VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Robert D. M.]

Robert,

The very last thing I expected (or was seeking) was anyone's personal income disclosures; rather, I related my own background/circumstances as prospective objects of informal revenue-related speculation.

I do, though, appreciate seeing your figures, Robert; the annual income progression helps me frame certain of my own planning issues and, at the very least, gives me a proven reference point. Thanks so much! (Would you mind also e-mailing me your income tax returns for the past five years...it would be a great help?).

--Robert

[Yoda117]

[Robert D. M.]

Yoda,

The advice to find and work a niche sounds right; specializing streamlines most pursuits and can save a lot of duplicated steps. Thanks![/list]

[Bailey]

[Robert D. M.]

I was also told there was free watercress.

[Yoda117]

No free watercress



BTW: truth be told, you need to be as versatile as possible if you want to be in VO, but if you manage to find yourself in a niche where few can compete, then grab it for all that it's worth.

But in this environment, the person with the most flexibility as a VA will usually be the one working the most. Some markets pay better because of their exclusivity which what I'm exploiting, but I just got damn lucky in falling into it.
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Philadelphia based Voice Actor

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[Robert D. M.]

[Chuck Davis]

Totally agree on the niche angle. Just be carefull which niche you pick. Mine has been automotive...not so hot this year I'm afraid. On the plus side, it's forced me to re-invent and re-examine my marketing plan. Last year I was feeling guilty about not taking the time to market..mostly because I was so busy working. This year I'm having a chance to reach out to alot of new potential clients...in a somewhat shakey economy of course but still...new exposure is new exposure.

In the end it will be a good thing.

BTW - Welcome Robert....from the guy that hasn't been posting much lately...

...."Cause I've been marketing"
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Wicked huge.....in India.
www.chuckdaviscreative.com

[LauraS]

You might want to consider getting ISDN - it's used a lot in the UK at any rate. It helps give the impression that you're a serious professional - also gives you an edge and an extra to offer. I know some people use Source Connect as an alternative/add-on, but I'm not qualified to comment as I've never used it.

Laura

[Philip Banks]

Laura is a premier league, cross media, Union voice over with more that 73 years experience (estimate) and yet has never used Source Connect ....to find the implied qualified opinion one only has to think about it.

[ConnieTerwilliger]

If you still have contacts with stations that use ISDN and are interested in providing imaging or promotional tracks - or you know that there are studios that would use your talents for other kinds of vo work - then ISDN is worth considering.

But I wouldn't recommend spending the bucks for the codec and the lines until you know that they will be used enough to pay for themselves. Here San Diego, the lines are a minimum of around $50 per month to stay live. Long distance is extra (and normally not an issue as the client dials in). The codecs aren't cheap either.
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YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/connieterwilliger

[Lizden]

[davidmonteath]

Philips computer has a special button that adds the correct amount of zeros to any figure.
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