​1. Take risks (within reason)

I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for me taking a few risks. When I competed in a voice acting competition, I almost backed out because I was so nervous and worried that I would embarrass myself. I set that fear aside, competed, and won. That win earned me an audition at Funimation. Thankfully I was ready for this opportunity. I had years of experience as an on-stage actor, so I was prepared for this risk. Another example of a risk involves me auditioning for roles that I didn't feel I could do as well as someone else. I decided to push through my self-doubt and auditioned anyway. I have booked many roles this way, to my surprise. A risk many people debate on is the choice to move to another state to pursue a specific genre of voice-over. I recommend training first before uprooting your entire life. Test the waters first before jumping in.

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2. Be prepared:

As a voice actor, you are an independent contractor. This is not a steady career and work is never guaranteed. When you go weeks without booking voice-work, you need to be prepared financially, so it's recommended that you don't quit your day-job! One of the reasons being sometimes voice acting gigs don’t pay well. And even when you DO book, it's not going to be every gig that you audition for. Voice-work is not always consistent, no matter how talented you may be. Through it all, it’s a good idea to have a job that guarantees you a paycheck each month.

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3. Listen and take direction well:

Do your research on the characters that you are voicing for, but do not become attached to their characteristics. Things change and you have to learn to adapt to whichever direction the client or director wants to take the character. Be open to change and listen very closely to what the client or director wants from you.

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4. Understand the truth about rejection:

Rejection is a common occurrence in show business. Actors are constantly auditioning for projects and it is highly unlikely that they will book every single gig they audition for. Never take it personally. Don't let the rejections discourage you. You are not alone in this struggle.

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5. Be okay with looking silly:

Push out of your comfort zone. As an actor, it is your job to "professionally play pretend." Sometimes you'll have to make silly faces in order to manipulate your vocals. Don't worry about being judged through your methods. Focus on the fun!

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6. Marketing:

Marketing yourself online is very important in show business. The biggest marketing platform being social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc... Some studios even cast actors based on the amount of followers they have. (it sucks. we hate it. but it's a part of the business and we have to come to terms with it). Having a website and professional headshots can also benefit you when it comes to marketing yourself online.

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7. Location matters:

When pursuing character-based voice acting opportunities with major companies, it helps greatly to live where the work is. In many cases you have to be readily available at the drop of a hat. Studios might need you to come in tomorrow and you have to be ready to accommodate their hectic schedules. However, don't consider moving until you are ready as an actor. Acting training and on-stage experience can go a long way. With that said, I highly suggest starting in a smaller market first. I personally started my career in Dallas, Texas and built my resume with anime dubbing work before moving to Los Angeles. Many major anime companies are located in Texas, including Crunchyroll (formally known as Funimation), Sentai Filmworks, Kocha Sound, Studio Nano, and OkraTron 5000 Studio. If you want to pursue anime dubbing, then Texas is a great place to start.
The pandemic opened a lot of doors for talent living outside of the major VO hubs, but the industry has since gone right back to the way it operated before then, so many of those opportunities were unfortunately short lived. We're all hoping that remote recording can eventually become the norm so that opportunities can be more accessible, but until then, this is where things stand specifically in the professional character voice-over industry. It all depends on the genre of voice-over and the studio executives. Before you consider a move, your acting skills need to be on-par or BETTER than the pool of talent already established and working in the industry. In addition to this, your voice-over demos must be competitive in comparison to the talent on agency rosters in order for you to garner any interest. If you don't believe you are good enough yet, take your time and focus on training before making the move.

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8. Voice-Over Rate Guide:

 

Large-scale project VO rates
Click HERE
 

Small-scale / indie VO rates
Click HERE​