Everyday VOpreneur® with Marc Scott

Why aren't Sports Promos accessible to female voice actors when the statistics show sizeable female audiences? (44% NFL / 47% MLB / 37% NHL / 37% MLS) That's the question Christy Harst is asking, and it's the mission she's taken on for herself. She says females can't kick down the door to this genre because right now, the door doesn't even exist.  Christy's goal... is to build the door! Christy is...

The voice over business is just that... a business. Yes, you need to act. You need to be in the booth. You need to know how to edit. You need your demos and coaching and studio. But you also need to know how to run a small business. That's the VOpreneur side of the deal! In this episode, I welcome Tom Dheere (aka the VO Strategist) to talk all things business and voice over. We dive into the diffe...

When you're starting your voice over journey, there's a lot of information to process and a lot of very important decisions to make. What should I coach with? Who produces quality demos? What equipment should I buy? What classes are worth it? What does it even look like to set up a small business? And the list goes on and on and on and on. Another vital question is "who can I trust?" Patrick Kirch...

Like them or not, contracts are part of the voice over business, especially when you think and work like a VOpreneur. It's in your best interests to know how to read them and be willing to respond to them when you see things you don't understand or don't like. Voice Actor Lynn Norris, and her sister, Attorney Karen White, have come together to create a new course for voice actors designed to help...

At the beginning of 2020, Jennifer Clark was a stay-at-home mom with a dream to do voice over. A week before the pandemic hit, she booked her first paid voice over job. Things moved quickly from there. More jobs. Big clients. Respected brands. Award nominations. Along the way, one particular practice has been important to Jennifer, and it's the main reason I wanted to bring her on the show.  Jenni...

For many voice actors, the dream and goal is to turn a part-time passion into a full-time career. That can be a challenge when you've only got limited time to devote to your voice over business though. For Bryson Carr, the solution was outsourcing. With a limited number of hours to give to voice over because of a day job, outsourcing aspects of his business to a virtual assistant allowed him to ge...

A.I. isn't coming to the voice over industry. It's already here. The challenge for voice actors now is, how will we engage and respond as a community and industry. One of the organizations speaking on our behalf is NAVA (National Association of Voice Actors). They are deeply engrained in numerous conversations including with SAG/Aftra and various levels of government In this wide-ranging interview...

Social media can be a very powerful marketing tool for voice actors. Imagine having access to global audiences for the grand price of... free! Not a bad deal, if you ask me. With the start of the new year, I'm keeping an eye on new trends for social media in 2024. Things that could have an impact in how the platforms are used and how to we, as voice actors and marketers can get the most out of the...

As we head into the new year, and look to accomplish an entirely new list of goals, it's important to pay attention to where the industry is going, and what actions are the ones moving the needle. That includes in your self marketing efforts. Some strategies work better than others. Some tactics are more effective than others. In this episode, I share five different marketing trends I'll be keepin...

When it comes to A.I. and the voice over industry, there's a lot of fear. A lot of speculation. A lot of uncertainty. A lot of doubt. But there seems to be less hard data. Less actual information. Less real stories to back up all the fear, uncertainty and doubt. A.I. is here, whether we like it or not. It's going to be better as well. But that doesn't mean it's time to pack your studio and sell it...

The 12 Voice Over Gifts of Christmas (#12VOGifts) is the most wonderful voice over contest of the year. In this episode, I share the story of how the contest came to be and how it's grown over the years to where we are today... with over $19,000 in prizes to giveaway! Learn more about this years contest, who has donated prizes, and most importantly, how to get yourself entered, if you haven't done...

When I reached out to Sean Pratt, my goal was discuss audiobooks. A genre of voice over that I know nothing about and an entirely intimidated by. I expected to learn a few things, and uncover some helpful nuggets for podcast listeners who are in the space. What I got instead, was a virtual acting master class that can be applied across basically any genre of voice over, including audiobooks. Yes,...

With Black Friday / Cyber Monday right around the corner, perhaps you're going to be looking for some great deals on some new equipment to upgrade your studio. Or, maybe you'd like to add some new studio equipment to your Wish List for Santa? In this episode, Jordan Reynolds offers up plenty of new gear for your consideration and he does it across multiple budget ranges as well. From microphones t...

Telephony is an often overlooked genre of voice over. Ok, so maybe it's not as fun or glamorous as video games or promo or animation. But it can actually be very lucrative. A nice foundational genre for your business to have consistent income landing in your bank account while you're pursuing some of those other genres. Mention the the words telephony, IVR or on-hold messaging in the voice over wo...

Are you planning on traveling this holiday season, but still want to be able to do voice over recording? George the Tech joins me on the show to discuss all things travel recording and voice over. You'll get some very practical tips for making the entire road recording experience easier. From unplugging the refrigerator, to booking rooms away from hotels, considering your car as a recording space,...

Every audition spec we see asks for genuine and authentic reads. But how do we get there? First, it may involve some tears! Dave Walsh is one of the most respected and admired coaches in the voice over industry. He has a gift for peering into the souls of voice actors, and helping us get past all "stuff" to be able to find our TrueTell®. When we get there, that's when we deliver absolutely genuine...

Animation is a genre most voice actors dream about being a part of one day. Right alongside that would be character work in general, whether that comes in the form of animation, gaming or even children's eLeaarning. Many voice actors assume this work is only available to talent living in LA, and only accessible to those with elite representation. Cristina Milizia, (who now lives in upstate New Yor...

If you follow the current public narratives surrounding A.I. in voice over, it would be easy to draw the conclusion that we're all screwed and the industry is moments away from it's final breath. Every post about A.I. is negative and often rooted in fear. But is this an accurate representation of what's actually going on in the industry? Or is the reality is a little more nuanced, and perhaps a li...

Many voice actors dream of earning six figures annually in their business, but statistics show few actually get there. Are there variables that determine who will achieve that level of success and who won't? Does it matter where you live? What your background is? How much you've got to invest? Where you get your start? In this episode, Chris McCann shares his inspiring story of the journey from re...

YouTube is the second largest search engine on the internet, and for the creative voice actor with a good idea and a niche audience, it offers a massive global platform you can leverage to build your brand, credibility and authority.   Too many voice actors make the mistake of thinking their marketing can only be about voice over. That all the content must be about their voice over services or the...

As election campaigns become more hotly contested and election ad budgets increase, there are more and more opportunities for voice actors to get a piece of the estimated $10 BILLION dollar pie. But what does it take to be a successful voice actor in the political genre? What's booking? How do you find the the work? Are there risks associated with being associated with parties or candidates? Aya M...

Where do things stand in the voice over industry? What's trending in commercial? What do we need to know to book in animation? Are the robots going to take over, and if so, is there anything we, as voice actors, can do to fight them off? Everett Oliver is a successful director, coach and mentor and in this wide-ranging interview, he speaks his truth on a number of different areas of voice over, al...

Get some CRM pro tips from one of the original CRM pioneers! The day I learned about CRM and signed up for my trial of Nimble is the day my marketing game leveled up for good. True story! Prior to discovering CRM my database was mostly non existent, my follow-up strategy was terrible at best, and I know I was costing my voice over business money. In this episode I have the privilege of speaking wi...

Have you uncovered your voice over brand yet? Have you ever actually spent time trying to determine what your brand is or how you could / should brand yourself? Creating a brand can be one of the most powerful marketing tools a voice actor can give themselves because once you have a clearly defined brand, it becomes even easier to tell people about yourself, your business and what you have to offe...

It's no secret that I'm a reader. I often talk about and share about the books I'm reading. But Steven Blair wanted to know more. How did I choose my books? Where do I find them? We even talk about what I'm reading now, and how I take what I'm learning and apply it to my voice over business. BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Shoe Dog - https://amzn.to/44xVHjE Edison - https://amzn.to/3sx8xl7 The Sno...