I know a lot of people read this site, hoping to pick up tips that will lead them to a successful career in writing, acting, drawing, voiceover work or other show-bizzy areas. If there is one major bit of advice I can give to these people, it's not to be so desperate that you do stupid things, including believing con artists who want to exploit your eagerness to succeed. I have seen many, many scams based on this premise, getting people to do work for nothing or paying for worthless "coaching" or to have their book published. The list is endless.
During the time I was hiring voice talent for the various Garfield cartoon shows, I had a number of wanna-be voice actors practically beg for a part, any part. Two said I didn't have to pay them. One offered to pay me. I would never take them up on those offers but there must be someone out there who would. If you are an aspiring voiceover performer, please read and consider the following two sentences…
These days, there are so many people trying to get voiceover work, there can never be enough openings for 90% of them to make any sort of living at it. And if I'm wrong about that, it's because the situation is even more bleak than I say here.
I am not saying, "Don't try." I am saying, "Don't run your life so that you'll be homeless or personally devastated if you don't succeed. Have a Plan B. Work on a backup career." It's like gambling. It's fine to put $20 on Red at a Roulette table. It's not wise to bet everything you have on Double-Zero.
And for God's sake, avoid the people who want to exploit your need to "make it." In the voiceover world, there are many, including "Pay to Play" businesses. Basically, these are businesses that kinda look like agencies but they want you to pay them to try and get you work. They may or may not be able to do this and the "jobs," if any, will rarely be at union rates and will often pay less than the cost of a good cheeseburger. Marc Graue, who is an actual working voiceover guy and coach, put together this video to warn newcomers about the "Pay to Play" racket. He is not exaggerating…