VC Radio
Voice Coaches Radio #535 – Talk To My Agent
Voice Coaches Radio. Everything voiceover. Welcome to a brand new episode of Voice Coaches Radio. My name is Marissa. Hope that this is finding you well, whatever day you may be listening. You know, we've talked about this before. We always record these on a Friday morning. You know, bright and early. Uh, but you could be listening, I don't know, uh, three days later or ten years from now.
And if that's the case, well, I mean, happy twenty... Uh, 32, uh, that was, did you hear that math that just happened in my head? I mean, man, that is troublesome. I'll be honest, I am not the best at math. Nobody should ever have me do quick math, especially on a Friday morning. Uh, but seriously, hope this is finding you well.
You know, I. I woke up this morning and I had a headache. I mean, we've talked about my medical stuff that's been happening and I've actually been feeling pretty good. I'll be honest. My eyes have been a little buggy, uh, but you know, otherwise I've been feeling relatively okay. But then this morning I was heading here and I'm like, Oh God, I have a headache.
And I didn't even think about it. I was like, Maybe the caffeine in my coffee will, will make this go away, and it really wasn't, and in fact it's still kind of there, but this is, this is how you know that, you know, things haven't been super great, you know, medically for me, is that I had Tylenol hidden in my car.
Seriously, like, you know, sick you takes care of healthy you, even when you don't realize it's happening, and I was just like, wait a minute, I think I got a stash, I got a stash! Uh, and, you know, it made me... I feel pretty happy about myself. I'm like, I am so smart, uh, but, uh, yeah, that was a nice little thing.
It was like a treasure hunt in my, my, my Honda Civic. Uh, but listen, I, you know, this, this week I've noticed the same question kind of keeps getting popped up. And I think, you know, it's because we have these big goals for ourselves, right? We want big things to happen with our voiceover career, or regardless of what part of the voiceover industry that we are entering.
And because of that, we start contemplating big things, right? Like, the big question I keep getting is, Should I get an agent? When should I get an agent? How do I go about getting an agent? And I got to be honest, there are certain instances where it does completely make sense to go ahead and and get yourself one of those big wigs that will kind of take care of things for you, but In a lot of ways, it is a thousand percent unnecessary.
I'm just going to be honest about it. I mean, here I am, I'm about 20 years in, uh, you know, about, uh, 20 years, uh, into my career as of 2024, so we're almost there, uh, but I have not once had anybody make any kind of deal for me. It is always been me at the, at the, you know, at the big chair. Uh, and really the, the reason that's so important is it comes down to the personable, personability.
Um, you know, you want that relationship to be built. You want that relationship not only to be built, but to be cultivated and, you know, um, cared for and, and treated with respect and, you know, that. I don't know, it's just like a real relationship because that's where things really can grow and build in the work aspect of things too.
You know, if you think of these local businesses that are surrounding you right now, you know, they're busy. You know, that's that one person with that one small business who is wearing a million hats. Who is tired of having to jump through hoops for everything that they do. That when they find somebody that they feel like they can trust.
That they can put their voice on all of their product. That they have success with. That they can rely on and, uh, trust. Like, I mean, they don't want to go and try to search for somebody else after that. They're going to want to build on that relationship. And they're going to want to, you know, work with you to make that happen.
Um, you know, so. If you have a middleman involved in that, it gets sticky. It gets tricky. It gets a little bit. less personable, you know, it gets to be less friendly and less, uh, I mean, God, the word that's coming to mind is professional. And I realized that having an agent, it makes, it makes it seem like it's super professional.
Uh, and in a lot of ways it is, but I feel like when you're, when you're cultivating that relationship on your own, there's just so many. additional things that are so beneficial for you and, and the client at the end of the day. Um, you know, so I, I'm, I'm a firm believer that do you want to get an agent?
Maybe, maybe down the line, you know, but like right now as you're beginning and God, for potentially a while, I mean, it doesn't fully make sense just because you got to think about it too. You get an agent. They're taking part of your income, you know, and if you're not making a super ton of money just yet, do you want them taking 10%, 12%?
You know, like I don't, I'm the one working hard for that cash. You know, I want to make sure that's going right into my bank account. Uh, because at some point the tax man's taking some of that too. And I just don't want to deal with that either. Uh, but that. That has to happen, you know, uh, but you know, to have, to have your beginnings in having anybody taking part of your money, uh, you know, being that middleman, that's kind of hindering that relationship being built.
Um, you know, and then potentially also trying to get you work, but maybe struggling to do that just because of the newness of it all. I mean, who's going to be better at advocating for you than you. You know, so I'm a, I'm a big firm believer on, on holding off on getting that agent. Now I'll tell you the, the one time that I did contemplate getting one, it was not that long ago.
You know, I was actually, uh, working in Boston, Massachusetts. So I was in a major market, you know, that's what you want to also think about, like, who are you dealing with? What kind of client are you dealing with? I was dealing with a major market radio station and my contract was about to be up and I'm like, I mean, I negotiated initially on my own and I felt like, you know, maybe I could have gotten more, but, but I didn't have anybody to really push for me.
And it feels weird in that kind of situation to, to push for more, um, and really like push hard. Uh, that's where an agent can be very helpful. And, uh, I was thinking like, you know, maybe now is the time. You know, I've proven myself, I know that they like me, Um, you know, I'm filling in for everybody else on the station, which proves that, you know, I'm giving a good quality product, uh, you know, I'm filling in for them as much as I'm doing my own show.
And then it just turned out that... The position that I held, which at that time was considered the night show, you know, listen, I'm in Boston. There's a bunch of sports teams. And I don't know if you know this about Boston, but they're all really good and they all play at night. So they just decided that instead of having somebody live in the studio, that they weren't going to have anybody anymore.
So regardless of how well I was doing, they just financially didn't. see fit for me to be doing the night show. Could I have been still filling in for the rest of everybody else potentially, but they also didn't want to demote me. So at the time I totally, uh, understood exactly what was going on and, and I, I couldn't fault them for it.
There's a few other things that I could have faulted them for, but that's besides the point. Uh, but you know, that was the only time I really started questioning like, do I need an agent because it's major market, it's the big, it's the big, you know, stadium kind of. Um, you know, playing field at that point and, and that's where it's like, you want to make sure that you are being taken care of and not being taken advantage of.
Uh, but when it comes to the small stuff, I mean, you're, you're your own best advocate. Your personality is going to be what cultivates those relationships and what keeps them. Um, so that's what you've really got to be weighing here. Like what, what playing field am I in? Does it make sense? And. You know, if you're working with a national client, you're in a big city like Chicago or Boston or New York, you're working directly with agencies for different businesses, then yeah, you probably do want to start navigating that, that same kind of field of like, okay, well, now it's time.
How do you go about getting one? I mean, that's when you got to do a little research because again, I, I mean, I've never done that, so I'm not even a hundred percent sure, but I know talent agencies are out there, you know, so it's just a matter of finding, finding one that's near you, finding one that makes sense, um, and, and having that conversation too, you know, so always weigh what you're doing and where you're at.
It's, it's good to have goals. But don't jump ahead of the game, you know, you never want to get ahead of yourself because that's going to hinder your progress. Get the small work under your belt and keep building and keep growing and keep going and you're going to get there one day. If that's what your goal is and that's the hard work that you're putting in, of course, you'll always get there.
You know, it's just, it's a matter of time and patience. Um, but don't, like I said, don't, uh, don't get ahead of the game. Don't, don't get ahead of where you are right now because it can hinder your progress. So the, the short of the long is, do you want an agent? Not right now. Eventually, maybe. Okay. So if you've got other questions that you want me to tackle, of course, you can always hit up voice coaches by going to info at voice coaches.
com, send that email in and we'll have a brand new episode coming your way next week. And I'm just going to throw this out there two weeks from now. We have a little bit of a celebration. It's my birthday, uh, so we'll go ahead and we'll celebrate in some kind of way. I haven't figured out just yet what that's going to be, but something's going to happen.
So we'll have some fun, but another episode is going to be coming your way next week for Voice Coaches Radio. Stay safe, everybody. Visit voicecoaches. com for more.
And if that's the case, well, I mean, happy twenty... Uh, 32, uh, that was, did you hear that math that just happened in my head? I mean, man, that is troublesome. I'll be honest, I am not the best at math. Nobody should ever have me do quick math, especially on a Friday morning. Uh, but seriously, hope this is finding you well.
You know, I. I woke up this morning and I had a headache. I mean, we've talked about my medical stuff that's been happening and I've actually been feeling pretty good. I'll be honest. My eyes have been a little buggy, uh, but you know, otherwise I've been feeling relatively okay. But then this morning I was heading here and I'm like, Oh God, I have a headache.
And I didn't even think about it. I was like, Maybe the caffeine in my coffee will, will make this go away, and it really wasn't, and in fact it's still kind of there, but this is, this is how you know that, you know, things haven't been super great, you know, medically for me, is that I had Tylenol hidden in my car.
Seriously, like, you know, sick you takes care of healthy you, even when you don't realize it's happening, and I was just like, wait a minute, I think I got a stash, I got a stash! Uh, and, you know, it made me... I feel pretty happy about myself. I'm like, I am so smart, uh, but, uh, yeah, that was a nice little thing.
It was like a treasure hunt in my, my, my Honda Civic. Uh, but listen, I, you know, this, this week I've noticed the same question kind of keeps getting popped up. And I think, you know, it's because we have these big goals for ourselves, right? We want big things to happen with our voiceover career, or regardless of what part of the voiceover industry that we are entering.
And because of that, we start contemplating big things, right? Like, the big question I keep getting is, Should I get an agent? When should I get an agent? How do I go about getting an agent? And I got to be honest, there are certain instances where it does completely make sense to go ahead and and get yourself one of those big wigs that will kind of take care of things for you, but In a lot of ways, it is a thousand percent unnecessary.
I'm just going to be honest about it. I mean, here I am, I'm about 20 years in, uh, you know, about, uh, 20 years, uh, into my career as of 2024, so we're almost there, uh, but I have not once had anybody make any kind of deal for me. It is always been me at the, at the, you know, at the big chair. Uh, and really the, the reason that's so important is it comes down to the personable, personability.
Um, you know, you want that relationship to be built. You want that relationship not only to be built, but to be cultivated and, you know, um, cared for and, and treated with respect and, you know, that. I don't know, it's just like a real relationship because that's where things really can grow and build in the work aspect of things too.
You know, if you think of these local businesses that are surrounding you right now, you know, they're busy. You know, that's that one person with that one small business who is wearing a million hats. Who is tired of having to jump through hoops for everything that they do. That when they find somebody that they feel like they can trust.
That they can put their voice on all of their product. That they have success with. That they can rely on and, uh, trust. Like, I mean, they don't want to go and try to search for somebody else after that. They're going to want to build on that relationship. And they're going to want to, you know, work with you to make that happen.
Um, you know, so. If you have a middleman involved in that, it gets sticky. It gets tricky. It gets a little bit. less personable, you know, it gets to be less friendly and less, uh, I mean, God, the word that's coming to mind is professional. And I realized that having an agent, it makes, it makes it seem like it's super professional.
Uh, and in a lot of ways it is, but I feel like when you're, when you're cultivating that relationship on your own, there's just so many. additional things that are so beneficial for you and, and the client at the end of the day. Um, you know, so I, I'm, I'm a firm believer that do you want to get an agent?
Maybe, maybe down the line, you know, but like right now as you're beginning and God, for potentially a while, I mean, it doesn't fully make sense just because you got to think about it too. You get an agent. They're taking part of your income, you know, and if you're not making a super ton of money just yet, do you want them taking 10%, 12%?
You know, like I don't, I'm the one working hard for that cash. You know, I want to make sure that's going right into my bank account. Uh, because at some point the tax man's taking some of that too. And I just don't want to deal with that either. Uh, but that. That has to happen, you know, uh, but you know, to have, to have your beginnings in having anybody taking part of your money, uh, you know, being that middleman, that's kind of hindering that relationship being built.
Um, you know, and then potentially also trying to get you work, but maybe struggling to do that just because of the newness of it all. I mean, who's going to be better at advocating for you than you. You know, so I'm a, I'm a big firm believer on, on holding off on getting that agent. Now I'll tell you the, the one time that I did contemplate getting one, it was not that long ago.
You know, I was actually, uh, working in Boston, Massachusetts. So I was in a major market, you know, that's what you want to also think about, like, who are you dealing with? What kind of client are you dealing with? I was dealing with a major market radio station and my contract was about to be up and I'm like, I mean, I negotiated initially on my own and I felt like, you know, maybe I could have gotten more, but, but I didn't have anybody to really push for me.
And it feels weird in that kind of situation to, to push for more, um, and really like push hard. Uh, that's where an agent can be very helpful. And, uh, I was thinking like, you know, maybe now is the time. You know, I've proven myself, I know that they like me, Um, you know, I'm filling in for everybody else on the station, which proves that, you know, I'm giving a good quality product, uh, you know, I'm filling in for them as much as I'm doing my own show.
And then it just turned out that... The position that I held, which at that time was considered the night show, you know, listen, I'm in Boston. There's a bunch of sports teams. And I don't know if you know this about Boston, but they're all really good and they all play at night. So they just decided that instead of having somebody live in the studio, that they weren't going to have anybody anymore.
So regardless of how well I was doing, they just financially didn't. see fit for me to be doing the night show. Could I have been still filling in for the rest of everybody else potentially, but they also didn't want to demote me. So at the time I totally, uh, understood exactly what was going on and, and I, I couldn't fault them for it.
There's a few other things that I could have faulted them for, but that's besides the point. Uh, but you know, that was the only time I really started questioning like, do I need an agent because it's major market, it's the big, it's the big, you know, stadium kind of. Um, you know, playing field at that point and, and that's where it's like, you want to make sure that you are being taken care of and not being taken advantage of.
Uh, but when it comes to the small stuff, I mean, you're, you're your own best advocate. Your personality is going to be what cultivates those relationships and what keeps them. Um, so that's what you've really got to be weighing here. Like what, what playing field am I in? Does it make sense? And. You know, if you're working with a national client, you're in a big city like Chicago or Boston or New York, you're working directly with agencies for different businesses, then yeah, you probably do want to start navigating that, that same kind of field of like, okay, well, now it's time.
How do you go about getting one? I mean, that's when you got to do a little research because again, I, I mean, I've never done that, so I'm not even a hundred percent sure, but I know talent agencies are out there, you know, so it's just a matter of finding, finding one that's near you, finding one that makes sense, um, and, and having that conversation too, you know, so always weigh what you're doing and where you're at.
It's, it's good to have goals. But don't jump ahead of the game, you know, you never want to get ahead of yourself because that's going to hinder your progress. Get the small work under your belt and keep building and keep growing and keep going and you're going to get there one day. If that's what your goal is and that's the hard work that you're putting in, of course, you'll always get there.
You know, it's just, it's a matter of time and patience. Um, but don't, like I said, don't, uh, don't get ahead of the game. Don't, don't get ahead of where you are right now because it can hinder your progress. So the, the short of the long is, do you want an agent? Not right now. Eventually, maybe. Okay. So if you've got other questions that you want me to tackle, of course, you can always hit up voice coaches by going to info at voice coaches.
com, send that email in and we'll have a brand new episode coming your way next week. And I'm just going to throw this out there two weeks from now. We have a little bit of a celebration. It's my birthday, uh, so we'll go ahead and we'll celebrate in some kind of way. I haven't figured out just yet what that's going to be, but something's going to happen.
So we'll have some fun, but another episode is going to be coming your way next week for Voice Coaches Radio. Stay safe, everybody. Visit voicecoaches. com for more.
This week on Voice Coaches Radio, Marissa tackles the question “When should I get an agent?”
