My Chats with Almost 70 Voice Actors: A New Mission

For those of you who don’t follow The Pro Blog regularly, I spent all last Fall talking to as many voice actors as I could cram into my schedule. I’ve suspected for years that we’re losing good people in this business, not because they’re not talented, but because in many cases they find it just too damn hard to find work. That was my original hypothesis.

I set out on a quest to find out why voice actors struggle to find work. Almost half of us report making less than $8,000 US a year from VO and 75% of us make $40,000 US or less. That’s not prospering in 2022 in the first world. What are voice actors afraid of? What frustrates them? What don’t they know? What’s holding them back?

For the data and the results of those chats, click here.

The reason I wanted to talk to so many is that I wanted to find any possible commonalities in the struggle. Some major themes emerged:

1. Money is not the primary driver for voice actors.
   It’s a factor for sure, but not the main reason we do what we do. The two things that came up over and over again were freedom and flexibility. People want some agency over their days and their lives. They want to be able to structure their own day (but are at a loss for how to do that). They want to work when they want, where they want. They want to have some control over the kinds of work they do and the people they work with. They want to be able to balance work with family, kids, community, and all the obligations and responsibilities of modern life. Freedom and flexibility.
   

2. Our business is long on information and short on process.
   People told me time and time again that we’re drowning in an endless river of “tips and tricks,” but no one is showing us how to assemble them all into a cohesive plan to actually grow our businesses.
   

3. There is a desperate need for support, mentoring, and connectedness.
   We voice actors are isolated by definition. The old cliché about voice actors being stuck alone in our tiny, padded rooms talking to ourselves is true. Throw in a global, years-long pandemic and that feeling of isolation has only grown.
   

4. Marketing our own services is by far the biggest frustration for voice actors.
   57% of the people I collected data from mentioned this frustration directly. THIS is why 75% of voice actors report reaching out to market their services LESS than three times a day.
   
   I ask you: What business in the world can talk to 1 or 2 people a day and grow?

A new mission…

My original hypothesis that people are getting stuck and quitting is very real. There is commonality around the frustrations and sticking points. The problem is definable.

Which means the solution is definable.

I built a 6-figure business in three years and I did it by going after my own work.

A career path I had previously lamented – wandering, seemingly aimless (broadcaster, voice actor, web designer, sales, marketing, promotions) – one day showed up as the perfect set of core skills necessary to be successful as a freelance voice actor. I built a plan, refined it, executed it, refine it still, and am successful because of it.

What I’ve developed from those dozens of chats is called The VO Freedom Master Plan.

It’s designed to take voice actors from booking inconsistently, relying on pay-to-plays, not having a plan and process to market themselves, to growing relationships at scale that lead to more consistent booking and income so that they can achieve the freedom and flexibility to live their best lives.

And we’re building a community of people making this transformation together.

This Winter, I’ve been reaching out to start working with a small number of voice actors to create real transformation.

While I’m highly confident in the plan, I wasn’t so arrogant as to assume it’s perfect and throw it out into the world. I needed real-world feedback to help make it the best it can be and to ensure that we are addressing real-world needs in a way that is digestible.

I’ve tested the program with the initial 2 cohorts of 25 students, which sold out very quickly.

The curriculum is live online and is now asynchronous, meaning that you can log in and work on the curriculum at your convenience anytime day or night from anywhere in the world.

It’s my mission to change the careers and lives of voice actors for the better by changing the way we teach finding work in this business and building a community of gritty, action-taking, empowered people making that transformation.

Thanks to everyone on the journey who has helped make this possible.

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