Who’s Packing Your Parachute?
Let’s get real.
If you’re building a career as a professional voiceover artist, you can’t afford to be casual about one thing: who’s packing your parachute.
Not a maybe. Not an “I guess.”
You need to know — with certainty — who’s got your back when the stakes are high, the mic is live, and the moment is yours.
Because the truth is?
None of us fly solo. Not if we’re serious about offering premier voice services, stacking bookings, and scaling a real career beyond hobby hours.
Every artist — every thriving voiceover entrepreneur — is held up by a crew:
- The believers
- The builders
- The packers
- Those who care enough to load your chute so you don’t hit the ground when it’s time to leap.
And it’s deeper than just a “support system.”
It’s technical. It’s tactical. It’s mental, spiritual, vocal, physical, and oh yes, brutally honest when needed.
Why Parachute Packing Isn’t for Amateurs
Packing a parachute isn’t guesswork.
It’s a skill.
It’s earned, tested, and proven — just like the people you trust with your voiceover career.
Your parachute has to deploy:
- Without tangles
- Without twists
- On time, every time
Because when it doesn’t?
It’s your reputation. Your bookings. Your dream plummets.
So let’s talk about the Packers.
The ones helping you soar — or stall.
Your Talent Manager: The Extension of Your Brand
A great talent manager isn’t just managing your calendar.
They’re managing your first impression.
They set up meetings, screen prospects, navigate auditions, pitch your brand to casting directors, connect you to agents, advise on branding, monitor your online presence, tweak ad strategies, and answer every wild-eyed, late-night question you toss their way.
And they do it — not just for you — but for an entire roster of talent.
You need a manager who gets it. Who gets you?
Because when someone packs your chute, they need to know how you fly.
Your Voiceover Coach: The Polisher of Your Gold
You hear them in your sleep, right?
“Give me that line again — this time warmer.”
“Less inflection. More conversation.”
“Let’s humanize the copy.”
“Tongue twister at triple speed — GO.”
Voiceover coaches push you past what’s comfortable.
They poke at your habits. They stretch your tone.
They fine-tune your delivery until you hate it… and then love it… because it finally sounds like YOU.
A real coach doesn’t just teach technique —
They protect your authenticity while sharpening your vocal performance to cut through crowded casting calls.
Your Talent Agent: The Fastest Hustler on Your Team
If you’ve never watched a VO talent agent work a room — or a phone line — you’re missing the marvel.
They’re answering, emailing, juggling, pitching, negotiating — sometimes all at once.
They filter casting breakdowns.
They submit you where you fit best.
They negotiate your contracts.
They fight for your rate.
Your agent isn’t just pushing paper.
They’re pushing YOU into rooms you couldn’t crash on your own.
(Respect the hustle. Answer their calls.)
Other Parachute Packers You Can’t Ignore
Oh, we’re not done.
Audio engineers designing your crisp, killer sound.
Local VO studios offering online or in-person voiceover classes to level up your skills.
Unions dropping free workshops and contract support.
Producers and directors steering your reads to bookability.
Family and friends clapping for you even when you don’t book.
Casting directors who keep you in their “YES” pile.
Repeat clients who love your work.
Social media followers who double-tap your posts into new opportunities.
#ParachutePackers — ALL.
Gratitude: The Fuel That Keeps You Flying
Let’s check ourselves:
When’s the last time you thanked your packers without needing a favor?
Preparedness is respect.
- Deliver clean auditions
- Show up coachable
- Hustle when you don’t feel like it
- Polish your brand before the world sees it
Being ready is the best “thank you” you could ever give.
Be the Sweet Spot: Prepared and Positioned
Once upon a time, I thought I was a golfer (still do in my mind — fore!).
And the magic moment — that hole-in-one? —
It happened because I practiced like crazy.
The ground was ready. The wind favored me.
I was prepared.
That’s the real-life sweet spot for a voiceover artist, too:
When preparation collides with opportunity, destiny shows up.
You don’t need 10,000 hours to master your craft.
You need focus.
You need grit.
You need to pack your energy like your life depends on it — because it does.
Your Never-Ending Checklist as a Voiceover Artist
Here’s your reminder (because being a VO isn’t just cute microphones and cool reads):
- Be true to your personal brand
- Engage with clients and fans
- Show up on social media (likes, comments, posts, hashtags)
- Feed your network, not just yourself
- Keep studying and stay coachable
- Update your demos
- Monitor your analytics
- Refine your marketing tools
- Build new client bridges
- Trust your instincts
- Respect your voice
- Respect your time
- Respect your packers
- Commit harder
- Listen deeper
- Adapt faster
- Embrace change
- PRACTICE.
- Remember: Everything is content.
Your voiceover career isn’t powered by luck.
It’s powered by the people packing your parachute — and how ready you are when you jump.
Now, go thank your team. Then you can just tighten your straps.
It’s go-time.
A VOICE TALENT’S PRAYER
Dear God,
Thank you for giving me the unique and privileged opportunity to be in the voiceover business. Not too many people can say that they absolutely love what they do, but I can!
I’m grateful for clients who must be the absolute best in the world. Well, except for that one guy that totally scammed me, but that’s between You and him now. Please bless my clients! Make their efforts and hard work completely successful. Overwhelm them with the rewards of a job well done. And thank you for the fellow voice talents you’ve put in my life. You’ve made me better by knowing them, and I am inspired, motivated, and challenged by
each of them. Lord, there are some folks who don’t get enough credit or appreciation in this business: the engineers, and producers, and writers, and translators that make magic out of my often inane and inadequate performance. Please bless them in a special way!
But most of all, thank You for a wife and kids that put up with my idiosyncrasies and weirdness. You’ve given them great patience and a high tolerance to my obsession. I know it’s not right to stay up until 3 am working on a silly audition that I have a 1 in a 1000 chance of getting, but how cool is it that I can!?!?!
I really only have one thing to ask for. Would it be OK if I kept doing this? I mean, would You connect me with the right people so that I can keep doing this for a long time? That would be awesome!
So, I just wanted to say THANKS! I know I don’t deserve it, but WOW, You’ve been good to me! I am of all people most fortunate, and I am deeply, deeply grateful.
A Voice Talent’s Prayer is used with permission from the author https://www.danhurst.com/ Reference, Hurst, D.E. (2010). A Voice Talent’s Prayer.
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