ABSTRACT
ABOUT ROBERT J. SCIGLIMPAGLIA Robert J. Sciglimpaglia, Jr. is a practicing attorney, as well as voiceover artist and on-camera actor in the New York City area. He is the owner of All in One Voice, LLC (www.allinonevoice.com), a company that helps voiceover artists and actors with business and legal issues. Robert has appeared in numerous national voiceover projects, including commercials, promos, and narrations, plus on-camera appearances for television and feature films. For more about Robert, visit his website at www.robertpaglia.com and his Internet Movie Database listing at www.imdb.com. Although the recommendations and advice in this chapter are based on Robert’s knowledge of the law and experience as a practicing attorney, it is highly recommended that you consult your own attorney or qualified tax professional with any questions you might have regarding legal, business, or taxation questions. Legal and Business Issues in the Voiceover Industry
Due to the growing popularity of the home studio, the voiceover industry is quickly becoming a legitimate and extremely fun way to generate income from one’s home. The growth of the home studio has also allowed a diverse cross-section of the population to get involved with the fun. In this writer’s experience, many people are now entering this field in retirement, or as a second career. Fun aside… just like any other home-based business, the “business” side must not be ignored or some serious tax and legal consequences can result. This is especially true for those entering voiceover as a “second career” who may have built up some assets during their prior career. Like many other businesses, the voiceover industry has its own set of legal and business issues, which this chapter will examine. Of course, this chapter is not meant to be an all-inclusive discussion of every legal and business issue associated with the voiceover industry. Rather, it merely scratches the surface, and some of the issues discussed herein are common to any business regardless of the industry. Although there are no requirements to actually take an exam and become “licensed” to do voiceover work, as there are for other professionals like attorneys or doctors, there are many jurisdictions that require any business to obtain a license to operate within that jurisdiction. Voiceover, if one is undertaking it as a business and not a hobby, is no different. These licenses are more of a general license where you need to register with either a local or State authority, usually by paying a fee or tax, and filing annual or other regular reports. In addition, another regulatory compliance that must be investigated by a voice talent starting a voiceover business are the local zoning regulations.
