I am a huge believer in the mantra, “do what you love and the money will follow.” The inaccessibility of so many areas of the entertainment industry has been made null and void by the advances of new media and the wide availability of affordable equipment and software. If you wanna be creative, then go be creative! No one is stopping you. You can animate your own cartoon, grab a mic and record a podcast, shoot a film on your digital camcorder, sell a screenplay written from your hometown, and bid on voice over jobs from any internet connection in the world. You can fund your pursuits through direct banner ads, click-through revenue—PPC, CPM, ad networks, subscriptions, donations, memberships, heck, you can even get yourself a network development deal from the right exposure in new media. Any revenue stream that you dream up, you can implement it the best way you know how.
As a voice over talent, the possibilities for work are endless. Sure, there’s the standard TV and radio commercials, and we love that work for sure, and of course everyone and their brother wants to voice animated shows. But until the commercial campaigns and Nicktoons series regular bookings roll in, keep your mind open and create your own opportunities. Audiobooks, IVR/telephony, corporate and industrial narrations, anime films, ringtones, GPS, podcasts, internet radio imaging, online promos, smartphone apps, toys/dolls, museum tour narrations, and video games are just some of the jobs you can pursue without needing an agent. You can audition via the online voice over casting sites, or you can even contact the buyers directly and pitch yourself. Sit and brainstorm, and you’ll easily come up with even more places you can pitch buyers to use your voice. Maybe all that brainstorming will result in ideas you can put to use as both voice talent and producer and generate a voice over gig with a revenue stream that you own.