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Archives for February 2019

A Voiceactor Legacy– Write your (Future) Obituary

Personal, Personal VO Views

If you’re a voiceactor like me, you can confirm that we have not lived an ordinary life. Many of us have had to find our way into the industry, and it has not been easy, direct, or typical. We’ve experienced various challenges most of which we’re glad are behind us. We’ll probably never get the chance to tell others about these challenges like how we recorded hours of audio and forgot to turn on the power. We’re not going to mention the time that we cleaned our computer and ended up erasing key files. We’re not going to talk about the fact that one day we called a potential client by the wrong name and company. And the last thing we’re going to tell others about is the time when a producer asked, “You’re a voice talent, right?” (I confess, it happened to me.) Consider writing a mock obituary about your life. Write what you want people to remember about you and keep building.

The idea of the mock obituary came to mind when I was reading Facebook the other day and saw a very unusual note. The post was an obituary for an Indiana man who died in January 2018. But instead of reading the usual date of death, high school attended, and career accolades, this man’s obituary included a small humorous tidbit that said the deceased is “…leaving behind 32 jars of Miracle Whip, 17 boxes of Hamburger Helper and multitudes of other random items that would prove helpful in the event of a zombie apocalypse.” Cute.

As a voice talent, you have a lot that you can share with beginner voice actors. Your final summary doesn’t have to be sad or morbid; people write them that way. We read the biographies of famous actors and voice actors like the great Don LaFontaine to gain insights into their success. I challenge you to write your obituary with a little quirkiness in your legacy.

I know this is not your typical blog posting but bear with me. If you’re taking on the task to write your mock obituary, I offer the following points to consider. If you need a little help, seek the services of a professional writer or maybe someone with experience in comedic writing to help you give your voiceover and life story a blend of humor.

The “Never Forgets” about You

Since public records contain your life facts, write about the remarkable facts such as what you liked to wear, when you had your first crush, your favorite toy, or what movies made you cry. Let people know what made you unique and important. Let others know where and how you found your well of creativity as a voiceactor.

What are your proudest life events? Maybe it was running that relay race against the fastest kid in your school and winning (or almost winning). Let others know how you felt when you changed a life-controlling habit, saw the face of your first child, or lost weight after years of failed diets. Let others know how you felt when you received your first payment for a voiceover job or heard your voice while walking in a mall or watching television. What about your studio and how many scripts you think that you have in storage…somewhere? What are the things that made you laugh? What is the script that taught you the most about being an actor, about being a person, and of course about being a voice talent? Share your feelings, your thoughts, your specialness.

Don’t forget to thank the “Big People”

Thank that high school teacher or mentor that told you that you could be whatever you wanted to be in life. Thank those “naysayers” who fueled your desire to make it in this business and prove them wrong. Thank the coach who put you off that sports team, giving you more time for books and becoming a good sight reader. Thank the voiceover coach who finally understood you as a person and gave you the encouragement that turned your voice over career around. Don’t forget the people who waited for you to finish your voiceover projects and brought you something from McDonald’s when your money was short. Thank the doctor who helped you through your ear, nose, and throat trials as well as colds, congestion, fevers, and all the other ailments that seem to like voiceactors. And finally, remember to thank your Creator for allowing you to voice act.

Many aspire to become voiceactors but so few fulfill the dream. Thus, few will ever know what it’s like to spend precious time and money to pursue the voiceacting call and the deep feeling of satisfaction that comes from being a part of the VO community. It’s your obituary. Tell your story, and let it be uniquely about you. After all, it’s your last script.

Break a lip!

Filed Under: Personal, Personal VO Views

For the Love of Voiceacting

VO Business Tips, Voice over Training, voiceover

When you think of love, do you think of walking through a beautiful green meadow combed with the rays of the setting Summer Sun while carrying a commercial script in your hand? Or when you think of love do you mentally picture yourself with little chocolates, a soft cuddly teddy bear, and a bottle of Sangria in your recording space while you do an all-night 100-plus page eLearning project? Perhaps when you think of love you think of the 15 hours you’ll spend narrating an audiobook not to mention the fun you’ll have doing your edits? While some of these examples may not be your opinion of love, some people do think that performing new scripts, exciting books, and meaningful (and some not so meaningful) eLearning projects as labors of love (for profit). Do you know what it’s like to love being a voice actor? Before you go out and buy your first shotgun microphone, let’s cover a few of the basics of loving one of the best careers ever, voice acting.

Love is in the Airways

Voiceover is the process of making an announcement or reading a piece of text, which is a lot like reading aloud in school. But voiceacting is the process of bringing a script to life through peppered inflections and intonations to communicate feeling and information as one. Serious voiceover actors can be a little sensitive because they know what it takes to achieve success in the field. Not everyone will come out smelling like a rose on the other side of their voiceacting pursuits. Some will lose their shirts and be bitter about the experience, while others will look back with fond memories. Make sure you’re in the business to develop found memories.

Define Voiceacting and You

Find out if voiceacting is really for you. I know people who love to sing but can’t carry a tune in a bucket even with help holding up either side of the bucket. Now, this does not mean that the person is not sincere in his or her desire to sing. It usually means someone is unable to mentally or physically perceive musical pitch. Consult a good coach on your voice and delivery to determine if you have the basics needed for a rewarding career in voiceovers.

Read up on the life of voice actors and actors. Try to get an understanding of the typical actor’s journey to success as well as why some actors give up on the profession. Imagine your reaction in similar situations and how you would address any setbacks. Once you’ve considered the career move, decide if voiceacting is something you want to do no matter what comes with the choice.

Be Committed to Your Success

Once you know voiceover acting is a good career choice for you, the real work begins. In such a competitive field, commitment is vital. Knowing why you’re in the business will help you go for it. Backstage’ s 7 Qualities Every Successful Voice Actor Should Cultivate gives a list of key success points.

Believing in yourself while doing the hard work will help you push toward your goal. Spending all your time practicing or shopping for microphones usually won’t get you an eLearning job. You must balance your time to focus on all aspects of building from the ground up your voiceover career.

The success of your business will also require treating your business like a business. Gravy for the Brain’s, You Must Master These 4 Skills for a Successful Voiceover Business has some great take-a-ways on starting and running your professional business. There’s no shortcut for keeping good records and marketing to new clients. Remember, if you run your business like a hobby, it will pay you like one.

Being in love can make you feel alive, happy, and unstoppable. As a voiceactor, you should love what you do. So, before you go out and purchase that ring to place around the base of your microphone (to hold it correctly in the mount), make sure you and your voiceover career are mated for long-term success.

Happy Valentine’s Day and break a lip.

Filed Under: VO Business Tips, Voice over Training, voiceover

Set it and forget it? Not in Voiceovers

Business Tips, Personal VO Views

Growing up in Washington, DC, I often watched my grandmother cook meals using a slow cooker. She would place raw meat along with various spices in a large crockpot to slowly and thoroughly cook for hours. The slow cooker released the most incredible aromas that you could almost taste the spicy, simmering meal. While that process works well for making dinner, the process can also be related to running a voiceover business. A good talent spiced with training and marketing can become a great success. But unlike my Grandmother’s meals, a voiceover talent must check and recheck their business to make sure it’s developing correctly for meeting success goals.

Success in voiceovers is not a “set it and let it go” action. As a talent, I recently took the time to review my presence on and offline. Occasional reviews, which I’ve written about and still recommend, helps keep me on track toward my business goals. Anyone interested in being successful in business must take time to do a review. A strong business plan that includes online marketing and interacting must be frequently reviewed.

There is no such thing as set and go in voiceovers. Don’t set and forget your business process, perform frequent reviews to keep your voiceover business ‘cooking’ along for the best long-term success.

Let Others Get You Started

We can’t always see what is right in front of us hence the thought of missing the forest for the trees. The best way to start an in-depth review of your voiceover business is to ask other voiceover associates what they think of your web presence and business plan. Also, ask your coaches or a quality voiceover demo producer to listen to your demos to make sure your sound is current and reflects the modern times.

Note and make the corrections that you can afford and that are within your budget. For example, you may not be ready for a new demo, but you may want to make sure that your auditions reflect a current sound and a voice that is marketable.

Once others comment on the external, it’s time for you to review the internal: your recording space. Consider the age of your computer, back-up drives, and other items. Note items that are nearing the end of their life span and start to save for equipment upgrades. Such expenses should be a line item in your budget, but if not, make it a priority. You don’t want your computer to die on you in the middle of a session. It’s better to update your recording space items early than when it’s too late. It always takes longer than planned to get back to business as usual.

One Consistent Web-presence

Review your social media pages and make sure your imagery, logo, and other information are all consistent. Don’t forget to check online texts and link accuracy for your social media sites.

Ingenious Promotion

Many businesses mail holiday cards around the end of the year. Instead, send your clients and contacts casual greetings around New Year’s or Valentine’s Day. Moreover, what could endear you more to your clients as to them receiving a small sweet treat on Valentine’s Day? Give thought to sending Christmas in September cards. Look for ways to make your clients think of you throughout the year.

Make Your Business Public

Commit to reaching out to new groups and causes. As a voice talent, your voice opportunities are endless. As you go about your dealings, remind your dentist, doctor, church members, gym buddies, etc., of your availability to help with any qualifying voice projects. Don’t forget the local public schools and businesses.  Dust off and revamp your voiceover elevator speech to reach those new audiences. Make your elevator speech customer focused.

Voice acting in the 21centry is nothing like it has been in the past. Keep your business moving forward; check your progress often. Remember, in the voiceover business; there’s no “set it and forget it.”

As always, break a lip!

Filed Under: Business Tips, Personal VO Views

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