Thousands of dollars for fifteen minutes of work! Six figures in your first year! Instant! Easy!
I like to dream big and that has taken me on great adventures. I’ve had a variety of interesting jobs, trying on various roles to see what fit me best throughout the seasons of my life: I’ve been the personal assistant for a famous screenwriter and photographer, I’ve run events at the Texas Tribune, I’ve done fundraising for an Austin theater, and I even co-founded a boudoir photography company!
But dreaming big is nothing without also working hard.
There is plenty of success to be found in voice-over. For some, the dream is to supplement their day job with a fun side hustle that is also a creative outlet. For others, the dream is voice-over as a full-time career, a working pro in numerous voice-over niches. Both dreams require hard work to succeed.
I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer but may I remind you of the phrase, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” I assume most of us would love to be an overnight success. That may happen for some and hats off to them – but sometimes, social media marketing is just marketing and some people may sell just a dream, not a reality.
I have been working to be an overnight success for over fifteen years and have been a working professional voice-over actor as my full-time career for a decade. I started with voice-over coaching through informal classes at the University of Texas. I loved it. Then I studied some more and recorded a demo, followed up by submitting to regional agents and getting on the roster of an established agent in Austin.
At the same time, I had two other part-time jobs: personal assistant and photography company co-owner. I auditioned at my agents’ office because home studios were not the norm at the time, getting my first job a few weeks in for Scott and White Health Care. Bookings were random, maybe one job a month. I got married and then added another part-time job at the Texas Tribune.
Then I got pregnant with my first child and needed to narrow down my work. Adios to the Tribune: I was replaceable there. Adios to the photography company: it wasn’t my passion.
The hardest job to leave was working for Bill, the screenwriter/photographer, but he needed my full attention and I wouldn’t be able to give him that. I was most passionate about voice-over and it offered the more lenient schedule that I wanted as a mom. I worked on furthering my voice-over career while also having my second child and being the default parent and main caregiver for two little ones because my husband’s job isn’t flexible. I felt like I was finally able to focus on my career once my kids were both full-time at our local elementary school.
I have found success in the voice-over world, with repeat clients, numerous agents, award nominations, and several national spots under my belt. Nothing about this career has been immediate, overnight, or without trial and error. I urge you to chase your dream, whatever that path may look like. I encourage you to take what you have learned from your previous careers and implement that knowledge to further your voice-over work: I learned how to run a business from running a photography company. I saw how a writer was able to have a sustainable career in the arts. I grew my network during my time at the Tribune. I learned how to work with other artists from my time at the local theater (and learned that I didn’t want to work at a non-profit.)
There is success to be had and it’s yours for the taking, with hard work, grit, talent, and determination.
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