VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[iannyc]

This Vo-Bro's plan for the next couple months

Heya gang,

What a great time at the nyc meetup!

I've been quite frustrated and rather treading water since I started doing this; I booked 2 $750 gigs within a month or two and its been slim pickins since then despite my upgraded audio chain. I know it's a highly competitive field, all the same I know I'm gifted and hard-working and will make it through the proverbial seth godin-esque dip.

Right now-- I'm doing my day job and when I finish work I log into voices and v123 and audition for projects, starting with everything in my range $500 and over, and then work my way down If I have time. Avg- 5 auditions per day.

I don't have a proper reel, nor can I afford one (assuming it costs over a grand to do it right) until maybe the end of January.

So... my plan is this: Focus on Audiobooks through acx, with a rate starting at $95 PFH, since they are really going off the demo that I make then and there

Before I go to Mexico in a week and a half, I will get my audio engineer friend to make me something decent as an interrim demo reel (7 out of 10 lets say) which will bring me closer to getting commercial work.

Then when I come back, I'll do the edge studio thing, Ive heard mostly good things about them. And then Ill have a top wuality reel, plus learn about home studio improvement/ editing / mastering.

This is my plan... thoughts? Feel free to PM me; I think Im in sort of a classic beginner "what do I do next" thing so this thread may have a more universal appeal to anyone sort of where I am.

[todd ellis]

sounds better than my plan, which is, bumble around in the dark hoping something will crash into me.
_________________
"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Jason Huggins]

That's a lot to do in a couple months. Good plan and good luck I've heard mixed comments on the Edge Studio demo path...just make sure you know 100% what you expect them to do and what they commit to do...make sure those two things are in alignment.

[Bob Bergen]

Hey Ian!

Audio books is one genre of vo I do not do, so I cannot comment on the specifics. What I can comment on, and what you are doing right, is concentrating on a specific strategy. That's great!! This business is very complex and vast. The more specific you are with your goals and strategic business game plan, the more specific your returns.

You are correct, this is a very competitive industry. Voice-over is THE most competitive aspect of show business. More statistically are pursuing vo than on camera and theater.

It's also a very unforgiving industry. Thousands are pursing and a small handful are succeeding. And a smaller handful of them are succeeding well. My advice, and the advice that was given to me when I was starting out, is to take the path of that latter most successful group of vo actors. Odds are even if you don't make it to their level, by concentrating on that best of the best group of actors, you will most likely have a better career than if you followed the path of the lesser successful actors.

Yes, I know this is an expensive venture. It always has been! Hell, it's miles cheaper to pursue today than it used to be! But like all businesses, and like all professionals, you pay your dues. You can't go cheap, and you cannot rush it. No one wants to hire an actor who did it cheap, with piece meal demos/marketing, just so they could put themselves out there and hope for the best.

This business holds auditions every day because they are always looking for brilliant talent. Because the talent pool is so big, with a huge number of brilliant talent to choose from, there's no reason to put yourself out there unless you intend to do it right. You want to be ahead of the herd, not amongst it.

Some red flags I see from beginners begin with "I can't afford to do it right." None of us could! But the smart professional just saved until they could. Today's generation seems to invest in equipment before they are ready to compete. Study is the best investment from the get go. Acting and improv, followed by vo training. Now, perhaps you are past the training stage. If so, and you want to compete, you need kick ass demos, not proper demos. Any schmo can make a proper demo. But the cream floats to the top. You need a demo that makes the agents and buyers go "wow" from the first 4 seconds.

Again, I love that you are concentrating on audio books. Most agents don't represent audio books, so this is indeed a genre that actors can market themselves. Like all aspects of vo, know the genres of audio books you would excel in. Just like commercials, promo, animation, etc., you don't want to be all things in each genre. We are each "right" for certain styles in each genre. When it comes to commercials, which car are you? Honda? Lincoln Town Car? Jeep?? When it comes to restaurants, are you McDs? Chipotle? Chili's? Are you The Gap? Macy's?? Etc. So really think where you fall in the world of audio books.

You need to know who you are and what you have to offer the industry to better sell yourself. And, the more specific you are the more specifics an agent has to sell you. Often I hear of actors who sign with the agent but see very little in activity. More often than not, the actor hasn't given the agent the proper meat to sell.

When it comes to a vo career, who, when, where, and why are just as important as what you have to offer. Be specific, strategic, and thoroughly prepared. Know what you want, and know what you don't want. Don't make any excuses. Wake up every day asking what else you can do for your career. It is never slow in vo. The more diverse you are the busier you will be. If it's slow in audio books it will be busy in commercials. If you haven't seen a narration audition in a few weeks, you might be busy in promo. Etc. And each genre requires it's own marketing. If you have zero auditions today, you have a full day to market. That's a gift! Pick one thing to market and market it all day.

And if you have no idea what to market or to whom, you absolutely are not ready to put yourself out there.

[iannyc]

Thanks everybody!

Bob, thankyou sir, I must confess, I dont really know the first thing about marketing, maybe you have a good online course / podcast / book recommendation? The idea of saying to myself "oh theres no auditions so I can focus on marketing today", I have no idea what I would do... work on a website? I could use some tips.. Im sounding likea 'poor me' millenial cliche as I type, but any direction you could point me in from here would be very helpful

[Bob Bergen]

Seems to me this is a textbook case of cart before the horse. You are looking to sell a product, in your case your vo skills, before having the proper training, tools, and marketing plan.

Let's start with this. What do you want out of your career?? Are you content doing the V123/online world of vo or do you want to play with the big boys and pursue union VO which brings with it a pension, health benefits, and residuals? Both paths take the same commitment and hard work.

For those who have heard this before, just check out a different thread. I've told this a million times. But I expect a residual for the rerun!

So, I always wanted to play with the big boys. Now, 40 years ago there was no internet/V123, etc. The only game in town was to play with the big boys. Very little was non union. Yes, it existed. But you knew that if you wanted a certain level in your career, you only associate with the best of the best. Even today that's my philosophy and advice IF this is the kind of opportunities in VO one desires. Now, you will never hear me discuss money or financial returns in VO. Neither I, nor anyone from my generation went into this to make money. We went into acting because it feeds our soul. And if we were one of the fortunate ones to make a living at this, that was a fortunate circumstance. By not pursuing this for money meant you will always pursue professional acting professionally. You won't take low ball offer. You know that impressive people are only impressed with impressive work, meaning working for the sake of experience is a relative term. The experience has to be impressive as well.

Here's my journey. I studied vo for 4 years with every coach LA had to offer. I spent 2 years at an acting conservatory. I spent 3 years doing Improv. During this time, I met/rubbed elbows with those at the top of the industry. It was after ALL of this, I knew I was demo ready. I knew the industry, and most in the industry knew me. I had enough influential people behind to recommend me to a top agent. I had a great demo, and I was in the game.

But it them took me another 5 years before I was able to quit the day jobs and be a full time working actor. And I had many a day and night job. But I was driven.

I think no matter what career path one desire, you need to be this driven. Well, if you want to compete.

SO-let's first discuss are you ready to compete? If so, great. If not, study. Become the best actor and the best vo actor you can be. You can have a million dollars worth of recording equipment, but if you aren't a brilliant actor with a brilliant demo, website, and marketing tools, it doesn't matter how great your recordings are.

Know what you want out of your career first. Know the styles of advertising. Know what buyers want in radio commercials that is different in delivery from TV. This all comes from class.

This is a very good site on the business of vo by one of the busiest vo actors in the industry: https://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com

Here you will find over 200 interview with some of the top vo actors, agents, and casting directors:
http://www.vobuzzweekly.com

Study just these two resources for now. It will take you a while to digest. Take notes. Research online many of the players who are interviewed on VO Buzz weekly. Google them. Find their websites and their demos. Research who their agents are. Make contact with them on social media. From twitter to Facebook, most would be thrilled to connect and advise you. The professional vo industry is a very generous group.

This is a start for you to begin organizing and planing your strategy. Don't think about working. Get to the point you are ready to compete. And if you are fortunate enough to make a living at this, good for you!!

Hope this helps!!

[Monk]

^^^^^
This.

And in doing this, you find out if you have the talent for VO work. Having a voice is not the end all.

Can talent be taught? I think skills can be taught for sure.
_________________
Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me...

www.monksvoice.com

[Bob Bergen]

[iannyc]

OMG

So apparently you can just rip stuff from youtube

And apparently a bunch of the spots I did were up on youtube

Ergo, my audio technician friend made me a demo reel!!

https://soundcloud.com/ian-campbell-347703967/iantemple2017demo

Let me know what you think!

-Ian

[Bob Bergen]

Hey buddy! I commented on the demo on the critique thread. Don't want to repeat myself here.

But I do want to give you some marketing advice. So, as I mentioned on that other thread, you excel at the high energy toy read. You need to research every toy company online and their ad agencies and get your demo to the proper advertising writer/producers. This resource has all advertising info/contacts: http://www.redbooks.com

You also need a website. Perhaps you have one, but I couldn't find it. It's not on your VO-BB profile. And I don't know how you market yourself elsewhere, but on your profile here you list that you are a: "vo, actor, writer, grip." When it comes to your vo career, just market your vo career. No buyer wants to hire a vo actor who also promotes they are a grip. The implication is you are a grip trying to break into vo. No matter your experience, promote that you are a full time vo actor.

Let's go back to the agents. You need to meet more of the major players in NYC so you have a network of support behind you who can refer you for representation. And I would submit your demo around the country to every vo agency on Voicebank: /promoList.do;jsessionid=D9450CFFDE59C55B9EC61B3D61B6F5D1?CLR=-1" target="_blank">http://www.voicebank.net/a/promoList.do;jsessionid=D9450CFFDE59C55B9EC61B3D61B6F5D1?CLR=-1

Within your cover letter, state, "Recent work includes.." and for each spot/job also list the ad agency, the producer/director you worked with, and any casting director if there was one. Having a relationship with named buyers brings more value to you. REALLY hope you've kept track of whom you have worked with. If not, start now!! But I will assume you have!!!

And the word "recent" is a relative term. If you have just 5 spots under your belt, list that as "recent work." You are young, so none of it can be too old. But by listing specific buyers by name, if the agent already has a relationship with them you are an easier sell for future gigs. If the agent doesn't know the buyer, you bring value as this is a new contact/relationship for the agent and their other clients.

Now, it's hard to impossible to get second chances. The first thing you want to do us update that demo and get a professional website. THEN hit the agents. All judge a book by it's cover. And that killer website will make them more interested/impressed when listening to the demo.

[iannyc]

Thanks Bob!!!

I'm working on a website as we speak, however, that website is going to be more like a personal website-- All about creative output for sure, but not specifically about VO.

Some personal blogs related to creative output perhaps, clips of things I've done as an actor or as a writer, a link to my upcoming podcast, etc.

If I have a separate page as part of my website devoted to VO, that will be good right? I don't need a website that has nothing but VO right?

For example my websites domain name is iantemple.com (don't bother going there because it's still being built-- content collection, etc.), that will be good right?

Thanks again

-I

[Bob Bergen]

No, you want a site devoted to your vo career. You don't want an all things Ian site that includes vo amongst the rest of your world. That looks scattered and wannabe.

As I said, it's all about specifics. When you promote your vo career, you promote each individual genre individually. So when I promote imaging to imaging buyers, I don't send them my animation marketing. Same goes for promo, games, etc. Each buyer wants to think you live and breathe for them. Now, all can google, surf, and delve deeper to learn more about you. But you are a salesperson when you are marketing your career. Grab em fast and close the deal.

I suggest IanTempleVO.com as your vo site.

[SteveToner]

Yeah, what Bob said.

The expression I've heard is "your website isn't about you." It's about solving somebody else's problem. And everybody is very busy, attention spans are short, so don't make them wade through pages and pages of stuff (even if it's really cool stuff) to get what they need. The fewer clicks to get at your demo(s) and contact information the better.
_________________
www.TonerVoice.com

[iannyc]

Perfect thanks gents!

-I