Posted on

Don’t Sweat The Summer Slowdown

My first few years doing voice over full time, I remember basically losing my mind when June / July / August rolled around. With work sometimes cutting in half or more, I was certain it was evidence my career was over before it began, I was going to end up moving in my with mom and I’d probably find myself on one of those reality Repo Man TV shows having my vehicle and computer and TV taken away.

Perhaps that’s a bit extreme.

But the struggle is real.

Even at the level of success I’ve achieved, I still have to brace myself for the summer slowdown… and financially prepare for it as well. One thing I’ve learned is it’s almost inevitable.

Hard to imagine, but it seems – for some people anyway – things like spending extra time with the kids while they’re out of school or going on family vacations is more of a priority for them then creating projects that require a voice over! Who would’ve thought???!!!

Don’t Sweat The Summer Slowdown

slow-signNow that I’m a few years in, and I’ve seen the trend happen a few times, I panic a lot less. Doesn’t mean I don’t still sweat some weeks when the work well runs dry. Right up until the part where a week or two later my well runneth over, so to speak.

More than anything, I want you to know you’re not alone, and it’s not a sign that the end of your career is near.

Something I’ve noticed that’s helped me sleep at night is it’s not limited to voice over. When I chat with my clients to see how their summer is going, talk about their vacations, etc… they all say the same thing. “Work is so slow!”

For me, when the slow days hit, I spend extra time doing behind the scenes work. Things like marketing, updating websites, working on demos, brainstorming for the fall and even the coming year ahead. That way, when the work starts coming again, I can focus on it exclusively.

If it’s been a while since you booked something good, or if your weekly income seems to have fallen off a cliff, trust me when I say I understand. Believe me when I say it won’t last.

Oh, and one more thing… everyone else is taking a vacation. You should too!

Thanks for sharing this post from Marc Scott's Voice Over Blog.