A week in the life of a freelance VoiceOver artist…
Monday
Wake up and start the week unemployed – as usual.
Share my latest podcast episode on social media and tag my interviewee in the hopes that they will share it with their network. Some do, some don’t.
Respond to an audition request from one of my agents. Notice that it’s one of those for a huge TV advertising campaign that has gone to the world and his dog and realise I haven’t a hope, but warm up my voice and do it anyway. You never know!
Research some potential clients using Google and LinkedIn, and send out cold, but personalised emails to people/companies I’d like to work with.
Do some preparation for a webinar I’m going to be running next week. I put on several webinars a year for others in my industry – usually with a guest expert on some aspect of marketing.
Respond to another agent who has a client looking for a ‘Voice of God’ announcer for an awards night. Sometimes these are pre-recorded but this is a live announcing gig in London, and unfortunately I can’t make the date so I have to decline.
A newcomer to the voiceover industry buys my eBook ‘A Guide to Getting Started in Voiceover’ which will help them avoid the pitfalls. A nice start to the week!
Tuesday
Attend an online networking meeting. There are a couple of online groups that I attend regularly and this one on Tuesday morning I’ve been going to for 3 years or so. There is a great core of regular attendees who know me well now and are happy to refer me to their network when the opportunity arises.
Receive some ‘pick ups’ from a client I worked with a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes these are to correct mistakes I’ve made, but this one is because they’ve decided to change the wording of a couple of sentences – even though they assured me the script had been signed off by everybody involved…
Record some voicemail greetings and on hold messages that have appeared in my inbox from a company I do regular work for. These jobs don’t pay much but a lot come my way and it adds up.
Receive an ‘urgent’ email from a client who needs a voiceover recording for their explainer video today. Fortunately I can accommodate the request, but it’s amazing how many people don’t think about the voiceover for their project until the last minute and then need it done in a hurry…
Have a short zoom call with a potential podcast guest to find out more about them and their business, and tell them how the podcast recording session works.
Wednesday
Nice little job for a client in Italy, re-voicing a corporate video. I have to match the pace and tone of the Italian voiceover artist and make sure I pronounce any Italian names correctly. Fortunately the client has sent me a pronunciation guide. Not everybody does.
Respond to an email from a video production company asking how much I would charge to voice a project they are working on. I offer to record a custom demo for them so their client can hear how I would sound. They send me a sample of the script and I send back an audio file.
Research some potential music beds for a client who wants some on-hold messages recording with a soundtrack behind. Send them 3 different ones that I think will work.
Attend the Wired Curry networking meeting in the evening. Possibly my favourite networking meeting – and definitely the one with the best food. Chat to other people in the digital and creative sectors – one might have some work for me in the near future. Fingers crossed.
Thursday
An e-learning project that I’ve been waiting to arrive for a while finally appears in my inbox. Head into the studio and make a start. These projects can be quite lengthy.
Have to stop for a while to record a guest for my podcast. Fortunately they are on time and have followed my instructions about wearing headphones so we don’t start the interview with a back and forth about the feedback I’m getting (but they can’t hear) because they didn’t put headphones on! Interview goes smoothly and the episode is recorded, edited and uploaded in the space of an hour.
Back to the e-learning course.
Friday
Now the e-learning course needs to be edited and cut into files ready for the client to add to their project. This part always takes much longer than the recording.
Respond to an enquiry from a client who is looking for a Yorkshire accent. I might live near Yorkshire but I’m not from the area originally and I definitely don’t have the sound they are looking for. However I do know several other voiceover artists that do have the right accent and I make introductions to save the client looking again. Hopefully they’ll remember me if they have something more suitable for me in the future.
Record my weekly ‘round up’ video for social media and tag people I’ve met this week.
Arrange a recording session with a local author who wants to come and record an audio version of their book in my studio. I’ve had a few people use my studio now – including a local actor who recorded a series of national radio and TV ads here.
Have a zoom catch up with some of my voiceover colleagues at 4pm to round off the week. Usually 4 or 5 of us will turn up for a chat and a bit of accountability. More chatting to be honest….
This week’s work is done and dusted, and invoices have been sent, so I’m now unemployed again until the next booking comes in. Hopefully on Monday!