Daring to Dream
‘Tis the season, and this season, after another year of really hard work, I’m sure hoping that I made Santa’s nice list! Anyone who is an established professional in voice over will tell you that at some point we were bold enough to chase a dream. I would not be where I am in voiceover today if I didn’t have confidence in myself and passion for voiceover, but ultimately, it all came from a big dream of a career in voice over. Having dreams, or visions of where my career will go has served me well, and what better time of year to think about what I want for myself in 2021 then the week that Santa is getting on his sled! So Santa, please stuff this VO Mama’s stocking with:
Commercial Campaigns
For the past two years, I have been focussing on booking more campaigns and fewer one-offs. Slowly but surely, it is happening. My hope is that in the coming year, these campaigns continue to bring a blend of tv, radio, and social media. Usage has been a big part of the conversation in most of my bookings recently, so my hope is that as more campaigns come in, the usage for clients is more clear and they are prepared to pay industry standard rates for it! I enjoy working with my clients on these repeat spots, so I sure hope Santa sends some my way! Here is one from a campaign I did in the last few months:
Rosters
Santa, please help me join more rosters this year! Whether they are for eLearning content providers, explainer companies, or commercial producers, here I am! I am already on the rosters for Pandora, Spotify, and iHeart Media, and I love working with their teams and look forward to the repeat business. For my eLearning clients, when the work comes in, it is really exciting to hear from the instructional designers and know that they had my voice in mind specifically. I look forward to building my roster of rosters in 2021!
Website Updates
Santa, a website package would be great this holiday! It’s been a while, and I sure need to shake things up! I love working on my website. I look at it as my storefront, and I try to add new content regularly. This year, I think it is time to freshen up my branding. A lot has changed in my business since it was done five years ago, and I would like my website to reflect that. I love the team that I work with, and I want to come up with something that still reflects my brand but also works better with how I want my clients to see me. I want them to know how hard I will work for them and to have confidence when casting me. I still want my bubbly personality to shine through. My dilemma, because of the pandemic, is whether or not to keep my headshots and work with them or to get new ones, so let’s see that Santa suggests!
New Demos
Santa, it is time for some new demos! In 2020, the only new demo that I did was a Covid-19 demo. I also did a refresh of my commercial demo and added in real, booked work that reflected trends in what I am typically asked for. While I have some demos that are still pretty solid, I think it is time to enhance my sweet of demos at this point. I think in 2021, I will focus on narration. I want to have demos that display the current, bookable reads and show my range. I think my basic narration demo is a little old and could be updated. I also have a medical narration demo in the works.
Let’s Get Real
Do I actually expect Santa to stuff my stocking with all of these treats? In truth, Christmas is not a holiday that my family observes, but as an American I have always LOVED this season. From the decorations to the cookies, I savor this time of year with my family. I enjoy thinking about the idea of Christmas magic. In truth, I have seen many hard working talents on the verge of giving up. A little holiday magic could help us all. What I believe most is that success takes vision, hard work, commitment, talent, and yes, a little luck. So this Christmas, as we eat cookies, drink eggnog lattes, and enjoy time at home, my dream is also for a little holiday luck for all my VO besties.
In the blink of an eye, it is the end of 2019 and time to set goals for 2020. But this year also marks my fifth year pursuing voice over full time. The foam in my booth has literally turned from bright white to a funky yellow! Five years ago so many things were unknown: how would I juggle being a working mom, how would I find VO clients, how would I run a business as a solopreneur? Now all of those things are still part of my daily life, but I am confidently figuring it out. There is a good rhythm to my voiceover practice. So looking ahead to 2020, I am optimistic that I am on the verge of more good things. and I have always believed that if I don’t say it aloud, or in writing, then the universe doesn’t hear it… so, here are my goals for 2020:
I lot of my business, about 60%, comes direct from clients. Most of that is from clients that come back over and over again. This year I hope to add five or six more solid clients to my repeat client roster, folks I can work with over and over again and count on for steady work. Again, like my campaign work, this will enable me to really get to know them. This will also help my continue to build on my sustainable, consistent family income.
I have noticed on social media that there is a tremendous generosity of spirit in the voiceover community now more than ever. From folks like Bev Standing, Mark Scott, J. Michael Collins, and Kim Handysides to name a few. I am thinking of my fellow voice talents this week and always. I share this joy in our community and am so proud to be a part of these great VO tribe. I wish everyone much success in 2020. I think back to what I learned from Anthony Gettig in the beginning of my career: The rising tide lifts all the ships in the harbor.
