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Voiceover training for my Canadian friends

Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover, People

Deb Monro is not only a talented voiceover artist, she also teaches voiceover techniques. Her latest newsletter notes the following dates and locations for her Mic & Me workshop series:

Calgary – August 26/27 (Creating Voices 1) (Private/demo sessions Aug 24 or 28 near sold out)
Regina – Sept 8/9 (Audition Voice Over Workout) (private/demo sessions Sept 7th still room)
Edmonton – Sept 15/16 (Audition Voice Over Workout) (private/demo sessions Sept. 17th)
Vancouver – Sept. 22/23 (Audition Voice Over Workout)
London (UK) – Sept. 28,29,30 & Oct 1 (Audition Voice Workout, The Voice Biz & Private Sessions)
Toronto – October 13/14 (Audition Voice Workout) (Privates available Oct. 12)

Details about these classes are available at Deb’s website.

Questions, I get questions

Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover, People

Quite often in fact, I get questions about what it’s like to study privately with Nancy Wolfson, given that she’s in Los Angeles, CA and I’m in Charlotte, NC. Here are a couple of recent examples.

Johnny George wrote me a few days ago to ask:

Hi Bob,

I am interested in working with Nancy. I‘ve done a couple of Webinars with her and Anna and I’m trying to budget some $$ this summer for coaching with her. Please elaborate on her style, her caliber and any particulars that would help me in making the decision and how I can best get my most bang for my buck.

I appreciate your time and insight.

Here’s my reply:

Johnny,

Nancy is one of the most out-going, expressive and vivacious people I’ve ever encountered. At the same time, she’s very real and direct. Even though she has lived many years in California, Nancy is one of the most honest and unpretentious people I know.

So, if you want to study with someone who will tell you the truth, consistently; while filling your brain with almost too much information to process in one sitting, she’s the person for you. On the other hand, if you need to work with someone who will treat you with much gentleness and move through things very slowly, she’s probably not for you.

The other thing to know is that Nancy’s coaching is totally based in reality and practicality…stuff you can put to use now…not someday by and by when you’ve managed to internalize it enough.

While I don’t live in Southern California, I am friends with a number of working actors, voiceover folks and other professional talent out there. I know that among those (at least those I know) she has a sterling reputation as one of the very top of her field.

In my view, while I wish I could study with her in person, I’m thrilled with the phone patch experience. It’s worked great for me.

I hope that helps answer your questions. If you wish to send some follow-ups, please feel free.

And Cookie Colletti wrote to ask:

Bob:

Could you tell me more about studying with Nancy? Does she do classes over the internet? What exactly does she teach? I live in So. Florida and we have a “superstar” v/o artist/teacher here…but she’s very hard to get to commit to classes. I’ve studied with her on and off and she even produced my commercial demo, but I really want to learn more…including branding, what’s right for me, marketing myself, etc…..Anything you provide would be helpful. Thanks alot.

And my reply to Cookie:

Cookie,

I live in North Carolina and Nancy is in Los Angeles so we work over the phone. Here’s what studying with Nancy is like, at least for me:

She provides some copy and concepts a few days in advance of each time we’ve scheduled a class. Then, I call her at the appointment time and we talk through what she’s provided. Sometimes she wants me to work on the copy. Sometimes we spend more of our time talking through the specific concepts and ideas.

Nancy is a ball of energy and a wonderfully encouraging person. I’ve been a working voiceover professional since 1983, but she has helped me tremendously with practical, immediately useful ideas that I’ve been able to incorporate in the way I approach auditions and work from the very first lesson.

You can get a lot of good information at her website: http://www.braintracksaudio.com
Please let me know if you have additional questions.

I hope these questions and responses are helpful to you. And please remember, if you tell Nancy that you decided to study with her because I recommended her here, I get a free lesson from her. Whether you mention anything or not is, of course, entirely up to you.

Actor’s Tool-Kit #12

Career Advice, General

If you’ve been keeping track, yes, we’ve skipped a few. That’s because the skipped articles are focused on people searching for on-camera and on-stage work and as such have limited value for us in the voiceover world. So, here’s #12:

THE AUDITION PARADIGM

by Bob Fraser

I am often asked about auditioning – “what’s the secret?”

There really aren’t any secrets, but there is a checklist. Here is my memory word, a word you can use to make every audition more successful – by going through the checklist.

The word is PARADIGM.

PREPARE. Preparation usually involves several steps. Here are just a few: Know what you are auditioning for. Ask questions, get information, listen carefully.
Familiarize yourself with the script (if there is one). If there is a script (or sides), study the character and make a couple of solid choices as to how you will perform it. If there is no script, but you have a general description of the character you are trying out for, again make some choices. Plan your trip to the place where the audition is taking place. Have your outfit picked out. Make sure you have gas in the car – or correct change for public transportation. Plan the day ahead of time. Give yourself plenty of time to get ready (hair, make-up, etc.).

The number one element in a successful audition – that most casting directors point to – is preparation.

ARRIVE EARLY. This is VERY important. When you arrive early you accomplish two crucial things: First, you are “on time.” This is a must in our industry. People who show up late are a pain in the ___ (fill in your choice of body part). Producers hate late. Directors loathe the lackadaisical. Other actors don’t like it much either.
Casting directors are unlikely to form a favorable impression of you if you are late. That’s because if you are cast (on their recommendation) and then you show up late for production, they will get yelled at. CD’s don’t like getting yelled at. They are unlikely to recommend you if you are late. (Don’t “sign in” early as this will cause problems. Get there and wait nearby.)

The second thing that happens when you arrive early is you have time to do the next part of a successful audition which is…

RELAX. Being relaxed is important to your results. If you are keyed up, stressed, rushed or still coming down from the trip to the audition – it will cost you. Almost everybody needs some time to “get ready.” Only you can know how much time you will need, but whatever it is – that’s how early you have to get there.

There are about as many techniques for relaxation as there are humans on the planet – so I’ll skip listing them. The bottom line? The relaxed actor is the more successful actor. Why? Because if you are relaxed, you help relieve the natural anxiety the casting director, producer and director are also dealing with in the audition process. Oh, yes, it’s tough on them too. If they don’t get it right it can ruin an entire production. So, believe me, they are stressed. Relax and the whole world relaxes with you.

ACT. A lot of actors forget the purpose of an audition. The CD’s, directors and producers are looking for a performer – which means it is important to perform. This is another reason to relax. It’s easier to remember to do the job when you are at ease.

DEAL. Every audition is just one of the many you will have in your career. If you are a normal human being you will “fail” 80% of the time. Not just at auditions either. The best piece of advice about this failure business is given by one of the richest men in the world, Bill Gates; “If you want to be more successful, double your failure rate.”

The most difficult thing to ‘deal’ with in the entertainment industry is the inevitable – “I didn’t get it.” – realization You must understand that this is going to be the case much more often than not. Rejection is not an easy thing to deal with, but if you want to be a successful actor you must learn to deal with it. It’s a central part of a professional acting career.

As I have pointed out, more than once, even successful established actors are rejected a lot. Every time a part is being cast (say, Batman or Scarlett O’Hara) there are hundreds of professional, money-earning stars who are dismissed as possibilities and dozens of others who meet with the producers and find out later that – “I didn’t get it.” Dealing with rejection is crucial to your eventual success. So, deal with it.

IMPRESS. If you accomplish the goals on this list, you will impress the people doing the casting. You will be considered a “pro.” Professionalism is the word you want attached to your efforts. This will happen if you are on time, prepared, entertaining, relaxed and able to deal with the inevitable rejection that follows most auditions. That’s your goal in every audition – to impress them with your professional attitude
.
Even if you don’t get this one, when you impress the CD, the director or the producer with your pro attitude, they will think of you for something else. Guaranteed.
GRACE. Gracious people have the edge. We like them, we trust them, we want to work with them. Be polite. Remember people’s names. Be helpful. Listen carefully. Follow directions. Don’t impose your ‘neediness’ on the CD. You will always leave a good impression if you are gracious to other people in the business. Think Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn.

Your mantra should be; “I’m nice … to other people.”

MANIPULATE. If you hope to succeed you will probably need to manipulate somebody.

Of course, there is only one human being you really have any control over – and have any hope of manipulating: Yourself.

If you are a poor planner, you must manipulate your mind set to correct this deficiency.

If being turned down puts you in a deep funk, you must manipulate your reaction.

If you panic, you must manipulate your mental state until this is no longer a problem.

In other words, don’t waste a minute of your time trying to find the “reasons” behind someone else’s decisions and attempt to change her mind. Take a step back from every ‘failure’ and discover what needs manipulating in your own actions and
reactions.

You can only change the world by changing yourself.

That’s my audition PARADIGM.

Is it easy to do all these things? No way. If it were easy, everyone would be a successful actor and they’d have a difficult time finding people to type up annual reports for $6.75 an hour.

But make no mistake, you can accomplish all you want, once you set your mind to it. Of course, the important words in that last sentence are “set your mind to it.”
Go ahead. You can do it if you really want to.

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PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint articles from Actor’s Tool-Kit, on your website or electronic newsletter.

However, in order to comply with my copyright, you must also include the following paragraph with your reprint:

“Reprinted from ACTOR’S TOOL KIT, the email course just for subscribers of Show Biz How-To — The Free Actor’s Monthly. Get your own free subscription by going to: showbizhowto.com Copyright © 2006 Bob Fraser Productions All Rights Reserved”

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PRIVACY STATEMENT: Bob Fraser Productions will NEVER share your personal information with anyone. Ever. Period.

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Taking a positive approach

General, People, Tools

Not only is Rodney Saulsberry a tremendously talented voice actor, he’s a superb marketer. Just check out his latest appearance on YouTube.

Not only is Rodney doing an excellent job in this video of helping you understand why you might want to buy a copy of his book Step Up to the Mic, he’s also making use of the power of the Internet by posting this video on YouTube and then letting his friends know about the video. And now, I’m passing that word along to you, too.

Rodney, seriously, I’m deeply impressed. And I hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking notes all the time.

Bobbin’s do-it-yourself voiceover booth is finished!

General, People, Tools

Bobbin Beam emailed me this morning to let me know that she and her husband Pete have finished their do-it-yourself voiceover both project. You’ll find the story and photos of their finished work on Bobbin’s blog.

I’m looking forward to the next post in the project with cost details, but in the meantime, everything looks terrific. Good for you, Bobbin. And thanks for letting me know it’s done.

Dansville, NY

General, People

I’m in upstate New York on a business trip for a week. Knowing that I would be here, I emailed Peter O’Connell to see if he might be willing to make a bit of a drive so we could have lunch together today. He was game, and since he knew the area well, suggested Dansville, NY as a spot that was about half-way between Buffalo (where Peter lives) and Binghamton, where I’m working this week.

We met up for an early lunch a nearly 2 hours of very pleasant conversation at the Sunrise Family Restaurant in beautiful, downtown Dansville.

As you can see, Peter was happy to be there.

Peter O'Connell, VO talent

And so was I.

Bob Souer, VO talent

I’m wearing my new VO-BB.com T-shirt, with a design in honor of the work both of us did (with help from a bunch of other folks) for our troops in Iraq, on the Memorial Day countdown for Freedom Radio. (And yes, my picture is more blurry than Peter’s. That’s because I have that effect on cameras, even my own.)

Peter is a very talented voiceover guy, and under the thin veneer of snark and sarcasm he sometimes shows to the world, he’s a very decent and generous guy. He even paid for today’s lunch. By the way, you can get Peter’s take on the day on his voiceover blog.

(edited to fix typo)

NC VO get-together gaining steam, you’re invited too

General, People

Our planned get-together in Winston-Salem is only 2 weeks away! We hope you see you at 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 23rd. Details are posted just a bit further into this blog. We’re inviting anyone involved in voiceover work, part-time, full-time, even just trying to get started, to join us…especially if you life in the Carolinas or one of our neighboring states. So, if you know anyone else living and voiceovering in the area, please pass the word.

Where in the world (updated)

Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover, People

I’m making my first ever trip to Upstate New York this weekend, to attend what promises to be a fabulous day-long voiceover marketing conference in Albany, New York and sponsored by Voicecoaches. These folks run a first class operation, and I’m honored to be here and to have been invited to take part in the closing panel discussion this afternoon (Saturday, June 2nd), though the title of the panel should be several experts and one guy who wandered up here from Charlotte!

In any case, I know I’m going to learn a great deal from everyone here, including the presenters and the folks attending. We had a mixer this evening at which I had a chance to meet several of the attendees. It was great fun interacting with folks of various backgrounds, but all of whom have a strong desire to pursue voiceover work.
I’ll update this post after the event is done with some further reflections. But, I can already tell that I’m very glad I have Voicecoaches on my blog roll under Career. They work with folks here in the Northeast directly as well as over the phone with people all over.

First update: We’re on a lunch break now, half-way through the day at the Marketing Conference sponsored by Voicecoaches. I’m deeply impressed with the quality of the presentations. I’m very glad I came because I’ve picked up several valuable ideas on how to continue to grow my voiceover business.

The top ideas were:

    1. A brilliant presentation from Jay Silverman about how to prepare an introductory letter when sending your demo to a potential new client, a letter that doesn’t read like everyone else’s but stands out as something fresh and original. (Stephanie has posted her usual superb notes about Jay’s presentation over at

Vox Daily

    1. .)

 

    1. Some excellent insights from Stacey Nooney and Warren Garling (Warren, I sure hope I got your name right) about networking organizations and opportunities I’d never thought about.

 

    1. A tremendous presentation about marketing voiceovers in the Google era from David and Stephanie Ciccarelli of

Voices.com

    . As I was listening to them speak I finally put together an idea of how to do some pay-per-click marketing of my voiceover business that I think may work.

I’m so glad I’m here. And I look forward to everything that’s still ahead this afternoon. More updates later.

Second update: The afternoon kicked off with a brilliant presentation on graphics, design and a solid dose of branding advice from Dan and Phil from OveritMedia. I was very impressed with the focused approach these guys demonstrated, and equally impressed with their passion for staying current and adapting to the winds of change that continue to blow through the voiceover business.

We then heard some of the life story of Billy Serow, commercial voiceover agent with Abrams Artist Agency in New York. (The agency has an office in Los Angeles as well.) As Stephanie Ciccarelli posted on Vox Daily, Billy is that rare sort of agent, a person with a genuine heart for people. It was a sheer delight to hear some of his life’s journey and especially how he feels about developing promising talent.

I made an uncharacteristically bold move during both of these presentations when the time came for questions, I asked Dan (President of OveritMedia) and Billy if they ever worked with guys outside their local markets (Albany, NY for Dan and NYC, NY for Billy) and they both responded with “yes.” So, being even more uncharacteristically bold, I asked each of them during their respective presentations if I could give them a business card. Again they each said “yes” so I got up from my seat near the back of the room, walked up and handed over one of my cards. Honestly, I surprised myself a bit when I did this, because I’m normally too shy to do something like that; but I think some of what I’d learned earlier in the day about marketing and networking actually penetrated my thick skull, so it was easier to step up and make a move like this when the opportunity presented itself.

The final session of the day was a panel featuring a number of brilliant contributors, including David Ciccarelli and Billy Serow, as well as actor and television personality Evan Farmer, Heather Frenz (a very talented actress and voiceover talent working full-time in Albany), Jim Sciancalepore of Media Logic, David Bourgeois (president of Voicecoaches) and me. We spent over an hour and a half answering questions from the 60 or so in attendance. It was great fun. I’m so very glad I was invited to be a part of this excellent day.