Recently in Away From the Mic Category
At the end of each year, I review my journals to see what I accomplished. In doing this exercise for 2011, I found some comments that I want to share with you.
Just over a year ago, the media was in a feeding frenzy with news about a voiceover talent who seemingly became an overnight success.
You may remember the story of Ted Williams. In one day, he went from being a homeless person to someone who was overwhelmed with lucrative offers from the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NFL, MTV, Kraft, and other companies.
I might have been the only voice talent in America who didn't write publicly about this story at the time, with the exception of this comment I left on fellow voice talent David Houston's blog:
I am sooo glad to see you make the point that we shouldn't spend time worrying about any voiceover career outside of our own!I haven't commented on anything to do with this story until now. I am amazed at the time and energy that some voice talent have used this week in all the blog posts, forum comments, social media updates, etc. that they have devoted to this one topic.The reaction in the v-o community has become like the people who sit around and endlessly discuss any TV contest reality show, particularly American Idol.I choose to put my spare time and energy into the pursuit of my own goals and dreams rather than waste it thinking and talking about those of someone else.
However, I did write about the story in my journal. I was extremely irritated that so many companies wanted to attach their names to the story AFTER Ted's balloon soared. Of course, they all had to send out a press release to tout their benevolence in making offers of voiceover work to Ted.
More importantly, and the reason for this post today, is that my journal entry included 8 positive things I learned from watching the video of Ted and witnessing the reaction:
1. You have to believe in yourself and your talent before anyone else will.
2. You have to ask for what you want.
3. You have to persist and persevere through the bad times.
4. Chance or luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
5. You can't be denied the good things that are meant for you.
6. The power of video is an incredible tool for reaching your prospects.
7. People who are labeled as an overnight success generally have been working diligently for years to achieve their new success.
8. You can't sit on your past accomplishments and expect to continue receiving offers.
Although celebrated voiceover coach Marice Tobias did not mention Ted Williams in her recent blog entry titled Moving Forward, her words seem like a fitting postscript to this entry:
Good grief.Enough railing about the business. It is what it is.Concentrate on what you can actually do something about.Your delivery.Too many reads just don't hit the mark. Make sure what you are turning in will indeed stop people in their tracks.
Every script I've voiced, from the shortest audition to the longest audiobook...
Every call I've made...
Every email I've sent...
Every postcard I've mailed...
Every marketing campaign I've devised...
Every web site I've launched...
Every blog post I've written...
Every social media update I've made...
Every voiceover class or conference in which I've participated...
Every professional association meeting that I've attended...
...occurred while I worked a demanding, 40-hour-and-sometimes-more-a-week job.
After 12 years of concurrently working in a full-time job and a part-time voiceover business, it's time for a change.
I'm thrilled to announce that I was offered an early retirement from my day job and will be doing voiceover work full-time beginning 1 January 2012! YAY!!
However, as excited as I am to start a wonderful new phase in my life, this post isn't about me and my career plans. It's about you.
I want to encourage you to follow your dreams and give you 5 quick tips to help you do it.
1) Make a list of what you WANT.
A list helps you stay focused and fight discouragement. It also is the foundation to manifesting your desires. If you don't know what you want, how do you expect to get it?
If you don't do anything else, I advise you to RUN, do not walk, to buy the IT WORKS booklet and then follow Brad Jensen's extensive, amazing, and generous advice about using it.
As an example from my life, I made a list with attributes that I wanted in a job, like a certain income level, the ability to do voiceover work, and a private office with a door and window. I deliberately made the attributes a little more generic so that the list would cover my day job and my voiceover business. I reviewed this list frequently and added criteria over time, especially as I checked off attributes that were met.
Your results when working your list probably will turn out better than you could imagine. When I wrote that I wanted a private office with a door and window, I envisioned an office cubicle facing a window with tall walls on the other 3 sides. Of course, I would still be able to hear everyone around me in an open office concept.
What I got, though, was the ability to work in my gorgeous home office, which happens to have a solid wood door and 2 windows. It also has a TV, an iPod stereo, and a reasonable proximity to the refrigerator downstairs.
In another example, I wrote a new life list in September and included the fact that I want to be contracted at least once a month to voice an audiobook. I faithfully have reviewed my list, taken the actions suggested by the creative genie, and received 3 audiobook contracts since then, almost as if on schedule!
2) Think about WHY you want it.
I worked for the IRS for over 30 years. I always knew that I was trading short-term creativity and gratification for long-term security.
However, having the day job didn't mean I should put my dreams on hold....and neither should you.
So many people say things like "I'll travel when I'm retired" or "I'll start that business once the kids are out of school."
If it's your calling -- as voiceover is to me -- you want and need to do it to feed your soul. The only moment you know you have is this one, so why not be doing something because it makes you happy?
Yes, working full-time for an employer and part-time as an entrepreneur has its challenges. I would say it's a challenge to pursue any calling when you don't have unlimited time, money, and opportunity for it. The joy you get in pursuing your passion spills over into every other aspect of your life. Note that every passion does not lead to a career choice.
Also, since I mentioned the day job, let me just reiterate that having one can bankroll many of your dreams. You just have to change your perspective about it and know why you do what you do.
Knowing why you want something also helps you to prioritize the time, money, and opportunities that you have.
3) Don't think about HOW you're going to fulfill your dreams.
If you read any material on the Law of Attraction, the first thing you learn is to forget the HOWs. The forces of the Universe will conspire to bring about the changes you want when the time is right.
The only HOW to remember is this HOWEVER -- the root word of Attraction is ACT. You can't just think things and have them come true. You have to do your part to take ACTION. The forces of the Universe need your consistent thought and action, or no change is possible.
By constantly thinking of what you want and why you want it, the actions you need to take will be revealed to you over time.
4) Find a role model, and follow in their footsteps.
At the beginning of this article, I listed 10 things I consistently did for 12 years to build my voiceover business while still employed at a full-time job. I'm not saying I'm a role model, but think about it this way: If I did it, so can you.
Whatever your dream is, chances are good that someone else has done it. We live in the Information Age, with much of the world's knowledge just a few keystrokes away. You can read about success stories and get ideas to advance your own dream.
5) Help other people achieve their dreams.
Your reality is the mirror of the thoughts and words you've been saying and the actions you've been taking.
To paraphrase Wayne Dyer, if you only focus on what you want, you're essentially saying to the Universe "gimme, gimme, gimme". The Universe then mirrors that line back to you, making you feel that you are, using Dyer's words, always striving and never arriving.
On the other hand, if your thoughts, words, and actions are saying "how may I serve?", the Universe mirrors that line back to you.
What you put out in the world comes back to you, in a way and from a source that you probably wouldn't expect. If you are giving of time, attention, energy, and money to help other people, those things will come back to you.
As an example of this logic, a big reason that I write this blog is because I have a true desire to help other people. Because I write this blog, the Universe has sent that help back to me in the form of clients who find me because of my blog.
Retiring over 4 years early from my day job and working as a full-time voice talent is definitely a dream come true! And yes....it was actually on my list!
Have you started writing your list? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!
Photo: iStockPhoto/ErikReis
To compare is to despair.
I saw this quote in Bonnie Gillespie's recent column about competition and was thinking about it this morning after I found myself feeling that I could do so oh so much more to further my voiceover career.
Some voiceover colleagues seem to be on every social media site and practically living their lives online. Some people write multiple blogs. Others are producing podcasts and videos at a dizzying pace.
I have been a competitive person all of my life, first in school with grades, and then in the work place for projects and recognition. When I look at the wide array of activities in which some voice talent engage, it's easy to think I need to be just as productive and do the same things in order to stay competitive.
However, my corollary to Bonnie's statement is: To compete is to deplete.
Years ago, when I worked as a computer network administrator, the organization considered one of my coworkers to be the ultimate authority on server configurations. No matter what this man did, how rudely he treated others, or how his system changes might negatively impact the users, the organization always praised and rewarded him.
I didn't understand at the time that competing with him simply by trying to copy his actions was not the path to success.
For instance, he avidly devoured Microsoft Technet articles, discussion boards, and every computer magazine he could find. He read on the job and every night at home.
I felt compelled to read the same stuff in my evenings. I felt extremely competitive with him and wanted to stay at his level. He criticized the rest of us when we didn't know about a technical topic.
I hated spending my spare time that way. What's more, these competitive actions added to my feelings of being overly stressed and under appreciated in my organization. It was a competition that I could never win and one I really didn't want to enter.
I realized later that he read that material because computer networks were his passion. While I was extremely adept at my job, it was never my passion. I have never regretted leaving information technology positions for my true love of voiceover and communications.
All of the recent attention on Steve Jobs has made me feel a bit like I am not realizing my true potential. It's easy to think that I haven't done anything to change the world.
However, that's not true. I have changed the world just by being in it. No one sees things the way I do or does things exactly as I do.
I have changed the world with the hundreds of recordings I've created for clients and in public service. I know that people have watched videos and e-learning projects where I was the one telling them the information they needed to know. I know people have enjoyed listening to me narrate short stories and audiobooks. Sometimes, I'm even privileged to receive their kind words of praise about my work.
I have changed the world every time I helped someone physically, emotionally, and financially.
I have changed the world every time I thought and spoke positive, affirming words to and about myself and others. In fact, I've often thought of myself as an advocate for people who could not or would not speak for themselves.
My impact on the world may not be on the grand scale of Steve Jobs. My output in voiceover-related activities may not be as numerous or frequent as some of my peers.
But, you know what? That's OKAY. I am living a joyous, fulfilled life.
If you ever feel inadequate and think you need to compete with others as a result, remember these wise words from Steve Jobs:
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Everything else is secondary.
Do you ever watch the TV show Hoarders? It's about people who have let their houses become completely overrun with STUFF. The hoarding is usually caused by some sort of traumatic loss, like a death of a loved one, a painful divorce, or children leaving the nest.
For 6 weeks during August and September, Drew and I sort of learned how hoarders live while our old kitchen died and a new one was brought to life. I also learned a few things about clutter from the show and from our experience that I want to share with you before clutter kills your voiceover career.
Before our contractors could gut the kitchen (you didn't really think we were doing it ourselves, did you?), we had to empty the kitchen cabinets. All of that stuff had to be stored somewhere, and most of it landed on the floor in the living room. Some of it went in the hall bathroom, like drinking straws, dog food, and our printer and network components.
During a recent remodeling project, stuff from the kitchen cabinets was stacked
everywhere in Atlanta voice talent Karen Commins' living room.
Our house was designed with a dining room next to the kitchen, with a shared doorway between the 2 rooms. Since we use the dining room for the music room, we decided we wanted to enclose that shared doorway to give us more counter space in the kitchen.
Of course, this decision meant that the music room would also need to have new sheetrock and paint. We evacuated my harp and some other fragile things from the music room and stored much of them in -- you guessed it -- my voiceover recording studio.
People on the TV show always say they feel overwhelmed by the clutter. They frequently go shopping to temporarily relieve those feelings of overwhelm and despair. Naturally, the items they buy only add to the clutter when they get home, and thus perpetuate the cycle.
The hoarders often say that they can't do something they dream about doing because of the clutter. How can you really concentrate on furthering a dream when you have a pile of clutter in front of you, silently demanding that you do something about it before you tackle anything else? Clutter causes people to give up on their dreams before they even start.
in the past 2 months, Drew and I had to alter our routines and work harder just to do the simplest things. We constantly found ourselves looking for something we needed. Even though we had carefully placed our kitchen items neatly on the floor, we still had to look in boxes and step over things to get what we wanted.
The true hoarders always seem to have a variety of health problems. They are literally suffocating in their stuff. At a minimum, clutter can cause stress; at its worst, it can cause illness or even death.
I haven't seen a true hoarder's house except on TV. However, I have been in some horrendously messy, dirty offices in my professional life.
In my former job as a computer network administrator, I hated the times that I had to install something new or change out equipment due to the condition of the cubicles and offices. I didn't want to touch anything! People often piled papers and empty coffee cups in their cubicles and offices. Every surface was snowed under in a messy blizzard of paper, and old, stinky shoes and newspapers often lined the floor. I wondered if they lived that way at home. I also wondered how they ever got any work done.
The harp, an antique lamp, the music stand, and many other fragile things from
the music room found a temporary home in the recording studio.
I still can't answer the first question, but I have a better guess about the second one. Clutter zaps your mental energy and steals your creativity. It's really hard to get anything done at all, much less done well, with clutter blocking your path.
While the stuff from the music room was sitting in the studio, I was very disinclined to go in there for anything but necessary voiceover work. Working on my laptop in the living room wasn't any better because of the mound of stuff there. Blog posts, recordings for LibriVox service projects, a podcast series I'm developing, some follow-up marketing, a video I'd like to produce, even many auditions -- all these projects subconsciously went on hold until the kitchen renovation was done.
My extreme clutter was temporary, and thankfully, order, beauty, and calmness have been restored to my house. However, the fight against clutter is an on-going one, so here are 5 tips and tactics I use to combat it:
1) Determine your vision for your life and figure out how each space supports that vision.
I learned this powerful tip from professional organizer, TV star, and best-selling author Peter Walsh. He says that each room should have its own function and limits. Until you know these attributes, you can't really define what clutter is to you.
For instance, my studio serves a single function. If I'm in there, I'm doing something creative related to my voiceover career. I'm not paying bills, chit-chatting with friends on the phone, surfing Facebook, or designing scrapbook pages. My harp and the other stuff from my music room, while certainly beautiful and functional, did not further my vision for my studio. These pieces are treasures in my music room, but they felt like clutter when they were in my studio.
2) Adopt the motto A place for everything, and everything in its place.
This point is never more important than when you are faced with a life event such as job change, marriage, new child, divorce, or death. In those instances, you can expect LOTS of things to come into your house in a very short period of time. Since the life event brings stress with it, you have to be vigilant that clutter does not take root. If it does, it becomes a constant reminder of the stress from the event.
The key is to make immediate decisions about where each item will be stored, and then PUT IT THERE!
3) Ask yourself the hard questions, both for things you have and things you want to buy.
- What is your attachment to this thing? I've seen Peter Walsh work wonders with people over this question as it's important to understand emotions that cause us to have clutter. It's okay to have things because they remind you of a loved one or some special time. You have to realize, though, that the thing and the memory are entirely separate. Sometimes you can part with the thing, but you will always have the memory.
- When is the last time you used it? If you haven't used it in more than a year, you might think about getting rid of it.
- What is your plan for it? Saying "I might need it someday" is not a good answer and is a sure sign that you should consider letting it go.
- If you actually use it and have a plan for it, is this the best place for it to live, or should it be somewhere else? We found stuff in the kitchen that needed to be (and now is) stored in the garage or in the office files. In truth, we also found stuff that needed to be (and now is) in the trash, like addresses for our wedding invitations!
4) Don't accept stuff from other people just because they want to get it out of their house.
My in-laws are notorious in giving us things every time we go over there. Drew's mother usually wants to load us up with magazines that she wants returned, and his dad frequently gave Drew tools that Drew didn't need. None of this stuff needs to be in our house! Even in seemingly harmless instances like these, we have to make conscious decisions every day about everything that comes in our door.
5) Give yourself permission to sell, donate, or throw away anything that doesn't fit your vision for your space.
We frequently donate items to charities. We also post ads on Craigslist to give things away. For instance, you may not believe this, but I gave away the Auralex pyramid studio foam I used when I recorded in my walk-in closet.
When we've posted ads for free things on Craigslist, people respond immediately -- like within 10 minutes! People who are picking up a freebie are usually eager to come and get it, so Craigslist ads are a fast, easy way to declutter.
Your outer environment is a reflection of your inner thoughts. Is your environment orderly and serene, or chaotic and confused? Since your action follows your thoughts, a cluttered space can kill your voiceover career, while a clear space causes you to reach new heights!
Do you see any connection between clutter and voiceover success? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!
Recently, I received this message as a comment on the entry A plan to break into voice-over:
Karen,I can not tell you how thankful I am for your blog, and your selfless giving of voice over artistry information.I am at turning point in my life and realize I've been working 20 years in a industry I have NO PASSION FOR! In thinking, "how do I change this?", I remembered the excitement I felt when asked to record automated attendant messages twice in my career. I've always been told I have a good voice and can't wait to become a part of the community.I know a lot of hard work will be involved but one day I hope to be successful and pass on my knowledge just as you.You are wonderful,God Bless,Veronica
While I truly appreciate and am grateful for Veronica's praise about my blog, I want to talk about her paragraph about passion. The key is not to find a job and industry that you are passionate about, but to create a LIFE that you are passionate about!
The last sentence was written with apologies to my eighth grade English teacher Mrs. Ellington, who would hate to see me ending the sentence with a preposition. She made us memorize a list of prepositions, and I credit her with my strong knowledge of and passion for English grammar.
There's that word again -- PASSION.
When people feel that something is missing in their life, they often say they want to feel passionate about something. Rather than doing the self-reflection necessary to understand what is missing in their life and make adjustments, I have observed that most people hurriedly make 1 or -- even worse -- a combination of the 4 life-changing decisions below. I've also included some of the common thought patterns that may lead people to the decision.
1) Have a baby
- "A baby would bring us closer."
- "A baby would always love me."
- "I might get a reality TV show if I have enough kids." (If you don't believe me on this point, do you remember the Octo-mom, or have you counted the number of shows about huge families on the TLC channel?)
2) Change residences
- "I'd be happy if only I had more space."
- "I'm tired of this neighborhood."
3) Change jobs
- "I have no passion for my job or industry."
- "I'd be happy if only I made more money."
4) Change relationship (get married or divorced, find a new love interest)
- "I want to be in love again."
- "I'd be happy if someone paid attention to me."
- "You don't bring me flowers. You don't sing me love songs."
Unfortunately, making any of those decisions without FIRST analyzing the cause of your feelings of discontentment will not solve the problem. Instead, the change will only serve to complicate the underlying issue, which often can be summed up as a matter of self-love.
If I were having a conversation with Veronica, I'd ask her these questions:
- What was it about recording the phone messages that you liked?
- Why did it matter to you?
- Did you like knowing you were helping people?
- Did you feel important or special to be asked to record the messages?
- Did you get a buzz knowing that people would be hearing your voice when they called the number?
Veronica's answers to these questions could be very illuminating in ways that she wouldn't expect.
In her landmark books Wishcraft: How To Get What You Really Want and I Could Do Anything if I Only Knew What It Was, Barbara Sher wrote about finding your touchstone, which is the emotional core of the goal. When thinking about the things you like to do, you can find your touchstones by asking yourself thoughtful, probing questions like those above for Veronica. When you know WHY something is important to you, you make much better choices.
From Veronica's message, it seems obvious that she has done some serious thinking and decided to embark on a new career in voiceover. Since I don't know Veronica, I can only speculate about her answers and motivation to become a voice talent in the hope that it gives you food for thought about finding your own touchstones and designing the life you want.
For instance, I wonder if Veronica has a touchstone of recognition. If so, changing jobs to become a voice talent may not be the most satisfying way to bring more recognition into her life. In fact, if she knew that recognition was the thing that she felt was missing in her life, she might figure out ways to get it in the very job for which she says she has no passion.
Her touchstone might have something to do with becoming wealthy. If that's the case, she will feel discouraged to read fellow voice talent J. S. Gilbert's thoughtful, in-depth analysis of the annual salary review in Parade magazine. Gilbert notes that a voice talent profiled in the review had the lowest income of any of the respondents. He also mentions that his article may extinguish the flames of passion.
Of course, Veronica may truly have a touchstone that involves creative expression through her voice -- something more meaningful than simply being told she has a nice voice. Every person who contacts me about getting into voiceover tells me that exact same thing! I'm not picking on Veronica here. I'm just pointing out that the people who write to me probably have nice eyes, nice fingernails, and nice knee caps, but, since no one has complimented those things, the prospective voice talent don't try to turn them into career choices.
Without further exploration on Veronica's part, she wouldn't know whether she should become a voiceover talent, a puppeteer, singer, telemarketer, lawyer, or a political advocate. These choices could have the same touchstone but would require wildly different actions.
I think we all yearn for some way for creative expression, and the lack of it may be at the root of some of the dissatisfaction with our lives. I've read that Adolf Hitler dreamed of being an artist but couldn't get into art school. Can you imagine how much better the world would be if he had only followed his dream?
Where other people paint a canvas using brushes, I do it with words, either by giving voice to words written by others or putting my voice into words for others to read. The right kind of creative expression for each person would be that thing they want to do for its own intrinsic enjoyment. Maybe it becomes a career choice, but then again, maybe it doesn't.
Through her self-assessment, Veronica might realize that she needs the cheers or applause from an audience. Voiceover is usually a solitary pursuit, which again indicates it wouldn't be a good career choice. She might even realize that she doesn't enjoy reading!
On the other hand, she could be passionate about using her voice to make a difference for others, but she doesn't want to take on all of the myriad responsibilities associated with running a business as a voice talent. In that case, Veronica might prefer to volunteer to read for the blind or the children's story hour at the library.
You can have passion for a lot of things, but you don't have to make a career from them. You don't have to make any money from them at all. As an example, I use my passion for English grammar when writing these blog entries and my private journals.
I'm also passionate about the Eiffel Tower. I have a web cam app that lets me view it any time I want to see it. I just spent my birthday week in Paris, and we stayed in an amazing apartment a block away from the Tower. It was so close that I felt like I could touch it out the open window.
While there, I found a way to combine my passions for writing and fine pens with my passion for the Eiffel Tower -- collecting antique inkwells featuring the Eiffel Tower. I've started researching pictures on-line and creating a compendium of available styles along with selling prices.
Voice talent Karen Commins marries her passions for writing and the Eiffel Tower
by collecting antique souvenir inkwells from Paris featuring the Eiffel Tower.
In this one, the Tower tilts back to reveal the ink reservoir underneath.
Will I ever make any money from this new hobby? Probably not, but it's not my intent to make money from it. My intent is to honor my touchstones of romance and beauty by bringing those attributes into my life (and consequently, these antique inkwells into my display cases!) as much as possible.
The good news is that each time you follow your passion in one area, the enthusiasm, excitement, and joy you feel from your new discoveries will overflow into every other area of your life. As a result of simply researching what it takes to work in voiceover, Veronica has already increased the level of positive energy -- or passion -- in her life.
If, after spending time in contemplation and figuring out that a voiceover career truly gratifies your touchstones, don't be too hasty to quit your current job. Since security is one of my touchstones, you can trust me when I encourage you to think of your current job as a subsidy to your art.
Every moment has meaning, so whatever you're doing now will only help you in the years to come. By analyzing your touchstones, you can figure out what's missing in your life and take the action needed to develop a rich, full, wonderful life that you are PASSIONATE about!
Aflac fired Gilbert Gottfried after the so-called comedian made crude, tasteless jokes on Twitter about the Japanese earthquake/tsunami disaster.
In case you didn't know, Gottfried was the voice of the company's signature spokesduck for many years.
It's not the first time that a major company fired a voiceover talent due to the talent's remarks that reflected badly on the company. In April, 2010, D.C. Douglas left a politically-charged voice mail message as a private citizen that set off a media frenzy. The negative public attention and pressure from the political group caused GEICO to fire him from a new campaign.
What can we learn from these 2 scenarios?
1. Although you work on a freelance basis, you should consider yourself to be your client's employee.
Voice talents generally know about conflicts of interest. You shouldn't voice a script for a competing product in the same market.
However, we need to take the employee stance even further. Since anything you do could reflect on s/he who pays your invoice, it's in your best interest to avoid doing anything that even has the hint of impropriety. If you've never read an employee code of conduct manual, take a look at this sample document to see the wide range of attributes expected of an employee. You may find ways to improve your dealings with your clients.
For instance, many scripts are now arriving with a non-disclosure agreement in which the talent promises they will not share their involvement in any form, including posts on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. If you always acted like an employee, you wouldn't risk disclosing proprietary information about your clients.
2. A little integrity goes a long way.
Integrity is defined as a soundness of moral character and honesty. Its synonyms are virtue and honor.
In my voiceover business, integrity means that I won't voice scripts that are dishonorable, like political ads that attack an opponent rather than discuss the plans of the candidate in the ad. I compare any script to my moral compass to decide whether I will perform it. I won't voice a script just for the money.
Integrity also means treating other people with kindness and respect, something Gottfried apparently overlooks in favor of making jokes at others' expense.
3. Words have creative power.
I believe so strongly in the power of our words that I led a session about it last month at Faffcon. You can use words to build up or tear down yourself or others. Since you always have a choice about the words you think, say, and write, why would you choose to create more negativity in the world?
4. What you put out in the world comes back to you.
I usually tell people that the energy you put out comes back to you in a way better than you could expect. In those instances, I am talking about productive actions that propel one toward achieving their dreams.
However, this theory holds true even for those counterproductive actions that destroy dreams. In those cases, the negative energy will also come back to you in a way you probably didn't expect. The key is to decide beforehand whether the action enhances life or diminishes it.
Many people don't seem to realize that the creative power of their words coupled with a broadcast medium (TV or Internet) can cause the energy to come back in an exponential form, either positively or negatively. As I've written previously, the words you write on-line live on into perpetuity. I am continuously shocked by the things that I've seen other voiceover talent post on various sites, particularly a few vicious flame wars in one LinkedIn voiceover forum.
When a celebrity write on-line, the power of the words is magnified. In Gottfried's case, the venom he spewed into the world came back to him in the form of intensely angry public feedback and the loss of a lucrative, long-term gig.
Even if you don't believe that doing good things in the world will attract good things to you, you'll never know for sure unless you give it a try. Besides, I'm pretty sure that Aflac will be looking for someone who radiates with positive energy when they begin their nationwide search for a new voice for their quirky quacker.
Attendees at the original FaffCon had nothing but glowing things to say about it. After all, how often do voiceover actors get to spend an entire weekend in the company of other working professional voice talent, much less actually sharing ways to improve our performances and business operations to get more work?
In order to encourage everyone to reveal their secret formulas to success, what happens at FaffCon is supposed to stay at FaffCon. Some of the session highlights for me were:
I was unable to attend the first FaffCon, held last September in Portland, OR. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I would have attended the second one if travel had been involved. However, to my great delight, FaffCon2 was held this weekend in Atlanta. Add me to the list of the glowing FaffCon alumni! Not only that, but I'm already making plans to attend the next one! And yes -- there WILL BE a next one, so keep reading!
Let me start by saying that this or any other blog post cannot do justice to the event! I have pages of notes and a head full of great ideas about tactics to take my voiceover business to an even higher level. I finally met people in person whom I've known on-line for years, and I also made new friends. Most exciting of all, another participant had an amazing idea as a result of one of the sessions and asked me to collaborate on a new project!
FaffCon Founder Amy Snively guides participants in Atlanta.
FaffCon is the brain child of the vivacious and indefatigable Amy Snively. While FaffCon might seem like a big voice talent meet-up where people just schmooze with each other, it actually is a potentially life-changing educational event that requires tremendous planning and organizational skills. I am extremely impressed with how smoothly everything ran, and I don't know how Amy possibly had time to sit and enjoy the sessions.
In terms of voiceover training, FaffCon is unique because it:
- is entirely participant-driven
- fosters cooperation and camaraderie rather than competition as egos are left at home
- doesn't have sales booths in the back -- or in any part -- of the meeting rooms
- gives participants unparalleled access to go "behind the curtains" to learn success strategies from other professional voice talent and industry leaders
Participants jockey to post topics and decide sessions to attend.
Amy explained that we should think of FaffCon as a field of golden nuggets. You have golden nuggets to share with others, and you'll get some in return. However, no one knows when and how those nuggets might turn up. You may not even know you received a nugget until you're away from FaffCon and review your notes.
- 3 sessions with the charming and extremely knowledgeable David Goldberg from Edge Studio in which he discussed and demonstrated why the vast majority of demos are rejected along with other marketing Q&As
- Numerous methods to attract repeat clients from the creative and clever Mercedes Rose
- Inspiration to "invite the avalanche" from the highly esteemed yet incredibly humble Bob Souer
- Positive energy and synergy generated in the session that I led, "The Power of Your Words Away From the Mic".
I need to decompress, think carefully about what I heard, and develop an action plan to use the armful of golden nuggets that I received. As I said to a number of people over the weekend, everything about my voiceover business is an evolution. FaffCon was a much-needed jolt to help my business evolve exponentially instead of incrementally!
If you're a working voice-over talent who wants to improve your business, make plans NOW to attend FaffCon3 this fall! I hope to see you there!
FaffCon logo for event scheduled 23-25 September 2011 in Hershey, PA.
Creativity is not something that you wait for.
Creativity is something that waits for you.
-- Neale Donald Walsch
A few years ago, Drew gave me a Valentine's present of joint membership at a local pottery studio. While we weren't envisioning a re-do of the famous scene from the movie Ghost, we had been interested in learning how to create some crockery. Instead, I learned something more valuable through the experience:
When I exercise my creativity in a new or different way, I'm more creative in other areas.
Each time I came home from the pottery studio, I might perform a voiceover audition with more inspired choices, play my harp more fluidly, or design a scrapbook page with lots of layers and textures. Any of these things make me feel even more pleased and give me the desire to do more.
I discovered this theory holds true when I attempt to draw in my journal. Even writing this blog, which itself is an artistic endeavor, causes me to feel more innovative when I finish each entry.
No matter how you express yourself, each way that you can be creative is scooping more good stuff into your life from the same bountiful well. Why use a teaspoon when you can use a jug?
In the last week, I've done a couple of things in marketing my voiceover business that allowed me to express my creativity in new ways. First, I created the book trailer video for an audiobook, which I included and discussed in my previous entry "Reasons to Create Your Own Stuff". Many voice talent have written to me saying that they felt inspired by the ideas and marketing info that I presented, so I encourage you to read that entry if you haven't already.
The other thing I did was enter the Voices.com photo contest on their Facebook page. They wanted pictures of voice talent in their studios with the Voices.com web site displayed on some sort of screen. While winning the prize would be wonderful, I entered because it was a direct call to action to be creative. After all, the judging criteria is the "most creative, coolest picture".
I wanted to do something with recursion. In computer programming, recursion occurs when the program calls itself repeatedly. I also wanted the picture to be as much about me as Voices.com, making it good marketing material for both of us.
It only took a few minutes to come up with an idea that met both of those objectives.
Atlanta voice talent Karen Commins can't get enough of Voices.com!
What are you doing to feed your creative spirit? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!
Screen shot from Teri Clark Linden's Facebook status update 12/29/10
After seeing fellow voice talent Teri Clark Linden's Facebook status last week, I was intrigued about the new movie "The King's Speech". Regular readers of my blog know that I often find hidden parallels to voiceover work in my life situations, as well as in books and movies. This is one instance where the similarity is obvious to anyone who views the movie, and, like Teri, I cannot recommend too highly that voice talent and actors go see this fantastic film.
Without giving away too much of the plot, King George VI (played brilliantly by Colin Firth, who should win an Oscar) is a quiet man who never wanted to be king. He was forced to take the throne after his brother King Edward VIII abdicated the crown in 1936 in favor of marriage to the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson.
People usually say the fear of public speaking is at the top of their lists of fears and stress-inducing events. In addition to the normal nervous sensation felt by everyone in front of a microphone, King George VI has a significant obstacle to overcome: a stammer developed in childhood and exacerbated throughout his life.
Enter Lionel Logue (played impeccably by Geoffrey Rush), an actor and speech therapist who works with the King to help him become the kind of public speaker necessary to lead the British people through the travails of World War II. Aside from the historical relevance, much of the delight in the movie is watching a King and a commoner learn to trust each other and find the oneness that binds all of us together.
An underlying theme that was revealed in the film is that, while Lionel Logue had his own dreams as an actor, his greatest glory was achieved due to his service to others. Indeed, to quote Ralph Waldo Trine from his 1896 book What All The World's A-Seeking, or, The Vital Law of True Life, True Greatness, Power, and Happiness, it is through service to others that we find ourselves:
The idea has prevailed in the past, and this idea has dominated the world, that self is the great concern,--that if one would find success, greatness, happiness, he must give all attention to self, and to self alone.This has been the great mistake, this the fatal error, this the direct opposite of the right, the true as set forth in the great immutable law that--we find our own lives in losing them in the service of others, in longer form--the more of our lives we give to others, the fuller and the richer, the greater and the grander, the more beautiful and the more happy our own lives become.It is as that great and sweet soul who when with us lived at Concord said,--that generous giving or losing of your life which saves it. This is an expression of one of the greatest truths, of one of the greatest principles of practical ethics the world has thus far seen. In a single word, it is service,--not self but the other self.We shall soon see, however, that our love, our service, our helpfulness to others, invariably comes back to us, intensified sometimes a hundred or a thousand or a thousand thousand fold, and this by a great, immutable law.
I think that I know perhaps better than anyone just how much you helped the King, not only with his speech, but, through that, his whole life, and outlook on life.
Just as the King's speech affected his subjects, every voice talent has the ability to influence someone whenever we take the microphone. You'll note that some of Logue's coaching to the King are the same techniques that we continue to use in our field.
Even if you aren't a voice talent or actor, the King's courage, determination, and persistence in fighting his battle and Logue's ever-optimistic attitude and problem-solving skills are traits worthy of emulation. Go see this movie!
Today's story is not directly related to my usual topics of voiceover, marketing, or audiobooks. Instead, it's a Law of Attraction story that I hope encourages and inspires you to do what you love and pursue your dreams because you just never know where they will lead! In addition, you'll be able to see some Law of Attraction principles at work that you can use in building your voiceover career or pursuing any other passion.
Drew started scuba diving in 1983 just because he and his college roommate thought it would be a fun thing to do. Since we live in Atlanta, you can imagine that his opportunities to go diving were somewhat limited. However he took special diving trips as often as possible and would go diving on our vacations. He didn't seriously pursue diving until we went to Hawaii in 2000.
Long before the Georgia Aquarium opened at Thanksgiving, 2005 -- in fact, in 2003 or 2004 when construction was still underway -- a friend mentioned to Drew that he was going to apply to volunteer at the Aquarium. He hoped to be a scuba diver.
First, it's important to note that many people confuse the Law of Attraction with instant gratification. It's not enough to WANT it. You have to DO SOMETHING about it! If you look at the word ATTRACTION, you'll observe that the root word is ACTION, not GRATIFY. As this story illustrates, the results of the Law of Attraction are evident only after taking consistent action over a period of time.
1. If you have an idea to try something new, try it -- you might like it.
Drew started scuba diving in 1983 just because he and his college roommate thought it would be a fun thing to do. Since we live in Atlanta, you can imagine that his opportunities to go diving were somewhat limited. However he took special diving trips as often as possible and would go diving on our vacations. He didn't seriously pursue diving until we went to Hawaii in 2000.
I see many introductory, 2- or 3-hour voiceover classes offered these days. I always encourage people to take these kinds of classes and read books on voiceover to get a taste of what the job is like.
2. If you like it, take specialized classes to learn more about it and master new skills.
As the number of his dives increased the past few years, Drew kept taking specialty classes. He talked for years about getting a Dive Master rating even though he had no place to use it.
Note that he continued to take classes in an interest that was merely a hobby. If you are planning to enter a new career, such as a job shift to voiceover work, additional instruction will be necessary to gain subject mastery.
3. Even if your dream seems impossible, don't give up. The forces of the Universe may conspire to help you achieve it!
In 2005, the world's largest aquarium was built in -- you guessed it -- Atlanta. Yes, Atlanta! Almost unbelievably, land-locked Atlanta, which is at least a 5 hours' drive to any ocean, is the home to the world's largest aquarium, with mammoth exhibits housing some of the world's largest marine life. The largest exhibit holds OVER 6 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER and 4 whale sharks, which will grow to be the size of city buses! These whale sharks came from Taiwan, and most people would never have the opportunity to see them and the other amazing animals that are all living at the Georgia Aquarium.
4. The right people and information will come into your life when you least expect it.
Until that day, we hadn't heard much about the Aquarium, but that one sentence was all Drew needed to hear. He immediately contacted the Aquarium and started the volunteer application process.
5. Persistence of follow-up action is a key ingredient to success.
Thousands of people applied to be volunteers, and the resulting screening process was often disorganized and chaotic. Drew repeatedly followed up with the coordinators when he didn't hear anything. He made sure that his application was processed and that he did everything he needed to do in order to become a volunteer. He had to pass a background check and drug test before they ever cleared him to take classes on the animal habitats and guest relations.
Our friend, in contrast, filled out an application and simply waited for someone to get back with him. Since he didn't follow-up, he is no closer to volunteering that he was 5 years ago. Meanwhile, Drew's volunteer work started during the pre-grand opening days for annual pass holders. He was in on the ground floor of this amazing new Aquarium!
6. Volunteering is a great way to get more of your passion in your life, as well as gain experience needed for a job shift.
Drew did anything he could to get his foot in the door, hoping that maybe at some point he would be allowed to dive with the Aquarium. Everyone told him that he would have to volunteer for at least a year before they would even consider taking on volunteer divers. He originally volunteered primarily in the IT and Special Events departments.
In February, 2006, after the Aquarium had only been open for 3 short months, Drew received notification that he could apply to be a volunteer diver!
The Aquarium has extremely strict rules about its dive staff as the Aquarium must comply with OSHA requirements. If Drew had not continued to take diving classes and upgrade his certifications in the preceding few years, he would not have been eligible for consideration for the dive team. Even so, he still had to take some Red Cross first aid classes and pass a grueling swimming test. Once he passed those tests, he had to pass a physical exam.
We both were beyond thrilled when he passed all of the requirements and was certified for diving with the Georgia Aquarium!
I am a firm believer in volunteerism. Before I ever took the first voiceover workshop, I volunteered for 5 years as a reader and producer for the Georgia Radio Reading Service. Through my volunteer work, I gained clarity about my desire to become a full-time voice talent.
7. Get a support team in place to cheer you on.
Some of you know that Drew was laid off in July 2009 from his position as a lead senior software engineer by ADP, his employer of 12 years. We thought his job was secure and never saw the layoff coming.
He was let go at lunchtime on a Thursday, and he called me while on his way home. From the moment he told me the shocking news, I told him that the layoff could be the best thing that could happen to him. I encouraged him to do what he wanted to do instead of feeling that he had to take a job just to make money.
My positive reaction was no surprise to Drew. We have always been champions of each others' dreams. I've written previously about relationships that change or disappear in the pursuit of your dream. For this reason, you need to be careful about the people in whom you confide your deepest dreams. If your family and friends are not supportive of you, it just makes your success more difficult to achieve. In the voice-over world, you can join numerous on-line forums to discuss your progress with and learn from peers. You'll find several of these forums listed on the right panel of my blog.
8. Investing in your dream is an investment in yourself and a life you will love.
Initially, Drew said he would still pursue a job in software development. At the same time, though, he decided to fulfill a long-held dream to get his Dive Master rating. ADP paid him for his unused vacation time, and Drew used that money to take the certification class even though he didn't have a specific plan to use the certification. He finished the certification in March.
I also have cashed in vacation time and money to progress my voiceover career. It may seem like a sacrifice to give up a trip in exchange for a career-enhancing workshop. However, I have never regretted any decision made in favor of my dreams.
9. Listen to that small, still voice in your head, and let it guide you in times of doubt.
After going on an interview in the fall for a developer position that seemed if it had been written to match his qualifications and was located only 3 miles from our house, Drew confessed that he did not really want to go back to corporate software. I encouraged him again to find a job he would enjoy rather than one done for the money.
We decided he should consider himself retired from corporate software and concentrate on getting a job at the Aquarium, where he had been steadily volunteering as a diver for over 4 years. We restructured our finances to pay off some obligations, which allowed us to live comfortably on my income.
I heard Joel Osteen say recently that our creator does not give you the vision without also giving you the provision for making it happen. In 2008, the Aquarium started the Dive Immersion Program, where members of the public pay a fee for the opportunity to swim or dive in the main exhibit with the whale sharks, sharks, manta rays, and other exotic creatures.
Drew had wanted to be part of that program since its inception, but he couldn't participate as a volunteer. Until he changed his mindset about the salary he could accept, he felt he couldn't work there, especially since most of the staff only works part-time.
10. Continue moving in the direction of your dream, even if you can only take baby steps.
Drew had expressed his interest in the job and maintained contact with the department manager during his volunteer stints. Once he finished his Dive Master certification, he notified her about his upgraded qualifications.
She told him to submit an application even though they currently had no vacancies.
However, things moved FAST from that point! She called him the day after his birthday to tell him he was scheduled for the preliminary -- and intense! -- swim and diving skills test. (Happy birthday!) After passing the tests, he had to give a small presentation as if he were meeting the public.
At that point, they invited him and 2 other people who had passed all the tests for an interview.
He had the swim tests, presentation, and interview on Monday 7 June. At the end of the week, he had the DREAM JOB!
In truth, Drew never really dreamed of being a professional scuba diver. He just didn't see how it could work out given our distance from the ocean and the part-time nature of the work.
His story shows that when you give up the HOW and focus on the WHAT of your desires, the Universe can fulfill the order in a way better than you could have dreamed possible! It also shows that you can do what you love as a volunteer, but you may be able to convert that volunteer gig into a paying gig.
If any of you are in Atlanta, you don't want to miss a trip to the Georgia Aquarium. If you decide to experience the animals up and close and personal as a diver or swimmer in the main exhibit, it just might be my husband who acts as your tour guide in the water!
Georgia Aquarium Dive Master Drew Commins in his "office"
Today is Blog Action Day. On 15 October each year, bloggers from more than 100 countries come together and blog about a single important issue, and this year's topic is clean water.
Dr. Emoto explains on his site how the photographs are made. I respect his position in not giving permission to reprint his pictures on other sites, so you'll have to look at them on his site or do a search to find them elsewhere. The frozen crystals either have perfect symmetry and immense beauty or are misshapen blobs, depending on the words associated with each one.
Living where I do, I don't even have to think about clean water. It's something I often take for granted, especially while constantly sipping from a large bottle of water during my voiceover sessions. Through this blog article, I doubt that I could even cause a ripple of action that could cause improvement to the 70% of the earth that is covered in water. However, I want to raise your consciousness about the power of water to reflect the words you speak and enhance your life.
(I admit that the rest of this post may sound like a bunch of New Age woo-woo, but I hope you'll keep reading!)
If you're a long-time reader, you know that I believe firmly that nothing is more powerful on this planet than the words that you think and speak. Wars have been fought over words. Love is expressed through words. The power of Blog Action Day comes from the fact that words from around the globe are written, read, and discussed about a single, unifying topic.
Recently, I saw fascinating research about water from Japanese researcher Dr. Masaru Emoto. He discovered that crystals formed in frozen water look different based on the specific thought directed at the water. According to some of his literature:
I always stress the energy is vibrations, and vibrations are life. Words are vibrations. Words, therefore, are life ... The sounds of words are nothing less than a divine gift from nature. Water crystals are illustrating this divine gift in their design.Water is a medium that receives and understands even the subtlest vibrations. Water captures vibrations naturally. Even when these vibrations are characters, or letters representing language, water shows us the energy they contain in the forms of crystals. Water is attempting to communicate something to us. Negative emotions prevent the water from crystallizing. Positive emotions allow it to develop to beautiful hexagonal shapes.Water makes up 70 percent of our bodies, and there is little doubt to me that the information in the water goes a long way in the formation of our health, as well as our attitude toward the world and the attitude of the world around us.
Dr. Emoto explains on his site how the photographs are made. I respect his position in not giving permission to reprint his pictures on other sites, so you'll have to look at them on his site or do a search to find them elsewhere. The frozen crystals either have perfect symmetry and immense beauty or are misshapen blobs, depending on the words associated with each one.
For instance, a picture representing LOVE AND THANKS is awe-inspiring perfection. A picture made for the word WAR is quite startling because it kind of looks like an explosion from an atomic bomb.
The pictures for tap water in various cities are quite illuminating. Even though you think your drinking water is clean, the water crystals tell another story. Based on the pictures of the crystals, we should all move to Vancouver for the cleanest water!
I have a deck of Dr. Emoto's Water Crystal Oracle cards. On one side of the card is the picture, and the word appears on the other side. In the past, I have kept a card under my water glass to focus attention on some aspect in my life that I wanted to improve or heal. In writing this post, I've decided to use the RESONANCE, HARMONY, TRUTH, and PROSPERITY cards in my voiceover booth. Since water mirrors the vibrations of our words, I want the words that I speak as a voice talent to be in service of those 4 things.
As I said at the beginning of this essay, I don't have to think about clean water for myself. Thank you for joining me and others around the world in using the power of our words today about in promoting clean water for everyone. This one blog post may not cause a ripple of action, but together, we are a force of nature!
The title of this article is a saying I heard early in my IRS career. Sorry if it offends you, but it really gets to the heart of stellar customer service. No matter how many great and wonderful things you do for your clients, the thing they will remember most -- and tell the most people about -- is the thing that got screwed up.
As Drew and I continue to repair and renovate our house, I'm finding no shortage of contractor stories to share with you that illustrate this principle. By observing other business operators, we can determine how to better service our clients in our voice-over businesses....and hopefully avoid some of those "Oh s****" moments.
We decided to install some recessed lighting in Drew's man cave. Drew called his friend Tommy Dunaway, an electrician who owns a business named Tommy's Lighting and Electric. Tommy came out to discuss options and give us an estimate. When he came back to install the lights, he exceeded our expectations because:
Today, I actually have 2 contractor stories. First, I have an example of fantastic customer service from start to finish.
We decided to install some recessed lighting in Drew's man cave. Drew called his friend Tommy Dunaway, an electrician who owns a business named Tommy's Lighting and Electric. Tommy came out to discuss options and give us an estimate. When he came back to install the lights, he exceeded our expectations because:
1) He arrived exactly on time, which is a rarity for service provider at one's home. Punctuality is key in voiceover as well. When I started my voiceover business, I assumed that all voiceover talent were punctual. Over the years, I've been surprised to read about people who didn't show up or were late to sessions, didn't return phone calls, etc.2) He suggested features we hadn't considered, like a dimmer for the recessed lights and a remote control for the ceiling fan. I do the same thing with my clients. For instance, if I was hired to narrate a marketing video for a trade show, I'll also let the client know that they may want to use the same voice on their phone system, e-learning modules, and web site to enhance and solidify their brand. It may seem like a self-serving piece of advice, but it's really about helping my clients achieve consistency in all of their communications.3) He finished the job in LESS time than he estimated, so our bill was less than expected. He told me he always builds in enough time in the estimate to troubleshoot any problems -- a tactic that voice talent would do well to emulate.4) He cleaned up after the job was finished. (Remember this point because I'm coming back to it in the next story!)
Tommy told me that his business is mostly through repeat business and referrals; I don't think he even has a web site. In my voiceover business, I always want to make it easy for my clients to refer me. With his terrific attention to detail and exemplary customer service, it's truly a pleasure to refer Tommy to other people.
My second story is about my new roof. We learned about Everdry Roofing because someone there follows Drew on Twitter, which just goes to show you the growing importance of social networking in attracting clients.
I thought Everdry was going to be a second success story of stellar customer service. After all, they showed up when promised, explained shingle options, worked with our insurance company on our claim, and did a great job of cleaning up the nails and other debris from the yard.
They were providing exceptional customer service -- that is, until the "Oh s***" moment.
In the picture below, your eyes are not drawn to my new roof, with its lovely architectural shingles and new ridge vent. No, instead you see the massive steel container stretching over half of my driveway. In fact, Everdry's sign in my yard points directly to it.
The "Oh s***" moment from the roof installation has lasted all weekend.
The roofers were here Thursday and part of Friday. I wasn't at all happy about the container staying overnight on Thursday since it blocks the garage. The project manager assured me at 6pm Thursday that the container would be removed Friday. Today is Sunday, and the container is still here. I haven't heard from Everdry about their plans to remove it.
If Drew and I had 2 cars like every other household in Atlanta, one of those cars would be trapped in the garage or parked on the street all weekend. As it is, we have to cautiously back out over our grass to clear the side of the container.
To make matters worse, the smell of 23-year-old shingles removed from the roof and the other materials in the container is akin to the putrid stench of animals killed in the road. Every time I walk out of my house, that nasty smell hits me in the face. We're still having 90-degree days, so you can just imagine how the smell grows as the day progresses.
As a voiceover talent, I always think of how to provide the best level of service to exceed my clients' expectations. I certainly don't want them to incur any inconvenience as a result of my actions!
For instance, it may seem like a small thing, but the manner in which you name and transmit your recordings to your agents and clients can be either an "Oh s***" or an "Attagirl!" moment:
- If they have given you a file naming convention, use it.
- If not, be very descriptive with your file names so that the purpose or script for each file is immediately evident.
- If you have to revise a file, add a revision number to the file name so that you don't inadvertently write over an existing file. Sometimes, the client may decide the original file was best after all or wants to make some other change to it.
- Compress multiple files into a zip file so that the client only has to download one file.
By being organized and forward-thinking, you can rack up the "Attaboys!" and "Attagirls!" in providing stellar service to your voiceover clients. If you have other examples of stellar service, please leave a comment on the blog!
Since Drew now is a Divemaster in the Dive Immersion Program at the Georgia Aquarium -- a job, by the way, which seems to beat out voiceover talent for the coolness factor in the minds of other people -- he no longer needs a home office. We are converting his office to a man cave, and we need some additional storage space.
We decided we could accomplish our storage needs by adding one more cabinet to our garage. A few years ago, in our ongoing quest for beautiful organization, we hired Premier Garage to renovate our garage. As repeat clients, we thought it would be a quick, easy, and painless process for them to install the new cabinet, especially since the company has an office and manufacturing facility about 2 miles from our house.
What could be simpler than installing a new cabinet
in a beautifully organized garage of a repeat client?
To date, Premier Garage has been to my house an astonishing 4 times over multiple days, with a 5th trip scheduled next week, for this cabinet installation! Yes, the job should be simple, but this company is too disorganized to plan and execute it.
1) The tech arrived with the wrong size of cabinet and no door handles. What happened to the adage of "measure twice, cut once"?
2) The tech came back another day with a replacement cabinet, which was STILL the wrong size. I wondered why they didn't bother to check it before they left the office.
3) On the third attempt, the tech came with the right size of the cabinet shell, but the doors were the wrong size. He also didn't have the interior shelves.
4) This morning, the guy was were here to install the correct doors. Again, we have no handles and no shelves! In addition, the cabinet has holes in the back wall caused by incorrect drilling that must now be filled. "Measure twice, cut once" is definitely a foreign concept to these folks.
In addition to the various screw-ups with the actual cabinet installation, the techs have irritated me in 2 other ways that demonstrated a lack of respect and concern for their customer:
- On 3 of the 4 visits, we were given an arrival window of a 30-minute time period, yet the techs still showed up late without even a courtesy call.
- Today, the tech backed into the driveway up to the garage threshold and left his truck running while he worked, which filled my garage with the lovely smells of gas fumes and truck exhaust on a day that promises to be quite hot.
The easiest and most gratifying voiceover job for me is one with a repeat client. I look at the last session for that client and copy the same Pro Tools settings to the new session. I know the type of file transmission that the client prefers. I communicate about the turn-around time at the project outset and then work to beat the deadline. The client has no concerns about the quality of my recordings or my speed and efficiency in completing the job for them because I proved myself to them the first time and pride myself on maintaining a consistent high level of service.
In short, a job with a repeat client is an opportunity to exhibit consistency and reliability. If you are reliable and consistent, a client will turn to you automatically when they need voice talent. What's more, they are happy to refer you to other people who could utilize your services.
In his excellent and highly recommended book titled Work Like You're Showing Off: The Joy, Jazz, and Kick of Being Better Tomorrow Than You Were Today, Joe Calloway refers to consistency as the gold standard:
You can count on me. You can believe in me. If I say I'll do something, I'll do it. Put it in the bank. Bet the farm on it. It doesn't matter whether or not I'm in a good mood, have a headache, forgot to pick up my clothes from the cleaners, had a fight with my daughter, lost my keys, or didn't sleep last night. If I said I'll do it, then I'll do it.
What's more, I'll do it every time.
If you can say all of that, and back it up, that's more than showing off. That's delivering the goods. That's the gold standard. If you consistently do what you say you'll do over a long period of time, the world will beat a path to your door. Nothing demonstrates the essence of showing off, in the most positive sense of the phrase, than rock solid consistency. There's an old saying that goes, "Amateurs work until they get it right. Professionals work until they can't get it wrong."
We love people who do what they say they will do. Consistency is the foundation of success and the great business builder. Consistency is the definition of integrity.
I told the tech on-site today that Premier Garage is not making it easy for us to want to refer them due to their inconsistent, unreliable, and sloppy approach on this job. Hopefully, you can learn from their many mistakes and make it easy for your clients to want to refer you! If you have other tips about gaining referrals, please leave a comment on the blog!
In a world....
When the legendary voice talent Don LaFontaine uttered those famous words on a movie trailer, you would be ready to go to a quiet, dark theater to escape -- escape the weather, escape obligations, and escape the chattering voice in your head. That inner voice can be especially critical to a voice artist who is feeling discouraged with her progress. Since my brain has come up with numerous scripts having that kind of negative inner dialogue, I thought it might be helpful if I shared 3 techniques for keeping a feel-good mentality about your voiceover career as you direct the movie of your life.
I'm a lot better about this one than I used to be, but even I occasionally still fall in the trap of negatively comparing myself to other voice talent. For instance, I recently read a review of an audiobook voiced by a talent whom I know. While I truly am thrilled for that person's success, I admit that I also had the thought of wishing for both the recent audiobook narration gig and the favorable review.
When other people comment about the great voice-over work that you have performed for them, I hope that you ask them for a testimonial that can be included on your web site. Not only do these comments from past clients serve to convince potential prospects to hire you as a voice talent, but they can bolster your self-esteem if you feel down on yourself.
Fisher proves that patience and persistence are the keys to realizing your dream. People expect instant gratification and are disappointed when nothing seems to happen. However, you have to maintain the hope and expectation each day since the manifestation of dreams rarely occurs on our timetable! Whether it takes a day, a month, a year, a decade, or longer, you need to have the unshakable inner KNOWING that the fruition of your dream is on its way to you.
Stop the Comparisons
I'm a lot better about this one than I used to be, but even I occasionally still fall in the trap of negatively comparing myself to other voice talent. For instance, I recently read a review of an audiobook voiced by a talent whom I know. While I truly am thrilled for that person's success, I admit that I also had the thought of wishing for both the recent audiobook narration gig and the favorable review.
It's one thing to make comparisons as part of a learning process. We all can improve in a variety of ways, and analyzing others' success is a good way to start. I'm talking about the kind of comparisons when you think envious or discouraging thoughts like, "I just can't get a break-through. I never win any auditions. I'm not good enough. It will never happen for me." These kinds of thoughts can be debilitating and will actually slow or completely stop your progress.
If you have these kinds of thoughts, the first one may appear on its own. You may not have been in control of that first thought, but you ARE in control of the second one. Remind yourself of the steps you have taken toward your dream. If you feel frustrated, find some action that you can do that will propel you forward. In all cases, think/write/speak what you WANT into being.
Ask For and Review Your Testimonials
When other people comment about the great voice-over work that you have performed for them, I hope that you ask them for a testimonial that can be included on your web site. Not only do these comments from past clients serve to convince potential prospects to hire you as a voice talent, but they can bolster your self-esteem if you feel down on yourself.
In addition, I notate my accomplishments and review them as my own evidence about the manifestation of my dreams. If I feel a hint of discouragement because the level of success I envision in voiceover is taking a while to appear, I only need to take a quick look at things I've done in just over a year -- recorded a new commercial demo, launched a new web site with new branding elements, and gained several wonderful new clients, all while mourning the loss of my mother and dealing with my parents' estate. When I stop to review all that I've done, I feel pretty darn good about my place in the voice-over world!
Maintain NOW Thinking
This morning, as I walked Yogi, our adorable miniature schnauzer, I was thinking about the message that I wanted to write in this blog entry. I also was thinking how Yogi lives completely in the moment. He sleeps, eats, and plays without dwelling on the past or fretting about the future.
Once we returned home, I turned on the TV and scrolled through the program guide. For some unknown reason, I felt compelled to watch Joel Osteen's oration today for the first time. This choice is all the more unusual since I'm not a religious person and normally would steer clear of televised church services.
The reason was clear to me from the first moment I heard Osteen speak. He was talking about living in this moment with the constant expectation of receiving the good that is on its way to you, no matter how long it takes to arrive. He encouraged his audience to awake every day with the thought that "THIS could be the day!"
Osteen used Mel Fisher as an example of this type of positive thinking. I, too, have drawn inspiration from Mel Fisher and can't believe that I haven't written about him previously.
You see, Mel Fisher was absolutely convinced that a Spanish ship laden with treasure had sunk off the coast of Florida in the 1600s, and he was determined to find it. Each day, he told his crew, "THIS will be the day!" Every night, after they didn't find the ship, Fisher would tell the crew, "Tomorrow will be the day!".
Fisher maintained his positive outlook and searched for the ship for an incredible 16 years. He faced innumerable odds, including an array of critics and doubters. I read once that his son died during the search efforts. Still, Fisher pressed on, doing things each day toward his dream and feeling perpetually confident of the good that would come to him.
Like so many people, the realization of his dream was far bigger than Fisher could have imagined. He found the Spanish Atocha, with treasures of gold, silver, and gems worth over $500 million!
Fisher proves that patience and persistence are the keys to realizing your dream. People expect instant gratification and are disappointed when nothing seems to happen. However, you have to maintain the hope and expectation each day since the manifestation of dreams rarely occurs on our timetable! Whether it takes a day, a month, a year, a decade, or longer, you need to have the unshakable inner KNOWING that the fruition of your dream is on its way to you.
Osteen said you should ask for things now and live life today, knowing that your desires may not be fulfilled immediately. He pointed out that things can suddenly change for the better. Finances can suddenly change. Relationships can suddenly blossom. Dreams can suddenly materialize.
For a voice talent, a new client could suddenly book you. You could suddenly have extra money to get that fancy microphone. Your latest blog article could suddenly capture the interest of the media and catapult you into the recording booths at Disney, Pixar, and other animation houses. (It could happen!)
By using these 3 techniques, I hope you will be able to silence the inner critic. As the star and director of your life's movie, consistently feeling good about your voice-over career will enable you to live happily ever after!
Movie clapboard photo credit: TPopova/iStockPhoto.com
VOICE2010, the international conference for voiceover talent held in Los Angeles, has ended, and the participants have gone home. I appreciated reading blog updates from other voice talent all the more since I wasn't there. My travel budget this spring was spent instead on a trip with Drew to Hawaii. However, I was reminded of 7 great lessons that apply to a voice-over career, all courtesy of my surfing instructor.
SURFING? As in the water sport known for "hanging 10"? If you're wondering what my surfing instructor could possibly teach about voiceover, read on!
Voiceover talent and recent surfing student Karen Commins
offers the universal greetings of surfers.
Drew and I went to Honolulu to celebrate his birthday. We make it a point to travel each year for one of our birthdays, and it was his turn to pick the destination this year. He picked Hawaii so he could later say that he had a surfing lesson on Waikiki Beach on his birthday. :)
Drew found our instructor Erik Lillmars at DCX Surfing School by doing a Google search for surfing lessons on Oahu. Since Drew is also a photographer, he liked the fact that Erik's site included photography services. In fact, Drew selected this particular instructor because photography was listed.
Two things are important from this part of the story:
1. Get your own web site, preferably with your own domain. Also, make sure that search engines can you based on your geographic area. People often prefer to deal with someone locally. While it's a global economy, I want to be the voice actor of choice for anyone in the Atlanta area!
2. If you offer extra services outside of voice-over (copywriting, audio editing, marketing consultation, etc.) or have some specialized subject knowledge, be sure to include that information on your site. Lots of people are voice talent. Your value-added services or subject expertise may be the reason you are hired.
Erik taught the lesson in his office on Koa Avenue, a block off of Waikiki Beach. He talked to us a long time before ever getting to the actual mechanics of the lesson. Some of his topics centered around Zen and meditation; he indicated the best surfers practice meditation to quiet their minds and visualize their success.
Erik also repeatedly told us to relax. If you're aren't relaxed on a surfboard, you'll be unsteady on the board and could fall off the side before you ever get to a wave. (Trust me on this one.) If you actually get to the point of being ready to ride a wave, tension in your body could cause you to lose your balance and injure yourself in falling off the surfboard.
3. Relax. If you aren't relaxed in front of a microphone, your throat muscles will constrict, and the tension will be heard in your voice and on the recording. What's worse, people can hear that tension and will want to shy away from your work. You may not think you could get injured doing voiceover work, but the long-term effects of strained vocal cords can lead to damage.
Most surfing instructors probably show you something about standing up on the surfboard using the actual board while on the beach. In our lesson, though, Erik spread a mat on the floor of his office and showed us the moves there.
The surfers you've seen on TV make it look so easy; they get to a standing position as if by magic. (If you want the magic formula to make your voiceover work look easy, skip ahead to lesson number 6.) Erik stressed safety and showed us how to get to our knees, put one foot in front of you, and finally rise to a standing position while turning to a sideways stance for balance. He had us practice this move several times in the office. Erik showed us how to dip down while twisting our body to maintain balance.
Birthday boy Drew Commins demonstrates the first step in standing up on a surfboard:
raise up from lying flat to balancing on your knees.
4) Stand up in stages. Just because you have done something briefly in a class setting doesn't necessarily make you ready and qualified to perform the actual work. I especially worry about those aspiring voice talent who take a 2-hour group class and then jump into making a demo. It's akin to the same level of preparation and expertise you have after practicing a move 3 times on a floor mat and then thinking you can surf in deep water.
Drew and I had to carry a 9-foot surfboards under each of our arms when walking from the office to the beach, which was maybe a fifth of a mile. After toting that load in the Hawaii heat, I was TIRED by the time we got to the spot on the beach!
Once we finally got in the water and on our surfboards, I felt very shaky on the hard, wood surfboard. As I started paddling out to the waves, my neck hurt immensely, and I kept feeling like I would fall off the board. Erik encouraged me to get off the board and float in the water rather than risking injury. I told Erik that it was more important for him to spend his time with Drew, and I would be happy just hanging out in the water for the duration of the lesson.
During the office part of the lesson, our instructor also told us that he had studied the pattern of the waves. Using a traffic analogy, he said that the incoming and outgoing surfers should be in separate lanes. We were impressed that Erik had created a chart that showed us how to use a particular balcony of a hotel and a structure near Diamond Head as a visual guide to our proper lane.
Like the sun over the Hawaiian beach, Erik's research was golden. Waikiki Beach is the world's most famous beach and probably has the greatest concentration of surfers at any given moment. Since Erik had spent hours and hours in studying the patterns and rhythms of the ocean, he knew the best position in the water to catch the wave. He also knew the best place to be if you wanted to hang out in the outgoing surfing "lane" while staying safely out of the way of dozens of incoming surfers. I greatly appreciated that insight since that's where I was while Eric was working with Drew.
Aloha! Drew was a natural surfer, standing up several times during his only surf lesson.
Diamond Head is in the background.
As Drew was riding a wave toward the beach, Erik came back to me. He commented several times about inexperienced surfers who were going out to a spot where no one else was. He said the waves didn't break in those locations, so the stray surfers were wasting their time.
5) Know where the waves are. Once you have decided to pursue a voice-over career, you need to analyze your strengths and gifts to know where your voice fits in the market. With that information, you can define a target market and niche within that market. You then need to study the habits of your target market in order to position yourself and gain work.
Drew made several attempts to ride a wave using the techniques Erik showed us in the office. As you can see in the above picture, Drew was successful in standing up and riding the waves several times! His hang time might not have been very long, but it was great he could stand up and surf!
As soon as the surfers fall off the board, what do they do? They paddle back out and wait for the next wave!
6) Practice! In any creative endeavor, whether it's surfing or voiceover, you have to practice if you ever expect to improve your skills and advance to the next level. Erik was an awesome surfing coach who helped us achieve our goals for the lesson. Consistent practice on your own and lessons under the direction of a good voiceover coach will do the same for your career.
While the surfers are indeed practicing their skills each time they ride a wave, they also do it for another reason -- the sheer joy of the experience. In fact, Erik told us in his office that he had previously worked in the music industry with Neil Diamond but decided to give up that hectic lifestyle to pursue his true calling and passion to teach others about surfing.
7) Do it for the joy, not the money. I often see newspaper articles about introductory voiceover classes that leave the reader with the impression that anyone can take the class and quickly start making megabucks just by "talking". Just know that if it were that easy, everybody would be doing it. The best and most monetarily successful voiceover talent are those who have the passion and true calling for the work. Even professionals with years of experience continue to practice and improve their skills. Since the vast majority of your time in voiceover may be spent in gaining work rather than actually performing it, you will definitely want to feel as much joy as possible!
I'm sure many people are already planning their trips to VOICE2011. As for me, I'm already planning my birthday trip next year! If you can think of a cool idea for me or have thoughts about my surfing story, I hope you'll leave some comments on the blog.
Success leaves clues.
Every day, I see questions on various voice-over boards like:
Yesterday, I analyzed Barry Manilow as a brand to offer clues to voice talent about marketing your personal brand to your clients. He has defined his core product, offers consistent results, and embraces constant improvement.
Today, I realized I forgot the last and most defining C in the branding process. As you can hear toward the end of this clip (1:07), Barry Manilow has a secret weapon that has made him a legend in the music industry and which savvy voiceover folks will want to adopt.
Barry Manilow performs with his back-up singers (Keely Vasquez, foreground)
at Paris Las Vegas, 3/21/10
The 4th C of Branding -- Create Your Own Stuff
- How do I get an agent? (I wrote a little about agents on my advice page for my site.)
- Should I join one of the voiceover casting -- commonly referred to as pay-to-play (P2P) -- sites, and if so, which one is better? (If you're interested, my answer to that question is here.)
- Who actually wins all these auditions? (You do have more on your marketing plan than waiting for auditions, don't you? If you need help in creating a marketing plan, check out this post. Also, this post contains 25+ marketing and publicity ideas to attract clients to you. You'll find other marketing articles in the archives.)
To me, the approaches above cause you to give away your power. I'm not saying you shouldn't do them as part of your marketing mix. However, you'll have far greater power to move your voiceover career in the direction you want it to go by casting yourself in your own projects.
Our friends who act on camera or in the theatre will write a play or show for the web, create the set, design costumes, get their friends to act with them, star in the show, direct it, and publicize their effort -- all WITHOUT pay. Either we professional voiceover people aren't creating our own stuff, or we're not publicizing it too well.
I also think many people resist investing time in such projects when they aren't being paid. Our society tends to attach monetary value to everything, which can make us feel that it's not worth doing something simply for the pleasure of doing it. Creating our own work allows us to develop skills and make us more competitive for those paying jobs. You might consider your own project to be a specialized form of practice. In addition, we can use our own projects in our publicity efforts. If you keep working at it, who knows? Someone may even pay you someday for your creation.
What to Create?
I think the question could be answered by looking at what you like and the category of voice work that you want to obtain. Below are some ideas that may inspire you.
Promos? How about creating your own video with your voice as the promo? If you can't create a video, perhaps you could work with the public access cable channel to develop one. You could post the finished product on your site and others like YouTube.
Audiobooks? How about recording short stories and books for the blind, reading at your library, or recording for LibriVox?
Commercials? How about writing your own copy and setting it to music?
Video games? How about voicing some projects on one of the fan sites?
Podcasts? How about turning an organization's newsletter into a podcast or Internet radio show?
Narrations? How about narrating feature stories from magazines? You could scan pictures or buy stock images and add them to PowerPoint or a video to create a finished presentation. As another idea, you could create audio or video podcasts based on scripts that you write.
I cannot express to you the power and importance of creating your own work in building your personal brand and attaining the level of success you want in voiceover. But -- don't take my word for it.
For years, actor/producer/director Bob Fraser has been advising actors to cast themselves and create their own work.
Author/producer/casting director Bonnie Gillespie is such a strong advocate of self-produced work that she includes someone's self-produced work each week in her popular column The Actor's Voice.
And now, you've heard it directly from Barry Manilow.
Success does leave clues, and 3 famous and highly successful people have all left the same one. Now that you have it, what are you going to do about it? I'd love to get your comments and see examples of your creations on this blog!
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.
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.
********************
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Las Vegas KLAS-TV anchors Dave Courvoisier and Denise Valdez in a newscast.
Dave is on the air in this picture.
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.
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!
bask in the glow of the neon light from a tattoo shop.
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!
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.
Karen Commins
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
• Greetings from Karen
• How to Reach Me
• Places I've Been
• Advice for Your Journey
• So You Want to Get Into Voiceovers?
• My Path So Far
• How to Reach Me
• Places I've Been
• Advice for Your Journey
• So You Want to Get Into Voiceovers?
• My Path So Far
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