Character Voice Acting & Thinking Outside the BOX - Session 4

• Pay-to-play memberships: Do not pay $500-5,000/year fees until making enough money that the cost doesn't hurt; free profiles still receive private audition invites
• Union membership: Stay non-union and in right-to-work states (like Texas) as long as possible; only join SAG-AFTRA when already getting consistent union work and have become sought-after talent
• Fiverr pricing: Charge industry-standard rates (not $5); platform's 20% cut is equivalent to agent/manager fees and justified by their marketing efforts
• ACX approach: Select royalty-share over per-finished-hour buyouts to build passive income stream from prolific authors with high review counts

• Create free profiles on both platforms immediately to test which generates more exposure over time
• Platforms rank results by specificity (how many search filters you match), not by ratings or pro status
• Private invitations from studios happen regularly even with free accounts; Timothy landed multiple Warhammer 40K games this way
• Google searches for "voiceover" consistently surface these platforms in top 3-5 results, guaranteeing client traffic

• Operates as search engine with products, not audition platform; clients filter by language, gender, accent, project type, commercial rights, and turnaround time
• Create multiple specific gigs (audiobook, commercial, video game, anime, character work) rather than one vague "voiceover" offering
• Include detailed "About" sections answering client questions upfront to enable fast purchasing decisions
• Charge for anything consuming time/resources: 24-hour turnaround, commercial rights, broadcast rights, higher bitrates
• Scam prevention: Ask for student ID if client claims "student project" to avoid commercial-rights exploitation

• Platform connected to Amazon; focus on prolific authors with hundreds of reviews (indicating potentially thousands of purchases since only 1-in-100 to 1-in-1,000 buyers leave reviews)
• Select books under 3 hours, fiction genre, royalty-share payment to maximize volume while voice is fresh
• Record 2-4 variations per line/sound to provide game-like variety options for clients
• Royalty checks continue indefinitely as author builds fanbase; can fund future platform memberships or cover income gaps

• Sell voice packs (zip folders with hundreds of individual audio files: idles, attacks, deaths, efforts, generic phrases)
• Include PDF with contact info inside pack for direct booking opportunities; Timothy landed two additional projects this way
• Platform periodically bundles related assets (Dwarven voices + Dwarven 3D models + music); Timothy received $4,000 check six years after stopping production
• Can also sell on Unreal Engine store using same process

• Never audition for everything; pre-sort opportunities by interest, author reputation (for ACX), and deadline urgency
• Open all interesting auditions in tabs, review thoroughly, then reorder by priority before recording to avoid voice fatigue on best opportunities
• Do not listen to other auditions before submitting own; prevents discouragement from strong competition and avoids copying others' interpretations
• For ACX: prioritize authors with multiple books, 4+ star ratings, hundreds of reviews, and active release schedules

• Ask detailed questions: studio name, project name, distribution platform; legitimate clients share freely, scammers withhold information
• Common scam: offering thousands to set up Upwork profile using your IP address (bypasses country bans)
• Understand third-party communication companies in China/Singapore may lack project details but aren't scamming; cultural business communication styles (China/India/Russia) are direct without friendliness, not rudeness
• Student project claims require student ID verification; legitimate students provide this readily

• SAG-AFTRA takes over 20% in fees but provides protection, medical/dental, and access to union-only projects
• Joining costs tens of thousands (now payable in $100/month increments after Bob Bergen's advocacy) and prohibits most independent work
• Right-to-work states (Texas, others) allow non-union talent to audition for union projects without penalties; non-right-to-work states (California) may penalize non-union auditions
• Industry has more voice actors than available union work; 90%+ of all voice work is independent/non-union
• Other unions exist but SAG-AFTRA dominates; joining multiple unions causes conflicts and potential expulsion from both

• Create 1-year/5-year/10-year lists separating immediate tasks, medium-term goals, and long-term dreams
• 1-year plans: tasks you know how to do with no obstacles (buying first mic, building booth, creating demos)
• 5-year goals: items with prerequisites or incomplete understanding (getting agent requires demo/resume/booth first)
• 10-year dreams: aspirational items lacking clear path or resources (lead anime role, LA agent, professional whisper room)
• Writing things down prevents mental overload and allows focus on immediate priorities; regularly check off completed items to recognize progress
• Be realistic about move timing: research best city for your situation before relocating, ensure 1-year prerequisites complete first

• Being directed: Communicate honestly if you don't understand; pretending wastes everyone's time. Ask for breaks, bathroom time, or moment to get in zone.
• Directing others: Use strong vocabulary with allegories, analogies, and similes ("it's like their dog got shot" vs. "character is sad")
• Never get angry as talent or director; anger immediately kills collaboration and leads to replacement
• Normal directing: let talent try gut reaction first, give feedback only if needed. Abnormal/unprofessional: nitpicking every line before recording with hyper-specific inflection demands.
• Age/reference gaps happen; keep multiple examples ready until finding one talent recognizes (Timothy's Cowboy Bebop reference failed with younger talent)

• Contact info at top (name, phone, email), 80% of space for completed work, minimal space for accents/coaches/workshops
• List projects even if unpaid; casting directors don't fact-check or Google projects, they verify you're auditioning consistently and landing gigs
• Don't include director names/locations (often unknown in independent work; location is always home studio)
• Coaches/workshops carry no weight; only completed projects prove capability
• Keep format simple, bullet-point, easy to read; avoid flowery/colorful designs that obscure work history

• LLC only necessary when hiring employees, renting studio to others, or operating physical business location; not needed for solo independent contractors in most states
• Payment delays happen everywhere (Timothy waited 8 months for Wasteland 3 payment through agency; nearly a year for AMP livestream)
• Game Dev Market homework: record 2-4 variations of each line/sound, manually cut individual files, label systematically (idle_A, idle_B), compress into zip folder
• Timothy's email for questions: funnyguytimmy@gmail.com; will monitor Google Drive for submitted work post-class

• Script writing most critical for audio drama success; requires balance of organic dialogue with exposition since listeners can't see anything
• Genre determines class choice: anime-style needs anime class, serious drama needs acting/monologues, rom-com needs comedy/improv, video game references need video game performance
• Audio engineering valuable for all voice work; better recording/delivery quality goes miles with clients
• Timothy available for personalized audio fiction coaching outside Closing Credits course catalog given his radio drama experience

FunnyGuyTimmy@gmail.com