VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Neil K. Hess

I am curious what are the common reasons people fail to make it as full time VO talent? What are your thoughts?
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Bish · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:38 am Post subject:

1) They do not have a product anyone wants to buy.
2) The fail to work hard enough at selling the product they do have.

Each of those points can be expanded ad infinitum... but I think it's really as simple as that.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
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todd ellis · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:51 am Post subject:

what bish said - or to sum it up - the same reasons people fail in ANY business.
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Fran McClellan · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:09 am Post subject:

They underestimate the amount of time, persistence, patience, training, marketing, networking, and work it takes to make a living in VO.

Sometimes, even if one knows that it takes a ton of training, marketing, networking, and work...people don't expect that it still takes TIME (that's where the persistence and patience come in Laugh

)
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Philip Banks · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:09 am Post subject:

Monty Python did a sketch some years ago it was based on a BBCtv chidren's show called Blue Peter. "How do you do it?" featured enthusiastic presenters explaining how to ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNfGyIW7aHM if one reads, listens to or watches VO advice on the internet it is not quite as well done or useful.

I did my first paid VO session on 28th February 1990. On that day A VO near London got up and travelled, probably by tube (London Underground) to a studio in Soho to do a TV commercial. They were booked through their VO agent, paid around $350 for the session and a further $18-20,000 in TVRs (residuals). Today 29th January 2013 much the same thing happened in London, and will happen in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The people who present themselves as experts tend to know NOTHING or a little more than a newcomer. They present information as if it were gospel, "the only way", yet their careers are at best only just about paying the bills. Find someone you KNOW ...KNOW..... CAN PROVE ...REALLY KNOW is .....REALLY doing well and find out how they did it and are still doing it! Trust no one else ...No one else.

If you plan to sell your voice as another option you will remain ..just another voice which means .....just another starving voice. If you are able to present yourself as YOU and people can hire YOUR voice then you have a better chance.

Neil K. Hess · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:36 am Post subject:

Philip - That skit is great. He he he.
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Bish · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:22 am Post subject:

Philip encapsulates the whole thing again... the product is a package of which the main constituent is you.

Well... you and a sheet of sticky-backed-pastic and an empty washing-up bottle.

"Get down, Shep!"
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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.

Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 981

Hard to top the brilliance of Mr. Banks.

The most successful artists working have, and always have had, a confidence in their skills and brand which they are able to convey and reproduce at will. They are not only comfortable in their own skin, they know their value, where it best fits into the marketplace, and how to sell it.

VO is no different from any other form of acting, entertaining, or art form. The simple truth is, most who pursue are mediocre. But even many who are brilliant never break through. Often it's because, even though they are brilliant, they don't have the confidence to consistently present their skills. Many aren't willing to go the extra mile, or risk what's needed to properly compete.

A few years ago I was asked to teach an animation workshop at a weekend standup comedy convention. Young comics from all over the country were given one minute onstage to showcase for top agents, network executives, and studio heads, all looking for the next best thing in comedy. (the workshop I taught was during the day with the showcase in the evening)

At one point the buyers did a Q&A for the comics. One comic asked how the buyers could possibly judge a comic's talents and abilities in just one minute??!! The head of comedy development from HBO answered, "Take a look at the DVD from the best of The Tonight Show, with Johnny Carson, and watch one minute of Jerry Seinfeld or one minute of Roseanne Barr, or one minute of Joan Rivers. You don't even need a full minute to know their style, personality, and brand. If you are going to be a success in comedy, you need to be able to establish this for yourself in one minute or less.

VO is no different. You and your skills, personality, and brand need to stand out as brilliant and specific as a top comic.

captain54 · Lucky 700 Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 744 Location: chicago

At some point it's just a numbers thing. There are an awful lot of people that bust their ass and can't catch a break. You can't deny the importance of luck and being at the right place at the right time. There is simply an overwhelming supply vs demand. It's a taste driven biz in many ways as well. Does anyone out there really take the auditioning and hiring process that seriously? I don't.

Bish · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:07 am Post subject:

captain54 · Lucky 700 Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 744 Location: chicago

By not taking it seriously I mean to say its not an exact science and you just do the best you can and then let the chips fall where they may

Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 981

Luck is the marriage of preparation and opportunity.

Every once in a while, we luck into a job. But for an overall career, it takes a lot more than luck. It takes forethought. It sometimes takes turning a job down. It sometimes takes doing a job for less than before. But for career longevity, it takes a lot more than luck.

captain54 · Lucky 700 Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 744 Location: chicago

Yes Bob. A more accurate statement might be "it takes SOME luck"

Bish · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:56 am Post subject:

Bruce · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:08 pm Post subject:

Bouncing off of what Bob said about famous comedians showing what they can do in just the first minute... frequently we VOs only get the first several seconds of our demo to prove what we're capable of. Yikes.

And speaking of Roseanne Barr, guess who the new mayor of Portland is in the show Portlandia? Yep.

B
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