In honor of National Hobby month, it’s time to take stock of your aspirations. Knowing what you want is the first step in making it a reality. Read on to find out how a change in perspective can lead to turning your Voiceover hobby into a voiceover career.
Do You Really Have A Voiceover Hobby?
January is National Hobby Month.
Says who, you ask? Well… I don’t know! The internet! Geez. It’s not important anyway.
Hobbies are fun. And at times, maybe useful.
But even when they seem pointless to outsiders, the point is for us to enjoy ourselves. Unwind.
They give us a way to relax and reset our brains.
Doing puzzles, model plane building, SCUBA diving, cycling. These are all hobbies (I know, there are a ton more).
But there’s a hobby I’ve been seeing pop up a lot lately: Voiceover. Which, in my humble opinion, IS NOT A HOBBY!
Let me explain.
Yeah, Yeah. I know...
Of course, if you like doing fandubs or recording silly voices over videos just for fun, then Voiceover is a hobby.
If that’s you, then you can stop reading now.
Or don’t. I might change your mind.
But I see a disturbing number of people who hope to do this as a serious job someday refer to Voiceover as “just a hobby for now.”
It bugs me.
So, in honor of another obscure internet holiday (amirite?), #OppositeDay, let me talk a little bit about how Voiceover is TOTALLY a hobby… NOT!
Do You Want A Career Or Another Hobby?
So you say you want a career in voiceover.
That is what you want, right?
You dream of it while sitting at your desk not doing the work required of you at your real job?
Maybe you’ve actually gotten paid to voice something at some point.
Dabbled in a little ACX lately?
Maybe you’ve even gotten yourself set up with an account on… *ahem* Fi… Fiv… Ugh. I can’t.
Let’s just say it rhymes with Schmiverr.
Whatever your situation may be, you say what you REALLY want to be doing is Voiceovers.
I get it. I’ve been there.
So why would you call it a hobby? Because you’re not getting paid enough for it?
I guess I can see that point. I think it’s a silly point, but I DO see it.
A Moment Of Clarity
In various groups and discussion boards about Voiceover, I keep seeing some version of the same question.
“When did you go from being a voiceover hobbyist to making it into a career?”
It’s a valid question. You’re eager to start your VO career and you want to know when you can.
The answer to that question might surprise some people.
I can actually pinpoint the moment. Not on a calendar, or with a specific timestamp.
But I remember where I was very clearly. Someone had asked “When can you start calling yourself a professional voice actor?” in one of the Facebook groups, and a very well-known and prolific Voice Actor (for the life of me, I can’t remember who) said, “Now.”
That really stuck with me.
From that moment forward, when people asked me what I do, I didn’t tell them that I was an SAT tutor, but I was starting to get into this voiceover thing, and then bore them with the details of my dreams for the future… you get it.
I told them, confidently, “I’m a voice actor.”
I changed my job description on Facebook, LinkedIn (my boss had some questions, understandably), etc.
That was the moment I stopped having a hobby and started having a career.
Can It Be That Easy?
What’s that, you say? That doesn’t count?
I beg to differ.
Sure, that didn’t change the immediate reality that I still wasn’t pulling in “Career Money.”
I didn’t have a demo, or training, or a long list of satisfied clients.
But what I did have was a whole new mentality. New drive. A new goal.
“SAT Tutor” became my hobby (it was a fun one, too. Those kids are great).
A Shift In Perspective And Priorities
Something interesting happens when you start to think about what you “do” as a “career.”
You start to care a lot more.
Money blocks start to be easier to move out of the way.
Before it was a “career,” paying for coaching and a demo seemed like one of those “must be nice” things, instead of investing in the necessary tools in my professional toolbox.
The same thing happened with my confidence in auditioning.
I stopped accepting rates that were unacceptable because “I’m just building my portfolio.”
I started looking critically at my work (with the help of my wonderful coach, of course) and I started demanding rates that were industry standards.
Any guesses as to what happened?
I started getting more gigs, and people started paying me what my work was worth.
Incidentally, I started booking out my schedule. (click here to see how I keep my schedule full for audiobooks)
The more well-paying gigs I got, the more coaching sessions I booked.
Eventually, I had enough to pay that coach to produce my shiny new demo.
I got new gear, upgraded my studio, and paid the memberships I always thought “it must be nice” to have.
So if you’re serious about having a career in voiceover, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, STOP SAYING YOU HAVE A VOICEOVER HOBBY!
Why So Salty?
So what’s the real takeaway, here?
I promise it’s not, “Zac’s such a grouch!”
Mentality goes a long way in achieving what you want. Whether you like it or not, it colors the way other people see you.
If you go into an audition or, god forbid, a rate negotiation as a hobbyist, people will treat you as a hobbyist.
Those authors paying $250 per finished hour and up on ACX don’t want hobbyists. They want professionals. They’re paying a professional rate, after all.
But they honestly don’t care how long you’ve been doing this. The same goes for every other casting medium out there.
They care that you CAN and WILL do it.
I’ve never had someone say, “Wow, we really liked your audition. We’d like to offer you the… Wait… How long have you been doing this? What amount of your income comes from Voiceovers?”
So if you truly want a career in voiceover, stop saying that it’s just a “hobby for now”. ( I said it nicer that time)
Every time you do that, you’re just digging a hole in the ground that will be harder to get out of when you finally do start to change your mentality.
So get serious about this.
Decide to make a change.
Commit to making voiceover a career.
Leave National Hobby Month to the puzzles and model Star Destroyers. Say it with me, loud and proud: I AM A VOICE ACTOR!
Now get your butt out there and be a professional!
And remember: I’m rooting for you!
What Do You Think?
Have you been kicking dirt around and afraid to jump in?
Are you ready to shift your mentality and start taking steps to actually take voiceover seriously?
Let Me Know In The Comments!
And make sure to hit the subscribe button if you want to keep up with all the voiceover goodness I’ve got planned for this year.
