We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maria Pendolino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Maria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I had wanted to be an actor since I was a young kid. I was totally addicted to Broadway musicals and plays. When I was 10 or 11 years old, I auditioned for community theatre productions of shows like The Sound of Music and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I did theatre in high school, studied it in college, and performed at a regional theatre where I went to school. When I graduated, I moved to New York City. But, in order to facilitate that move – I needed a full-time job. I did not have enough money saved for first month’s rent, last month’s rent, and security deposit that landlords require. So, I took a job at a global bank. My initial plan was to work for a year, save money, and then quit my job and be on Broadway. Life did not exactly pan out like that. I ended up working in banking for nearly a decade. During that time I did things like off-off-off-off Broadway and cabaret, and anything else that I could schedule around my full-time job. Then, I decided – you know what – I really just want to be an actor. So, I quit my job. At first, I felt like, oh gosh, I have wasted all of this time doing something that I didn’t love. But, actually, the experience in corporate America has been invaluable to me as a business owner. As a voice actor, I actually have my own voiceover services business. I have to invoice clients, keep track of expenses, taxes, etc etc and all of the business experience that I got during my time working in banking has served me really well as my creative career has grown.
Maria, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I work every day as a voice actor, also known as a voiceover artist. I’m the voice behind so many different brands and types of things. We live in such a voice-first world! So many things talk to us. Some of the things that I work on are commercials that you see/hear on television, YouTube, radio, Spotify, etc. I also do a lot of industrial work like videos for business, explainer videos, corporate training, e-learning and educational content and telephone systems. I also do character work like animation, video games and singing. I’ve lent my voice as a documentary narrator, television narrator, a live event announcer, and I also do radio and TV imaging. It’s wild how many different avenues there are for me to use my voice and my acting skills.
I started my business, Voice By Maria, in 2010. I work with clients around the world to provide voiceover for their projects large and small. I have a recording studio in my home that allows me to connect with clients and studios everywhere. It feels really amazing to be a working actor, in 2023, from my own home studio.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I really wish that more people understood the work and time that goes into being a creative performer or professional. Every day, creatives are approached with opportunities that include zero compensation. There are promises of exposure, yadda yadda, but at the end of the day – the other party is likely making this piece to make money, and it’s so unbelievably inappropriate and unfair to ask someone else to give their time, talents, and efforts for free to help another party make money. There is such an imbalance in the supply and demand of creatives and available jobs, so people are desperate for connections, portfolio pieces, etc – and people take advantage of that.
If we could get in America some real universal healthcare, stipends or minimum income, grants for artists, and some real support structures, it would go a long way to making it easier to be a creative performer.
I read recently in an essay by Tavi Gevinson in the Hollywood Reporter that only 12% or so of actors who pay dues to SAG-AFTRA, the actor’s union, qualify for healthcare. And the qualification level is about $27,000. So that means, only 12% of actors in the union make $27,000 or more every year. It is very, very, hard to make a living as a creative professional.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I think it’s essential to have “a team.” Whether that team is official or unofficial, surrounding yourself with smart people who are experts at what *they* do is a great way to make your career stable. I have an accountant that specializes in the performing arts, I have a financial advisor, I have an accountability buddy that I meet with every week, I have a manager, I have agents. I surround myself with people who are great at their jobs and that allows me to focus on being great at my job.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.voicebymaria.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mariapendo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapendolino
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGkmvgiBP89fHUl9-8awQRA
- Other: http://www.bluewavevoiceover.com http://www.disabledvoiceactors.com http://www.millennialvoiceover.com
Image Credits
Destiny Rogowski Dennis Kwan Courtney Ryan