Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Archives for 2008

How to sparkle like a diamond

 

Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds.
Discard them and their value will never be known.
Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson
I love this quote! I have written numerous times about spending my spare moments in the improvement of myself in my voice-over career. Today, the word diamonds from the quote made me think about the advertising habits of two jewelry stores here in Atlanta. I decided to write about them so others can learn from this example.

As a person with a passion for marketing and promotion, I constantly analyze all forms of advertising broadcast commercials, billboards, magazines and even direct mail pieces — to see what I can apply to my voice-over business. It’s especially beneficial to examine how competitors choose to hawk similar commodities in a full marketplace.

In this case, both jewelers both specialize in diamond wedding sets and are continuous radio advertisers. Both enterprises utilize the company owners as the voice talent in their ads. Both establishments sell upscale jewelry, and Jeweler B also sells Swiss watches. They are true to their brand in their advertising.

Beyond these similarities, though, they run very different types of ads. First, they appear to be targeting different market segments. Jeweler A seems intended for those who appreciate and are willing to pay for elegance, while Jeweler B seems to be directed at the price-conscious crowd.

Jeweler A has a distinctive nasal voice. He always talks about new or featured product lines, gift ideas, his money-back guarantee, etc. Sometimes he relates a story based in a testimonial. He quietly talks about the benefits and pleasures of shopping with him and consistently gives you reasons why you may want to do so.

The ads for Jeweler B often feature the 2 men who own and run the business. Sometimes they mention advantages of shopping with them, like the number of graduate gemologists on staff and their longevity in the market. They make jokes like they want to appear that they didn’t think about the spot in advance. I suppose they want to convey the ultra-casual atmosphere of their stores where the sales people wear jeans and t-shirts.

In other ads, Jeweler B airs fake game shows where one of the contestants is someone poorly imitating Jeweler A. The nasal voice is always accentuated, and the imitator is always made to sound stupid and bumbling.

When listening to the ads from Jeweler A, you would never think that another jewelry store even exists. You certainly wouldn’t think that the owner is worried about competition in a saturated market.

Since Jeweler B often mocks Jeweler A in their ads, it’s obvious that they are keenly aware and perhaps even afraid of their competition. In fact, many of their ads border on personal attacks although they are presumably meant to be humorous. On a personal level, I do not want to deal with anyone who makes themselves sound or feel better at the expense of other people.

Every marketing book will tell you to focus on the benefits for the target market in your communications with them. Jeweler A consistently highlights in his ads those things important to his target market, where Jeweler B concentrates on them only half of the time.


The lesson for voice-over artists is that we also need to continuously highlight the benefits of working with us.

If you can’t articulate attributes of value and service that your target market considers important, how would your prospective clients ever be able to discern that you are the best fit for their needs?

These benefits are also known as your competitive advantages. I have a few thoughts on that topic as well, but that sounds like another article for another day. 🙂

In the meantime, spend your spare moments improving your own skills rather than worrying about, or worse, maligning those of your competitors. Polishing your skills will enable you to sparkle like a brilliant diamond in your marketing efforts and will make your life as a voice talent all the more useful.

 

Saying “thank you” after the gig

Seattle voice talent Jeffrey Kafer recently wrote a terrific blog entry about ways to go above and beyond in your service as a voice talent. While I do several of the things on his list, the most important one is expressing gratitude for the voice-over gigs that come my way.

Whenever I first work with a client, I always send that person a hand-written note and include a small gift card. I have been surprised how many people respond by thanking ME for the gesture! They truly seem touched by the thoughtfulness. Apparently, many people emulate Don LaFontaine’s view of thank-you notes and gifts:

Don’t suck up! Please! Don’t spend a lot of your time and money finding little gifts for your clients or sending thank-you notes after each session. I know this advice flies in the face of other opinions, but it’s what has always worked for me. Think about it. You don’t receive much more than a Christmas card from the people who work for you, like your mail carrier, your paper delivery boy, or your dry cleaner. There is no reason to be overtly grateful for the work. You’re doing them as much of a favor by performing consistently as they are in giving you the job in the first place. It’s a very symmetrical synergy.
 — Don LaFontaine, Secrets of Voice-Over Success, p. 20

While I don’t pretend to have the stratospheric demand or accompanying financial blessings of Mr. LaFontaine, I disagree with his statements about thank-you gifts on several points. First, voice talent cannot compare themselves to postal workers. American postal workers are salaried employees of the US federal government who automatically earn a paycheck and benefits. As I worked for much of my life as a federal employee, I can also state that federal employees are prohibited by law from accepting gifts exceeding a very modest value, and all gifts received in a calendar year count toward that value.

Aside from these monetary issues, the bigger difference between voice-over artists and postal carriers is that the postal service has a monopoly. If you want to receive mail and have it delivered to your house each day, you know you must contact the postal service.

Someone choosing voice talent doesn’t have such a clear-cut decision. The decision-maker could search for the ideal voice-over specialist through millions of individual web sites of voice actors or on various on-line casting sites. The person looking for voice talent may decide to contact a talent agent to narrow the field, or they may be influenced by the marketing efforts of a particular voice talent. Perhaps the person asks someone in their industry for a recommendation.

Regardless of the manner through which they decide to hire me, I am well aware that my clients had a choice. When they have another opportunity to contract voice talent, I want to do everything in my power to ensure they choose me again. My thank-you note may signal the end of the first job, but often, it is the bridge to a long-term relationship.

In the big picture, gratitude is a critical attribute for attracting prosperity and abundance. How can you expect to receive more of anything — including voice-over jobs, wealth and prestige — if you don’t convey constant gratitude for everything that you already have?

Showing gratitude today will not only set you apart from other voice talent, as noted by Jeffrey Kafer, but more importantly, you will put the right kind of energy out in the world. As I continue to read and learn from works based on the Law of Attraction, I understand more and more that what you put out in the world will come back to you and probably in ways that you didn’t expect.

Because of the energy that I am sending forth into the universe, I expect someday to achieve the level of success in voice-over currently enjoyed by Don LaFontaine. Even then, I would still send a personal thank-you note to each new client.

 

12 lessons from Dancing With The Stars

I have been too busy in the past month to post an article here on my blog. In that time, a new season of the TV show Dancing With The Stars began. Given my views on American Idol, you might think I would have no interest in this show. You might also think that dancing with the stars (DWTS) has nothing to do with a voice-over career. If so, this entry may surprise you.

Watching TV is a passive activity that does nothing toward accomplishing my goals. I prefer instead to spend the time with my husband or do things to advance my voice-over career, such as marketing tasks, auditions, etc. In order to efficiently manage my TV-viewing time, I don’t necessarily watch shows during their broadcast. I prefer to record them and watch them at my convenience. I also don’t spend much time chit-chatting about TV shows to anyone because those kinds of conversations are superficial and inane.

Then why am I spending precious time writing to you about a TV show, especially one considered fluff in many circles? When I first heard about this show, I confess that I thought the idea was dull and that the show would be cancelled.  I never watched DWTS until Barry Manilow made a guest appearance. I admit that I quickly became hooked. The show features celebrities from other endeavors who are paired with professional dancers. The dancers teach the celebs the complicated steps for ballroom and Latin dances, and three judges rate all of the performances.

While the thrilling live music, stunning costumes and amazing dance routines are appealing in themselves, I believe the show is widely popular for another reason:  We have the opportunity to watch adults in a learning curve.

Learning something new as an adult is a different process than as a child. From watching this show, we can learn 12 valuable lessons that can be applied to a voice-over career:

1) You can’t expect to excel at everything, especially on the first try.

As adults, we don’t like to admit we don’t know everything. When we’re a star in one area of our lives, we take it for granted that we’re a star in every area. This show proves that you can accomplish on some level anything that you set out to do, especially when you relax, enjoy the process and forget about instant gratification. If you also accept that it takes time, persistence and dedicated practice to become a star, you will be more likely to rise to that level.

2) You need to be patient with yourself when learning a new skill.

It’s easy to become frustrated and discouraged when results seem slow in coming. Whether you’re learning to bring authentic interpretation to voice-over scripts, dance the paso doble (who even knew such a thing existed?) or do anything else, you have to remain focused and work through the discomfort of the training to accomplish your goal.

3) You may have natural ability, but a veteran instructor can help you improve and showcase your talent.

The celebs with musicality and rhythm are readily apparent to viewers. Even so, they differ in how fluidly they can execute the routine. The professional dancers create routines that maximize the celebs’ abilities. Voice-over actors are also judged on our fluidity in performing the script. An excellent voice-over coach can guide you to a style that honors, reflects and strengthens your natural vocal characteristics.

4) If you think or say you can’t do it, you can’t. You have to maintain a positive attitude that you CAN do it.

Your attitude is the most critical factor in determining your success at dancing, voice-over, sheep-herding and whatever else you may do in life. Think of the power of your words as a self-fulfilling prophecy (which they are). Would you rather sit out on the dance and wonder if you could do it, or be fully alive and embracing the pain and pleasure of learning something new?

5) Confidence in your abilities grows with each step.

Viewers are taken behind-the-scenes as the competitors learn the dance for the upcoming week. We are able to see them struggle and fall (sometimes literally) while they are learning the routine. We can see that the more they practice, the more comfortable and confident they become. Practice is the key to confidence, whether on the dance floor or in the voice-over booth.

6) Instruction and significant practice are needed in order to compete at a professional level.

Championship figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is extremely athletic and has spent her life learning a routine choreographed to music. However, she admits that ballroom dancing is very different than ice skating, and she spends long hours learning the intricacies and emotions of the dance each week. In voice-over, commercial scripts are different than narrative scripts, which require different skills than IVR scripts and audiobook projects. Professional voice-over artists continue to study with coaches to improve technique and interpretation in their niche areas.

7) It doesn’t matter how well you performed in practice. Your live performance is all that matters.

I realize I’ve made several comments about practice. It’s obviously extremely important if you expect to become proficient and at some point master anything new! The level of practice shows with the celebrity dancers. Still, they only have one shot each week to win the judges’ favor. As a voice-over artist, we make an impression the moment we step in the booth. A director wants to hear a solid performance on that first live take. When working at a studio, you can’t have the attitude that re-takes are possible until mistakes are fixed. With the confidence from extended practice, your mistakes will be minor and few.

8) No matter how good you are, you can’t take it personally if someone else is deemed better.

One couple gets eliminated on DWTS every week. A voice-over audition is the same way; only one person can win the prize. The criteria and judging are entirely subjective, and the mathematical odds of winning any particular audition are definitely not in your favor! You can’t take it personally when you don’t win auditions. If you keep practicing, submitting good auditions and putting yourself out there, some jobs will eventually be yours.

9) When you approach an activity with a sense of excitement and love, those attributes will be felt by your audience. By the same token, the audience can sense anxiety and fear.

The audience always wants the dancers to do well. When the dancers start thinking about being judged, they make more mistakes. Their anxiety can cause their performance to seem wooden or mechanical. Voice talent have the same performance issues. We allow the negative self-talk in our brains to disrupt our performance. By staying in the moment and concentrating on the feelings of love instead of doubt, we can give our audiences the performance that makes them cheer!

10) Just because it LOOKS easy doesn’t mean that it is!

My husband doesn’t like to dance; for some reason, he thinks he looks uncoordinated. As we watch the show, I will ask him “doesn’t that look like fun?” He always says, “No! It looks incredibly HARD!” The professional dancers are the epitome of beauty and grace, but it has taken them years to reach their level of accomplishment.

Many people enter the voice-over field because they enjoy mimicking others, or they think that the voice-over artist is merely talking into the microphone. While they may have a good ear for sound, they are not experienced in performing scripts, much less with a smooth and original interpretation. As in any career endeavor, I have noticed that the most successful voice talent have worked relentlessly by taking classes and hustling for jobs for 10 years or more before becoming an “overnight success”.

11) Infuse your personality into your work for the most authentic and memorable results.

Comedian and DWTS cast member Adam Corolla will never be a professional dancer. However, he inserts his sense of humor into his routines. His creative approach camouflages some of the shortcomings in his technique. I’m not encouraging you to do something to compensate for lack of technique. However, the greatest attribute that you can bring to the table is yourself. No one else sees the world the way you do, and no one else sounds just like you. The best readings are those when the voice artist can access and incorporate her own feelings in the script.

12) It’s possible to do quality work and leave the world better than you found it.

Steve Guttenberg, who is one of the celebs on the show this season, kept grinning ear to ear and gushing about the greatness of the show. This show proves that you don’t need to use foul language or violence in order to create commercial success. In my voice-over work, I won’t perform a script if I don’t like the words that I would be saying. I differ with those who think that it is merely acting to speak the words on the page. Your subconscious mind can’t distinguish between pretend and real, so I refuse to voice scripts that are opposed to my own value system.

I said I had been away from the blog for a month, and now it seems like I’ve been writing this entry for an equally long time! After reading these 12 points learned from a TV show, I hope you see that the success and creativity you observe in another field can inspire you to new heights in your voice-over career.

 

10 questions to ask coaches and demo producers

As I wrote in a previous entry, I generally don’t provide personal advice about one’s voice-over career. If I can answer a question quickly, such as referring someone to a teacher or a previous blog entry that answers the question, I am more than happy to do so. However, I usually don’t have the time to provide in-depth advice in my responses to people.

The comment below was left on my blog. On the surface, Carol’s question might look like it requires only a quick “yes” or “no” answer. As I read each word, I realized a quick answer would be a dis-service to Carol. Furthermore, my views may be helpful to other people. Therefore, with Carol’s permission, I didn’t publish her remarks as a comment on another entry and am instead featuring it in this entry.

Hi Karen, Love your practical and ethical information. I am a newbie to the VO area, having just taken an Intro to VoiceOvers at local community college given by Mike Elmore. During the class he recorded each of us reading a script (just a few lines) and I got an email from him saying he was very impressed. Then I got a call from Levi Morgan of Voices For All, saying the report he got from Mike was glowing and encouraging me to take their in-person 3-day workshop. 

Since I have nothing to compare it with, I hope you could comment on whether this would be a good way to break in. Bear in mind that I am a retired RN, looking for some fun and creative as well as possibly lucrative work.

Their course includes private coaching (they only accept 15 students four times a year), full narration & full commercial demos, mixing & mastering a demo for me with music, editing & sound effects, a marketing plan, home studio manual, workbook, classes on every aspect of the business, my own website with the demo (lifetime hosting), support for ProTools, lifetime coaching support, plus my airfare & lodging while in Albany.

Inclusive is $3199. I can afford this, and love the idea of being able to work out of our RV during summers which he said I could (no soundproof studio….) I’d love your honest feedback before making a decision, which I need to do quickly if I am to enroll in the May class. Thanks so much! Carol

Carol, thanks so much for your nice comments about my web site. I’m glad if anything I have written is helpful to you. You asked for my opinion, so this is it:  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I would look elsewhere for my voice-over training.

I could have just left it at that, but I wanted to explain my reasons for disliking this package deal.

DISCLAIMER: Everything that follows is MY OPINION since I didn’t delete the names of the people involved. I know nothing about them or their company and therefore reiterate that I am only offering an OPINION.

First of all, after recording only a few lines in your introductory voice-over class, you are not ready to make a demo. You have realized that you need more training.

Let’s look at this offer more closely:

  • private coaching (they only accept 15 students four times a year)

It’s a marketing tactic to make something seem like a limited-time offer and therefore more desirable. I’ll talk more about the private coaching in a minute.

  • full narration & full commercial demos

During a 3-day workshop? If you only have undertaken a few hours of copy interpretation and voice direction, you are not ready to produce a demo. Producers and directors want you to walk in the door and be able on the first try to sound exactly like a particular segment of your demo. If you can’t instinctively create that sound on your own, you are in for a frustrating time and loss of clients.

Producing 1 demo in 3-day workshop is ambitious; producing 2 good, strong demos is unrealistic, especially in a group setting. Furthermore, I would suggest that you concentrate on making 1 excellent, competitive demo after undergoing appropriate training. Most people start with the commercial demo as it is easier to start booking jobs. I’ve heard the saying “scattered thinking leads to scattered results”. Any person who has started a business can attest to its truth!

In comparison, Susan Berkley usually promises in her 3-day bootcamps to produce only 1 spot that could go on your commercial demo.

  • mixing & mastering a demo for me with music
  • editing & sound effects

The music and sound effects used with each script should enhance it while not drowning out the voice. These elements should also sound current and appropriate to the script.

  • a marketing plan

You will need to develop your own marketing plan based on your vocal characteristics and your interests. If you need ideas, check out this blog entry and this one, among others in the Marketing category on my blog. I cannot recommend too highly the book Get Clients Now referenced in that second post.

  • home studio manual

This information is readily available in Harlan Hogan’s book The Voice Actor’s Guide to Home Recording and Pat Fraley’s The Gypsy’s Guide to Professional Home Recording Workbook and Companion CD. While you’re on Pat’s site, be sure to download his FREE lessons!

  • workbook

A workbook is provided with most workshops and therefore is not really a selling point.

  • classes on every aspect of the business

If I wanted an overview of the industry, I would read a book. In fact, I always suggest that people start with a book on my recommended reading list. Once I begin working with a teacher, I want to develop a specific skill, not gain some broad knowledge.

If you want to gain broad knowledge from a variety of well-established voice-over teachers and talent, I encourage you to attend the upcoming Voice Over International Creative Experience (VOICE 2008). In addition to the workshops presented, you have the opportunity to network with other voice talent and ask their recommendations on teachers, equipment, etc. A DVD set from last year’s inaugural conference is also available. You could buy the DVD from last year and attend this year’s conference at a cost lower than the 3-day weekend under consideration.

  • my own website with the demo (lifetime hosting)

Having a demo hosted on another site is better than not having it on-line. Otherwise, this option is not important. A personal web site is going to be part of your cost of doing business, and web hosting is very inexpensive. Don’t be swayed by the thought of “lifetime” hosting. If the company goes out of business, its lifetime is over.

  • support for ProTools

Do you use Pro Tools? You may be like many voice talents who prefer to use other programs for sound editing, making this option unimportant. Besides, how do they define “support”? Are they promising to answer all of your questions at no charge, set up your configuration, etc.? Be aware that you can ask questions on numerous forums and get answers from recording engineers in addition to voice talent.

  • lifetime coaching support

What exactly do they mean by this promise? What kind of coaching is promised? Are you allotted a time period every month for the time the company is in business? Do they coach you on voice-over, production skills (since they also promise Pro Tools support), or something else?

  • plus my airfare & lodging while in Albany

Your airfare and lodging would cost something. In order for the company to make money, they have to make up that cost somewhere. I suspect that they are making money by producing carbon-copy demos for their students.

Maybe these people know something that the rest of us don’t. Like I said, I know nothing about them or their business. For me, the value of this comprehensive offer is questionable at best.

**********

Specialized training in voice-over represents a serious commitment of time and money. To ensure that both are utilized effectively, here is a list of questions that I would ask before selecting a prospective voice-over teacher and/or demo producer.

1) How did you learn of the teacher? Did you search the Internet for local teachers and/or read the archives on voice-over forums such as VO-BB.com, Voiceoversavvy.com and the Yahoo VoiceOvers group? Many voice coaches are listed in the Voices.com Voice Over Coaches Directory. It’s the Information Age, and anyone with a computer has access to it.

Voice-over teachers who are in demand have no need to contact you; it’s the other way around. I am wary of this instance because the teacher contacted you. I would be suspicious that Mike receives a referral fee for students that he sends to Levi or, without disclosing it to you, is actually employed by Voices For All.

2) What do former students say about the teacher? Are they actually getting work after studying with this teacher?

In this instance, testimonials are listed on the company’s web site. You can also check the archives of the voice-over forums and/or ask new questions in those places to gain additional insight about a teacher or company’s reputation.

3) Will you receive individual or group instruction?

Group instruction can be beneficial and cost-effective. Before producing my first demo, I was coached in a group of 6 people who met for 8 2-hour sessions. We only studied commercial copy. The group was small enough that we each had plenty of personal instruction while being able to learn from the direction given to others. We had to practice between sessions and listen to ourselves on a recorder.

Nothing can take the place of individual instruction. I left Susan Berkley’s coaching program because I wanted more personal instruction than was offered in her program. I now study with Nancy Wolfson and have 50-minute sessions that all are focused on copy interpretation and delivery exclusively for commercial scripts. When I finish with the commercial side, we will focus on narration.

4) What is the duration of each class?<

5) What topics are covered in the sessions?

I was concerned about this offer because it includes “classes in every aspect of the business”. You should expect a detailed synopsis of any voice-over workshop. Granted, some people are fabulous copywriters who can make any class sound enticing. Still, you should have some expectation of the topics to be covered and the length of time devoted to each.

6) Has the teacher ever performed voice-over work?

What credentials does the person bring to the table? If I am taking a class, I want to know that the teacher has had success in implementing the skills they are teaching. I also want to know that the teacher is knowledgeable of current trends.

Demo production leads to its own set of questions. Your voice-over coach and demo producer may be the same person or different people.

7) If a demo is to be produced as part of the coaching, how many classes do you take before the demo is produced?

You want to know that you are committing to a finite amount of time or a finite number of sessions.

8) Can you listen to other demos produced by this producer?

Listen to other voice talent demos and compare them to those from your prospective producer. Are they comparable in production quality and length?

9) What is the break-down of cost between the coaching and the demo production?

Teaching and demo production are 2 separate skills requiring different amounts of time. Unless a specialized demo is produced as part of a particular workshop, I would expect that commercial and narration demo production would cost an amount equal to the cost of the training. After all, the producer must prepare scripts suited for the talent’s unique voice and style, direct the studio session(s) and instruct the engineer about sequencing, timing and musical selections.

10) How are scripts selected for the demo?

Are your scripts the same or different from those used on other demos? Your demo should be as unique as your voice, and it should be a showcase for your voice. You don’t want to use scripts from a database or that could sound dated in any way. If you use the same scripts used on demos for other talent, you all lose.

I hope this detailed analysis of a package coaching/demo deal and the list of questions is helpful to you in deciding which training opportunities to pursue. In the end, you are in control of your time, money and career, and only you can decide which way to proceed. Best wishes for your success!

 

Do voice-over talents want more competition?

People often send e-mails to me with questions and comments, and I endeavor to respond to everyone. The topics raised in the message below were so interesting that I wanted to answer them here rather than in e-mail. With Ken’s permission, I have quoted his message.

Hi Karen. My name is Ken. I discovered your website one day when I was looking on Amazon for books on Voice Acting and I saw your recommended reading list…I must say that I found your site tremendously useful. I’m really impressed by your generosity of spirit and the fantastic information and resources you provide…Now to my questions. These have bugged me for years and I wonder if you can lend some insight.

Number one is:

If Voice Over is so competitive (and I have no doubt that it is) why are so many successful voice talents sharing their “secrets”. Doesn’t this just add to the competition they are facing? Do they really want MORE people in the business?

First, thanks so much for your very nice note and kind words. I am grateful for the feedback.

Coca-Cola has a closely-guarded secret formula. The US military implements secret plans that endanger lives. In my view, voice-over does not have any true secrets.

A voice-over career is like the notes in music. Only 12 possible tones can be made in music, yet you can hear them in numerous pitches. More importantly, those 12 tones can be held and combined in an infinite number of sequences to produce an endless series of rhythms, tempos and key signatures that form new music.

Our voice is our music; no two voices are exactly the same. Our interpretation of the words on the page and style in performing them is not the same. Like musical genres, some voices will appeal to one market segment and not to others. The reason the competition factor is emphasized in voice-over and all performing arts jobs is because people have a misguided viewpoint that they only need a nice-sounding voice. They think the work is easy and doesn’t require any special skills.

The truth is, that like any other profession, lifelong study in voice-over is necessary to achieve and maintain your market share. How does any newcomer learn if not under the guidance of a more experienced teacher? Do top sports figures stop practicing and working with their coaches on daily basis?

“When you are hired for a
voice-over job, you don’t take
anything away from me, my
accomplishments and my job
prospects.”

Do musicians stop practicing and studying with a teacher once they learn a piece of music up to tempo? Do people in the IT industry stop taking classes geared at maintaining technology? Voice-over is like other business ventures in that some people will find work more easily, often and lucrative than others.

I don’t view other people as my competition. (I also don’t view any person who lives on this same earth as my “enemy”, either, but that’s another discussion for another time.) We live in an abundant world, with more than enough work for everyone. More voice-over opportunities are appearing everyday with the advent of new media and associated outlets. When you are hired for a voice-over job, you don’t take anything away from me, my accomplishments and my job prospects. You would be hired because you successfully marketed yourself to someone who wanted to work with you because they liked your voice, your delivery style, your fee, etc.

If I tell you something that has brought me great success, you may or may not implement the tactic. Even implementing my tactic does not guarantee you will match my success. You will never do things exactly in the same way that I do because we are different.

In a simplified example, a coach or director can give you a line read. You interpret what you heard and reproduce the sounds and emphasis as best you can. Even when you nail the emphasis, your different vocal characteristics will guarantee that you won’t sound exactly like the other person.

Secondly, why does it seem like so many of these successful talents become teachers? Do they tire of the marketing grind? Do they find they can make a living more easily by teaching this business rather than actually doing it? Susan Berkley in particular seems more about the business of teaching VO than doing VO. I mean no disrespect, but the reality of this confuses me.

I don’t teach voice-over or produce demos, but I think those who do those things must still participate in marketing activities if they hope to have clients for those services. In fact, if you have any kind of business, marketing that business is essential for it to produce revenue!

I studied with Susan Berkley for several years. She is a fantastic marketer, and she doesn’t teach because she needs the money. I think she does it because she truly enjoys being able to give back to the universe some of the abundance and prosperity that has flowed her way.

In my current studies with Nancy Wolfson, I have encouraged her on more than one occasion to take a break from her heavy work schedule to enjoy some time off. She always enthusiastically assures me that she absolutely loves her work. When you have such incredible passion for your work, it no longer is work!

Sure, many people teach just to have another income stream and earn more money. However, many people become teachers for a variety of reasons other than money, including prestige and credentials. Someone who teaches voice-over may be perceived as a more credible expert or more objective than someone like me, who is a voice talent actively marketing myself. We tend to value advice only we have to pay for it!

I am a person who genuinely feels good if I help other people. Also, you get back what you put out in the world. If I help you today, somebody will help me in the future. I might consider teaching in person or via the web in the future. In the meantime, I frequently receive phone calls and e-mails from people interested in voice-over. I therefore use my blog primarily as an instructional and motivational tool for those wanting to join or improve in this profession.

It also confuses me when these books seems to say, “you can make a really great living” in one breath, but then in the next speak about how hard, competitive and difficult it can be to do this for a living. It’s enough to give me pause to wonder, “what am I getting myself into”.

If you were thinking of starting any other type of business, wouldn’t you wonder the same thing? People often think that they only need to have a good voice to have a successful career in voice-over. The most successful voice-over actors are often those who have the most savvy business skills. A person in voice-over or running any business probably can make a great living if they:

  • figure out their strengths and skills
  • determine a target market looking for those strengths and skills
  • carve a niche within that target market
  • define a marketing plan and budget
  • market themselves relentlessly to their niche markets
  • do great work while being easy to work with
  • ask for repeat and referral business
  • respond to changes in their markets and do what the market wants

In other words, we can’t all voice the starring role in a Pixar movie or even a local TV commercial; your market may want your voice for something else. You have to analyze your voice and delivery, and find those markets that want your vocal characteristics. A good voice-over coach can assist enormously in this process because we don’t see – or hear – ourselves as others do.

As a final thought, any business, including voice-over work, takes time to get established. No one can say how much time is needed because it varies with each person. If you are dependent on every dime from that business for your sustenance, your voice will reflect your inner desperation. It really IS hard and difficult to gain clientele and make living when you are approaching them from a point of desperation.

I just wondered what your thoughts were on this, since I respect your honesty about the business.

Ken, you asked some thought-provoking questions, so I hope that my answers are thought-provoking as well. Thanks for the message, and please feel free to leave any comments here on the blog.

 

Soundproofing vs. sound absorption

Right this minute, I’m watching a recent episode of Trading Spaces. If you haven’t watched the show, teams of 2 people trade houses for 2 days and re-decorate one room of the house. This episode features some feuding neighbors who can’t abide each other. Even more interesting to voice talent is that Neighbor A has a small child and craves absolute peace and quiet, while the Neighbor B has active, noisy teenage sons who have a heavy-metal garage band.

Neighbor A is redoing the garage studio for Neighbor B, and their priority was soundproofing. I became somewhat of an expert on soundproofing techniques when we decided to build the room for my stunning studio. Soundproofing is achieved by creating mass separated by air space. I therefore thought perhaps the designer would build a room within a room.

The designer decided instead to cover the ceiling and walls with carpet padding. Carpet padding is in the category of sound absorption. It changes the characteristics of sound within the room but does not necessarily prevent the sound from leaving the room. Given the amount of carpet padding they are installing in almost every inch throughout the room, it certainly will help reduce the noise. However, If I were the teenager with the band, I would be concerned that I am not hearing true sound.

So far, I have seen nothing about treating the door and windows, as those are major sources where sound escapes. I know they have a limited budget of $1000 on this show, but I think the designer doesn’t have a good grasp of soundproofing techniques. She chose to build a stage, which might look cool, but won’t stop the noise problem the way an interior room would have.

Soundproofing is also what Neighbor A would need to do their own home in order to prevent the unwanted sounds from entering their house. I live in such a noisy area that we replaced all the windows with triple-pane windows and built a room according to specifications found in Building a Recording Studio by Jeff Cooper. My room has 2 layers of 5/8th-inch sheet rock, which is thicker than normal 1/2-inch sheet rock. I also have 2 layers of ceilings separated by heavy insulation, 2 sets of doors at each entrance and no windows.

As for the TV show, I guess it’s more important that the warring neighbors gain some harmony and empathy than to be totally accurate in the description of the materials. I have to say that the finished studio really looks awesome!