The Voiceover Multiverse

The voiceover world is diverse. It is made up of many different and talented people and a lot of them disagree on how things should be done and how voiceover artists should present themselves. This is normal in any mix of creatives whether it's the entertainment business of business in general.

I have viewed this as a multiverse that is horizontal in nature. One universe is not better than another but different in it's views on whats most important. Because of this structure it's important to decide what is best for yourself. There will always be people who will tell you your approach is wrong. You can spend your life changing everything all the time and never make everyone happy or get anywhere. The question is not does everyone like what you're doing, the question is do you like what you';re doing in the universe that resonates with your own taste and talent. And of course you must develop your skills to the highest level possible

An old mentor told me when I was starting out:

 "All you need to know kiddo is find someone who likes your work and stay there. Them find another person who likes your work and continue that process and don't waste any time on people who don't want you. They aren't your people ya big dope!"

Bless his soul. It was his way of saying it's just a numbers game. You have to keep moving and keep auditioning and to de personalize the process. Sales people understand this very well.

I read a meme that came in on twitter. It said,

"You cannot make everyone happy. You are NOT a Taco"

Follow your own intuition...Keep laughing and have fun out there:)

There's No Sense In Just Being Who You Always Were:)

Our entire creative lives depend on our striving to improve our skills and our talents. We must expand our abilities and take on new challenges with our voices. If we don't, we risk doing an imitation of ourselves... an imitation of what we've always done in the past. I hear some people say that what's worked in the past is good enough for the present. I just don't find any inspiration in using formula's that most likely are not as fresh as they might have been in the past.

This is not a vote to go outside the compass of your voice or your personality. It is encouragement to develop greater control and nuance by pushing the boundaries of what your voice can do.

Some people have 30 years of experience, while others have 30 years of the same experience.

Very often friends and or agents don't want us to "rock the boat". They might want us to do what we have always done. The admonition comes from fear of loosing present success, or thinking that we are trying to be something that we aren't.

It's not a vote to be something we aren't, it's a vote to not jeopardize our success by sitting on past accomplishments. That fear or laziness is the biggest threat to continued success in any career.

Does Your Presentation Sound As Good As It Looks?

Your expertise is your ability. Your credibility is your presentation. The ability to present effectively determines your financial success. In fact, everything in life is about vocal presentation.

We connect with people, get hired, teach, and close deals based on the effective use and clarity of our voices. Whether you’re a teacher, receptionist, lawyer, salesperson, politician, program coordinator, CEO, team leader, doctor, negotiating or interviewing, it is your voice that carries your ideas to people. Success is a voice driven activity.

Voiceover artists use techniques that represent the human voice in it’s most effective natural state. They know how to personalize ideas and sentences in ways that can make them millions of dollars. They are in a word, persuasive. Taking voiceover classes can vastly improve your communication and presentation skills.

I just listened to a financial expert give a power point presentation to 200 hundred people in San Francisco’s Financial district and it was simply boring. Even though he was an expert, no one talked to him at the reception... bad for business. Everyone seemed to swarm around the presenters who brought energy and life to their presentations.

Rapport with people isn’t magic, it is composed of certain elements in a person’s presentation. Are you ever frustrated because the training you’ve had doesn’t give you the results you want? Whether the training works or not depends entirely on delivery. The secrets for achieving your ambitions are contained in your own voice. All of success in business and personal relationships depends on your tone of voice. Think how often our entire day has been changed by how someone spoke to you.

Success is a vocal skill that you can develop. None of it is magic. It’s common sense that if you develop your voice and improve your delivery, you can increase the effectiveness of your presentation and have the power to persuade that will give you the edge you need for greater success.

- The Importance of Being Relentless

There are many questions that come in regarding success. How to achieve it, how to maintain it and how to expand upon it. There are always many things that can be said about the process. It's my personal opinion that one of the most important keys is being relentless in pursuit of ones goals. There is just no substitute for sustained effort. Many people try to achieve their goals in a sincere way but simply become weary during the process. People who achieve success tend to love what they're trying to do above all else, so they are more able to keep up a sustained effort in they're careers. If one can maintain the spirit of the adventure instead of viewing experiences in terms of validation or defeat, it's much easier to observe how it's going, make corrections and then try again. Keep laughing and don't give up:)

Here's My Book About Escaping Personal Traps and Achieving Success:)

Everything I needed To Know I learned In Hell: Some Thoughts on Turning Darkness Into Light, or How To Escape The Mess You've Made

- Some Thoughts On How To Succeed in Voiceovers, or Anything

One cannot help but notice how differently businesses and people behave. We all see restaurants, service companies and individuals that have radically different approaches. We all tell stories about the impossibly stupid as well as the amazingly great.
Here are just a few thoughts about some things I've noticed that help create success.

Always, always be on time and provide service in a timely manner. We have a local cafe that just opened that tries to justify waiting 40 minutes for a sandwich because everything is made from scratch. People create bubbles they live in that aren't connected to the quality of service they are providing and then wonder why people stay away.
If I have a VO project due at noon, I deliver it by 10am, period.

Listen to what people are saying and sympathize. The thing most people want more than anything is to know they are heard, and that you are their ally. Don't allow the difficulty of a situation to break the bond of the mutual effort required to find resolution.

Be responsible for your actions. Companies, people and yes artists sometimes spend a lot of energy avoiding responsibility for mistakes. Own it and fix it. Stuff happens all the time that isn't correct, people just want to know you're on it and it's going to be fixed.
I've heard a lot of stories from different people, explaining why they aren't more successful or the poor quality of the work wasn't their fault. This includes VO artists, escrow companies, cafe's, plumbers, automobile service departments, etc. An important key to success is to provide quality service in a timely manner according to the standards of the particular  industry. It is not to have a big pile of explanations justifying poor work, service or bad attitudes. No one cares about excuses, just results.

The most important thing I have seen and experienced and benefited from is kindness. There is nothing more appreciated from the weary as simple kindness. Kindness is the most inspiring, helpful, healing, transforming, success generating, problem solving miracle that anyone can experience.
Whether one is in a voiceover session with advertising clients, negotiating a contract, managing a sales team, helping a dissatisfied customer, or trying to solve any other problem, being kind is really a miracle force that can change lives and produce unlimited personal success.

- Breaking Into Voiceovers

The main question I get all the time is how does one break into voiceovers. Here are some thoughts about different ways that might work.
For starters, its' not a candy store thats locked at night so breaking in is maybe not the image you want.
There are many points of entry. On hold messaging for small companies is a simple way to start. You can do audio books for ACX (Audible.com) and hope they sell so you get your percentage. The experience of doing an audio book will hone your skills and then you can tell voiceover talent agencies that you have done a couple of audio books. You have to create a few projects because no one wants to go first when it comes to hiring.
HR departments use an endless stream or narrations explaining company policies. This can be for powerpoint presentations, videos or just audio.
There are media production companies that make their entire living just creating presentations that all have voiceovers.
You must have a really great voiceover demo that you can submit to people to keep in their files so when they need narrations they have examples of your work.
You will find a way to get work if your skills are professional, and you set out to explore. Keep in mind that no one will come to "Discover you" You have to prepare your skills and then take yourself into the market place and you will find work if you make the commitments needed.

- Studying Voiceover Skills Improves Success in Any Profession

The ability to persuade determines our financial success. In fact, everything in life is about vocal presentation. We connect with people, get hired, teach, and close deals based on the effective use and clarity of our voice. Whether you’re a teacher, receptionist, lawyer, salesperson, politician, program coordinator, CEO, team leader, doctor, negotiating or interviewing, it is our voice that carries our ideas to people. Success is a voice driven activity and studying voiceover skills can give you the vocal tools to achieve it.

Rapport with people isn’t magic, it is composed of certain elements in a person’s presentation. Are you ever frustrated because the training you’ve had doesn’t give you the results you want? Whether the training works or not depends entirely on delivery. The secrets for achieving your ambitions are contained in your own voice. All of success in business and personal relationships depends on your tone of voice and your vocal presentation. 

- People Hire People That They Like The Best

It's important to have great voiceover skills and to be able to work on a professional level. It's also important to remember that there are always a number of people who can do the work and do it very well. So why should they hire you? The answer can be because they simply like you better. I'm not talking about "kissing up to people" I'm talking about being genuinely good company in the work place. Be on time, be pleasant, don't talk to much, do a good job, be supportive of what they are trying to accomplish. Being good company in a professional setting is responsible for getting more work, than having great reading skills.

- Many Ways To Have A VoiceOver Career

The high profile voiceover jobs are wonderful and incredibly lucrative. A top voiceover guy once told me, "There's no other way you can make so much money without the risk of going to jail". It's easy to dream of national commercials and movie trailers, but there are literally thousands of ways to make great money lower on the food chain. Here are just a few of the ways: On hold messaging, power point presentations, corporate narratives, documentaries, HR department narratives, pharmaceutical narratives, industrial narratives of all kinds, audio books. Make a list of the ones that interest you most and go get them.

- Your Intuition Can Make You The Artist You Want To Be

Having proper instruction in any profession is important. The point of that instruction should be to teach you the skills you need to become more self reliant...more able to make creative and inspired  artistic decisions that are competitive with other professionals. Your intuition is the creative force that will bloom into mature artistry if you commit to it and honor it. There is no substitute for a loyal relationship with the heart of your intuition.

- Follow The Directions For Auditions

There are simply too many examples of people not following directions for auditions. If you are told to call on a specific day and time, call at that time. Some people thinks it makes them seem pro active if they call a day early. You don't make any friends by interrupting what people are doing by not following directions concerning when to call.
If the directions are to send an MP3 audition file with 3 takes, do not send 5
Production of voiceovers, video and all media requires a great deal of coordination. Make sure you help these people learn that you could be an asset in their hectic lives by following directions .