Recently, Mike and I received THIS question from a voice talent (anonymous by request):
“I would love to go full-time in voice over, but I’m not sure if my skills are enough to walk away from what I do now. I’ve trained with a few different places. I’ve booked work…when I have time/energy to audition. I have agents, but I’m not landing much with them. Is there ever a point or is there a question you can answer that will reassure you one way or the other?”
I know these are questions many people ask, so I wanted to share our response.
Let me break down two of the main questions here –
1| How do I know my skills are enough?
2| How do I know when it’s the right to go full-time?
SKILLS
VO is an on-going learning and development career. Like actors, we’re constantly striving to be the best talent we can be, training when we can. Mike and I are still working to improve our skills. Not just performance-wise but business-wise, also.
That said, here are the skills I feel are imperative to jumping into a full-time voice over career, and then some actionable things you can do to improve them!
- Ability to be directed. Much in this industry is subjective. Often a client/director has a particular idea in mind. But the easier you are to direct, the more valuable you are as a talent.
This is why we offer the Industry Pro Workouts, Jill’s Monthly Script Workout and Steve’s Character of You Workout. It allows you an affordable way to practice getting directed. It’s also one of the built-in benefits to our Beginner Voiceover Intensive classes. Consistent practice is key, since every director is different, and communicates uniquely. Every session you book, you’ll find it can be a “dance” as you figure out what the creatives want, as you work together to narrow down to the performance (final product) they want from you. - Know your brand/value. This is not a brand you create. This is you. You should know what you bring to the table and how it adds value to this industry.
This is why we created the Business, Branding and Marketing course. It takes you through a DIY approach to uncover your brand. If you want someone to help you figure it out, I started offering one-on-one sessions. We can talk about that through my one-on-ones OR you can schedule a time with any of our other private coaches.
- Self Starter/Marketer. For most of our careers, Mike and I received the majority of our VO income from agents. These days, you not only have to have agents, but you have to be able to market yourself. This is something that I believe everyone can develop! And it’s not as much of a mystery as many talent think it is!
This is why Nadia Marshall (Lead Generation Course) was one of our panelists for this year’s Give & Learn event. We will continue to offer resources and training to help you develop this. Don’t skip out on the podcasts, this newsletter and the YouTube channel. That’s where we give a lot of helpful business advice and tips. - Audio Engineering. I know, I know. You’re in a creative field but these days, it’s imperative to have a home studio, and know how to use your DAW well (and treat your space)!
I cannot sing Larry Hudson’s praises enough. He does our Learn Audacity and Learn Adobe Audition classes. He doesn’t just teach you how to use these for VO but how to organize, be more efficient and become faster. Dan Friedman offers great Home Studio consultations so you can make sure your home studio sounds great. Even if you can’t afford a booth, Dan can help you determine where in your house/apartment to set up your studio.
If you’ve mastered these, you have a great foundation for a successful career.
WHEN TO GO FULL-TIME!
How do you know when to go full-time? These are the guidelines Mike & I used.
When…
- Finances are in order. This looks different for everyone, because it’s based on your expenses and unique situation. Consider making plans for health insurance, taxes, business expenses, etc. Mike and I always try to have a year’s worth of expenses in our savings account. That way, if we have a month (or several) that are down, we know we’ll still be okay. It is an up and down industry, so make sure you’re planning accordingly.
- You have historic data. Don’t step out on just hope. Make sure you’ve been able to book some jobs and have a little momentum. If you can do VO part-time for a year, that will give you great data for a better idea of which months are slower and how much you made year-to-date instead of per month. This also gives you an idea of what you may typically book, which in turn, can give you an idea of who to market to and how you can bring value.
- You are consistently planting seeds. This has been the greatest tool for ME in creating a sustainable VO career! Planting seeds looks like: reaching out to rosters, maintaining relationships with past clients, marketing to potential clients, etc. Continuing to do this will help you grow a thriving VO business!
Those are some great guidelines that I hope will help you. But to show you how each person’s voice over journey is unique, here’s my quick story:
At the start of my VO career, I made enough to cover my expenses through VO and on-camera work after I quit my radio job. BUT my demo was put together by Mike, my website was created by me via a GoDaddy template, I tallied up income through Excel, and Mike and I shared our home studio. Now, this was at a different time in the VO industry – it was far less competitive. And when we were “booked,” this was the time when we recorded in a professional studio in Atlanta. But I share this simply to say, that while there may be a “wise” way to jump start your VO career…it eventually comes down to JUMPING in order to START.
Here’s something that Mike said in relation to “jumping” as well –
“I liken it to merging onto a highway where all the cars are going at least 65. Some are going 80 or more and some are going 55, but you have to be at a certain speed to make it safely onto that highway. Sticking with the highway metaphor, I “ramped” up to going full-time WHILE working my full-time job. And when the radio station let me go and I had no choice to go full-time, I was already making a solid living at it on the side. (I had simply been too scared to make that jump w/out a push.)”
