As the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes continue, actors and writers are suffering both financially and creatively. And it looks like it won’t end any time soon. The head of SAG, Fran Drescher, has made it clear that the two sides are far apart and that the union is in it for the long haul, willing to go six month or more for a fair deal.
But there is a bright light in all this darkness. SAG-AFTRA has said its members are still allowed to work voiceover and audio book jobs. This is welcome news to members who are already under financial stress, giving them the opportunity to pay their bills while still using the creativity and special skillset they’ve worked years to obtain. And for some, it has the potential to expose them to a career path they may have never considered, as it did for me.
When my daughter was in her last year of high school, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her before she left for college. The audiobook industry gave me that time, and it opened up a passion and creativity for an art I ended up spending decades working in.
Of course, competition is fierce. The actors who get the work will be the ones who embrace the special skillset audio books demand.
Strikes are awful, but audiobook acting, can pay the bills and allow you to express your creativity in an exciting and growing field.
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