Voice Actor Disaster Preparedness: Your Plan for Financial and Studio Security

Anne Ganguzza
Oct 14
4 min read

with Danielle Famble

The sensible and lovely Danielle Famble joins BOSS Anne Ganguzza to discuss a critical, often-overlooked aspect of running a voiceover business: disaster preparedness and maintaining operations during times of crisis. Using Danielle's personal experience of a sudden apartment flood, the hosts outline the necessary steps for every voice actor to ensure both physical and financial resilience.

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For an even deeper dive into the conversation, you can view the full episode below. Don't forget to subscribe to the VO Boss YouTube channel for more exclusive content and expert advice!

Chapter Summaries

The Physical Go-Bag: Studio at the Ready

(01:38) Danielle recounts the midnight flood in her apartment, emphasizing the necessity of having a prepared, portable studio. The hosts highlight the value of products like the Tri-Booth, a travel laptop, and a dedicated microphone travel case, which allowed Danielle to continue working immediately after her evacuation. Physical preparedness is stressed as the first step in voice actor disaster preparedness.

Insurance Essentials: Protecting Your Business and Home

(06:20) The discussion pivots to business insurance and personal coverage. Danielle stresses the need for health insurance, renter's/homeowner's insurance, and reading the fine print to understand deductibles and exclusions (e.g., flood or fire zones). The hosts note that business insurance, such as general liability, may be a non-negotiable requirement from certain clients.

The Business Emergency Fund: The Financial Shield

(25:49) Danielle explains her strategy of maintaining a large, separate emergency fund for her voiceover business—distinct from her personal fund. This fund is calculated to cover all deductibles (health and business), payroll (her virtual assistant's salary), and operating expenses for several months, embodying the core of true voice actor disaster preparedness.

Financial Security: Protecting Your Savings

(27:47) The hosts discuss advanced financial security, including keeping business and personal funds at separate financial institutions for accounting and risk management. Danielle reminds voice actors that FDIC insurance only covers funds up to $250,000 per institution, making it wise to distribute large sums across multiple accounts for maximum safety.

Testing Your Backups: The Full System Check

(18:43) Anne emphasizes the need to routinely test all backup equipment. She advises voice actors to not just own a backup mic and laptop, but to ensure all necessary software (DAW, Source Connect, iLok licenses) is up-to-date and functional on the secondary system. The goal is to be able to set up and record remotely on short notice.

Mindset: Preparing While Rational

(24:22) Anne and Danielle highlight how crucial it is to put a disaster plan in place when you’re calm, rational, and able to make thoughtful decisions. The bosses emphasize that in a crisis, you lose the ability to think clearly, so present-you must take care of future-you by having checklists, go-bags, and the financial structure ready to go.

Top 10 Takeaways for Voice Actors:

Invest in a Portable Studio: Have a dedicated "go-bag" with a travel mic, laptop, and portable booth (like the Tri-Booth) for immediate evacuation.
Separate Business Funds: Maintain distinct emergency funds for your personal life and your business, ideally at separate financial institutions.
Know Your Deductibles: Calculate the cost of all your insurance deductibles (health, home, business) and keep that amount liquid in your emergency fund.
Protect Your Deposits (FDIC): Distribute large sums of money across multiple financial institutions to ensure all funds are covered by FDIC insurance (up to $250,000 per institution).
Get Business Liability Insurance: Consider this insurance, as some clients require it for an ongoing working relationship. Read the fine print carefully.
Test Your Backup Rig: Routinely set up and test your backup computer and equipment, ensuring all licenses (like Source Connect) are loaded and functional.
Insure More Than Your Health: Look into disability insurance and life insurance to replace the benefits you would have had in a traditional corporate job.
Create a Disaster Checklist: Build a comprehensive list of all necessary items (including passwords, documents, and equipment) to eliminate decision-making during a crisis.
Build Resilience: See the process of preparedness as an investment in your resilience and your ability to maintain cash flow during unexpected interruptions.
The Plan is a Priority: Your physical plan and your financial plan are the two most necessary forms of voice actor disaster preparedness.

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