Putting the cart before the horse: an in-depth analysis
Dec 19, 2020 1:39:59 GMT -8
alexanderdoddy, attilavo, and 3 more like this
Post by Lady Stardust ★ on Dec 19, 2020 1:39:59 GMT -8
The expression “putting the cart before the horse” means to do something in the wrong, unconventional or unexpected order. Similar to “running before you can walk”, it relates to jumping forward in hopes of achieving a lofty goal without taking the necessary preparation steps to make that goal likely to happen.
Because voiceover is increasingly considered a desirable field, many new actors immediately want to “fast track” to success. They expect that right out of the gate - perhaps after taking their first workshop series or getting their first demo made, they’ll already have a client base, a healthy income, agency representation, and an “in” at major studios. Maybe they’ll even expect to start doing live appearances and autograph signings! But expecting to achieve any of those things so soon is wholly unrealistic. Sure, you might have that one friend who boasts about having made a five-figure income in their first year of doing VO, but those people are the exception and not the rule. The reality is that it can take many years to get to where you want to be in your career, and rarely ever does it happen overnight. As with all the articles on this site, this is not meant to discourage anyone from pursuing their dreams, but to shed light on the realities of why preparation is important, and how “putting the cart before the horse” can actually be detrimental to your future career.
A special thanks to our VAC contributors:
- AJ Beckles (@ajbecklesvo)
- Caitlyn Elizabeth (@boobsmcbalrog)
- CB Droege (@CBDroege)
- Dave Bisson (@DaveBisson)
- George Peter (@georgepetervo)
- Jordan Dash Cruz (@dashcruzva)
- Michael Malconian (@actingmalconian)
- Michael Schwalbe (@WhatHeSaidVO)
- Mike Paine (@mikepaineshow)
- Nathan Hunt (@thehappycolour)
- Nazeeh Tarsha (@NazeehTarsha)
Regarding the perception of success...
You only hear successes, not failures
If you’re feeling down about your lack of progress, you may look at all your friends and peers and think “they’re all making it, why can’t I?” But keep in mind that you only really hear the success stories. You don’t hear about all the people who wanted to be actors but ultimately gave up for one reason or another. And when working actors experience disappointment and setbacks, you’ll rarely hear about that either because most people feel it would reflect badly on them to talk about these frustrations in a public setting. But you would be surprised at how when the public-facing mask is off, even actors you look up to are dealing with a lot of the same insecurities that you are.
According to Michael Schwalbe, newer actors aren't necessarily facing increased pressure to be successful, but rather feeling more pressure. "Nobody is pressuring new talent to be successful immediately outside of their own head. But the pervasive highlight reels of followed social media accounts fosters a severe impostor syndrome, while also ingraining into new actors' heads a hivemind of "well, if I wanna be successful, I'll just talk, behave, and perform like the successful people on here." And Twitter success is an almost completely irrelevant metric of actual success, so they're all modeling themselves after the wrong thing."
Even if you practice mindfulness when it comes to being happy for others and not comparing yourself, the competitive nature of the business can mean that sometimes you can’t help but slip. “I can understand the frustration some may feel if they are going through a dry spell and are seeing "victory after victory" for someone else. I don't think it's right or healthy to be jealous, but again I can understand the frustration,” says Michael Malconian. (Read More: Dealing with envy and jealousy)
Dave Bisson, who works as both a voiceover actor and voiceover coach, emphasizes the need for real human connection in order for actors to understand all sides of the business---including the good, the bad and the ugly. "When we see only the successes and never the struggles or hard work, we assume that everyone but us is successful, and that it comes easily."
Social media sets unrealistic expectations for success
To piggyback off of the above, sites like Twitter and Instagram are often used as publicity tools, meaning that actors who use them tend to curate their posts to create the type of public image they want their friends and followers to see. While constantly posting about work can be obnoxious, some people feel compelled to do this in order to show clients and casting directors that they are booking. “When several people post about successes, you feel like you're lagging behind, but the truth is that you're only getting a snippet of their journey,” says Caitlyn Elizabeth. “There's this feeling of 'I have to be posting about my successes constantly' or you're not successful.”
But these posts don’t always tell the full story. That boothie your friend posts every single week might be on the same recurring project that has a weekly schedule. The twelve auditions they bragged about doing might have all been characters for the same one or two projects, or cattle-call auditions on a pay-to-play site. The huge client they boast about working for might have been something that was outsourced to a third-party company for an app or explainer video. The bothersome trend of “vagueposting” means that you can be constantly comparing yourself to what it seems like other people are doing, without actually knowing the full story. “I think the Internet plays a huge factor in distorting your views of how fast you should be achieving things,” says AJ Beckles.
There are some actors who are fantastic at marketing themselves to social media and/or conventions, but don’t actually work as much as you think they do…and meanwhile, there are actors who are constantly booked but don’t have the time to post about it 24/7 because they’re busy actually working! Focus on your own path first and foremost, but if social media starts negatively affecting your mental health too much, it’s always okay to log off Twitter for a few days.
Success is not linear
Any actor’s career will have ups and downs. You may have a great few months where it feels like you’re constantly booking and achieving your goals, and then the next few months it feels like work has all but dried up completely. Even very established actors have these ebbs and flows—-it’s either a drought or a flood, as they say.
Nazeeh Tarsha cautions aganst actors thinking they’ve 'made it' after their first booking. "You’re in for a world of disappointment as you might not book again for several months. Be proud of the accomplishments you make, but understand that your accomplishments don’t mean you jump the gun and quit your job and just go full time.”
Being patient is important, not just for your career path but for your own sanity. “There will always be work to be had,” says Jordan Dash Cruz. “Whether it's now, 6 months from now, or 10 years from now, there will be acting work that needs to be done.”
If you expect your career trajectory to constantly be moving upward, you will set yourself up for disappointment. “Goals should be short term and realistic, and each meeting of goals should be celebrated as success,” says CB Droege. Aim high, but also temper your expectations and understand that slow periods are part of the reality of the business. (Read More: 10 things to do during a slow work period)
You can be successful without being popular
It is ironic in a way that the type of voiceover job which tends to get the most social media attention and name recognition - anime dubbing - also pays some of the lowest rates of anything in the industry. It is easy to look at “anime stars” who have big fanbases and do lots of public appearances and think they must be very well-off, but that is not always the case. The more lucrative fields, such as commercial and promo, may never get you recognized by fans… but you’ll be making far more money than if you were just doing dubbing. You can absolutely work towards specializing in the type of VO you’re passionate about, but just keep in mind that career success isn’t measured by how many social media followers you have.
“It's an unhealthy mindset, but an understandable one considering the day and age we live in,” says Jordan Dash Cruz. “And for those who aren't social media savvy or who don't post often (or just don't care), it's a legitimate worry that they may not be considered because they may not promote the show as heavily or because they aren't in the public eye much. Some may feel as if they HAVE to post or risk being forgotten.”
The bad news: Yes, online following can sometimes play a factor in casting. Nazeeh Tarsha, who works in both voiceover acting and production/casting, notes that “From the production side of things, the numbers matter. Clients want them. Sometimes only [big-name actors] will get auditions for projects because that’s the game corporate tries to play. Also more times than not, those actors with the followings are good fits for the roles anyways. Not always of course. But mostly. So corporates don’t see anything wrong with it.”
The good news is that for every project where clients care about marketing factors, there are plenty of others that don’t. After all, even the big-name actors had to start somewhere. Plus, online presence often becomes a bit less important when it comes to some of the AAA projects outside of the anime and JRPG sphere. And at the end of the day, good actors—-known or not—-eventually do to get noticed in the casting room.
(Read more: Healthy and positive mindsets in the acting field)
Overnight success is pretty much a myth
If you’re feeling insecure or dissatisfied with your current trajectory, it can seem like everyone else is “making it” overnight while you’re stuck grinding away and barely moving. Again, this is exacerbated by social media. Michael Malconian notes that the environment on sites like Twitter tend to foster “impatience with one’s own pace, envy at the success of others, fear that one will never ‘catch up’ and continue to miss out on the constant flow of opportunities, and bitterness that one is not as far in one’s career as they feel they should be compared to others.”
Age was also noted as a factor that may contribute to people feeling impatient. “There are some very young actors that "make it”, landing bigger roles quickly, and that can deflate the ego of a newcomer,” says Mike Paine. Caitlyn Elizabeth adds, "My mom is an elementary school music teacher, and has first graders that are hoping to be YouTubers basically as soon as possible. Kids are getting brand deals at age 5, so it really feels like the pressure is on. The pressure is there because we let it be, rather than enjoying the process and journey of it all."
The good news is that unlike on-camera acting where your physical appearance can easily “age you out” of roles, it’s so much less of a factor in voice acting—-for example, there are plenty of middle-aged women who still voice young children and teens!
But it’s also important to remember that even actors who seem like overnight successes rarely are. It may seem like someone is coming up out of nowhere and suddenly booking everything, but chances are they’ve been preparing and honing their craft for years in the background. Just because you haven't heard of a specific voice actor before until one day they're "suddenly in everything", it doesn't mean that they haven't been acting and auditioning for a very long time prior to landing those popular roles. Jordan Dash Cruz notes that “there is always the VERY RARE case of immediate success, but realistically that's highly unlikely.” (Read More: The “big break” fallacy)
Regarding the difficulties of today's VO market...
Market oversaturation and a race to the bottom
The market is oversaturated with voice talent, some of whom are so desperate to get in the door that they will work for dirt cheap, which can cause a downward spiral in the rates clients become accustomed to paying. Even bigger brands are going non-union to cut corners. Online freelancer sites boast that you can get voice talent to record anything you want with lightning-fast turnaround at bottom-of-the-barrel rates. Previously lucrative broadcast TV contracts are harder to come by as more and more projects move to streaming platforms. It’s not necessarily the actors’ fault, either—-the unfortunate reality is that a good number of clients will hope to get away with paying as low as they possibly can, and especially in the current economy, actors need to put food on the table. And it’s certainly not always easy.
“When I was getting into acting in the 90’s, there were some similarities in a lot of stories actors could tell you about how they got into it, but almost all of those stories, including my own, include a bit of right-time-right-place,” says CB Droege. "A typical story might start "Well, someone told me I had a nice voice, and then I saw this open casting call, so I tried out," and somewhere in the middle of the story you might find "Then a friend of a friend of a friend knew a guy in Big Studio, and he needed someone with my voice in one hour, and I happened to be in town…" While this type of origin story was common 20+ years ago, that's mostly no longer the case---there are more people than ever who devote their career specifically to pursuing voiceover rather than simply falling into it and producers have plenty of professional and talented actors at their disposal to choose from. You have to be incredibly good at what you do in order to stand out. Many aspiring actors in the current day and age cling to this idea that if they can just somehow “get discovered”, they’ll have made it—-but that’s rarely ever how it works anymore in the current generation.
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the idea that it’s harder to make a living in voiceover now than it was for our predecessors. But it basically boils down to supply and demand. There are more voice talent ready and willing to work than there are projects available. All you have to do is look at any Twitter post that says “need voice actors” and hundreds of people will jump in with their demos and studio specs at the ready. Technology allowed for more leeway in remote work and a lower overall barrier to entry, which is great in terms of creating more work opportunities for actors around the world, but can also mean that all those actors have to work extra hard to get those opportunities.
This can also pose a problem when it comes to getting into agencies and on certain smaller talent rosters. If they already have a large handful of actors who sound like you and have similar read styles as you, but have more experience, it can be a harder sell in terms of what you can bring to the table that their current talent can’t already. Finding your “own voice” is a process. Some actors will joke self-deprecatingly about being the “discount” or “knock-off” version of a bigger-name actor, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing—-those actors are in demand for a reason, and they can’t take every job out there, so you can use their work as inspiration to find archetypes you might suit well.
The immediate need to be “professional”
In the early to mid 2000s, the amateur online voice acting scene was booming. Plenty of people did hobby and fan work for fun, and while many of them had a desire to eventually “go pro”, there wasn’t really a sense of shame in being an amateur voice actor.
Nowadays, it’s become much harder for someone to separate their online persona from their real-life identity. People are afraid that if they start exploring VO by doing comic dubs on YouTube, for example, it may be harder for them to be taken seriously if they enter the industry a few years later. Or they worry that participating in something like abridged series (originally seen as relatively harmless fun), they may gain short-term Internet popularity but then draw disapproval from IP holders due to the gray areas when it comes to copyright on such projects. In the current era of “the Internet is forever”, there’s less leeway for people to learn and play and grow the way they did back when everyone was just an avatar and screen name on a forum.
While it’s important to think in the long-term in regards to your potential career, I’ve also seen so many brand-new actors on our server deal with anxiety when it comes to making small mistakes or doing anything that may brand them as “unprofessional”. They agonize over every social media post, whether using a free website service will affect their “image” and and whether or not labeling their auditions slightly wrong one time might get them blacklisted.
The bad news is that blacklisting IS real. The good news is that 1) you’re very unlikely to truly be “blacklisted” for an innocent misstep (everyone has made mistakes, including your favorite pros), and 2) there’s no such thing as a “universal blacklist”. Every individual studio, client and casting director can hire or not hire any actor for any reason. Some people may blacklist (or more accurately, “never send auditions to”) actors for petty or unfair reasons, but in most cases, if an actor is truly a “do not hire” with a certain studio or client it’s for serious and legitimate reasons. Even then, it is sometimes possible to bounce back and regain trust, especially if your acting skills are stellar. Most casting directors will not blacklist an actor over a simple and honest mistake, and just because you don’t receive auditions from a certain place does not mean you are blacklisted. And while casting directors do sometimes talk to each other, not all of them will share the same opinions or experiences. The old joke about “you’ll never work in this town again” would really only apply to the most egregious offenses (such as criminal acts), not because you posted an accidentally bad take on Twitter once.
And remember, it’s okay to take your time and enjoy the ride. CB Droege notes, “There is no escalator that you can get on at the bottom, and arrive at the top as a 'professional'. No creative industry works like that. Every path will be different, and every actor will have their own achievements and set-backs. Anyone who tells you that they can put you on an escalator to 'professional' is trying to sell you something. Does that mean there is nothing you can do, and that meeting your goals is only luck? No, of course not, but it cannot be rushed, and it cannot be planned out like a recipe.”
Trying to "network" (aka, other actors can’t magically get you a job)
Maybe you have an acquaintance on Facebook who works dubbing anime and you think that by messaging them, perhaps they can refer you to a studio! A word of caution…this is rarely how it works. While actors can occasionally recommend peers if they have a close relationship with a casting director, this is typically reserved for established, working actors they know personally and can vouch for in a professional setting. Do not take it personally if someone does not feel comfortable recommending you—-it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don't like you or think you’re not good enough. Actors typically have very little power when it comes to casting decisions, and each time they go out on a limb to recommend someone, they are putting their own reputation on the line for that person. If they are newer to a studio or agency themselves, they may not feel it is appropriate for them to send referrals yet. Even very skilled actors aren’t always listened to if it’s not the right time or they have too many similar people on the roster already. As we say in many other articles, “connections” should happen naturally and not just for the sake of ulterior motives. If you are good, people will want to refer you when a role you're perfect for comes up without you having to ask.
Maybe you have an acquaintance on Facebook who works dubbing anime and you think that by messaging them, perhaps they can refer you to a studio! A word of caution…this is rarely how it works. While actors can occasionally recommend peers if they have a close relationship with a casting director, this is typically reserved for established, working actors they know personally and can vouch for in a professional setting. Do not take it personally if someone does not feel comfortable recommending you—-it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don't like you or think you’re not good enough. Actors typically have very little power when it comes to casting decisions, and each time they go out on a limb to recommend someone, they are putting their own reputation on the line for that person. If they are newer to a studio or agency themselves, they may not feel it is appropriate for them to send referrals yet. Even very skilled actors aren’t always listened to if it’s not the right time or they have too many similar people on the roster already. As we say in many other articles, “connections” should happen naturally and not just for the sake of ulterior motives. If you are good, people will want to refer you when a role you're perfect for comes up without you having to ask.
Before asking someone to "walk you in" to a studio or agency, think critically about whether your skills, demos, and/or home studio (if applicable) are competitive enough yet to be on par with all the other actors who are currently working with them. Be honest with yourself.
“One of the big mistakes I see young actors making is trying to network past their cohort,” says CB Droege. “They see actors who have been working for many more years, and have a lot more experience, and they try to reach out to these actors for a leg-up. This doesn't really work. Better would be to network within one's cohort: to connect with the people who are at a similar level of experience and create a network with those people. Generating a strong bond with those who may come up along-side you is the best way to build a support network in any industry.”
To be clear, this certainly doesn't mean that you shouldn't reach out to your more experienced peers for advice and mentorship when appropriate! Being acquainted with other actors who are working at the level you'd like to be at in your career can give you something to strive for and learn from. The main thing, again, is to let these connections happen as naturally as possible and always be respectful of someone's time when you are approaching them for advice or mentorship. Don't take it personally if someone is too busy to answer you; many working pros get inundated with questions near-daily from people hoping to get into voice acting. It's best to do at least a bit of your own research first (online reading, classes, asking questions on our Discord server) and then you can reach out to specific people with questions.
We asked some professionally working actors for their thoughts on some mistakes newer actors tend to make when it comes to “putting the cart before the horse”. Here are their responses.
“Getting a demo and immediately trying to get an agent. I fell prey to the notions initially as well.” ~Caitlyn Elizabeth
“Don't buy super expensive equipment when you first start—-heck, there are plenty of actors who work more than me that don’t have nearly as good equipment. Treat your space, be a good actor, get decent equipment, and submit and you’ll do great.” ~AJ Beckles
“Focusing on voice over acting. And focusing on how to sound, rather than how to feel.” ~Nathan Hunt
“Demos are probably the biggest thing. Also, social media stuff. It's good to pass along solid info and advice, but I've notice with some newer actors, the moment they book a role that garners a bit of attention, they become scholars of VO and act as if they have every answer to every VO question known to man and will constantly post their own "advice" or give career advice to others despite being somewhat new themselves.” ~Jordan Dash Cruz
“If you take a workshop and good what feels like good criticism, don’t think you’re “in” either. A harsh reality is that a lot of times these workshops are being nice to everyone and don’t want to dissuade anyone from pursuing their dreams. Constructive criticism can be hard to give when you don’t know the actors and whether or not they can handle it.” ~Nazeeh Tarsha
“Basically, spending money that they haven't earned from the business yet. Now, it's all fine and dandy if you want to do this, but it's gonna save you a lot of money if you just wait and reinvest the money you earn into your setup until you are making solid money before getting something like a Neumann or a Whisper Room.” ~George Peter
“Newer actors sometimes want to be in a game or movie right away, and when they don't get there they get dejected. It's all about practicing a LOT until you're confident with yourself, THEN go after those gigs!” ~Mike Paine
“Getting a demo and immediately trying to get an agent. I fell prey to the notions initially as well.” ~Caitlyn Elizabeth
“Don't buy super expensive equipment when you first start—-heck, there are plenty of actors who work more than me that don’t have nearly as good equipment. Treat your space, be a good actor, get decent equipment, and submit and you’ll do great.” ~AJ Beckles
“Focusing on voice over acting. And focusing on how to sound, rather than how to feel.” ~Nathan Hunt
“Demos are probably the biggest thing. Also, social media stuff. It's good to pass along solid info and advice, but I've notice with some newer actors, the moment they book a role that garners a bit of attention, they become scholars of VO and act as if they have every answer to every VO question known to man and will constantly post their own "advice" or give career advice to others despite being somewhat new themselves.” ~Jordan Dash Cruz
“If you take a workshop and good what feels like good criticism, don’t think you’re “in” either. A harsh reality is that a lot of times these workshops are being nice to everyone and don’t want to dissuade anyone from pursuing their dreams. Constructive criticism can be hard to give when you don’t know the actors and whether or not they can handle it.” ~Nazeeh Tarsha
“Basically, spending money that they haven't earned from the business yet. Now, it's all fine and dandy if you want to do this, but it's gonna save you a lot of money if you just wait and reinvest the money you earn into your setup until you are making solid money before getting something like a Neumann or a Whisper Room.” ~George Peter
“Newer actors sometimes want to be in a game or movie right away, and when they don't get there they get dejected. It's all about practicing a LOT until you're confident with yourself, THEN go after those gigs!” ~Mike Paine
My personal advice: It's okay to aim for the top, but do not expect to start at the very top and then get disappointed when you don't. We all want to book lead roles and make a great living right out of the gate, but try to be humble and open to considering any opportunity, big or small, so long as it's something you feel comfortable doing and the rates/terms are not exploitative. This can mean working for small creators on indie or student projects, and sometimes even doing hobby work to get practice and experience. A common saying in the entertainment industry is "paying your dues" and working your way up. I see people saying "well I want to skip all the other stuff and just start with a big Cartoon Network show and a few AAA games" and while those are fine goals to have, starting there is completely unrealistic for most people who are brand new to the industry. Actors may work for very many years to even be at the point where they are able to audition for those types of opportunities, much less book them. Enjoy the ride along the way and take pride in every job no matter how small...you never know what it might lead to in the future.
Regarding the rush for demos and agents...
Traditional advice has been “don’t make a demo until you’re ready”, but especially with the rise of indie games and the Twitter casting market in general, there are a lot of jobs in the indie casting sphere that require a demo reel of some kind in order to even be considered.
AJ Beckles felt this all-or-nothing advice hindered some of his early progress when it came to online castings. “I can’t tell you how many casting calls I had to skip out on at the beginning of my career,” he says. He adds “You can absolutely make a demo that shows what you can do for indie clients…but do not send that demo to an agent.”
An “indie demo” is generally okay in the interim for the online market only. “My first demo was self-produced and recorded, and it worked for what I required as I was looking only for amateurish work. As you evolve as a VO, so will your demo,” says Nathan Hunt.
But when it comes to submitting for the “big leagues”, you can easily end up wasting thousands of dollars on a demo that sounds nice but doesn’t cover up the fact that your skill isn’t competitive. “Get a coach, get criticism from a professional, and be objective,” says Nazeeh Tarsha. “On that note, I actually think that the demo makers of the industry need to be more scrutinous. Part of the problem is that theyre more eager to take money from people rather than be honest about whether or not people are actually ready to get those demos.”
A bad demo can be worse than no demo
If you slap together a hasty homemade demo and send it to major studios, agencies or casting directors, this can actually hurt your chances more than help you. While these types of demos are fine for the online hobby market, be warned that if you send a prominent casting director a demo that sounds sloppy or amateur, their first impression of you may be that you are not a professional or competent actor. While casting directors listen to hundreds of demos and tend to forget most of them, if the demo is egregiously bad, it might even stick in their mind, and this negative first impression can be hard to shake later even after you’ve improved as an actor. Keep in mind that just because you pay a lot of money for a top demo producer doesn’t mean that your demo is automatically pro-level - if your acting is still not there yet, all the fancy mixing in the world can’t cover up a subpar performance. While it can feel frustrating to miss out on opportunities for the time being, play the long game and submit for those opportunities when you know you’re ready.
In regards to creating a starter demo in the meantime, Michael Schwalbe, who has worked all over the game market from indies to AAA games, offers the following perspective: "A homemade demo can be made at any time. It'll just probably suck. And it's fine to suck. Better to suck and have something to submit for indie projects than not be able to submit. The traditional advice should be "don't have a professionally-produced demo made until you're ready," because otherwise you're throwing a lot of money in the trash. Now, don't go sending your homemade demos to an agency or anything though." As someone who also reviews a lot of demo reels as part of casting for various projects, Michael additionally made this Twitter thread on common demo pitfalls.
For any type of demo, it’s still a good idea to get some sort of acting training before just rushing into making a reel. “If newer, definitely focus more and spend your money on classes (and not just VO classes: regular acting classes, on-camera, theater, techniques, etc.) rather than an early demo,” says Jordan Dash Cruz.
The rush to get an agent
Many actors understandably feel that they have invested in equipment, gotten a demo produced, learned and practiced acting…only to find themselves stuck when it comes to actually getting audition opportunities. A lot of veteran actors and teachers will tell you that the logical next step is to get an agent so you can start booking work. We often get questions in the VAC server from people wanting to jump into getting an agent despite having little work experience. But getting an agent is extremely difficult, especially with agencies scaling back their rosters in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the market increasingly becoming oversaturated with talent.
Being unrepresented does not make you a failure. Even talented and experienced actors get passed over all the time for any number of reasons. Maybe they already have too many people on their roster who sound like you. Maybe they think you’re a great actor, but wouldn’t be a great fit for their specific agency. Maybe they’re not even looking to represent anyone new right now.
The good news is that while having an agent can certainly be helpful, you don’t actually need one to start booking work. Many smaller nonunion projects book directly with talent or work through casting directors, studio talent rosters, pay-to-play sites, or even sometimes Twitter. There are successful actors who are able to work full-time without representation! “I've been in VO since 1987 and radio since 1988 but never had an agent,” says Mike Paine.
If you have competitive and professional marketing materials and you are a great actor, start researching ways to market yourself for auditions that don’t immediately require an agency. Once you start building up a resume of impressive credits, you will be more likely to be taken seriously by a prospective agent anyway. (Read More: So you want to get an agent?)
RE: Financial matters...
Investing money
It is true that you need to spend money to make money when it comes to voiceover. At the bare minimum, you need a proper microphone and computer to record auditions and jobs. If you want to book professional work from home, you’ll need to go beyond that and have a properly treated recording space free of noise and echo, a high-quality microphone (preferably XLR) with stand/shockmount/cables, a high-quality audio interface, recording/editing software (DAW), and studio headphones.
Some people assume that if they immediately rush into buying expensive equipment and software, they will automatically be set up for voiceover! This is not true.
Keep in mind the equipment and space is only one piece of the puzzle: the most important thing is still being a good actor. If you are newer, you don’t need to immediately run out and spend thousands on a Neumann U87—-there are plenty of decent “starter mics” that can fit your budget (the #audio-and-tech channel on our Discord server is a great resource for recommendations.) You can even download a completely free software, Audacity, for basic recording and editing. And while a USB mic isn’t ideal for professional voiceover, it’s a perfectly fine start for hobby and lower-budget projects, so don’t feel too held back if that’s all you’ve got at the moment. Your home studio is usually a constant work-in-progress and will upgrade as you advance in your career.
Moving
It's traditionally been true that you need to live where the work is if you want to work on certain types of projects like animation, dubbing, and major videogames. However, AJ Beckles notes that the pandemic “has forced a lot of folks to be more open to outside talent”, particularly if they have a broadcast-quality home studio. But it still seems that many studios intend this to be temporary and would like to get back to in-person recording as soon as possible, so we do not know at this time how viable it will be in the long run to be remote-only.
This doesn't mean should rush to move to LA or Dallas—-if you’re not ready yet, don’t expect that living in the right place will mean work will magically fall in your lap. Nazeeh Tarsha notes that not only does moving not necessarily mean you’ll get work, “it doesn’t even mean you’ll get through a single door. Expect to fail. Brace for the worst as it’s going to be rough. Life is going to suck. Look up the scene, join online groups, become acquainted with things. Expect your move to result in a several year journey before anything happens. Plenty of people fall flat on their faces because this is a lot rougher than they’ve anticipated. I know more people that have quit than I do who have succeeded.”
While this may sound discouraging, you can maximize your chances at a career in your target market by being as prepared as possible. Before planning a major move, be sure to do everything you can in your current location first: learn and train as much as possible, practice and get experience in online projects, get professional reels and marketing materials. Having connections to studios, casting directors, and/or agents in your target market can be very helpful. If you have a lot of friends there who are actors, this can be helpful too, but don’t put people in an awkward position by asking them to walk you in if you don’t know them all that well.
A backup plan does not equate to failure or giving up
Many actors who are first making the jump to professional voiceover work, and/or planning to move to a major market to pursue it, balk at the notion of getting a stable job to support themselves because they see it as a sign of weakness or failure. Maybe an older and more established actor they look up to said “well, I just dove right in without a safety net and never looked back!”
Sure, some people get lucky. But the reality is also that things are very different now than they were perhaps 20 years ago. The cost of living, especially in LA where most of the work is, is higher than ever. Again, it’s easy to see social media successes and feel discouraged when it seems like someone goes full-time after only a couple of years, but it’s also important to remember that everyone’s life circumstances are different, too. For example, a young person living with roommates in a low-cost area of Texas would have a much lower threshold of income needed to be “full-time” than a single parent supporting two kids in New York City.
Furthermore, the notion of full-time is different for everyone based on their lifestyle and needs. Actor A may be fine with having a long commute to studios, eating instant ramen every day, and living in a small apartment with other people in order to be a “full time voice actor”. Meanwhile, Actor B may make a decent living off VO, but prefer to keep a stable job on the side because they want to live in a bigger apartment by themselves, drive a nice car and buy luxury brands. Neither option is right or wrong because everyone has different preferences and priorities.
To go back to what we said about it being a “flood or a drought”, CB Droege cautions that “going ‘full-time’ is not a permanent change. An actor should expect to have highs and lows throughout their whole career. There will be periods of 'full-time' levels of activity, and lulls in that activity that might last for years. That's normal. It's always wise to have something to fall back on when needed.”
Having a “plan B” doesn’t mean that you’re settling for less. It means you’re being smart about your financial situation and making good decisions for your future by ensuring you can actually make a living while you pursue the field you ultimately want to make a living in. There is no shame in working jobs such as food service, retail, or manual labor to allow you flexibility for scheduling sessions while still earning an income. And there’s no set timeline or age as to when you should have “made it”; everyone’s journey is different.
Going full-time can take longer than expected
In regards to what constitutes an average timeline, AJ Beckles says “There isn’t one. Some people do this for a decade and can't go full time; other people are really good at commercial reads and have been doing it for only a year and can go full time.”
Caitlyn Elizabeth says that her actual timeline is about 5 years. “I had only done a couple of VO internet projects prior to landing my first role. Then it was about a year or two of REALLY hitting the ground running with classes and workshops before I got a demo. I was going on the mic 5-7 days a week, 3-11 auditions a day (either practicing old copy or finding any audition I could) while holding down a full time job. From there it was more classes, asking for advice, going to workouts, and research.”
Nathan Hunt’s timeline was also about 5 years, but 2020 threw an unexpected curveball: “A few months after I made the switch, COVID hit and completely killed my local industry from which I got most of my work.”
Michael Schwalbe points out that the genre of work one is looking to do also plays a major factor in how easy it is to make a living. "Going full-time in audiobooks or corporate narration is much, much easier than going full-time in anime or videogames," he says.
“I don’t think there is a realistic time but rather a benchmark line,” says Nazeeh Tarsha. “It’s very generic but it boils down to money. For some, that happens in 1 year. For others 10. For others, never.”
Dave Bisson emphasizes the importance of the journey rather than just the destination, noting again how different everyone's journey is. "I went full-time in 2014. Working backwards, I started aggressively pursuing VO as a career (4 hours a day advancing VO career + 9 hours of day job) in 2012. I started toying around with doing VO part-time for local TV & radio commercials in 2009. I started formal acting training in 2000. I unknowingly recorded my first audiobook (The Final Fantasy strategy guide) on cassette in 1992. Point is, it's difficult for me to nail down exactly when my journey started. It might take 2 years, maybe 5, maybe 10. The important thing is that you are enjoying the journey, not burning yourself out, & know in your heart of hearts that you're pursuing this career because it fulfills you, & not solely for financial or social reasons."
!! Do not rush your fundamentals !!
Many newer voice actors seem to place an intense focus on marketing above all else. They'll get fancy graphics and a fancy website, create social media accounts promoting themselves, and talk about their ready-to-go home studios. They may be charming and good at networking, resulting in potential audition opportunities by way of making friends easily.
However, if you listen to demos or auditions from these actors, the simple fact of the matter is that the performance isn't always up to par. Marketing yourself well can get you auditions, but it isn't going to substitute for acting chops when it comes to actually booking those auditions. You can even have an impressive demo complete with flashy sound effects and music, but if you can't deliver when it comes to your actual auditions, it's not going to get you as far as you like.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to "fake it till you make it", it's crucial not to overlook the very core of voice acting, which is acting. This means going back to the very basics: the fundamentals of acting and scene study. There is a reason that people with theatre and/or on-camera backgrounds tend to do well in VO, and that's because they've already had to learn the fundamentals of playing a character believably. There is still that matter of having to transition over to using only your voice rather than your face and body, but good acting instincts are something that can't simply be glossed over with a pretty voice or a cool Twitter banner.
Again, there's nothing wrong with wanting to put your best foot forward, but if you are new to the industry, your priority should be learning to be a good performer, first and foremost. Marketing is important, but again, it's not a substitute for being able to deliver when it comes to auditions and especially being brought in for a job.
- Take acting classes. Study, learn and train as much as possible.
- After you have taken some group classes, consider working one-on-one with a private coach who specializes in an area you’d like to work in.
- Read articles online, watch videos, and/or listen to podcasts to get an idea of how the industry works as well as some tips and tricks.
- Record yourself cold-reading any type of copy and listen back critically to your voice and performance. If you can’t afford any type of equipment yet, you can do this on a phone or laptop (while not suitable for actual recording, it is fine for practice purposes.)
- Work on making your home setup sound as good as possible within the limitations of your current budget and space (and don’t stress if it can’t be perfect, especially if you’re just starting out.)
- Audition for anything and everything you can find online that suits you. If you’re brand new, this might include unpaid hobby/passion projects. If you’re already somewhat experienced, this can be indie games, video narration, etc.
- Learn the basics of audio editing. You can even try producing a fun collaborative audio project with a friend.
- Learn about the business side of voiceover (marketing, rates, payment, studio etiquette, etc)
- Join online communities (such as our Discord server and Facebook group) to meet and converse with like-minded people
- Follow people in your field on social media, start building up your account, and make whatever friendships come naturally
All of our guides and resources are provided on a volunteer basis. However, if you found them helpful, please consider buying me a coffee!
I’m a female voice actor with a High pitched, normal and robotic voice and I can also do British accents! I do murder drones and I could try any other and I can follow scripts! Send me an email if you need me! (Mahatareq09@yahoo.com)