Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-ratorâ„¢

Voice-Over

Voice-over can be fun and games

I have provided the voices for 2 games, one of which had 4 characters.I think that job with the 4 characters was one of the most fun jobs I have had as voice actor. I was asked to portray some teenage girls yelling at the boys on the beach to pick up some diamonds. Who wouldn’t want to get paid doing that?

Many voice talent dream of working in the ever-growing gaming industry. Like anything else, though, it may be difficult to obtain paid work without prior experience in that field. I found a voice-over audition for independent game developer that opened a couple of days ago that may be a great place to gain some experience with game dialogue and showcase your skills.

If selected to voice one or more characters in this game, you would receive credit and a copy of the game. Women are encouraged to submit, and casting is expected to begin in early November.

For those starting out, you may want to look on a game credit as a talking point with a commercial publisher. Unless specifically asked, you don’t have volunteer that you weren’t paid for the project. By frequenting the forums dedicated to gaming, you will see other similar audition opportunities.

If you’re serious about pursuing a niche in gaming, you will want to read industry periodicals devoted to the subject. For instance, you can sign up for the weekly Gamasutra.com e-mail alerts.You can network with professionals at IGDA meetings, the annual E3 convention, and several other annual conventions and conferences devoted to the gaming industry. Also, classes in accents and dialects would be enormously helpful, as well as specialized classes such as Pat Fraley’s Game World workshop in LA on 18 November.

 

Paint the picture of your voice-over success in your mind

—–Forwarded Message—–
From: The Universe
Sent: Sep 20, 2006 3:21 AM
Subject: TUT… A Note from the Universe
If it were fun and easy, would you do it?
If the pay was out of this world; more than you could ever spend?
If signing your autograph and being adored by fans never got old, and you truly relished retelling your story again and again?
Brilliant, Karen, because all of the above can be imagined whenever you visualize.
You are just ace –
The Universe

Mike Dooley is the creative genius behind these weekday e-mails signed from The Universe. Many times, I receive a message that is uncannily on target with things that are occurring in my life. I especially wanted to talk about the importance of yesterday’s message because I think many people don’t understand the importance of visualizing their success prior to its appearance.

Athletes who win the big championship game will tell you that they have scored the winning points a thousand times in their minds before ever playing the game. Musicians know that to play beautifully on stage, they must first consistently create strong mental pictures of themselves walking confidently before an adoring crowd. The value of visualization is true for voice-over artists or anything else that you want to achieve in your life.

If you don’t know what you want, how do you expect to attain it?

Visualization works for all sorts of scenarios, large and small. I use visualization techniques for everything, but particularly for guiding my voice-over career. In voice-over, you always want to have a picture of your audience in your mind. You want to see that one person’s face and respond to their emotion. If I feel nervous about an audition, I concentrate on the positive outcome that I want to achieve. Before attending a networking event, I picture all of the friendly people I will meet who are working on exciting documentaries, training modules and audiobooks that might be enhanced with my voice.

On a larger scale, Wayne Dyer states that

The state of your life
is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.

I have written my goals for my voice-over business. I spend time each day reviewing those goals and sometimes even rewriting them. I learned long ago that it’s not enough to say that I want to be a working voice-over actor. That sentence could mean I have one low-paying job a year, but I’d be working. It’s like when you’re in a hotel and calling room service. You don’t call them and say “please bring some food” or, worse, “I have no idea why I picked up the phone and called you. I want something, but I have no idea what I want, what you provide or what I’m doing here.” If they didn’t hang up on you (which they might in scenario number two), they could bring you a cracker when you were salivating for a steak.

My daily routine now includes imagining what it will be like when my stellar voice-over goals have been met. I actually see myself doing specific things, being in certain places and owning certain things, having a precise amount of money in the bank, interacting with particular people, etc.

I don’t question how all of these things will happen. My job is to figure out what I want in my life, and it’s up to the Universe to figure out how to serve it up to me. Because I have so frequently visualized where I want to go in my voice-over career, I find that I am constantly thinking of creative ways to analyze a company’s problem or potential opportunities, approach them and cast myself into projects that I desire rather than passively waiting for casting through traditional audition processes.

Visualization is key to creating reality as you want it. The best thing about it, though, is that your new reality is always better than anything you could have dreamed possible!

If you think you don’t know how to visualize and harvest the fertile ground of your imagination, I heartily recommend the following resources to help jump-start your creative engine:

 

Voice-Over Days and Talledega Nights

Most people wouldn’t think that Talledega Nights, Will Ferrell’s recently-released comedy movie about NASCAR racing, would have anything to do with a career in voice-over. However, even though the movie probably wasn’t meant to teach anything, I found a few lessons in it anyway. I promise I won’t give away any surprises from the movie!

1) From the day he was born, Ricky Bobby knew he wanted to go fast. Like so many people who have an inner calling, he didn’t heed it initially. He first worked in a pit crew and had to be urged into taking the driver’s seat. You could also look at his experience another way. He took a job on the pit crew because he did whatever was necessary to be in the environment where his dream job awaited. If you’re an aspiring voice-over artist, you can always ask to volunteer or work in another capacity at your dream location to gain experience.

2) Ricky Bobby was overflowing with confidence about his ability. When he finally got his break into his dream job, he never doubted himself. He continually built upon his successes. He didn’t endlessly analyze how he could have done something better in a race that was already gone. As a voice-over actor, you have to let the past go. Once you do an audition or a job, you need to realize that you did your best and be ready to move on to the next challenge. Looking back only crystallizes your thinking.

3) The hero of the movie surrounded himself with people who believed in him. When the going got tough and he forgot how to believe in himself, Ricky Bobby had people who could remind him of his accomplishments.4) While the premise of the movie was based on competition, I noticed the cooperation between and resulting abundance that flowed to Ricky Bobby and his best friend Cal. They helped each other on the race track and in life. The more you live your life in service to others without expectation of reward, the more the Universe will be your servant.

People will tell you that becoming a voice-over actor, like joining the NASCAR circuit, is an extremely competitive venture with the odds stacked against you. Those who are in computer programming, interior design and basket-weaving would say that their fields are also competitive. Gaining skills sufficient to enter any field takes an investment of time, energy and education, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. If you think that you live in an abundant Universe with more than enough opportunity to go around, you will get your chance. Not every NASCAR driver is right for every race; not every voice is right for every project. We all have talents, gifts and unique personalities that come through in our voices. No one else can see the world in the same way that you can.

5) Don’t run the race for the wrong reasons. So often, people contact me because they have been told they have a nice voice, and they think the logical conclusion is to make money as a voice-over actor. Voice-over is a business like anything else that requires a lot of marketing and ability to take rejection. Ricky Bobby showed us what it’s like to be in business for yourself and because you love what you do. Don’t become a voice-over actor because someone else thinks you should do it, because you think you can make some easy money at it or because you think it sounds like a cool thing to say you do. Become a voice-over actor because you love it.

6) If you’re not first, you’re last is not the best philosophy on which to base a career. Ricky Bobby struggled under the weight of this sentence for most of his career. He later realized that the sentence is completely meaningless! To a voice actor, you could spend lots of time and money to get ranked first on the popular search engines only to discover that your business didn’t increase exponentially like you thought it would. Maybe most of your new business comes when you network in person at industry meetings or send direct mail to your bulging mailing list.

7) Never give up. If you believe in yourself and your talent, you will always keep the finish line in sight!

 

Persistence is especially needed in marketing

Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

— Thomas Edison

I have read that one of the fastest ways to achieve your own dreams is to help other people achieve their dreams. I think that universal law is true because what you put out in the world comes back to you. In fact, one reason I started this blog is so I could help other people achieve their dreams of thriving voice-over careers.

However, when I write these articles, I benefit, too. I’m reminded of the days when becoming a voice-over artist were just a whispering in my mind. I think about every step I’ve taken to change that whisper into the reality of being a professional voice-over talent working in my beautiful Parisian-themed studio, and I can see how my consistent actions over time have built upon each other to make this fabulous career that I love. If I give advice to someone else, I re-read it as if I am the recipient and immediately think of areas in which I might improve in my own business.

I really do like to help people who are getting started or otherwise building their careers in voice-over, but I don’t have much time to help people on an individual basis. I’m finding that it’s much easier and faster for me to point anyone seeking my advice here and to my web site.

In this age of incredible technology and abundant information, I also think that people should do some research and have some respect for others’ time. READ AND ABSORB everything you can before you start asking questions. Building a career takes time, and no shortcuts exist. No matter how much I or anyone tells you,

your success is totally up to YOU.

I can’t decide any action you should take. I can’t do the work for you.

I can, however, highlight some lessons that I have learned along the way. When I mentioned the Atlanta attorney in yesterday’s column, I said he was a brilliant marketer. Observant students of marketing would have noted that I said he had repeated his message in multiple media. While his slogan is “One call — that’s all”, his success is due to the frequency and repetition of his marketing message in several formats. He’s not just relying one type of marketing (or even more simply, one call!) and hoping to bring in business. He wants to make absolutely sure that you see him everywhere you look, and you know exactly what he does and what he can do for you.

How can you apply this important concept to your voice-over business to attract clients to you? I wouldn’t necessarily advise advertising on park benches like our attorney friend, but are you utilizing:

  • a personal web site
  • phone calls
  • networking
  • direct mail
  • one or more agents
  • on-line casting services
  • forum postings
  • e-mails
  • articles
  • reciprocal web links and listings on free web sites
  • speaking engagements/training classes
  • industry advertisements in printed and web-based directories
  • signature lines on your e-mails
  • imprinted products

Obviously, my list is not an all-inclusive, exhaustive list of marketing channels and tools; books are filled with great ideas to promote your business. I even have seen ads on eBay for voice-over services. I don’t know how well those people are doing with their listings, but I give them kudos for thinking of a different media outlet in which to advertise their voice-over business.

While it’s great to market using the proven channels that everyone in your industry uses, I had an epiphany while listening to the extraordinary Mastermind Marketing System from legendary marketing guru Jay Abraham. Among the many things I learned from this CD set is that I should observe other industries and use them as a model. If you can market yourself in a way like no one else in your industry, you will more than likely will be a big fish in a big pond!

For instance, I have attended trade organization meetings when I have been the only voice talent in attendance. I have always made several good contacts at such gatherings which led to jobs after successive follow-ups months or, in one case, years later. My postings to web forums unrelated to voice-over have sent immeasurable traffic to my web site and who knows how many jobs.

This week is typical for me in that, like the attorney, I am not waiting for prospects to appear from only one endeavor. I am working on an audiobook pitch to one company, an e-learning pitch to another, a postcard mail-out to one target market, updates to my web sites, auditions from my agents and casting services, follow-ups about work with a TV station and contacts with a meeting planner. While next week’s exact activites may vary, one thing will not change: I will be doing something everyday to improve and increase my business.

I will conclude this entry with two powerful quotes to share regarding the persistence of effort that you will need to build your voice-over career.

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

— Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

I know that persistence trumps talent and looks every time. Given how I look and how little education I’ve had, persistence is pretty much all I had to fall back on. I arrived in Seattle in 1973 and decided I was going to work at KING-TV. They were somewhat less excited by this than I was. I called the news director every Thursday morning at ten for four years. Didn’t miss a one. At first they had no interest because I had no college degree. Then because I had no TV experience. Then because they had no job. In July of 1976, they figured out that I was just going to keep on calling. So they gave me the worst job in the newsroom. I loved it.

But long before then, I knew persistence was essential. When a 10-year-old tells his parents he’s going to be an anchor someday, they think he’s nuts. At 20 and out of work, they think he’s foolish. I’ve had a wonderful life because I never once doubted that things would work out. That is the lesson I teach my daughter. Decide what you want and do it. People will tell you that you’re being silly or a dreamer. Ignore them all. Just keep plugging along, make the phone call every week. I know this for certain.

— Aaron Brown, former ABC and CNN anchor as quoted in O Magazine, November 2002

 

Persistence will keep the voice-over dream alive

We have an attorney in Atlanta who has made a fortune with the simple and effective advertising slogan “One call — that’s all.” The guy is a brilliant marketer who has worked hard for his success, and he has imprinted his business and niche on the minds of everyone in the city. His face and phone number are everywhere — TV ads, billboards, Yellow Pages, park benches. He probably has an ice cream flavor named after him somewhere. If I’m ever in a car wreck and fighting with my insurance company, I know who to call to settle the case and get my check.

Unfortunately, I think that a lot of people enter the voice-over business with his slogan in their minds. As often is the case, I received an e-mail from someone who read my advice page about getting started in voice-over. This person had recently completed a commercial demo, was frustrated by the “lack of response” to it and was requesting my critique on the demo. Since I am not currently teaching or coaching anyone on an individual basis, it’s my policy not to give demo critiques as I would not be available to assist anyone with any revisions they might want to make on the basis on my comments. I always suggest that people find a reputable coach in whose opinion they can trust and work with that person to make their demo the finest it can be. Of course, if someone is interested in the random opinions of other working voice talent, they can always ask the good folks on the various voice-over Yahoo groups and the www.VO-BB.com site to share their views.

Anyone who reads all of my advice page will see that marketing, self-reliance and

PERSISTENCE

will be critical to your success. The dictionary can list different definitions for persistence, so maybe I need to add some from the perspective of a voice-over actor.

When someone tells me they have had “no response” to their demo, I will ask a series questions, such as:

  • What is your marketing plan? Do you HAVE a marketing plan?
  • What steps did you take to elicit a response?
  • How many people who could hire you have you contacted about work?
  • What follow-up steps did you take?
  • What methods are you continuing to use to put your demo in the hands of as many people as possible?
  • Do you have a web site?
  • Do you take steps every day to market your talent?

I don’t really want or need the answers to these questions, but rather they are ones that you need to answer for yourself. You need to be constantly marketing yourself and your talents in order to get jobs and improving yourself. It’s a cycle that will continue for your entire career. Even Nancy Cartwright, who has the dream job of voicing Bart Simpson, says that she still promotes herself, and she still continues to get coaching even after a quarter century of working in the business.

Henry David Thoreau said: If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Sydney Smith said: Whatever you are by nature, keep to it: never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for, and you will succeed.

William Penn said: Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains.

An anonymous person said:

Those on top of the mountain did not fall there!

My friend and fellow voice talent Mary McKitrick wrote an inspiring blog entry which illustrated how persistence paid off for her in her marketing efforts. I have had similar results with clients calling me out of the blue after receiving my steady mailings. Like I said on my advice page and as any marketing book will tell you, it generally takes the repetition of at least 5-7 contacts before the contact associates you with your product or service!

Aside from the steady marketing actions of contacting people about your demo, you can always keep your dream alive by doing something EVERY DAY to move yourself toward your goals, for instance:

  • reading every book on voice-over that you can find
  • listening to demos of established voice actors, particularly those at www.voicebank.net
  • taking more classes every chance you get
  • reading books on marketing
  • figuring out your signature sound, target market and niche
  • learning about web site design and maintenance
  • downloading and learning free audio editing programs for your computer
  • joining on-line voice-over casting sites like Voice123.com and Voices.com and auditioning for projects
  • finding and attending meetings to network with people who might hire you such as MCA-I, WIF, ASTD, IGDA, Chambers of Commerce (I deliberately listed acroynms without links because figuring out these association names and how they could be important to your career can count as today’s step!)
  • recording commercials from radio and TV and transcribing the copy, then practicing the reads back with your own style into a tape recorder or minidisc
  • researching equipment specifications for the studio gear that you want
  • running eBay auctions so you can pay for the studio gear that you want 🙂
  • reading EVERYTHING aloud (magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes) and recording yourself into a tape recorder or minidisc

I could easily think of this list because I have done everything on it…and then some. If you will take baby steps toward your dreams every day, I have no doubt that you will reach the success of your dreams!

 

Do you perform in your underwear?

I subscribe to several voice-over lists. The subject question is actually a current and very active topic on one of them. Many people have answered the question, but I will never be among them. If you haven’t already posted an answer, I hope I can give you some new things to consider before you press the Send button with your reply.

It’s not like these lists are some little private gathering where you can whisper secrets among close friends. Sure, camaraderie exists if you’ve been a list member for a long time, but you don’t really KNOW the other list members. You may have regularly contributed to an e-mail list or forum, but would you know someone from that list if they walked into the room?

Answering or reading such messages is a huge waste of time. If you have some down time, you could be doing any number of productive things to advance your career like calling a client, updating your database, modifying your web site, recording new scratch tracks for practice, learning to apply filters in your editing software, etc. You could be doing things to otherwise improve your life like communicating with family and friends, taking a walk, learning to play a musical instrument, decluttering your office, planning a trip, etc. Of course, you could just sit and be for a few minutes, reveling in the quiet, doing absolutely nothing other than enjoying being alive, perhaps meditating and visualizing the kind of life you want for yourself!

In addition to the time-wasting nature of the topic, you never know who might read your words later and form an opinion about you. Would you answer this question if you knew that your clients or potential clients were reading your messages? How about if your parents or your significant other were to find your post? Would they be hurt or shocked by your response to something that you thought was just silly banter? Any of these people could read what you write on-line because your words live on into perpetuity!

I wrote in a recent post

Nothing is more powerful on this planet
than the words that you think and speak.

This concept was driven home to me in the small yet powerful book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz. Rather than paraphrasing the beautiful wisdom of the book, I’ll quote from the cover:

Be Impeccable With Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don’t Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Don’t Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

The Four Agreements may sound simple, but they are difficult to implement on a daily basis. Just realizing the power of your words is a life-changing step! When I first started in voice-over, I would laugh and say I would do any job where the check would clear. Now, I decline to perform jobs when I don’t like the words that would be coming out of my mouth. They may be someone else’s words, but I would be the one saying them. If I’m using the power of the word against someone else or against my own beliefs and values, then I won’t take the job.

Since I don’t want to use the power of the word against myself, I don’t want say things that might hurt my professional reputation in others’ eyes….like answering a question in a public forum about how I’m dressed when I perform my job. If someone wants to know how how I look when I work in my studio, they can see the picture of my stunning soundproof studio on my web site.

Answer the question, if you feel so inclined. However, I won’t interested in the answer.