Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Karen Commins

3 Cs of Branding Illustrated by Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow.

Paris.

Both are iconic brands that exude love and romance. Can you sum up your voice-over brand in a few short words?

Since 1993, I’ve traveled to over a dozen cities from London to Las Vegas just to see Barry Manilow in concert. I’ve seen him perform 51 times, including his newest show at the spectacular Paris Las Vegas during my recent trip to Las Vegas. The Paris Las Vegas resort is the perfect venue for Barry, and his new show includes images of Impressionists works found in Paris, France. The latest rendition of Barry’s show is truly an ideal marriage between 2 romantic brands.

Barry has been creating albums and performing in live concerts for over 35 years. After that last concert, I thought about 3 Cs related to Barry’s branding that may help you achieve similar longevity with your voiceover career.

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Barry Manilow performing at the Paris Las Vegas, 3/21/10

 
People are always shocked when I say how many times I’ve gone to a Manilow concert. They ask me why I would go see the same performer so many times. They incredulously inquire, “Isn’t it the same show every time?”

Since I want to answer that question here by talking about his branding, I think it’s easier to understand branding when looking at products instead of people. If I said I had bought Tide detergent hundreds of times in my life, no one would find the revelation shocking. At best, they might be curious about the reason for my allegiance to that particular brand of detergent.

Core Product

Tide detergent is a carefully formulated product that will remove stains from clothes. It is a brand to distinguish it from other, similar-looking products that also remove stains from clothes.

Many people don’t stop to think of an entertainer as a powerful form of brand promotion. Whether we’re talking about a legendary performer with decades of experience like Barry Manilow or the newest voice talent plugging in a microphone today, a voice-over talent is a unique brand just as Barry Manilow is. 

What kind of song is Barry known for? Love songs. True, he sings in a wide variety of musical genres — including jazz, pop, standards, rock, and even Latin (and I’m not just talking about Copacabana) — but he uses the same signature sound and stays true to his core product line of love songs in most cases.

As a voice talent, I also have worked in multiple genres — commercials, audiobooks, e-learning modules, games, and phone systems. Although I may employ a different attitude or change my vocal attributes to create a character voice, the vast majority of my work employs my signature sound. I usually stay true to my core product line of factual presentation. 

Just as clothes detergents look the same, and a singer’s catalog tends to sound the same, you will probably note some similarity among the types of scripts on which you excel. If you stop and determine where that similarity lies, you will have found your core product. When you know your core product, it’s easier to target a niche of people who want that product.

Consistent Results

Most people make all purchasing decisions out of habit or, ideally, affinity to a particular brand. We repeat our decisions when we are satisfied with the product and it provides predictable, consistent results. Fans of entertainers and sports teams repeatedly pay big bucks to see their idols perform. What’s more, they are only too happy to buy merchandise with their idol’s name and logo, etc.

When I buy Tide, I know that my clothes will be clean. When I buy a ticket to a Manilow concert, I know I will hear favorite songs and see a high-energy show for 2 hours. When a client books me for a voice-over job, they know they will receive a well-narrated, pristine recording of their script before their deadline. Since I market my brand as “A Vacation For Your Ears”, clients rightfully expect me to be bright, sunny, stress-free, and fun!

Constant Improvement 

Going back to my detergent analogy, if Tide had never made a change in the years that I had been buying it, I probably would have switched to another detergent. As it is, Tide has removed chemicals that irritated my skin, changed from powder to liquid, and created new packaging which encourages me to get refills. The basic product stayed the same, but improvements have been made based on customer feedback.

In the years that I’ve followed Barry, he also has improved. Sure, you know you’re going to hear certain songs and some of the same jokes from concert to concert. Mandy, Copacabana, and I Write The Songs are part of his core product line. The production and staging has changed with different tours and venues. Also, Barry has continued to produce new albums, so the music changes over time as well. He has said that he gets bored with the same show, and he knows his fans would, too. Therefore, he even changes elements of the show each night.

My clients have also benefitted from my constant improvement. I have upgraded studio components and continue to take classes to maintain and improve my performance.

When you define and stick with your core product, offer consistent results, and embrace constant improvement, you will find much success in your voice-over career over the years.

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Aside from these thoughts about branding, I’ve learned some extremely important life’s lessons from Barry which may help you live the life of your dreams, specifically:

  • Don’t take your critics’ words to heart; what do they know, anyway?
  • Forget about pleasing everybody; concentrate on playing to the people who like what you do.
  • Do what you love (in my case, voice-over) not for the money but because you can’t NOT do it. Barry has said: “You shouldn’t do it for the applause, the money or the ego satisfaction because it doesn’t work. You’ve got to do it because you’ve got to do it.”
  • Your job is just what you do, but it doesn’t change who you are.
  • You can give in, you can give out, but you don’t give up.
  • The better produced demo you make, the better chance you have.

One of my dearest dreams is to meet Barry and have a private, meaningful conversation with him. I want to tell him how much I have learned from him and enjoyed his music. According to this article, he’s planning to create an audio autobiography. I would certainly love to work with him in any capacity on that project, if only to be the narrator who introduces the book for him. I’m also open to singing or playing my harp with him during one of his shows!

At the end of his concerts, Barry often urges his audiences:

DO WHAT YOU LOVE!

He closed his autobiography with this passage, and I want to share it with you.

I believe that we are who we choose to be.
Nobody is going to come and save you. You’ve got to save yourself.
Nobody is going to give you anything. You’ve got to go out and fight for it.
Nobody knows what you want except you,
and nobody will be as sorry as you if you don’t get it.
So don’t give up your dreams.

 

Another voice talent meet-up

An amazing trend is emerging in my voice-over career. For the second time in 2 weeks, I’ve had the immense pleasure of meeting some fellow voice talents. In fact, both occasions occurred on a Monday evening dinner at an Italian restaurant. See? Amazing!

First, Drew and I met our friend Dave Courvoisier during our trip to Las Vegas in March. This week, it was our turn to play hosts to our friend, the highly successful voice talent and marketer extraordinaire Peter O’Connell as he visited Atlanta.

Voice talents Peter O’Connell, Karen Commins, and Craig Crumpton
are all smiles after dinner together

 
Although we’ve interacted a good bit on-line for several years, I hadn’t been able to connect with Peter during 2-3 of his past trips to my lovely (and right now, pollen-caked) city. This time, he wisely alerted me in plenty of time so that I could hire a professional organizer to arrange my sock drawer. I wanted to eliminate any possible obstacle I would have in meeting him! 🙂

In addition to his tremendous vocal talent and impressive client list, I have long admired Peter’s marketing prowess. He actually practices “old school” marketing and PR techniques like setting up a booth at trade shows. Of course, his skill in marketing just adds more companies to that already impressive client list. In his copious spare time, Peter wrote the fantastic VoiceOver Entrance Exam, a free e-book that should be required reading for everyone entering this industry.

I also was delighted to meet at long last the multi-talented Craig “Voiceroy” Crumpton, who was able to join us in this little soiree on Monday night. Craig and I also have shared on-line correspondence over the years but hadn’t met. Anyone who lives in Atlanta or is familiar with our traffic — sure to be on any top 5 list for worst traffic in the country — can understand why Craig and I hadn’t met before this week! Craig entertained us with stories of his recent adventures singing with a gospel quartet in Japan, as well as his stint as a featured extra in the upcoming movie The Conspirator.

We decided to meet at Olive Garden, and their slogan of “when you’re here, you’re family” certainly seemed to apply to us. Time flew by in the company of both these fun and engaging gentlemen. We got to know each other better as people and learned from each other as voiceover professionals. I found the conversations about agents to be especially helpful as I will soon seek additional representation in new markets.

I’ve met more voice-over pros in 2 months than in all of last year. Getting out of my house and meeting my wonderful peers is an exciting trend that I intend to continue.
 

What happens in Vegas

The catchy TV ads for Las Vegas tourism caution you: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. A banner at the airport reminds you of that slogan as you head to your departure gate.

What happens in any place I travel stays there…..UNTIL I get home. When Drew and I travel, we never post anything on-line to indicate we’re not at home. Tweets about the trip, Facebook photo updates, and blog posts all have to wait until we get home. It would be too easy for crooks to see our on-line updates, find our house with Google maps, and clean us out while we’re gone.

Now that I’m back from a fabulous trip to Vegas, all bets are off. I had such a great time that a tell-all blog is in order!

Drew and I went to Las Vegas to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows while sitting on a Harley at the Little White Wedding Chapel Tunnel of Love. Yes, we renewed our vows at a drive-through window! We expected the ceremony to be just a few sentences, like “Do you still take her? Do you still take him? Okay, ride on then!” However, the ceremony actually was very meaningful while still being fun and unique.

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Karen and Drew Commins say “I do — again!” at a Las Vegas drive-though chapel

 
Although our vow renewal ceremony was the reason for the trip, a big highlight for both of us was finally meeting our friend, the dedicated news anchor, energetic Renaissance man, and talented fellow professional voiceover actor Dave Courvoisier. Dave and I have exchanged many thoughtful e-mails, and occasionally, we’ve even surmounted time zone differences between Las Vegas and Atlanta to talk on the phone. It was such a joy to be able to spend a few hours with him in person.

Dave generously invited us to sit in on his 5pm newscast at KLAS-TV, where he anchors the 4pm, 5pm, and 11pm newscasts. Such a grueling schedule would be enough for many people. Dave’s busy, high-profile job is just a part of his work week. For instance, he was an emcee on Saturday, 20 March for the Chefs for Kids Gala, a benefit at which Las Vegas chefs combine efforts to raise money to provide nutritionists and meals at Clark County schools.

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Las Vegas KLAS-TV anchors Dave Courvoisier and Denise Valdez in a newscast.
Dave is on the air in this picture.

 
After the newscast, we enjoyed a relaxing and delicious Italian dinner at Nora’s Cuisine. The conversation flowed easily; we never encountered one of of those awkward, pregnant pauses. We talked about our families and the sadness over losing our parents. We talked about Drew’s recent certification as a Dive Control Specialist. We talked about the technology at the TV studio and Dave’s role as a leader and teacher of social networking among the staff.

Naturally, we spent a good bit of time talking about our voice-over careers. I rarely come out of my studio to talk with another voice talent, so this discussion was quite refreshing. Dave has been in voice-over for about 5 years, and I’ve been doing it for 11 years. We’re on similar paths as we both continue to evolve and grow as professional voice talent. In fact, we’ve both recently completed extensive coursework from celebrated LA voiceover coach and branding guru Nancy Wolfson and created new commercial demos under her direction.

I was impressed to learn that Dave created a second web site solely aimed at audiobook narration. I also have had the same idea, but Dave has actually implemented it. I admire his targeted and focused marketing to one of his niche audiences.

By the way, Dave insists that he DOES sleep 6-8 hours a night, but I still find it difficult to believe that he has time to sleep at all!

Drew and I had a very special anniversary trip to Las Vegas. Spending quality time with Dave Courvoisier made it all the better, and we look forward to visiting with him again soon.

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Voice actors Dave Courvoisier and Karen Commins
bask in the glow of the neon light from a tattoo shop.
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

 

What my hair stylist taught me about voice-over

In the last few days, I have enjoyed reading my friend Dave Courvoisier’s excellent 3-part series of blog articles about setting rates. When I saw the comments about not leaving money on the table when negotiating the price of a voice-over job, I remembered some unrelated advice given to me by my hair stylist. You might wonder how a hair stylist could help a voice talent, but we’re both business owners. I decided to dig up and publish my entries from my journal from that day as her advice is sure to help other voiceover artists.

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Saturday, 25 January 2003

We went to get our hair cut. As I was sitting with wet hair and wearing my lovely vinyl smock, my phone rang. I thought and hoped it might be someone calling about my Prelude harp since I posted ads to sell it just this morning.

Nope. It was [client], calling about the sound files. He was trying to compress them and was getting a hissing sound. I felt bad that I didn’t do any file reduction before I sent them to him. I sent him what he asked for — CD audio. He didn’t specify the sampling rate or resolution. I told him I’d try to help him when I got home. By the time I got here, I had an email from him saying that they had converted the files.

Sunday 26 January 2003

I was worrying over [client’s] phone call yesterday while Theresa was cutting my hair. She said she understood exactly how I felt. She equated [client’s] call to me as being like one of her customers deciding they didn’t like the hair color they asked for, which would cause Theresa to have to use more product and spend time she hadn’t planned. She wouldn’t get any more money for the job, but she would make the customer happy.

Theresa advised me to create a manual that would include my procedures for different types of projects and questions I should ask. She hit the nail on the head when she said my business is in a growth phase. Even though I had been planning for it for quite a while, it’s still hard to be fully prepared for every circumstance that crops up.

I feel this whole experience with [client] is a valuable learning experience from an operational standpoint. My manual should help me to remember to ask or do:

1) to see the script before agreeing to a final price
2) ask the client how big the final file size should be
3) if I know the files are going on a phone system, I should create smaller files before sending them to the client

I’ve also been reminded in the past week:

4) When someone asks me for a quote, I should ask them first if they have a budget and a timeframe in mind.

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Even though it’s been 7 years since Theresa advised me to devise a manual, I continue to write down numerous operational aspects of my voice-over projects, such as:

  • When doing an audition, I scribble the “Moment before” on the script so that I can get back to the same frame of mind if I’m selected for the job.
  • I note the method of file transmission that a client prefers. Some people want to receive files in e-mail, while others prefer services like YouSendIt.com and Dropbox.com.
  • If I use music from my royalty-free library, I list the disc and cut that I selected. For podcasts, I also include the cues and timing in the music to maintain consistent intro and outro segments.

Writing my procedures allows me to spend more quality time producing my recordings.

As for the rates question that started this trip down memory lane, I want to add one thing. Asking people if they have a budget and timeframe (#4 from my journal entry) immediately weeds out those who are seriously interested in hiring me from those who want me to record for “exposure”. In fact, just last week, someone proposed that I do voiceover projects for them in exchange for a link on their web site. After asking them about their budget, it’s no surprise to me that I didn’t receive a reply.

Photo: iStockPhoto.com/Gerry Hernandez

Julie and Julia cook up 5 voiceover tips

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Bonjour! You may think the movie Julie and Julia is only about Julia Child, Julie Powell, Paris, and cooking. While those are reasons enough to watch this excellent and highly enjoyable movie, you may be surprised to learn that the movie also contains 5 lessons that will benefit voiceover artists:

1) Neither Julia Child nor Julie Powell became cooks and writers simply to make money. Both answered an inner calling and pursued their passions. Both women also had additional income to support them when they started their endeavors.

Many people enter the voice-over industry under the mistaken belief that it is an easy way to make money. They view voice-over like a part-time job at a fast food restaurant, where they have no start-up or ongoing costs and need no particular skills in order to make money. Anyone could come in off the street, fill out an application, and begin work.

As I’ve written numerous times, voice-over is a business. I wouldn’t say it follows the 80/20 rule; it’s more like the 95/5 rule — 95% of your time is spent in activities to develop and enhance your delivery and interpretation skills, market your services, and build client relationships that will enable you to obtain the 5% of the jobs where you actually work as a voice talent.

2) Julie didn’t give up her day job. I know this item seems like take two of the same script. However, I added this tip to remind you that there’s no shame in having a day job. It can actually enable you to pursue your voiceover dreams.

3) When Julie compared herself to her friends, she felt small, insignificant, and depressed. I know of no quicker way to feel bad than to start comparing myself to other people. The cure for these spiraling negative thoughts is to take charge of your thoughts and words, which should inspire you to take positive action.

4) Both women created their own work. Did Julia Child wait for a restaurant manager to hire her to cook? Did Julie Powell wait for a magazine or book editor to hire her to write? Figure out the kinds of projects that you enjoy voicing and create them yourself. You can create your own commercials, movie trailers, audiobooks, or whatever you desire.

Whether you show the finished product to anyone or make any money from it is irrelevant. The point is to feed your passion and exercise your creativity on a regular basis. The more you do what you want to do and enjoy it, the more you become the person you want to be. Also, I’ve had a couple of occasions where I created something for my own enjoyment and skill practice. I loved the process and ended up using the finished piece as a demo from which I landed new clients.

5) Julie and Julie exemplify Thoreau’s famous quote. Henry David Thoreau wrote this gem, which is as true now as it was in his time:

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams
and endeavors to live the life he has imagined,
he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.

To me, it means that the energy you put out in the world will come back to you in ways you didn’t imagine — and be better than you could ever dream possible!

May all your voiceover endeavors bring you joie de vivre!

6 ways to show you respect another person’s time

Yet another person called me today because of a desire to get into voiceover. While I have always endeavored to provide assistance to people considering a voice-over career, several things about this exchange left me feeling more irritated than helpful. Therefore, I want to turn my negative thoughts into some tips to help others approach me and other voice talent in more respectful manner.

1) If you must leave someone a voice mail, tell them the purpose of your call in your message.

2) If you leave a message and must leave the phone immediately, state a good time to return the call. 

Today’s caller left me a message saying she wanted to talk to me. I called her back a mere 13 minutes later and had to leave a message. In my message, I said she could send me an e-mail to cut down on phone tag. (Phone tag is a HUGE time-waster!) As Murphy could have predicted, I was unavailable when she called the second time. Again, she didn’t tell me the purpose of her call. I knew at that point she was either trying to sell me something or wanted to quiz me about becoming a voice talent.

3) Get on-line.

After I told her in my voice mail that she could send me an e-mail, she stated in her second voice mail to me that she didn’t really care for e-mail. Since the entire voiceover industry is increasingly on-line, you will quickly be left behind if you don’t want to communicate through e-mail. When people send me e-mail expressing interest in working in voiceover, I can respond at my leisure — requiring less time on my part — while also offering far more details and links to info than I could give to a prospective voice talent over the phone.

4) Do your own research.

Drew is now working for me in my voiceover business, so I asked him to call her back the second time. He also had to leave a message. (Did I mention that phone tag is a waste of time?) Once they finally were on the phone together, he spent 14 minutes patiently answering this newcomer’s various questions, like:

  • Since LA and NYC are the big spots for voice-over, can you do it anywhere else? What’s the market like in Atlanta? (Drew’s answer was the same as mine would be — are you currently working in voiceover, or are you looking to get started?)
  • Who’s a good agent? (I mentioned agents on my advice page on my web site. Basically, you need to have appropriate training, a well-produced demo, marketable skills, and probably a number of bookings before an agent will even listen to you.)
  • Can you make $50,000 a year? (Yes, but most people starting out don’t make that much.)
  • Is it possible to make $100,000? Did he know anyone who made that much in voiceover? (Yes, anything is possible. Your earnings are based on a wide number of factors, not the least of which is your audition ratio. A voice talent’s real jobs are auditioning and self-marketing to generate work and consequently income.)
  • What’s the phone number for Nancy Wolfson (after Drew said I had been studying with her)? How much does Nancy charge? (If you want to talk with Nancy or any other voiceover teacher, look them up and contact them personally.)

Drew referred the caller to my advice page, but she said it looked more like a blog. Obviously, she had not read that page, any of the 100 or so articles on my blog, or any other of the millions of pages on-line that could have answered the questions she was asking.

5) Request an informational interview.

If you want to have an informational interview with anyone currently doing a particular job, send a courteous request for an appointment that has a pre-defined amount of time of no more than 15 minutes. Calling a person and expecting them to take time from their busy schedule just to talk with you when it’s convenient for you shows a total disregard for their time and business. Don’t assume that the person you called can stop their current activity to talk to you.

6) Be prepared with questions.

When I talk to newcomers on the phone, I ask first if they have read my advice page and blog and then whether they have specific questions about the info that I have written. I have a business to run; I don’t have time to man the information desk.

A friend called as I was writing this entry. She summed up the underlying reason for my irritation over today’s events exceptionally well:

Do you want to make money, or do you want to earn it? People who want to make money are out to get rich quick through any means possible and using anyone they can. People who want to earn money are willing to undergo necessary training, proceed methodically, and persistently perform the necessary business aspects such as marketing and accounting to build a career.

A voiceover career definitely falls in the category where you earn money.