VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Mike Harrison · Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2018 12:27 pm Post subject: Where do we send them now?

With the merger of Voicebank and the Acme Vacuum Cleaner Company, to where should we be referring newbies in order to listen to demos of established talent?
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Dan-O · The Gates of Troy Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 1638

The major agencies still have websites with demos listed.

ConnieTerwilliger · Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:26 pm Post subject:

Good question. I was thinking about that today. I thought maybe Voiceover.biz might be a good place to do that.

I just selected and listened to the first couple of (randomly posted I think each time a search is done) Male Commercial demos, as the person I was going to send the link to is a newbie male voice with a less than great commercial demo on his website.

There were some really good demos too, but there were a lot of demos that showcased a not ready for prime time sound. This is not to say that these people are not working - in fact that is the criteria for being on the site, but what it does show is that there are certainly opportunities for people at all "skill" levels.

The biggest learning experience for a newbie is to start hearing the difference in these demos (the type of copy, the production value, the acting skills) so that they can apply that understanding to their own work.
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Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 980

Philip Banks · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:55 am Post subject: Re: Where do we send them now?

todd ellis · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 6:48 am Post subject:

i used to try really hard to help - email back & forth for weeks, call, send baked goods - now i have a two page letter i send out when asked "how do i do what you do?". it includes many, many great words of wisdom and loads of resources. at the very top it says "contact me after you look through this." and at the very bottom it says "contact me after you look through this." nobody ever looks through it. nobody ever contacts me.
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Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 980

As much as I understand Philip's point regarding newbies need to take the bull by the horn when it comes to their career, I also don't believe we throw out the baby vo actor with the bath water. Having a one stop shop to direct a newbie to so they can hear their competition and what they need to live up to (or be better than) isn't coddling them. In fact, it's not just newbies who need this resource. If I'm thinking about an agent change, having all other agent's client's demos on one resource is much needed. And it's been a resource we have been accustomed to for 30 years. It will be back!

Back before the internet when I was studying, I used to call vo agents pretending to be a producer so they would send me their agency house demo reels. It always worked! I think that's the extra mile Philip is referring to. And the list of agents I got from the union. I tried the phone book, but that didn't separate vo agents from the rest. Yes, I was more driven than the average vo student.

As for Philip's students falling down on the job regarding his website offer, I can see many reasons why they failed to provide materials. First of all, perhaps not all were demo ready. Perhaps not every student was as driven as I was when I was studying. Not everyone is or should be. The cream floats to the top, and in 30 plus years of teaching I have never had an entire class that was great, let alone all ready to be promoted.

But I also don't see the value in that class website. Unless it's Juilliard, or some other prestigious arts school, no one cares where a vo actor "graduated" from. Nor will any agent or buyer find this page. Sure, an actor can use it to promote. But again, it would come across as cheeky. So, it might have been a choice rather than a failure. Not a reflection of the class, just an observation on the value of the web page.

Philip Banks · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:34 am Post subject:

Bish · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:01 am Post subject:

I think it's about self-starting. I was brought up in an environment where if you wanted to know what to do, or how to do it... you did your research, you found out... and you did it. There will always be times when questions need to be asked... but questions should come from a place of knowledge... not from laziness or an entitled attitude that makes everyone else a resource for you. Call it old-school... call it what you will, but nobody never gave me nuffin'... I had to get it myself.

My VO journey started in 06. I didn't ask direct questions... but I dug deep into what makes VO a viable career. Without asking, I managed to find a whole pile of valuable resources on-line, including a number of people who I am now proud to call friends and colleagues. I found VO-BB... but I didn't jump in with, "Hey Guys, how do I...?" (for that would have been rude). I lurked and waited until I had something useful to add to a conversation... not just take.

Did I make mistakes? ... of course I did. These were valuable learning moments that cost me time and effort... but they had a value far greater than any I could have purchased or demanded from someone else.

So... to be honest... when people ask the inevitable, "How do I do VO?" questions, I'l most often point them in a useful direction... but sometimes I'll smile sweetly and tell them to do what I did... research.

While I am full of respect for people who will teach and nurture new (or hopeful) talent with no mind to up-selling or compensation... I just find that this "free" information, more often than not, has no real value to the recipient. I have to remember that this isn't about my ego being fed by someone asking me (which it was the first couple of times it happened)... but it's about a useless time-sink that will, 95% of the time, be totally unappreciated and thrown back in my face.

I should add that I am an active participant in a VO organization's mentoring program.... but this is for people who have made a the initial effort and are on a good track... not just the email out of the blue.
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todd ellis · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:33 am Post subject:

Lee Gordon · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:32 am Post subject:

todd ellis · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:53 am Post subject:

lee, ftw.

/thread
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Bish · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:03 am Post subject:

I don't have to come here for abuse... I can go anywhere and get that! Wink

(dammit... I must remember not give Lee such easy feed lines)
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Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

Dan-O · The Gates of Troy Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 1638

What kills me are bloggers who build SEO by writing about VO and how to break into it, and then are shocked, SHOCKED! when beginners ask further questions. That's like leaving a two-mile slick of chum in the water and complaining about the sharks underneath the boat.

Tre M. · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:40 am Post subject:

I recently joined a major agency and has some success with production companies...and my inbox has been inundated with "how'd you get with them" or "tell me what you did to sign on"

When I tell em I worked my ass off, worked hard, researched, cold called, sent emails, and got rejected, rejected, rejected time and time again, and i STILL love what i do....

They then say...

BUT HOW?

WTF?!?!

I just told you HOW! and WHAT as well!

I'm still learning my way around this business, and you don't stop learning and growing in this biz.

Most haven't been heard from again.
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