Empowering Voices: The Role of SOVAS™ in
Elevating the Voiceover Industry
By Rudy Gaskins, February 16, 2025
The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS™) stands as a pillar of support, advocacy, and recognition for the voiceover industry, embracing voice actors, casting directors, agents, and content creators from all walks of life. In a time of rapid industry change, we believe that every voice deserves to be heard, valued, and uplifted. Our mission thrives not in isolation but through the collective strength of our community. Your support, ideas, and participation are essential in shaping a future where opportunity, fairness, and artistic excellence remain at the heart of what we do.
Below, we’ve provided key insights to foster greater transparency, understanding, and appreciation for SOVAS™’s work, and to highlight how your voice, ideas, and support can make a meaningful impact.
Nonprofit vs. For-Profit: Why It Matters
A for-profit business exists to generate financial gain for owners or shareholders. In contrast, a nonprofit like SOVAS™ is dedicated to serving a mission rather than distributing profits. Funded through donations, grants, and fundraising, SOVAS™ reinvests any surplus revenue into its programs, offering scholarships, discounts, curated auditions, and industry recognition while ensuring its operations run efficiently.
The Power of Community
SOVAS™ provides vital benefits, from a 3-day conference, employment access, networking and scholarships to the Voice Arts® Awards acknowledgment program. These offerings require funding and extensive preparation. Those who contribute financially, volunteer, or promote SOVAS™ help sustain and expand its mission. Financial support is especially crucial, ensuring that contractors and professionals managing daily operations receive fair compensation for their dedicated work.
Nonprofit Leadership Compensation: Balancing Mission and Sustainability
Nonprofit leaders can earn salaries, but these must be reasonable and justifiable. Key principles include:
- Fairness – Salaries align with industry standards.
- Board Oversight – Compensation is reviewed by leadership.
- IRS Compliance – U.S. law prevents excessive salaries.
- Public Accountability – Executive pay is disclosed via IRS Form 990.
- Mission Alignment – Salaries reflect financial sustainability.
SOVAS™ founders initially funded the nonprofit from their personal savings with a $250,000 interest-free loan, which took eight years to repay, effectively serving as their salary. They have since worked full-time, receiving only occasional stipends, with hopes of providing compensation through more effective fundraising.
SOVAS™ and the Voice Acting Community
SOVAS™ has grown into a global brand, elevating voice actors through awards, curated auditions, educational programs, and scholarships. As we expand our reach, we recognize that our strength lies in the collective power of our global community. By embracing collaboration with individuals, trade associations, unions, and service providers worldwide, we are amplifying voices and fostering meaningful opportunities on an international scale.
A prime example of this impact is the role SOVAS™ plays in helping voice artists gain greater visibility and professional recognition. This increased recognition often opens doors to new opportunities, including securing visas that acknowledge their expertise on the world stage. Many of our international members have successfully obtained a variety of visas through certifications of participation in SOVAS™ programs, demonstrating the value and credibility of their work.
In turn, SOVAS™ has been profoundly shaped by these global connections. This ongoing exchange reinforces our shared mission to uplift, empower, and create a more inclusive future for the voiceover industry. Together, we are stronger, and together, we will continue to champion the voices that bring stories to life.
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The Emotional Importance of Recognition
Recognition fuels professional growth and personal fulfillment. SOVAS™ celebrates voice actors through events like the Voice Arts® Awards, reinforcing their cultural and industry significance. Being acknowledged fosters confidence, career momentum, and a sense of belonging in the community. It also demonstrates to buyers that the work of voice actors is of the highest value and that they should be respected and compensated accordingly.
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Survey Insights: Awareness and Support
A 2024 SOVAS™ survey revealed:
– Many members of the voice acting community are unaware that SOVAS™ is a nonprofit, highlighting a need for greater communication.
– Once informed, respondents felt more positive about the organization.
– Knowing its nonprofit status made people more likely to support SOVAS™.
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Awards and Recognition
Unbeknownst to us, Joan Baker and I planted the seeds for SOVAS™ with the publication of Secrets of Voiceover Success, the first-ever voiceover book dedicated to uniting the voiceover community as a single chorus. The book featured the inspiring and often sobering career journeys of 21 standout American voice actors and took the industry by storm. The overwhelming turnout at book signings led us to produce increasingly larger events, ultimately culminating in the creation of an annual conference. This event evolved under different names while traveling from coast to coast until it found its permanent identity in 2010 as That’s Voiceover!™ Conference.
As we developed more auditions, job opportunities, and targeted networking, we expanded the name to That’s Voiceover!™ Career Expo to reflect the level of professional exposure to real-world opportunities that go beyond the theoretical insights gained from panels and private classes. While education is vital, the ultimate goal is providing an exit strategy that transitions voice actors from simply learning to working professionals.
Designed to foster education and career opportunities for newcomers while enhancing networking for working voice actors, the conference became a game-changer. The industry has never been the same since. The That’s Voiceover! Conference also became a platform for showcasing industry experts, casting directors, talent agents, and
content producers. It provided deeper insight into the behind-the-scenes business of voice acting, from networking and career development to successfully transitioning from student to professional.
Through deeper engagement with these remarkably talented individuals, we realized the importance of recognizing their contributions. This led to the creation of the Voice Arts® Awards, followed by the Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor™. Upon learning of the passing of the legendary James Earl Jones, we worked with his family estate to establish the James Earl Jones Prize™, a magnificent bronze bust that will be unveiled at the 12th annual Voice Arts® Awards in December 2025. The criteria for receiving the James Earl Jones Prize will be based strictly on performance, longevity, and impact.
SOVAS™ has also earned recognition in its own right. We were honored with the National Audio Theatre Festivals Award for Outstanding Innovation in Support of Narrators and Spoken Word Artists. This was followed in 2019 by a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. Congress, a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly, and a Certificate of Citation from the City of New York.
Our journey has been one of passion, purpose, and unwavering dedication to the art and business of voice acting. And we are just getting started.
Ensuring a Thriving Future
The succession process for SOVAS™ is built on a strategic three-year plan that prioritizes financial sustainability, leadership transition, and global impact. The first pillar of this strategy is strengthening the organization’s financial health to ensure long-term stability. The second is facilitating a seamless transition to a new CEO while enhancing the effectiveness of the Board to guide SOVAS™ into its next chapter. The third is expanding and deepening our global reach to create greater opportunities for voice actors and industry professionals worldwide.
A key milestone in this evolution is establishing a lasting presence as a televised awards show, further elevating the recognition of voice artists on a global stage. However, the future of SOVAS™ depends on more than visibility. It requires continuous innovation that serves the art of storytelling and uplifts the professionals who shape the industry, including talent agents, casting directors, audio engineers, and content producers who create and sustain employment opportunities.
Through sustainable business practices and forward-thinking leadership, SOVAS™ is poised not only to uphold its mission but to expand it, ensuring that voice artists worldwide have the resources, recognition, and opportunities they deserve. None of this can be achieved without the direct support, insight, and participation of the very community we exist to serve. ♦♦♦
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Rudy Gaskins is the CEO and co-founder of the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the global community of voice actors and the professionals who contribute to the voice acting industry. He co-created That’s Voiceover!™ Career Expo and the Voice Arts® Awards. Rudy is an Emmy Award-winning TV producer and documentary filmmaker, with a career spanning PBS, ABC News, NBC Sports, Court TV, and Food Network. His natural talent for advertising led him to become Vice President of Creative Services at Court TV, after which he founded Push Creative Advertising, offering branding services for major global brands such as American Express, Lexus, NBC Sports, Delta Air Lines, Costco, Food Network, BET, and TV One. He has received numerous awards across the media spectrum, including multiple Telly and Promax awards. Under his leadership, SOVAS has been honored with Special Congressional Recognition from the United States Congress, a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly, and a City Council Citation from The Council of the City of New York.
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From the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences
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