Written by Precious Ringor
It’s been months since the announcement of a nation-wide lockdown that sent massive shockwaves to the entertainment industry. But some industries have been faring better despite state regulations on social distancing. With stay at home orders put in place, many people have turned to work-from-home opportunities for income.
Self-recording jobs like podcasting and voice over work, for example, have gained popularity over the years. According to Forbes, these kinds of jobs recently became popular due to low cost of entry and flexible hours. “Our industry allows for flexibility of working from a variety of locations, including home-based studios,” explains voice talent Dom Ferraro, “which is chief among the reasons why the industry will not only survive, but thrive during these strange times.” Ferraro is among the many in the voice over community whose jobs have been minimally disrupted by the pandemic. Demand for commercial self-recording jobs, particularly government commissioned PSA work/services geared towards mitigating virus effects, will probably continue to see a rise in the upcoming months.
Short mixing and supporting local artists through music production. He owned a label company called OC Records with his colleague Michael Navarrete.
Editing video and music has always been a time-consuming task but one that allows for a flexible work environment. In fact, editing and producing from home was a growing trend way before COVID-19 restrictions were put to place. Famous singer Charlie Puth, for example, produced many hit songs at his L.A. home studio, “Studio fees would have ruined the album. I’d be so neurotic thinking, ‘I just spent $1,000 and didn’t come up with an idea.’ That’s why I love recording in the house.”
For bigger productions like films, however, there are limitations to editing where typically a team of twenty to thirty people work in a control room or a small studio. Composer and music producer Kyle Short notes that there is a disparity in who’s doing well in the industry and who’s not.
“It’s faring better for people who [have] already ‘made it’. If you have a good hold on it – if you have contacts and connections, this is the time to bring it out. But for people who are still getting their feet wet, it’s harder.”
Before the lockdown, Short was working as a music director for various live theatre shows. Recently, he’s been composing for projects like I Kissed a Frog and I Liked It – a comedy fiction podcast featuring fairy tales in the contemporary world – and The Imagination Machine, an improv company bringing entertainment and creative spaces for students in California.
Writing is yet another example of an industry profiting from the ongoing pandemic. Since people are unable to go out, they depend on news articles, magazines and online publications to stay in the loop. Overall, there has been a 67% increase in people watching news coverage worldwide, surpassing the amount of people watching films and shows on streaming services like Netflix.
Over the past few months, information on COVID-19 has been dominating headlines, doubling news channel ratings and raising consumer engagement. Writers, specifically those working in news media, have grown in demand almost overnight. Comparatively, writers from the other industries (like screenwriters or playwrights) now have the opportunity to work on projects with a more extensive deadline.
A visual representation of quarantine internet activities shows that searching for COVID 19 related updates is one of the highest in the list (source taken from Global Web Index, April 2020)
Work-from-home opportunities existed before present lockdown regulations; like any type of work environment, it has its own set of challenges. Take for example Dave Thackara, a voice talent juggling working from home and being a stay-at-home dad:
“In a normal situation, my daughter would spend the day at preschool and my son at daycare, letting me have a quiet house for work. But since they’re at home, finding time to record has been a challenge. I’ve only been able to work about a third of the hours I’d like. That isn’t the industry’s fault, it’s my situation – my kids come first.”
And although some states began opening up, most of the entertainment industry probably won’t open until 2021. For now, some film festivals are going virtual, shows are streaming online, and productions are put on hold. In these turbulent times, it’s important more than ever to support each other’s work.
“What’s good about the entertainment industry is that you have many people who want to help out,” says Short, “and they’re willing to help without anything in return.” Whether you belong to an industry that is faring better or not, consider supporting local artists and industry workers by not letting art go dark.
To learn more and support the artists mentioned in this article, please click the links below
Dom Ferraro, voice talent, https://thenicevoice.com
Kyle Short, composer/music producer, https://soundcloud.com/kyleshortmusic
Dave Thackara, voice talent, https://www.thackvoice.com