Guides
Reading voiceover studios with a sceptical eye
Twenty five studios and agencies to research before a narrator decides where to pitch, and the public records that show what each one actually does.
What to take away
- Twenty five named operations follow, each with country, genre focus and payout model, so you can cut the list to the six that match your demo.
- A studio page is a sales document. Four advertised facts matter less than the terms nobody prints.
- Payout, exclusivity and term live in the talent agreement. Ask in writing before you audition.
- Your own setup, studio-side work and music rights all have public sources you can check.
- Contract, tax and union questions go to an attorney, an accountant or the union's contracts department, not a blog.
General business information only, not legal, tax or union advice.
How this list was built
Entries had to pass four tests. Each operation recruits or represents narrators on a public page, states a checkable location, sells in a defined genre, and shows a payout model you can read before signing.
The list was compiled in the first quarter of 2026 from each company's own site and talent pages. Firms with no public talent page, and managers working only by referral, were left out.
Every page leads with four advertised facts: who it represents, which genres it sells, what it charges clients, and what it asks of narrators at signup.
[figure 1]
Studio page audit
- Who it represents
- Genres it sells
- How it charges clients
- Signup demands on narrators
- Pay basisminute, word, share
- Exclusivity over your name
- Demo length and booth standard
The 2027 in the URL marks a review window, not a forecast. Re-check each entry before you pitch.
The 25 operations, what each does and how it pays
All twenty five sit in the table below. Read the payout column before the genre column, because money decides fit faster than a reel does. Locations come from each operation's own contact page and can change. For the fee structures behind marketplace jobs, the review of voiceover platforms goes a level deeper (review of voiceover platforms).
The 25 operations
| Operation | Based in | Genre focus | How it pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voices | Canada (London, Ontario) | Commercial, e-learning, animation | Talent sets rate; platform fee |
| Voice123 | United States (New York) | Commercial, explainer, IVR | Annual subscription; client pays per job |
| Bodalgo | Germany | Commercial, corporate, narration | Membership fee plus job fees |
| ACX | United States | Audiobooks | Per finished hour or royalty share |
| Bunny Studio Voice | United States | Explainer, ads, audiobooks | Fixed client price; per project |
| VoiceArchive | Denmark | Dubbing, localization | Per project or finished minute |
| Voxing Pro | Remote, US-facing | Commercial, training | Job fees; training sold separately |
| Gravy For The Brain | United Kingdom | Training, community | Subscriptions; no casting income |
| Edge Studio | United States (New York) | Training plus casting | Course fees; per booking |
| Atlas Talent Agency | United States (New York, Los Angeles) | Animation, promo, commercial | Commission, commonly 10 to 20 percent |
| CESD Talent Agency | United States (New York, Los Angeles) | Commercial, animation, promo | Commission on bookings |
| DPN Talent | United States (Los Angeles) | Commercial, animation, promo | Commission on bookings |
| SBV Talent | United States (Los Angeles) | Commercial, narration | Commission on bookings |
| ACM Talent | United States (New York, Los Angeles) | Commercial, hosting | Commission on bookings |
| Stewart Talent | United States (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles) | Commercial, animation | Commission on bookings |
| Heyman Talent | United States (Louisville) | Regional commercial, corporate | Commission on bookings |
| Excellent Talent | United States (New York) | Commercial, corporate | Commission on bookings |
| VOX Inc. | United States | Casting and production | Session fee or buyout |
| Bigmouth Voices | United Kingdom (London) | Commercial, animation | Session fee per job |
| The Voiceover Gallery | United Kingdom (Manchester) | Commercial, corporate | Session fee plus studio time |
| Voice Squad | United Kingdom (London) | Commercial, promo, audio guides | Session fee per job |
| Soho Voices | United Kingdom (London) | Commercial, animation, dubbing | Session fee per job |
| Voicebank London | United Kingdom (London) | Commercial, corporate | Casting fee; per session |
| Matinee Multilingual | United Kingdom (London) | Multilingual localization | Per project or finished minute |
| Sound & Fury | United Kingdom | Audio production and casting | Production fee; per session |
Three payout patterns cover the list. Marketplaces let talent set or accept a rate, then deduct a service fee. Agencies take a commission on bookings, commonly 10 to 20 percent. Studios pay a session fee or a buyout.
Exclusivity is the second term to check. Agencies usually want it within a category and a territory, while most marketplaces do not ask.
Audiobook deals split two ways: per finished hour work, commonly quoted in the low hundreds of dollars, or royalty share that pays nothing until sales arrive. The pricing guide shows how to build the number from your own costs (how much to charge for voiceover work).
Example: three claims that need a record behind them
Union signatory. Check the union's own signatory list before you treat a job as covered. A page can say union friendly while the work itself is non-union.
Represented talent counts. The roster page is the record. If it lists sixty profiles and the site claims five hundred, sixty is what you can verify.
Net payment terms. Net-30 usually runs from client approval, not from your delivery. The payment clause is the record, and the FAQ sometimes contradicts it.
Your pre-pitch checklist
- Country and city, so you know which union and tax rules apply.
- Genre focus, matched against the two strongest reads in your demo.
- Payout model in writing, with the schedule attached.
- Exclusivity and term, including whether your name can sit on other rosters.
- Demo and booth requirements, since some rosters ask for a set length.
One item sits outside any roster: your own filing. The guide to starting a voiceover business covers registration and first invoices (starting a voiceover business).
Where the public records are
Three sources cover what you cannot see from outside. The SBA business guide sets out planning, launch, management and growth tasks, the checklist for your own operation. The BLS page on broadcast and sound engineering technicians describes studio-side equipment work and variable schedules.
The Copyright Office study on the music marketplace shows that performance and other uses of a track run through different licensing paths, which matters when you license music for a demo.
[figure 2]
Public records to check
- SBA guidemarket research
- SBA guidestartup costs
- SBA guidepermits
- SBA guideinsurance
- SBA guidefinance
- BLSstudio-side daily work
- Copyright Officemusic licensing paths
State business registries confirm that a company exists and who runs it. For Canadian clients, the CRA sets out when GST/HST applies to a service.
