A VO's Journey: Voiceover and more voice over

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If you were starting voice over today with no clients and no network, what would you do first? Someone asked me that on this Open Forum Friday at VO Journey Academy, so this episode is how I'd build a voice over business from zero.
Training comes first, then a studio set up properly and a community around you. After that I'd make 30 to 50 demos and put them everywhere under the same name. Next is a website with real pages and a listing on Google Business and Bing. Then social media on every platform and emails every day. I'd keep auditioning, and I'd start a podcast that interviews local business owners. I also get into whether Fiverr is still worth it and why ads help.
What you'll learn:
Why training comes before anything else
How many demos to make and where to put them
Why a one-page website does nothing for you
How a Google Business and Bing listing helps buyers find you
Who your social posts should be aimed at
Which payment types to accept so you don't lose work
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Open Forum Friday
00:16 The new VO Journey Academy website: beta in November
00:32 A CRM, a tracker and a demo player for your site
01:04 Discord built into the new site
01:57 November: get your holiday characters out there
03:05 Show buyers you're current
04:19 If I started voice over from zero today
05:33 Why training comes first
06:07 Get your studio set up right
07:53 Join a community
08:19 Make lots of demos and put them everywhere
08:56 Build a website people can find
09:38 Get listed on Google Business and Bing
10:24 Build your social media everywhere
10:51 Rinse and repeat: email people every day
11:23 Don't skip auditions
12:31 Start a podcast in your own community
14:04 Could you do all this in 90 days?
14:23 Linking your website to Academy Voices
15:17 Is Fiverr still worth it?
15:41 Why Bing matters too
16:11 Should you run ads?
17:39 How much do you want to do yourself?
18:21 Sticking with it when nothing happens
18:49 Who are your social posts really for?
19:45 Which payment types to accept
20:27 Paying over time on Fiverr and Academy Voices
22:01 How Academy Voices pays narrators
23:02 Would I hire people?
24:29 How we work on this inside VO Journey Academy
24:52 Thanks, and Free Class Week 9-12 November
New to voice acting? Start with VO Journey Academy: https://www.avosjourney.com/start?src=podcast-323
Free Class Week, 9-12 November: https://www.avosjourney.com/free-class?src=podcast-323
Academy Voices, the alternative to ACX: https://www.academyvoices.com/
Support the show
Social Links:   
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anthony_pica_vo/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AVOsJOURNEY
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/avosjourney/ 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonypicavo/

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Do you need a pen name to narrate spicy romance? Gabby Nistico and I get into it on this Monday live at VO Journey Academy, the day after our spicy romance workshop.
You don't need one, but it can help. We talk about when a pen name makes sense. Sometimes the work could cause real trouble at your job or at home. Other times you might just be a little embarrassed. A pen name also means a second set of accounts to run, and at some point people will want to see the person behind the voice.
Then we get into why there is so much romance work right now. Romance readers go through books fast, and some authors have 20 to 40 books in a single series. Academy Voices is seeing more and more of it from new authors every week. We also talk about why laughing in the middle of a scene is normal, and Gabby explains why she sends her favourite outtakes to authors who have a sense of humour.
What you'll learn:
When a pen name is worth it, and when it isn't
The hidden work of running a second identity
Why spicy romance is such a busy genre for narrators
Why romance readers want long series
What to do when you laugh in the middle of a scene
Why some narrators send outtakes to their authors
(00:00) Welcome back
(00:41) Do you need a pen name for spicy romance?
(02:36) The downsides of a pen name
(03:39) You can't stay hidden forever
(04:29) Why spicy romance sells so well
(06:39) Authors with 20 to 40 books in a series
(06:55) Big authors and ghostwriters
(07:40) Why readers love a series
(09:08) Books leave room for imagination
(09:52) More romance authors on Academy Voices
(10:20) Quick, fun reads
(12:07) Fifty Shades and Twilight
(15:10) What a romance hit can earn
(16:25) Authors are asking about TV rights
(16:46) Fifty Shades of Green
(17:39) What the workshop covered
(18:45) Laughing during a scene is normal
(19:41) Sending outtakes to your author
(20:20) Thanks for listening
Watch the full spicy romance workshop replay:
https://www.avosjourney.com/spicy-romance-workshop?src=podcast-ep322
Train with us live every week at VO Journey Academy:
https://www.avosjourney.com/start?src=podcast-ep322
Try a free class first:
https://www.avosjourney.com/free-class?src=podcast-ep322
Academy Voices, the alternative to ACX:
https://www.academyvoices.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/nEe8CgHNNF8
18+. General information from working narrators, not legal or tax advice.
Support the show
Social Links:   
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anthony_pica_vo/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AVOsJOURNEY
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/avosjourney/ 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonypicavo/

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Is your voice over website bringing you any work? Gabby Nistico and I answer your questions on this Open Forum Friday at VO Journey Academy, and most of them were about websites.
For years my own website brought in nothing. Gabby explains the difference between design and function: design is the pretty part, and function is how buyers move through your site. She also says there's no such thing as a beginner website. We talk about what buyers need from you, why most visitors aren't ready to hire you that day, whether a producer can download your samples, and why a one-page site is hard to find on Google.
What you'll learn:
Why design is the small part of a voice over website
Why there's no such thing as a beginner website or a beginner demo
What to do about visitors who aren't ready to hire you yet
Why buyers need to be able to download your samples
Why more pages help you get found on Google
Where a custom website lives, and why site builders can hold you back
How the e-books in the Academy Voices store open in Apple Books or Kindle
(00:00) Welcome to Open Forum Friday
(00:59) A new story series on Academy Voices
(02:02) Kindle Unlimited becomes Kindle+
(03:13) The first series and its founding authors
(03:55) Is Anthony's website built on WordPress?
(05:17) Where a custom website lives
(05:42) Will there be website tips for voice actors?
(06:20) Why site builders hold you back
(07:38) Design vs function on your website
(08:36) A demo player you can put on your own site
(09:17) There's no such thing as a beginner website
(10:17) Why my old website never brought in work
(12:11) Make your website the hub of your business
(12:35) Why most website help isn't built for voice actors
(13:23) What buyers want when they land on your site
(13:56) Most visitors aren't ready to buy today
(14:16) Can buyers download your samples?
(15:13) Where websites are stored
(16:15) Why Academy Voices has almost 2,000 pages
(18:09) Free templates and tools taped together
(18:53) Can authors publish through Academy Voices?
(20:11) E-books that open in Apple Books or Kindle
(21:33) The new VO Journey Academy website on 1 December
(23:24) One page or many? Websites and Google
(23:41) Why long scrolling pages lost on Google
(25:15) Thanks for listening
Train with us live every week at VO Journey Academy:
https://www.avosjourney.com/start?src=podcast-ep321
Try a free class first:
https://www.avosjourney.com/free-class?src=podcast-ep321
Academy Voices, the alternative to ACX:
https://www.academyvoices.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/0Ia2fZUC2Dc
Support the show
Social Links:   
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anthony_pica_vo/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AVOsJOURNEY
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/avosjourney/ 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonypicavo/

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Should you follow the directions in an audition, or take a risk? Gabby Nistico and I talk about taking risks on this Wednesday live at VO Journey Academy, in your acting and in your business.
Taking a risk in a read means risking embarrassment, and most of us were taught as adults to avoid that. Kids fail over and over until they get it. I tell people in class I give them permission to play, because we're paid to do what other people can't do. Gabby's rule for auditions is that directions are meant to be followed, and then completely ignored. Give them what they asked for first, then give them something unexpected.
Then we get into the business side. Gabby explains why voice actors are slow to hire help, the ceiling you hit when there isn't enough of you to go around, and why you may not pay yourself at first. We finish with a listener question about working two full-time jobs and whether an editor is worth it on royalty share audiobooks, and we do the math on what your time is worth.
What you'll learn:
Whether to follow the audition directions or try your own take
Which take to put first, and the exception for animation
Why giving yourself permission to play makes you a better actor
When to stop doing everything yourself and hire help
Why many business owners don't pay themselves at first
Who Gabby hired first: a financial advisor, a health insurance broker, then a CPA
How long a two-hour audiobook really takes to record and finish
Why I point narrators to the Academy Voices proofing tools before they pay for an editor
(00:00) Welcome: taking risks in voice acting
(00:37) Why growth stops when you play it safe
(01:06) Pat Fraley: leave everything on the table, then move on
(02:39) Risking embarrassment, and how kids learn
(03:42) Permission to play
(04:34) You're paid to do what other people can't
(06:34) Breaking out of the box
(07:28) Should you ignore the audition directions?
(07:52) Follow the directions, then ignore them
(09:01) Know your lines and have an idea
(11:14) Which take goes first, theirs or yours?
(12:00) The exception: animation
(13:07) Auditioning for a role written for the opposite sex
(13:58) Taking risks in your voice over business
(15:00) Pick one kind of buyer and go after it
(16:02) Eggs in one basket, and the first idea for Academy Voices
(17:09) Starting a podcast next to your VO business
(19:13) The risk of hiring someone to help
(21:08) Keep business money separate
(22:15) When do you pay yourself?
(25:12) Hire for a project, not a payroll
(26:04) Audiobook narrators: most of the time is recording
(27:52) Stepping away to think
(28:41) Where do you find people to help?
(29:07) Who to hire first
(31:58) The only person on payroll is you
(32:49) Ask other voice actors for referrals
(33:18) Two full-time jobs: is an editor worth it on royalty share?
(35:52) What is your time worth?
(37:11) The math on a two-hour audiobook
(39:19) Ask, and people step up to help
(40:21) Thanks for listening
Train with us live every week at VO Journey Academy: https://www.avosjourney.com/start?src=podcast-ep320
Try a free class first:
https://www.avosjourney.com/free-class?src=podcast-ep320
Academy Voices, the alternative to ACX:
https://www.academyvoices.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/VXBA7TLjIaA
Support the show
Social Links:   
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anthony_pica_vo/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AVOsJOURNEY
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/avosjourney/ 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonypicavo/

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Do voice actors need a talent agent? Gabby Nistico and I dig into it on this Monday live at VO Journey Academy.
It started with some news. Gabby got word over the weekend that Cast Voices, a casting site that agents used to manage their rosters, is shutting its doors on 30 October. If most of your work comes through one website or one company, a closing like that can wipe out your business overnight. So we talk about spreading yourself across many places, the same way you'd spread money across a portfolio.
Then Gabby walks through how agents really work. There are tiers, from celebrity agencies down to small regional ones, and most new voice actors simply aren't ready for an agent yet. She explains how commissions work, what an exclusive contract can lock you into, and why an agent will turn down low-budget jobs you'll never even hear about.
I built my business without agents, and Gabby works with about half a dozen. Both paths work. We finish on rates and supply and demand, plus a question from the chat about whether joining the union costs you auditions.
What you'll learn:
Why you shouldn't rely on one website or one agent for your work
The tiers of talent agents, and which ones take on newer voice actors
How a referral from someone on the roster helps you get signed
How agent commissions work, and what to ask before you sign
What exclusive contracts and agent territories mean for you
Why having an agent can mean losing low-budget jobs you never see
Why you still audition, even with an agent
How right-to-work states and "must join" status affect non-union actors
(00:00) Welcome to VO Journey Academy Live
(00:49) Cast Voices is closing on 30 October
(01:48) Don't put all your work in one place
(05:17) Diversify like a portfolio
(06:33) Why top agencies won't sign newer voice actors
(07:40) The tiers of talent agents
(09:43) Which agents to approach in your first five years
(10:41) Why mid-size agencies want a referral
(11:28) Most new voice actors aren't ready for an agent
(12:07) How are agents doing right now?
(13:31) Zero percent of zero: how commissions work
(15:10) The Hollywood discovery myth
(16:00) Giving up a percentage of your earnings
(18:00) Exclusive contracts and agent territories
(21:08) Why voice actors can have more than one agent
(23:32) Know your contract before you sign
(25:27) Does your kind of work even need an agent?
(26:47) Calling the union: hiring union voice actors
(29:14) Agents turn down low-budget jobs
(31:24) Rosters and other paths to work
(33:15) An agent doesn't stop you auditioning
(35:02) Why do we have to fight for our rates?
(38:26) Supply and demand in voiceover
(39:44) Union actors who go Fi-Core or work non-union
(41:16) Am I a studio or just a talent?
(41:50) Will joining the union cost you auditions?
(44:34) Different paths, and both can work
Train with us live every week at VO Journey Academy:
https://www.avosjourney.com/start?src=podcast-ep319
Try a free class first:
https://www.avosjourney.com/free-class?src=podcast-ep319
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/5_nzCp0Pbvk
Support the show
Social Links:   
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anthony_pica_vo/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AVOsJOURNEY
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/avosjourney/ 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonypicavo/