By Sue White
Name: Mark Cowling
The profession: voice-over artist
The organisation: On Hold Professionals and freelancer on Fiverr
The job title: voice-over artist
The pay: $120,000 - $140,000
8.30am: My voice can be heard in commercials, corporate videos, e-learning courses, animations, audiobooks, and more. Today, there are four Fiverr voice-over jobs to deliver for Australian and overseas clients and a dozen-or-so regular phone message “on hold” recordings to do for my own business.
Voice-over artist Mark Cowling
My voice has been described as warm, engaging, mature and authoritative, making me a good choice for brands looking to establish trust and credibility with their audience. Australian ... but not too “Aussie”, if you know what I mean.
[Given the boom in AI], I’ve explored a few of the leading AI voice-sampling and replication platforms and they do a pretty good job if I’m totally honest. But good for what?
For a home, family or travel video, AI voice-overs are just fine. But without exception, the AI-generated voice-overs that I’ve listened to lack the vibrance, energy, believability and emotion that a pro voice-over can bring to a project.
9.30am: I jump into my home studio and get in front of the microphone. Some voice-overs are pretty straightforward and after a quick proofread, I can get them done quickly. Others, like the Fiverr jobs I’m recording today, are more demanding and need greater focus.
‘I feel blessed to enjoy what I do. This job gives me the freedom to work my own hours and allows me to work from anywhere in the world.’
Voice-over artist Mark Cowling
They are high-end corporate-style voice-overs that represent either Australian or global brands for online videos or training courses, so they have to be delivered with the right balance of enthusiasm, polish and tonal quality without being over the top.
I started off in front of the camera as a presenter for TV commercials, business and corporate videos back in the 1980s. I still do quite a lot of presenter work for selected clients during the year.
Like most industries, voice-over work is competitive. There’s a stack of superb Australian voice-over talent out there. I know from my Fiverr five-star reviews that recording a customised voice-over demo helps – it gives clients an idea of how their job will actually sound.
Although AI can mimic voices with impressive precision, it frequently falls short in conveying authentic emotions and establishing meaningful connections with audiences.
I’m recording a 3500-word voice-over this week for an online training project which requires focus and attention to vocal intonation. This is a skill that a pro voice-over person develops over time and AI simply cannot replicate.
11.30am: After a short play with Winston, our four-year-old Cavoodle, it’s audio editing time.
Editing is one of my really important skills. It’s the final stage of the voice-over delivery process. I use a professional audio editing software program called Adobe Audition. It allows me to edit multiple audio tracks simultaneously and mix music backing tracks seamlessly to achieve a professional quality output.
I offer clients a total satisfaction guarantee, so if there are any little tweaks needed or they change their mind with a few sentences here and there, I record them again at no extra charge.
I feel blessed to really enjoy what I do. This job gives me the freedom to work my own hours and allows me to work from anywhere in the world. My partner and I enjoy travelling, so I have a portable studio set-up which I take with me so I can work anywhere with a good Wi-Fi connection.
1pm: A break for lunch and another chance for Winston to enhance his circus skills. He’s crazy for his ball!
2pm: A little more audio editing to finish off and it’s time to upload the files to Fiverr and my on-hold message clients.
4.45pm: Time to step away from work for the day. I just love what I do and will do it for as long as I can. And why not?
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