Podcast Starter Kit Giveaway - I'm giving away $1,000 worth of podcast equipment and courses. You can enter to win by heading to over the www.iwannabefamous.co/giveaway for more details or just text WINGEAR to 44222 that's W I N G E A R to 44222 until June 1st 2020.
Today's featured guest is an audiobook narrator and voice actor. His client list is very impressive and includes Jimmy Kimmel Live, UFC, The Travel Channel, and ABC. He' has narrated for Audible, Simon & Schuster, Harper Audio and freakin' MARVEL. I'm talking about my man, the voice of Tim Page.
Tell us the story of HOW or WHY got famous.
I'm not so sure I'm famous. But I do have a wonderful following of folks who enjoy my work. Most of my current "fame" revolves around my audiobook narration. I specialize in romance audiobook narration.
I think the main reason I've been really successful (besides my dedication to immersing myself in the world I'm narrating) is because I'm active in the community. I spend a lot of time doing live narration in Facebook groups, engaging with the fans, sharing personal stories, etc...
One of my most recent fun endeavors involved another narrator. She has a pretty big following, and we had sort of challenged each other to turn Christmas/Holiday songs into inappropriate songs. For example, she sang "Rudolph The Big Dicked Billionaire" and I sang "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Dickmas". The audience went crazy for it and we ended up with fans bombarding authors to hire the two of us to narrate their books together.
What happened when you got your first gig or customer? Did you do anything special to celebrate?
"My first gig was narrating a 1 hour special with Andrew Zimmerman on the Travel Channel. And I absolutely lost my mind. Spent the money on a new recording set up." - Tim Paige
How much did it cost to get started (and what did you spend that money on)? What's your monthly or annual profit from your business?
It's hard to say, because it was such a gradual investment. At first, the only gear I had was a somewhat crappy microphone and a "booth" that I built with my then father in law. Probably spent $200 total. But every dollar I made for the first year I reinvested into coaching, better gear, a new vocal booth, etc... I currently make around $150K a year.
How do you find your customers?
Most of my customers come from networking. In audiobooks, you can get customers on ACX (audible's platform) which is what I did in the beginning. But once I had some books under my belt, I went to the biggest audiobook conference in the US (APAC) and met the publishers there. Most of my work comes from those connections. And the rest comes from direct referrals from authors and narrators.
For non-audiobook related stuff, most of my work comes from my agents. I have my primary agents in LA, but then I have regional agents all over the US.
What has been the best part of the experience thus far? How has being famous benefited you?
"The best part has been the ability to be home with my kids and see them whenever I wanted. The freedom to be able to be there for anything for them." - Tim Paige
"I also love how so many people have reached out saying that my work helped them escape reality for a little while when they got deep into the stories I narrate. As I type this, we're in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, and so many people have said they've listened to my books and enjoyed not having to think about their anxiety or worry for even a few hours." - Tim Paige
What struggles have you encountered, and how did you overcome them? Is there anything you'd go back and do differently?
The biggest struggle for me has been dealing with the uncertainty. Being an independent business means every job could be your last. I never know when books are going to stop coming, or clients are going to stop hiring me. There's that feeling of "is this going to come to an end?"
I wouldn't do anything differently. My path has been wild and all over the place, but ultimately it has led me here.
What are the top two pieces of advice you'd give to others wanting to follow a similar path?
Be cautious. I didn't go full-time until well after I was matching my salary. I went full-time when I was costing myself more money than I made at my job. It's temping to think "with all that free time I could make up for my salary", but could you really? Be sure about it (or as sure as you can be). I TURNED DOWN work because of my job. That's when I knew it was time.
And get help. I have spent over $50K in coaching to get to this point. I didn't spend it all at once, but in the beginning in reinvested every dollar I made to learn what I needed to know to excel. Not only in performance, but in business, in mindset, and in health.
What’s next for you?
Lots more books to narrate. I've narrated for all of my favorite authors (with one to go). I've narrated for Marvel (a dream come true for me). Now it's time to keep working on doing the best job I can for the folks I work with.
Vernon’s Take:
Resources
Text WINGEAR to 44222 for more details on how to win the same podcast setup I use to record this show!
