One of the many schemes I have been working is an attempt to break into the Voice Acting business. It's kind of an extension of my pricey podcasting hobby. After all, I have decent quality mics and recording software already, along with a speaking voice that people frequently tell me is broadcast quality. Even when I'm ordering pizza.
So when I finally landed a paying gig last night (woo hoo! Sample line: "Aren't all gold-resellers the same?") I was thrilled. Especially since the whole job took about an hour and fifteen minutes. That includes the original audition, laying down the tracks, emailing them AND drawing up the invoice.
Here is why the allure of showbiz is so strong: if you look at what I got paid for that time, compared to what I get paid at my straight job, it's a considerable improvement. I don't want to discuss concrete numbers, but let's just say if I got 7 hours a week of VO gigs like this one, I woudn't need the 40 hours a week of accounting. If I ever get a gig at a radio station, I'm sitting pretty. Assuming there still ARE radio stations.
This is why people assume that if you're famous, you're rich.
The fallacy here is that the money I got from this gig can't be considered the result of an hour's work. You should really pro-rate it over a period of six months, because that's how long I've been auditioning for gigs. Presumably I'll do better now, because I've refined my pitch and I have a credit under my belt, but in the meantime I'm eating bagged salads at home, not dining at Spago with hot younger women. Over six months, what I earned (and I'm watching PayPal like at hawk to make sure it comes in) isn't even stamp money.
Still what the hell, I may invite a hot younger woman to Spago, to celebrate.
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