April 2022 marks the 10 year anniversary of my beginning in this crazy business we call voice over. My original plan for my life was very different. My first real job was cleaning kennels at a local veterinarian. It was crappy work, pardon the pun (or not). I decided that I wanted to be a vet, in order to have a “real” job, to have that Dr. before my name. Seemed like a career that I would get respected for, would be proud of. So I worked at the vet all through high school and during breaks when I went to college. I graduated college with a BS in Biology and applied to the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine. I made the waiting list, but ultimately, didn’t get in. I tried the next two years and each time, I fell further and further down the list. You might ask, but Mike why apply to only one school? There are others at Auburn and Tennessee and Florida, but the way vet schools work, they give a lot more preference to in state applicants. There’s only a few slots open to out of state people, and if you have a vet school in your state already, you’re pushed wayyyy down. You have to be a stellar student with all kinds of credentials to be considered, and that wasn’t me. So that dream of being a vet was gone.

Thing is, I didn’t have a plan B. Or C. Or anything. I didn’t know what to do. I kept working at the vet because it’s what I knew how to do. I tried different clinics until I ended up at a specialty surgical clinic and I got my RVT license which is basically like a RN for pets. I figured this is a higher degree of work that giving shots or doing spays and neuters. Yet still, to everyone, I was still working “at the vet”. It just never satisfied that itch I had. I did it because I knew how to do it.

I worked in radio here in Atlanta for several years starting in 2001. It was great, and I loved it, but as a lot of you know, radio isn’t the most lucrative or stable employments out there. Stations flip formats and everyone gets canned all the time. While radio wasn’t meant to be, it pushed me in a direction that started me on the path to where I am now.

In 2012, I was not very happy in my job, and my attitude was letting other know it. I was called into the supervisor’s office and was told in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t straighten up, I was going to be fired. It was then that I decided that I needed an escape plan. I needed another career. Working in veterinary medicine takes a toll on your mentally and physically. I had stress, anxiety, back problems, knee problems, I was done. I took a long look at myself and where I was in life and made some hard choices. A change was needed and I needed it now. I contacted a former radio coworker of mine who was teaching voiceover since she was let go from the station. I started coaching with her and getting some reps on the mic at Creative Studios of Atlanta. I had found what I was looking for. We worked for several months and I was able to cut a demo. Going back now and listening to it, it is cringy, but it was a start. I joined Voice123 and started auditioning. I booked my first job in November 2012 for a hair salon in California saying one line for $500. I was hooked.

The years went by and I kept on on Voice123 and having a new demo done every couple of years, but I wasn’t really getting anywhere. It wasn’t until late 2019 when I discovered that oh yeah, you need to be proactive and go get work instead of waiting for work to come to you on Voice123. That’s when I feel my career really kicked into a business. I worked with Corey Dissin on branding and marketing on social media. That’s when the Voice Monkey was born. Since January 2020, I’ve worked my ass off getting my name out there on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook and all that. I starting connecting with other talent, coaches, producers, agents, and this whole world opened up to me. I had my website built. Now, I really feel like I’m where I need to be after all this time. Sure, I’ve been “doing voiceovers” for a decade, but I’ve been serious about it for 2 years.

Thank you for all your support and here’s to 2032 and seeing what the next 10 years will bring.