The following message was left as a comment to my post The feel-good voiceover blog of the summer! I copied the message exactly as I received it because I felt the answers to the questions deserved to be their own entry.
I’ve been considering launching into this field—and really want to know what it takes and what to expect. The best way to find out the pros and cons of any occupation is to talk to others who actually do it…..So, I’m open to whatever info you think would help me so I don’t invest a lot of money and energy needlessly. My first question is, “Do you like voiceover work?” and “How difficult is it to break into this business?” I’m thinking it may take a few years…Is there really that much work out there for new talent?
— Elizabeth
Do I like voiceover work?
I don’t know of any person who would say they didn’t like the voiceover part of the job.
Voiceover is like any career in that you like some parts of it better than others. Of course, I love the actual act of reading the words on the page, interpreting the author’s meaning, and recording the author’s words with my voice. I love employing all sorts of marketing tactics that do not require me to make cold calls. I love writing articles on my blog and responding to reader comments (hint, hint!). I love connecting with other voice talent and clients in person and on-line. I love the immense satisfaction of hearing my voice at work in different media for various companies, and, yes, the coolness factor of this occupation is pretty hard to beat.
Perhaps a better question is: “Are there things that you don’t like about being a voice talent?”
Editing the recordings is not my favorite task, especially since editing takes far more of my time than recording. Auditioning for countless projects and not even getting a response can be very depressing. Chasing down payment from clients who are at least a month late in paying for completed work is downright annoying. The situation with late-paying clients is even more stressful when that money is needed to pay one’s own obligations.
Also, you’ve probably read about voice actors who brag about recording in their pajamas. What they didn’t tell you is that they are wearing their pajamas because they are working early or late hours or on the weekend in order to meet a client deadline. If you want a structured, 40-hour-a-week job, you will want some other career choice than being a voiceover talent.
How difficult is it to break into this business?
How difficult is it to start any career that inherently means you are a self-employed business person? Becoming a voice talent necessarily demands that you will spend time, energy, and money as part of the start-up and continuing operational costs of your business. There are NO shortcuts!
I actually have a couple of mathematical formulas for figuring the method to become a voice-over success story. I wrote about the first one here, and the second one is below.
My feeble attempt at humor merely illustrates that the question can’t be answered because every person’s path into and through a voiceover career is different.
So, how does any start-up business become a thriving enterprise? Obviously, the business’ chance for survival — much less prosperity — depends on the people who work there and the product they are selling. The time, energy, and money you invest in developing your technique, demo(s), web site, and marketing plan will be the deciding factors in your chances for success in starting and maintaining your voiceover business.
My questions for you
Anyone contemplating any career — whether as a voice talent, computer programmer, or Sherpa on the mountainside — should ask themselves as many or more questions than they ask other people. Whatever career you pick will require substantial amounts of time and energy; chunks of money are also required when you are considering starting a business. Spend some introspective time determining your answers to the kinds of questions I list below, and your answers will help you decide if voiceover is a good career choice for you.
- What are your values? Values are different than goals. For instance, if you value security as highly as I do, you’ll probably want to have a day job with healthcare benefits and a 401K plan at least until your voiceover income consistently exceeds that of the day job and you’re able to insure yourself and plan your retirement.
- What is your passion? If you don’t know, what activities make you happy? When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? (If you want to see some great books that will help you find your passion, check out these books by Barbara Sher .)
- What about voiceover work is appealing to you? Do you think it’s an easy and glamorous way to make money? Do you love to read? Do you love to learn things? Is technology your friend? Do you have a desire to help people? Do you work well in isolation? Do you work well on multiple projects at one time and under multiple deadlines? Do you have an inner calling to do a certain kind of voiceover work? Have you ever actually recorded your voice and listened to it?
For an excellent reality check about starting a voiceover business, I highly encourage you to read Peter O’Connell’s Voiceover Entrance Exam. Peter is a veteran voice talent and savvy marketer who gives you the straight scoop on this business in a free e-book.
A final question on my list
Whatever happened to saying “thank you”?
People frequently fire off questions to me without including the simplest acknowledgement that my valuable time will be needed to answer them. I don’t expect compensation — not that any is offered in most inquiries I receive. I supply my advice as a service out of a true desire to help others. However, I’m constantly amazed by the number of people who overlook the small courtesy of saying “thank you”.
Therefore, my parting advice is to develop an attitude of gratitude, starting with every communication you have with another person about your career choices.
I sent a rather lengthy response–but alas! it failed to send correctly–Suffice it to say that I have always wanted to be in the acting profession since I was little, but was never supported. I needed to be more “Practical”…Now, after years as a middle manager for several companies and being laid off 3 times, I think I need to do something I’ve always wanted to do—Thank you for a wonderful response! It was way beyond my expectations in content and scope…Thank you, thank you, thank you! I could go into much detail about my journey…but I’m hoping that voice overs is my answer. I know new businesses take awhile to get on their feet…I just want to be somewhat assured that there is work out there for someone who is committed. I would love to speak to others in the profession. If you know some others I can talk to and gain some real life experience in this field, that would be helpful—My angels must have been watching over me when I clicked onto your webpage first! I appreciate what you do so much—and you have a fabulous blog!!! Elizabeth
Greetings, Elizabeth! Thank you for your most kind words about my blog; they made my day! I’m so glad you found something helpful in my answers to your questions. More voiceover work is available every day, and someone who is committed to achieving success will eventually find it. However, it’s important to have realistic expectations, including the fact that you will need to supplement your income for some indeterminate period of time. For other opinions, check out one of the many voiceover forums listed on the right panel of my blog.
Thanks again, and best wishes for your entry and success in this exciting career!
Karen
Greetings, Karen!
You blog, as usual, is most fabulous…I actually started doing the calculation just to see how it would turn out – ha! That’s what I get for getting so little sleep due to a late-night run in with editing frustration!
Thanks so much for your insight and humor…and TIME. Gracious, I understand how precious that truly is.
Best,
Xe Sands
http://www.xesands.com
I too would like to thank you for your words of wisdom. I got the bug many years ago when I was working at a store and was asked to make the store announcements. Of course I did not know what voice over was at that time. I then went on to be an telephone operator for 11 years w/the phone company doing various jobs for 25 years. I was laid off and have been doing other jobs that I did not particularly have a passion for and so I decided to quit and I have been taking theater and regular voice classes. But I never started really researching on line on what I should be doing to finally get into the business and I found your blog and other people’s comments to be so helpful it is actually giving me the confidence to give it a try. Thanks for helping me to realize that I can pursue my dream.
Hi Karen,
First let me say thank you. It was from you that I got the tip to use my new iPad with WIFI and 3G in my recording booth to read copy. It works great, especially when I have a second monitor in the booth that I use exclusively for my recording software with my wireless mouse. I’ve enjoyed reading your blog, especially your hilarious formula for success, and wish you the best in your VO career!
Linda
Greetings, Xe, Lydia, and Linda! Thank you all so much for stopping by and leaving such wonderfully kind remarks!
@ Xe — Believe me, I’ve had my share of late-night editing frustrations! I look forward to the day when I can hire an editor to replace me! 🙂
@ Lydia — I’m so pleased if anything I said has been helpful to you on your journey. I think it’s important that we explore things that interest us. It would be sad to go through life wondering “what if”.
@ Linda — We techno-savvy girls need to stick together!
Thanks again for your warm notes, and best wishes for your continued health, abundance, and success!
Karen
Karen:
Thank you. I had no idea where to start.. now I do.
Tom Smith
Greetings, Tom! I’m glad you found the info to be helpful. Best wishes for your success!
Karen