voice artist
Knowing how to read the words in a pleasant voice without stumbling on them is like knowing the basic six step swing. You’ve got the steps down, but that doesn’t make you a brilliant dancer.
Read MoreThe next time you’re wondering “Am I the ask-hole?” hopefully these tips will help you confidently say “Nope, not me!”
Read MoreConquer your fear of clowns, karaoke, and cold calling with the same four tips!
Read MoreNo…it’s not how to attract the attention of top agents…
Or that short actors are put in platform shoes or on apple boxes to make them look taller…
Nor is it how celebrities can manage to adopt eight children, travel the world, stay in shape, head their own charity, run a multi-million dollar company that sells luxury goods, film multiple projects a year while doing press for all of them…and still manage to look well-rested.
For the past two weeks, I was volunteering for an organization more secretive than the Masons.**
**Okay, I might be exaggerating a little bit there…
An organization that is over 100 years old…
An organization devoted to helping actors and anyone else in the entertainment industry—lawyers, burlesque performers, ushers, photographers, opera singers, costumers, grips, producers, stage managers, circus clowns...
Yes, even you, skeptical clown man!
Everyone that I have told about it has never heard of it, and I only heard about it after becoming active on LinkedIn during the early days of the pandemic.
It’s not a union.
It’s not exclusive.
And it’s not limited to New York or Los Angeles.
Are you stumped yet?
Originally founded in 1882 in response to the anti-actor sentiment after Lincoln’s assassination, The Actors Fund was created to help actors and other performers, who were often discriminated against, get a proper burial after death.
Since then, The Actors Fund has become a national non-profit organization that offers all kinds of services to anyone in the entertainment industry.
Some of the many initiatives the fund has supported throughout the years have included:
Senior care
Affordable housing
Retirement planning
Access to healthcare
Emergency financial assistance
Education and career counseling
Support for those with HIV/AIDS through Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
And much more…
While some services are still restricted to the cities where the fund has offices (NYC, LA and CHI), the internet has made other services accessible to all.
You, too, can attend a class in New York from your rooftop in Seattle! Or Minneapolis! Or Phoenix! Or…Keokuk, Iowa.
Managing Cash Flow
Mindfulness Meditation
Budgeting Nuts & Bolts
Good Grief: Grief Support Group
How to Job Search During a Pandemic
Asian American & Pacific Islander Entertainment Professionals Gathering
Mind, Body, Spirit: A Group for Black Women Working in the Entertainment Industry
Your money is no good here!
Back in May, I took the LinkedIn Suite for Entertainment, which is a trio of workshops on how to use LinkedIn effectively, and I participated in the 15-day LinkedIn Challenge that followed.
About a month after the challenge, I learned about LinkedIn’s Social Sales Index, and discovered that I was in the top 1% in my industry and in my network (translation: I’m working LinkedIn’s algorithm better than 99% of people in the industry), and I have The Actors Fund to thank for that!
After the challenge, I have been telling everyone about the fund, and promoting their services to all of my performer friends.
When the September challenge happened, I signed up to volunteer as an ambassador, helping to support others doing the challenge.
If you want to sign up for any of these upcoming workshops through the career center, you must first take the Career Center Orientation, which is offered every Monday except on legal holidays.
The LinkedIn Suite for Entertainment and LinkedIn Challenge will ONLY be offered one more time this year, in November.
Next year, they plan to offer it, but fewer times overall, so if you want to up your LinkedIn game, sign up for November’s workshops!
And please—don’t keep this a secret!
“See, kid…you’ll never work in this town again!” I’m kidding! Please stop crying. I know, my impression was terrible.
Dry spells can seriously feel like the end of the line for your career. You were cruising along, everything was going well, and then you come to a screeching halt.
Read More
There’s a LOT of info out there about this industry, but none of it is gospel. Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad, and some of it just doesn’t pertain to you.
What info is right for you depends on your type, what niche you want to get into, and what expertise you already have coming into voiceover.
Read More
Where we started…
This year was a blur of books, audiobooks, streaming TV, Zoom calls, and getting outside in any way possible. Mostly, it felt like one VERY long day that never ended.
But that doesn’t mean it was cancelled. I did PLENTY.
Read MoreWhile job postings make finding the jobs easy, the ease with which they’re found means these jobs tend to be oversaturated with applicants. Sometimes, by the time you see them, they’re already filled.
Strategy means seeing that there are a million different moves you can make to get to your goal.
Read MoreIt’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.
Read MoreIt’s amazing how obstacles can sometimes come disguised as opportunities…but they do.
If something is actively working against my goal of creating a career in voiceover, even slightly, it has to go.
Read MoreMy first full year of VO was full of a TON of ups and downs. Mostly downs, if we’re being entirely honest, but I was excited enough about the business to keep me going through most of that.
If you’re just getting started, expect your first year to be bumpy.
Read MoreOn any journey, it’s wise to take a map so that you don’t find yourself lost and hungry, freezing to death, not realizing that you are only a hundred feet from the campsite’s safety and warmth (it’s an analogy…go with it).
As an entrepreneur, you might not literally be in danger of dying, but striking out on your own without any sort of guide does leave you vulnerable to wasting a lot of time and money.
Read MoreHiring a voice actor isn’t like hiring a new HR manager or a marketing intern. We aren’t generally looking at the job listings on Monster, and a lot of us stay away from freelancing sites as well.
Read MorePeople in other industries have offices that they go to. They get to hang out with colleagues and talk about work on a regular basis. They form bowling and softball leagues. They go to happy hours.
VO workouts and chats about business goals are great, but sometimes you just want to hang out with your colleagues and get to know them as real people.
Read MoreIf you want a super awesome automotive or commercial voiceover demo, I highly recommend clicking here to reach out to Cliff Zellman at A-Mazing Demos.
Read MoreThroughout the Covid crisis, there have been even more free and low-cost options than normal for getting practice in VO…webinars, Zoom lectures, Instagram challenges, and workouts galore.
Get started this weekend with four different ways to explore VO from home without breaking the bank!
Read MoreIf you have no training or experience, and you think throwing some money at a website is going to make you rich, I’m going to tell you to stop right there. For your own good. Here are six reasons why now is a great time to start your voiceover career, but a terrible time to start a voiceover business
Read More
