Diversifying Your Income as a VO Actor

Way back when, people used to have a job, like banker, or construction worker, or lawyer. And that job was all they did. Every day, 9 to 5, that job was their identity. More and more, however, people are adding professions to their daily identity, taking on multiple jobs or doing things to add passive cash flow to their total income.

So now you’re probably wondering what the heck this has to do with voice over. Well, for some people, it has quite a lot to do with it - namely because, for many folks, being just a voice over actor rarely pays the bills. And this is where income diversification comes in. When your VO earnings alone aren’t enough to finance your lifestyle, there’s no other option than to tack on a few more jobs, aka diversify your income.

Now, I’m not suggesting you moonlight as a pizza delivery driver (although there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that). But what I am suggesting is that you start thinking of ways you can expand your VO career to add more income-producing jobs to it. For instance, you could consider teaching an acting course (provided you have the experience to do so), trying your hand at copywriting, or offering your services as a VO consultant. Perhaps you’re a whiz at setting up a home studio...well, there’s definitely a demand for that among the technologically-challenged people in the VO community. Do you have copywriting skills? Or maybe you have language translation skills. Or maybe you enjoyed creating your website so much that you’ve decided to dabble in web design. Why not get paid for it?

There are lots of ways you can supplement your VO earnings, and this is often necessary for many actors (I’m talking to you, newbies). Think about some of the strategies I suggested above and how they might be applied to your life, or perhaps there’s something completely different out there that can make you a few extra dollars. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to tap into it and boost your income!
And if you're working at VO on a part time basis be sure NOT to give up your day job until you're truly ready.