Alright, this week concludes my four-part (SRYNOTSRY) series on my voiceover journey.
It’s been a pretty epic last four and a half years, mostly because I felt like I had to make up for all of that time that I spent THINKING about doing voiceover but not really going for it.
If you’ve made it this far, congrats. It’s a lot, and there’s still more to unpack here.
Did you miss one or more of the other installments? Click below to catch up!
Part three
I start building my network beyond my hometown
As I mentioned, VO Atlanta is great, and I meet a lot of cool people. But in one weekend, you can only really get to know people *so* well. So I take all of those business cards and start reaching out to everyone I met.
I check out their websites and their demos, follow them on Instagram…and then, so as not to be a weirdo stalker person, I also email them to let them know that I enjoyed meeting them (because I sincerely did enjoy meeting every single person that I met at VOA).
In October 2019, when I move to Atlanta, the first thing I do upon arriving in town (before even pulling into my new apartment complex, calling my mom to let her know I arrived, or greeting my boyfriend and new roommates) is call Atlanta Voiceover Studio to sign up for their class starting the following day.
I know that building a community is going to take time, and if I don’t want to waste time, I need to start that process immediately. I go to networking events. I take a looping class.
If you’re in this business (especially THIS business, since we mostly work alone), and you’re trying to do it without connecting with and getting to know other voice actors, you’re doing it wrong. You can learn a lot from your peers.
Obvs not my studio…
I upgrade my equipment
After two years of working on a USB mic, I decide to upgrade to a shotgun microphone, and purchase the Sennheiser MKH 416. Here’s the thing…no, it’s not cheap.
But if you get it on sale (Pro tip: wait for the Joe Cipriano deal through BSW), it’s a great investment. I got mine because a shotgun mic can help a bit with ambient noise problems, and it’s a semi-indestructible tank used extensively by the film industry. SOLD.
I get a Steinberg UR12 interface, recommended by Uncle Roy.
After years of using an inherited pair of my ex-boyfriend’s gaming headphones, I replace them with some great Beyerdynamic studio headphones. SOOOOOO much better quality and no emotional baggage!
I upgrade my studio
Finally fed up with the space in the back of my closet and the unrelenting onslaught of outside noise, I take my best friend’s offer of the use of her basement. She has a good sized closet in the unfinished basement of her 100 year old house that I can use.
Bonuses: She has no roommates and no pets, and lives close enough to my house, but blocks off the main flight path. Definitely more ideal than my current setup, at least for any serious recording.
Over one three-day blizzard in April, I saw PVC pipe by hand in my living room and build a frame, later transferring it to the basement closet and lining it with moving blankets. The basement studio is cold, but it does the job!
I also have the studio audited by George Whittam so I can fix any sound issues, and then I get it WoVO approved as well (a great member benefit that can help give you peace of mind about your recording space).
I get an agent overseas
Tipped off by someone I met at VOA, I reach out to an agent in the UK who is looking for American voices. It’s a slow start to build our relationship, but in the long run, it pays off greatly.
I learn about self-marketing
After VOA, I purchase Tracy Lindley’s LinkedIn Course, which forces me to completely overhaul my LinkedIn profile (okay, it didn’t like, hold me at gunpoint while I feverishly created a new logo in Canva, but it was a strong motivator).
I create a separate page on my website just for voiceover and start overhauling that as well.
I also sign up for League of Listbuilders (LOLB), Jonathan Tilley’s extremely intensive three month marketing course, during which I continue to work on my marketing materials, overhauling my Instagram profile, creating an awesome email signature, and learning how to craft cold emails that don’t suck.
I keep learning
I take workshops with:
Tina Zaremba (Commercial)
Scott Page-Pagter (Toys and Games)
Jennifer Trujillo (Animation)
Heather Dame (Promo)
I do private coaching with Tom Pinto (TV and Documentary Narration and Promo) and Mary Lynn Wissner.
I sign up to do the VO Weekly Workout frequently.
I read blogs and listen to podcasts about the industry. I follow what’s going on in the Facebook groups.
Demos should be updated as your skills improve, just as your headshot should be updated as your look changes. TRUE STORY.
I upgrade my demo
When I return to VOA in spring of 2019, I go with a purpose: to research demos and demo producers, and find someone to produce my next commercial demo.
It has been three years since I made my first demo, and while it’s fine, I’m starting to hear the cracks in it. I can hear where I could have done something better, where I could have been more casual or more conversational. Where I was forcing my voice to fit something I wasn’t quite comfortable with yet.
I have improved, and while my first demo is respectable, it no longer represents what I am capable of. It is time for a new one. I just don’t know how I can afford it right now.
Celia Seigel gives me the best advice: make a list of 50 to 100 people you have worked with or know personally who could potentially hire you to do voiceover work—then reach out to them.
I do this, but only reach out to about thirty of them. In a month, I have earned enough to fund my new demo.
Tardis in white.
I upgrade my studio AGAIN
On moving to Atlanta, I know that I will need to invest in a studio space if I’m going to be able to work at home.
After having worked in the back of my closet, and then in my best friend’s basement, I know the pain of needing to get agent auditions done before work, only to have my neighbor spend two hours meticulously mowing every inch of his lawn. Twice.
I do the math, and figure out that I can consolidate some other debts I have, add in a loan for a StudioBricks booth, and get a much better interest rate and a lower total monthly payment than I previously had. Seems like a no-brainer.
I mention this specifically because people often raise an eyebrow at the cost, but by doing it this way, I’m putting the money I would have been spending on interest toward something that benefits me instead.
I didn’t have $8000 just lying around, but this investment has been very important for me toward being able to work whenever I need to, and not just when my roommates are gone or the cat is asleep.
My Studiobricks booth arrives in November of 2019. It takes my roommate and I just over two hours to get all of the pieces up to the top floor of our building and into the apartment. It takes my friend’s husband and I about two more hours to put it together.
Now that we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and having a quality home studio is essential, I feel like the little pig who built his house of bricks and the wolf is out there blowing, but I can’t hear a thing because my booth is SOLID.
Check out the whole Studiobricks lineup here.
I get another agent
I meet my third agent at VO Atlanta, and once I move to Atlanta, I connect with him. I have a leg up because he’s my boyfriend’s agent, but I still have to get in on my own merits.
Luckily, within a month of being taken on a trial basis, I book a job through them.
And another
During the pandemic, I don’t really expect to hear from potential agents. It’s a hard time for everyone, and people are reserving energy for those already on their roster.
I send out letters to new agencies anyways, knowing that not all talent are equipped to record at home, and that having my setup is an asset that some agencies might be looking for.
In May of 2020, I add my fourth agent, and my first coastal agent. I have not booked through them yet, but I’ve been put on hold once. It’s just a matter of time.
I add more demos
After getting my new commercial demo produced, I agonize over what to do next. After great consideration, I put together e-learning, medical narration, and corporate demos with help from some fellow voice actors.
I create these demos to be representative of the quality of work I am able to produce for clients at home on my own, so in that sense, they serve their purpose.
Some will argue you should NEVER EVER EVER make your own demos, and personally, I would never dream of doing that in any genre that relies upon high production quality.
But I have some friends who book all of their work off their own self-produced e-learning or corporate narration demos, so here’s my caveat:
If you attempt this, make sure you have done your research and that you have someone respectable working in the genre listen to it and give it a critical ear before you go shooting yourself in the foot by using an absolutely horrendous self-produced demo.
With the money I saved on those demos, I go work with Cliff Zellman and make a Kick-ASS automotive demo.
Looping Atlanta workshop in the pre-pandemic days
I keep learning, networking and working
During the pandemic, I take advantage of all of the free webinars and group coaching offered by so many pros and industry organizations. It’s a great way to keep busy and practice, and get a small taste of what it’s like to work with them before investing more. Lisa Biggs, GVAA, Gravy for the Brain, SOVAS, Tom Dheere, Cliff Zellman, and more.
I do the VO Weekly Workout as often as I can, and I do workouts with Atlanta Voiceover Studio and the VO Dojo.
I attend my monthly Minnesota voiceover meetup virtually, since the pandemic has made that possible.
I meetup with other voice actors for Zoom coffees to get to know new people.
I attend the OneVoice USA virtual conference.
Despite the limitations posed by the pandemic, there are still ways to be part of the community. You just have to look for them and be open minded.
The journey continues
What’s next? Who knows! The cycle of learning and leveling up never ends.
I’ve got my eye on the skull hoodie up top…
The only other guarantees: I will keep auditioning, I will keep marketing myself, and I will keep improving my skills.
Oh, and I will keep writing. Check in next week for another post!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!