VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[vkuehn]

I am NOT the person who should attempt to give you THE CORRECT TAKE-IT-TO-THE-BANK answer to this question.

What is your financial comfort level. A person who is in a financial position to do so can (like they would do if taking up golf as a hobby) go out and buy a top of the line mic right off the bat. Put $2,000 into a Neumann or something.

Even if you have no idea yet whether you are going to do broadcast work, narrate books or do tlephone menu-tree recordings, and you are comfortable making the financial outlay (you ain't gonna miss any meals!) then jump in and pick a top-of-the-line coach, TODAY.

But if you expect to be at the hobby level for a while, and IF money does not grow on trees at your house, give some thought to following forums like this one, and listening to all the You-Tube tutorials on the subject you can find for awhile. When you know for sure what path you want to take... then get the BEST coaching available, even you you have to put something on the credit card to get it done.

Only YOU know your risk level and your financial tolerance.... AND whether you know where you want to end up.

[Lee Gordon]

And I will give you the exact opposite advice. If this is going to be just a hobby, go ahead and buy the best gear you can afford and have fun playing with it. But if you intend to pursue this as a career, put your money into training/coaching (with a reputable coach, not a "demo mill") and upgrade your gear as you are financially able.
_________________
Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[vkuehn]

Tee Hee!

Aren't you glad we cleared it all up for you?

[chrisvoco]

[vkuehn]

[ShaneGraham057]

LOL Interesting points of view And sound advice overall!

This is quite the conundrum for me obviously. I really do hate to have to call this a 'hobby' as I have had many 'hobbies' in the past that ended up the same way... (Passionate at first but then...)

My 2nd bug - Got it to the 1/2way point of a resto then lost motivation and sold it. (Same with another 69 Stang project)
Brewing - Awesome fun and I had a monster setup (kegerator/kegs/all grain brew rig) Got bored with drinking (dont drink anymore) and sold my entire setup.
Poker - Built a couple of sweet poker tables and invested in some quality casino chips. Both tables are gone now (and I rarely play anymore)
(Latest) RC. I cant tell you how much $$$ I have put into the hobby of RC trucks. I ran (stupid) HARD and spent lots in repairs, new vehicles, and upgrades. (I can easily say in the thousands) I am at the point now of getting rid of it ALL (and a huge loss) merely because I dont get the joy out of having to repair my abuses. (And well, I dont play with them anymore)

Im almost afraid that something similar is going to happen here with this aspect of voice work. Dont get me wrong, as long as I can speak and as long as I still have my wit about me, I will be doing something voice related. Currently, the announcing gig is filling that 'voice void' but its quite a bit of work and having to 'recover' from an event can grow tiring quickly. Well, that and I am starting to think that I dont want to limit myself to just this.

I will say, that to this day I still get that 'funny little feeling in my tummy' when I listen back to my material. (Is that normal?) So to answer my own question...

--Cliffs : I think a voice coach would be my best option as it (may) help in other avenues of VO.
(Sorry for the long read LOL!)

[Lee Gordon]

I have seen a fair number of references to voiceover as a hobby and, frankly, I don't see how it lends itself to that. I suppose, if you build yourself a little studio and record VOs for fun, it can be a hobby. But I assume even the hobbyists are not just recording for their own amusement, but trying to sell their services for real cash money. At that point, it ceases to be a hobby and becomes a business (although, if you lose money at it for several years and claim the losses on your taxes, the IRS will eventually classify it as a hobby and disallow the deductions).

One of my hobbies is golf. But when I play, nothing about what I do has any relationship to or interaction with the golf that is played by professionals. They do it well; I don't. They make money at it; I can't. But most importantly, the spheres in which we operate never interfere with each other. I can't book a tee time at the TPC at River Highlands during the Travelers Championship and go out chunking shots and looking for lost balls and getting in the way while the pros are having their competition around me.

But if someone is doing VO as a hobby, does that mean he is going after the same jobs I am but quoting lower, "hobby status" rates? Or is someone with amateur equipment and amateur talent getting his audition in line ahead of mine and possibly contributing to a producer's fatigue so he never gets around to mine? I want to make it clear that I am not accusing Shane of any of this. I'm just wondering what differentiates a hobbyist from a working pro.

Paraphrasing Yoda, "Do, or do not. There is no "hobby."
_________________
Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[ShaneGraham057]

You make a fair point. (Well, in fact many of them) And I guess I should clarify that yeah... One day I may very well be in the market as a 'professional' - at that time, you are correct... It will no longer be a hobby.

But currently, Im just getting my feet wet and learning more about this aspect of the craft, in hopes of helping me decide if I plan to just 'fart around in my studio' and do 'thisandthat' voice jobs for friends (or my regular 9-5), or take it cereal cereal and see where it takes me.

Im not ready to step into the deep end of the pool just yet

[ShaneGraham057]

Well,

I guess I took (the first of many) steps to take this a 'bit more seriously'.

I booked my very first session with a voice coach... (Uncle Roy to be exact)
Truthfully, I am a little nervous but incredibly excited at the same time as I dont really know *what* to expect., but Uncle Roy seems very 'old school' and to the point. I think I can work with that

Thanks again for all of the valuable reading and other resources here. I am barely scratching the surface of 'it making sense' when it comes to most of the information here. Read, read and re-read. (And its barely starting to come together)

[Lee Gordon]

[Chuck Davis]

Welcome in Shane!
_________________
Wicked huge.....in India.
www.chuckdaviscreative.com

[ShaneGraham057]

FFWD a couple of years, and im still here and kicking. (And screaming)

Looking back on this initial post is kind of theraputic, as its given me an idea as to where I was (then) and where I am (now)

Long story short - I am on the path. Maybe not taking full strides (and dragging my feet like crazy) but I am on the path.

I have come to a couple of realizations during this time as well.
-I need to complete some financial obligations before I can make this into a business. (Only a couple more years to go)
-I really (really) want to get out of IT and pursue a career in VO (which avenue- im still uncertain)
-Patience and persistence are key, and yes - there are steps and a process to follow.

But the bottom line is, I have succumbed to the fact that this is what truly makes me happy and fulfills my soul. Sure IT pays the bills (but Im not happy doing it anymore) I have since studied with Uncle Roy a handful of times (as well as a couple of other voice coaches). Heck - I even took an acting class and plan to go back for some more of the advanced classes (plus a couple of VO workshops)
In essence - using this 'cant/wont start a business' (excuse) to train and learn as much as I possibly can.

The prospect of leaving the comfort of my 9-5 is borderline frightening.
Hopefully my planning for success (as well as failure) now will pay off when I decide to step off.

I think I am here to stay.
As long as I can still squeak.