VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[Philip Banks]

For several weeks I have banged the "contact me for free coaching" social media drum, I have genuinely used all the "so-called" social media received wisdom and a few tricks of my own. Results? Had I been a Pro coach who relied on teaching VO for a living I'd be Sofa Surfing by now.

Including the time period, number of individual tweets followed by retweets the internet noise out there was, in the context of the narrow market, impressive.

Number of people who booked their free session during the AWESOME INTERNET CAMPAIGN?

6.

The above exercise has been conducted both pre and during lockdown.

Am I either mystified or disappointed? Not really. The results were the results.

Positive stuff? Without exception every person who spent time talking to me was delightful.

Negative stuff? None.

For most people wanting to start or progress in the Voiceover world the belief exists that success is a combination of clicking, typing, posting, double clicking and hiding. Not a good way in business or to go through life.

The song lyrics have been changed especially for the internet.

The higher you build your barriers
The more invisible you become

[todd ellis]

let me relate this to something slightly relatable.

a few years ago i was a part of an economic development effort here in the heartland of america where, in some places, the internets are slow and wifis are rare. we offered a FREE online store within a regional "shop local" online community. the small local business received many great advantages including a cool & easy backend where they could upload pics, set prices and easily profit. we had grant money & the technology. we were set.

i personally visited over 300 small businesses in a 16 county area and signed up ... 9. we were flabbergasted through the process. we thought this was a no-brainer decision. they just didn't want it.

in one conversation a man said to me, "it can't be any good if it's free." so i started making call-backs to all the people i'd met with before telling them the trial had ended - but they could get all of the aforementioned services for $5/month with a one year contract.

we got almost 100 signed up in a few weeks. and more over the following weeks in dribs & drabs.

we weren't trying to make money. we didn't want or need to make money. as a matter of fact, we legally COULDN'T make a profit. we put the money into an existing small business "loan" fund.

perceived value is a real thing.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Bruce]

Here's a tangent off of the above tangent...

My mother's cousin was a chemical engineer by trade specializing in petroleum and its derivatives. One day back in the 1950's he developed a paste car wax that was dramatically better than the leading Turtle Wax brand out there. Easier to apply, longer lasting, the whole thing. Let's say Turtle Was was selling for $1.00 a can back then. Cousin had the great idea to sell it for less (coz it cost him almost nothing to make) and put his out at 60 cents or so a can. He just couldn't sell it. Everyone thought it was cheap, because it WAS cheap, in price.

He marketed the best his chemical engineer mind could come up with and finally sold his formula to: Turtle Wax. He received a tidy but not monumental deal.

Moral of the story? Beats me.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Philip Banks]

Yes it is and in our business even when perception is all to hald on to.

A few years ago I took around 150 pens to the annual VOX event and simply left them lying around in strategic places so people could help themselves. Without a comment the organisers removed every single one. Why?

Every person attending VOX was given a gift bag. Every bag contained promotional items from voices, production companies and gear suppliers. All paid a fee to have their items included. My item would not be in the bag because I had not paid anything and would be put out of harms way because why should I get FREE PUBLICITY?

The message on the pen? What follows is the entire content. There was no logo, branding or trade mark, simply

"2 hours being bored by a Voiceover and all I got was a ****ing pen!"

No one saw me put the pens out in various locations and I made no comment.

After the event I received a phone call from Abigail.

"Philip, we have your pens. Do you want us to mail them back to you?"

PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING!

[Frank F]

[Tre M.]

I've retweeted his Tweets a few times and to my knowledge no one took a bite from the Tree of Banks.
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Tre@trespeaksforyou.com
Www.trespeaksforyou.com
Skype: TKM32246

Source Connect: http://source-connect.com/tremovo

[Lee Gordon]

When I worked in radio, I offered the boss a few suggestions but stopped because he never took any of them. I guess he must have figured, "for what I'm paying him, what does this guy know?" But when he was throwing good money at a consultant, he gladly took onboard every suggestion the consultant made, including a couple of the same ones I offered that he had rejected.
_________________
Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[Philip Banks]

There could be an underlying sense of "What if you discovered what you thought you could do, you couldn't?"

My thought? I'd rather know, but I fully accept that's a tough one for the majority.

A dear friend is a superb writer in the journalistic/factual world. She has made money as a model and done some background(extra) work for TV. Lovely.

She has a regular radio show which is a music and chat based show. Online radio station for an audience of several. By any standard, as a chat show host and music radio DJ, she sucks. I adore her, really I do but ...

She is an aspiring TV presenter. I was shown a showreel shot by her partner.

"Well, Dave got bored so that was it!" she shrugged.

No he was not bored! He loves her and so he walked away rather than kill her with his bare hands to save the world from torture.

I think the number is something like 2.25%. What number? The chance of making anything at all from voice over work. Within that 2.25% are the people who make a several hundred thousand dollars a year (the stories of millions are a myth) and those who do 2 gigs a week on FIVER. The remaining 97.75% ? ZIP!

What if during your free session with me I reminded you of that? No "What if?" I almost certainly WILL tell you. I will tell you kindly but will not patronise.

What if you do have a chance at starting or progressing if you've been around for a while and have made some money? I can help with that but will not do it for you. The last 7 words in that sentence for most are the real slap in the face.

[Bish]

So... if I'm reading you correctly, what you're saying is that the truth will not set you free. Quid est veritas?

What we have here is a prime case of Schrodinger's Voiceoverist. The subject is neither capable nor incapable until the box is opened. The overwhelming majority of other VOs will always support placing heavy weights on the top of a colleagues box to prevent any unfortunate accidental opening (lest it happen to their own box). There have been some unfortunate sightings of someone's box being accidentally opened by the unprecedented weight of reality suddenly hitting it (these are rather unpleasant spectacles). Much grief and soul-searching... diligent concern from colleagues and a deep sadness much akin to watching the petals fall from a delicate flower.

So... why should we expect someone to open the kimono and ask for the contents of their box to be closely examined by someone who will be totally honest... they'd rather pay $500 to keep the box firmly shut and have their self-image praised and bolstered.

The truth will not set you free until you have achieved the state where you can hear it and say... "It really doesn't matter... I'm having fun anyway."
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
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.

[Philip Banks]

I know a number of women with husbands who have high-powered senior vice junior President positions. Rather than being encouraged to explore and achieve they have bestowed upon them, along with a Mercedes convertible and a PRADA stun grenade, sufficient funding to go and play. I am equally certain that the (forgive me) lesser mortals in same sex relationships "enjoy" the same patronising patronage.

Without too much thought I was able to conjure up a least 2 dozen names who fall into the category above. When I meet them or speak to them I ensure we have a joyful time but it is simply an intermission so we can enjoy some ice cream or a G&T before the lights grow dim and the real life movie of a girl or guy who just wants to loved starts again.

Diana accompanied me to my car following a delightful a VO event as she wanted to finish our conversation.

"I think I could get some great work. What do you think?"

"Turn the happiness dial to full power and you'll be fabby!" I grinned.

I had to catch her as her legs simply buckled.

Is she a great VO? Nope. Did a creative writing course and has just had her 5th novel published. Still owes me for having my jacket and shirt dry cleaned. What on earth do they put in make up? Had to have it cleaned with Photon Torpedoes.

[DougVox]

[Moe Egan]

[Moe Egan]

Also- thank you Doug for pointing out that Philip's quote was lyrics from a song. I never heard it before and Googled it this morning and gave it a listen or three. Beautiful.
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Moe Egan
i want to be the voice in your head.
~~~~~

[DougVox]

Glad you enjoyed it, Moe!

(In retrospect, I realize that only part of Philip's quote is from the Labi Siffre song, but it was enough to get me thinking of it.)


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Doug Turkel (tur-KELL)
Voiceover UNnouncer®
UNnouncer.com

[Philip Banks]

News that's news in the news - Dateline Portgordon

A Voice Over Agency has organised some webinars for June, 21 in total.
Some weeks ago the team member tasked with getting people to be webinators contacted me and asked if I would take part and if so, webinating what exactly?

We had a phone chat about my views on signals to (the) market, he liked the ideas. He changed the name of the webinar to Marketing for Voice Overs and broadcast the invitation to sign up.

Phone call from yer man this morning.

"First of all congratulations" he said.

"Mmmmm you know something I don't know"

"Out of all our webinars you have the greatest number of people who have signed up. You have, oh wait, another person has signed up."

New headline. I CAN give it away after all.