VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Pam]

More stories please. I'm approaching this decision and am curious about everyone's journey.
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Pam Tierney
www.pamtierneyvo.com
imdb profile http://imdb.com/name/nm1941932/

Now what did I come in here for?

[Philip Banks]

28th February 1990 while working for the investment management arm of a Swiss Merchant Bank I vanished for a little while and returned to work having done my first paid voice over job. Whenever possible I did exactly that until April 1992 when my part of the bank was sold and we all had to wait and see if the new company wanted any of us, I took the money on offer and ran.

"Let's see if I am able to make a living as a voice over"

The first two years were a financial disaster yet it was clear that things were heading in the right direction. I'm the major bread winner in the household and it's interesting to note that this morning a cheque arrived in payment for a TV commercial, the amount involved was larger than my "Bye bye Philip, it's been nice knowing you" cheque paid to me by the bank in 1992.

I've decided to give the Voice Over career another year and if it doesn't work out I'll try busking outside the St Giles Centre in Elgin.

[Diane Maggipinto]

Pam, I'm thinking of leaving f/t vo and going into national radio ad placement ...

Radio pays peanuts. I got a retainer gig years ago that I still have, and from that determined it couldn't be very hard to make as little in vo as I was making in radio. I make more in vo than I ever did in radio. That was 6 years ago. But the caveat: personally, I've been very, very lucky. And, I'm frugal, have a small mortgage, and want for little. Plus, I usually pay cash for everything.
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sitting at #8, though not as present as I'd like to be. Hello!

www.d3voiceworks.com

[BenWils]

Well....I would definitely say this is NOT the time to quit any job you have right now. Regardless of what you think politically....many experts have said we could be in for a rough, rough ride. Marketing/advertising is always the first thing companies cut. I would not advise anyone to get into this field right now. That is just my advice.

Also, if you do get into this field eventually, you better either bring something unique to the table at all times or be prepared to have a lot of people "not care too much" about what you are selling.

There is a lot of heat in this biz....from the heat you feel with a room full of ad execs listening in on your session and pushing you for the perfect read....to the heat of one of the most competitive industries out there. If you seriously can't handle the heat and pressure......well, you know the rest.

With all that said...good luck to you.
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Ben


"To be really good at voiceover, you need to improve your footwork and hip snap."

[Claire Dodin]

It looks to me like most of us didn't go into full time vo by choice. We did it because we were pushed into it by our personal circumstances, it was the obvious thing to do, the only choice really.
If you are wondering if you should go full time, then maybe it is still a bit too early, unless you have a partner who can help if it gets tough.
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www.clairedodin.com

[Dan-O]

Ben is a ball at party's, too.

[Bailey]

Keep your life vest on in the deep end of the pool. Especially if you're a hoosier. Your finances will be your best barometer for letting you know when it's time to cut the strings of a day job.

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"Bailey"
a.k.a. Jim Sutton
Retired... Every day is Saturday, except Sunday.
VO-BB Member #00044 .gif" alt="W00T" border="0" />
AOVA Graduate 02/2004 ;
"Be a Voice, not an Echo."

[ConnieTerwilliger]

I'm a Hoosier, but I don't live in Indiana anymore (well, didn't live there very much ever - military brat).

I was financially a full-time VO talent early on (between a part-time TV announcer gig and the other radio, TV and corporate work), but wore a lot of hats at the time - I wanted to be a producer and writer - this talent stuff didn't take any brain power. (I was a kid - brainwashed by a very intellectual mother with a PhD.)

After many years doing lots of different things, I found myself wanting to do the things that took the least amount of time and paid the most amount of money. I also didn't want to be the "bank" and hire the sub contractors, etc. So after several years of weaning myself away from producing and writing - I have been a #3 since around 2001. (I'm at my laptop writing this while watching the Food Network before tap class, and would have to go to my office to get the specific date, but I think that's about right.) I still teach a couple of classes, but don't need them to pay the bills.
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Playing for a living...
www.voiceover-talent.com
YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/connieterwilliger

[jasbart]

Similarly to Frank, my decision was made for me. In February 1993 I was the last full-time TV station announcer in Chicago (the FOX station). I returned from vacation and walked directly into union negotiations for the upcoming AFTRA contract. Yep, that was the year AFTRA decided to roll over and give in on the staffing requirements for station announcers.

That was the last "real" job I've ever had. 6 months later my family and I moved to Lexington, KY, and I was "living the dream" as some here love to say...

Forgot, I'm a "3".

Jim
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Jim Barton
Barton Voice & Sound
www.bartonvoice.com

[Drew]

I didn't quit my day job. It quite me. Am I "livin' the life"? Some days I'm behind the mic from dawn to well beyond dusk. Others...it's all I can do to get arrested. That part is still an adjustment.
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www.voiceoverdrew.com
Skype: andrew.hadwal1
Although I have a full head of hair, I'm quite ribald.

[Rognog]

Like many of you, I got canned, too! It was in October of 2005. I had been pursuing voiceovers since 1995 with limited success and was doing the food service thing to keep me afloat. I was miserable for a very long time but never had the courage to dive into the VO world without water wings. So, instead of diving in, I was pushed in! It was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I'm single with no kids, no mortgage, and no debt so I can "afford" to live from gig to gig. I truly admire those of you who can support not only yourselves but your family doing voiceovers full time!
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Tom Dheere - The "H" is Silent, but I'm Not!
www.tomdheere.com

[bobbinbeamo]

Dan-o, thanks for referencng that thread. I do remember that one, and there's good information there.
As for me, I'm in the #2 category. I was fired from full-time radio in the early 80's, which is when I discovered my appetite for becoming an entrepreneur, serving me and my family well just about ever since . For anyone in radio, you really haven't arrived unless you've been canned at least once! LOL

I found there was life AFTER radio. First was an ad agency I started with a partner, then venturing on my own; writing, selling, creating, and doing some v/o and o/c. Then doing v/o exclusively for a while. I worked for AFTRA/SAG for about 4 years, also started a sign and graphic design company with my husband, and was doing v/o on the side. Then we sold that biz in 2005, and I've since exclusively rededicated myself to my passion, v/o..quarterly taxes and all.
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Bobbin Beam
www.bobbinbeam.com
blog.bobbinbeam.com

[todd ellis]

i used to do a lot of stuff to pay the bills --- but started freelancing in the late 80's, and have in one way, shape or form ever since. in addition to radio, i've worked in business development for a publishing company, and also designed voice & data networks for a few years. it was the result of a moral parting of ways (you can't fire me ... i quit) that i became a full time VO. i was a #3 for a long time - now i'm a #2 ... and it's a lot easier. i'm not really doing less VO - it's just nice to have a fall back if you need one.

on ben's comments on the economy: while i'm not rushing out to buy a yacht ... i have always found that i made more money in a down economy than an up one. the reason, i believe, is the ability for a freelancer to be more flexible - and outside-the-box thinking than a large (or even a small) company. we can (and should) turn on a dime in our marketing/business strategies to adjust to small opportunities that may be waiting just under the surface ... if we just scratch a little.

jmho
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Chuck Davis]

Thanks Todd. That's got me thinking...in a new/good way.

This place is a freakin gold mine sometimes.
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Wicked huge.....in India.
www.chuckdaviscreative.com

[bobsouer]