Message to up-and-comers...

[Colin Campbell]

I feel a little weird starting a new thread here, but Julie seems to welcome my participation.

Something I've been thinking about for a long time, about two years. More for the "up-and-comers."

There is one key ingredient to success in this business. (OK, there is the "talent" thing too but I digress.) Bob Bergen mentions this often. I've seen many talented people fail to grasp it.

NEVER GIVE UP.

You have to WANT IT and WANT IT BAD. It's slow progress. Read about Bob's story. He wanted to do voice since he was a little kid and he NEVER GAVE UP.

I wanted on radio when I was 5. Well, in today's climate that translates into voice-over. But voice is a different beast than radio. One has to "act." That is the toughest part I've had to deal with making the transition.

I can't express enough what Bob Bergen always talks about. You have to WANT IT BAD AND NEVER GIVE UP. If you're "playing around" with the idea, can't invest much time or money then just stop right now. The money side can be mitigated but the determination side cannot. You have to think about success every waking moment of every day. You have to super-serve any clients you do have. You have to trust that they'll pay the bill. Use your gut as to whether you take the job. Constantly find ways to put yourself in front of clients. Everyone has different ways of doing that. I am not a huge marketer myself but I am really good at "word of mouth" (pun not intended) advertising. It's slow and probably not very efficient but that along with continuous auditions has gotten me to a middle ground. Not a life sustaining income YET, but I'm getting closer with each passing month. The thrill of checks in the mailbox with frequency for doing something I love is an experience I can't even describe.

Sorry for the dissertation.

Your friendly Savvy refugee... Colin.

[David Love]

"not a life sustaining income yet" ? You have one of the best voices in the business - you are an icon! How long have you been doing this?

Good God man - is this what we have to look forward to?

[Colin Campbell]

I'm laughing so hard. My quick story. I'm a radio guy. I've got the tech down. I've got the "hey here's the Beatles" announcer down. That doesn't get it in VO. I started transitioning into VO two and a half years ago. I just as well could have been a "newbie." It's humbling. 30 years in front of a mic and all of a sudden you have to be a voice 'ACTOR." It's different. But, I'm gettin' it.

Just when did I become an "icon?"

[jsgilbert]

The nicest thing about banging your head against the wall is stopping.

There is something to be said for perseverence and also something to be said for having the common sense to know when enough is enough.

98% of all of those calling themselves voice actors will fail to earn $5,000. I am certain that many of them are determined and optimistic.

And many of them will probably file bankruptcy at some point in their lives.

I'm just presenting another side of the coin. Don't hateme, becuase I don't make the rules.

[David Love]

Originally Posted by jsgilbert

98% of all of those calling themselves voice actors will fail to earn $5,000.

I don't believe that for a second.
Are you generalizing to make the point or do you have a source for that statistic?

[Colin Campbell]

Originally Posted by David Love

I don't believe that for a second.
Are you generalizing to make the point or do you have a source for that statistic?

Well, if it's true, I am in the 2% group. I honestly don't think I am special enough to be in an exclusive group of only 2%.

[Diane Havens]

Now, now, JS. I've read you saying this many times. I'm inclined to believe you. But try to say it in a more POSITIVE way, please! Feelings, ya know.

Maybe there are some who only WANT to earn less than $5,000. They could have other sources of income. Probably more than half the people on these voice sites have other jobs, right? Maybe they aspire to do VO full time, exclusively, or maybe they don't. They are certainly filling a need, even if they only make a few hundred a year -- making what could be, even for that modest amount, near a dozen seekers HAPPY. Not to mention voice site owners. To paraphrase, "when mama is happy, everybody's happy," eh? And isn't that what it's all about?

Everyone will find their own way. Success is defined differently by different people. And money is only one measure of success.

[Jon Morss]

Colin - Great message. For me, your message is spot on.

I think I have made my position clear on this (good,bad or indifferent), but I have to say that its great that JS is willing to offer the darker and more realistic side of things. With any endeavor, there is always a risk both mentally and monetarily. Just look at how far in debt people go in to just to get an education from a top school. Does that guarantee them a job in the future? Heck no! Do people still do it. Yep! And, as far as VO is concerned, I've heard of folks who have spent $10K plus on VO training and have only landed maybe 1 gig worth $1K or less. Should they give up? That's up to them. But, imagine where we would be if Thomas Edison,The Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, Bob Bergen, Mel Blanc, Daws Butler or anyone in the past that have created great things for the entire world gave up when things got tough or just because they had more failures than successes. They knew what they wanted to accomplish and kept their thoughts on that and did not dwell on the negative side of things They knew, anything that is worth having is worth fighting for and kept at it until success was the only option. But, it has to be a well thought out fight. I think the point that JS is making is maybe that folks should have a game plan in place before they get themselves in trouble and I think this is great advice. The old "look before you leap" concept. JS has many years in the business and I would imagine he has seen plenty of the good and bad with VO, so I really appreciate his input.

The way I look at things now is that I don't have any failures, I just have results. If the results are not what I am looking for or are not in line with what my goals are, then I make a change and try for different results. If I'm not booking, then I look for ways to adjust my reads, my voice, my interp and so on until something works I am willing to do what I need to do to succeed, but I will not let it destroy my life in the process. I just enjoy the process and keep on pushing on. Also, I think a bit of common sense is handy as well. Thanks Anthony Robbins and Rodney Saulsberry.

[John Bigl]

its okay to be told unvarnished truths about the VO biz.. i'm glad they're expressed by folks like JS et al ... they tread heavily but they speak the truth..

VO is a part time thing for me.. my full time work pays for the voice lessons, the acting lessons, up coming web site, biz cards, letterheads, envelopes etc..
my full time work has hit a slump these past couple months.. good thing my sweetie has the full time steady job w/ bennies allowing me to do some VO practice, honey-do lists, and maintaining my reputation of being a kept man..

[Diane Havens]

Absolutely, Jon. Well said. Make goals, and measure your success against your own criteria, not some one else's. Be realistic, know your strengths, and nurture your niche.

Above all, love what you do -- a lot. Love, though it may not conquer all, conquers much.