VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Lee Gordon · Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 1:29 pm Post subject: Good Exercise

After seeing all the posts and pictures here and on Facebook about dinner plans, seminars, celebrity guests, and just the whole aggregation of people who are getting together at VOICE, I am getting the most vigorous exercise I've had in weeks: kicking my own ass for not being there.
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Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

Pssst...Lee, while they're all networking with each other, what say you and I hit all those clients they can't audition for right now. Wink

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Whit · Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:50 pm Post subject:

Me too Lee. Hopefully next year.

Lee Gordon · Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:27 pm Post subject:

Psst, Lance, what do you think I've been doing all day? cool

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mcm · Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 5:06 pm Post subject:

"Iz in ur recording booth, steeling ur clientz"

Wink

Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

lol mcm! That settles it then. I'm never going to VOICE! cool

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Scott Pollak · Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 12:43 pm Post subject:

Okay, so let's take this opportunity to discuss - in realistic terms - the pros and cons of going to something like Voice 2010.

I'll be very frank and say I'm not sold on the value of it. From the posts and blogs I read, it's a great time, one big party with people dining together, hanging by the pool, hitting hotel rooms to drink and socialize, etc.

But let's be real. It ain't cheap to attend. What REALLY of tangible worth or value do seasoned pros get out of it? If you're new to the biz, I can see a bit more value by attending seminars to fill you in on stuff you might not know, or to rub shoulders and so on, but I am simply not sold that this is a good way to spend a couple of grand for people like me.

Would I enjoy meeting all the folks I've become friends with over the years online? Heck yah! But beyond that, how would attending this conference either help me bring in more business or become better at what I do - to the tune of AT LEAST $2000 to offset the costs of going? And in the meantime, that's time and money I'm putting into marketing or getting work done here.

Seriously, I want to hear others' thoughts on this.

mcm · Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:10 pm Post subject:

Scott, there is a lot of discussion of that topic in this thread:

http://www.vo-bb.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3179&highlight=conferences

Scott Pollak · Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:31 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the link, but with the last post on that thread being about 3 years old, I'd like to get some 2010 thoughts on the topic as well.
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Bruce · Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:12 pm Post subject:

whalewtchr · Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:54 pm Post subject:

Mary. Great link, it pretty much covers it.

Scott. Conferences, in my opinion, are a chance to meet people in person, people who share a passion you have. It is also an opportunity to learn, I have yet to not learn something new and valuable everyday when surrounded by some of the best experts and professionals in the business;
I learn a LOT from this community on VO-BB. Gatherings are also an opportunity to be social with not only your peer group but those who you wish to do business with or those you presently do business with...it shows that you're not all business all the time and besides we all pretty much work solo most of the time-so it's good to get out! Sometimes getting a gig is based on the fact that those doing the hiring either "like you", "know you", "trust you" or all of the above. Let's face it there hundreds of talents that are all equally great at what they do; all auditioning for the same gigs. Some have more tools at their disposal than others or a wider range and some do not (very specialized and focused). All things being equal, at times, it is about being remembered from a conference or a professional gathering, at least it seems this way in my chosen focus.

Recently, I attended APAC in NYC and it was awesome. I learned something very important at this conference which was worth the money invested. Getting a gig as a Narrator has a lot to do with building relationships and trust with audiobook publishers, the DEMO only gets you another five to ten minutes; the competitive landscape is huge and not all Narrators will be allowed in the door to take the next step; especially if you are new as I am. Having the opportunity to be around all of the major audiobook publishers and the veteran Narrators was invaluable. It wasn't the place to hand them my business card or a DEMO, but rather a place to strike up a stimulating conversation with as many attendees as possible and ask for "their" business card.

For those who attend Voice to find an agent, I think Phillip said it best from the link that Mary posted..."how do you get an agent is very simple, you will get an agent when you are perceived by the agent you approach to be of commercial value to them and not a moment sooner." For veteran VO Talents it might a time to decompress and hang out, lend a helping hand to novices, learn stuff they don't know much about (legal and tech stuff), visit some folks in L.A. and celebrate what we love to do the most.

My five cents...welcome to the board!
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 8:29 pm Post subject:

Scott, I think you hit the nail on the head. Although I started this thread by saying I was kicking myself for not being there, my real lament is that I just couldn't justify the expenditure. As much as people have been Facebooking about the fabby seminars, I really would just love to be meeting some of my online friends in the flesh, in some cases for the first time.
Fortunately, in the past couple of years, Erik Sheppard's NY mixers have served a similar socializing purpose. And they have only set me back $100-200 for train fare, parking, and a few cocktails.
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Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

Bruce's take on VOICE in the old thread seems spot on to me: it's like going to a "so-so" college as Bruce put it. You can get your money's worth out of it if you care to, or you can just party.

It doesn't make sense for me to attend yet for the type of work I do, but I could see it being very useful to me in two years.
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todd ellis · Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 7:41 am Post subject:

scott- hi! and welcome to the vobb! long time! i agree with bruce's take. i went to V1 in vegas it was beyond-super. i haven't made it back for various reasons - but if i did - my main goal would be to reunite with folks i know and meet some new vo-peeps. $2k is a lot - but as far as return on my investment from 2007 it has come back to me (monetarily) multi-fold. mostly because of people i met that i wouldn't have known otherwise. i love the little vo-bb meet-ups we get every now & then. there was once talk of a larger vo-bb event. i'd go for that. in charlotte or pittsburgh or chicago or houston or ... wherever. heck - i'd be worth at LEAST $1,000 for bob to make me eggs in pam's kitchen again!
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Darren Altman · Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 1:27 pm Post subject:

Interesting chat! It would cost me a hell of a lot to fly to LA from London, plus hotel & all the extras. Would it be worth it? No doubt I would learn a hell of a lot from the seminars and it would obviously be amazing to meet all the guys that until now are cyber-friends, but could I justify the expense?

The thing is, that it's great if you're going from the US, as it's a couple of hundred bucks and what amounts to a nice little jolly, but cost-wise, it's one hell of an investment from the UK. Could fellow voice-actors get me work? Will I meet agents there? Will I be able to justify the expense in terms of making more money from it?

I'll see how the land lies next year I think...
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