How Can I Get Paid to Have Fun? This Guy Knows!

Dane Reid is a traveling voice over talent. He is currently documenting on video, an entire series, that airs every Tuesday and follows his voice over life. Part of the series also involves Reid interviewing other voice talent and video blogging his thoughts and experiences.

He got started in the industry started when a college professor inspired him. “Its been a long journey. He has since past away but today I image for the station that he was the program director for. He never got a chance to see that happen.” Reid said from his home studio in Atlanta.

Reid decided to document his career and travels after watching a lot of YouTube and online video. “I love what other channels like Bill Dewees is doing and Chuck and Stacey from VO Buzz Weekly. What I notice is that they are just being themselves. Well people ask me all the time what its like to be me. Or at least what its like to be a full time voiceover talent. So the channel is my answer. I meet people who have a ton of questions so between me and some of the voice over stars I interview, we should be able to answer them.”

He recently completed a trip to Thailand and there will be more soon from Hawaii, Dominican Republic and Colombia in the next few months. He explains what else viewers can expect. “You will see me do auditions and in real studio sessions for jobs I’ve booked. I have a tour of my personal studio with my GoPro attached to my head. I’ve posted my top 5 Reasons I Love being a Voiceover Talent and I will also bring voice over pros to share their experiences. My first is with the Walking Dead Animation voice Dave Fennoy. But I will bring a lot others.”

We spoke at length with Reid about his voice over career and more.

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What equipment do you use on the road?

When I travel, I take my Sennheiser 416 shotgun mic, my Macbook pro and micport pro as an interface. On the trip to Thailand I hauled the original Harlan Hogan Portabooth.

Any tips for recording in hotel rooms?

Yes, find a quiet room. Walk around with the mic if possible and see where the natural reflection of the rooms is at its minimum.  Is there a room with carpet. Many places overseas only have tiled floored which sound terrible in recordings. Look for a closet or pull out bed and stand it up in front of you. Overturn the couch and record under there. Or look for heavy blackets, throw them over your head and record.

Where else have you travelled and recorded?

Last year I went to Thailand twice, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Jamaica, Miami and New York. I made a lot of less exciting domestic trips where I recorded from also. I love travel and I love voice over. So traveling is an excuse to look for work and listen to the sounds of new places. As soon as I get to my destination airport, I am listening to the voice that welcomes me to that city/country that directs me to baggage claim. I ask the cab driver to turn on the radio so I can hear the commercials. Voice over is all around us and it sounds different in different places.

Do clients notice a difference in the sound? Do you tell them you are in hotel room?

I haven’t experienced any issues yet. I do let clients know that I’m not in my home studio but they are usually impressed with the sound.

What happens when a client needs to listen in and the hotel internet isn’t fast enough?

Fortunately I have not had that problem. I make sure that everywhere I go has high speed internet. After all, every vacation is a working vacation.

Have you ever had to turn down clients because of being away from home?

Unfortunately I have. I like to fulfill all request for voice overs because they are the engine behind my trips and more so, I love voice over. Its not a job to me. Its my lifestyle. That’s what my Youtube Channel is about. My life as a Voice Talent. So I do whatever I need to in order to answer all request affirmatively.

Craziest experience travelling and having to get a VO recorded?

I was in New York 3 weeks ago during the first snow storm and I had to deliver some lines. I was staying with some family and a client asked me to deliver some lines. I have a friend there who has a home studio so I didn’t bother bringing my equipment. But when the storm hit and the roads were impassable even to public transportation I had to think of something quickly. So I recorded the few lines on my cell phone with the blanket over my head and sent it to a producer friend in Atlanta who made some enhancements to it. I sent it to the client who thought it sounded great.

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Reid recently went one-on-one with Dave Fennoy talking about voice overs for animation. You can see and hear more from  traveling male voice talent Dane Reid at his website.