VO Pro: The Business of Voiceover and Voice Acting

Completely unlike Moses from the mountaintop, I bring you these 10 Commandment of Voice Over. Trust me, it’s not every day you get 10 commandments from an atheist. 😉

Now before you get your hackles up, we’re playing fast and loose with the word commandments here. There are no hard and fast rules that you should never, ever, ever violate, but these are pretty close. Think of them as my strong recommendations. 

As always, you run yo...

Fact: Women account for over 40% of the fan bases of the NFL, MLB, and NHL. 

Fact: Women comprise 47.7% of viewership of Super Bowl 58. 

Fact: Media coverage of women's sports has nearly tripled in the last five years. 

So why isn't a female voicing this? "NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. Attendance is encouraged. Passion is mandatory. Buy your tickets today at ncaa.com." 

And why can't a female voice this? "It's mo...

Voice acting is an art, but landing clients? That’s a science—and one that can feel like a unicorn hunt if you don’t have the right tools in your box. 

Sure, word of mouth, referrals, and P2P and gig sites are all fine and well, but if you’re serious your business and about building a steady stream of clients, scalable lead generation and outreach is a strategy and skill you have to develop.

I’ve tried a lot of different lead gener...

Today we sit down with Casting Director, VO Coach, voice actor, and head of Voiceover Activate, Libby Clearfield. Libby shares her journey from theater to voiceover, her experiences in casting, and the challenges and rewards of freelancing. 

She also chats about the impact of AI in the industry, the importance of following directions in auditions, the value of community among voice actors, the significance of building relationships...

So recently a big healthcare advertising agency reached out to me through my website and handed me a great non-broadcast project for a massive pharmaceutical company. They handed me the project, no audition necessary. 

And there are more jobs on the way. It looks like, fingers crossed, they’re going to be a great partner and a recurring client.

So how did I get this primo client, you might ask. Did I market to them for months with ...

Alright, let’s talk about the mental game of going full-time as a freelancer. I’m talking about the shifts that take you from “Hey, I’m doing this voiceover thing on the side” to “This is what I do. Period.” 

The mindset stuff is just as gritty and real as all the tangible things you’re already doing to make the work happen. But the mental side is where you’ll make or break yourself long-term. 

Let’s walk through the shifts that ge...

Today, we’re diving into voice over conferences—what they are, why they’re a must for serious voice actors, and how to navigate your first one like a pro. If you’re a new voice actor looking to grow your skills, connect with the VO community, or even just see what all the buzz is about, stick around. 

From why to attend, to a practical VO Conferences Survival guide packed with tips, we’ll walk you through everything you need to kno...

Kevin Kilpatrick and Bobbi Maxwell, hosts of the Making Wavs podcast, join me to discuss their backgrounds in radio and how they transitioned into voiceover. 

Kevin primarily works in automotive and e-learning, while Bobbi focuses on commercial work, particularly in the automotive and political genres. They also talk about the advantages and disadvantages of coming from a radio background in voiceover. 

The conversation covers topi...

In this first-ever chat with our friend and colleague, we chat with the Queen of LinkedIn for VO, Tracey Lindley about her journey into the voiceover industry, her experiences with LinkedIn, and the importance of community and organization in building a successful career. 

Tracy shares her unique background, the challenges she faced as a voice actor in a midsize market, and her strategies for networking and marketing herself effect...

Alright, so you’ve landed a big commercial gig, and the client’s ready to pay you thousands to use your voice. You’re stoked, right? 

But then, buried in the contract, you see it: in-perpetuity rights. Sounds fancy, sounds official, but what does it actually mean? 

And why should you, as a voice actor, care? Let’s break this down. This is In-Perpetuity Explained.

Make sure you stick around because there is a scenario around in-perp...

Tom Dheere, known as the VO Strategist, shares his origin story as a voice actor and discusses the changes in the industry over the past 30 years. 

Tom emphasizes the importance of being a good storyteller and adapting to the evolving industry, including the use of AI, and offers guidance and mentorship to voice actors, helping them navigate the industry and make informed decisions. 

He also discusses the potential impact of AI on ...

The current state of the voice over business is not the problem. Generative AI, the pay-to-plays, the glut of talent, the seemingly endless string of strikes… none of that is the reason you’re not succeeding in voice over.

Today, I’m talking to me as much as I’m talking to you. You think everyone else, especially coaches have it all together all the time and I’m here to tell you I don’t always have it all together. No one does.

Tod...

To me, a great VO podcast has to be current – this industry changes at light speed and if you’re last episode was 4 months ago or you publish when you feel like it, you’re not keeping the community up to date.

A great voiceover podcast has to be educational and insightful and give solid advice on the industry. If it’s full of get rich quick and Fiverr advice, it’s just garbage.

And a great voice over podcast has to be listenable. T...

Today we chat with the incredible Erikka J. and we cover a lot of ground, including imposter syndrome, Erikka's journey in the voiceover industry, the importance of building relationships, and the evolving opportunities for women and people of color in the industry. 

Erikka shares insights from her experiences with various coaches, including Kay Bess, Cliff Zellman, and Everett Oliver, and all with a ton of laughs along the way. 

A...

Every Olympian has a goal of winning gold. Every team starts the season with the goal of a championship.

It’s the systems, the habits, that separate elite from very good, very good, from good, good from mediocre, and mediocre from bad.

So today, I’m going to lay out for you the Top 7 Habits of Highly Successful Voice Actors – the seven strategic systems or habits I believe to be the most effective for building a successful career i...

There are hundreds of apps out there to help run our voice acting businesses, but finding the right ones can be like finding a needle in a haystack. After a lot of trial and error, I’ve found a set of tools that works for me.

In this video, I’m going to break down why I prefer these specific apps, what the learning curve is like, and how much they’ll set you back.

Center Stage Design: https://centerstage.design/

App Links:
https://...

Today, an eye-opening chat with the best animation coach in the business, Everett Oliver, as we discuss the state of the animation business, Everett's background in the animation industry, the importance of developing relationships, and the difference between voicing a character and creating a character. 

We also touch on the impact of the SAG-AFTRA strike and the need for diversity in voiceover roles. Everett emphasizes the import...

Just about everything in the voice over business slows down in June, July, and August. 

But I also hear a lot of talk about a more macro slowdown in the voice over industry overall. Is that real? Is that just a chicken little reaction to AI? Are there other forces at play? Is this a perfect storm that means existential crisis for our business?

Do you want the real answer? Who cares.

In my humble opinion, which is all I have because...

One of the problems with voice over advice on YouTube and in general is that it often comes from successful people. 

Stay with me. 

Among the things it takes to be successful is time. So, the people that are successful today started years and often decades ago.

And the problem with that is voice over is a very different business than it was 30, 20, 10, even 5 years ago. And so many of the strategies and paths and techniques that ma...