VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Neil K. Hess]

So, after doing the math, I have come to the conclusion that in order to do VO full time, I would need to average $300 per business day. I'm just wondering how many of you out there found out what their number was and how long it took them to get to that point?

[Philip Banks]

When I considered VO as a job I ran the numbers. From a cold start to hitting target took 2 years, The first two years were "character building".

Initially you should set out your stall based on working (doing) 138 paid jobs per year as opposed to $300 per day. Unless that is $300 per day, 3 days per week, 46 weeks per year. Latter strategy has a short term cost but a huge long term gain.

[Neil K. Hess]

[Bruce]

When you figure your weekly "nut" I hope you're figuring in taxes. 13% needs to go to Social Security and Medicare (it's 15% less about 2% in deductions you can take on your return) and about 17% for Federal and State Withholding... your rates may vary...

Call it 30% of every check needs to go into savings just for taxes. If you're saving for savings sake that's even more.

Every newcomer has a different experience, but your first jobs are going to be all over the map financially and timing wise, so Philip's got a good thought at going by job count first. Because of the irregularities you might also consider setting monthly goals instead of weekly.

$75,000 gross a year is a pretty lofty goal, but it's good that you know what it takes for you.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Kristin Lennox]

A daily goal is nice, and it's good to have numbers in mind, especially as you set your minimum session fees...

But I find that in this Feast-or-Famine type of business, it's better if I have a monthly goal -- sometimes I make it all in the first week, sometimes I'm two weeks in and thinking there's no way I'll make it. Keeping my goal less laser-focused allows me to not panic about a bad day or two or five. Even a bad month doesn't scare me, if I can see that I've exceeded my goal the previous few months...

So if you need to make $75,000, that translates to $6250 per month, or about $1445 per week, if you don't take any vacation (and do heed Bruce's advice about socking 30% away for taxes). Lofty, yes -- but if we didn't have goals, we wouldn't get very far at all...
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Always look on the bright side of life.

Dee doo. Dee doot doot doo dee doo.

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[Bob Bergen]

Boy, I've said this before and I'll say it again. I didn't go into acting for the money. Never expected to make a living at it. Acting is what made/makes me happy. Getting paid for it was a pleasant circumstance. I went into acting with day and night jobs, which allowed me to pursue professional acting professionally. I was fortunate that I got to the point where I was able to make a good living at it. But I still to this day don't do it for the money. This is difficult for the non actor to understand. I get that. It's a byproduct of the e-generation of vo. Making money at acting is never discussed in legitimate acting classes. All people talk about online is making money at vo. It's a relatively recent phenomenon. I don't relate to it. But I also get that the e-generation doesn't relate to me. I do accept the generation gap. The e-generation is almost 20 years old. Statistics tell you that a generation in acting is 4-7 years. So we are 3-5 generations into the e-generation of vo. No way for them to relate to my generation's philosophies on acting. They own it. But I fear they will never be content doing it for the money. It will neve be enough.

[Philip Banks]

Two conversations going on here. How does one set a financial goal and what could one reasonably expect from VO work. The two conversations should never be connected.

What could one reasonably expect financially from VO work? For 95% of people? Nothing. Take 100 of your best friends, your best solvent friends and agree to meet with them in 2 years. 95 will not show up because they will not be able to afford the bus fare. IT REALLY IS THAT BAD.

How do you set a financial goal for you VO business? Over the years I have told countless people EXACTLY how to do it on a Saturday. They have nodded, argued fought, cried (literally) and on Monday done nothing.

Setting a goal will identify the optimal outcome; it's mathematics. Like all financial models the numbers are entirely accurate and completely useless.

On Saturday the new Star Wars Movie premiered in LA. The voice chosen? Me.

Today in my inbox there appeared an electronic payment advice slip. The amount? $15,000

Bragging? No. I MADE neither of these things happen or likely to happen. VO work has limitless possibilities but few probabilities and even fewer certainties.

[Bailey]

On the 'Lighter Side'.

After the word weary Voiceoverist reaches the age specific for financial rewards, the Social Security Administration will send you a monthly pittance.

The only physical requirement to continue these financial gains... keep breathing. In perpetuity.
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"Bailey"
a.k.a. Jim Sutton
Retired... Every day is Saturday, except Sunday.
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AOVA Graduate 02/2004 ;
"Be a Voice, not an Echo."

[Bish]

Let's beat the bifurcation of the voiceover business to death... because it's a fun argument that never stops giving.

There are those that do it for the "love of acting"... for the love of being in "show business"... for bragging rights... to impress their friends (real or imaginary/virtual). These people can be dangerous. These are the ones that will low-ball every job just to "do the gig". These are the ones who will, by necessity, have another way of paying the mortgage (or have a subsidized lifestyle). The don't care. They are "actors" - aka poseurs.

Now, I'm certainly not decrying actors or the "love of acting" per se... there are some very good actors who have made, and will continue to make, a good living at voiceover because they love what they do, are good at it, and have a good business head. My hat is off to you all.

But, if we allow ourselves to be brutally honest for a second, the majority of people on this board are "jobbing" voice actors. We do what we do because we have a talent for it. We are in the enviable position of having a commodity that is in demand, and by applying the right amount of business acumen, we can make a living. Are we artists? We strive to be... we build our skills to make ourselves more attractive in the marketplace (and that's not to say we don't love acting when given half a chance), but from a pure business sense, we cannot be aloof about the fact we need the money to pay the mortgage. We are not "poor starving artists" who treat the filthy lucre with an aloof disdain. I've got habits to feed!

Business plans, setting goals, balancing the cheque-book, paying taxes... these are all things the solo entrepreneur has to deal with... and deal with with as much attention to detail as we do nurturing the skill-set we sell.

I think it was Moe who called us "Blue-collar VOs" ... and while we may aspire to higher things (red carpets, awards, and hordes of admirers), for the most part, this is our lot in life. There's no glamour in talking about atezolizumab, retroperitoneal hemorrhage, or cisplatin chemotherapy... but there is a nice increase to my bank balance. If that makes me unfashionably materialistic... so be it.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Mike Harrison]

What Bish said.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[MBVOXX]

To answer the original question...
I hit my $$$ goal during my first year in the business when I signed with my first agent.

[juliaknippen]

I've been doing VO professionally for four years now. For the first two years, VO was a side gig while I worked full-time at my day job at a digital ad agency. While I was doing VO on the side, I didn't come close to making enough money to support myself doing only VO, but I did make enough to have a cushion in the bank to fall back on when I made the leap to full-time.

I quit my day job exactly two years ago. Since then, I've supported myself in NYC entirely through VO work. My first year, I set a modest goal for myself (half of what I would have made at my salaried day job). I made double that, but I made the bulk of that money in the final quarter of the year. That first year, cash-flow was tough. I needed to fall back on my savings until the big invoices got paid in December. This year, I started the year with a much bigger cushion, and I've made double what I made last year.

In my experience, to make a living doing VO full-time, you have to do it full-time. You have to have capital. You need to be able to take some losses. You need to invest. You are an actor, but you are also an entrepreneur. It's a risky leap, and there is no fail-safe formula for success.
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www.juliaknippen.com
Her Voice Will Grow on You

[Bob Bergen]

[Glenn Moore]

Neil-

I dabbled in VO for many years and had a job here and there. Once I started getting serious about it, it took me 8 years to build up to a full-time income. I went full-time 4 years ago. Since calling myself a full-time Voice Actor/Talent on January 1, 2013, I've had a good year, followed by an OK year, followed by a rough year, followed by a great year. I have no idea what 2017 will bring. To me the financial success part of it means getting the bills paid and having a little left over to save or go on a vacation...oh and to sleep at night;-) It has not always been that way. It's been a rollercoaster ride. My advice is to have as much money saved as you can (like at least a year's worth of living expenses) so you can sleep at night when your in box is quiet. But just because you have some money saved don't let that keep you from working hard on auditions and marketing. The money can and will go quick if you have people in your family who like to shop a lot;-) Like you, I had to do some simple math to figure up a monthly budget to at least break even. That could change from year to year, especially if you have a mortgage and kids. Hope this helps you.

Glenn

[AlanTaylor]

I've been at it for two and a-half years and will go full-time in January. I've saved and prepared, but already have some long-form projects booked that will carry me into mid-March. It's always a gamble, but nothing truly great ever happens without someone taking a chance...