Hey there!
Many of the talent that I coach want VO to be a side hustle, or in addition to the rest of their acting portfolio, or something they do for a bit of extra cash or personal satisfaction.
And then, I have clients that are looking to ditch their day job and make VO their main source of income.
Whatever works for you, go for it. But if you’re looking to make VO your sole income stream, think long and hard before taking the plunge and saying good bye to your role in the Starbucks universe.
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Hope this helps!
David
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Raw YouTube Captioning
hey there it’s David H Lawrence the 17th
and I have a lot of different types of
clients their approaches their goals the
way they’re going about things what they
want from a voiceover or an on-camera
performance career some people they just
kind of want it to be a side hustle they
want it to be the kind of thing where
they you know do it at night do it on
the weekends in addition to what they
normally do for a day job or other areas
of performance on camera on stage etc
and then there are some people who want
to make it their sole source of income
and they can’t wait to ditch their day
job and to those people whatever works
for you that’s fantastic I want you to
be happy and successful and satisfied
and safe and to that end for those of
you that want to get rid of the day job
you no longer want to be a part of the
the cog in the Starbucks machine or you
have an even bigger career where you’re
making a lot more money but you’re not
happy I want you to just be careful
about pulling the trigger a bit too
quickly on ditching that day job and I I
completely get the idea of I can’t take
this one more day I’m going to kill
myself if I have to sit here at this
desk I get that I completely get that
what I would say to you though is use
that to your advantage sort of twist
that a little bit and say look for every
every day that I delay the instant
gratification of not having this awful
day job that I’m trying to get out of
and I Bank some extra big cash or just
some extra cash at all is one less day
that I have to worry about financial
safety so I think some people want to
wear that badge as quickly as possible
of I gave up my day job I do this for a
living even when that living can become
a struggle because it’s a little early
in your journey so all I would ask you
to do and this is really short and sweet
is really examine your budget what your
plans are for the next year or two
how much work you’re actually getting
that you think you can reproduce in the
world of voiceover before you jump away
from something that’s going to support
you in that effort
and just know and relax into the idea
that you’re still on the path you’re
still working toward that but you want
to be sure you want to give yourself a
safety net
my buddy Killian says leap and the net
shall appear and what I would say to
that is that’s great you might also want
to have a net in your pocket that you
can throw open and catch yourself with I
don’t know if that actually works maybe
a parachute would be a better thing my
point is it’s really inspiring to say
that to say oh you know what just go for
it you’ll the risk alone will make you
successful it’ll make you do the right
thing and I get that I’ve done it myself
sometimes it’s been successful and
sometimes the net has had big holes in
it
all I want you to do is be safe I want
you to be happy I want you to be calm
and I want you to be worried about you
know how you’re gonna pay for your rent
we talked about this in another video
about having a war chest build your war
chest up just a little bit more than you
think maybe you need to you know you can
get away with it now but if you could do
it another week or two or a month maybe
that’s just that little extra added
cushion that will make the difference
when you go to make voiceover or any
other performing art that is filled with
rejection and what is salad days today
could be drought tomorrow you know give
yourself a little bit of um a little bit
of cushion okay tell me what you think
about that is it something you just
can’t wait to do and you’re just like
you’re gonna dismiss me out of hand
I’m getting out I’m getting out I’m
getting out today is it something you
went through tell me in the comments
below I’d love to know what you think
about this if you’d like to get notified
when the next video that I’ve got coming
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and click on that frame there that shows
the video they’ll play it for you
wherever you are right now I’m David H
Lawrence the 17th and I thank you so
much for watching and I’ll talk to you
tomorrow
My reason for leaving a job almost three years ago and going full time into acting training (I got an agent – a great one – one year ago) was from a shocking Me Too moment.
That was it. I was “done”, and left.
Now I am in your VO2GOGO program and loving the learning (you’re such a thoughtful and thorough teacher) and I am in your and Dan o’Day’s ACX MasterClass this month.
Yes, used $ from savings, and I treat it like I’ve been in Uni.
I want to make the jump every day. However, I am fortunate enough to be really well compensated in my full time job. I’m truly in golden handcuffs. With a freshman in high school I will need to stay there for a while. I’m in a volatile business (radio) and assume at some point in the not to distant future this business will “release me to my future” as a full time VO talent. In the meantime I am following your advice and trying to stash as close to a years worth of salary in savings.
Thanks for doing these videos, David. I’ve enjoyed adding these to my daily routine.
The only thing I have to offer since, as usual, you have cogently and concisely covered the subject, is to make a slight change in mindset. Start thinking of your “Day Job” as your side-hustle. You’re only in it to make a few bucks while you’re investing in your future with acting.
Think of it like smoking or any other addiction: “I can quit this. I can quit this any time I want.” All I need is X dollars in the bank and I’m gone.
I stayed at my Day Job only long enough to vest my retirement and guarantee my health plan. Check with your HR department. You may be able to leave sooner than you thought.
I did not leave my day job of 10 year’s with H.D.I was terminated, over a yr ago! I’m supporting myself because of sayings & odd jobs.I know how difficult it is to make a leaving on any level, let alone the acting Impersonator profession.I still believe, however being comfortable financially is the safest & most peacefully healthy way to feel while learning something new.Hell I haven’t even gotten through the first month of training! If nothing else I will learn a step at a time!
This is great. Of course I’m looking forward to quitting my day job. However my mother taught me very good money management skills and I know that I am no where near ready to quit. It’s a fun goal to have, but this little reminder you posted is always helpful. Thanks David!
If you leap first, make sure that the net is securely tied down first…
David,
Great advice! I started in VO while I was working full time. Then after 38 years of working for the same state agency, the office in which I worked was closed. Fortunately, I was able to retire but at a much lower percentage than what I would have, had I continued to work if the office remained open. It was a blessing in disguise for two reasons. My husband had a very serious illness which required numerous doctor visits at a hospital 50 miles away and now I did not have to worry about taking so much time off from my full time job. Also very soon after the office closed, I started getting small VO jobs. I had been a member of my local Chamber of Commerce for almost a year and as a benefit, I was able to set up a table to highlight my VO business at a networking night.. I got a new (repeat) client that same night! I meet wonderful people in business though the Chamber at different events! I don’t think I would have left my full time job voluntarily as I like to have money coming in every week so I can pay my bills. My creditors like that too! I feel your advice not to ditch the day job is very wise. Thank you for these daily videos. I learn a lot!
Sincerely,
Mary Z.
Great advice, David! I can definitely hear Killian ( if it’s the same Kilian I know) saying that. I, on the other hand, I had to do it through “trial by fire”. Sometimes the motivation to put 150% into a new occupation is when you have to. Thankfully my acting career paid off after lots of very hard work. Now, as I get older, I am going more into VO and hope that the same happens with this new part of my career. Thank you for all these wonderful words of wisdom!