Wanna Grow Your Voice Over Business? CUT the Crap!

This time of year, early January, everybody's fired up about their New Year's resolutions. I hate them, but I understand them.

Typically, New Year's Eve resolutions mean setting new goals, which means breaking those down into new added behaviors. It's the psychology of achieving more by doing more and I myself subscribed to it for a very long time.

What we don't talk about is the fact that still, even in this new year, there are still only 24 hours in a day and seven days a week. But every year, we add all these new behaviors to the days and weeks that are already crammed full with existing behaviors. And by Valentine's Day, your brand new treadmill is used for drying clothes.

So why are some voice actors, some freelancers, some people successful and others aren't?

Your 6-Point Plan to ROCK VOICE OVER and LIFE in 2024

You have a choice. You can decide right now that you're going to keep doing what you've been doing and keep getting what you've been getting.

Or, you can decide right now that you're done with excuses, done with kidding yourself, and done with half-assing your career and your life.

I said in last week's episode, there are two kinds of people in the world: those that make excuses and those that make it happen. And the fact of the matter is, you can't make it happen without a plan.

Decide. Right now. You're either going to rock the coming year or it's going to rock you.

You already know without me even having to ask you if you executed in the past year or not. If you kept the promises you made to yourself or not. If you were consistent or not.

Now, doing the same things next year as you did this year only makes sense if you made significant progress this year. If you didn't make significant progress this year and you've decided you're done making excuses and you're ready to make it happen, then listen up.

Today, I'm going to give you a six-point plan for killing in the coming year.

The 6 BIG Reasons YOU'LL QUIT VO

If you are a professional voice actor or audiobook narrator, you have one job, and that is to stay in the game as long as possible. Voice over is not a long game. It's an infinite game.

Author Simon Sinek says that in finite games like football or chess, the players are known, the rules are fixed and the end point is clear. The winners and losers are easily identified.

But in infinite games like business or yeah, voiceover or even life itself, the players come and go. The rules are changeable and there is no clearly defined endpoint.

In VO we know this. The players come and go all the time. People every day are coming into and going out of this business. The rules of voiceover are changing all the time. This audition wants natural and authentic. This one wants a classic announcer. Yet, this third one wants quirky and offbeat and on and on and on and on.

And of course, in voiceover, as in all business, there is no clearly defined endpoint. That's why you hear it often referred to as a journey. There is no destination. Again, your job as a video pro is to stay in the game as long as possible.

So, what are the biggest threats to staying in the game? I'm so glad you asked, because that's exactly we're going to talk about today.

Here are the six reasons you'll quit voice over.

Should I Get into Voice Over? 9 CRUCIAL Questions

Several times a week, people reach out to me, and I'm sure I'm certainly not the only one and say, “People say, I have a nice voice. Should I get into voice acting?”

My answer used to be, “Sure. This is a great business, and it's the best job I've ever had. And second isn't even close. Come on in!”

And while that's still true as much as it ever was, my answer has changed.

Voice over and voice acting isn't for everyone.

Some don't have the talent. Some don't have the drive. Most think it's something it's not - and that is a quick way to easy money with no experience.

So how do I answer the question? Should I get into voice over truth fully when I know little to nothing about the person answering the question?

Today I'm going to do just that. So, if you're considering getting into the voiceover field, if you're wondering if you're cut out to be a professional voice actor, I have nine questions for you that will help you answer that question.

acting, business, mindset, professional development, tech/gearPaul SchmidtOctober 13, 2023marketing, training, mindsetComment

The TOP 7 REAL Reasons You’re Not Booking VO Jobs

It's no secret. Actors historically are notoriously bad business people. We just are.

And statistically, we're even bad at booking work, something that we're supposed to be able to do as part of the job.

Even elite voice actors book maybe 5 to 10 out of every 100 auditions they do. And chances are you're booking way less than that. And today I'm going to teach you why.

Top 7 Myths About Becoming a Pro Voice Actor

Let's face it. There's a lot of B.S. and myths out there about becoming a voice over actor, a professional VO actor, and about the voiceover industry in general. And sadly, a lot of this bullshit is put out by snake oil salesman, so-called coaches in this business who will fleece you from your money or pick your pocket. And I'm not being disingenuous.

So today we're going to bust the top seven myths about becoming a pro voice actor. And we're going to set the record straight.

business, casting sites, mindset, professional development, the vo industryPaul SchmidtAugust 31, 2023myths, getting started, becoming, mindsetComment

9 VO Lessons I Learned in the Gym

When you think about it, the gym and the VO booth have more similarities than you might think, and I think the gym is a great metaphor for the booth. Both are dedicated spaces where you’re focusing on self-improvement, on learning new skills, on getting uncomfortable and stretching and literally growing. In both you have tools for feedback – in the gym it’s a mirror, in the booth, it’s your headphones and studio monitors. Both have coaches or trainers to help guide us.

So, let's dive into the 9 voiceover lessons I've picked up from an unlikely place - the gym.

mental health, mindset, personal development, professional developmentPaul SchmidtAugust 3, 2023gym, consistencyComment

Feeling Overwhelmed: Relieve Stress & Simplify Your VO Life

Loneliness. Doubt. Knowledge gaps. Distraction. Overwhelm. Rejection.

Voice actors battle these struggles every day and oftentimes they lead to unfocused action, wasted resources, poor decision-making, and feelings of overwhelm (or VO-verwhelm).

Without the right support and resources, it's no wonder why so many voice actors and audiobook narrators burn out before achieving their dreams.

VO-verwhelm is a real thing, and today we’re going to talk about what it is, and how to recognize the feelings of overwhelm, reduce stress, and simplify your VO life.

Here are 7 strategies to tame the overwhelm beast:

mental health, mindset, social media, the vo industryPaul SchmidtJuly 13, 2023overwhelm, akrasia, depression, anxietyComment

NEW! VO Pro – A Private Global Community JUST for Voice Actors

There are a million voice over Facebook groups and most of them are great, but let’s face it, Facebook itself is a toilet and all the groups are largely the same thing – it’s an online forum and that’s mostly it. Discord is powerful but looks like Slack on meth and has a big learning curve.

So the question has been how do we leverage the power of community to help educate, connect, and support voice actors in a way that we currently haven’t been able to reach.

How do we bring together growth-minded, driven voice actors who are committed to their craft, along with top coaches, the best educational tools in the business, and help them more deeply connect with each other, learn from each other, and support one another?

Well, I have an answer: VO Pro.

The VO Pro Blog