As we celebrate making it through this less-than-stellar year, let’s take a moment to really reflect on we’ve overcome one last time. Be proud of yourselves. It was harder that you remember (thank God that our brains have the ability to protect us from the truth sometimes). So this is our last look at 2020 before we kick its ass out the door. Cheers to voiceover success in 2021!
We made it!
Well, we did it, folks. We made it out of one of the weirdest, most difficult years in recent history.
This year has been a real roller coaster for most of us. Seriously, give yourselves a round of applause for squeaking out of this one in one piece.
You know that feeling when you take a nap in the middle of the day only to wake up 45 minutes later disoriented, more exhausted than when you laid down and wondering if anyone got the license plate number of the truck that hit you?
Yeah, I think we all feel that way about 2020. But there definitely were some bright spots this year, especially within our fantastic industry.
Uncertainty Reared Its Ugly Head
In every corner of the planet (yeah, I know. Sphere. It’s an expression, OK? Keep up!), life changed during the first few months of 2020. These changes may have looked different depending on where you live, but the overall change was undeniable
The news of a new virus spreading around the globe brought many industries to their knees. Whole countries were going on lockdown, in some cases enforced by militaries, in an attempt to stop the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Different countries handled things in very different ways, but there was one sentiment that was common pretty much everywhere: Anyone who could work from home should.
This transition was unexpected and many industries were not prepared, even if they were well-suited to working this way.
Companies frantically shipped out computers so that employees could continue to work from home. People who needed to buy new laptops were forced to shell out for top tier machines because there was a shortage of affordable options.
Webcams, once one of the easiest pieces of technology to buy were sold out everywhere (to make no mention of the truly ridiculous shortages we found ourselves facing).
Despite being able to work from home in their PJs (the dream, am I right?), people were exhausted (emotionally and physically) by trying to juggle their jobs and their kids’ education.
Embracing The 'New Normal'
Honestly, I was one of the lucky few who didn’t feel the full weight of this transition. I had started working full-time from home in 2019, and the voice-over industry as a whole has been moving towards work-from-home setups even before the onset of the pandemic.
Home studios were already the norm by the time offices and studios closed. That’s not to say that recording studios were unnecessary. They have a huge role to play in Voiceover yet, not to mention the role they play in the music industry.
But having a professional, broadcast-ready setup at home was and is a requirement for the full-time voice-actor. Considering the microphone – and general recording equipment – shortage the pandemic brought, I am grateful that I had already made many of the investments necessary by the time things started shutting down.
What was amusing was watching big-name talent – predominantly on-screen actors with voice roles – adjust to their new normal.
Normally regular visitors to big studios, they started sharing pictures of their new fancy closet studios with “state-of-the-art” clothing insulation.
It was fun to point and say, “Wow. Movie stars. They’re just like us!” I know it sounds like I’m mocking them, but I’m really not.
If anything it validated a lot of new voice actors and made them less self-conscious about where they were starting from.
More Than Just A Pandemic
2020 also brought some important issues front and center. Relative anonymity comes with the job of voice acting.
We sit in padded rooms talking to ourselves most of the time.
The people who hear our work are more likely to associate our voices with an animated face or a product than with the face in our profile pictures.
As a result, the issue of representation in voiceover wasn’t as easy to notice, and it became something that desperately needed a spotlight.
And in 2020, it got one.
Many actors gained the perspective to be able to reconsider their involvement in certain roles and the way they represented other groups.
Representation became a much more important consideration in casting.
There’s still a lot of work to do in the area, but 2020 really opened up that opportunity.
Politics Suck...
…and so do a lot of people.
For better or for worse, this year let us see people’s true colors. The most divisive election in my short life on this earth saw the weaponization and politicization of everything.
But it wasn’t simply that people couldn’t agree on things. People I once respected showed me – with their unbridled hatred and/or disrespect – who they truly were.
That was heartbreaking.
More than the loss of physical closeness we’ve felt this year, losing respect for someone you once held in high regard is gut-wrenching.
The Silver Lining
But it wasn’t all bad. I saw the Voiceover community come through for people in ways I never expected.
Whether it was a masterfully-timed Tiger King Zoom call orchestrated by the always amazing Jamie Muffett of the VO School Podcast (seriously, man. You have no idea how much I needed that community feeling at that moment in the pandemic),
or seeing the various programs set up by Voiceover professionals to help people in need through the pandemic, the voiceover community shined. It reminded me of how truly great people can be.
I am eternally grateful to be a part of this business.
And Let's Not Forget...
Last, but certainly not least, I want to take a moment to thank the true heroes of 2020.
Doctors, nurses (any hospital staff, really), grocery workers, restaurant and fast food workers (man did you guys really come through for everyone with your complete shift in how you operate), pharmacy workers, delivery professionals, and all the other essential workers who couldn’t work from home, but who had to keep the world turning, THANK YOU!
2020 showed us that some of the most undervalued professions in our society truly need to be appreciated more. I salute you.
Out With The Old...
So congratulations for making it through a year that was basically one giant Scooby Doo unmasking.
We’ve learned a lot. So let’s leave behind (but never forget) all of the absolute garbage that 2020 brought us and move forward with the good things and all the lessons we’ve learned.
Be kind to one another, help those who need it, and do work that you’d be proud to hang your name on.
Come through for people every day and be grateful for everything you have. Here’s to a fantastic 2021, and many, many castings for all of my Voiceover friends.
One Last Thing...
I know that the whole idea of new years resolutions is a bit cliché, but goal-setting is an important element to building a successful business.
So, in the spirit of New Years AND entrepreneurship, I’ll let you in on my pledge for this year.
I am making a pledge to have the basic framework of my social media posts worked out at least two months ahead of time.
Why? Because social media takes up a ton of time.
That doesn’t mean I won’t have spontaneous content. It just means I’m setting myself up for ideas ahead of time so that I don’t get locked up and decide I’d prefer not to do it.
What are your commitments to your business for the new year?
- X number of auditions per week?
- Finally getting that marketing campaign up and running?
- Starting your voiceover career, maybe?
Let Me Know Below In The Comments
And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button down below to keep up with all the voiceover goodness I have planned for this year, including my upcoming predictions for the Audiobook industry over the coming years.
