MOVE TOUCH INSPIRE: Voice Actors and Creative Freelancers Who Want to Grow Their Business
Paul Schmidt - Voice Actor | VO Business Coach | VO Community Builder
Every Thursday, the latest issue is sent to voice actors and other creative freelancers like you. Each message includes an idea to move you, a thought to touch you, and a quote to inspire you, as well as what I’m writing about that week on YouTube, on The VO Pro Podcast, and in The Pro Blog.
Making time count, getting what we attract, and Haruki Murakami on the ticking clock
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - May 10, 2024 An Idea To Move You You're under the illusion that you have time. Blink: a decade or two - gone. You have very little time to live your dream. Get after it. Make this life count. A Thought to Touch You* We get what we attract. Cheap seeks out cheap. Pros seek out pros. Pros understand the value that pros provide and they pay pro rates to get that value. A Quote to Inspire You “Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Time management, VO in flux, and Julian Barbour on time and change
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - May 16, 2024 An Idea To Move You I'm seeing a disturbing number of folks lately saying that procrastination, focus, and/or time management is a problem. Time is your most valuable asset. It is finite and you cannot create more of it. Time management is a choice. You choose to manage it, or you choose to waste it. Your call. A Thought to Touch You* The voice over industry is in flux more than ever, but with change comes opportunity. Stay...
3 days ago • 2 min read
Marketing is service, everyone is equal, and H. Jackson Brown, Jr. on success
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - May 02, 2024 An Idea To Move You Marketing/sales isn't sleazy. It isn't icky. It's not manipulative or aggressive and it doesn't have an agenda. It is the process of starting a conversation to collaborate with someone to solve a problem they have. It is an act of service. A Thought to Touch You* No one is above you or below you. It doesn’t matter how much money they make, how much experience they have (or not), how much business you think...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Being AI-savvy, your nice voice, and Louis Nizer on artistry
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - April 26, 2024 An Idea To Move You Becoming tech-savvy, specifically AI-savvy, is no longer optional. Understanding how AI tools work and integrating them into your workflow will give you a competitive edge. Whether it's using AI for editing or using AI-driven platforms to create content, getting comfortable with AI technology is key. A Thought to Touch You* You cannot get by in this business with a nice voice and no acting skills. That’s...
23 days ago • 1 min read
Time management, value or price, and Richie Norton on time and freedom
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - April 18, 2024 An Idea To Move You Time is by orders of magnitude your most valuable asset. Time management is a choice. Being intentional with your time means constantly working to spend the most time on the most impactful activities and zero time on the shit that doesn't matter. Spend just 5% of your time managing the other 95% and watch your life transform in one year. A Thought to Touch You* You have to decide from the jump if you’re...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Goal capacity, VO blogging, and Venus Williams on focus
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - April 11, 2024 An Idea To Move You We talked to best selling author and coach Amanda McKinney this week and she broached the idea of capacity in goal setting. When you're setting a goal, one of the three points of failure is capacity. Do you have the time, resources, skills, and knowledge to devote to this goal? If you don't, you either have to commit to getting them, or now is not the time for that goal. See our full interview below. A...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Profitability in VO, budgets, and Howard Schultz on purpose
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - April 4, 2024 An Idea To Move You If you're in the business of VO, or any business, and you're not charging rates that allow you to operate profitably, then you are putting yourself out of business. That's not just the object of business, it's your obligation to yourself and your family. A Thought to Touch You* If you're someone who is allergic to budgets, doesn't want to think about budgetary things, I've got bad news for you. Running a...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Speaking from experience, the importance of training, and Epictetus on success
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - March 28, 2024 An Idea To Move You I fully admit it. There is a lot of contradictory information out there about our industry. Unpopular opinion: I think that's a good thing. Each coach, agent, demo producer, if they're speaking authentically, is speaking from their own experience. And our experiences are different. Tracy Lindley's experience is different from Marc Scott's, his is different from Tom Dheere's, his is different from Jen...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
The vital few, being a beginner, and Shunryu Suzuki on possibilities
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - March 21, 2024 An Idea To Move You So often we get overwhelmed by the little things that need to be done. It's not the little things themselves that overwhelm us, it's the sheer volume. Define them as those things that will have the most long-term impact (important, not urgent in Covey-speak). For example, in VO, daily marketing is one. And keep your daily must-dos to a minimum. James Clear calls this concept "the vital few." When you knock...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Lazy marketing, accountability, and a VO Atlanta suprise
The Move, Touch, Inspire Newsletter Paul Schmidt - March 14, 2024 An Idea To Move You Apparently, someone at VO Atlanta said something to the effect of "too many voice actors are marketing." Ridiculous. What's real is that too many voice actors are marking lazily, self-centeredly (I made that a word!), and don't provide value for the prospect. It's about the prospect and their problem, not you and your talent. A Thought to Touch You* We can monitor, advocate, and stand up for our worth, our...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Every Thursday, the latest issue is sent to voice actors and other creative freelancers like you. Each message includes an idea to move you, a thought to touch you, and a quote to inspire you, as well as what I’m writing about that week on YouTube, on The VO Pro Podcast, and in The Pro Blog.