WHY IS THE VOICE OVER COMMUNITY SO SPECIAL?
What is it? What is it about the voice over community, and yes audiobook narrators are absolutely apart of that, what is it about our community that makes it so…amazing?
The VO community to me is far and away the most supportive, uplifting, collaborative, and encouraging group of people I have ever been around. That to me is clear. What is not clear, what really want to get to the heart of is… WHY? Why are voice actors and audiobook narrators so…kind and helpful and all the good things?
This community is unlike any other in that, while an outsider or newbie might assume that we look at each other as competitors, we don’t. In fact. it’s quite the opposite.
And that’s so weird and wonderful and cool. BUT WHY??? I’ve been a part of other communities – in business, on the stage, on-camera, hell, years ago even in church, and never have I seen a level of kindness and mutual support like there is in voice over.
WHY? I asked our community on social media recently this very question… Why do you think it is? Does voice acting attract better people? Or does it just bring out the better in us? And if so, why? How?
And that’s what we’re gonna dig into today. As answered by you.
I think there are several things about the VO community that explain why it’s so special and the first I’ll mention is…this old joke about us voice actors being stuck in our tiny little padded cells talking to ourselves all day. What we do is at best isolating and at worst, downright lonely.
So, when we do get together, my god, voice actors at a conference are like dogs that have been left at home all day, and suddenly the owner is home. We go nuts when we see each other.
Maybe part of this is the fact that even our closest loved ones, our spouses and partners, our kids, don’t understand what we do like other voice actors do. They don’t know what it’s like to sail dozens and hundreds of auditions into the ether never to be heard from again. Or to spend half a day trying to hunt down the source of a hum in your audio. Or to redo 8 chapters of an audiobook because your interface was slowly dying. They don’t get it because they don’t do it every day.
Troy Holden said this: “We build and crave good relationships with like-minded people. We see each other as co-workers in some ways because we are just a voice in a file for a client to choose from and we are not doing water cooler politics to get noticed or sniff someone’s ego. I am just humbled to be in the sandbox and happy to share my shovel and bucket.”
Troy brings up a good point. No water cooler politics because there’s no hierarchical structure to our group, so in that way, we’re all peers and we’re all in this together.
Bob Johnson says this: “I think most of us grew up in hierarchical corporations or institutions where you were taught to climb the proverbial corporate ladder towards success. This created inherent competition (which management supports) but also brought out levels of other human emotions, not all being good. I look at the VO community not so much as a hierarchical community, per se, but one where people with like interests, differing motivations and skill levels all coming together.”
Engle Coulter says, “I can tell you from a military mindset, that I love the VO community because there is no ranking system that people are chasing. I never chased my stripes, sure, I wanted to advance but my driving force to get there was chasing the challenges that would bring both professional and personal growth. VO is a wide-open field to gain potential success. All that leaves is us to work hard, realize what we put in, is what we will get in return (eventually) and the success of others is motivation.”
Back to Bob Johnson, he says, “It’s kind of like fishing. We all meet at the pond, some bring beer, some bring food and a few bring some music and we all try to catch some fish. Some people catch some fish, others catch more and bigger fish, and some people don’t catch anything. We eat, we drink and we all come back again to do it all over again together. We trade bait and use different lures all in the quest to help others catch fish. So, let’s all go out and catch some fish today!”
I LOVE that analogy. We’re all sittin’ on the dock fishing. Some are better and help others, some are not as good yet and accept the help. What Bob didn’t mention, is, and I think this is important, there are more than enough fish for everyone to eat.
J Michael Collins agrees. He said, “Historically, those who have been around VO and plied the craft seriously have discovered that ours is an abundant business, where there’s enough work to go around and we don’t have to jealously guard our jobs and our best practices. It’s one reason I am being so vocal about the overreaction to AI. There have been some cracks in the seams of this community lately, and I think the atmosphere of panic has a lot to do with that when we are faced with very little evidence that anything has shifted the abundant dynamic that has always existed in our business. This too shall pass, and this industry and its beautiful souls will remain ever the warm and welcoming place I have come to treasure.”
Tom Antonellis says “One thing I know is that NO ONE I KNOW in the profession got where they got without assistance. I think our community is good at not forgetting that. Perhaps because it’s somewhat insular - a niche within the acting world not all can easily break into, once in, you’re grateful you persisted and grateful for who helped. That gratitude I believe keeps the lion’s share of the community humble and humility breeds a welcoming community.”
Tom, there are 1,000 people that helped me so far, and probably 1000 more before I’m done. And I think, if you’re going to accept help from those ahead of you, you should turn and help those behind you.
Jenn Henry has another take: “Having spent a minute or two in event spaces, groups, and sessions I believe it has to do with a sense of VO being the Island of Misfit Toys. While it certainly doesn't pertain to all; for many...perhaps most(?) finding this community of beautiful weirdos is akin to finding a home, and learning you're not the square peg you believed yourself to be. You've just trying to shove yourself into triangle holes your entire life. That's empowering.”
I’ve heard so many voice actors say “This is where I found my tribe. These are my people.” And I think that’s a big part of it. There are so many tribes and subcommunities in VO. We have so many genres, and audiobook narrators have that times 100. It’s kind of like a microcosm of the internet – no matter what you’re into or where your passions lie, there’s a tribe for you in VO. Children’s e-learning? Yes. Medical narration? Sure. Immortal pirate romance? Absolutely.
And finally, Ariel Williams says, “I was a copywriter before voice acting, but still freelance. And I found myself in an overwhelmingly supportive and positive community. Mayhaps a pinch of what you’re touching on has to do with the shared understanding of the unique struggles of freelancing. VO freelancing is its own beast, and I think that’s definitely understood. Also, humans love connection, and we voice actors are particularly human 🥸”
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We’ll see ya again here soon. Thanks for watching.