Huge thanks to Marc Guss and his guest tonight on the Marc Guss Voiceover Club, Charlie Toro! Charlie is known for his epic voice overs and basically for epicness in everything he does, and tonight he shared his journey with Marc and the Clubhouse audience.
Charlie started out as a musician, and for a time, was doing voiceover without realizing it when club owners would ask him to read scripts during sound checks that he would hear later on (not knowing that he was being recorded!) After getting paid for reading a commercial for a friend’s invention, he decided to pursue VO, which for him included lots of research, research, research.
He watched commercials and studied, “iSpot.tv was my coach for a long time,” he said. He also found resources online from people like Bill DeWees, and he practiced a lot on his own before working with coaches.
Last fall, Charlie was the winner of the 2021 CBS Audition Spotlight at the That’s Voiceover Career Expo, and I remember the excitement of watching him and the other 5 finalists perform live during the final auditions. Charlie’s win took his career to new heights, and his recent success with NASCAR was celebrated tonight. Here are some highlights of the conversation with Marc and the audience and some tips from Charlie:
- On his routine before getting behind the mic: “I do a lot of yelling,” he said, adding that he gets his whole body moving, goes outside and walks, stands in the sun and absorbs some sunlight and energy then brings all of that back into the booth.
- When he gets into the booth he is confident, he thinks “pure badass,” and he imagines the mic as an extension of himself.
- Did coming from music help him in VO? Charlie said that knowing keys, notes, and tone were all helpful, especially tone. When recording, if he hears the music he can get right into the tone of a spot.
- He practices reading commercials, records them and adds music, and then when he gets a similar audition, he pulls out those recordings for reference.
- His brand is “epic” and every day he thinks about creating new ways to bring that to his social media and marketing. “I wanted to separate myself from the pack a little bit and bring my brand out there.”
- And regarding social media posts: don’t expect to get any work from putting your stuff online. Charlie says that his plan is to try to stay relevant. “Just post stuff of you being you,” he says. Also, he doesn’t rely on email to reach out when marketing — he prefers to call because they hear your voice instantly.
During a discussion on finding work, the topic of certain online casting websites came up, and it was great to hear Marc shut down the idea anyone having “ruffled feathers” or feeling shame in looking for work on online casting platforms. “Everybody has every right to go about their business their own way,” he said. Bravo, Marc!
Thanks so much to Marc and Charlie for the amazing conversation, and for the insightful audience questions that furthered the discussion! Check out the Marc Guss Voiceover Club every Wednesday night on Clubhouse at 8:30 pm ET or catch the replay later.