The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has just published an interview with me. I hope you enjoy reading it.
History
Doors and windows and …
When I wrote the other day about Anxiety and progress, I had no idea it would resonate with so many people. I was just writing out of my own experience and about some of the things I can see now, looking back with the benefit of clarity that hindsight almost always brings.
The other thing I didn’t anticipate was my own reaction to that walk down memory lane. You see, I’m tempted to think back with regret about those missed doors of opportunity; but in fact the more I think about it, the more I realize that all of my life’s experiences have led me to the place I am today and that not one moment of that time has been wasted by God has he has shaped my life and guided my path.
So, I don’t feel regret as I look back. I feel grateful. So many friends, and even a few strangers, have been kind and gracious to me that I can’t begin to count them all. And each one of those moments of graciousness and generosity has helped me, shaped me, moved me forward.
There are even a few examples where someone thought they weren’t doing me any kindness, yet, that’s how it turned out. Being fired one Friday afternoon in December 1979 led indirectly to my start in voiceover. A summer lunch a couple of years later that I missed out on because I was on the air led directly to my start in voiceover. Being replaced as the host of a national Christian music countdown show in February of 1996 turned out to be one of the keys that led eventually to my working full-time exclusively in voiceover. Another step on that path took place when I was passed over for a promotion in 2003.
You see, kindness is sometimes not in the specific thing that was done or not done, it’s in what you make of the thing. I look at each of those moments I’ve just mentioned and I see how valuable that specific experience turned out to be. In each case, I didn’t feel good about the situation as it was happening, but at the same time I also never lost faith that I was making progress.
The explicit kindnesses far outnumber of hidden kindnesses, but intended or not, each one was important for its own reason. I imagine you can see the same kinds of things in your life. I’d love to hear about your journey. Comments are open.
Anxiety and progress
Fear can be a good thing. It can help you avoid situations that are truly harmful, keeping you away from the edge of the cliff. But anxiety, groundless fears about what “might” happen, is never good.
Is it always right to jump at an opportunity with both feet? Obviously not. Sometimes the risks really aren’t worth the potential rewards. The way the economy has been the last couple of years has frightened a lot of people. Some of my very good friends have been kicked to the curb by companies for which they productively worked for years. But, this can be a great time to start something new, especially if you have nothing left to lose.
Looking back at the 26 years it took me to go from my first professional voiceover job to full-time voiceover talent, I can clearly see there were 4 wide-open doors of opportunity that I didn’t take. There’s no way for me to wind back the clock and take the other path, so I can’t know for certain how things would have turned out if I’d gone the other way. But I can, with 20-20 hindsight, see those doors even though at the time they weren’t always clear.
The first was in 1988. I had actually been working solo as a voiceover for a year at that point while caring for my first wife, Kathy, as she was losing her battle with cancer. But when I was offered a job a few months after her death I took it rather than continuing to just do the voiceover thing. I had a daughter to raise and provide for and my mindset at the time was that I needed something more stable and predictable.
The second was right at the end of 1993. This was one of the doors that I didn’t see at the time. The network for which I was working had just been sold to a new corporate owner. This new corporation was about to offer me a very nice option to freelance for them, continuing to host 2 weekly music programs. Within 2 months I would have replaced virtually all of my full-time network income. And there were many opportunities on the horizon that would have allowed me to grow my business. One of my very best friends, Charlie Glaize, strongly encouraged me to take the voiceover path. Even with all that I didn’t see the door of opportunity for what it was and instead took the first job offer that came my way.
However, here’s where it gets a little complicated because having taken that job offer (in Pittsburgh) I ended up meeting some of my very best friends, working with The Talent Group, and working for the best boss I ever had. (Update: Second best, now that I’m working for myself.) Had I taken the voiceover path back then, I would have missed all of those wonderful relationships.
The third was in 1999. Things had really taken off with my voiceover business and I was making quite a bit more doing voiceovers than I was from the radio station where I was working. This time, I could see the door clearly. But, as I noted above, I had a great boss. He and I talked at length about things. He suggested caution. “Take another year,” he said, “and see how things go. If they continue to grow, you can always make this move then. If they don’t, you’ll be glad you stayed with something more stable.” It was prudent advice as it turned out because the strike of 2000 put a big dent in my voiceover business.
The fourth and final missed opportunity was in 2003. I had gone to work for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 2001 in part because my wife Cinda and I had been looking for years for an opportunity to live close to family and pretty much everyone in my family still lived in Minnesota where the Association was headquartered. But then, 2 weeks after I started, they announced they would be relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina. The time for the move to North Carolina came in 2003. I had an option to take a severance package and stay in Minnesota or move to North Carolina and continue to work for the Association. Here again, I could see the opportunity clearly but I was also very cautious. My time in Minnesota hadn’t yielded any new voiceover clients there. And my business was still recovering from the double hits of the strike in 2000 and the move to a new city the following year. Here again, there were a number of wonderful learning and relationship opportunities I would have missed if I hadn’t taken the path I did.
I started this long screed talking about fear and anxiety. Looking back, I can see clearly that more than once I allowed my anxieties about what might happen to overwhelm me and push me along a path away from my dreams. Of course, sometimes my caution turned out to be well founded. And in every case, there were significant benefits to taking the path I did.
No doubt, your journey is unfolding with a few bumps and turns you didn’t anticipate; but it’s your journey. Each path is unique. Mine certainly was. If your dream isn’t worth pursuing, change direction. Find one that is. Once you find the dream that is worth it, keep moving toward it. You’ll get there. It might take you 26 years like mine did, but I hope it’s a lot less.
An interview with me?
John Florian has posted an interview he did with me on his Voice Over Xtra site. I hope you’ll find something of value there. By the way, sign up for a membership on Voice Over Xtra. It’s free. Lot’s of good information. I’m a member there.
Summit 2007, Reading for Terry Berland
Among the greatest of highlights for me at Dan O’Day’s Summit this year was the final session presented by casting agent Terry Berland.
With my deepest thanks to my friend Rob Actis, here is photographic evidence that I did indeed get to read for Terry. First, here’s my friend Ric Gonzalez from Texas and I as we’re going through the copy.
And here’s a wider shot of the whole platform and all 3 of us.
My thanks again to Rob Actis for sending me the photos and to Terry Berland for coming to the Summit to speak and to Dan O’Day for putting on such a superb event each year.
The family on Vox Daily
Stephanie at the Vox Daily blog, has done an interview with me about how our entire family gets involved in my voiceover business from time to time. Thank you for preparing such a gracious and kind post, Stephanie.
Estalvin’s Legacy
Since somewhere around my twelfth year (a long, long time ago, though not in a galaxy far, far away) I’ve been fond of science fiction and fantasy fiction. Some of my first audiobook projects were for a collection of short science fiction stories, which was great fun.
Now, I’m delighted to let you know that I’ve provided the voice for the promo introducing a new audio drama called “Estalvin’s Legacy.” You can hear the promo on this page, and starting on Friday, June 1, 2007, keep up to date with the audio drama itself on this page.
I almost did it again…
Last year, I didn’t remember my blogiversary until the month of May was almost over. This year, as I was out driving a bit earlier, I remembered that today is the day 2 years ago when I started this voiceover blog. So, happy blogiversary to me!
And thank you, where ever you may be, for reading. I’m so very grateful that we’ve managed to write and link enough material to keep at least a few of you interested.
Rodney Saulsberry and overcoming obstacles
Rodney Saulsberry had the unenviable task of being the first presenter at VOICE 2007. But, he pulled everything off brilliantly. Stephanie, over at Vox Daily, has recovered from the week in Las Vegas enough to post a fabulous and detailed report on Rodney’s presentation.
I especially appreciated Stephanie’s detailed report because I ended up missing the second half of his presentation. Why? Because I was actually putting into practice one of his techniques: overcoming obstacles! When my plane landed in Las Vegas I had enough work waiting for me in my email inbox to pay for the conference, my hotel room and most of my meals. But some of that had to be done and delivered right away. The obstacles to accomplishing this task were many, though none had to do with actually recording the pieces. Providentially, I was assigned a room way off in a quiet corner of the hotel and except for a plane flying overhead 2 or 3 times a night, I had no problems getting studio quality audio from my room.
No, the troubles began when I started to upload the audio. As soon as my FTP program would connect to the server and start transferring the audio, the Internet connection would drop. If I canceled the transfer, the Internet connect would re-establish. After several unsuccessful attempts, I called tech support for the hotel Internet service. The walked me through several steps, and we thought everything was back to normal; but as soon as I hung up the phone, the Internet connection dropped again. I called tech support back. They sent a technician to my room, this time. He too, was unable to fix things. But, he suggested that I try the business center in the hotel, as they were on a different Internet connection.
So, I packed up my laptop and mouse, and trooped up to the third floor of the other part of the hotel to try from the business center. No soap. It fact, it wasn’t even possible to connect my laptop to the Internet in the business center at all. I called tech support for the business center, but they didn’t have anything helpful to add.
So, I check with the front desk at the hotel (it’s now well past Midnight, Pacific time) and they suggest I try the FedEx Kinkos that about 2 miles from the hotel. I take a cab over there. The cabbie gives me his cell phone number as I’m getting out so I can call for a ride back and pulls away as I’m walking through the doors. I ask the clerk for directions to the laptop station and he says, “You’re welcome to try, but our Internet connection has been down since 4:00 PM this afternoon. Not just here, but everywhere in the company.” He’s right. No soap again. I try for several minutes. No soap. No connection. No uploads. It’s now about 1:45 AM Pacific, so I try calling the cabbie. I get a “this line is not in service” on the first attempt and a woman’s voice (voice mail, thankfully!) on the second.
Collecting my laptop and mouse, I begin the 2 mile walk back to the hotel. At 2:30 AM Pacific, I arrive, having walked through what turned out to be a really terrible neighborhood, but seeing only one other living soul, an older man trudging home carrying his lunch box. Needless to say, I’m praying the entire way and I’m ever so grateful to have made it back to the Palace Station safely.
At this point, I think maybe the Internet connection will work because the amount of traffic has to be somewhat lower this late at night. Nope. Same experience as noted above.
How does this tie in with Rodney’s presentation? Because in the middle, Frank Frederick was gracious enough to drive me back to the Kinkos where I finally was able to get online and deliver the audio. Late, but at least on the day it was needed. And truly, what a great guy Frank is. He’s one of the 3 folks putting this whole event on, and he takes the time to help me finish overcoming obstacles. I’m forever in his debt.
By the way, with thanks to Stephanie at Vox Daily for linking this in the first place, here is Rodney’s video that was part of his presentation during VOICE.
(edited to fix typos and to add video)
Interviewed, again.
The good folks at Lit Between the Ears, a blog about audio drama, have interviewed me. You can read the post here.
So far from my expectations…
A little earlier today I took part in my first training class with Nancy Wolfson. Part of this initial class was her evaluation of my main commercial demo. Now, first a little context.
Near the end of the teleseminar presented by Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino, a few weeks ago, Nancy was given a demo submitted by one of the participants of the teleseminar. She offered a live, no-holds-barred evaluation of the demo and it was very direct, very honest and (for the lady whose demo was featured) very tough to hear, I’m sure. Especially since the first, very direct, critique happened only 4 seconds into the demo playback.
So, I had prepared myself that I would likely have a similar experience today. We said hello and almost immediately got into the demo evaluation. I could hear over the phone line as Nancy started playing my demo. 4 seconds in and she hadn’t stopped for anything yet. 10 seconds. 20 seconds. 30 seconds. 50 seconds. 60 seconds and it had played all the way through, without stopping. Nancy’s exact words at this point?
“Wow!”
She played the demo a second time. Again, no stopping. Her exact words?
“Wow!”
So I said, “I hope that’s a good wow?”
“Yes! You have to promise me something.”
“OK.”
“Don’t spend a nickel fixing that demo.”
To say that I was amazed and stunned is a major understatement. Here I was, all keyed up for a severe time in the woodshed and instead, compliments. And from a teacher for whom I already had a huge amount of respect because of all the things that my friends Blaine Parker and Kristine Oller had told me about what an excellent teacher Nancy is. As I type this, I’m still tingling from the pleasant shock.
So that was the first 5 to 10 minutes of our 50 minutes. We then talked about some of my background and work. I told her about my excellent experiences with my current agents (The Talent Group in Pittsburgh and Cleveland) and eventually I asked Nancy about looking for additional agents as I search for more voiceover work. I told her how terrible I usually am on the phone and she said “Good, because that’s not what you want to be doing.”
She then told me that she never does this (Her words, “OK, actually I’ve done it once before.”) and then she emailed me an audition opportunity with an agency in Denver. Which I have, of course, already recorded, (carefully following the directions for slating, file naming and emailing) and have sent along to that agency. I may be a little slow at times, but I’m not stupid. When a rare opportunity pops into my pathway, I’m going to grab it and run with it. Which is just what I’ve done.
Now, does this mean I’ve arrived and I can just sit back and wait for people to pile sacks of money at my door? Of course not. But, in the last few years one of the key ingredients I’ve learned that we voiceover people need is confidence. The certainty that we can, in fact, deliver the goods when we’re called on to do so. Today’s experience with Nancy has given me a huge boost of confidence. Huge.
So, what does this mean for you? Well, I certainly can’t promise an identical experience in your first class with Nancy that I had. But, if you’re serious about pursuing voiceover work, I already believed that Nancy Wolfson is the person with whom you should study. And have written about that here before. Everything that happened today just reinforced that conviction. Here’s the single biggest reason: because Nancy isn’t just about teaching voiceover techniques, though you’ll get plenty of that. She takes an overarching approach to starting a voiceover business.
Then, it’s up to you. And yes, that means it’s up to me, too.
Don’t sweat the small stuff?
While this post at the American Small Business blog isn’t about voiceover, I think there’s a vitally important point to be drawn from it.
It’s extremely easy to imagine that little things aren’t important. Yet, as Jane’s post makes clear, often it’s the little things that influence how other people perceive us. And those perceptions have a powerful influence on whether or not we’re hired again.
My goal with every voiceover session I do is to leave my client deliriously happy with my work. No doubt, I miss that mark much of the time; but it’s still my goal. And as evidence that I don’t always miss the mark, a fair amount of the time, when someone casts me once they do so again.
For example, the very first real voiceover client I ever booked in 1983, still casts me for voiceover work. In that particular case, their business model has changed in the last 10 years, so we don’t do as much work together as we once did. But, I still get work from them every year. Several other clients go back more than 10 years as well. And I’m deeply grateful to every one of them. Of course, I’m equally grateful for even the newest clients.
Hopefully, every one receives the same level of care and attention and passion. That is always my aim. So, how are you “sweating the small stuff?” I’d love to read your comments.
Finding voiceover representation
If you’re relatively new to voiceover work, finding an agent is probably one of the things you believe you need to do. You’ll find some very helpful guidance at Vox Daily, the main voiceover blog from Voices.com as well as two very fine posts (one and two) at their voiceover advice blog called Ask the Voice Cat.
Read them all. They are well worth your time.
But, let me offer one note of caution. Hopefully not discouragement, just caution.
You must be able to actually deliver the level and quality of work that’s on your demos. If you’ve hired a demo producer who has helped you create a killer demo or two or twelve that all feature reads you can’t pull off for real in the studio, you could torpedo your career before it even gets going.
Yes, you want to put your best foot forward on your demos, but it has to be your best foot, not the genius of your producer and editor. A killer demo will help you find representation, but if you can’t deliver the goods from behind the mic, a killer demo could kill your reputation. You’ll lose the represenation you’ve worked so hard to find, and you’ll lose opportunities to work.
This, by the way, is why so many auditions are required now. Too many killer demos from too many people who can’t actually deliver the goods in the studio. Producers really don’t like unhappy surprises when they are burning money at a booked session.
Tell the truth. Show what you can do. But, don’t try to fake it. You will be found out.
As I’m typing this, I’m remembering something that happened quite back in the late 1980s. I had signed with an agent in Chicago and was starting to get cast fairly often for commercials and especially for narration work. A friend of mine was a pretty decent voiceover talent, but his demo was produced using a number of editing tricks to make his voice sound deeper than it really was.
One day, he asked me to take a copy of his demo to my agent. I told him that I would be happy to. I also told him that if he were ever hired for a session on the basis of that demo, the first time he asked the engineer to use the speed control on the tape machine to make his voice sound like it did on the demo, he’d be laughed out of the studio. He dropped the subject.
Standing in the spotlight
The weekend of August 15 and 16, 1997 was the time when my understanding of voiceover took a leap to a whole new level. I’ve written about this experience several times previously, just look at the History and People categories and you’ll find lots of posts about the International Radio Creative and Production Summit.
But this post is about something that happened at my 10th consecutive Summit, the one in 2006. The final session each year is called the Critique-A-Spot-A-Thon. Those of us foolish enough to subject our work to public examination turn in one promo or commercial we’ve written, produced or performed for a live, on-the-spot evaluation.
You hear each promo or commercial played, and it’s then followed by that evaluation; in front of everyone at the Summit. Sometimes nice things are said. Most of the time, it’s more painful than that. But, in every case it’s a fair and honest evaluation. And in every case, I’ve learned something valuable in the experience. This time I learned more than I usually do.
First, before you hear this audio, note that in general as each evaluation is given, you just stay in your seat and listen along with everyone else. If Dan has a question, he’ll ask you to respond; but most of the time you just listen to your spot, listen to the evalaution and then Dan moves on to the next one. Here’s what happened to me. You’ll hear my spot first, and then a few minutes what followed.
Summit 2006 with Dan O'Day and Bob Souer
I can’t think of a better illustration of what taking part in the Summit is like each year. Because while being called up to the mike like that doesn’t always happen, there are many opportunities to jump into the action.
As I’ve written each year since I started this blog, whether you are full time in voiceover, work at a radio station in production or just do a little of this kind of work on the side, you’ll gain a lot from attending the Summit.
For those who’ve made it all the way to the end of this post, Dan has a great deal for you. A special offer on the audio recordings from the 2006 Summit (14 hours of actual seminar time) and a bunch of extras that will make the purchase very much worth your while. You can download Dan’s PDF about this offer right here. But, the deal ends October 31, 2006.
Some thoughts about the "regular guy" voice
I’ve written previously about the trend in voiceover away from the traditional “announcer” style to a more “regular guy” sound; a trend that’s been going on for at least 10 years now. (Actually I think it’s more like 20 years. See my story in the following paragraphs.) David Houston, a very fine voiceover guy, has a somewhat different take at his blog. It’s well worth a few minutes of your time.
And while I’m thinking about this subject, a quick story:
I first ran into this “regular guy” phenomenon at a recording session in Chicago sometime in the mid-1980s. For some months back then, I’d been the voice for a continuing series of radio and television ads for a local clothing store chain.
So, I arrive for my next recording session and there’s another guy there, who is going to do some of the voice work this time. They have him record first and I think he sounds terrible. No smoothness to his delivery. His voice is kind of scratchy sounding. He doesn’t sound like a professional. In fact, he sounds like someone they just called in off the street.
When he’s finished, I go into the studio, feeling pretty full of myself. I rip through the copy, even getting a couple in just one take. When I’m done, they ask me to wait in the control room while they call the client to play the takes. The client decides the other guy’s reads are the ones they’re going with. Only one of mine is going to run.
Woosh! That was the sound of the air rushing out of my balloon. And, though it would take me a few years, it was also the start of my efforts to sound more like a real person and less like an “announcer.”
(post edited to correct typos)
Good reading at Slate.com (updated)
In March of 2005, Seth Stevenson wrote one of his Ad Report Card columns about the Voiceover business. It’s really good stuff, and if you haven’t read it, it’s well worth your time.
He makes several good points, each one valuable for all of us working in voiceover. But, I think his last one is especially spot on…
It’s still an inexact science. Ad agencies can serve up all the adjectives they want—wry, edgy, authoritative, sexy, textured, real. It’s still a know-it-when-you-hear-it kind of business.
He then provides this quote from Harlan Hogan’s book VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Artist as an illustration…
The voice for this spot should be younger, probably thirty-something. It should be honest and real and not too zany like a Steven Wright or Mark Fenske. If the voice were music it would sound more like the Dave Matthews Band or Bryan Ferry. Angie Harmon, formerly on Law and Order, would be a good start as a description for a female voice. Self-assured, with a brassy tone. George Clooney, if he could talk with more enthusiasm and speed, would be a good example of the quality we seek in a male voice.
Uh, huh. Could you be more specific?
(update: I found this article while reading the archives at the Voice-Over Bulletin Board.)
A rich mine of treasures
I wrote this past weekend about a note I had sent to Bonnie Gillespie, responding to her column about how sometimes bad news is really good news on hold. Bonnie writes a weekly column for Showfax.com called The Actors Voice. Bonnie is a casting director in Southern California and much of the time what she writes is specifically for actors living and working there in the film and television industry that’s centered in that part of the country. But, a great many of her comments apply to us in the voiceover world too.
Now, candidly, this post was sparked in large part because Bonnie provided a very nice comment and link pointing to this blog in the comments section (called Your Turn) at the bottom of today’s post. But, even if she hadn’t done so, I was going to write again about her column because as I’ve read through a good bit of her column archives, I’ve been hit between the eyes again and again. These are really valuable, and more importantly actionionable, suggestions and insights.
I’d like to offer you just one example, also linked from her comments section today. Read this column from earlier this year. When you’re done, come back here, OK?
Back? Good. Now, did you see how Bonnie drove her point home with the anecdotes about the two letters? One actor isn’t experiencing much success and the other is. The key difference? They both think they’re open to learn, but in truth, only one is. The secondary point? When we invest ourselves in others, we inevitably enrich ourselves in the process…and I don’t mean financially, or at least not just financially.
As I’ve written multiple times, and to further illustrate this second point, this is why there are links to other male voice-over artists here. In fact, if you count, there are more links to men than to women. And some of those links go to guys with voices that are pretty similar to mine. Guys who might be taking work away from me. Except, you see, they’re not. Everyone’s voice is distinct. When mine is exactly the right voice for the job, and I’m known to the people doing the casting, I get the job. Regardless of how many links I provide to other guys. And of course, if my voice isn’t right, I don’t. (And of course, if I’m not known to the people doing the casting, that’s my fault, not theirs.)
But, back to the primary point, about truly being open to learn. This means more than giving lip-service to learning. It means more than spending time and money taking classes, reading books, working on demos, etc. It means actually listening. It means living the conviction that there’s always something valuable to learn from any and every circumstance.
To further illustrate, I’ve attended The International Radio Creative and Production Summit every year since 1997. I vividly remember only two sessions that were not well liked by my fellow attendees.
One was a session on creating promos by Bobby Ocean, a session called Advanced Cat-Skinning. Bobby revealed some very specific techniques and ideas that he uses when he’s working on a station promo in this session. He did so while building a promo before our very ears (and eyes, since we were all in the conference room with him) and I think a lot of folks didn’t understand that he was showing us how he goes about solving challenges. It wasn’t about that specific promo, it was about the principles he was teaching us.
The second session was by Joe Sugarman, one of the most successful direct marketers in history. How successful? He lives in a custom home on Maui. During his session, he spoke about many of the techniques he had learned in 30 years of direct marketing about adapting and focusing the copy in his ads to make them more and more successful. Then, in the middle of his session, he demonstrated the very process about which he was talking, by selling us some of his products. That is, he refined his pitch, his offer, and his language as he was offering to us a chance to buy some of his books. As I watched this unfold, I could hear a kind of angry murmur start up among some of those around me, people taking offense at being pitched to buy some books in the middle of this guy’s presentation. What did I think? I thought, here’s a guy willing to sell me a significant part of his hard earned knowledge about how to write advertising copy more effectively, and he’s come down to $100.00. Are you kidding? I got out my checkbook and paid for the books on the spot. It was the cheapest price I’ve ever paid for such valuable information. (And, by the way, much of Joe’s wisdom is distilled in his book Triggers, available for much less than $100.00.)
Look, I’m not perfect at this either; but if we’re paying attention, the opportunities to learn, to grown, to become much more successful than we are, they’re all around us. They’re happening every day. And one of those opportunities is sitting right here on the Internet in the archives of The Actors Voice. Happy reading. (updated to correct verb/subject mismatch)
And Bonnie, thank you again for your kindness.
One of those turning points
After reading Bonnie Gillespie’s column about Actor Mind Taffy that I linked to in my last post, I clicked on the “main” link at the top of the page to see what she’s written most recently.
I hope you’ll read the whole thing, but here are the key thoughts:
My point: I think it is incredibly important to remember that there is some bad news that is really just good news deferred. [snip] However, you simply cannot know, ahead of time, what bad news is providing you an opportunity for good news. And if you need to know that sort of thing, this business is not going to be a good fit for you.
Reading those thoughts from Bonnie was the catalyst to get me thinking in a fresh way about one of those turning points in my own life. I’ve written previously about the role my friend Darren Eliker played in getting my voice-over career off the ground. But, what I thought about today was the way this story represents the very kind of paradox Bonnie wrote about.
Back at the start of 1996, I had been working for 10 years as the host of a nationally syndicated radio program. Then, my producer called to say I was being replaced by someone who was more of a name, more of a celebrity. At the time, that radio program wasn’t my only source of income, but it was a big chunk. And I had no idea how I would support my family without it.
But, 3 months later, a friend of mine (Darren Eliker) dropped of my demo tape with his agent. At that point, I’d been nibbling around the edges of voice-over work for a little over a decade, not doing all that much. The agent, however, heard something he liked and called me that same afternoon asking to meet with me. We met the day after next (a Friday) and I signed with his agency the Monday following. In less than a month I’d been cast as the the national TV and Radio announcer voice for the “84 Lumber” company. Other opportunities and jobs have followed (though I’m not working with 84 Lumber anymore) and all in all I’ve replaced the income from that syndicated radio job by several multiples every year since.
And of course, if I hadn’t been replaced on that radio show, I’d most likely have turned down the meeting with the agent because it took so much of my time I couldn’t have spared any to meet with him. Or go to any auditions, even if I had met with him. Ten years later, I can see very clearly how that bad news was really good news deferred.
By the way, I sent Bonnie an email thanking her for your column, detailing this story and letting her know that I would post these thoughts here.
A don’t miss interview
Joe Cipriano, as I’ve mentioned before is one of the major voice-over talents. If you’ve listened to network television anytime in the last 10 to 15 years, you’ve heard his voice at least hundreds, more likely thousands of times. He blogs here.
I met Joe in 1997 when he was on a panel discussion about working full time in voice-over at The Second Annual International Radio Creative and Production Summit. It was a panel featuring Joe, the late, great Danny Dark, John Leader and Bobby Ocean. An incredible time that’s available in Dan O’Day’s catalog. And speaking of John Leader, he’s part of this fabulous little video featuring Don LaFontaine and four other guys, including John.
Getting back to the point of this post, all four of the guys at the Summit (John, Danny, Bobby and Joe) were simply wonderful, very down-to-earth, and easy to talk with.
Which leads me to this
amazing audio file
hosted on Joe’s main web site, an hour of the Jim Bohannon show about the book Secrets of Voice-Over Success.
By the way, the best parts of the interview are the bits of “behind the scenes” stuff you hear while the network commercials are running. Not “G” rated, but very funny.
UPDATE: I neglected to mention thanks to my friend Charlie Glaize for emailing me the link to the audio file.
Talented people are often nice people, part 2
One of the nicest and most cheerful guys I know is Bob Holiday, a talented voice-over guy in Southern California.
I met Bob for the first time in 1997 or 1998 at either the first or second of the International Radio Creative and Production Summit seminars I attended. He and Blaine Parker work together. In fact they’re both terrific guys. I’ve just added Bob to my list of voice-over links on the left.