Here is a lesson in transparency… Last week Matt DuBois, founder of Voice Casting Hub and Voiceovers.com created this post in a social media group: This came as a shock to many in the voiceover industry as the ownership change occurred in August of 2020 and we as a community had no idea. Matt claims that this press release made the ownership change known. You’ll notice that in said press release there is no mention of Matt selling Voiceovers.com, LLC or parting with the company. Also notice that his signature is at the bottom of the press release. When pressed for more information, Matt claimed he is bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement and can’t go into detail. After more comments and requests for clarification, Matt deleted the social media post. I will say that Matt did claim that one of the reasons for him selling the company was that his home was vandalized. This has not been verified, but Matt claims this was a “Black Lives Matter” matter. The concern is that the business changed hands without the subscribers’ knowledge. Many voice actors subscribed to Voiceovers.com based on their interactions with Matt, his claims of transparency, and the fact that many voiceover industry thought leaders (like myself) vouched for Matt and his business venture. Another concern is the timeline. It appears that Matt was trying to sell Voiceovers.com within a year of the site going live (April 2019). It’s estimated that Matt generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue from subscribers. I can’t speculate as to Matt’s motivations to start the company or sell it within a couple of years of its founding, but it is curious. FYI Matt no longer owns Voice Casting Hub either as it is part of Voiceovers.com LLC. You can see the other companies he has founded (four as of this writing) on Matt’s LinkedIn profile. There is a lot more to this but I can only say so much as other aspects of the story can’t be verified. Feel free to comment on this blog if you have any insights or new facts to share. DISCLOSURE: I had a complementary account on Voiceovers.com. I auditioned for many projects but never booked. I recently discovered that my account was deleted without notification. I can’t seem to log on to Voice Casting Hub anymore either but I’m not sure if there is a connection. NOTE: I’m just sticking this in here because it seems tangentially related to this subject: what ever happened to VoiceCastingBank? TIP OF THE WEEK Transparency, open communication, and trust are the coin of the realm in voiceovers as well as every other industry. This is a relatively small business and everybody talks. Voice actors, voice seekers, coaches, demo producers, and recording studios can all take a lesson from this situation: demonstrate transparency for better or worse if you want to be taken seriously and trusted. NEWS AND NOTES Wednesday, February 17 @8PM EST: VO How-To: Explainers Explained! What is an Explainer Video? How do you narrate one? Where do you get the work? These and many other questions will be answered in this online workshop! If you can’t attend the night of the event, the webinar will be recorded so you can watch the video at your convenience. Thursday, February 18th @8PM EST: the Business and Money 201 Webinar: ‘Time Management‘. It caps at 25 students and sells out fast so sign up ASAP! SOLD OUT!!! Saturday, February 20th @5PM EST: The Voice Actors Studio ‘eLearning Performance’ Workshop. eLearning, training modules, and instructional content is a leading category in voiceover opportunity. Join me for a focused eLearning Performance workshop! There are still a few virtual seats left for the March 28th workshop so sign up ASAP! Thursday, February 25th @8PM EST: the Marketing 201 Webinar ‘Brand Yourself‘. It caps at 25 students and sells out fast so sign up ASAP! HAPPY HAPPYS Happy Pizza Day and Umbrella Day! QUOTE OF THE WEEK Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over twenty years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the epic sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22. #voiceactor #voiceover #voiceacting #voiceoverdemo #VoiceTalent #voiceovers #VoiceCastingHub #VoiceoverBlog #voiceoverscom #voiceovers #voiceover

The 1099 form is often confusing for voice actors filing their taxes for the first time. Here is some 1099 101… If you earn more than $600 from a client and they didn’t take any taxes out when you got paid (withholding), you should receive a 1099 form from them. Until this year you got a 1099-MISC form. Now you get the new 1099-NEC (Non Employee Compensation) form. The 1099-MISC form is now used to report miscellaneous payments of $600 or more to individuals for: Rent Prizes and awards Other income payments (excluding self-employment activities) Medical and health care payments Crop insurance proceeds Cash payments for fish (or other aquatic life) you purchase from anyone engaged in the trade or business of catching fish Payments to an attorney Any fishing boat proceeds But wait, there’s more! Here are some other 1099 forms you may receive: 1099-DIV: for stock dividends (capital gains) 1099-G: for Unemployment Income and state & local refunds. I believe this includes Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) payments as well. 1099-INT: for bank interest earned (including bonds) 1099-R: for pension and annuity distribution 1099-SA: for your HSA, MSA, and MA TIP OF THE WEEK No matter how much or how little money a client has paid you, you must declare ALL income. Of course this includes all 1099 and W2 income. If you don’t get a 1099 form from a client even though they paid you more than $600, you still must declare it. You can find more information on tax forms at the IRS website. If you want to learn more about how to file your taxes as a voice actor… NEWS AND NOTES Thursday, March 18th @8PM EST: the Edge Studio webinar “Tax Time!“. In this one-hour webinar, we’ll talk about incorporating and how to set up your CPA for success when you file your taxes. This webinar caps at 25 students and sells out fast so sign up ASAP. Sunday, March 21st @10AM EST: Scott Brick and Johnny Heller’s 4th Annual Audiobook Biz Workshop. I have the privilege of being on two panels: finding work amid a pandemic and how to run your office. Thursday, March 25th @8PM EST: the Edge Studio webinar “The Sales Funnel“ SOLD OUT!!! Sunday, March 28th @5PM EST: The Voice Actors Studio webinar “eLearning Performance Workshop“. There are a few seats left in the April workshop. Every single TVAS workshop I’ve done so far has sold out quickly so sign up ASAP! Thanks to everyone who attended the VO Strategist VO How-To webinar: “Build Your Marketing Campaign“. If you missed it, the video is now available for purchase at the VO Strategist Shop. HAPPY HAPPYS Happy and Panda Day and Ravioli Day! QUOTE OF THE WEEK Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over twenty years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the epic sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22. #voiceactor #voiceover #voiceacting #1099DIV #VoiceTalent #voiceovers #1099MISC #1099 #VoiceoverBlog #MaleVoiceTalent #1099INT #voiceovers #voiceover #malevoiceactor

There are a lot of voiceover-related webinars out there. Heck, I’m leading eight of them in April alone! It may look like five webinars (see below), but I’m leading three sessions and moderating a panel at VO Atlanta so that conference counts as four webinars so nyah. Anyway, I not only lead webinars but I attend a few here & there as well. I strive to learn & grow as much as I can so I occasionally take a class to explore a new genre or brush up my narration skills. Recently I attended a webinar to explore a genre I’m interested in pursuing. In this 90-mnute webinar, there was about 30 minutes of discussing the genre and then about 60 minutes of live coaching. About half way through the first student being coached up, I got an idea. I opened up Adobe Audition. Since we could see the script the student was practicing with, I recorded a take every time the student did. Then I would listen to the coach give direction. When the student read aloud again, I recorded it again with that direction in mind. After the webinar, I listened back to my reads to hear the difference in my takes. I didn’t care if the direction the coach gave the student matched up with whatever I was doing with my reads. It was a great opportunity to practice a new genre and take direction from a high-quality coach. I learned a lot and had fun, too! TIP OF THE WEEK The next time you attend a webinar, record your takes and take the same direction the coach is giving the attendee who is currently being coached up. After the webinar, listen back to the takes you recorded and see how well you took the coach’s direction. I’m sure I’m not the first person who thought of this but if you haven’t tried it, try it! You will fascinated by both the process and how much you can learn in a short period of time. NEWS AND NOTES Thursday, April 1st @8PM EST: the Edge Studio Business and Money 201 webinar “Cost/Benefit Analysis“. In this one-hour webinar, we’re going to talk about how to analyze your voiceover business and figure how what’s working (and what’s not). Wednesday, April 7th @8PM EST: The VO Strategist’s “VO How-To webinar: The Practical Voice Actor“. In this 90-minute webinar, you will learn how to develop your decision-making skills so you can move your voiceover business in the direction you want it to go. You’ll also learn to determine what questions you need to ask yourself and how to find the right answers in order to be the voiceover artist and business you truly want to be. Thursday, April 15th @8PM EST: the Edge Studio Marketing 201 webinar “What Your Website Says About You“. In this one-hour webinar, we’ll talk about how and why your website functions as a critical marketing tool. Monday April 19th – Saturday April 25th: VO Atlanta 2021. I will leading multiple sessions and moderating a panel. Registration is now open and the conference agenda will be announced soon! Sunday, April 30th @5PM EST: The Voice Actors Studio webinar “eLearning Performance Workshop“. Learn about the world of eLearning and get some live coaching, too. This webinar caps at 12 students and sells out fast! HAPPY HAPPYS Happy Black Forest Cake Day! Also known as… QUOTE OF THE WEEK I believe that theater is a superior form of entertainment. An actor spreads culture. An actor spreads dignity. And if he respects it, he will make others respect it. Karl Malden Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over 20 years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps other voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22. #voiceactor #voiceoverwebinar #webinars #VoiceTalent #voiceoverwebinars #voiceoverconference #VoiceoverBlog #webinar #voiceovercoach #MaleVoiceTalent #voiceovers #voiceover #malevoiceactor #voiceoverconferences

Are you having trouble finding work? If you are, you’re not alone. Recently, voice actors of various experience levels have asked me why they have so much trouble finding work nowadays. There is more voiceover work than ever in every genre so what exactly is going on? To borrow from a blog entry from last year, let’s start with these possibilities: Lack of talent: you entered a business you have no business entering Lack of training: you got minimal or no coaching Lack of resources: you invested little or no capital in your fledgling business Lack of skill sets: you didn’t learn how to market, set goals, negotiate rates, etc. Lack of self-awareness: you’re not engaging in critical thinking about yourself, the voiceover industry, and your relationship to the industry What are the other possibilities? Fiverr (which we discussed a while back) and some Pay-to-Play sites have driven down session fees and wreaked havoc on usage fees, cutdowns, and exclusivity. This caused some voice actors to become bottom-feeders and ethical voice actors like you won’t consider those gigs. AI has taken some voiceover gigs away, too. For example, a major end-client I worked with for 5+ years replaced me with an AI. This will be happening more & more. We’ll discuss AI and its potential effect the voiceover industry in an upcoming blog entry. Many voice seekers who used to be accessible via Direct Marketing have fled to Pay-to-Play sites. I know for a fact some of my old clients have done that. Internal rosters of agencies, production companies, recording studios, etc. are tightening up. They’re sticking with a proven group of talent. Some don’t want to deal with the bureaucracy and expense of SAG-AFTRA. Others are tired of the tidal wave of crappy voice actors and their crappy marketing content and their crappy demos. They need people they know they can rely on so your cold emails go unanswered. In essence, there may be more voiceover work than ever but the gatekeepers have changed. So have their ways of doing business. TIP OF THE WEEK How do you meet the challenge of not finding work? There a myriad of ways you can approach this question, too many to address in one little ole’ blog entry. To get the ball rolling, I suggest you look at how you are looking for voiceover gigs. The problem is different for everyone and so are the solutions. Are you depending solely on your agents? Are you using only Pay-to-Play sites? Are you constantly hitting a brick wall when you’re using Direct Marketing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, that may be part of the problem. Try new ways of finding work. Expand and diversify your Portals. If something isn’t working anymore, stop doing it. Get more training, learn new genres, produce new demos, develop new marketing campaigns, attend more networking events & conferences. Analyze, learn, grow. Rinse and repeat. NEWS AND NOTES Wednesday, April 7th @8PM EST: The VO Strategist’s “VO How-To webinar: The Practical Voice Actor“. In this 90-minute webinar, you will learn how to develop your decision-making skills so you can move your voiceover business in the direction you want it to go. You’ll also learn to determine what questions you need to ask yourself and how to find the right answers in order to be the voiceover artist and business you truly want to be. Thursday, April 15th @8PM EST: the Edge Studio Marketing 201 webinar “What Your Website Says About You“. In this one-hour webinar, we’ll talk about how and why your website functions as a critical marketing tool. Monday April 19th – Saturday April 25th: VO Atlanta 2021. The conference agenda is up! Here’s what I’m presenting: Tuesday, April 20, 2021, 3:15 PM – 6:15 PM: [X-SESSION] Learning to do eLearning Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM: eLearning Panel (moderator) Thursday, April 22, 2021, 3:15 PM – 6:15 PM: [X-SESSION] eLearning Script Writing & Performance Intensive Friday, April 23, 2021, 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM: Explainers Explained! The X-Sessions cap at 12 students so sign up ASAP! Thursday, April 29th @8PM EST: the VO Mastery workshop, “Direct Marketing”. This 90-minute online workshop is only $59. Email Rachel Wohl at rachel@nullvomastery.com to sign up! SOLD OUT!!! Friday, April 30th @5PM EST: The Voice Actors Studio webinar “eLearning Performance Workshop“. Learn about the world of eLearning and get some live coaching, too. The June 19th class has a few seats left so sign up ASAP! HAPPY HAPPYS Happy Caramel Day and Bookmobile Day! QUOTE OF THE WEEK Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over 20 years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps other voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22. #findingwork #voiceactor #voiceover #voiceacting #VoiceTalent #voiceovers #VoiceoverBlog #MaleVoiceTalent #voiceovers #voiceover #findwork #malevoiceactor

Do you have a SEP-IRA? Do you even know what one is? Let’s zoom out for a sec for an IRA refresher… An IRA, or Individual Retirement Arrangement, is an account set up at a financial institution that allows you to save for retirement. What’s the difference between a SEP-IRA, a Traditional IRA, and a Roth IRA? To quote Vanguard.com: A SEP-IRA (Simplified Employee Pension) is a simple, tax-deferred retirement plan for anyone who is self-employed, owns a business, employs others, or earns freelance income. If you’re self-employed, your contributions are generally limited to 20% of your net income. (Net compensation for self-employed individuals is generally the net profit from IRS Schedule C reduced by the deductible self-employment tax. The eligible compensation limit, indexed for inflation by the IRS, is $285,000 for 2020 and $290,000 for 2021.) Traditional IRA contributions are tax-deductible on both state and federal tax returns for the year you make the contribution; withdrawals in retirement are taxed at ordinary income tax rates. Roth IRAs provide no tax break for contributions, but earnings and withdrawals are generally tax-free. While the contribution limit for Traditional and Roth IRA’s is $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re over 50), the SEP-IRA has a much higher limit. It’s great for when you have a good year and have already maxed out your other IRA’s. To see all the 2021 retirement plan contribution limits, click here. I set up my SEP-IRA a few weeks ago to reduce how much taxes I’d owe and it made a huge difference. FYI the deadline to contribute for 2020 was April 15th but you have plenty of time to set your SEP-IRA for 2021. TIP OF THE WEEK Even if you set up your SEP-IRA and other retirement accounts properly, you can’t just “set it and forget it”. Tax laws change, interests rates change, your age changes, etc. so you need to pay attention. For example, interest rates have dropped to their lowest levels since the Great Recession of 2008 and will not go back up until at least 2023. My Traditional IRA was earning only 0.01%! I converted it to a managed Index Fund and as of this writing is earning over 4%. I’m not saying you should do that! Just understand that you need to keep an eye on your portfolio, interest rates, and the news so can make informed decisions. Learn more about the SEP-IRA and other ways to save for retirement at the IRS website. NEWS AND NOTES Monday April 19th – Saturday April 25th: VO Atlanta 2021. It’s here! Here’s what I’m presenting: SOLD OUT!!! Tuesday, April 20, 2021, 3:15 PM – 6:15 PM: [X-SESSION] Learning to do eLearning Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM: eLearning Panel (moderator) Thursday, April 22, 2021, 3:15 PM – 6:15 PM: [X-SESSION] eLearning Script Writing & Performance Intensive Friday, April 23, 2021, 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM: Explainers Explained! The X-Sessions cap at 12 students so sign up ASAP! Thursday, April 29th @8PM EST: the VO Mastery workshop, “Direct Marketing”. This 90-minute online workshop is only $59. Email Rachel Wohl at rachel@nullvomastery.com to sign up! SOLD OUT!!! Friday, April 30th @5PM EST: The Voice Actors Studio webinar “eLearning Performance Workshop“. Learn about the world of eLearning and get some live coaching, too. HAPPY HAPPYS Happy Piñata Day and Animal Crackers Day! QUOTE OF THE WEEK Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over 20 years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps other voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22. #RegularIRA #voiceactor #voiceover #voiceacting #VoiceTalent #voiceovers #EdgeStudio #SEPIRA #VoiceoverBlog #TheVoiceActorStudio #MaleVoiceTalent #voiceovers #voiceover #RothIRA #malevoiceactor #VOAtlanta

The Periodic Table of Ideas is here! I had the pleasure of narrating this fascinating audio book thanks to my friend and author Ben Cheung. This is the second audio book I’ve narrated for him, the previous one being The Four Elements of Thinking. To quote the blurb… The Periodic Table of Ideas is a collection of pivotal concepts in history spanning the disciplines of business, economics, philosophy, psychology, science, and technology. These ideas represent the pinnacle of human thought and achievement. They are among the most ingenious and enduring ideas you will ever encounter. You can inherit these intellectual treasures by learning to apply the ideas in this book. The periodic ideas have affected the lives of billions of people across millennia. They are periodic and recur throughout history. People using them have wrought prosperity and forged progress. Philosophy Periodic Ideas guide you through your journey in life. The philosophy notions foster critical thinking and provide insights on how to think about the world. The philosophy concepts provide wisdom and mental tools for your endeavors. Science Periodic Ideas empower your thinking. These scientific concepts allow you study a subject or tackle a problem. The science notions add tools to your mental toolbox. Technology Periodic Ideas provide practical tools to propel your projects to success. The products of technology have transformed society and every aspect of our lives. Economic Periodic Ideas give your projects a financial footing. Economics indicate where your ideas will thrive and where your efforts will pay off. Economic ideas let you navigate through turbulent markets and ride creative currents. Business Periodic Ideas show you how enterprises can transform lives. Business concepts propel endeavors to success. Psychology Periodic Ideas give you a deep insight into yourself and those around you. Psychology explains the workings of your attention systems, perception, and personality. The periodic ideas turn ideas into reality. They have been distilled from hundreds of concepts. If you want to make a difference in the world, why not build off the ideas of the most brilliant minds in history? The ideas are pivotal, recurrent, and personal. TIP OF THE WEEK There are a lot intriguing concepts in The Periodic Table of Ideas, but I want to focus on just one of them…Back-Casting. No, not the kind of casting us voice actors are used to. 🙂 To quote from Chapter 20, Back-casting takes a future outcome and moves backwards in time step-by-step until the present is reached. Back-casting determines the mechanisms by which the future could be attained from the present. How does this pertain to voice actors? Think about what your perfect voiceover day looks like. Where do you live? Which genres are you narrating? How much money are you making? Now think about what the day before that looks like. And the day before that. And the day before that. And all the days before that leading back to right now, wherever you are, reading this blog. What do you need to be, do, and have to realize your perfect voiceover day? What additional training do you need? Which skills do you need to acquire or improve? How will you generate the money to fund your voiceover business? Write all of it down. That’s your business plan. Now go make it happen! NEWS AND NOTES Thursday, April 29th @8PM EST: the VO Mastery workshop, “Direct Marketing”. This 90-minute online workshop is only $59. Email Rachel Wohl at rachel@nullvomastery.com to sign up! SOLD OUT!!! Friday, April 30th @5PM EST: The Voice Actors Studio webinar “eLearning Performance Workshop“. Learn about the world of eLearning and get some live coaching, too. If you missed this one I’m teaching it again on Thursday, May 13th. Sign up here! HAPPY HAPPYS Happy Pretzel Day and Financial Independence Awareness Day! QUOTE OF THE WEEK Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over 20 years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps other voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22. #BenCheung #voiceactor #voiceover #voiceacting #audiobook #audiobook #audiobooks #audiobooknarration #VoiceTalent #voiceovers #audiobooknarration #VoiceoverBlog #ThePeriodicTableofIdeas #MaleVoiceTalent #audiobooks #voiceovers #voiceover #malevoiceactor

2014 was a good year for the Not Silent Blog. Back then it was called the GKN (Good Karma Network) Weekly Update. The branding has changed, but the message is the same. Oh, and if you’re wondering about the blog pic, that’s me on a mule at a voiceover conference in Arizona. Like I said: 2014 was a good year. 🙂 I’ve noticed recently that when I speak or coach I am frequently citing many blog entries I wrote in 2014. I thought it would be a hoot to share some of the more popular blogs from that year. They’re listed below but I encourage you to check out other blog posts I penned in 2014. To do that, just click on any of the blog links below then scroll down to “Previous Story” and “Next Story”. Enjoy! Weird Phone Calls I got in 2014, Part One and Part Two Got Values? 5 Questions Most Voice Talents Won’t Answer 5 Questions You Should Always Ask a Voice Talent The Voiceover Conspiracy Exposed! TIP OF THE WEEK In 11+ years of blogging about the voiceover industry I’ve covered just about every voiceover topic you can think of, many of them more than once. I encourage you to use The Not Silent Blog as a resource. If you do find a 2014 or other blog entry of interest or use, let me know. If there is a specific topic I haven’t covered or you think it’s time to revisit a particular issue, reach out and I’ll be happy to write about it. This blog is for you! NEWS AND NOTES NO BLOG NEXT WEEK!!! I’m on my honeymoon in Maui. Actually, I’m there right now so this here blog entry is pre-written. Pre-written? Is that even possible? Either you wrote it or you didn’t. Things that keep me up at night… Thursday, October 24th @8:oo PM EST: The Edge Studio “Business and Money 201” Webinar, ‘Time Management’. In this one-hour webinar, I’ll talk about how to set your priorities and focus day-to-day on moving your voiceover business forward. Click here to sign up! Tuesday, October 29th @8PM EST: Edge Studio Marketing 201 webinar, ‘Keeping Clients Coming Back’. In this one-hour webinar, I’ll tell you the REAL secret to client retention. Click here to sign up! HAPPY HAPPYS Happy Taco Day and Ask a Stupid Question Day! Any questions…? QUOTE OF THE WEEK Tom Dheere is a 20+year veteran of the voice over industry who has narrated thousands of projects for hundreds of clients in over a dozen countries. He is also a voiceover business & marketing consultant known as the VOStrategist and produces the comic book “Agent 1.22”. Subscribe to my weekly blog and the monthly VO Strategist Learnin’ Stuff Notice! #voiceacting #voiceoverdemo #VoiceTalent #VoiceoverBlog #voiceoverdemos #voiceovercoach #voiceovers #voiceover #voiceovercoach

As the VO Strategist, I define client offboarding as a critical audit for your business. It is the strategic removal of a voice seeker who creates more friction than profit. Understanding how to price out a difficult voice over client is the difference between being an exploited employee and a profitable CEO. Firing a Difficult Voice Over Client often feels like career suicide Most voice actors are terrified of losing a revenue stream. But if you are spending all your time fixated on a difficult voice over client who is a pain in the ass and lives in your head rent-free, the money is not worth it. What Does a Difficult Voice Over Client Look Like? In my thirty years in this game, I have seen every kind of knucklehead, so I have too much experience in this arena. You know you have a problem when: They contact you at the last minute and expect you to drop everything. The scripts are a disaster (bad grammar, poor punctuation, or "Google Translate" specials). They micro-manage your performance until you sound like a robot. They under-direct you and then get frustrated when you don't read their minds. They send endless retakes for performance reasons or script revisions. They take FOREVER to pay. The CEO Mindset Using my farmer's analogy, a difficult client is like a weed. They take up the space where a high-paying, professional client should be. If you spend all your time trying to turn a weed into a ripe fruit, you're not giving the rest of your crops the time and attention they need to grow. Make Them Quit You don't need to stage a dramatic breakup scene. "It's not me, it's you!". The most professional way to fire a client is to raise your rates. Simple, right? The next time they have a project for you, tell them your rates have gone up. If they haven't paid you for the last project and the invoice is overdue, either refuse to do the project until the overdue invoice is paid or tack on a Late Fee to the new project. The next time they bring you a last-minute project with a short deadline, add a Rush Fee. Every time they send a script that requires rewrites, add a Revision Fee. If they say they can't afford you anymore, great! Mission accomplished. You have successfully fired them without burning a bridge. If they pay the new rates, great! Their shenanigans is now worth your time. Raising your rates to keep a difficult voice over client in line is easy. Actually calculating your "worth-it" threshold and communicating it without sounding like a jerk is the hard part. Implementation is always harder, but it's an important exercise to improve the health of both your mind and your bank account. Thanks for Reading! If your current voice over client roster is giving you more headaches than paychecks, let’s talk. I offer a 15-Minute Strategy Consult to help you identify the "weeds" in your business and create a plan to attract better voice seekers. Want More Tools In Your Voice Over Toolkit? Stop guessing which microphones, hardware, software, and books are worth your investment! I’ve built a curated resource page with professional tools I trust that will both save time and help you make smart decisions for your business. Please note: As an affiliate partner, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Get my curated list of essential VO tools here. AND Check out my VO How-To Library! Want to stream as many How-To videos as you want? Get a Video Subscription - use code FORWARD for 20% off your first month! From my village to yours, this is Tom Dheere, the VO Strategist. As the VO Strategist, Tom Dheere has provided voice over business & marketing coaching since 2011. He's also a voice actor with over 30 years of experience who has narrated just about every type of voice over you can think of. When not voicing or talking about voicing, Tom produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.

What is the State of Voice Over Income in 2026? As the VO Strategist, I define Voiceover Income as the intersection of Cash Flow and Marketing Strategies. Analyzing the data from The National Association of Voice Actors 2022 to 2026 surveys reveals a widening "Viability Gap" between those trapped in the Crawl phase (making less than $10k per year) and those scaling to the Run phase (making more than $100k per year). Understanding these shifts is the difference between thinking like a starving artist vs. thinking like a CEO. How Was Voice Over Income in 2025? 2025 was a wonky year. Almost every voice actor I know in the Walk/Jog phase of their voice over journey experienced a serious dip in their income over last summer (including myself) and 2026 isn't starting out much better. I theorized it was due to both AI and tariffs and I stand by that. Now that NAVA has released the results of the 2026 Voice Over Survey and we have five years worth of data, I thought it would be fun to drill down a bit with some comparisons. Considering that a massive amount of data was collected and I ain't no statistician, I decided to look at only the income section of each survey. Shall we take a peek...? What are the Actual Trends in Voice Over Gross Income from 2020 to 2026? Let's examine the pie charts below using VO Strategist-speak: "Crawl" = up to $10,000 in voice over income "Walk" = $10,000-$50,000 in voice over income "Jog" = $50,000-$100,000 in voice over income "Run" = over $100,000 in voice over income Phase Income Threshold 2020 2021 2022 2024 2025 CRAWL Up to $10,000 56% 48% 55% 48% 46% WALK $10,001–$50k 23% 27% 22% 22% 24% JOG $50,001–$100k 9% 12% 11% 15% 14% RUN Over $100,000 12% 15% 13% 15% 16% How to Interpret the Data It's important to consider how many people take a survey. An accurate survey is taken by roughly 1% of a demographic. An average of 1,443 voice actors have taken the NAVA survey each year since 2020. If you look at the Gitnux survey , I think it backs up that the NAVA survey has a robust number of respondents that reflect the overall US voice actor population I bet there is a large overlap of voice actors who take the survey every year and most of them of had some kind of upward trajectory. That may explain why the Walk, Jog, and Run numbers have increased and the Crawl number has decreased so that section may not reflect the overall populace of voice actors. That aside, if 46% of the industry is still in the Crawl  phase, but the Run  phase is growing, what does that tell us? It may tell us the Middle Class of VO is being redefined. In 2026, you can't just be a voice. You have to be a solution. Those in the Walk & Jog phase are likely the ones diversifying into Digital Voice Solutions. Not fighting AI, but licensing their own models to create passive income streams that supplement their human performances. They aren't working harder; they're working smarter. The Walk & Jog voice actors may also be investing more in Pay-To-Play sites like Voice123 and Voices Dot Com. I've noticed that many production houses have migrated to online casting sites over the past ten years since it's easier to book a voice actor there and they can happily ignore all of our direct marketing emails. The Bottom Line So, what is the state of voice over income in 2026? It’s stratified.  Nowadays, you can’t just be another voice and expect to eat. You have to be the solution. The days of falling into a middle-class VO income within a few months of starting your journey are gone. The data may be revealing a divide: those who view themselves as a "service" depending on outdated marketing strategies are struggling in the Crawl and Walk phases, while those who view themselves as a solution and partner  are thriving in the Jog and Run phases. The growth in the $100k+ category despite the "Summer Dip of '25" proves that there is still plenty of money in this industry, it’s just moving into different pockets. I think it’s moving toward those who: Embrace the Hybrid Model:  Using digital voice clones as junior varsity versions of themselves to handle lower-budget work that aren't going to humans anymore. Skate to where the Puck is Going:  Acknowledging the steady shift toward online casting instead of fighting the tide of how production houses want to work. Prioritize Business Systems:  Treating their marketing and cash flow with the same respect they give their acting craft. If you find yourself stuck in the "Crawl" or "Walk" phases, don't panic, pivot. Use this data not as a scorecard of where you've been, but as a roadmap for where you need to go. A HUGE thank you to David Cui Cui and the rest of the NAVA gang for creating the Survey! As the VO Strategist , Tom Dheere has provided voice over business & marketing coaching since 2011. He's also a voice actor with over 30 years of experience who has narrated just about every type of voice over you can think of. When not voicing or talking about voicing, Tom produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.

As the VO Strategist, I define effective marketing as the art and science of developing meaningful relationships. When you treat potential clients like a cash register and your voice over direct marketing efforts are like a crowbar trying to pry that cash register open, it tends to not go the way you hope. Here's an example... Recently, a voice actor sent me a LinkedIn invitation, which I happily accepted. I'm always up for connecting with my fellow voice actors on LinkedIn to grow my community and of course troll for students because I'm a dirty, dirty capitalist. As soon as I accepted their LinkedIn invitation, they immediately sent me a generic message, offering their services as a voice actor. Why? Because they didn't read my LinkedIn profile and thought I was a potential voice over client. Cringe. This is a perfect example of what not  to do. A series of mistakes were made here, so let’s break them down... Mistake #1: They Didn't Look at my LinkedIn Profile Since this voice actor thought I was a producer, than means they didn't even look at my LinkedIn profile. I'm sorry but there is no excuse for this. It doesn't say anywhere on my LinkedIn profile that I produce videos, ads, etc. so I don't know where they got the idea that I'm a producer. Maybe the fact I'm wearing a tie in my profile pic? Do all producers wear ties? If you are going to engage in Direct Marketing tactics like a cold email or cold DM, you need to research your client FIRST. Google the company they work for, actually read their LinkedIn profile, and if you want to contact them via email, use a CRM like Apollo.io (FYI that's an affiliate link) to find their email address. Mistake #2: They Sent an Impersonal Message The message they sent me was written for everyone and no one. I imagine this template was sent to other LinkedIn connections hundreds, or possibly thousands of times. In this age of "spray & pray" and AI-generated emails, sending a generic message is less effective than ever. On top of that, the message was sent as soon as I accepted the connection invite. There was no meaningful conversation, they went straight to solicitation. Mistake #3: They Ended the Conversation Quickly This wasn't a mistake as much as it was a missed opportunity. Once I told them I'm not a voice seeker, they apologized and that was the end of the conversation. Maybe they were embarrassed? Maybe they were late for an appointment and couldn't write more? My guess is that they saw zero value in talking to a colleague and just moved on. They could have turned this error into a networking opportunity, and not because I'm the VO Strategist. I've been saying for 20+ years that a voice actor's biggest asset is their fellow voice actors. But when voice actors devalue fellow voice actors, nothing good comes from it. l had a very similar experience this like this back in 2012 . Same attitude and a missed opportunity to move their voice over business forward. The Voice Over Direct Marketing Lesson Most voice actors don't get far in the voice over industry because they create friction for themselves when they think they're being savvy and strategic. The voice actor in question didn't just miss a potential relationship; they demonstrated legacy thinking, laziness, and a lack of current business logic behind their marketing. I don't mean to disparage this particular voice actor. What they did was all-too common. Please take this cautionary tale to heart. Take a long, hard look at your philosophy & business model. Determine if your marketing efforts are a result of what the loudest jerk in the Facebook group says or do you have a true understanding of how things actually work in voice over today. Want More Tools In Your Voice Over Toolkit? Stop guessing which microphones, hardware, software, and books are worth your investment! I’ve built a curated resource page with professional tools I trust that will both save time and help you make smart decisions for your business. Please note: As an affiliate partner, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Get my curated list of essential VO tools here. AND Check out my VO How-To Library! Want to stream as many How-To videos as you want? Get a Video Subscription - use code FORWARD  for 20% off your first month! Upcoming Events & Appearances Here's what I've got going on in the next few months - register to attend and add your voice to the mix! Looking for help navigating the entertainment industry? Check in and Stay on Track... Don't know where to start? Let's chat. Grab 15 minutes with me for free - let's see what your business needs... As the VO Strategist , Tom Dheere has provided voice over business & marketing coaching since 2011. He's also a voice actor with over 30 years of experience who has narrated just about every type of voice over you can think of. When not voicing or talking about voicing, Tom produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.

I’ve heard it a thousand times in my Strategy Sessions A new voice actor spends 45 minutes obsessing over a three-line commercial script. They record thirty takes, agonize over the compression, and at the finish line they hit Delete instead of Send. If you’re taking an hour to record a single audition, you aren't being a perfectionist. You’re being a knucklehead! More importantly, you’re failing to act like a CEO. You don't have a talent problem; you have a trust problem . That lack of trust manifests in two different, destructive ways. You are either hiding from the world because you’re scared, or you are so in love with your own voice that you’ve become a liability. The Two Ways You Get In Your Own Way When you can't get out of your own way, you're usually stuck in one of two traps: 1. The "Don't Know What You Don't Know" Trap This is the student who agonizes over every syllable because they don't trust their training, their gear, or their process. They treat every script like a final exam instead of a business transaction. They are too busy being an unpaid assistant to their own anxiety, and it kills their ROI. 2. The Ego Trap On the flip side, some voice actors trust themselves too  much. They are arrogant and in love with the sound of their own voice. This ego trip usually translates to getting minimal training because they think they’ve already mastered the craft. The result? They become impossible to direct. In the "Walk" and "Run" phases of this career, being un-directable is a death sentence. If you can't internalize a note from a client in a directed session, you’re not a pro; you’re a hobbyist with a microphone. Trust the "Crawl, Walk, Run" Framework In the Crawl Phase  (Years 0-2), it’s normal for the process to be slow while you find where you fit into the voice over industry. But if you’re still agonizing over a single audition after two years, you’re stuck in legacy thinking and you need to bust out of that ASAP. Effective voice actors know that auditioning is a numbers game . Whether you're hiding in the booth or refusing to listen to a coach or client, you are failing the Farmer Analogy. You can't grow anything if you don't have fertile soil and that soil is built on humble, consistent training. The Business Reality: ROI Matters Time is your most expensive overhead . If you spend 60 minutes on one audition for a $250 job, and you have a 1-in-100 booking ratio, you are working for pennies. Trusting your training  enough to deliver a clean, directed take in two tries isn't lazy; it’s a strategic use of your time. Stop Guessing. Start Shipping. The "Poopy Grown-up Stuff" of this business—the invoicing, the marketing, the admin, requires you to be decisive. If you can’t get out of your own way in the booth, how can a client trust you with their brand? Reading about trust is easy. Implementing a workflow where you trust your training enough to hit "send" and move on? That’s the hard part. Want More Tools In Your Voice Over Toolkit? Stop guessing which microphones, hardware, software, and books are worth your investment! I’ve built a curated resource page with professional tools I trust that will both save time and help you make smart decisions for your business. Please note: As an affiliate partner, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Get my curated list of essential VO tools here. AND Check out my VO How-To Library! Want to stream as many How-To videos as you want? Get a Video Subscription - use code FORWARD  for 20% off your first month! Upcoming Events & Appearances Here's what I've got going on in the next few months - register to attend and add your voice to the mix! Looking for help navigating the entertainment industry? Check in and Stay on Track... Don't know where to start? Let's chat. Grab 15 minutes with me for free - let's see what your business needs... As the VO Strategist , Tom Dheere has provided voice over business & marketing coaching since 2011. He's also a voice actor with over 30 years of experience who has narrated just about every type of voice over you can think of. When not voicing or talking about voicing, Tom produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.

When I started my voice over journey back in 1994, the industry looked completely different. Back then, voice over was essentially a side hustle for on-camera and theater actors. We didn't have online casting sites. Entire genres that dominate today (Explainer videos, App narration, etc.) didn’t even exist. We were just actors looking to pay the rent between gigs. Fast forward to today, and the landscape has shifted. Now, I see a glut of Gen Y and Gen Z aspirants entering the market with a singular, laser-focused goal: they want to narrate video games and cartoons, specifically anime. It's totally cool to chase the genres we enjoy consuming as fans. You grow up watching Dragon Ball Z  and think, "I want to do that !" But here is the hard truth I’ve learned after decades in this business: Being a fan of a genre doesn’t mean you are built to work in it. In fact, forcing yourself into a genre that conflicts with your psychological makeup is a one-way ticket to burnout. It is bad ROI. It is a waste of marketing dollars. And frankly, it’s exhausting. Today, I want you to stop thinking about your dreams and start thinking about your brain. Let's do a Psychological Audit  to find the voice over genres that actually fit your psyche. The "Fan" Trap vs. The Business Reality I see this constantly in my coaching sessions. A student comes to me, desperate to break into animation. They love cartoons. They know every character and have been practicing their voices in the mirror since they were kids. But when we look at their personality? They crave structure. They need financial security. They hate rejection. Animation voice over is bonkers. It is chaotic, low-paying, and has a rejection rate that would make a telemarketer cry. This student is trying to force a square peg (them) into a round hole (anime) because they like the hole. Most business owners have to separate hobbies from revenue streams. You can love watching anime while making a killing in eLearning because that is where your temperament thrives. The Psychological Audit: Who Are You? Let’s look at the genre archetypes through the lens of psychology and habits. 1. The Sprinter (Commercials & Promo) The Vibe:  Fast, high-pressure, and inconsistent. The Psyche:  You have a short attention span and thick skin. You don’t mind doing 50 auditions to get one "yes." You are adaptable and can change direction on a dime when a director says, "Do it again, but... happier?" The Cautionary Tale:  If you are a perfectionist who needs to analyze every script for 30 minutes, Commercials will crush you. You will overthink it, miss the deadline, and drive yourself crazy. 2. The Marathon Runner (Audiobooks) The Vibe:  Solitary, endurance-based, and detail-oriented. The Psyche:  You are an introvert’s introvert. You can sit in a padded box for 4-6 hours a day without human contact. You have the patience of a saint and the organizational skills of a librarian (because editing 10 hours of audio requires it). The Cautionary Tale:  If you are an extrovert who needs constant feedback and variety, Audiobooks will feel like prison. I’ve seen talented actors quit Audiobooks not because they couldn’t read well, but because the isolation and what they perceive as monotony drove them mad. 3. The Teacher (e-Learning & Corporate) The Vibe:  Educational, structured, and consistent. The Psyche:  You are reliable. You like rules. You probably color-code your calendar. You find satisfaction in clarity and transferring knowledge. You don’t need to be the "star"; you are happy being the guide. The Cautionary Tale:  If you crave the spotlight and emotional highs of acting, e-Learning might bore you to tears. And a bored voice actor sounds like a robot. (See my post " I Love eLearning Narration "  for why this structure works for me). Your Personality Is Your Voice Over Genre When you align your business with your psyche, everything gets easier. Marketing  feels less like lying and more like sharing. Workflow  becomes smoother because you aren’t fighting your natural rhythm. Profit  increases because you are more efficient. Stop trying to be the voice actor you wish  you were. Be the voice actor you are . Look at your daily habits. Do you need variety or stability? Do you crave attention or solitude? Answer those questions, and you will find your most profitable voice over genres. And if you’re still confused? That’s what a Strategy Session is for. Let’s look at your business (and your brain) together. Want More Tools In Your Voice Over Toolkit? Stop guessing which microphones, hardware, software, and books are worth your investment! I’ve built a curated resource page with the professional tools I trust to save you time and help you make smart decisions for your business. Please note: As an affiliate partner, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Get my curated list of essential VO tools here. AND Check out my VO How-To Library! Want to stream as many How-To videos as you want? Get a Video Subscription - use code FORWARD  for 20% off your first month! Upcoming Events & Appearances Here's what I've got going on in the next few months - register to attend and add your voice to the mix! Looking for help navigating the voice over industry? Book one of these sessions... Don't know where to start? Let's chat. Grab 15 minutes free - let's see what your business needs... As the VO Strategist , Tom Dheere has provided voice over business & marketing coaching since 2011. He's also a voice actor with over 30 years of experience who has narrated just about every type of voice over you can think of. When not voicing or talking about voicing, Tom produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.