We’ve talked about ways to earn money from home before, but never like this. What about doing voice-overs? What? Yep, that’s what Toronto-based Janna Polzin does. Since 2013, she’s earned over $7,000 from doing it.
Before becoming a mother, Polzin worked in music theater and was on the road a lot. But with a baby on the way, she knew things had to change… and she got the epiphany while playing a video game, Mass Effect 2.
“I just got so into the story and so into [the playable female character], that I felt like her,” Polzin said to The Penny Hoarder. “It was just crazy.”
Thus, as she connected with her onscreen female avatar who spoke, Polzin’s voice-over dream was born.
In the past, she had focused more on her theater work than on voice-over work.
Enter Voices.com, “the largest online marketplace where creative producers and voice talent connect,” states their website. So, people like Polzin can find clients, or vice-versa. After all, we hear voice-overs everywhere, if we think about it—including on the radio, TV, video games, and kids’ cartoons.
Polzin got booked after just a month.
“One of my big goals was to be a character in a video game which ended up being my second booking and I now have three game characters under my belt,” Polzin told Voices.com.
But did we mention that Polzin was a new mother when she began with Voices.com?
What’s a new mom to do? Record when her son’s asleep, of course—an hour here, an hour there.
Luckily, not all of Polzin’s work consists of recording—some entails looking for voice jobs. “You have to think of yourself as a business that you’re trying to sell to other people,” she said.
As someone who’s lived in L.A. for over a decade, I know a lot of actors, whether it’s onscreen or offscreen—and their whole world is all about marketing themselves.
For a couple hours of work, Polzin may earn up to $500, though each project varies.
And where does she record? In her hall closet! How does she edit? On GarageBand (which came on her Mac).
“You don’t have to spend $500 on a good microphone, but you will get more recognition [and] positive feedback with a better mic than the one built into your laptop,” she said.
So, think you have what it takes to try Voices.com out, too? You can become a member of Voices.com in just 30 seconds, the site says, and they have podcasts and various tutorials to help clients for the varied voices and tones they may be asked to do.
Here’s an example of some of her work:
Photo by brainblogger 