VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Moosevoice]

My main demo is about 2 years old and I KNOW it needs a refresh but I wanted to see how often people refresh their main demo?
Is once a year typical or should you refresh when something big or different comes your way (huge job, REALLY good read and e like)?

[jsgilbert]

Many of the professionals I know making 6 figures or more, tend to not update their demos as frequently as you'd think; perhaps not more often than every 4 or 5 years. A few I know who are well known national spokespeople and fairly well known names have had the same demos up for 7 or 8 years.

When do you change them? When you have developed skills, abilities and acting chops that your current demo doesn't properly display.

If your reel has spots from companies that went out of business years ago.

If you've discovered that your reel contains work that doesn't realistically represent what you get booked to do, then it may be time to replace those parts. For example, if you speak with a neutral accent and you have that one"blue collar Brooklyn Guy read" and you've never been hired to do a blue collar Brooklyn read, or you sound 30 and you have a "grandpa" read, but haven't ever been asked to sound over 40.

If your reel isn't pulling in realistic results. Regardless of the boundless lies being told online, very few people actually get booked from demos. Demos are often used to get agency representation and to give production houses, casting people, etc. an ability to market you and/ or promote their rosters.

For the most part, I think the only people listening to my demos these days are people trying to get into voice over and gosh I sure hope they're entertained by what I do.
_________________
j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

[Bob Bergen]

I agree with much of what JS said. Working actors often don't update their demos as regularly because, well, they are working. Then I know some who update their demos weekly. I think it just depends on what works for you.

The demo is a necessary evil. JS is correct that buyers don't listen to em the way they used to in the old days. But in the old days, if you were a smart marketer, it cost thousands in mailing. Today marketing your demo just takes time as it's all done online. Much of the expense is gone.

I do get booked a lot from my demo. And, I get a lot of auditions from my demo. My agent uses it as a tool by directing buyers to it as they pitch me for jobs and auditions. We aren't privy to all the times our demo is listened to and (or) used on our behalf as it happens behind the scenes.

And you update the demo with brilliant work, not just because you worked. So often I hear a demo that sucks on ice and the actor defensively tells me that the demo consists of real work. Well, it matter not that it's real. It matters that it's real good!

I think there are strategic reasons to update the demo. For instance, if you book a huge high profile gig, like you are the new voice of Lexus, you put that at the top of your demo and create a marketing campaign as the new voice of Lexus. Send this campaign to every buyer you know or have worked with. You only need one person to change your life, so it doesn't matter worrying about who doesn't listen. Every time I do this I get another gig. But it's also a great way to promote. Think of your marketing as if you are promoting an event. In this case, the event is you are the new voice of Lexus. Create an e card the way networks promote a new TV show, or an actor is promoted during Oscar and Emmy season. (Google "for your consideration ads" for examples of this) Include in the e card hyperlinks to your updated demo, website, agent info, etc. And you can do this with every genre of vo, with every demo genre.

Another strategic reason to update your demo is to show your agent what you can do. Agents forget and type cast their clients. And they don't often listen to their client's demos for years. Update your demo a couple of times a year and ask your agent for their 2 cents. This shows them that you are being proactive in your career and guarantees that they are staying up to speed with your reads and style.

B

[Moosevoice]

[Dan-O]

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[jsgilbert]

The main thing here, I think is that while there are some overall "rights and wrongs", it really comes down to what might be right and wrong for you personally.

I tend to think that if Jack Nicholson did an email blast, his open rate might be slightly higher than mine. If you're not a well established talent in Los Angeles who has years of connections in the business, well then maybe your plan needs to be something that is tailored a little bit more for you.

I've done some marketing podcasts online which you can find by Googling that are designed more for those starting out, moving up a notch or two, but aren't necessarily L.A. and may be lacking that huge credit or 12. They were done for Voices.com, although I in no way am advocating Voices.com in any way.

As for agents, Voicebank.net has a fairly comprehensive listing of union and non-union agents. Many of them will have rules for talent submissions on their web sites or you can call for instructions.

Good Luck.
_________________
j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

[Dayo]

[quote="Dan-O"]To add one more thought to JS and Bob: Demos are also like headshots, you need to update them as you grow and change. Every book you read, person you exchange thoughts with, movie you see, and character you play changes you slightly. You, hopefully, emotionally mature and gain knowledge and wisdom. These attributes will change your read over time, because you will see things differently. Personally, I also see demos like a time marker to help remember a stage in my life, so I update a couple of years.[/quote

Exactly!
_________________
Colin Day - UK Voiceover
www.thurstonday.co.uk

[Philip Banks]

Give your demo a title - "The 5 faces of me". When people listen to your demo will they be disappointed? More than likely as most of us do not try to sell that because we actually want to be someone else.

Give your demo a title - "The 5 faces of me". When the sound is true to the title take it to the market, when it ceases to be true make changes.

Reason? If you include on your demo things you are able to do at a push, when called upon to do them in front of the Creatives from JWT + client it will not take much for you to crack under the pressure.

Target for demo? To impress the clients with the $10,000 job for you as opposed to impress Philip Banks.

Demo producer? This person will direct YOU and have creative input into you putting your best foot forward.

"Before I ask you to produce my demo I need to know one thing. When was the last time you directed a pro voice, for what project and how much was the voice being paid?"

Your demo is meant to open doors at the highest level so any demo producer needs to be able to answer those questions in detail and I DO MEAN DETAIL.

Rich taught me how to fly an Airbus A321.

"Philip, we will now perform an emergency landing. I'm going to fail the number 1 engine"

"Puh! And when was the last time you were required to do that?"

"I do it every six months (on a simulator) when I'm checked out as a Type Rating Examiner and have done it 4 times in the last 10 years for real"

"Ooooooooooo fair enough!!!"