by Sophie Bloor
London-based actor, director of Blooom, and Friend of Headshots Matter

Hello! Sophie here. Doing a blog ooooo.

Voice.

Right.

Well you can hear mine now?

In your head, through the lens our your own language (that’s cool)…

For me, a voice reel producer, voice is everything.

It carries your personality, your history, your instinct, your timing. It’s the way you interpret words, the way you pause, the way emotion sits between syllables. And yet, for something so deeply personal, it’s often introduced to the world in the smallest of ways.

A voice reel is often the very first handshake.

Your Voice Before You Enter the Room

If I don’t have time to do my tax return until literally the night before (ofc), casting directors, agents or producers don’t have time to imagine what you might sound like, or how you could interpret a script. They need to hear it. My agent once told me you don’t need to hint you need to smack them (metaphorically) around the face with your casting ((I love brackets today)).

A voice reel speaks for you before you ever do.

In those first few seconds, your reel tells them who you are. Or at least, who you could be in their project.

Confidence You Can Hear

Many performers underestimate how much confidence lives inside a well-crafted voice reel.

When your reel is right, you can hear that you trust your voice. You’re allowing it to take up space.

That confidence changes everything. Kinda obvious but if you believe in you, we will too. Remember that guy who showed up to London Fashion Week in a bin bag, blind confidence, and I respect it.

Not to say you can sell trash. But what you can sell is a firm and concrete belief in yourself.

It’s Not About Sounding Like Everyone Else

One of the biggest myths in voiceover is that a reel should sound “industry standard” which often gets translated as sounding like everyone else. That classic ‘voice over’ voice we all imagine.

But the reels that truly cut through?

Well good ones can, cough cough, mine.When I make reels, we start from you; something as simple as what you use and why can be the seed of really bespoke and often surprisingly specific commercial reel. Yes, you want a happy one, a sad one, maybe even a sexy sample. But how do we make you the only voice over artist in the world who could deliver your, bespoke written script, like this.

A great reel doesn’t ask, “Do I sound good enough?” It says, “This is me.”

Time Is Precious — So Is Clarity

People hiring voices are making fast decisions. Not because they don’t care but because they have to.

A strong voice reel respects that time.

It offers clarity:
This is what I do.
This is how I sound.
This is where I fit.

And in doing so, it makes saying “yes” easier.

A Marker of Commitment

There’s something else a voice reel quietly communicates: commitment.

It says you’ve taken your craft seriously enough to invest in it. That you understand this is a profession, not just a passion. That you’re ready to be heard in the rooms that matter.

For many actors and creatives, creating a reel is the moment things shift from dreaming to doing.

You Deserve to Be Heard Properly

At its core, a voice reel isn’t about impressing people. It’s about representation.

You deserve to be heard as you truly are - not flattened by a phone recording or misunderstood by a ‘happy bright and generally Northern description. I personally think if you let people picture your sound before hearing it, they already decide yes or no without you even saying a word.

A voice reel gives your voice the space it deserves.

And sometimes, hearing yourself clearly for the first time changes more than just your career. It reminds you why you started. For me if definitely did.

Because your voice matters.
And how it’s introduced to the world matters too.

I’m Sophie the director of Blooom. For voice reels that sound like you.

To learn more about Sophie Bloor and Blooom Voice Reels, please view her website at: www.blooomforactors.com

InFocus / Blog