Loving the Journey and Being Patient : Letters to my Fellow Voiceover Actors and Creatives :

In the world of Business, making money is Expensive. 

I audition for roles every day. There's sometimes a 1:100 ratio when I book work. Other times, when I book work and don't get paid, I have to settle for my name in the credits on IMDb. And then there are times when I get paid for my performances, as well. The money is great. But then I have to fit it in my Budget for the future...Equals a Full Wallet

Pay-to-play sites are like taking my already agreed earnings from Voices.com or Voice123 and applying for roles on VOplanet...Equals an Empty Wallet

"Auditions are like a 1 man play"- Andrea Toyias. 

If you can make a connection with the audience in a video game, a cartoon, or a film, you can better understand the character you are auditioning for, with heart.

To my fellow Voiceover Talents and Creatives, Learning never ends.

 Even if you have been in the voiceover job for years. While I have learned much from my Edge Studios and Blumvox Studios instructors, getting hands-on experience with clients, auditions, and scoring roles is a new level of “the game of Voiceover”, especially as a professional job and career. 

Things to know before you leave “the classroom”:

1) Pay-to-play sites can be predatory. Beware of scams. It doesn’t mean every client is going to scam you. You can earn money and take on various roles. But it might be a 1 percent chance that your hard-earned money “to play” will “pay” you back. I learned from experience, paying $500 dollars on Voices.com and it took 600 auditions before I was shortlisted for roles and then finally scored a cartoon character role and I was paid back $300 bucks. 

2) Do the job because you love it. Not for fame or fortune. I love the job of being able to apply for roles and then give characters a voice. Even if I don’t score the role. If you are in it for quick money and fame, you will be very disappointed…My mentors have all told me that it’s a hard life and that they had other jobs on the side, in case they don’t always get casted. Also remember that mentors have more years of experience. They will tell you about how they didn’t get famous overnight. 

3) There are even the times where your mentors and teachers become your friends and co-workers… 

Be nice to everyone you meet. Because you never know who you are going to meet. On Backstage.com, I was asked to be an Extra in a film 🎥 called CLAY and I met Clint Eastwood’s daughter, Francesca. We shook hands, got a picture together and she guaranteed I got Clint’s autograph in the mail. 

Another time, I met a Director who wanted me to be a voiceover for a Cinematic Film Trailer, and then they gave me a Supporting role. The Director of the film said he has met Hugh Jackman and that he started out as an Extra in the Feature Film, “Real Steel” when it first released…

 Be Nice, Patient, and do the Job for the joy of it. Every Actor starts somewhere. 😀😎

January 2026