2018.
What a year, ay? At the end of 2017 we took a look back and guessed what lies ahead for the voiceover industry. You can read that blog entry here. So how was 2018?
For me financially, 2018 was better than 2017. Revenue was up about 10%. About half of that uptick in revenue came from bigger gigs via agents & non-P2P casting sites and the other half came from more appearances & students as the VO Strategist. BTW thanks to all of my rockin’ students and wonderful organizations like MAVO and the VO of NYC Facebook group!
What about other members of the voiceover community? Here’s what Jodi Krangle has to say…
It’s been a great year for me – and while I increased my number of agents exponentially, there were less jobs from agents that weren’t recurring work. So local market work that’s regular, and industry specific work that keeps cropping up, have been two major sources of income for me. The real golden ticket? Getting on individual rosters of advertising agencies and production houses who have much smaller rosters so that when you’re auditioning, you’re either their immediate “go to” – or you’re competing with a much smaller group of peers. This year seems to have the theme of “focus”.
And that’s worked very well for me – and seems more sustainable into the future.
Natasha Marchewka Helmer says…
Up year. Only effected by cumulative, long-term marketing efforts.
Tracy Lindley says…
Up year. Continuing to keep in touch with existing clients helped garner more business from them, continuing to build new clientele through direct marketing and engagement on LinkedIn. Setting goals and planning steps on how to reach them through Natasha’s VO To-Do List courses helped me get to my highest-grossing year yet!
Even though this is a small sample size, I think it’s safe to say it was an up year for many veteran voice talents. The new tax code may have been a contributing factor. I will give you a full report of my day with my CPA when I file my taxes. Stay tuned for at least two workshops I will hold in 2019 on this very subject.
What else changed in the voiceover industry in 2018? For one thing, the Voicebank vacuum was filled by quite a few sites. Here are some of them:
www.VOPlanet.com (I count it even though it’s a reboot)
As to marketing, like I said last year, there are more aspiring voice talents than ever before which can make marketing even more difficult of you don’t have clear branding and an effective plan.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Jodi Krangle is right! Focus is critical to success in the voiceover industry. It’s a large, loud, chaotic, confusing business and there are a myriad of paths to take. Here is my challenge to you: over the next two weeks, think about what you want to focus on in 2019. For example…
How much revenue do you need to generate to turn a profit?
Which genres do you want to master and how will you develop your proficiency in them?
What marketing campaigns can you create to push voice seekers through the Sales Funnel?
If you can find specific, actionable goals & tasks to focus on in 2019, you will serve your voiceover business and maintain your sanity. Well, mostly maintain.
NEWS AND NOTES
This is the last Not Silent Blog entry for 2018. I want to thank all of you for your support over the past 10 years and I hope to stay ‘not silent’ for the next 10. I wish everyone a safe & happy holiday season and here’s to kicking arse in 2019!
Thursday, January 10th @8PM EST: My next Edge Studio Business and Money 201 webinar will be “Cost/Benefit Analysis”. We’ll talk about how to figure out what worked (or didn’t work) for your voiceover business in 2018. Click here to sign up.
Thursday, January 24th @8PM EST: My next Edge Studio Marketing 201 webinar will be “The Sales Funnel”. We’ll discuss what it is and how to push voice seekers through it. Click here to sign up.
HAPPY HAPPYS
Happy Chocolate Covered Anything Day and Games Day!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Raphina from ‘Sing Street’
Tom Dheere is a 20+year veteran of the voice over industry who has narrated thousands of projects for hundreds of clients in over a dozen countries. He is also voiceover business consultant known as the VO Strategist and is currently producing the comic book “Agent 1.22”.