There is no need to ‘adjust yourself’ for the spec to be something you are not; the secret is to discover how the spec is everything you are by adjusting the spec to YOU. How to do that?

Read the spec in ‘first person’ as you read the spec, describing yourself right now. Realize that a spec describes YOU and everything you are, and not everything you are not. So describe who you are in a specific relationship that is intimate in your life, someone close to you in your life.

So if the Spec is –

‘Real, Warm can be a little wry at times. Great actor. Great storyteller.’

The spec can now be all read in first person by adding I AM and describing who you are in a specific intimate relationship in your life – so it becomes –

I AM real, especially with my older brother who keeps me in line, I am warm because my brother is so important in my life, and he and I have a great sense of humor and can be wry with each other. I am a great actor (how often do you get to say that out loud?!) and I am a great storyteller, especially with my brother and family stories.

Now jump into the text and see the eyes of the person you described your relationship with in the spec and viola’! You are now sounding like you. Game changer.

Ignoring the spec is a mistake. Many voice actors read the spec dismissively and miss the connection producers hear in their heads for the read. Actors may THINK they are interpreting the spec, but in reality, they read the spec mindlessly and don’t connect to it at all, and proceed into the read without any real point of view. A spec is just that – a point of view and a relationship and conversation with the listener, and so is a commercial read.

You will sometimes get a ‘voice print reference’ – a celebrity suggestion for a commercial read. An audition voice reference allows you to find similar qualities to the celebrity’s, and not to give an impression of that celebrity. Auditions will enable you to discover that YOU are as present as any celebrity. If you are given a voice reference for your audition, find the defining qualities you share with that celebrity beyond just the sound of their voice, but the feelings they bring to a performance.

Your gift as a voice actor is THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS, not just thoughts. Feelings are ‘thoughts in motion in your body,’ personalized to you. This is your gift to the script. You always want to ADD to the script and not detract from the script or character at hand.

You may be asked to reference Viola Davis, Jay Pritchett, Jeff Bridges, or Julia Roberts, so this is your chance to find what qualities you share beyond that celebrity reference. Rather than just matching a sound, match the feelings and qualities that the celebrity brings to their work. It may be a cadence, but also a sense of pride, confidence, humor, wryness, or confidence that a particular actor reference carries that you also have.

It is too competitive for you not to bring your best to an audition. How do you do that? Find your best you and connect to the copy by connecting in the spec. Read the spec in first person – put ‘I am’ on everything, including the product name, so Real, Warm, can be a little wry becomes – I AM real, I AM warm, I CAN BE a little wry SOMETIMES. The spec is about you, and the spec is adjusting to precisely who YOU ARE in the copy and not the other way around.

Bring your fearlessness of hope to every commercial read so that you bring true joy and hope and not a fake version of yourself. A great way to start any piece of commercial copy is with you saying out loud – “There is always hope.” You can even see the eyes of someone you might say that to – even yourself. Commercial copy brings with it the audacity for you to be yourself courageously.

Voice-over Agent Allie Silber was recently in a Voice-over Tune-up class and gave this advice:

“Study and stay current with trends in advertising and pop references. A voice match is still finding yourself in the copy and not just sounding like someone else. Watch and listen to advertising trends, and always be truthful in the read.”

Bring your best self to every audition by always finding your truth, and stay kind to other actors—in class, online, and in person.

A spec is a reference to YOU and not to anyone else. You may get a suggestion of a celebrity, but the read is always about finding YOU.

Written by Paul Liberti