So, you’ve been trying for a while now to make some money doing voiceovers, right? You’d read on a website about all the money people make doing voiceovers. All your life people have told you that you have a nice voice and you really should be “on the radio” or a “voiceover person.” You know how to talk, so how hard can it be?
But…
After hundreds of dollars spent getting a demo made. Hundreds more having a website designed and hosted. And joining Internet casting sites. And doing dozens, even hundreds of auditions through those sites. You’ve tried low-balling the price. You’ve tried raising the price. And what do you have to show for it? Zip? Maybe a few hundred dollars?
So…
What now? You’ve heard that “winners never quit and quitters never win,” but you’re wondering how much more money you have to sink into your voiceover “career” before you start making those big bucks?
Well, where ever you are on the road I’ve just described, please believe me; the vast majority of people trying to make money doing voiceovers never do. Yes, the vast majority. And there are lots of folks who will happily take your money to “train you for a professional voiceover career” or “create that killer demo” or whatever. Maybe you’ve already met some of them?
Being successful in voiceover requires a host of skills, only some of which have anything to do with talking into a microphone. If you don’t succeed it’s both because and not because of the competition. There’s always someone more experienced, more talented and more driven than you are. Always. Someone with a better voice. A better demo. A better agent. Or something.
You can make excuses all day long. None of them amount to a hill of beans, except for the way they block you from actually getting where you want to go.
So, here are some concrete suggestions from a guy who’s learned more than a few things the hard way…
Don’t sign up for the first training opportunity you find. At least, don’t sign up until you’ve checked to see if the person doing the training actually knows his or her stuff. And until you’ve checked to see if the prices being charged are reasonable. In many cases, you’d be far better off taking an acting or improv class at the local community college. And then some singing lessons. If you have talent for voiceover work, you’ll learn everything you really need (except microphone technique) in theatre and singing classes.
Don’t make a demo until you’ve spent at least a few months listening to the demos of top notch working professionals. Here, I’ll save you the trouble of finding them. Click this link. That’s the Union/International house reels for voiceover talent agents. As you can see and hear, there are hundreds of people in line ahead of you. Actually, it’s not hundreds. It’s thousands.
Don’t build a website until you have a demo worth promoting. And when you build the site, again, don’t go with the first person you meet who can code a little html. Has this designer ever worked on a site for a voiceover person, or even an actor, before? Look at the sites. Look at lots of sites from other voiceover people. Take note of what you like and what you don’t like. Discuss these with your designer. Or, do what I did. Find a template you like, study some html, and build your own.
Are you depressed yet? Look, I’m deliberately trying to splash some cold water on your face because at some point you have to examine the question: is it time for me to quit this and get back to doing something else with my life?
Bonnie Gillespie is a brilliant Hollywood casting director, mainly for independent films. She writes a weekly column for Showfax called The Actor’s Voice. I’ve pointed to her work a number of times before, but this post was prompted by reading Bonnie’s column from October 16, 2006. While, as usual, the focus is on Hollywood actors, the lessons apply to all of use who earn our trade acting with our voices in places other than Hollywood. As Bonnie writes…
What I’m hoping to provide here is a nice little kick in the butt for those of you who hem and haw about leaving the biz. To paraphrase Yoda: Leave or leave not. There is no whine.
And this is, I think, the money quote…
Remember that what you do as an actor most of the time is pursue work. So I’m not talking about finding yourself jealous of those who are succeeding in ways you were not. That doesn’t count. That’s like being an astronomer and finding yourself jealous that you didn’t discover a new planet. Very, very, very few people have the level of success that draws people to the pursuit of acting in a major market. If you cannot be happy pursuing the work, improving your craft, and building relationships in this industry, you absolutely should consider packing it in…
Take a long hard look at reality. Are you putting your family in jeopardy? Are you spending too much time and money on this dream of voiceover success? Do you truly understand in your bones that voiceover work, like any other kind of acting work, is mainly finding work? This is a marketing and sales job far more than it’s a “talk into the microphone” job.
So, how are you doing? I’d love to read your thoughts and experiences. Comments are open.
Voiceover advise columns are alway both extremely encouraging… and extremely discouraging at the same time!
What are you thoughts… I feel like the successful people in our industry are becoming that way by being able to do more than just voiceovers?
Dave
Dave,
If we exclude celebrities, (movie, television or sports stars) from the discussion then without a doubt the most successful voiceover people are those who concentrate on their voiceover work.
This doesn’t mean some people who are working stage, film or television actors can’t experience some success in voiceover work; but the most successful are focused. Focus is one key element to success I touched on only marginally in what I’ve written here.
And why do we have to exclude celebrities? Because they command larger fees for their voiceover work by the nature of their celebrity and because they are often hired for voiceover work on the basis of their celebrity. Neither of those factors are true for the rest of us voiceover people.
Bravo Bob!
You really hit the VO Talent on the Head with the mic!
You’re absolutely right about the fact that this “biz” really is a business. As much as we may be drawn to “The Glamorous life of Voice Over” it has so much more to do with Marketing (sending out those demos) Sales (sending out those invoices once the job is done!) and building & maintaining relationships with your Clients.
It’s also about continuing to learn new techniques & improving your skills….gee…could this actually be a “job”? 😉
Thanks for a great post!
Liz
Liz,
Thank you for reading and commenting. As you said, it is a job; but much better than working for a living.
Be well,
Bob
Bob, this post definitely made me think. I thought so hard I ended up writing about it myself over at MCM Voices.
Many thanks-
Mary
Mary,
Thank you for your comment. Thank you even more for your very cogent and thought-provoking comments at your blog. About which, more later.
Be well,
Bob
Bob,
I too whole-heartedly agree with your insight. I added the title “consultant” after my title for this very reason. I’ve become an overnight success after only 35 years. Since VO was part time for most of that time, I never had to totally depend on it to sustain my food & bed for me & my family. I am now and it’s rough.
I too try to inform and give a direct answer to inform the newbies looking for that magic dollar. I work my marketing butt off and still have a simple income after so many years. I may even have to pick up some extra work to make ends meet if things don’t POP since I left my creative job in broadcasting. But I’m giving it an honest try before I realize the posibility that I cannot survice on voice alone.
Great advice to newbies and oldies alike. We need more honesty in our corner of the industry and your words will really make a difference.
My best to you.
Kind regards,
JG
Johnny George
VO Actor/Consultant
Johnny,
Thank you for your insights. I wish you much success.
Be well,
Bob
This is SUCH a great conversation!
Thanks SO much Bob for starting/continuing this!
Hey Johnny – Mind if I “borrow” the “consultant” idea? After spending 9 years in the IVR recording world & 5 years in Radio, I think I can qualify! 😉
I think your comment about being an “Overnight success after 35 years” was great.
Mary, I LOVED your post on your website as well!
Thanks so much – ALL of you for sharing your insights. This is what it’s all about!
Liz
—
Liz de Nesnera
“Voice Tracks Voiced Right!”
Reservoir Road Productions
973-610-2019
lizden@gmail.com
Liz,
I agree. Sharing insights and raising the quality of our work benefits all of us. And yes, Mary’s post is wonderfully insightful.
Be well,
Bob
Lots of great and informative input!
I worked 7 years doing voice-overs on a part-time/full-time basis while working in radio.
The upside, was that I was really hustling in the morning and mid-day hours, and just barely making it in to do my afternoon drive radio show in Baltimore on time on some days!
The positive signs…
My income generated from my voice-over business increased significantly every year, these were strong indicators that I may be able to make the transition full time.
It’s tough to say WHEN do you take the plunge to full-time voice talent. Certainly, the indications have to be there and in place.
Use your current job as much as you can and for as long as you can take it, before taking the full time leap.
You will work harder and hustle more than ever to maintain an income level to pay the bills, pay the mortgage, and pay the tuitions, but it is the greatest reward to be heading your own business and doing what you love.
Bob,
I appreciate your comments. And I agree, hustle is a big part of what it takes to make it.
Be well,
Bob
Rich makes some good points in his post. Read the entire thing. And thanks for the link, Rich.
Be well,
Bob
Thanks for your insightful post as well Bob. I agree that setting your expectations is an important step whenever embarking on something new. I have to admit when I first read the post I was a little discouraged, but after thinking about it in depth I realized that I knew what I was up against when I made the decision to re-enter this field and I just need to stay focused on the end result and work hard to build relationships and improve my skills.
Rich,
This post was originally written to be a splash of cold water to the folks who are being taken advantage of by those who are more interested in helping lighten the prospective voiceover talent’s wallet more than in helping that talent make wise choices about direction, focus, budgeting and so forth.
Staying on course through initial discouragements is one of the ways we know we’re really cut out for this business. Because no one is going to hand us our success on a silver platter.
Stay focused on skill building, relationship building and super serving both your clients and prospective clients. You’ll do well. I wish you much success.
And thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments.
Be well,
Bob
Well, Mr. Bob–
I just happened to link here through http://www.voices.com. Nicely done. Very good balance and tone. Not nearly as discouraging as I might’ve been–but then, as we both know, you’re a much nicer guy than I am.
We’ve all heard it. Many of us have heard ourselves say it. “Boy. If I can just get in the unions and start getting those national gigs, it’ll all be a sleigh ride from there.” Nope. More cold water. You have to keep training. Keep making new demos. You have to keep marketing your butt off daily in pursuit of the ever elusive butterfly called Overnight Success.
Thanks for this. The neophytes will be warned. The intermediates might find hope. And the ones who really should pack it in might just do that. And the dialogue it’s generated is terrific.
Cheers,
Blaine Parker
Blaine,
How nice to see your excellent writing here, dressing up my blog for one and all, including me.
Thank you for the cogent and thoughtful comments. Don’t be a stranger.
Be well,
Bob
Hello,
I found myself in voice over school last year, because of all those people that have said to me “wow, you have a great voice”.
After reading the blog, I didn’t feel that old discouragment
that I have felt with other things in my life. I feel like
this is something I need to pursue. That this is where I am supposed to be.
Today, and who knows about tomorrow, I won’t quit my day job
I do want to pursue this further. Thank Goodness for a family
that supports my endeavor, and a husband who can produce
both my demo and website at home.
So I will be truckin along with some of ya all. See you behind the mic!!!
Kathie,
I look forward to hearing about your success as it develops.
Be well,
Bob
I’m part of, “The new kids on the block” in terms of people trying to go pro, but I’ve been trying to find work when I wasn’t even requesting payment! I know it’s long, tough, and frankly, annoying, but the smile I have on my face when finishing a recording, being able to listen it over, and accepting it as done…nothing can make a single one of my days better, than that single smile I get. I suppose I’m lucky in that I have nobody else to support besides myself, and I do have a ‘day-job’ so-to-speak. I’ve no right to complain about this, and the only time you’ll find me complaining, is when it’s in the script to do so. ^_^
Robert,
Thank you for sharing a bit of your story. I wish you much success, including lots of paying work, as you go forward.
Be well,
Bob