You may not know the name Alan Varner, but there’s a good chance you know his voice. We caught up with the popular voice actor to learn about his cool career providing the voice for brands such as the Weather Channel, Shell, Hershey’s and the World Bank.

How did you become interested in voice acting?

I was a recording engineer and producer for many years. I did all kinds of work in New York, from rock, pop and jazz records to movie scores and ads for TV and radio. I got to work with all kinds of amazing voice acting talent—names that most people wouldn’t know, but who were at the top of the game. Along the way, people would tell me, “Gee, you could do that,” and after a while, I decided to give it a try.

How did you hone your skills?

Something I knew from being on the other side of the glass in the studio is that you can practice all day by yourself, and you’ll never know what’s working and what isn’t the same as if you work with a professional coach. So I started studying with Wendy Dillon, who is a fantastic voice actor and teacher. I did one-on-one sessions with her and I still go to a weekly workshop where I get to go on the microphone and try different things.

What makes a great voice actor?

You have to really understand the script and give it the life the client is looking for—dramatic, conversational, funny or whatever it might be. It’s acting with just your voice, which I think can be tougher than acting with your whole body. One of the busiest guys I ever worked with, Peter Thomas, did not have a particularly distinctive voice, but he could read the phonebook and make it sound like a bedtime story. He’s one of my idols for being able to make anything sound interesting.

Where do you find work?

In New York, there are meet ‘n’ greets called “seminars” for people who are looking for agents and casting directors. I had no idea about this when I was working as an engineer, but you basically go to these seminars and talk to them and read for them a little bit. It took a little while to find an agent, but now I have two or three who call me for jobs. But times are changing—these days, about 60% of my work comes through the Internet, and I do the recording in my home studio.

What are the best and worst aspects of your job?

I love the challenge. I’ve been a voice actor for more than 14 years, but I certainly don’t feel like I have it totally figured out. I’m always doing different products for TV or different subjects for narration, and I always find it fascinating. The thing I hate is the weeks when the phone doesn’t ring. Having come from a studio where I’d go to work every day and always have things to do and collect a paycheck, this is a totally different experience. Fortunately, I’m not a young would-be actor who has to get a job as a waiter.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in voice acting?

The most important thing is to find someone to learn from. Find a coach. Talk to other people. It’s definitely the most important thing you can do.

Our view

We recently produced an interactive presentation with Alan, and the results were very well-received. Just keep in mind that a great voice is only part of the equation—you also need to write effectively for spoken dialogue, which is not the same as writing for the printed page.

Want to hear Alan? Click below for a quick sample of his range of styles, and visit alanvarner.com for more.

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