color and hope.

The gorgeous Eastern Redbud Tree in front of our home

VO Atlanta: The Good, The Bad, and The Olives

March 17, 2024 by GenevieveBaer

A Voice Actor’s first Voiceover Conference

It’s been one week since I arrived home from attending my very first VO Atlanta. That’s right–although I have been lucky enough to have been in this industry for 20 years, I had not yet attended the biggest voiceover conference in the world…until this year.

There are countless blog posts and articles about whether or not voice over conferences are “worth it”. I find those kind of silly. We as a society tend to reduce everything to black-and-white terms when those absolute terms are rarely accurate. Most everything in life falls into the in-between…those subtle shades of gray that live in the middle of black and white.

WORTH IT (For Me)!

Am I glad I attended this year? That would be a resounding YES! Was it worth if FOR ME? Absolutely. J. Michael Collins and his wife Anna Alcasis-Collins did a tremendous job of putting the conference together. I cannot imagine the amount of details and stress that is involved in planning this thing. They are clearly adept and experienced at putting something on this scale together. They also recognize the value and necessity of delegating, and their support staff did a truly fantastic job of keeping the show running smoothly. If there were glitches, I was completely unaware of them.

Kicking it off with a Booking!

My conference experience started out with a last minute flight change. As luck would have it, I booked a fantastic commercial job right before the conference through my agents at Go Voices. These clients wanted to record at the fantastic Coupe Studios on Thursday morning…right when my Southwest flight was supposed to take off. Kudos to Southwest for making if FREE and EASY to push my flight back. I avoid calling any sort of customer service line like the plague. With Southwest, no phone call was necessary. It literally took me 2 minutes to go on line, search for alternate flights, and re-book to a later one. Hallelujah! That last minute booking was a huge blessing…as it just gave me a welcome confidence boost from the start.

So the conference itself was extremely well organized and the offerings were vast. As far as I was concerned, the rest of the experience was entirely up to me! I had vowed to take full advantage of it–and so I did!

Connecting in Person

One of my biggest goals was to finally connect IN PERSON to many of the wonderful agents, managers, production houses, and coaches that I have been working with for months or even years. This voiceover industry can be somewhat isolating. It’s fabulous that I can work from home in my Whisper Room, but there is just no substitution for connecting face-to-face. And that I did.

Highlights

A few of the many highlights were getting to meet my dear agent Suzanne Spaziani of ASP, all the awesome ladies at the VO Chateau by Celia Siegel Management, the wonderful guys at Pandora/Studio Resonate, Zach Hahn of Audio Expert, Mary Lynn Wissner of Voices Voicecasting who produced my most recent commercial demo, and even the team at Voice Actor Websites who helped me create this very website. I even got to reconnect with a dear friend, Vikas Adam (a widely acclaimed audiobook narrator) from my college days at Syracuse University, whom I had not seen in 26 years!

Libby Clearfied, voice actor and casting director at Coupe Studios (Left); Me; and Suzanne Spaziani (Right)

Learning Opportunities

And then there was the learning. I had jumped on the chance to sign up for special “X-Sessions” with Thom Pinto on “In Show Narration” and Harry Dunn for “Network Promo“. Both of these sessions were wildly fun and informative. I am in love with both genres and am making demos for both styles in the next few months. Getting the opportunity to have an intense learning session with these masters–along with about 10 of my excellent peers– was absolutely fabulous.

Harry Dunn along with the wonderful group of working pros in the Network Promo X-Session

A Word of Warning

I’ve covered a lot of the “good”…but I also mention the “bad” and the “olives” in my title so I guess I should explain them.

Conferences can be expensive and draining. It’s a LOT of stimulation. I did not get even close to enough sleep and I was utterly and completely exhausted when I got home. I had somewhat been mentally prepared for that but it’s not for everyone. Like many people, I have multiple facets of my personality. I vowed to access my out-going and “sparkly” side at this conference and talk to as many people as possible. And I did just that. But my throat was TIRED and it took me a solid week to feel human again in the sleep-department.

And conferences are not cheap. The X-sessions I attended were an additional cost. They were worth it–but not cheap. And the drinks at the Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel bar were, um, a BIT steep. My go-to drink is a Dirty Martini (finally, she explains the olives!) and those came in at a whopping $20 each before tip! The drinks were well made and I am fortunately a bit of a light-weight when it comes to alcohol so I didn’t need too many to get that nice buzz going…but still, if you’re calculating by olive at 3 olives per drink, that comes out to almost $7 per olive. 🍸

The Takeaway

So there you have it. I am so grateful to have met so many fantastic people in person and to bask in the glow of what is truly a warm, lovely, generous, and dynamic group of people. I am proud to be a part of the Voiceover Industry. I am happy to say that I left the conference feeling like I truly belonged. And what a gift that was.

There’s No Place Like Home

And finally, one of the very best things about attending any sort large conference like this? The warmth and relief of returning HOME. ♥️