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REX ANDERSON

VOICE OVER ACTOR

VOICE OVER ADVICE

Leaving Midgar

VOICE OVER ADVICE

One of my fondest video game memories is the 90 hours or so I plunked into Final Fantasy VII as a kid. The whole first act of the game takes place in Midgar, an oppressive, gloomy city, carved out in claustrophobic corridors. It’s dank, trashed out, and the sun literally never shines there. There’s a scrappy underdog quality to everything you do there; it’s not great, but it’s home, and you’ve got your little niche (it’s basically terrorism, but you know, good guy terrorism). About eight hours in, however, you up and leave the city, suddenly thrusting your party into the whole wide world, which up until then I wasn’t even sure existed in this game. This blew my mind when I was a kid. Now we were no longer scavengers scraping by in a totalitarian hellhole, barely escaping with our lives. Now, we had to…to..

..wait, what do we do next?

The Business of Doing Business

The anxiety of suddenly having an entire world to play in was exhilarating and more than a little overwhelming. I think I’m at that point with my voiceover career right now. I wake up, try to do normal human things like eat breakfast, brush my teeth, have my coffee, take my daughter for our morning walk, then…stare at the mountain of possibilities.

Do I straighten one of those corners I cut getting here? That would mean finding a coach, booking a demo session, or sessions, with a professional, and likely undergoing weeks of training. OR! I could scrounge on VDC (I know, I’m not proud of it) and Upwork and the other places I recently added myself to in the hopes of sussing out some bucks.

OR! I could revamp my website and have a good long think about my basically non-existent branding and get that all fixed and in place so I can market properly… as soon as I get these new demos that I think I need with the training I should do and also I need a lawyer and to talk through my new business structure with my CPA and hell! I haven’t even thought about, you know, auditioning for jobs or warming up and practicing.

Need agents and contacts with production houses for more opportunities, better get on stalking websites and emailing and cold calling people. But is my gear good enough? Could I have more options for delivery? Would that help? Is the studio space I’m building out right now going to cut it? Better start planning phase two.

Getting Started in Voice Over is The Easy Part

I guess you could say I’m getting a little bogged down with all the realities of maintaining a voiceover business. Let this be a warning to you newcomers: be careful what you wish for. Maintaining your career is, in my opinion, much more difficult than breaking in. That’s the part that will determine whether or not you’re wasting your time. After that, the clock starts ticking. There’s constant pressure to fix and do and reach out and expand. Should I make a political demo/is my commercial demo not enough? That’s a whole other field of marketing I also know little about. I’m realizing how behind the 8-ball I was with the business-y, boring side of things, that I now need to balance those scales to remain viable, instead of getting increasingly bogged down with weird, one-off gigs from jobs boards and other low ROI activities that have been all too prevalent this year.

Solopreneur, Give Thyself a Break

I’m probably being too hard on myself. This is a never-ending learning experience, after all, and I can’t expect myself to perfect every aspect of running a business with no prior business education, or really, much interest behind being a freelancer who doesn’t get screwed at tax time. There’s also that ‘being a new homeowner and father’ thing I need to deal with on a constant basis. Mostly, I just need to get back to a point where I’m doing good work I’m proud of again and making enough money walk through the door doing it.

It’s a refinement rather than a do-over, and that’s something to remember. This career, once you’ve started, is yours forever to do with what you will. Just remember to breathe (from your diaphragm), appreciate what you do have without lamenting what you don’t, and be gentle with yourself. The world, especially in the entertainment business, will do a perfectly good job of beating you up all on its own. Be your own advocate, and be your own biggest fan. And just get through the work, at least that which needs to be done.

If you feel like you’re going in circles, then find a new path. A new podcast, a new book. Spend a ton of money going to one of those VO conventions. There’s eventually going to be an internal struggle to stay interested (if you’re anything like me). Persevere. From what I hear, having a real job still really sucks.

<3

Five Random VO Tips and Tricks

VOICE OVER ADVICE

In no particular order, here’s some random voice over related stuff that might be good to know:

Source-Connect Standard has a map feature

The map can show you everyone in the world who has or has had an account. These people are mostly all studios, production houses, and fellow VO actors. This could be an excellent place to research potential leads.

SearchTempest.com aggregates all of Craig’s List

This makes every Craig’s List in every city searchable, in its entirety, at once. People occasionally post things other than LOOKING TO BE THE NEXT BEYONCE READY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD?! Not often, but sometime, and maybe you can find them before Bill Dewees does! It also includes eBay, but I find this less useful more…interesting?

Don’t close your mouth while performing VO

It makes this little noise every time you open it back up that must be edited out afterwards. You’d think after five and half years I’d break this habit, but..

Look Into Incorporating Your Business

If you’re making a decent amount of money as a sole proprietor, look at incorporating to potentially reduce your tax burden. It can be complicated if you don’t have a business background, (like, ahem…well, that’s not important…) but CPA’s are inexpensive, so don’t be timid about reaching out to one for help. Having things like an official payroll system can give you credibility and accountability when seeking loans or lines of credit. Plus, look: this is America. We clearly value corporations above freelancers, and it shows in our tax code.

Your VO Microphone Logo

Profile picture of a microphone instead of you or your logo? Please stop. I know what a microphone looks like, and it doesn’t look like you. You are not your Sennheiser MKH416, you are a person, and you are beautiful.

Now if your logo was a DRAWING of a mic…

<3

Rex

I Bet You Thought This Would Be All Fun and Games

VOICE OVER ADVICE

It’s just talking, you said. It’s the easiest job in the world, you assured yourself. You love talking in goofy voices, and look, you even own a microphone! Easy peasy.

Not so fast there, buddy. There’s a lot more to consider.

Voice Over is a Business First and an Art Second

Do you know how to make an invoice? How about creating an invoicing system that can track client names, pull up anything from any year you’ve been in business in a couple clicks? Do you like tracking all of your expenses and keeping reports on them? How about marketing and advertising, writing your own blogs, building your own web site (with samples, client list, rate sheet, a call to action, effective layout…), or developing the engineering skills to make demo after demo after demo as needed? Do you have enough liquid cash on hand to be an exhibitor at a convention, or to build a soundproof booth in your house, or to buy the equipment and software you need to be competitive? Does dealing with delinquent clients, renegotiating/auditioning/arguing with longtime clients every time they have a new project, or creating an LLC or corporation complete with accounts, books, payroll, and quarterly taxes sound fun?

Time Behind the Mic is Precious, and Transient

This doesn’t scratch the surface of what your actual job is as a voice actor. That bit behind the mic is icing on the cake. Hell, I barely mentioned auditioning, which you’ll be doing a ton. If you’re lucky enough to suss out all the various sources of auditions, convincing them to put you on their rolls, so you can START trying to get actual ‘work’.

If you’ve ever been unemployed, looking on jobs boards, filling out online resumes and writing cover letters ad nauseum, know that looking for voiceover work is basically a cooler version of that, but forever. You get all the freedom and anxiety and night terrors that come with unemployment, but you’re actually working the whole time. There are peaks and valleys, and it can really screw with you mentally and emotionally.

Plus, you know, you’re going to be isolated. Often. Not super fun.

40,000 Hours or Ten Years, Whatever Comes First

That said, I’m over five years in, and I keep hearing that I have to starve for ten years before this thing really busts wide open. I guess I’ll report back in five years and see if there’s validity to that statement. And it’s not to say I’m starving, exactly. I wouldn’t call this the most stable job I’ve ever had, but I’ve never been as invested in anything I’ve ever done before in my life. And it’s the most rewarding job I could ever do. And so far, somehow, my house is still standing and my daughter is still well-fed and happy, so I guess I’m doing my job. My wife pointed out that I am a voice actor. Not someone trying to break into voiceover, not a guy looking to do something…I am a voice actor. That feels really good.

So no, it’s not all fun and games, but is it worth it? Only you can answer that for yourself. I say it every few posts, but I’ll say it again – this isn’t a part time gig you flit in and out of. This is a lifestyle. It’s got to be part of who you are, not just one of the things you do. You have to put up with a mountain of BS, then shove it all aside to perform. Otherwise, what good are you to your client?

<3

Rex

[update: this blog was updated April 27, 2021.]

Tips on Where to Find Work, 2018 Edition

VOICE OVER ADVICE, VOICE OVER MARKETING, VOICE OVER RESOURCES

Boy howdy did the voiceover landscape change since I got started! Voicebank was swallowed whole by Voices.com, curated audio became all the rage, more and more (and more and more) P2P sites cropped up, and it seems like everyone and their brother wants to get in on the action. I recently started cutting proto demos with a couple of friends getting into the field, when the question on my mind all day every day popped up: “Where do you find work?”

It’s a complicated question, and frankly there are more qualified people out there you should be asking. But since you’re here, I’ll give you a few quick tips on things I did to establish myself. In fact, I shall give you three of them.

Internet Presence is Key

To get in the game, you need a website. And I don’t mean a profile on Voices.com masquerading as your “website”. Get a Squarespace account and build a real site. Then maybe get a professional to build you a real real site, once you know you’re in this to win it. Along with that, find every P2P that will let you have a free profile and make one. Google VO casting sites and have a ball. You’ll learn a lot about what’s expected of you across a broad spectrum of places, which range from….I’m not gonna lie to you, most casting sites out there look kinda crummy. Some don’t; I actually really like a couple systems out there, but they’re pretty few and far between. Not to say they’re not effective; I mean, the jury’s gonna be out on that regardless. But! Every site helps to grow your name, your demos’ presence, and your overall online searchability. So get your name there everywhere you can stick it.

Same goes for making content and posting it. Blogs, videos, podcasts, anything you can create within the purview of your brand, help boost your visibility. Also, social media yadda yadda yadda. You probably don’t need me to tell you how Twitter works. Hell, I don’t even have a Twitter account anymore. Maybe I’m a curmudgeonly old man, but operating pretty much any social media account as a business felt really forced for me. Maybe I’ll get back into it one day.

I suppose this falls more into letting work find you than you finding work, but to that effect, lemme tell ya…getting work to find you is far more preferable.

Anyway.

VO is a Hustle – Hit the Pavement

Beyond the P2P’s and the casting databases are the folks you’ll be working for. And the folks they work for. And sometimes, the folks they work for. There’s a pretty layered infrastructure out there, and a lot of your time will be spent navigating the various production houses, b2b marketing companies, advertising and marketing firms, and all the other various levels you can try to penetrate. Direct-to-client is the best, but a lot of work ends up coming my way via third party studios as well. Google around, poke through the internet, get numbers and email addresses, and suss out the truffles of leads that may or may not be there.

Word of Mouth Will Grow Your Business

The internet is great and all, but your community is the best place to build your business. Find friends, friends of friends, associates of friends of friends, anyone who has a position that may be need voiceover work, and hook up with them. Once your reputation grows and people know you for what you do, you’ll be off to the races.

Hope this helps!

<3

Rex

In Voice Over, Persistence (Potentially) Pays off

VOICE OVER ADVICE

I turned a job down last week. It didn’t meet the rates that I had been honing for the last three years, the turnaround was too quick, the script too long, the subject too boring, so I just…turned it down. It felt really good, as I’m pretty sure I’ve never done that with a voiceover job before.

Pause the Hustle and Take Care of Yourself

I’ve also taken a vacation recently for the first time in years (that didn’t involve a convention in some capacity). Another one’s planned for November. Work’s been coming in practically on its own all year, mostly from repeat clients I’ve built up campaigns with for the last year or two. Marketing is more for fishing for new clients rather than an urgent desire to survive; I even rejoined VDC, mostly out of boredom (plus they offered a huge discount at the time).

Oh, and I bought a new car when our old one died a couple week ago. I’ve never even bought a car before. My one steady gig isn’t exactly what I’d call stellar work, but hell, I know I’m not going to starve. And after doing it for a year, the benefit of having a baseline has prevented me from ever having to get a side gig to make ends meet.

It took years of determination and focus to get to this point. And damn does it feel good.

Living The Good Voice Over Life

Life is good. And all it took was ten years of research, two moves across the country, and becoming increasingly unemployable for years to get me to start on this path. It took my friends in Baltimore building a theater company to get me to consider trying out acting at 27. It took the love and support of my wife and our family and friends, to keep us afloat as we readjusted to living in Baltimore again. It took a credit score I don’t know how I earned to buy my first studio setup (which is due to be fully paid off sometime in the 2030’s) when I decided I’d rather be homeless than work in an office ever again.

Well, I guess my home studio is basically an office, but I only have one office mate and he rules.

It was years of risk, and hell, it could still all evaporate next week and I’d have to start over again. Not from the bottom per se, but this isn’t exactly a stable industry.

How to Get Into Voice Over

A lot of people ask me how to get into voice over. Giving advice is not one of my fortes, and also I’m pretty insular and shy/a jerk sometimes, so if you’ve tried getting in touch with me and I haven’t responded, I apologize. But also, this blog is basically the answer to that question, so…you know, start here.

I’m going to take another swing at hewing down my advice into a logline:

Do your research, buy a mic, get good, find work. Continue ad nauseum until it works. 

 <3

Rex

Straight Talk About Voice Over as a Career

VOICE OVER ADVICE, VOICE OVER MARKETING

It’s a business. Do you know how to run a business? It’s hard. It’s a huge undertaking that consumes a large part of your identity. Make a website, make profiles on VO sites, market, get testimonials, maintain a blog, reach out to experts, market, get into conventions, perhaps start a podcast, MARKET, etc. Do it all, and then some, until you get results. Then keep doing it. But remember, this also means creating a legal entity, keeping books, building an invoice system, marketing your ass off, and paying taxes among many other responsibilities, should you be so lucky.

In Voice Over, You’re Selling You

You’re a salesman first and foremost, particularly if you’re selling yourself as a commercial voice. Your product is, of course, your voice. Learn all the necessary skills to make this product. Go to market with this product. This is your job. Recording a job in a booth is a benefit to this job. You also includes your gear, so also be prepared to get into audio gear, a lifelong obsession.

If your product sucks, it will fail. Your product (voice) should be good, meaning that it solves the casting agent’s/casting director’s/client’s problem. Figure out what that means and then deliver it. There are a million books and blogs on the subject. Read them. Practice. What is it, 40,000 hours before you’re really good at something? Get going on that.

Self-Awareness Brings Focus to Your Efforts

Knowing your limitations is great, but don’t limit your options. I do audiobooks, commercials, cartoons, podcasts, video games, industrials, corporate training videos, museum tours, corporate retreat openers, toys, medical simulations, wearable apps, documentaries, film trailers, and whatever else people start needing voiceover for (in addition to live and on-camera acting, singing, writing and performing music, audio engineering, and modeling).

Learn how to perform, study acting, and you can do any kind of voice over work. It helps to be a musician, perform theatre and improv; to record, edit, and mix audio like a professional is also pretty crucial.

Voice Over is Not a Side Gig

If you’re not full time or close to it in the beginning, you run the risk of progressing too slowly and losing interest or hope. It’s a lifestyle choice, not a job. You need to be able to commit to it.

There’s work out there, I know that much. You just have to find it, convince the client you’re the best one to do it, do the job, and get paid. Do that a ton for a long time for a lot of different people and you’ll be a voice actor.

<3

Rex