Coaching?
I recently went to a short "how to get into voice over" seminar, which as I feared, pitched a coaching program to me (such a voice). Now the people who run the program seem nice, but it is expensive. Like $4000 kind of expensive. I know you need to invest in this type of career and I'm willing, but I don't want to invest in something that generally isn't needed. Do successful voice actors generally start with coaching? The woman I spoke to was very quick to say I had an amazing natural talent, which worried me because she's trying to sell something and what better way to do it than to flatter me.
However, I like the idea of having guidance to learn how to market myself which I imagine is the hardest part.
Thoughts? Opinions? Has anyone trained with Such A Voice?
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I'm newer to the game myself, and I'm sure some of the seasoned pros will jump in here. But yeah, my gut immediately calls scam on this. I mean the coaching may be there, but $4000 up front is pretty crazy and I'm sure you can get solid coaching for far less. and not necessarily up front either. I would thing that coaches would be more of a by the hour type thing like acting coaches.
I should add...you should always do your research on this sort of thing, but always follow your gut. That $4000 may include studio session time with a seasoned producer...which can definitely add up in terms of cost.
What's included in your $4000?
Thanks for responding.
Well it's not really upfront. It's a long process that they lay out, sort of like a school. And you pay some money down and then pay monthly after that for 1-2 years depending on your payment plan. I'm just worried that it will end up like all those "acting" and "modeling" schools that people get duped into attending. Basically the package that I was looking at includes: 8 hours of one on one coaching via skype, a professionally produced demo, access to e-learning classes and seminars, help and coaching with setting up a home studio, marketing coaching, a 12 month step by step marketing plan, a webpage for your demos, and supposedly lifetime support after you finish the program. So it's not just one lady saying she'll coach me for $4k. But I'm still suspicious. The main things I want are a professionally produced demo and the marketing coaching. It was pitched to me as if a coach was vital to succeeding but again.... she is part of this company.
Hi Emily!
Well, this is quite a tough one. In my personal opinion, coaching is, indeed, very important and essential to becoming a great voice actress and when trying to pursue a professional career in voice acting. However, I do agree that for starters, $4,000 can be a bit too much. There's a lot of resources on how to build your studio (we have a lot of webinars and advice posts in the matter and can even give you feedback on your recordings here, for example) and there are many vocal coaches that charge by the hour so you can personalize your plan. There are also various learning platforms for voice actors that you can pay monthly as well!
We're compiling an article with our recommendations when it comes to coaching and learning. I will make sure to link it here once it's ready.
In the end, if you feel uncomfortable joining that course and paying all that for this, I would recommend you to give something else a try. The most important part of starting a learning process is that you feel comfortable and OK with everything that it entails. If you feel something's fishy or that it's too expensive, even that it can be scammy, it's better to give it a second thought or even look for other alternatives. Remember the most important part of a learning experience is that you are there, convinced of what you're doing and willing to do just that: learn!
Hope my 2 cents helped :)
I am a professional coach. I have been in the business for nearly 50 years. I am friendly and affordable. I am also rated the #1/550 Booked talent on VoiceBunny. You can contact me anytime to get info. Mike@mikeferruzza.com
Or
www.actindy.com/career.html
You will be working with someone who works with you personally one on one.
~ Mike