Why You Shouldn’t Do It Alone
Some of us are lone wolves. It’s true, but it’s rare. Most of us thrive and do our best creative work collaboratively, in some sort of community. The world of voice-over is isolating enough these days, each of us in …
The Union Animation Session
While it’s important to have specific goals as a voice actor, it’s just as important to be ready for the opportunity when you finally reach the goal. And I say ready, because you can’t prepare for something as unpredictable as …
A Moving Target: Pursuing Diversity in a Creative Career
As artists, creative humans, and business owners, we’re always threading the needle of things that are both fulfilling and financially profitable. In my opinion, embarking upon a creative career at all is an immense act of faith. Faith that humanity …
Evolving Your VO Team Over Time
If you’re relatively new to a voice-over career, you are probably like everyone else who started out: Doing everything yourself. Are you dreaming about when you have your VO team and all the support so you can focus on your …
Outsource it! Finding the People You Need to Grow
In my opinion, the only real reason to have a business is to help others. There are countless ways of doing this, of course, but no matter what business you’re in, on some level you’re striving to help someone else. …
Better than Robots: Why IVR Needs a Human Touch
Confession: I almost never answer my phone anymore. Why? Because, more often than not, it’s a robo-voice telling me that there’s some pressing matter I need to take care of right now and did I know I was eligible for …
“Toying” with Voice-Over?
About two weeks ago, I was walking through the aisles of a CVS in Nashville and I saw a kid playing with a new deluxe talking action figure, giggling happily as he pressed the button and the action figure recited …
Etiquette When Recording On-Site
Ah, the joys of getting to perform in-studio! You get to get out of wearing pajamas all day, interact with people face-to-face, and get some fresh air to boot. But, if you haven’t worked in-studio often (or at all), the …
How To Stop Procrastinating
“I can do that later.” Just five little words that create major havoc in our lives, because when “later” comes, those five words start to get a little more truthful: “I don’t feel like it,” or “Maybe I’m not good …
You’re the Boss: Being Accountable to Yourself
We’re hustlers. Most days anyway. Usually, as freelance artists, we’re extremely self-motivated and energized: ready to move mountains and make that cash. But we all have “those days”. (It’s not just me, right?) We’ve been there. Sluggish. Tired. Not sure …
Working Wednesday: Workflows with Audio Editors
One of the biggest areas of accountability for a professional voice actor is meeting client deadlines. The longer and more complex the project, the more helpful it can be to hire an audio editor, but how do you manage the …
Build Yourself into a Brand
You’ve invested a significant amount of time, effort and money into developing your acting chops and producing your demos. Next, to give yourself the best chance for success, you’ve got to develop your marketing and promotional chops as well: you’ve …