3 Hard Truths About Voice Over Agents
Hi and welcome back and welcome to the three hardest truths about voiceover agents. And stick around because at the end I'm going to give you a bonus truth you're not going to want to miss.
To start, one of the biggest questions for many voice actors in the early years is, "How do I even know when I'm ready for an agent?"
And the best way to think about this question is to think like an agent, which in many ways is just like being a voice actor. An agent makes money when a voice actor they represent books a gig, just like you make money when you book a gig. In order for that to happen, the agent has to develop as many relationships with casting directors and other folks as possible, just like you have to develop relationships with clients yourself.
Now, a voice actor increases their odds of booking, their chances of booking, with training and practice. An agent on the other hand, increases their odds of an actor. They represent booking by booking trained, experienced, practiced voice actors with a proven track record of booking.
From the agent's perspective, the voiceover agency is really just a team of voice actors. That's why they call it a roster. The agent is the general manager and it's their job to recruit the strongest players to give themselves the best chance of winning the most games, that is, booking the most gigs, for their agency.
The hard truth about voiceover agents #1:
You're not ready for a voiceover agent until you can prove to them that you have a track record of booking paid professional gigs. A solid body of professional work.
Agents want to work with actors who work and who work with pros. Agents don't care if you booked a thousand gigs last year at $50 a holler on Fiverr. They do care if you booked 100 gigs on your own at $500 a pop, and most reputable, established agents simply won't work with talent who rely on Fiverr, Upwork, Voice Bunny, and the like.
So I hear you, you're saying, "But how do I book a solid body of work and prove a track record if I don't have an agent?"
That, my friend, is on you.
You have to go out and find the work, find the auditions, get on the rosters of corporate clients and production houses and book those gigs so that you can then prove to that agent that you're professional, that you're driven, and that you're bookable.
A stronger voice actor with a bigger, better body of work will attract stronger agents with access to bigger and better gigs.
So if you're having a little success in your first year or two, you can often attract a local or regional agent. And if you're really, really good in that time period, you might be able to attract a little bit stronger agent. And as you get more and better training, as you get better at your craft, as you accumulate a body of work, you will have access to bigger and better agents.
To work with the best, you have to be the best.
I think oftentimes voice actors have it in their heads that getting an agent is going to be a game changer and that their career is going to just take off after that. I also think that too many voice actors fall in love with dropping the phrase, "My agent."
"Well, you know, I was talking with my agent last week and she said..."
"My agent sent me this audition last week. that was just cray-cr..."
"Is that a car? My agent drives a car. She really seems to like it."
I get it. Signing with an agent is validation. It's a milestone and milestones should absolutely be celebrated. There are too many losses and too much rejection or lack of selection in this business to not celebrate the wins. And yes, signing with a good voiceover agent is definitely a win.
The second hard truth about voice over agents:
Signing with an agent is not a game changer. At least not in the sense of a switch being flipped and suddenly, now you're a successful voice actor. If you weren't working regularly before, you're not going to be working regularly now.
The actors who really benefit from signing with agents are prepared.
They're bookable. They conduct themselves like pros and treat the clients with respect and professionalism. And they're great in the audition and the session, and they're good team players. They support the other players on the agency roster and celebrate their wins, too.
The third hard truth about voiceover agents:
It's not the agent's responsibility to get you work. It's the agent's responsibility to get you more and better auditions and better auditions mean more competitive auditions. You still have to be able to book them.
It's like going from triple-A to the major leagues. The pitchers throw harder, the competition is better. And if you can't hang, you won't book.
Look, when I get to an audition from one of my agents, it's usually for a national gig. So I might be one of 150 or 200 actors submitting to my agent, and there might be four or five six agents on that casting. So I might end up in a pile of four- or six- or 800 auditions with a very best voice talent in the country. It's still my responsibility to be able to book.
Agents simply open a door. You still have to be able to walk through.
A bonus hard truth about voiceover agents:
All that hard work you did to build that body of work to prove to the agent that you're bookable? It doesn't stop. You still have to beat the bushes, find your own work, and build your own business.
Unless you're an elite-level voice actor, you need to be your own best agent.
The truth is, the average, everyday, garden variety, lunch pail voice actors still book the majority of their work through their own efforts, their own marketing, their own relationships that they've grown from their own efforts.
Now, can you come off the gas when you become an elite voice actor?
I have no idea. I'll let you know when I get there.
I'm not there yet, but I am wildly successful according to my own definition. I work regularly and consistently and I have the freedom and flexibility in my life because of that. I get to spend more time with my son now than I did when I had a full-time day job. I built my business from scratch and the sense of accomplishment from that is irreplaceable. And I make more money now than I did in any job.
When you build your own relationships, you build the most solid foundation for your business possible.
Yes. Good agents can absolutely help along the way. A good agent is a solid asset and a valuable member of your business team.
But being your own best agent is your number one priority. No one will be a better agent for you than you.
The VO Freedom Master Plan takes voice actors from part-time income, often relying on the pay-to-plays, not having a plan and a system, to booking consistently and regularly by growing their own relationships at scale, over time, that lead to more consistent booking, revenue, and income.
For more information on the VO Freedom Master Plan, click here and to subscribe to my Move Touch Inspire Newsletter for voice actors that comes out every Thursday, click here. If you found value from this video, then help us spread the word to other voice actors with a like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell so that you're the first to know when we publish a brand new video every Thursday.
We'll see you again here soon. Thanks for reading.