Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Narrators

How to achieve success in voice-over

The dictionary is the only place where Success comes before Work.

A couple of recent situations made me think of this phrase. I believe that you can achieve any goal you set for yourself ASSUMING that you are willing to do the work necessary to achieve it. I also know that no one can do your work for you, and no shortcuts exist on your journey.

I have previously commented and voice-over coach and actor Peter Rofe noted in an article this week:

There are a lot of people who want to get into voice-over work because they have the misconception that it’s a get-rich-quick scheme, that they can stay at home, record their voice in their pajamas, unshaven in a T-shirt …
and make lots and lots of money.

Now in some cases, that’s true, but usually for well-established voice artists.

I frequently receive calls and e-mails from people who want to get started in voice-over, study with me, request demo critiques, ask my opinion on teachers and classes, etc. A few weeks ago, I saw a message on a forum where I’m a regular contributor. Like so many other people who contact me personally, this person wanted to get into voice-overs because she has always been told that she had a nice voice. A forum member directed her to search for my posts, read what I had written and perhaps send a private message to me if she still had questions.

At 12:24pm, she responded that she would take those actions.

At 12.30pm, I received a private message from this same person. She wrote that she posted the question in the forum, and someone suggested that she contact me.

I responded to her first by quoting the advice to read what I’ve already written. I added: That’s my suggestion as well. While I can appreciate and understand your excitement, you would find the answers to many of your questions with a little research.

A couple of Saturdays ago, I received a phone call from someone who introduced himself and then said, I need an agent. During his somewhat lengthy voice mail message, he proceeded to do a few impressions for me and told me how to find him on YouTube. He also told me about a holiday CD he had created that he said the people loved.

If I had to predict which of these 2 people would be successful in realizing their voice-over dreams, I would pick the second person without hesitation.

Person One seemed unwilling to do even the least bit of work. A mere six minutes elapsed between the times that she learned about me and I received her message. She did not search for my posts and read absolutely nothing before firing off a message to me. I also was not pleased that she misrepresented to me the forum poster’s advice.

Person Two, however, already was doing some work, had looked at enough of my web site to learn my agent’s name and obviously was not afraid to enthusiastically promote himself. Calling a fellow voice talent, especially on a Saturday, was an unusual tactic to employ in his quest for agent. I don’t fault him for making the effort. He had an idea and took action; you never know when an inspired action will bring results. When I returned his call, I told him that I am a voice talent marketing myself, and I wouldn’t be able to help him get an agent.

As I tell everyone who asks, you will achieve your dreams by putting one foot in front of the other and taking some small step toward your goals everyday. Just remember — your success is defined by your work!

 

Trick…or Treat?

Today is Halloween, a day that kids throughout the land adore because it means they get free candy, just by saying the magic words Trick or Treat! Judging from an e-mail forwarded to me from a friend, trick or treat also may be the outcome when dealing with a service provider like a voice talent, or, in this case, a cake decorator.

The story, according to the e-mail, was as follows:

We had a “going away” party yesterday for a lady
at our Little Rock claim office.
One of the supervisors called a Wal-Mart and
ordered the cake.
He told them to write: “Best Wishes Suzanne” and
underneath that write “We will miss you”.
As the picture shows, it didn’t quite turn out right. It was
too funny not to keep it.

The moral of this story is: You get what you pay for!

Whether shopping for a cake decorator or the voice talent for your next project, do you really want to go to the place that promises the lowest price and tries to be everything to everybody but doesn’t do anything particularly well? Or, would you rather consult with someone who is a specialist in their craft, carefully collaborates with you on your exact requirements and guarantees your complete satisfaction? Remember, the one offering the lowest price may also be offering the highest number of mistakes. As a professional voice talent, I always want my clients to feel that working with me was a TREAT!

Just some food for thought for adults on this day when food is on the minds of the kids….

 

Need help in creating a marketing plan?

Atlanta has been in a severe drought, and, and long last, we finally have some rain. With nothing planned for today, the temptation is great on this cool and drizzly day to read a book and take a nap.

Even when I’m not working on voice-over projects, though, I am still working. I have written many times on this blog about the importance of marketing your services. Marketing activities should be planned and consistent so that you can move forward in your voice-over business. You don’t want to think in terms of one event, like a mailing; you want to think in terms of a system.

However, I frequently receive questions and read forum posts from voice talent who find the marketing process to be very daunting and mysterious. They don’t know how to set goals and create a system of marketing tasks designed to reach those goals. The object of marketing is to get the same people to hear about you over and over so that they feel comfortable with you and hopefully compelled to do business with you.

I have some suggestions to help you create your marketing plan.

My first recommendation to anyone confused about marketing is to read the outstanding book Get Clients Now by C. J. Hayden and published by the American Management Association. Hayden not only gives you bountiful ideas for specific tactics that you can implement with success in your voice-over business, but she outlines a structure for your plan. She proposes that you create a 28-day marketing plan based on your current goals. She uses a cookbook model by advising you to think of the plan as your action plan menu, where you choose the appropriate strategies as your recipes for success.

I have read many, many books on marketing, including Michael Port’s bestseller Book Yourself Solid : The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling. When I want to rethink or revitalize my marketing plan, I immediately return to Hayden’s book. I always achieve fantastic results when I fill out and apply the action and tracking worksheets in Hayden’s book. She breaks up the tasks depending on whether you want to contact new prospects, follow up with existing prospects and clients, or close more sales.

One comment is this book was particularly liberating to me:

Do you hate cold calling?
Don’t put it on your plan. Instead, build your Daily Actions
around warm calling and referral building.
Hayden includes strategies for personal contact and networking, writing, public speaking, advertising and web-based marketing, which build on the other strategies to reach a potentially larger audience. Some people like to throw marketing tasks out in all directions like spaghetti flung on the wall, with the thought of seeing what sticks. I believe that scattered thoughts lead to scattered actions and results. Just as I can’t be and don’t want to be all things to all people in my voice-over work, I prefer to concentrate on a few related marketing activities at one time.

For instance, I currently am focusing on marketing activities related to the Internet. I therefore was excited to learn this week that Stephanie Ciccarelli at Voices.com has created a new e-book titled Internet Marketing for Voice Actors. Ciccarelli is a superb on-line marketer, and she has outlined many of her proven strategies in this 35-page guide.

The first part of the guide provides some useful information about voice-over business descriptions, as well as an admirable analysis of the market and trends for voice-over services. While Ciccarelli briefly mentions some marketing strategies, half of this guide discusses search engine optimization and on-line networking. Ciccarelli provides an excellent analysis of various linking strategies and a terrific list of web sites containing search engine tools. The section covering on-line social networking is equally good, with descriptions of several major sites and a list of sites that I never knew existed.

Since I am a perpetual student of marketing and long-time computer geek, I did not discover any other revelations in this guide. I was surprised that Ciccarelli did not include a detailed list of the various press release sites since I know that she utilizes them. Of course, on a given day, most voice talent would not have a need to submit press releases. I also would have liked a list of sites Stephanie has used to syndicate her articles.

Still, I think most voice actors would benefit greatly from reading and applying the concepts in this new e-book, especially as a companion resource to a general marketing book like Get Clients Now. After all, marketing over the Internet is just one facet of a total marketing plan.

I just looked out the window and noted that it looks even more dreary than when I started this entry. I think I will re-read these 2 marketing books for a bit before taking a much-deserved nap!

 

Plugs for a day job and the environment

Al Gore typifies my motto of “things happen for a reason.”

I like Al Gore, and I voted for him in the hotly-contested 2000 Presidential election. While millions of Americans were immensely disappointed and even angered that he didn’t win the election, we can see that it was better for him personally that he didn’t become the 43rd President of the United States.

If Gore had become President, he would not have had the time or energy to lead the crusade for the environment. In 2007, Gore has achieved rock star status. First, he won an Academy Award for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and now, Gore is the co-recipient of the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. You don’t have to agree with his assessments about the environment or his politics to be impressed by his monumental achievements.

So what do Al Gore and his push to save the environment have to do with you as a voice-over talent?

Whatever you are doing today
will prepare you for what is to come tomorrow.
Al Gore didn’t suddenly wake up one morning and think he wanted to make a positive difference in others’ lives. Carrier pigeons didn’t deliver covert messages from citizens to him to tell him about environmental issues. I somehow doubt Hollywood executives were camped on Gore’s doorstep, begging him to make a movie of his PowerPoint presentation.

EVERYTHING in Gore’s past – every class he took, every political office in which he served, every speech he gave, every decision he made – helped shape him as a person and give him the knowledge and contacts he needed to move his passion about the environment from his mind to the masses.

I think that we don’t realize and appreciate that every moment has meaning. We waste time moaning and groaning about current situations instead of reacting to them with gratitude. For instance, many voice-over talent complain about having a day job, when that job actually is a great blessing.

I had day jobs on my mind for a topic this afternoon because I listened to the .mp3 from my coach Nancy Wolfson and national voice talent Anna Vocino titled Acting for Advertising part 2. Anna made a point to say that you should not be ashamed to have a day job. It pays your bills, which helps prevent you from sounding desperate in your voice-over auditions and marketing efforts. As I have written previously on this blog, desperation is not an attractive quality!

Rather than feeling like the day job is keeping you from your voice-over activities, I would encourage you to look at the many other ways that a day job can benefit you:

  • It can provide you with health insurance.
  • It can bankroll your purchases for your studio equipment and your voice-over classes.
  • Depending on where you work and your longevity there, you may be able to contribute to a 401K or other retirement plan. If your employer provides a matching donation, be sure to contribute at least as much as the percentage your employer will match. It’s a 100% return on your investment!
  • You can gain computer, time management and networking skills that will help you with your voice work.
  • You may gain subject matter expertise that will make you even more enticing as a voice actor. For instance, I have a MS degree in computer information systems and over 20 years of experience in the IT field. I can perform technical scripts with complete authenticity because the subject matter has been stamped on my brain. Walking out of an employer’s door doesn’t mean that the knowledge is forgotten; you take everything you learn with you.
  • You don’t have to turn your world upside down to start your voice-over business. I think it would be extremely STRESSFUL to quit a job that is providing for your sustenance and lifestyle to embark on a new business venture. Any audition you perform while still employed elsewhere is done without pressure on your part to get the job. You can build your business gradually with the confidence that voice work will always be available.
  • Get accustomed to thinking of yourself as a $100K a year voice actor who occasionally may work at another job. You need to have the mindset of your prosperity and goal achievement in place before it will ever occur in reality.
  • Even if you never make the leap to a full-time voice-over career, your life is richer and fuller because you are following your dreams. No one said that following your dream means you must make any, much less your complete, income from it!

I love life/work coach Barbara Sher’s philosophy about having a day job, or what she calls the good-enough job:

THINK OF THE GOOD-ENOUGH JOB AS SUBSIDY TO YOUR ART!

I chose to use Al Gore as an example in this post because today is Blog Action Day, where bloggers are united to write about the environment. Obviously, his previous day jobs and his experiences have brought him to the attention of world leaders and concerned citizens today.

Since so many voice talent have day jobs, I have 5 suggestions for being more environmentally friendly on the day job:

1) Take public transportation or some other energy-conserving method to your job whenever possible. The money spent on gas could help fund your voice-over classes.

2) Ask your employer to work from home. (Ssshhh! Don’t tell your employer, but you just might be able to sneak in some voice-over auditions on those days!)

3) Ask for an alternate work schedule. I know some people who still work 80 hours over 2 weeks, but they do it in a different manner than 5, 8-hour days a week. They might work 10 hours a day for 4 days. Others work 8 9-hour days, 1 8-hour day and have a day off every other week. The days off are days that you can press into service for your voice-over marketing.

4) As a voice talent, you need to stay hydrated. Rather than buying water in plastic bottles that will end up in landfills, you can buy a Brita pitcher with water filter. Not only are you being environmentally conscious, but the money you save could be spent on your voice-over marketing or equipment!

5) Use less paper, and recycle the paper that you do use. Don’t print your e-mails and my blog entries unless you absolutely must. If you are allowed to use your work computer to print scripts for auditions, use recycled paper for that purpose. Also, your employer may have a recycling program for paper, soda cans, etc.

If you have more ideas how voice talent can help the environment from their day jobs or in general, please post a comment!

None of us — including Al Gore — could have predicted in 2000 the kind of year Gore would have in 2007. If you remember that every moment has meaning, including your time spent at a day job, you will have peace. Why be anxious about your voice-over career when you can be happy and actually enjoy your life?

 

Working with a portable studio

If it’s possible, I love traveling as much or even more than my voice-over work. In the past, I haven’t taken equipment with me on my trips. Since the beginning of this year, I have changed my equipment so that I can voice auditions and projects on the road. I now have a Macbook Pro laptop with Pro Tools LE running with a Mbox Pro mic interface. To facilitate the usual work here in my stunning soundproof studio, I just bought a Tranzport wireless workstation control, which will allow me to control and edit Pro Tools from within my booth while leaving the computer and other equipment outside the booth.

A while back, I had read Harlan Hogan’s excellent article about creating a portable booth. I couldn’t find the Reisenthel Home Box pictured in Harlan’s article at my local Container Store or at that company’s web site. However, I did find and order the box from Amazon.

The company shipped it out immediately. It arrived this week, so I haven’t tried using it as a portable booth. I do have a lot of Auralex foam left over from the days when my recording booth was in a walk-in closet. I had planned to leave my Neumann TLM 103 mic here in my recording booth and take my CAD condenser mic on road trips. The CAD mic is too heavy, and I’m now looking for a smaller, lighter mic to use in my portable configuration.

I also have decided to sell my Telos Zephyr ISDN codec. I really don’t have much occasion to use it since I mostly work in long-form narrations and audiobooks. If you’re looking to buy an industry-standard ISDN unit, let me know soon! Otherwise, I will post the unit for sale on eBay.

Speaking of travel, I need to travel away from home right now in search of brunch!

 

Has your ship come in?

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Barry Manilow. You may have heard his name lately because he is promoting a marvelous new album. One reason behind his longevity in the music business and his millions of fans is that Barry is constantly involved in some new venture, and he isn’t afraid to let people know about it.

      I was thrilled to speak with Barry over the phone
for a couple of minutes when he visited a local radio show as part of his continuing promotional efforts. While I could barely speak in my excitement, Barry’s words are true and clear. When the host told Barry “you don’t stop,” Barry replied with words to inspire any creative person and especially this voice talent.

Rodney Saulsberry, a voice talent known for his work in commercials and movie trailers, agrees with Manilow. Saulsberry wrote in his fantastic book You Can Bank on Your Voice: Your Guide to a Successful Career in Voice-Overs:

The voice-over business is a high-stakes, competitive industry,
and there is no time to be modest when it comes to letting
potential clients know you are the person for their next project. 

Many people seem to be more passive about ensuring their career success. I have heard many voice actors and others using the expression “when my ship comes in”, meaning that your luck, opportunities and hopefully your fortune have just become more positive. I read a story once about the origin of that phrase.

In the time of world exploration hundreds of years ago, a ship coming in to the harbor was a big deal. The monarchs and wealthy patrons who financed the explorers did so with the knowledge that the ship might sail away and never return. If the ship did return, it might be damaged. At the very least, the explorer might return with nothing more than a bad case of sunburn and stinky clothes to show for the adventure. However, the financiers of these operations would continue to send out ships, hoping that one would return with the motherload of treasure.

The point of the story is applicable to voice-over talent or anyone in business for themselves:

If you want your ship to come in,
you have to keep sending the ships out.

Some of your ships will never return. Some will return carrying letters like the one I quoted in a previous entry. A glorious few will sail in with a new client on board!

Like Barry Manilow and Rodney Saulsberry, I send out as many query and promotional ships as possible in as many directions as possible. You can be sure that when my ships come in, I’m not at the airport, but sitting in my stunning soundproof studio and ready to get to work!