Questions I get asked a lot

Nobody can judge you from the outside without hearing you, and even if they hear you, you still need to listen to what you enjoy... But there are signs: if you love telling stories and talking without a script, radio and podcasting are probably for you. If you love stepping into characters, dubbing. If you love the written script, precision, a clean sound and playing with performance, voice-over. My advice: try all three, record yourself, and see which one makes you lose track of time and actually enjoy it. And if you want a specific opinion, send me a recording and let me tell you what I think after I hear you.

Start with what you're good at, because it opens a door for you and gives you confidence, strength and creativity in how you grow and perform. At the same time, work on what you love gradually and in parallel, so you don't forget it or lose it, and you keep improving at it. Keep in mind that love without skill exhausts you, because you can't express that love properly, and skill without love gets boring, because the passion fades and you lose your drive... The goal is to reach the point where both become one thing. That's where real success and progress are.

Getting known isn't about posting a lot. It's about people remembering you, and what you post being impactful enough... Pick one or two platforms and post real work at a consistent level, like clips from your recordings, before and after, or tips. Build relationships in the field, because half the work comes through referrals. And never post something you're not happy with just to stay visible.

Start with the foundations: breathing, articulation, and reading out loud every day, meaning an audible performance, not in your head. Record yourself and listen honestly, and focus on one field at first if you tend to get scattered. If you can, join training with someone who listens to you and corrects you, because people who learn alone can repeat the same mistake for months without noticing. That's exactly where a lecturer or personal coach comes in, guiding you the right way with their experience in the field.

Nobody pays for a voice they don't know. Your first step is a short, professional demo reel for each genre you're good at. Then look on freelance platforms, at production and advertising companies, and at online radio stations, ask your colleagues, and build relationships, because this field runs on relationships. Your first job will probably be small, maybe unpaid or for a token fee, and that's normal... What matters is delivering it at the highest quality you can, because that's what brings you the next job, and the one after that.

Your phone is enough to start. Record in the quietest room you have; the best spot is in front of an open wardrobe or even inside it, away from the air conditioner, the door and the windows, because fabric reduces echo. Keep the phone about a hand-span from your mouth and slightly angled, record at a quiet time, and a free program like Audacity is enough for editing... What matters is that you practise and record, not that you buy an expensive mic, pricey gear and costly setups. Never forget: results don't come from how expensive things are. You can get great results with the most basic tools.

No field is better than another; there's a field that suits you better. Voice-over has a lot of work and flexibility, and you can do it from home. Radio builds a name and presence, but opportunities are fewer and it needs patience. Dubbing is fun, but it needs acting, effort and focus to break in and build your ground. Podcasting needs content and a project of your own. Many successful people combine more than one field, and your strength is being able to perform in all of them and stay versatile, because this field loves versatile people. And never forget: your effort is what turns hard into easy.

A small daily routine beats a week of enthusiasm and then stopping. Do 20 minutes every day with a warm-up, reading out loud and recording. Once or twice a week, listen to your recordings carefully, pick one thing to work on, and focus on improving it. Listen to professionals as a professional, not as a listener. And at some point you need someone from the outside to hear you, a coach who guides you, because you won't catch your own mistakes alone, and you won't have the full experience yet.

The basics get you into the market, but they're not what keeps you there... Start working with them now and don't wait until you're perfect, because the work itself teaches you. At the same time, keep developing, because the market changes and the competition grows day after day. In other words, both together: you work while you learn and grow.