Voice Over Business

When working every day, there can be busy times and slow times. The odd day of no voiceover work can feel amazing, allowing you to relax and rest. But when the days and weeks pass with little to no work, it can leave you anxious, bored, or unproductive. Recently, there have been drastic changes in the economy, which can affect most areas of business. Hence, it’s essential to have a plan of attack when it occurs.

When work is slow for an extended period, sitting back and waiting for things to pick up can be very tempting. However, this can be a missed opportunity to improve your skills and work on essential tasks you need time for. As a diverse, millennial, and contemporary voice actor, there are weeks where it is so busy I can barely keep up and weeks where nothing seems to be coming in. Here are some tips on what to do when work is slow.

Review Your Voiceover Work Calendar and Prioritize Tasks

The first thing you should do when work is slow is to review your current workload and prioritize your tasks. This will help you determine which tasks are the most important and which can be put on hold. You may not have been using your time wisely. Could you delegate some of the work to a friend or hire a virtual assistant? Many creatives use these methods to assist in lead generation. By prioritizing your workload, you can focus on what needs to be done and ensure you are not wasting time on low-priority tasks.

Take the Opportunity to Learn New Skills

It is an excellent opportunity to learn new skills to help you in your job or career. You can take online courses, attend webinars, or read books to improve your marketing, project management, and communication skills. LinkedIn and Skillshare are two popular platforms hosting hundreds of courses relevant to your industry. 

Because voiceover is a creative industry, having other interests outside of your line of work is critical. Learning other creative hobbies can allow you to think outside the box and indirectly benefit your own industry. Not only will this help you become a more valuable employee or entrepreneur, but it can also make you more attractive to potential employers.

Organize Your Voiceover Work Area

A slow period can be a great time to organize your workspace and eliminate clutter. When things are busy at work, cleanliness can fall to the waste side. A clean and organized workspace can help you stay focused and be more productive when work picks up again. You can also take the time to make sure all of your files and documents are properly labeled and stored, making it easier to find what you need when you need it. In my business, the times of the year when I usually find it slower are during the summer months and the last two weeks of the year during the holidays. These are times when I typically clean out and reorganize my office.

Network With Colleagues and Clients

It is also a good idea to network with your colleagues and clients during slow periods. You can set up coffee meetings or lunches to catch up and discuss potential projects or opportunities. This can help you build stronger relationships and potentially lead to new business or projects in the future. As previously mentioned, the last two weeks of the year tend to be slow, and many take time off during the holidays. This is a great time to write a card to your clients thanking them for their business during the last year or even drop them an email or a LinkedIn Message. 

During the summer months, I aim to call my clients on the phone and have a personal conversation that can be very beneficial to keeping that personal contact. Every touch point with a client is a chance to help them remember you and your talent.

Develop New Ideas and Strategies

Another productive way to spend time during a slow period is to develop new ideas and strategies for your business or department. You can brainstorm new products or services, think of ways to improve current processes or develop marketing or sales strategies. This can help you be more prepared when work picks up again and ensure your business is always moving forward. 

I do this again during the winter break to consider my business goals for the upcoming year. I also brainstorm with other voice actor friends in my industry as well. Sharing your goals with others can help you think out of the box, and you may devise a new plan you never thought of.

When voiceover gigs are few, it is important to use time wisely and make the most of it. By prioritizing your workload, learning new skills, organizing your workspace, networking with colleagues and clients, and developing new ideas and strategies, you can ensure that you are staying productive and setting yourself up for success when work picks up again.

Do you work in a creative industry and tend to feel pressure to be innovative? Are you an on-camera talent or voice actor having trouble booking work because you are in a creative slump? Well, I have good news for you. We have all been there, so here are some exciting and diverse tactics to get out of your voiceover creative slump. 

To have the ability and luxury of working in a creative field is something many people dream of. This may be because they need help finding a creative job that provides financial stability. I never had the luxury of working in a creative industry for the first half of my life, although I tried to be innovative in my administrative jobs. My supervisors knew I had a creative knack and tried their best to accommodate me, but most of my previous jobs have been pushing paper. 

Inspiring Change in Your Voiceover Creative Slump

If your job requires creative thinking, consider yourself lucky and grateful. To be creative is a skill that many need to possess. Most of us live a very routine life, generally doing the same tasks daily, and while some are ok with that, some are not. Although many like routine, others prefer to use their five senses to see, hear, smell, taste, or touch new and exciting things. Isn’t that what life is all about? 

Trying New Creative Tactics

Although working in a creative industry allows you to enjoy your work by thinking outside the box, sometimes, we can find ourselves in a rut. We may have used our best ideas and cannot think of more. Authors often call this writer’s block. Experiencing a creative block is normal, and there are tactics to use to break this cycle. They can recharge your creative juices and encourage overall happiness and fulfillment in your career.    

Get Out of Your Regular Routine 

This is the simplest way to get out of a creative slump. It could be as simple as changing the order in which you do your daily routine. Once you’ve changed your brain, you may experience a new and creative thought or idea. 

Stop Grinding Away in a Voiceover Creative Slump

You won’t have the luxury of completely walking away from your current position; that isn’t what we mean here. Sometimes you need to step away from a situation temporality, even for just a few minutes, to see things differently. You could turn off your computer for an hour, go for lunch, take a walk, or chat with a co-worker. This could be all you need for your creativity to return. 

Brainstorm & Collaborate

Trying various forms of brainstorming is an excellent way to get out of a creative slump. Different methods include mind mapping, star bursting, rapid ideation, role-storming, or word association. There are many ways to release new brainstorming techniques, which could lead to creative thinking. My favorite method of brainstorming is to do so with other peers, as they could pull out various ideas and thoughts that could lead your team down a beautiful road of creative thinking. 

Rest and Rejuvenate 

Similar to point two, get some rest. Rest will allow the brain to be in default mode. In this restful state, your brain becomes more flexible and novel. Experts think this is then when the creative lightbulb moments occur. It helps to switch on your divergent thinking. Meditation is also an excellent way to open the brain to think more creatively. Connecting to nature is a beautiful way to truly rest, which helps the brain come to a sense of calmness, allowing for more innovative thinking. 

Travel or Review Past Trips

Travel is a beautiful way to get out of a creative slump. The world is diverse and full of various people, ages, cultures, and attitudes. Many ideas will occur once you leave your town, city, country, or continent. For example, many of us enjoy eating chicken. How many ways can we prepare chicken, three or four if we like to cook? If you were to vacation to another country, you would no doubt learn another 3-4 ways to prepare the same chicken. I have traveled to 29 countries to date, and during my younger days, I spent quite a bit traveling throughout Europe and the Caribbean. 

I saw many exciting cultures, tasted many interesting foods, learned amazing dances, and met the most incredible people. I didn’t realize it then, but I was able to tap into so many resources that would help me later in my voiceover career. I picked up on different accents, which enabled me to audition. I can connect with my clients regarding their country and culture when interacting with them. I can think of creative ways to ad-lib in my auditions because I understand the target market of their country. I also know their culture’s business etiquette because I’ve interacted with their residents. These skills are invaluable, and I didn’t realize it then. I can’t speak enough about how important those years of travel were to my voiceover business. 

Get Some Fresh Air & Exercise 

Exercising is a wonderful way to boost creativity. Scientists believe that exercising can help boost endorphins which increase blood flow and can help to produce a happiness boost which helps fuel original or abstract thoughts. When I audition 20-30x a day, I repeat my methods, and my energy starts to fade. When this occurs, I turn off my computer, put on my shoes, and head for a 20-30 min walk. Upon arriving home, I feel awake and happier, with a sense of accomplishment. I jump back in my booth feeling confident, which always leads to a better, more realistic performance. 

Do Something Inspirational to Rise Above a Voiceover Creative Slump

This one may seem obvious but try your hand at a creative activity. As a voice actor, I take coaching sessions with a class to hear other voice actors’ skills. You could take up painting, dancing, photography, cooking, singing, creative writing, gardening, or interior design; the list is endless. There are so many diverse activities one can do that will no doubt spark some creative synapsis in the brain. 

It’s completely normal to fall into a creative slump at times, especially if we regularly work in a field that requires new and exciting ideas. If you fall into one of those modes, refer to the list above to help break the cycle and get you back to your unique, authentic creative self! 

We just entered a new year! Many find the start of a new year a good time to set voiceover goals. If you fall into this group, there’s no better time to start. With 365 days to make a difference, now is the time to start. Although setting annual goals are exciting, you also need commitment. The sad reality is 43% of people who start their plan in January expect to fail by the beginning of February. Almost one in four give up within the first week, and only 9% complete their annual goals.

Why is this so? Why are so many people failing at their goals? One reason could be that people lack confidence and have a poor perception of themselves. It also could be because the goals they set are unrealistic. Perhaps they fear negative thinking, failure, or a lack of patience. As a diverse millennial voice actor, I have to set goals in my business each year to achieve any success. Let’s discuss some of the strategies I’ve used and detail goal setting and how to get results.

What is Goal Setting?

Goal setting is the process of identifying something unique that you want to achieve. Goals can cover various areas of life, with personal, financial, career, and health being some of the most popular categories.

Many go through life without goals and need a clear direction or purpose. They may base their decisions on their heart, head, or gut, and nothing is wrong with making decisions based on these feelings. However, studies have proven that setting goals leads to higher performance and is healthy for one’s psyche as it gives one direction, purpose, and personal fulfillment, which can lead to a happy, contented life.

You can often tell the people who have set clear goals versus those who have not. The years can go by quickly, and without setting goals, you can become lost, depressed, and resentful for not making better decisions when you had your time, energy, and youth. That being said, even if you don’t have that advantage, everyone can create clear goals at any stage to help them succeed in their desired path.

How to Set Voiceover Goals

There are many different ways to set goals. Most will say they want to exercise more, make more money or spend extra time with family and friends. These goals are great, but details need to outline how to achieve them and when. The most researched and successful way to set your goals is to use the SMARTER method. The SMARTER approach stands for:

• S – Specific
• M – Measurable
• A – Achievable
• R – Relevant
• T – Time Bound
• E – Evaluate
• R – Reward

Below you’ll see the categories in more detail and how to use them in your goal setting.

S – Be Specific. Outline what you want to achieve. The more detail, the better. If your goal is health-related, try, “I want to have toned abs” or “I want to improve my cardiovascular ability.”

M – Measurable. Ensure your goal can be measured. How will you track progress and know once it has been achieved? If your goal is to write content for your website, instead of saying, “I want to write more content this year,” try, “I want to write two articles per month for my website this year.” If your goal is for work, instead of writing, “I want to be better at planning my work week.” Try writing, “I will spend 1 hour a day planning my business.”

A – Achievable. Ensure your goal is attainable. It would be wonderful to make a goal to go to outer space. But without the right education, ability, and resources, that goal would not be attainable for most people. Running a 42 km marathon would also be a dream goal, but without the physical ability, time and resources, it is merely a pipe dream. If your goal is to increase sales, an attainable goal could be “I have worked in sales now for three years with little to no experience, I know the basics, and I want to increase my knowledge by taking courses.”

R – Relevant. The likelihood of reaching your goal can be attained if you want to make this goal happen. The R stands for Relevant. Do you truly desire this goal? What’s the point of making a goal if you don’t want it? It will be harder to reach a goal if your heart isn’t in it. Make surer this goal is relevant to your job function or personal desires. Before setting your SMARTER goals, understand if this goal will help you overall. If so, go ahead and start setting it.

T – Time-Bound. Your goals can be attained if you set a time frame attached to them. How long will it take me to achieve this goal, and when can I accomplish it?  Be specific on a time frame and state when it will be completed. If you are a creative director and you have a new goal for this year, instead of writing, “I want to manage the creative process for my projects from concept to completion.” You can try writing, “ I want to manage the creative process for my projects from concept to completion within four weeks.”

E – Evaluate. The older method of making smarter goals never included the E and R. It was just SMART goals. The new iteration includes EVALUATE and REWARD. Why? Because the idea of evaluating and rewarding yourself makes a more holistic approach to goal setting, leading to greater success. Evaluation is to check in on your progress frequently. Evaluate how you performed. What can you learn? Evaluate your progress to achieve better success.

R – Reward. At last. You’ve made it to the end of the SMARTER goal lesson. This section is the best part of goal setting. R stands for reward. You did it! You’ve met your goal. Recognize your effort, your collaboration, and the milestones. The steps you have taken deserve recognition. Companies find value in recognizing employees for their hard work. They know it helps maintain morale, keeps employees happy, and motivates them to achieve more future goals.

Keep Your Focus on the Results of Your Voiceover Goals

Think about when and how you will celebrate! Rewards help you to build sustainable habits. By reviewing SMARTER voiceover goals and implementing them in your goal setting this year, I am confident you will make carefully thought-out goals and have a much higher chance of achieving them by year-end.

Happy goal setting!!

This past weekend I attended the VO North Conference in Toronto. VO North is a one-of-a-kind voice-over conference that hosts hundreds of international voice actors to Canada’s largest city for a weekend of learning, prizes, and fellowship.

This was the last VO North conference in Canada and was one for the record books. Hosts Tanya Buchanan and Dervla Trainor worked tirelessly over the last year and last weekend to ensure everyone was happy, learning lots of great information and spending quality time with other voice-over colleagues. 

This year’s conference was held at the historic Pantages Hotel in downtown Toronto and the weekend kicked off with an opening ceremony held by the weekend’s hosts. There were over 35-panel discussions to choose from, and they were chock full of industry professionals speaking on various subjects and many open-forums about cutting edge voice over topics.

VO North Conference Panel Discussions

I attended a hand full of panel discussions and found them very informative and intriguing. The first panel was Show Me the Money! Understanding Rates and the Nuances of Quoting Properly led by David Toback, Petra O’Toole, and Tanya Buchanan, was fascinating and informative. We were taught to quote appropriately according to the GVAA Rate Guide and other industry-leading rate guides.

I then attended a Speed Networking breakout session which was great to meet other voice actors.  Voice-over can really be such a solo gig, so it was so helpful to shake hands, fist bump, embrace other voice actors, and learn about their journey into this exciting industry.

How My Goals Had Changed Since Last Time

When I attended the VO North conference in 2019, I recall taking endless and endless pages of notes, as I was so green in the industry. I came intending to find a commercial voice over coach, a commercial demo producer, and information on how to market myself. I had very specific, clear goals and could narrow down my prospects by the end of the weekend.

This time, I had a different goal: to network and meet other voice actors and meet those I have coached with and follow on social media. I have to be honest and say I didn’t find myself taking endless pages of notes this time around. I would like to credit that to being more knowledgeable this time around. Still, I was able to have open, honest conversations with my fellow voice actors on a variety of subjects and felt that carried its weight in gold over the weekend.

I attended a panel discussion on The Art of Marketing, CRM, and Branding on Saturday afternoon with Dani States, Marc Scott, and Matt Fogarty. I am a big fan of Marc Scott and purchased his Marketing Playbook earlier this year. His marketing program is incredible, and I was happy to have sat in on this session. All speakers gave good recommendations and tips and tricks on marketing oneself, and I felt that I learned some easy action items that motivated me to continue marketing daily.

I ended Saturday’s session with an Improv class with the incomparable Elle-Ray Hennessey. Elle led the class with an inspiring poem reminding the class of the importance of our responsibility as actors to try our hardest to be honest and authentic when auditioning.  She reminded us of the importance of how to play, have fun, and make people feel something when they listen to us. She helped us tap into our inner child, and every time I take a class with Elle-Ray, I am left riding high for weeks.  I came into the weekend looking for inspiration and left my cup full after a coaching session with the amazing Elle-Ray.

Day one may have been over, but the party continued well into the night with the industry mixer being held at Taco Taco in Kensington Market. I could not go, but I heard from many friends that it was packed full of voice actors and industry professionals and was a great time had by all.

Another Full Day of Learning

Sunday was another full day, with lots lined up, ready to learn. I attended the panel titled Why Them and Not Me? – Demystifying the Casting Process. Industry professionals such as Alexa Magneto, Kaliopi Kuzyk, Alex Nursall, and Sam Ufret were all on the panel. This session was full of voice actors itching to learn secrets from casting directors or anything to give them a leg up on how to set themselves apart from other actors to win the big job.

I dipped out of that session toward the end and attended the “Breaking into Animation – How to Get Started Class” with – Elle Ray Hennessey, Susan Hart, Ellen Dubin, and Michael Daingerfield. Animation panel discussions are always the most enjoyable to me as you can see the attendees sitting on the edge of their seats, ready to learn all they can about breaking into an industry so many are passionate about.

The last session of the day I attended was To Infinity and Beyond! Reaching New Heights in Your Animation VO Career with David Kaye, Eric Bauza, Kim Huron, and Joe Motiki. This session I have to say, was the most inspiring of the weekend. First of all, the amount of talent on this panel was insane. The number of characters these actors have portrayed is endless. Characters such as Optimus Prime, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky the Pig, etc., are life-changing characters.

Closing Out the VO North Conference Weekend

I was looking to feel re-inspired this weekend to motivate myself for the last quarter of 2022, and I felt I was motivated in this session. I should also mention that on Saturday, in the elevator, as I was heading back to the conference after lunch, I met Eric Bauza, –  the famous Canadian Voice Talent who is the current voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. It was a brief meeting, but we met twice later that weekend. He was so sweet and genuine, and we chatted about how he got started in the business. I added him to LinkedIn and Instagram, and he sent me a very kind message asking if I ever needed advice he would lend an ear. 

These are the kind of conversations you hope to have at a conference. Meeting those who are further along than you in your career, looking to make connections, learning those inspiring nuggets, anything that will push you in the right direction to edge out the competition. Although I had to leave the conference early on Sunday, it was a great weekend, and I am happy that I attended. I was able to meet new ones, those I’ve chatted online with for years now, and met celebs.

There are other voice-over conferences to choose from, and I think the next one I would love to attend would be the VO Atlanta conference, the biggest voice-over conference internationally held each March in Atlanta, Georgia.

For now, I want to thank Tanya and Dervla so much for all their blood, sweat, and tears in running the conference. As a voice actor, I can honestly say I learned so much and appreciated them working so hard to bring together a wonderful community.