We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amy Weis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amy below.

Hi Amy , thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

For several years I’ve been fortunate to earn a solid income from my voice over business, but it sure didn’t start out that way. Just like starting any endeavor there’s a lot to learn and financial costs involved. When beginning a voice over career you have to invest in recording equipment (and in treating the space where you’re recording so you can provide superior audio), coaching/training, marketing – there are many expenses. People don’t always realize that it is a business – they look at it as ‘something fun that’s easy to get into’. The reality is that it is an incredibly competitive industry and to compete, you have to be prepared. As I invested in coaching and worked on my craft, I got more and more jobs and eventually built a client base. Each year I’ve seen an increase in revenue. There’s a saying about achieving success in voice over, “It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon”, meaning that it takes time to build your skills and to then build your business. There’s really no shortcut, you have to put in the work.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Ever since I was little I have always loved performing. I’ve been a soloist in church settings since I was five years old, acted in high school and community theater productions and have actually enjoyed public speaking. So it shouldn’t really have been a surprise to me that I’d end up as a voice actor, but it was! After a stint as a media planner/buyer at an ad agency, in the late 1990’s I worked as a salesperson at a radio station where I also had the opportunity to occasionally record commercials (when they were in a bind and there wasn’t a ‘pro’ in the building). It wasn’t part of my paid position but was something I really enjoyed. At that point I had never even considered doing voice over as a full time job. When our son was born, my husband and I decided that it would be best for our family for me to be a ‘stay at home mom’ (still the best job I ever had!) and that was my role as our son and then our daughter grew up. Every now and then I’d work with a client from my radio days and record a commercial. Once the kids were older and I wanted to find a job with a lot of flexibility, I started seriously pursuing voice over as a full time endeavor.

As a voice actor, I work with my clients to bring a voice to their vision. That could be for a commercial, a video for their website, an on-hold message, brand anthem or a training module. I have my own studio so it’s easy for me to deliver pristine audio on what are often very tight deadlines. Having been on the ‘other side of the desk’ from my time at the ad agency, I understand the pressures that client’s often face and I’m ready to adapt quickly and efficiently. I offer live, directed sessions where clients can listen in as I record and we can collaborate to achieve exactly what they’ve envisioned for their project.

Over the years I’ve learned that it’s key to be dependable, fast, accurate and adaptable – often all at the same time! Client’s change direction often (and quickly) and since the voice over is often the last phase of a project, they need the audio turned around right away, and it has to be right the first time. I pride myself on exceeding client expectations and work to give them the very best service possible. Whether it’s a ‘direct’ narration for Nintendo, a Trouble Shooting video for Frigidaire, or a local commercial for a small, locally owned furniture store, each and every client gets top notch service and exceptional audio.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I’m very fortunate to have found a local group of voice actors who have become dear friends. We have a Meet Up once a month and discuss challenges, opportunities, training resources, equipment issues/fixes, etc. It’s wonderful to have a group of friends who understand the business. I highly recommend finding your ‘tribe’! There are also great resources to connect and learn online, specifically on Facebook. There those new to the business all the way to the most experienced VO’s in the industry connect and share information.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I was in radio sales a spirit of competitiveness was fostered and encouraged amongst the sales people and was pretty much ingrained in me as a professional. So when I started working in voice over, I felt that same pressure to be better, or to book more work or to earn more than those around me. Interestly, even though the industry is extremely competitive, the vibe amongst voice actors is not. It is incredibly supporting and encouraging. This spirit was absolutely foreign to me and it took a while for me to realize that more than anything, I needed to focus on competing with myself, not anyone else. When I shifted my mindset into beating my best (for example, beating last month’s bookings or beating my record for the most auditions submitted in a week,) I began to grow as a voice actor, and also as a person.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amyweis.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amys_voice/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100058614806077
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-weis-voice-overs/
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/amyweisvoiceovers