business building Archives

Make a Fortune in your Pajamas?

business, celebrate, creative professionals, small business, voiceover

The State of Voiceover Fortunes in Pajamas: 2021

So many people were jealous of remote workers – working from home – in PJs no less!! That’s the silly concept anyway. Maybe that’s true for some people. For me, I do like to get dressed for my day. Comfy clothes – that’s a story for another blog!

Pajamas aside… Can you make a fortune as a voice actor?

Back in 2017, there was public information about the global voiceover market, touting it to be $4.4 billion USD with $800 million of that in North America. This was based on 2015 data and includes the full scope of money put into voiceover spending, not all of which lands in the voice actor’s bank due to production companies, managers, talent agents, etc.

What’s some real workforce data about being a voice actor?

Voice actors independently choose their path and, even if we know our own statistics, how do we compare to a larger swath of voice actors? We already know that the big money is in animated TV and film and that some of us may get there. We also know that corporate videos, advertising, audiobooks and eLearning are where most of the work is, overall.

Voice actors do chatter about not having data, in social media groups and amongst ourselves at conferences. But it’s all anecdotal. And as we turn the corner into the 2020s, technology is growing up and disrupting some of the human work of voiceover. So probably there have been lots of changes since 2015 data. Personally I can buy current voiceover market data as it was presented in 2017, but I would have to pay at least $3000 for research data access. Not gonna happen.

A group of voice actors conducted a survey to get real, present-day overall statistics of the voiceover acting workforce.

It’s a beginning, and it’s exciting. The data was gathered Jan-Feb 2021 regarding activity in 2020. Mid-2021, their first free, public report about “the state of voiceover” was released. I want to give a roaring shout-out to the folks at Voice Actors of NYC and their associates who showed excellent initiative and created this framework as an extraordinary view into our individually stitched-together world.

Being the first assessment of its nature that I’m aware of, I think they started with the correct fundamental approach and topics about the voice actor profession. Additionally, the data collected seems good. Here’s what they said about the data collection process: “The most encouraging trend we saw in the data collection process was that the results stayed roughly the same after we reached 250 responses. From the 250th response to the 1244th response, the data was nearly unchanged. This tells us we have a fairly representative sample of voice actors.”

I’ve highlighted these key results here: Annual Income, Expertise Level, Genre of work, Union impact, Covid19 impact, Locations, Auditions, Talent Agent impact.

Gross Income of All in 2020

The majority of respondents, 48%, earn $8K or less, with less than 2% earning over $350K. (K=thousand)

37% earn between $8-40K
10.3% earn between $40-75K
9% earn between $75-150K
5.6% earn over $150K with 1.9% earning over $350K

graph of overall income in voiceover — Overall Income, courtesy Voiceover Survey

Gross 2020 Income by Experience Level

You have to be a professional level to earn at least living wage, overall.

$8K or less per year: 94% Beginner, 72% Intermediate, 20% Pro
$75K+ per year: 0 Beginners, 0.8% Intermediate, 27.4% Pro

Experience Level & Union Status

The majority of respondents are non-union.

52% Pro. Of these, 49% non-union
32% Intermediate. Of these, 81% non-union
16% Beginner. Of these, 89% non-union

Type of genres voiced most often

Commercials
Narration
E-Learning
Explainers

Union Work

75% full union earned $75K or less
15% tried to convert work to union, more than half of these found it challenging and confusing

Covid19 Impact

41% of voice actors had increased income in 2020 vs 2019, regardless of Union status. By experience level, Intermediate and Pro also saw the majority of income growth.
74% already had a home studio.

Voice actor locations

Los Angeles area (17%)
New York City area (30%)
53% live outside either area

How many auditions typically submitted per day?

70% do zero to four auditions
Only 3% do 15+

Note: By experience level, Pros generally do more auditions on a daily basis.

Overall daily:

Percent Income from Talent Agents

41% respondents receive 0% income from Agents
18% receive 1-10%
7% receive 100%

Note: 64% have Talent Agency representation; of these, 56% have more than one agent. A majority of Pros have agents, whereas only a quarter of Beginners have agents.

So, can you make a fortune in your pajamas by being a voice actor?

Pajamas? Easy. Fortune? Define that. Can you earn “a very large sum of money”? Can you be rich? According to this survey, less than 2% earned $350K+ in 2020. The majority earned $8-40K. The median household income in the USA for 2020 was $67.5K (statista).

Of course, you can make a fortune – somebody is! But can you make a fortune too? The odds are: no!

According to TheRichest and CelebrityNetWorth websites, the top 10 voice actors, who are uber-talented Hollywood level actors from top TV animated shows, have a net worth between $6 million going up to $500 million. Only if you’re in the top percent, maybe top 0.001%, can you earn a ‘fortune’.

A better question: Can you earn a decent living as a voice actor?

Yes. And, not so many people are even doing this. The majority of respondents in this 2020 data earned from $8K-40K, which is less than the median household income for the USA in 2020.

What is a decent living? That depends where you live, if you are also sharing a life with others, have dependents…. Again, define that and then look at the data. Yes, working from home is lovely and has it’s perks and drawbacks.

I think the most important thing is to look at the priorities of life, and how you want to live it. Can you run your own business by putting in the time and energy to develop your skills while you do what you can to build a clientele?

Feel free to contact me with specific questions or thoughts. I look forward to it.

You can find all the data from the survey here: https://www.voiceoversurvey.com/. Many thanks for the graphical images courtesy of this survey.

Celebrating Client Gems of Wisdom

business, celebrate, creative professionals, production, small business, voiceover

10 Years!

I’m celebrating my tenth year working from home as a female-owned small business. I have wonderful clients whom I’ve learned a lot from. They hold a variety of positions, from producers at digital production companies to ad agency creative directors to eLearning instructional designers. I have a wonderful time collaborating on their projects and keeping in touch over the months and years. These long-term business relationships bring insights and gems of knowledge. This blog post celebrates the gems of wisdom that I’ve learned from my dearest clients.

Ask for Auditions

All clients on most continents can ask for a free audition prior to finalizing which voice actor is hired. Listen to your shortlist of voice actors with a few lines of your script. Like me, most voice actors appreciate the audition opportunity – it’s my way to show you how I fit your brand! Fun fact: Before the internet, auditions were actually paid for, and managed via talent agents.

Let’s Share All Details

There are simple but important details associated with hiring voiceover services to ensure everything runs smoothly. Ask for a brief overview when either considering me or having selected me from an audition. Things like audio specs, usage, copyright, timing and invoicing are important. I have a checklist so we can review and finalize all expectations and parameters in writing with full transparency. Most importantly, no surprises!

Pay How You Want to Pay

I’ve learned it’s important to accept payments from you in a variety of ways, and not frustrate you with mysterious online systems that feel cumbersome. I’ve had to jump through some hoops and get around obstacles, and I’m able to handle most every request. Paypal, Checks, Direct Deposit, Wire Transfer, etc. A client from my old home town, Doug, asked me to share this with VOs:

“Please accept my payment with a plain old check or credit card. I don’t need to sign up for ACH or any esoteric invoice processing system du jour.”

Discuss Relevant Script Background

As appropriate, I’ll ask lots of questions to help qualify what you’re hoping the outcome will be and take suggestions. Many times you can benefit from the broad range of experience that I have, which might improve the piece. Two wonderful clients told me:

“Writers love to talk about their work, and there will be takeaways about the character or scenario that you might not have otherwise got from just the script.” – Anthony

“Every brand, company, etc. has its own ‘voice’. Sometimes, they don’t even know it. But I think a great VO actor will learn what the voice is and be better able to adapt their delivery to match that voice.” – Matt

Communicate When Stuff Goes Wrong

There are moments no one, you or VO actor, can control… weather, technology, personnel changes, and so on. Mother nature can sometimes wreak havoc on a local level, either for the VO or your location. It can also feel like havoc when technology fails us, either through the internet or within local electronics. Layoffs or management turnover can mean my ‘person’ is no longer working for your company. In any of these situations, patience and professionalism are the best recovery systems from small changes to large disasters. This includes everyone doing the best to communicate directly, appropriately, and earnestly.

Some Clients Only Work with a Voice Actor Once

For certain clients, every project is so unique that a new voice is found for each one. It’s a bit dismaying to voice actors like me, who want to cultivate an ongoing relationship and develop recurring work with you. Regardless if the project was super fun, creative and energizing, it doesn’t always mean more work. So, I’ve learned to enjoy the experience within the journey.

“As a small production company, we make an effort to use a variety of voice talent so our website/work doesn’t get repetitive. As much as we would like to find one person to work with and stick with them, it just doesn’t make sense. The unfortunate reality is that every project is unique and we almost never reuse a voice talent unless it’s an ongoing series.” – Scott

No Client-VO Relationship is Forever

Many of my clients have worked with me for many years. And there are client relationships that last only a few years or are based on a finite advertising campaign or branding strategy. I accept the transitory and subjective nature of the work that I receive. I’m also confident and work on my craft, knowing there are new clients on the horizon.

Some Clients Work with a VO Actor Consistently

Let’s end this list on a high note for me! My returning clients are fun because of the personal relationships that develop, and the success of creating voiceover recordings that consistently meet or often exceed my client’s expectations. As we work together, I learn a lot about your needs and deliver accordingly. It’s a professional, mutually collaborative and creative partnership, enjoyable personally and professionally. This is what I strive for.

Recently I had a fun conversation with a partner company’s new employee. I shared insights about the VO industry and what it’s like to run a VO Actor business. My history in video production, advertising, cable tv operations sales and marketing all prepared me to run an owner-operated business in voice acting. I’ve learned, stretched, grown on all counts, from audio engineering or VO acting skills, to marketing and all the administration. I started with a dream and continue with lots of support from loved ones, mentors, virtual teams and wonderful clients. Thank you!

Collaboration Platforms in 2020

accountability, business, creative professionals, small business, VO tech

Collaboration Platforms?

The year 2020 brought us a great, big, (ugly) new reason to work remotely from home. Although I’ve been working from home and am celebrating my 10th year anniversary, 2020 even brought me and you – us all – new collaboration tools.

A vital collaboration platform or app is one you can use easily and share with internal employees or external clients easily. You use it to organize, plan, execute projects, and offer media assets to be reviewed or changed. Put simply, it’s any piece of online software that helps people get work done together in teams.

Collaboration platforms have been multiplying as long as I’ve been in business. The year 2020 pushed the use of them to new levels. My clients have shared many tools with me as I travel with them on their project timeline and make my contribution. I’m really impressed and excited by how many companies and people have truly embraced this tech.

Below is a curated list of impressive tools I’ve come across. I use only a few regularly but I really appreciate the strength and agility this gives to so many.

Before I share the list, I have to say this: CONGRATULATIONS to all of you who transitioned to working from home due to a pandemic! The temerity to keep going through this very difficult time, to keep the work flowing, to keep the world somewhat sane – THANK YOU! Take a moment to look at what you’ve been able to achieve, especially without having seen this coming. WOW.

Tools I’ve used regularly

Google Workspace: Formerly called GSuite, now it’s Google Workspace. It holds all the online versions of Office as well as connects to email. I use this daily and have for years. It’s very effective for when I travel, also for my virtual assistant and I to work on shared documents. It’s also useful for surveys you can do with Forms.

Trello: Has an intriguing interface that lets you drag task cards across columns. It’s easy to learn and works well for monitoring projects and assigning tasks. Project management, task assignments, prioritization. Fully customizable. I use this a few times a month with my virtual assistant.

Slack: Started as a simple messaging system and has turned into a scalable, integrated, customizable collaboration tool. Project management, task assignments, prioritization. Fully customizable

Tools clients have shared with me

Wipster: Built for creative teams that need to share a lot of assets, deal with visual and audio materials, client sign-offs, etc.

Basecamp: Project management, task assignments, prioritization, internal communications. Increase organization and communication, with fewer meetings (hopefully). Fully customizable.

Other tools that seem to have good reputations

From a bit of research I recently did, the following three were suggested by some of my LinkedIn connections. These appear to offer project management, task assignments, prioritization, person-to-person video chat and screen sharing. Fully customizable and integrations available. Flowdock even seems to have the capability to adjust time zones per person.

Asana
Flowdock
Ora

Contact me directly with any other good platform suggestions!

My email is at the top of this page.

Boost Your Success with Accountability

accountability, business, small business, voiceover

Do you keep yourself accountable to your own goals?

Do you write a list of goals and check them off? Keep measurements of success… or lack of? And how do you keep on top of that?

I have done all of the above. On my own, I’ve used paper and digital lists, posters, sticky notes, calendar reminders, spreadsheets, tracking, more tracking, hired help, more hired help, classes, and so on. All of these bits and pieces have been part of holding myself accountable. Sometimes it works and sometimes not…

But the truth is, I had been the only one who cared. Aside from family and friends who encourage and cheer you, working remotely as an entrepreneur is a singular thing. Aside from people you hire, or who hire you, there’s not a lot of other peer level, professional interaction. There’s some on social media, but still, meaningful interaction was limited.

I didn’t have the sense of partnership in the professional level of work I was doing, for problem solving, support for small losses or cheers for big wins.

Human nature is community-oriented.

Looking at this from another angle, human nature is full of interaction. And positive interaction that provides problem-solving, support and cheers. Families, towns, countries, religions, businesses – we feel more confident and protected when another person is ‘in it’ with us. So let’s use this to our business advantage.

That’s what I tried next.

Consider this: Have you ever buddied up with a colleague to hold each other accountable to specific goals? To work through issues you each face? To celebrate success?

I decided I needed my own personal community… someone other than a casual friend and running their own business too… who would have similar issues that could relate with my own, and vice versa.

I needed an ‘accountability partner’.

Define an Accountability Partnership.

My definition: Two trusted associates work together to make progress toward their respective goals. It’s a two-way relationship, where each individual supports the other’s goals in order for each to meet them. You…

encourage, challenge and provide focus for each other.
each want the other partner to succeed
are dependable and committed to helping your partner, while moving yourself forward.
communicate clearly, directly, and respectfully, asking difficult questions and offering insightful observations.
won’t let your partner get away with excuses, or slip through success without celebration.

It’s a powerful combination of motivation and support.

What are the basics?

Once you’ve found your trusted partner:

set up regular meetings at a pace that works for you
introduce each other to respective goals, tracking, and relevant processes
tweak as you go
allow personal goals as you wish
keep it going as long as it feels relevant

I’ve been working with my partner now for at least a year, and we’ve both grown during the process. We’ve addressed issues, both personal and business, and some that are a bit of both. We continue, and have modified our focus, meeting times and frequency once or twice.

There are only benefits. You’ll gain and you’ll give.

Partnering with someone gives you perspective and insights about your own stated goals and real accomplishments. Celebrate the wins and dust yourself off from the losses. Get pushed to grow with challenges. Brainstorm more effective processes for anything. Learn to let go of ineffective habits or systems that no longer serve you.

And vice versa, you’ll serve another professional. Witness them pursue success and transformation. Support them through changes, offer constructive feedback and wisdom to address issues, options and circumstances. There’s a lot of reward in serving another and watching their results.

For the last year, I have worked with an ‘accountability partner’ for my small business. I love it for both what I receive and what I give. It’s mutual growth with the satisfaction coming from individual actions – with a witness.

For me personally, I am more accountable to myself when I know someone else will be watching what I watch. I also have been cheered on when I was overlooking achievements. You can’t beat it!

REBECCA HAUGH Female Voice Actor