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Is there a future in the VO business?
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nick
Contributor II


Joined: 31 Jul 2017
Posts: 71
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 9:04 pm    Post subject: Is there a future in the VO business? Reply with quote

I going to get right to the point:

Is there still room for new VO talent, or is all of the good work locked up by established talent?

Is there still a living to be made, or is VO income heading toward minimum wage?

I am asking this because I am spending a lot of money and time trying to get into this business and I hope there is something there, to get into!

I really do not want to do twenty $5 jobs per day to make a living.
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Bish
3.5 kHz


Joined: 22 Nov 2009
Posts: 3738
Location: Lost in the cultural wasteland of Long Island

PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 10:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Despite the doom and gloom spoken about the "get rich quick" merchants who want us all to buy their training and work for Fiverr... and the P2P sites who want to commoditize the business with a bunch of part-time hobbyists working for 10% of the job's worth... not to mention that many establish VOs are turning to coaching to further encourage no-hopers... there is still a career to be had. The "drive to the bottom" is real, and we should all be constantly fighting against it... but it's not all-encompassing. There is still room for quality clients buying quality services. Not everyone shops at Walmart.

I firmly believe that if you are good at what you do (both the VO part and the running a business part) then you can make it a full-time job that will pay the mortgage and put food on the table (not a part-time pin-money job). The top-end of the market may be losing some jobs to the bargain basement... and maybe there won't be any more VO millionaire superstars with massive yachts... but there's plenty of work... it may be just a little harder to find as it becomes spread a little thinner.

I've been doing this for ten years now... and for the past seven, I've managed to pay the bills and buy pies. It's not all doom and gloom. I've never lost an existing client who told be I was too expensive and they were off to Fiverr. I raised my min session fee this year, and they are still with me. I hate aphorisms, but... if you value yourself, others will value you too.

That was uncharacteristically positive for me. I must check my meds.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi


Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11046
Location: Portgordon, Scotland

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ignore the noise, ignore the VOevangelists, the bloggers, braggers and blaggers.

Anyone stands about a 95% chance of not making a cent from Voice Over work.

Now some numbers. Day 1, Feb of this year and today. No brags just numbers.

28th Feb 1990 my first radio commercial voice over session earned me $86.04
28th Feb 2017 total pay for month (not billing, money to spend) $25,329.10
25th Sep 2017 Payment from one company $8,600

Ignore the noise, ignore the VOevangelists, the bloggers, braggers and blaggers. Get a tattoo - "The idea of a business is to make a profit!"

This weekend in London a voice over network held an event, as far as I am able to tell everyone had a lovely time BUT they all walked away with soundbites in their heads. I have NEVER seen or heard a story (teaching) reporting "I did this and it resulted in this. Someone else tried it and it worked for them to THIS extent"

When Swatch hit the market everyone said that traditional watch making was dead.

For sale today http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Patek%20Philippe/Nautilus/5711/1P-010/31795/item/97418 A watch made the traditional way by a Swiss watchmaker.
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Jack Daniel
Cinquecento


Joined: 23 Jun 2016
Posts: 574
Location: SoCal

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 5:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even if I had the C.V. and hubris to try and top the wisdom of the BishBanks Axis of Angles, I don't think I would.
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Jack Daniel
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Bruce
Boardmeister


Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 7921
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 6:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A key to making it in this business, if not the key, is to constantly get better at what you're doing. And the key to that is being able to hear what and how you're doing. You have to have an ear for what the successful people are doing and trying to achieve that ability (in your own way) on your own. If you cannot or will not hear it, self direct yourself into better performance, and practice, practice, practice to get there, then the lower levels of this craft are the best you can hope to attain. As they say in so many fields of endeavor, "You gotta want it, real bad."

To your question, is there enough work, yes is the answer. We've gone from 3 TV options when I was a kid to literally thousands, and growing. More and more websites want spoken audio. Audiobooks are exploding in popularity.

Yes, there is downward pressure on pay for our work. There has been for some time. But the cream rises to the top and people still pay well for cream.

B
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Bruce
Boardmeister


Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 7921
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 6:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

And £145,000 for a frikkin' watch would be insanity for me IF I could afford such a thing. I'd bust the damn crystal face on the thing running into a wall during the first week I owned it!

I own a watch already anyway. It's in my cell phone.


B
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I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi


Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11046
Location: Portgordon, Scotland

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

On the watch subject. I wear no jewellry but bought this and wear it every day because it was made by a watchmaker in Switzerland, by hand out of cogs and wheels and springs n things.

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Bish
3.5 kHz


Joined: 22 Nov 2009
Posts: 3738
Location: Lost in the cultural wasteland of Long Island

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 7:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like this whole timepiece analogy.

In a world of watches... be the chronometer.

OK. I'll stop now.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.
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Dan-O
The Gates of Troy


Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Posts: 1636

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things." - Randy Pausch
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todd ellis
A Zillion


Joined: 02 Jan 2007
Posts: 10479
Location: little egypt

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Is there still room for new VO talent



no.
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Deirdre
Czarina Emeritus


Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13016
Location: East Jesus, Maine

PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It only works if someone is buyin' what you're sellin', and if you have the proper channels for doin' the sellin'.

In my part of the galaxy, that means no access to good-paying triple-A work, and long-time clients vanishing as they find cheaper and "good enough" alternatives. But it also means the blessing of occasional NEW clients who keep coming back because I was introduced by friends.

I've been doing this work for 20 years.
Finding the work is harder... MUCH harder, and it pays less....MUCH less than it used to.

I am female, in a no-name city. 2 strikes.
On the other hand, I can pronounce chemical names so fluently I get fan mail, and I can describe how to pour a self-leveling concrete floor as if I did it myself yesterday.
People who need this kind of skill are willing to keep coming back. From time to time, and for now, anyway.

So. Is it worth it?
At the moment, it beats workin'.

I sure wouldn't encourage anyone else to do it. I have no idea under the sun how you'd "get started" these days.
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Lee Gordon
A Zillion


Joined: 25 Jul 2008
Posts: 6843
Location: West Hartford, CT

PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 10:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Deirdre wrote:
I have no idea under the sun how you'd "get started" these days.


According to the many emails I have gotten over the years it's not called "getting started," it's "breaking into" -- like burglary. Gasp
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice
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Rick Riley
Flight Attendant


Joined: 12 Aug 2011
Posts: 807
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 12:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With 7.4 billion people on the planet, there’s no room in ANY business, unless you want to become adept enough to shove someone aside and take THEIR business. Which is pretty much what you have to do in any profession.

Dedicate yourself to doing that, and there’s room. And I mean DEDICATE. Don’t dedicate yourself to doing that, and there’s not.

The answer to your question is ultimately up to you.
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Bob Bergen
CM


Joined: 22 Apr 2008
Posts: 937

PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As long as there are auditions there's room for new vo talent. But this question has been asked of new talent since the beginning of microphones.

The landscape has indeed changed. And much for the better.

There are more opportunities today than ever before! More networks and cable channels all needing promo, narration, and commercial talent. More work in animation than ever before!

Now, YOU have to decide what a good living is! There are some who are content making $50 to speak into a mic for less than an hour because they are used to making minimum wage. For me, unless the job comes with pension and health, and for some contracts residuals, I don't care how much the session fee pays.

We all have our own definition of what it is to make a living at vo.

The biggest change is what people are willing to do with their vo career. I think this is what you are talking about, Nick. This also leads me to the fact that today's generation goes into vo to make money. (I know, I'm a broken record....but it's still valid) I never went into this for the money and still don't do it for the money. If I did, I'd take any old job that didn't necessarily pay P&H. I'm an actor first. I'm a successful one second, and that just circumstantial. I am well aware it can all go away tomorrow. That's show biz!

But I went into this with miles of survival jobs, which allowed me to pursue professional vo professionally. This was a time where there were only 3 networks and very little animation, which was my dream. I never let competition or statistics get in the way. Still don't, and as I said, I still don't do this for the money.

So yes, you can still make a living at vo, soap operas, theater, painting, dancing, etc. But you stand a better chance if you don't rely on the arts OR go into it for that return. VERY unheard of for today's vo newbie.
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi


Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11046
Location: Portgordon, Scotland

PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If this doesn't work out for me I can fly a plane a bit.

Upside for passengers?

In a dire emergency my cabin announcements have that certain "something"

An alpha male turn to his girl.

"Don't worry luv the posh bloke will get us 'ome"
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