Get Paid ON TIME: Freelance Billing Practices that WORK

One of the biggest pains in the butt for freelancers and voice actors is just getting paid on time. I know tons of freelancers and voice actors who have right now outstanding invoices, past due invoices, and I even know several who have been stiffed completely by clients.

It's rare, but it happens.

Today we're going to talk about how to manage your billing practices so that you minimize the risk to your own business while still maintaining a positive relationship with your clients. But most importantly, you get paid on time.

businessPaul SchmidtMarch 30, 2023billing, payment, invoicingComment

Voice Over Career Suicide – AI, TTS, VO Contracts, & More

Today, we talk with Robert Sciglimpaglia, noted VO attorney and voice actor, who warns us how to avoid bad voice over contracts regarding AI, text to speech, synthetic voices, and more.

We recently told the story of one voice actor who’s own voice she discovered on an AI voices website without her knowledge.

Rob explains how Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Google have been building voice databases for years, how companies like Revoicer are operating legally and ethically, and most importantly, how to protect yourself from discovering your own voice on an AI site.

business, professional development, the vo industryPaul SchmidtMarch 16, 2023AI, TTS, Revoicer, law, contractsComment

DIY Voice Over Demos – DON’T DO IT!!!

There are a lot of coaches,, one in particular, and even Voices dot com who will tell you how to make your own DIY voice over demo.

And I'm here to tell you in your best interest, especially as a beginner, do not do your own demo.

Today, I'm going to tell you in no uncertain terms why it's an absolutely awful idea to make your own DIY voice over demo reel and why it can significantly damage your career before it ever gets started.

marketing, the vo industryPaul SchmidtMarch 9, 2023demosComment

Voice Actor Remie Michelle Clarke: "AI STOLE My Voice!!!"

One of the scariest aspects of being a voice actor in modern times is AI, artificial intelligence, synthetic voice, and text to speech. Most of the discussion has been around the question of, “Well, what happens when AI steals our work?”

The scarier question to me is what happens when A.I. has your voice?

Joining us from Dublin today is the Irish voice actor and author Remie Michelle Clarke with her story of how she believes her voice was stolen directly by artificial intelligence and the difficulties she's had in pursuing the people that have taken her voice.

AI/TTS, the vo industry, tech/gear, businessPaul SchmidtMarch 2, 2023AI, TTS, Revoicer, NAVA Comments

WOW! Voices.com NEW Rate Guide vs. GVAA

Today, we’re going to go over Voices' new rate guide and compare it to the GVAA so that you’ll know exactly the differences between the 2 guides, where exactly Voices' rates are substandard and stick around because we’ll also show you where they’re actually above standard.

For years, the voice acting community has been begging Voices dot com to take solid steps to protect voice actors from unfair rates and practices on their site.

And I am happy to report that they seem to be taking some steps to do that.

First, Voices has revamped their rate guide for 2023.

business, professional development, ratesPaul SchmidtFebruary 16, 2023voices, Voices.com, GVAA, rates, bad rates Comment

Top 7 Beginner Voice Over Marketing MISTAKES to Avoid

How do I know if I'm making bad marketing mistakes that are turning clients off? What are the most common marketing mistakes in voiceover and how do I avoid them? What critical social media marketing mistakes am I making with my voiceover business?

Today we're talking about seven common marketing mistakes to avoid making in voiceover, why they are common and not so obvious, and why you want to avoid them.

Paul SchmidtFebruary 9, 2023 Comments

SHOCKING REAL CALL with an EXPLOITATIVE Voice Over Producer

What you are about to hear is an actual call about an exploitative practice that is too common in our business. It is a prime example of producers who purposefully seek out younger and less experienced talent and knowingly exploit them for the benefit of their own organizations.

To be clear, this is representative of a tiny-but-still-too-large fraction of producers in the business and this call centers on but one specific practice: the all-media buyout.

It is shocking in its brazen self-awareness.

7 Truths You MUST Know Before You Get Started in Voice Acting

Today's post is essentially a letter to my former self. It's all the stuff I wish I knew when I was starting out in voiceover and stuff that you should know, maybe even before you get into voiceover.

My goal and hope are that you can learn from some of the mistakes that I made and learn some of the lessons that I learned. As I've gotten older, I've learned that when you can learn from somebody with a little bit more experience than you, it can save you a lot of heartache and hurt. I'd like to think as a voice actor, I've done a better job of listening, but I still have made my own fair share of mistakes and learned lessons that I hope to pass on to you here.

So here are seven truths you need to know before you get into VO or at the very least, as you're getting into VO.

business, marketing, professional development, the vo industryPaul SchmidtJanuary 26, 2023getting started, voice actingComment

How To Drive AMAZING Voice Over Client Experiences

Here's a question: How do you drive an exceptional customer experience, one that generates loyalty among your customers and drives repeat and recurring business? It all starts with understanding customer needs.

And today, we're going to talk about understanding and identifying customer needs, using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and just how that applies to the service business of Voice Over.

The VO Pro Blog