Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-ratorâ„¢

Voice-Over

10 Business Tips From My Day at the Great Pyramids

When Drew and I recently visited the Great Pyramids in Egypt, our attention was instantly focused on something. You might think we were riveted by the awe-inspiring majesty of the ancient structures that we were visiting. While we were certainly thrilled to be standing at one of the 7 Wonders of the world, we couldn’t totally concentrate on the moment as we defended ourselves against the onslaught of sales pitches of the many vendors who rushed up to us as we stepped onto the Sahara sand.

If you stood still for more than a few seconds, someone would approach you, offering to sell you something, take you for a camel ride or shoot your picture. I began to think that the sellers outnumbered the tourists.

People were hawking everything imaginable to remember your experience at the Pyramids: postcards, calendars, camels (both rides on real ones and small toys) coins, stamps, papyrus pictures, and, of course, head wraps.

In fact, head wraps seemed to be the most popular item sold by the vendors, and most of the people appeared to have identical packages of white cloth which you would tie to your head with colored rope rings. These wraps looked like the traditional Arabian, white scarves with rope rings that you see in the movies. Most people were selling them for a dollar.

When we went to the Pyramids, we didn’t have it in our minds to buy a souvenir of our visit. We and our fellow travelers had spent a lot of time, money and energy to journey to the Pyramids; all we wanted was peace and quiet to enjoy the view. All the vendors wanted was to use our limited time and waning energy under the desert sun to relieve us of money for their trinkets.

In this setting of vendors barking their prices at us as we passed them, my marketing mind couldn’t help but think: How does a person selling a product that is the same or similar to his competitors distinguish himself in a saturated marketplace? The observations I made during my trip to the Pyramids are tips that you can easily employ in marketing and improving your voice-over business.



Drew and me in front of the Sphinx and Pyramids
One of the more unusual selling approaches occurred when one person forced one of these white head wraps into Drew’s hands, started walking with us and told us he was giving us a free gift.

Observation #1: The word FREE is one of the most powerful words in the English language. When someone offers you a free gift, you can’t help but feel intrigued. Of course, our society causes us to be cynical and look for the ‘the catch’ to any offer. In your voice-over business, you can entice people with free reports, free auditions, free script assistance, free revisions in short, whatever you feel adds value to your business without taking away from your bottom line. You ARE in the voice-over business to make money, aren’t you?

He proceeded to ask us if we were American. When we said we were, he told us that he loved America and wanted to travel here someday.

Observation #2: This seller was trying to create a relationship with us. People like to do business with those with whom they have a relationship. While everyone else was simply yelling prices at us, this guy was actually attempting to develop a rapport with us.

Once he had established our nationality, the Pyramid peddler suggested that it would be nice if we could also give him a gift. (Ah, HERE’S the catch!) He didn’t specifically ask for money, but we knew he wanted money. We quickly gave the so-called free gift back to him.

Observation #3: If you give away something for free, you can’t have any expectation of getting anything in return. If you anticipate a quid pro quo, you risk offending your prospects and a loss of any future sales.

Observation #4: When you’re in a sales situation, you need to have a firm price for your product (as in voice talent and services) and be able to speak to people about the benefits they will receive from spending their money with you.

We also visited the Sphinx, which is located at the site of the Pyramids. Here, the peddlers offered the same merchandise as at the Pyramids but also added scarves and crystal Pyramids. Souvenir shops lined the road, but I didn’t see an official souvenir stand at either site. I suppose that anyone who wants to sell stuff could do so.

We had successfully skirted around the sea of sellers while entering the chamber to the Sphinx. Our guide even shooed away one particularly pesky merchant by speaking rather sharply to him in Arabic. On our way out, though, Drew noticed someone selling a head wrap that was unlike the 100 he had seen prior in the day. All of the others were small pieces of white linen fabric, while this one was a large, black and white checked fabric similar to one worn by a former Mid-East leader. Drew stopped to inquire about it.

Observation #5: Find a niche and fill it. I know that may seem easier said than done, especially when I’m talking about the voice-over industry, but we all have unique voices and unique backgrounds that we bring to the microphone. Figure out your signature sound, and find a way to use your experiences in your marketing. Also, if you have some tie-in to a celebrity, use it!

Drew and the vendor haggled about the price of this head wrap for several minutes before Drew finally bought it at a price considerably lower than the dealer’s original price. However, Drew did pay more for his head wrap than the white linen wraps seen at the Pyramids and more than he originally planned to spend.

Observation #6: Just because everybody else in your sandbox is charging low prices and negotiating price cuts with every new prospect doesn’t mean that you have to follow the trend. When you cut your prices, you are the one who bleeds. If you want to charge and achieve a premium price for your voice-over talent, you need to be ready with factual, persuasive reasons based on quality, service or other aspects why the prospect should pay the extra money. For an in-depth and fascinating discussion of this subject, I cannot recommend too highly that you get Larry Steinmetz’s book How to Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors: Winning Every Sale at Full Price, Rate, or Fee.

Observation #7: Even in a market that is saturated with vendors, people are willing to increase their budgets to acquire a quality product that matches their specifications.


Drew shows off his new purchase
Following the visits to the Pyramids and the Sphinx, we were taken on a Jeep safari and camel ride at the Saqqara Country Club near the 4000-year-old Step Pyramid, which we also visited. Both the Jeep safari and camel ride were included in the package price for the day trip to the Pyramids. Our camels were led by Bedouins walking by the camels on foot, and our guide told us that $2 was a customary tip for these ‘drivers’. Consequently, Drew and I each put $2 in our pockets with the plan to give it to each driver at the end of the ride.

The camel ride lasted 30-40 minutes, which was longer than we expected. During the entire ride, our drivers kept asking if everything was okay. They were eager to please and ensure that we were having a good time. However, they didn’t know a lot of English, so the rest of the conversation consisted of constant requests for money at the end of the ride.

I was uncomfortable during the ride because I only had one foot in a stirrup. I never found the stirrup on the right side, and I kept feeling like I would fall off the camel’s back. I told Moses, my driver, about this problem numerous times. Maybe he didn’t understand me since he would respond by telling me about needing money to feed his wife and 5 hungry children.

Observation #8: If your client reports a problem to you, you should fix it immediately. Listen twice as much as you talk. Do everything in your power to maintain your client’s trust.

Sami, Drew’s driver, gave the reins to Drew so Drew could steer the camel. Drew gave his camera to Sami and asked Sami to take our picture. Though we’re sure Sami doesn’t own a digital camera, he did a great job in using Drew’s camera. When people say I look extremely happy in this picture, I tell them it is because I was reunited with my Sheik of the Desert, who had been leading our little caravan of camels. Drew says he thinks I’m laughing because I know the hot, bumpy ride is almost over. 🙂


My Sheik and me on our camel ride in the Sahara Desert
We decided that, contrary to the advice of our guide, the drivers deserved more than a $2 tip for the long walk and value-added service. Drew had a mixture of US and European currency in his wallet. He gave a US $20 to Sami; however, he gave Moses a 20 Euro, which was worth around $25 due to the exchange rate. Even though Sami took pictures of us and gave Drew the reins of his camel, Drew paid Moses more because Moses was taking care of me. Also, Moses was also missing many teeth and had a larger family than Sami. Drew wanted to do more to add to Moses’ prosperity than to Sami’s. Rather than thanking Drew for his generosity, Sami was jealous of the amount given to Moses and demanded that Drew give him $5 more. Drew refused.

Observation #9: Do the best job that you can do and express gratitude for all of your blessings. Convey your appreciation to your clients for choosing you as their voice talent and for their prompt payment of your invoices. You would do well to set up a regular system to maintain contact with them that shows them you are thinking of them and their needs, not yours.

Observation #10: We live in a global economy. If you don’t have a passport, get one. If you have a passport, use it. Travel the world to spend time in other cultures and see how other people really live as opposed to taking your world view solely from the things that the media chooses to tell you. I can’t promise that you will gain creative ideas about your voice-over business, but I can promise that you will gain a perspective about your place in this world and an appreciation for the abundant lifestyle you are privileged to lead if you are a voice-over artist.

 

36-hour delay may work for luggage but not in voice-over

You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

— John Lydgate

As an aside — when I was researching the correct attribution of this quote, I was interested to learn that, according to Wikipedia, the Oxford English Dictionary cites Lydgate with the earliest record of using the word talent in reference to a gifted state of natural ability.

Lydgate’s quote was on my mind because of the first of the trip-related stories that I wanted to write. In your voice-over business, do you have a level of service that you provide to your clients? Do you guarantee your clients’ satisfaction with your work? Have you done any contingency planning so that you can provide your voice-over recordings to your clients in the event of unexpected delays?

I have not written terms of service for my voice-over business, but I strive to ensure that every client is totally delighted with the work I perform. Ever heard of the phrase ‘the show must go on’? If someone has booked your time, a professional talent doesn’t call in sick and leave the client hanging in the face of a deadline.

In contrast, many large corporations have extensive written terms of service that their customers should expect. Human error, mechanical problems and forces of nature can cause the terms of service to decline or sometimes disappear.

Prior to our recent Greek Isles cruise, Drew and I flew non-stop on Delta Airlines from Atlanta to Athens, Greece. Originally, we were ticketed to fly three segments, two of which were on Delta’s partner airline, Air France. However, weather delays at the Atlanta airport would have caused us to miss the longest segment from Washington, DC to Paris, France. Delta did the right thing to act quickly and rebook us for its own non-stop flight.

Unfortunately, our luggage was not rebooked with us. After a 10-hour flight, we arrived in Athens with only the clothes on our backs. New security regulations prevent passengers from taking even basic toiletries such as toothpaste in carry-on luggage. In all of our travels, we have never taken a change of clothes in carry-on luggage; after this experience, we’ll probably change that practice.


Drew filing the claim for our luggage in Athens

To shorten this story, we adopted the attitude that life wasn’t so bad if our worst problem was that we were on vacation in Athens, Greece, wearing the same clothes for a couple of days. We went sight-seeing and had a marvelous time. Our luggage finally showed up at our hotel 36 hours after we did.

Delta has an impressive web page which outlines in detail its customer commitment, which states

We have outlined our responsibilities and how we will fulfill them below in 12-key points. We intend to ensure that your air travel experience will encompass, to the best of our abilities, the most comprehensive customer service possible.

It sounds great until one reads just a little further and finds this jarring sentence:

Note: Delta Customer Commitment applies to domestic travel only.

Is Delta saying it has no customer commitment to its international passengers? If a business operates under the assumption that you can’t please all of the people all of the time, why bother trying? I wouldn’t say you should expect to please ALL of the people, but you should make the effort if the people you are not pleasing are in the subset of people in your client base.

We fly Delta almost exclusively and usually experience no problems. Surprisingly, though, this experience was the second time in 15 months that Delta delayed our luggage prior to a cruise. The first time, the luggage was on the next flight and didn’t cause us any real hardship.

I wrote to Delta Baggage Services about our situation. While we can never get back the 36 hours we were in a foreign country without luggage, we received a nice letter of apology and, as a measure of Delta’s goodwill, some vouchers toward a future flight. The letter also said that we could be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses we had incurred as a result of the delay. I have decided that regardless of the statement on its web site to the contrary, Delta really does have customer commitment to its international passengers after all!

Like all of my personal stories, this one has some connection to your voice-over business. A voice-over talent lives by the clock. We think in terms of spots that run :30 and :60, which really are a half-second shorter. We work with producers who want things today, in 2 hours, in an hour, as soon as you can get it done, NOW. Union contracts specify rates half-hour increments. If you must book time at a studio, you pay rates by the half-hour or hour.

If you were the cause of an hour delay on a project, you might receive a lot of negative publicity and potentially a cut in pay. Can you imagine the long-term repercussions to your voice-over business if you caused a 36-hour delay to a client?

Delays are an inescapable fact of life. Have you thought about safeguards so that you don’t cause a delay?

Your contingency planning for delays and other unavoidable problems can be your saving grace in the eyes of your client.

What will you do if your Internet connection suddenly goes down, and you can’t deliver your recordings when you promised? Do you have some sort of back-up delivery method? Sometimes a client might accept a CD by overnight mail. I have even hand-delivered a CD to clients in town. If I needed to deliver something today to someone in another city, depending on where I am, I might take my file to a friend’s house, a studio, an office supply center, a coffee shop, a hotel business office or potentially a library in order to transmit the file to the waiting client. My possibilities of getting Internet access in a hurry are endless. Write these access points down in a calm period so you will have a list if you need it.

Here’s another scenario for you: What do you do when a client contacts you and needs a recording that you can’t produce in the time allotted because you are ill, on vacation or swamped with other projects? When this situation has happened to me, I am prepared for it because I can refer my client to another professional voice talent whom I trust. We have a reciprocal agreement as she has called on me in similar circumstances.

The clients are grateful for the referral, and I haven’t lost a client by providing this service. Instead, I have kept their projects on schedule by saving them audition time and directing them to someone I’m confident would do a good job.

Are you making regular backups of your computer’s hard drive? I’ll let you in on a secret: The only day that you need to make a backup is the day before your system crashes! Trust me — if you’re working on a long narration project or an audiobook, you will want to copy those edited files to another drive, CD, DAT or backup tape.

If a client lets you know that work you completed did not meet expectations, how do you respond? Do you guarantee your work? I recall one occasion where I voiced a narration while recovering from severe congestion. My client called a few weeks later and asked me to re-record certain parts where the congestion affected my speech. However, he was thrilled that I decided to re-record the whole thing so that the tonality of sound would match throughout the recording.

I don’t try to please all of the people all of the time. I prefer instead to concentrate my efforts on pleasing that select group of people known as my voice-over clients. I even have the same level of delay-free, customer commitment to both domestic and international clients. 🙂

 

Voice-Over Secrets from Adam, Bob and Bob

I ran across a fantastic entry on fellow voice-over actor Adam Creighton’s blog titled Acting is a lot of work. It’s the sort of thing I wish I had written.

I don’t know Adam and haven’t previously read his blog. However, he strikes me as an extremely talented, goal-oriented guy who can inspire all of us with his tremendous work ethic and fierce determination to live the life of his dreams. I particularly liked the paragraph where he said that if you don’t have work, you make your own. I also have used comic books for character voice creation and practice, but Adam takes that method one step further by creating simple animation by taking pictures with his digital camera.

Some of the most stellar ideas for business expansion have come from people making their own work. Hollywood stars often have their own production companies; why shouldn’t a voice actor do the same thing? In his most excellent course You Must Act!, actor/writer/director Bob Fraser advises would-be actors to cast yourself in roles that you want. Whether you are acting on stage or in a voice-over booth, his advice is still sound (pardon the pun).

I was fortunate to have a personal consultation with Bob in which we discussed that point. Casting oneself means that you know your strong suit, and you also know the things that you enjoy doing. You therefore actively seek out those opportunities or possibly create them for yourself. Adam knows this secret.

As much as I enjoyed seeing all of the positive and creative things that appeared on Adam’s list, I also must mention the striking absence of something from his list that seems to fill countless hours for many people. At no point did Adam say he spent his precious time comparing himself to or worrying about his competition.

Of course, I’m sure a smart man like Adam is keenly aware of the competition in the voice-over industry and his other performing arts fields. However, from reading his detailed list of activities, I am delighted to see that he is much too busy with the improvement of his own career to be concerned about the careers of other people. (By the way, I hope that the industrious Adam is way too busy to be spending his valuable time absorbed in gossip and idle chit chat on his cell phone or consumed with the results of a reality TV show.)

Comparing yourself to other people is a guaranteed formula for feeling BAD! Without too much effort, you can always find someone who apparently:

  • has more credits and/or more impressive credits
  • has booked more jobs recently
  • makes more money
  • has better equipment
  • has more agents and/or more aggressive agents and/or agents in more markets
  • has higher search engine rankings
  • has a better demo
  • has more training
  • has better marketing promotions
  • has more audition opportunities

You get the idea. By comparing yourself and your achievements to anyone or anything, you more than likely will find fault with your own situation. This negativity can cause feelings ranging from discouragement to despair and not only jeopardize your career but damage relationships as well. We are all unique, and we all have different gifts to offer the world. You cannot use the career of another person as a yardstick with which to measure your progress because every circumstance is different.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t review the demos, web sites and other marketing materials from others in the voice-over industry. I believe that we all can learn from others’ approaches and successes. Read the biographies of voice actors, business people or anyone else whom you admire. Success leaves clues. If someone else has done something that you want to do, you can emulate their steps. Your journey won’t be the same, but at least you will be on the right path.

From Adam’s comments about suggesting the toy and comic book licensing deal, I wondered if, in fact, he even views other voice actors as competition. I prefer to have a cooperative attitude instead of a competitive one. I know that my voice is not right for every project, and I have turned down projects that I didn’t want to voice because I didn’t like the words that would be coming out of my mouth.

We are all voice talents with something special to offer. Bob Souer, a successful voice actor who is as gifted when writing on the page as he is when bringing words to life behind the mic, wrote an eloquent post on his blog addressing the competition aspect of auditions . In Bob’s mind – and in mine, too – an audition isn’t a competition. When you read his captivating words comparing an audition to a Michelangelo sculpture, you won’t enter an audition situation with a competitive attitude again.

The next time that you think your voice-over career or any other part of your life is unsatisfactory, I would offer this challenge. Ask yourself if you’re really using every bit of available time constructively in pursuit of your dreams like Adam. Are you like veteran voice actor Bob Souer, who views every audition opportunity with the excitement that a sculptor views that new chunk of marble? Have you implemented the advice of the very wise Bob Fraser to cast yourself?

Look at the name of his course again. YOU MUST ACT. Even if you don’t cast yourself for parts that you want, you must take action if you expect anything to happen in your voice-over career. If you remember your high school physics, you’ll know that Isaac Newton stated:

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

All of your actions won’t necessarily lead to the reactions that you want. However, the Universe responds in kind to the energy that you expend. Once you start devoting yourself to the full-time pursuit of making your dream life a reality, I promise that you will be as happy, creative and fulfilled as Adam seems to be.

 

Synopsis of the Finding Your Dream Job TV show

If you read my entry from Sunday, you know that I appeared on a TV show called Finding Your Dream Job which aired on Monday night. Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV (Channel 2) had posted a call for entries on its web site. Out of the 100s of submissions, the station selected 6 people to assist in career transitions.

David McCreary was one of the 6 people chosen to participate on the show, and he wants to start a career in voice-over. WSB-TV arranged for him to spend his first time in the recording booth at the fantastic Catspaw Studios under the outstanding direction of studio owner and leading national voice-over talent Doug Paul. Doug called me to perform copy with David for the recording session.

The show focused on how to change careers and land in your dream job. Popular TV/radio personality and author Clark Howard hosted the show and talked with a panel of career advisors and special guests in addition to the people profiled on the show.

David’s Segment

David’s segment was early in the broadcast. The spot we recorded during the taping wasn’t aired on the show. It was a role reversal for me in that it was one of the few times in my life that I was seen but not heard. 🙂

During David’s portion of the show, Doug gave him some solid advice specific to starting a career in voice-over. Like many people interested in this profession, David has spent years impersonating other people and cartoon characters. He would like to perform those impersonations for a living. Doug said, “Unfortunately, you won’t get a lot of jobs being so many other people like that, so you’ve got to do straight and character stuff.”

Doug recommended that David see if he can find an opportunity to work in broadcasting, such as at a small radio station. He also suggested that David get involved in theatre work. Doug told David that he could start creating some short demonstrations of voice work to use as something to talk about with agents.

The best advice from Doug applies not only to newcomers to voice-over but also to professionals:

“If you really want to get into this business, you’ve got to work everyday. It’s kind of like playing tennis. You’ve got to play every day.”

If it were easy, everyone would do it

Host Clark Howard used himself as an example of someone who never thought he would use his voice for a living. In talking about career changes in general, he said that “Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time, and you’ve got to go for it. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy street. You have to work hard.”

I’m glad he made those comments on the show. As I briefly discussed with his producer at the taping, I think many people are eager to enter the voice-over industry because they enamored with the performance aspects of it. People are told they have a nice voice and perceive this field as one open to anyone without any training. Often, they don’t seem to realize that it is a business requiring on-going training and perpetual marketing like any other business. (We won’t even talk about the other business departments needed for your voice-over enterprise like accounting, information technology and office management.)

We all have unique voices. The ability to interpret someone else’s words, remain true to their meaning and perform scripts with an intended audience in mind while sounding natural and flowing is a skill that takes practice. Over time, your sound becomes as polished as a beautiful jewel. Like Doug Paul said, you’ve got to work every day.

How to change a career (to voice-over or anything else)

The entire program was excellent. Viewers learned that, on average, people change jobs 5-7 times and careers 3-5 times over a lifetime. All of the general guidance to changing careers can be applied to starting a career in voice-over. In order to change careers, you first need to:

  • Know yourself well
  • Know your skills
  • Know what makes you happy

The advisors suggested reading books, taking career assessment tests and working with coaches to help you narrow your choices.

You may need to build experience and education by:

  • Working a part-time job
  • Working as a contract or temporary employee
  • Going to school or obtaining specialized training

Clark and his guests also stressed the importance of learning everything you can about the industry that you want to join. They listed a number of possibilities for networking with professionals in the industry:

  • Find a mentor
  • Join professional associations
  • Go to conferences
  • Volunteer
  • Take an internship

I would add that once you have defined your niche in voice-over, you could utilize such networking opportunities as ways to meet potential clients who might be in need of voice-over work.

Here’s that word again: PERSISTENCE

One person interviewed on the show was Atlanta writer Deb Bruce. Although I am writing a column about voice-over, I am including her story because it is another one of self-discipline and persistence from which we can all learn valuable lessons.

When she began her writing career, she got up at 4:00am to write before her children were awake. She submitted her articles for publication and kept track of them. If an article was rejected, she sent it to someone else. She said she always had about 100 articles out for consideration at time. She has now published more than 2500 articles!

In addition, she was at a social gathering once and heard the name of Doubleday behind her. She seized the opportunity to introduce herself, complete with an idea for a book pitch. The publisher didn’t produce that kind of book, but he handed her the card of someone who did. She followed up with that contact and obtained a book contract. She has never been to New York but has now published 79 books and works with New York publishers every day.

Roll credits

The theme of the show seemed to coincide with everything I believe – if you know yourself, have clear goals and are willing to work hard to achieve them, you can make your dream job into a reality! Thanks to WSB-TV for producing such thought-provoking and potentially life-changing programming for the citizens of Atlanta and for Doug Paul at Catspaw Studios for including me in the production. Catspaw engineer Jim McKnight made us sound great while we performed our scripts. It was an honor to participate in this project. I enjoyed working with David McCreary in his first studio session and hope to see him across the booth from me in the future!

 

Two stories in the news about voice actors

The information presented on Clark Howard’s TV show about changing careers was terrific. I hope to write a summary about it tomorrow. In the meantime, I thought you would enjoy reading a couple of articles about two very talented character voice-over artists.

In May, I made a new friend with the charming and witty Mary McKitrick when we met during Pat Fraley’s Women in Animation class in New York. Mary has only been working in voice-over for about 2 years, but she already is making a big splash, thanks in part to her tremendous self-discipline and persistence in contacting producers. Her local newspaper ran a story about her yesterday. You can read the newspaper article at this entry on her blog, and then listen to her character demo. While you’re visiting her blog, read her entry about going to the Ad Club. You’re going to be hearing a lot more from Mary!

Voice-over veteran Frank Welker was profiled in this story today in an Illinois newspaper. If you have watched cartoons in the last 30 years or so, you have probably heard his voice and are well familiar with his name.

When you read stories of others’ success, see what you can learn from them. When I admire someone, I look to see whether they are doing things that I want to emulate to improve my own circumstances. These stories also serve as inspiration. It can be easy to give into frustration or discouragement when things aren’t going well. However, by consistently and diligently applying myself to my business like Mary, I know that I can have a long and rewarding career like Frank.

 

My role on Clark Howard’s TV Show Finding Your Dream Job

The best way to accomplish your own dreams is to help other people accomplish theirs. Since I don’t currently teach classes or workshops, I have found that I can be of service to those wishing to enter the voice-over industry by offering the advice page on my web site and these essays on my blog. Of course, I enjoying discussing the industry when people meet me and express their curiosity.

I usually don’t have the opportunity to directly help newcomers, though, so I was quite delighted when Doug Paul, owner of the wonderful Catspaw Studios, called me recently about an unique collaboration with WSB-TV, ABC affiliate Channel 2 here in Atlanta. Popular TV and radio personality Clark Howard is hosting an hour-long prime-time TV show set to air on Monday, 30 October, titled

Finding Your Dream Job.

The link has useful information about networking and other career resources that may be useful to you if you are in the midst of a career transition.

On the show, Clark is giving 6 participants the chance to step into the environments of their dream job. David McCreary dreams of becoming a voice-over actor and was chosen for the show. Doug thought it would be valuable experience for David to perform a dialogue spot a against a professional voice talent and asked me if I could join them at Catspaw for a short recording session.

I was excited for David that Channel 2 selected Catspaw as the recording studio. Catspaw is one of the busiest studios in Atlanta. It’s a premiere facility, yet you are totally relaxed the moment you walk in the door. Everyone there is warm and friendly, like you’re among family.

In addition, Doug Paul is a leading national voice-over talent with 20 years or more of experience, and he is a fantastic example of living the dream life! After Doug developed his own bustling voice-over career, he built this striving studio. I always love working with Doug because he knows how to give precise direction to get the read he is hearing in his head. A session at Catspaw never lasts very long! 🙂 For David, the experience in working with Doug Paul at Catspaw would be the equivalent to a short masterclass. What a memorable way to jump-start a career!

Even though I met the producer and cameraperson prior to the shoot, I admit seeing a camera pointed at us in the hallway was a little unnerving, as I never do on-camera work. Since David is obviously the focal point of the story, the camera was trained on him while we were in the recording booth. I was proud of him that he seemed able to forget about the camera and have fun with the copy. We did a number of takes on the dialogue piece, and David adjusted well to Doug’s direction.

I don’t know if Channel 2 will use any of my segment in the finished TV show, but I will definitely be watching Clark Howard’s show tomorrow night at 8pm. I want to see the rest of David’s story, and I wish him every possible success in his voice-over career!

I certainly encourage everyone in the Atlanta viewing area to watch the show. You never know what you may learn from David’s experiences and those of the other participants who are working toward making their dreams come true.