VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Lori Berman]

Hi guys,
This is my first post, so be gentle with me

My name is Lori and I am a voice talent from Boston, MA...I just got back from the Voice 2010 conference which truly was informative and inspiring --and also a bit overwhelming.

Quick background: I have been doing voice work for 15+ years, but very much part-time; a gig here, a gig there, while working pretty steadily 9-5 in the marketing/writing field. So...now I find myself not working full time anymore, and with the time and motivation to really ramp up the v/o career.I am certainly not a beginner, but not a full-time working pro, either. I get called into our local casting studio maybe 1-2/times every couple of months, many times for auditions; sometimes for actual gigs. My demo is just a bunch of previous spots, mixed together. (exactly what it is not supposed to be, I know...) I know I need to come up with something completely new, ultimately something that will highlight my particular skills/assets....and that's where I'm stuck. I'm sure I could benefit from a coach, someone objective yet knowledgable who can give me the help I need and then ultimately work with me to create a commercial demo. (Down the road I might be interested in adding an audiobook and narration demo too...but one thing at a time.)

So, I guess I'm just a little confused about where to start..and would love to hear with others' who have trained with some of the below coaches and/or had their demo produced with them. A good part of the interaction would have to be over the phone but I'd want to go to wherever they are to get the demo produced.

At the top of the list is:

Nancy Wolfson: Was in her session and was very impressed by her...she's clearly got a no holds barred approach and isn't going to sugar coat anything. and isn't gonna hold back. That's fine with me.... a good part of our interaction will have to be over the phone. All good. But...she isn't cheap. And there's a part of me that really isn't convinced I need to spend $1500 to have a demo produced, esp in Boston. Plus probably close to 15 hrs of "coaching" from her at $160/hr. Yikes. However, people RAVE about her, at least in regards to her coaching/demo services, so clearly she's good.
If I put all that cash into my career, I want to be sure I'll recoup it and MORE. Is there really a difference between her and some of the others, like:


Deb Monro: Was also in her session and got a good feeling from her....she also coaches and does demos....won't be as "hardcore" as Nancy and I don't hear nearly as much about her, but she seems very well respected and liked in the industry. She's much less expensive than Nancy W.

Then there are a bunch of others, who seem great too ---me...Marc Cashman, Martha Mayakis, (Casting Mgr at Voice 2010), Pat Fraley?

I realize I need to find the person who is going to bring out the best in me, the one who I will truly connect with. And that's tough to do without being in LA or Vancouver or wherever these folks are. So I guess I'm looking for feedback from those who have worked with these coaches (or others) who have been in similar spots in their career as I....

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I really liked so many of the folks I met at Voices 2010 and I truly believe we are all here to support each other. So I appreciate any advice, thoughts, ideas you can offer.

Regards,

Lori

[bobsouer]

Lori,

First, welcome to the VO-BB!

Second, I have only good things to say about studying with Nancy Wolfson. Working with her in 2007 put rocket motors on my voiceover business and that was a large contributor to why I'm no longer working in a corporate job, but now full-time exclusively as a voiceover. If you look in the archives of Entre Nous you'll see a thread about business from 2000 to 2009. Read it and you'll know exactly what I mean about "rocket motors".

That said, you might want to consider an alternative. Our beloved board Czarina, DB Cooper, does coaching and she's not a long way from you so some could be in person and some on the phone/Skype/etc.

I hope this is at least a little helpful.
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[Philip Banks]

Welcome.

Why do you need a Coach? Why is a selection of work you have done in the past a bad demo? What exactly do you want to get from Voice Over work? Not roughly but WHAT EXACTLY?

Try this exercise. Imagine you have received the benefits of coaching and everything else you feel you need and we are reading a post about your average working day as a full-time VO. For a dream to come true one first must have a dream.

[asnively]

Let's assume for a moment you really do need some coaching. I'd recommend different coaches for different things. When you look long and hard at your skill set, what is it that you're hoping a coach will help you improve, fix, or gain?

Ditto for demo producers. I'd recommend different ones based on what kind of demo you want, what your 'money sound' is, what your target market is, who your demo is for, etc.
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[Lori Berman]

Hi guys....
Well, I am pretty sure my demo needs to be updated b/c it's simply a compilation of some of the work I've done over the years. Some spots are very recent; some not-so-much. I don't think it's a consistent piece, esp since my voice has probably changed a bit over the past 15 years....and of course each of these spots were recorded in different studios under varying conditions....Plus it's not like I really focused on MY strengths --I just picked previous spots I'd done and used them. So they may not be highlighting my best stuff, you know?
So, I do think I would benefit from having an objective person listen to my demo, then work with me to help me figure out exactly where my strengths lie, and then work on a new demo from there. And that seems like it's a coach/demo combo. But maybe it could just be a demo. Someone like Nancy Wolfson, however, won't just do your demo.
Wasn't aware DB did coaching but I'll shoot her an email. Would love it if she could help me out with a demo too.
Bob --I know you have had a good experience w/Nancy, I think I read that in a few places on your blog. So yes, you are one of many who like her. I just need to figure out if I can afford her
Any other thoughts/ideas/opinions, feel free to send them my way.

Thanks again guys.

[Chrissy]

Hi Lori, Welcome. You said you are from Boston well I'm living in Cambridge. If you want we could either talk on the phone or meet up for a cup of something??? The best way to contact me is through my email.

[ConnieTerwilliger]

[whalewtchr]

Hi Lori and Welcome. Ditto to what's already been said. The more specific you can be in your goal, the more clarity you will have in your choices.
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