With thanks to my friend Jeff Kafer for posting about it, Dan O’Day has posted a brilliant essay on his blog about generosity in the voiceover world. Dan’s summary comment perfectly illustrates the whole post.
I learned this a long time ago:
If you have a dollar and I have a dollar, and we trade dollars…We each end up with one dollar.
But if you have an idea and I have an idea, and we trade ideas…We each end up with two ideas.
And while I agree with the thoughts Dan remembers from Steve Morris, I think there’s another layer to the story. It’s not just that the odds of booking the job are small, because that’s also true of film and television acting auditions; it’s because the voiceover talent is almost always not in the spotlight. Gigantic egos and intense self-interest are characteristic of performers who spend their time in (or striving to reach) the spotlight. The sort of folks who are drawn to voiceover work tend to be cut from a different cloth.
Crazy, just read Steve today, very gracious in the booth.
I’m stealing this saying. It’s mine now. Copyright SomeAudioGuy 2008. All Rights Reserved.
SIGH… Fine. I’ll share…
I totally agree on the VO vibe. I’ll walk into the lobby in between auditions, and people are hanging out, talking, joking. They’re all in competition with each other, and for the most part they couldn’t care less. It’s one of the last performance hold outs where (I feel) there really is still a community, and a sense of performance history. I had a chat with a 16 year old performer about Gary Owens yesterday. That was kind of awesome…
It’s not to say I don’t encounter my fair share of attitude, but I think on the whole LA VO talent know exactly what it is they do for a living, and it really is the best job in the world!
Juan,
Excellent insights as always. Thank you for adding to the discussion.
Be well,
Bob