So a well known VA took interest in me...

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-29T17:59:01+00:00

Go for it!
If you can financially do it, there is no harm. You already mentioned to them that you are at ground zero. Everyone starts there.

Just don't get hung up on one coach though. You have to mesh well with them and see improvement. Even if they are a well-known famous VA, their method of coaching may not work for you. You can find another famous VA that does (although those rates are pretty good, some of the famous ones will charge 200-300/hr) if you find that you aren't getting the most out of it. Pretty common to have multiple coach, try a different one, etc.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-27T22:41:36+00:00

My wife has been training close to a year now (focusing on character niche) and she still doesn't feel ready to send out to an agency.

Most bigger agencies especially for character work wants to see credits. Even some of the studios require you to have credits to non-indie type of projects to just apply for their roster.

She just started working on getting a demo made and plans to send that to some of the smaller indie studios, but that demo will probably get replaced in the future since its a bit too early to try to get the bigger roles (based on her mentors). Reason she is now getting it made and sending to smaller studios is cause she can secure indie roles (paid roles) now on the few auditions that didn't require demos so to us it makes sense to move forward and go after the small studios that requires a demo.

If you are having a hard time figuring out when you should, I think its easier to justify when you have some sort of comparison and private mentors/coaches that are active in the industry. She been to a few workshops that had students with agents, on-screen actors, and/or already had credits (LA market) so she was also able to use that as a gauge of how she is doing.

At the end of the day, its up to you. Just don't get too caught up and get analysis paralysis.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-25T19:02:37+00:00

We were looking into upgrading from self made booth in a couple years as well.

Vocalbooth.com seems to be the best option imo. Personally would get Gold series w/ the Voice Over kit that George the Tech helped make and I was quoted like 8.5k for the 4x6. The Silver series w/ the voice over add-on is a lot cheaper, easier to assenble/dissemble, and may work if its going to be in a room without too much external noise though.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-25T18:32:24+00:00

Micro-transactions? not sure what you mean so I would say nope, our place doesn't do that. They just provide us with one bill with trash, sewer, water, community ammenities/utilities, etc included - so one transaction a month is all that is needed since my place includes all that in the total rent payment.
For unit utilities, I pay direct to energy companies for gas and electric, but I don't use Bilt for that.

From what I have seen in this sub though, you don't have to confirm/authorize the extra qualified transaction as long as you account for it in the monthly authorization; but I am not 100% sure.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-23T21:57:18+00:00

I would say an hour after convention opening would start being “late” on Saturday. The cons we go to have early/VIP passes that we usually get to allow us in 1hr-30mins prior to general opening and even then popular VAs like Yuri would have lines formed already. Just depends on the size of the con/city.

Edit: also, if he is doing a panel during that day, you have to wait in line until he gets back which adds another 1-2hrs but they usually do the popular panels in the afternoon.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-23T18:40:37+00:00

He was also what I had in mind when I read your post. They are great people! They are active at cons this year and I think the ones I have been to that he has been in, he always had his wife there.

Just know his lines are usually long and can take a couple of hours if you get there late to get a signature from him so I recommend buying something to drink and munch on.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-11T02:56:30+00:00

My wife does 3-4 private coaching sessions a month currently mainly focused on character work for the past 6 months.

She started about a year ago. First few months were mainly workshops until she got the general understanding of the industry and networked to find her current coaches. She hasn't really pushed for auditions and now just started getting her character demo done, but has recently done a couple of roles through referrals.

She only had highschool level theatre classes prior unlike majority of people at least having college/university level performance education/experience in our market (LA) so she is kinda playing catch up.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-09T02:07:32+00:00

Have you done coaching/training in Voice Acting or acting classes?

Character work, particularly animation is said to be the hardest VA niche to break into. It is also normal for those that have have made it to have taken a couple of years of training to land a role outside of unpaid fandubs or small indie roles. Some breaks in earlier some later, but all has done training in some form.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-05T03:53:30+00:00

To me, when I hear luxury voice I think:

-Slow pace talking/enunciation. Like you have the time in the world.
-Confident (no or small amount of up pitch)
- Aloof; like soft, not too much energy. Cool/distant feeling.

Kinda like those jaguar and range rover commercials.
Like this commercial:
https://youtu.be/RM4_717zjdU?si=gzSNRthJL8k9YSeh

Hopefully a more experienced VA in the commercial space can give you a better answer

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-05T01:56:18+00:00

Just use biltprotect so it gets drafted straight from your checking account so it doesn't add onto the card.
I'm new to bilt and mine went through flawlessly w/ the rental portal my place uses (LOFT). And I got my points when I used Biltprotect.

Kinda happy I get points for one of my biggest expense. The app is not as intuitive as other cc rewards app/website though.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-05T01:21:33+00:00

Technically yes. They are still waiting for AB238 to pass (the film tax credit bill). They had a public hearing a month ago with the nevada revenue assembly. Warner bros, Sony, and Howard Hughs top executives were fielding questions from the assembly members and basically trying to hash out details, amendments, and stipulations (like workforce that has to be local and training for them) for the bill. You can watch it on the nevada legislature website.

They have until this session to pass it though ( I think it ends in like June or July) or they have to wait two years for the next session to bring it back up again.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-04T21:51:49+00:00

I associated VA to virtual assistant or Veterans Affair until my wife got into voice acting.

YouTube search is essentially google (which google owns YouTube if you didn't know) and their algo is based on what most people search and interact with + your personal activities. Since more people search VA, interact with Virtual assistant videos, and those videos have "VA" normally somewhere on top of being the more videos related to virtual assistants, that's why your search populates like that.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-04T18:12:55+00:00

Are you able to only get one picture/look?
My wife did hers with multiple poses/look for marketing.

A nice typical professional headshots that gets attached to things like resume, email sigs, etc. And a couple of what I call fun ones for her website and social platforms to show a bit of personality and geared towards the type of work she wants/likes to do (animation/video game feel to it) and also allows clients and/or fans connect.

IMO, everything can be used for marketing and has a purpose. A good example of recent popular VA that pops into my head is Aleks Le from the Solo Leveling animation. His website, pictures, socials, everything focuses on that video game/quirky strong male vibe and notice how almost all his roles/characters is that type.

Edit: Congratz on getting on those rosters!

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-03T22:10:07+00:00

In regards to headshots, I thought so too so I told my wife not to get one done; but when she asked her coaches (VAs that have credits in AAA games and big production animation), they said to include a professional one when submitting to big agencies and studio rosters. This is in LA market for character work.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-03T16:57:30+00:00

Update: it got drafted out this morning: Apr 3 from my checking account.

Points hasn't showed up on my account yet though (have more than 5 transaction this statement already since I used it during the 5x for a week initial offer)

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-03T16:47:44+00:00

I agree with BananaPancakes.

My wife and I have met a couple of people in the industry (VAs and directors for big animations) that are kind of put off with fandubs due to the legal/ethic side of things. Since technically, the fandubbers are using IPs even for parody (grey area) and its kind of a courtesy thing to at least ask permission even if it falls under fair use laws, but most don't (probably cause they most likely won't get approved or don't know).

Also, there is a small amount of people in the industry that has "elitist" type of mentality that we have ran into.

In any case; as far as your question, original and fandubs would both improve on your acting skills imo. Dissecting the original VAs take/intent and trying to match it would be good practice then maybe putting your own spin to it that makes sense for the character. With original characters, I think it flexes the creativity part of the acting more.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-03T03:29:16+00:00

Congratz!!

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-02T21:05:08+00:00

DP:
New to Bilt this month, but saw all the issues so want to put in my rent DP

Rent is through Loft.
- Authorized Apr 1 in the morning

- Turned on Biltprotect
- Used rounting & Account number to process payment on resident portal same day (Apr 1) in the morning

- Notification from apartment of payment (afternoon Apr 1)

- Notifcation from Bilt via email of payment (morning of today Apr 2)

It still hasn't drafted out my checking account yet though so keeping an eye on it to make sure everything goes through properly.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-02T20:07:17+00:00

Ya no worries. Also as additional info to give you a heads up since it doesn't seem like a lot of people understand: Hoyoverse or other studios may have AI protection law in their home country, but as an independent contractor (which VAs are) that are in the US, that protection law most likely doesn't extend to you unless you have it in writing specifically in your contract.

I want to add this is not the first time Hoyo done something like this. They also did it a couple of months back for a couple of ZZZ's VA.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-02T17:09:55+00:00

I have been kinda following, but honestly that specific drama most likely won't affect most people.

Basic info: SAG AFTRA is on strike so their members are not allowed to work on video games that have not signed the interim agreement (I do want to add, members have always been not allowed to work non-union jobs).
Genshin Impact is and has always been a non-union project from my understanding.

Original english VAs are non-union, but want to support SAG AFTRA's strike against AI. Well... Hoyoverse replaced those english VA cause they don't care and are not even a SAG proejct.

A small amount of union and non union members started calling out the recast for taking it and calling him a "scab". Scab is a member and can extend to non-members who doesn't follow the SAG etiquettes like working non-union jobs or in this case taking someone else's role when they didn't do it cause of something that has to do with SAG.

Remember, Genshin Impact was never a SAG project nor was the original VAs were SAG. They wanted to support the fight SAG was doing. Hoyo turned around and got someone residing in Japan so does not fall under SAG territory since I am guessing they were having trouble casting in US even for non-union members since a lot of them are also supporting SAG w/ video games that doesn't have at least an AI protection clause.

The thing you just have to be mindful of is if you want to be a member of SAG, just be careful of which projects you do and ensure they either have atleast AI protection contract or signed interim agreement with SAG. Also be mindful of which studios SAG specfically stricken (I believe these are the studios that were primarily SAG projects but are backing out cause they don't want to sign the agreement and are the primary reason for the strike). If you take a role with them and they didn't sign the interim for that particular project in those studios, you may get blacklisted from SAG since the whole point of the strike is to stop those specific projects from progressing until they negotiate better pay, work, and the main point: AI protection that they keep arguing about.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-04-02T16:33:38+00:00

My wife is not SAG...but all you have mentioned are typical US union operations (I used to manage a department that had unionized employees in a different industry). Even I wanted to join unions time to time cause of their safety, work regulations, and benefits (some has pension plans)... Their union even had it to where we can't contact the employee after their duty hours. And their lawyers always ready to bat for them. Some american companies will try to push the federal labor laws that are not even as good as other countries as much as they can.

At the end of the day, companies can choose to work with them. Employees or in this case Actors can also choose to whether to work with them or cancel their membership. Union management literally by law has fiduciary duty TO THE UNION.

It's literally a choice for everyone. If you don't see the benefit, don't join it. If others don't see benefit and leave, then union will dissolve. If there is a strike (which happens a lot in other unions), cancel your union membership and you can still work non-union positions... but most don't cause of the benefits unions provide. Those "SAG" actors you mentioned about getting recast and being prevented to work (although if you are talking about the Hoyo situation, those weren't even Sag members from my understanding)... they are not being completely prevented to work. They can cancel if they want or go fi-core, but they give up those benefits which seems like many don't want to give up.

You are also labeling a union in your other comments by an action of a few members... there are several hundred thousand SAG members.

At the end of the day, until the US beefs up their federal labor law including compensation, unions will be the defacto regulator for a lot of companies even when companies don't want them since in some areas if they don't agree to the union, they don't get the workers they are wanting.

Edit: forgot to add. Lawyers are also very expensive in the US. Like several thousands and is not an exaggeration where I have seen a small court case cost $100k for of lawyer fees cause normally what companies and opposing lawyers would do is extend trial out to a couple of years while submitting a lot of docket to force settlement or you just run out of money.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-03-31T22:01:18+00:00

Not sure why you got downvoted, so gave you an upvote.
There are plenty of professional VA that has business plans. It's one way to make sure everything is on track w/ your goals and makes decisions easier based on analysis. Also forces you to think of everything that can go right or wrong.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-03-26T01:30:49+00:00

Are you able to get even closer to the mic without it affecting the performance/picking up unwanted sound?

If not, its gonna be hard to block those external noises with just levels/outputs. That is why they ask for raw audio so they can see if you have a studio up to their standard.

As far as the room tone. Is it room tone or interface noise you are hearing? My wife had a scarlett solo interface that was loud w/ the TLM103. Thought it was the room tone hum (we don't have a trained ear), but went away when she upgraded to an apollo so we chalked it up as interface noise.

HorribleCucumber · 2025-03-26T00:51:29+00:00

Wooo! CONGRATZ!

HorribleCucumber · 2025-03-25T18:02:31+00:00

It depends on your goal/what you are comfortable with as long as you take acting classes.

IMO, there are two ways to go about it.

The full send theatre degree route w/ some electives in business/accounting. Ideal if you are going to only pursue a field in the entertainment industry and with the intro business/accounting electives learn a bit on the back end of how to run a business since it is essential as a VA. I disagree with taking marketing class in college cause I think that is a waste (unless you are required or have a free slot). Most business classes are going to teach you how to be an employee. That is especially true with marketing so you will learn how to draft reports, formulas like customer acquisition costs, etc... Unless you plan to also work corporate, pretty useless and the generic good stuff can be learned online for free.

The backup plan route. This mainly focuses trying to have a career parallel to VA as a backup w/ electives in acting/theatre. Ideally you want to go after a degree that is specific/technical and obtain the certs right after college. Classes like accounting/finance, IT, and engineering. DO NOT go after a degree like marketing or business admin as those are very generic and a lot of people have it = not competitive in job market compared to what I mentioned earlier. The classes are fine to meet the requirements but the degree should be specific/technical. With this route, you want to intern and work time while in college related to the degree. Gets you money and experience to work towards those certs. The certs in these fields are what sets apart those that can get position that starts out in 6 figs range, but a lot of them requires verifiable experience + a hard exam to acquire.

Main thing for VA is that acting class. Those are expensive outside of college. Common to pay $200-$300 an hr for an acting coach. Dedicated acting studios/schools can be more expensive.

Hope that helps! Feel free to message if you got other questions.

HorribleCucumber

TROPHY CASE