Happy Spring, Palm Sunday, Eastern Orthodox Lent, and Benito Suarez’s Birthday! Man, that’s a lot of celebratin’…
NEWS AND NOTES!
Thanks to everyone who attended my “Tax Time!” Edge Studio webinar last week. We had a big turnout and a lot of great ideas were exchanged.
One of the comic books I helped write, “Anne Manx: Birth of the Cat” is now on sale!!!
Go to Indy Planet’s website to order the print version. You can check out some free preview pages there. If you order it and like it, please write a review!
There have been a lot of polarizing subject matter hitting my inbox & Facebook news feed over the past few weeks involving the current state of the voiceover industry. The two big ones have been the never-ending “pay-to-play” argument, the other the tidal wave of aspiring talent crashing onto our shores.
A voice casting site recently announced a new system which offers $55 for a 30-second script. Needless to say, it caused a bit of a stir. I actually cancelled my membership to said casting site as a result. Also, some of my fellow talents have posted excerpts of correspondences with aspiring talent, some to great comedic effect. Just this weekend I was chatting with a musician who wants to get into the voiceover industry and claims to have mastery over 2,000 dialects. 2,000. Really? Really?
Some of my colleagues said “We have to DO something!”. Here’s the sad truth: there will always be bottom-feeders in every industry, up to and including ours and there is nothing you can do about it.
I think what rubs people the wrong way (myself included) is the reason so many people try to be a voice talent: they think it’s easy money. That in turn motivates unscrupulous entrepreneurs to build websites that cater to low-balling producers which attracts the type of talent who think it’s “easy money” but the $55 jobs are all they can get. It’s a vicious, vicious cycle that will not end any time soon.
TIP OF THE WEEK: If you are an aspiring talent or an experienced talent who is down on their luck, here is my advice to you. The difference between an amateur and a professional is that amateurs dream and professionals envision. Amateurs dream about being rich & famous. Professionals craft an action plan to increase their revenue & social media presence. Amateurs think it’s easy money because they have a nice voice and they think that’s all it takes. Professionals seek out quality training, coaching, seminars, conferences etc, in order to develop their technique and be a part of the community.
If you’re going to be a voice talent, either dive in or get out of the pool. By that I mean either learn to do it “right” or don’t do it at all. Hone your craft, go about your business ethically, contribute!
Oh, and those bottom-feeders and shady low-ball producers? Just ignore them. In the words of Brian Tracy, you can’t fly with the eagles if you keep scratching with the turkeys!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. Maya Angelou
STUFF!: Here’s a little something to help celebrate St. Patty’s Day. Enjoy!
From Tom Dheere’s apartment, this is Tom Dheere: GKN News…