Sound Design and Audio Wizardry

Do not work on your days off.

"But--"

Do not “answer a few emails” on your vacation

Do not work off the clock

Sorry that this is quite long x 😅

Hello!

My turn to write a very long reply.

I should probably preface this by saying that I've never made an audio drama either, so I do not have a complete perspective on this. There are creators around who can likely give better insights, but I'll do my best.

I don't think there is a best age to start learning any particular craft. A newbie at 16 and a newbie are 46 are both still new, right? We've all got to learn some time. That said, I've heard from other new creators that before you start on a long audio drama, trying to make a 3-5 episode complete short series is a really great way to get used to everything involved with the craft (writing for a set length, new software, mic setup, audio editing, acting, time management, etc etc) without getting overwhelmed.

However, being younger might limit what you have access to: a space to record, for example, is something you could probably build a blanket fort for (this is a common strategy at any age) if your living situation allows for it, but you might not be able to access a professional space if you're after one (though it's worth checking if school or local library has one you could use). Some people even use a closet (just, please don't overheat).

At 16, you're also probably pretty close to graduation: if you live in a country where it's normal for people to disperse after highschool, be aware of that when casting (this seems to be a pretty common issue), because it might shake up availability when it happens. High school is also a hell of a commitment time-wise, so while I won't say you for sure should wait, I also wouldn't blame you for waiting a few years.

As for whether people would want to listen to young voices: there are podcasts that were made by people your age that are pretty well appreciated. InkWyrm, for example, is a hilarious sci-fi rom-com that I believe was pretty popular while it was releasing. My advice when making something is always going to be to make something you enjoy (either the process or the product, or both), and then let the people who will enjoy it find it too. It can take quite a few episodes for shows to gain traction (even the ones we think if as big today), so don't be disheartened if they don't find it right away.

Tal Minear has some important tips for younger creators too that I feel are worth linking:

And they have a lot of good resources on their website that I feel more people should be aware of in general:

Back when I was voice acting I got cast in plenty of projects that turned out to be run by teenagers, and that usually followed this cycle: -Group of friends decides to get some actors from the internet -Scripts take a month or two to actually get written (should have waited to cast) -Group independently comes up with a recording plan that may or may not mirror any industry standards -An episode or two gets recorded and maybe even released -School starts in the fall and the project dies to never be seen again

That last part's really most of what you're fighting against. You can largely avoid it by casting friends at school where you're all vaguely aware of each other's schedules and can pile into a living room rather than doing everything remotely with people you've never met. When you're making something as a big collaboration with a bunch of strangers on the internet, you wind up doing a lot more project management than actual creative work. You will also find very quickly that this takes longer than you are expecting.

Ghost InSpectors won Best Supernatural Audio Fiction at Colorado Webfest!! This goes out to our cast, crew, family, friends, and listeners who made this show what it is ❤️