About Martin
Martin Warnas lives and works in Amsterdam. He is a fulltime voice-over artist, recording projects in Dutch and English for over 150 different clients per year. Here’s how (and why) he does it:
In 2008 I realised I could become a professional voice-over artist by looking at it as a business rather than a sideline. Until that time I was a freelance writer and movie critic. My experience in radio and podcasting led to many a voiceover job and some nice pocket money, but when I realised the power of Google Adwords and learned how to build a decent website I found I could do this fulltime. Which is great because there’s nothing I like doing better! (Well, nothing I’d get paid for anyway…) My philosophy is simple:
1. Be easy to work with. I’ve met plenty of other voice-over artists and I don’t like any of them. After a while I noticed that NOBODY liked them: not the technicians, not the editors… They’re all failed actors or former DJ’s and they think the sun shines out of their arse, just because they have a nice voice.
When several audiotechnicians told me they’d been recommending me to casting agents simply because I was easy to work with, I began to suspect there was a business opportunity here.
2. Think about the customers needs, not mine. You pay me, so I work for you. That means I will try to make your life easier, not harder. I’ll fix any mistakes that may have crept into the text you’ve been staring at for so long, I’ll be flexible when it comes to retakes, I’ll guarantee your satisfaction so you won’t need to ‘take a chance’ when working with me and if you have to deal with a difficult client I’ll make sure that I’m there to help you rather than make your job a balancing act. If your customer doesn’t know what he wants or changes his mind, I’ll try my level best to accomodate you rather than try to wring another couple of bucks out of you. That’s how I’ve been working since day one and I believe that is why 70 percent of my customers come back with more business.
3. A businesslike attitude. Which means: personal service, your satisfaction guaranteed and clear business propopals. It also means: no job too small and lower prices for higher volume.
Because I do this all day, every day, I can keep my rates low. I don’t need to take the afternoon off from my dayjob for a recording session or rearrange the bedroom to turn it into a makeshift homestudio. I’d rather record 5 commercials a week for a low price each than try to get a months wages out of one commercial. After all, more customers means less risk for my business and an incentive to work quickly and efficiently.