Comparison is Killing You

We all do it. Voice actors included. Newbs and veterans alike.

We look to the left, and to the right, and we see our colleagues doing well. We see their wins. Their successes. Their triumphs.

And then that little green goblin of envy and jealously starts to rear its warped and ugly head.

We get insecure. We feel less than.

We start to believe that because we don’t have their successes and wins and triumphs that somehow that makes us less successful.

We compare ourselves to others. And it’s killing us.

My Chats with Almost 70 Voice Actors: 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.

Confidence with No (or Little) Experience

One of the most common concerns for new voice actors as they begin their voice-over journeys is, “I don’t have any (or very few) credits to my name. I haven’t worked with anyone (or very many) clients yet. How do I still market myself and what do I do?”

It’s the classic college grad’s dilemma, right? “How will anyone hire me with no experience and if no one hires me how will I get any experience?”

What's Keeping You Stuck

We’re highly adept at blaming external circumstances and other people, and not so good at looking inward, analyzing our beliefs about ourselves and the world, and adopting… choosing… beliefs that free us and allow us to realize our potential.

True for humans. True for voice actors and freelancers.

But how do limiting beliefs show up in our psyches and businesses as voice actors? Here are some examples…

Committing 100%

“I’m having trouble consistently training 3 times a week, and once or twice makes no sense, and surely going more will be even more challenging, right?”

Wrong.

Enter, The 100% Rule.

The 100% Rule is a paradox. It says that 100% commitment is in reality easier than 98% commitment.

Motivation vs. Intention

Motivation is the emotion, the feeling, that drives your actions.

The problem with emotions is, as powerful as they can be, they’re fleeting. Temporary. Some than longer than others. They wax and wane. They’re inconsistent. And when what drives your actions is inconsistent, your actions themselves can’t help but be inconsistent.

personal development, professional developmentPaul SchmidtJanuary 13, 2022intention, motivation, habitsComment

Talking to Voice Actors: Their Biggest Frustrations and Fears (updated)

As I’ve written, I spent just about all last Fall talking to as many voice actors as I possibly could.

One of the things I was most curious about was what are the biggest frustrations voice actors face in today’s world. This was my way of trying to find out what’s holding people back, what do they find vexing, and what do they need help with.

My Wishes for You This Holiday Season

Entrepreneurship and freelancing have stretched me and forced me to grow in ways I never imagined and often scared the hell out of me, both for which I am eternally grateful. I’ve learned so much about myself that in the almost 50 years before becoming a full-time voice actor I never knew.

As we turn to the new year, I have some things I wish for you. Where appropriate, I’ve listed a book that helped teach me that lesson.

family, professional developmentPaul SchmidtDecember 23, 2021happy holidays, happy new year, planningComment

Planning Your Next Year – Goals Are Not Enough

Setting goals is nice. The problem is, that’s where most people stop. Goal setting is merely a starting point.

Goals are nothing but directional headers. Every team, even the worst team in the league, wants to win the Championship. It’s not the goal that separates the winners from the losers. This notion that better goals produce better outcomes is hogwash.

Talking to 60 Voice Actors in 60 Days

I’ve had the sense for the last two to three years, well before the pandemic, that there are a lot of folks struggling in this business. I feel like we do a really good job as an industry of getting people trained up on acting, technique, and performance, and we get them enough training to be able to competently record, edit, and deliver a quality audio voice track in a room that’s treated and sounds professional.

And then we send these freshly trained voice actors out into the world and wish them luck.

And they go, “Uh… ok…. What do I do now?”

professional developmentPaul SchmidtNovember 18, 2021the vo community Comments

Free Food Will Cost You

I recently came across a video on YouTube by a voice talent whose stance was that it’s ok to charge $5 for a voice-over in certain circumstances, notably for new voice talent who wanted to get potential buyers to “try” or “sample” their wares.

Good idea? Not if you want to be in business.

business, business development, professional development, ratesPaul SchmidtNovember 4, 2021rates, priceComment

Habits, The Iron Man, and the 80% Rule

The Pareto Principle says that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. Other names for this principle are the 80/20 rule and the law of the vital few. For me, prospecting is one of the vital few. In fact, I’d say in my case prospecting has more of a 90/10 effect. It’s 10% of my time that leads to 90% of my success.

business, family, professional development, personal developmentPaul SchmidtOctober 21, 2021habits, pareto principle, vital fewComment

The Most Important Factor in Voiceover Success

It’s not the mic.

It’s not the audio interface.

It’s not how your room is treated, or which DAW you use. It’s not how much you practice and it’s now how much coaching or how reputable and effective your coach is.

The most important factor in the success of your voiceover business is…

personal development, professional development, businessPaul SchmidtJune 30, 2021mindset, resilienceComment

Beware of Predators

I ended last week with an unfortunate call. My first clue was the email signature of the person in which they listed 11 companies of which they are the CEO and Chairman, 10 of which included the word "International." Classic puffery.

professional development, businessPaul SchmidtJune 21, 2021predatorsComment

Live Sessions Without Source-Connect?

Last week I addressed the question, “Do you need Source-Connect for live, remote sessions?”

This week, we’ll look at sessions that are live, but not remote, and take a deeper look at the options and capabilities of each.

work, tech/gear, professional developmentPaul SchmidtFebruary 8, 2021source-connect, live sessionsComment

Should I Get Source-Connect?

One of the questions I get often from students is, “What is Source-Connect and should I get it”?

Source-Connect is a digital connection application for remote audio recording and monitoring, voice-over, and ADR recording. Essentially, it’s an app you can download and buy a license to (either outright or via monthly subscription) that allows you to connect to other Source-Connect studios worldwide.

work, professional development, tech/gearPaul SchmidtFebruary 1, 2021source-connect, live sessionsComment

Opportunity and Dumb Luck

In the course of my daily prospecting earlier this week, I just happened to reach out to someone at a production company while they were on the phone with their casting director. It turns out they’re casting a network TV show that will rely heavily on voiceover and as luck would have it, dumb luck generated the opportunity for me to audition.

Except it wasn’t dumb luck.

business development, work, professional development, businessPaul SchmidtAugust 6, 2020scale, outreach

Gremlins

Everybody's got them. Everyone. And if you say you don't have any, you're either lying or a sociopath.

They're those voices in your head. The ones that talk shit about you to your face. (For a voice actor, they're especially insidious because they sound just like you.)

I've got'em. They're loud. They're persistent. Persuasive AF.

Here's what mine say:

personal development, professional developmentPaul SchmidtSeptember 18, 2019courage, rejection, vulnerability, relationshipsComment

The VO Pro Blog