Episode 5: Unconventional ways to get business

This episode of the Still Unnamed WoVo podcast explores the crucial role of opportunity in the voice acting industry, emphasizing the hosts' belief that luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity.Tim Powers, Bari Savarris, and George Washington III share personal stories of finding work through unconventional ways. George booked a job narrating documentaries about theRosenwald Schools after singing at a family friend's funeral, demonstrating that work can be found in unexpected places. Bari, after a chance conversation at a church celebration, was hired to voice the automated phone system for a landscaping business. Tim details his "detective work" strategy of finding decision-makers in non-traditional media. By relentlessly tracking down the hiring manager at a car dealership and following up with a box of donuts, he secured a long-term client for whom he now records 30 spots a month. Bari also shares that simply making sure people on an LG commercial set knew she was a voice actor (in addition to being the on-camera talent) led to her being hired for the voiceover on the spot)The hosts offer actionable advice for finding work:You must tell everybody all the time about your voiceover work once you are prepared.Leads are everywhere. If you leave the house without a business card, you're not helping yourself.Volunteer at local colleges with animation, sound design, or video game coding programs. The students you help now will be the decision-makers five or six years from nowRegarding working for free: go ahead and do it forstudent projects or for a not-for-profit you believe in, but don't work for free so that other people can make moneyThe episode concludes by promoting WoVo (World Voices Organization), a peer-to-peer learning and support organization for voice actors12. Membership is $99, and their annual event, WoVoCon, will be in New Orleans in mid-October Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.