This time I need YOUR help!!

[Bob Bergen]

Hey Jodi!

Well, it's a slow process...for many reasons. First off, I've been really busy! Travel with my weekend workshops, lots of VO work (Thank God!), my one man show (coming to NYC next April!!), etc.

Plus......I still have no publisher. My lit agent is working on it! But it's a VERY niche book. And most publishers just don't get the whole agent/VO thing.

But it'll happen eventually! ;-)

I CAN help with your ,"How do you know you are ready?" question.

When you stop asking, "Am I ready?" you will be ready. It's that simple. It's the purest confidence that you absolutely KNOW you can be handed any piece of copy and give it a competitive read, while adding that little "something" that only you can bring to your work..which is YOU.

Agents have no need for another voice. They have all the voices they will ever need. What they DO need is you. No one represents you. The reason most people get turned down by agents (OOOO-and here is free agent advice from the book, confirmed by over 25 interviewed agents!!) is they submit a demo that doesn't reflect the actor's individual personality and style. It's just another voice reading copy. It's a formulaic demo. It's another been there/done that/same ol cookie cutter demo that gets tossed into the reject pile.

Ya get one shot per listener! Better make it count!!!!!! And you have to grab em in the first 4 seconds!

Even good actors who have studied VO for years make these "passed on" demos. Many demo producers don't take the time to showcase the actor's individuality. And many will do a demo for anyone with a checkbook. HUGE mistake! For all involved! If an actor can't live up to their demo, it reflects on the producer as well. Think an agent will recommend a producer who will do a demo for just anyone??

Now-going back to how one knows they are ready. If your doubts are, "Will I get work??" Well, unless you are psychic, no one can really know if they will get work. I have NO idea what work I have beyond what I have scheduled right now.

Hey-that's show biz!

But I know I'm competitive enough to get work. And I know that I'll have no problem making the copy my own.

Celebs walk into a VO session knowing they are there because of who they are. They present themselves with a confidence where they have no concerns with , "Am I what the buyers want??" Most VO actors attempt to be what they think the buyers want..rather than be themselves thereby talking the buyer into wanting them.

If the non celeb approached their VO career with the same confidence as the celebs do, they'd get more work.

Ya have to make the copy yours. If you can do that without having to spend a ton of time prepping, you are ready!

If not?? What's the rush??? VO ain't going anywhere! Get to that confident/I can do anything point.

Then knock em dead!

BB

[Whitley]

Bob, I hope you don't mind, but I'm copying and pasting what you just wrote. WOW! That's a great reminder to all of us!

I just made the transition from radio (20 plus years) to voice over exclusively. I have a sound, but I'm not as confident with it yet as I was in the control room. I stood in the control room and I OWNED IT! Now that I'm in voice over, I'm a bit pensive (and I hate that!). Same mic. Heck, I'm even in my home!!! LOL! I need to own this too. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. You hit home...wow, did you hit home!

[Jodi Krangle]

Very good points, all, Bob. Thanks SO much for taking the time to answer in such a detailed fashion. I was at Debbie Monro's weekend workshop here in Toronto at the end of May and she said much the same thing (which isn't surprising, since you've worked with her a lot, right?). I *do* think I have a commercial demo now that reflects my personality. Do I have the confidence to make copy my own when it's handed to me? Well. It's not quite as unconscious as I'd like it to be. I *can* do it. But it's not without conscious thought - not automatic as clockwork or anything. That's what comes with experience, I'm supposing. The more copy I'm handed, the better I'll get. I'm a Premium subscriber over at Voices.com and I regularly audition for things, so that keeps me practicing. And I've been working on various demos for different niches too. I now have a voice mail demo and a radio imaging demo. (I really feel confident about *both* those niches, actually.)

I'll keep on working and networking and finding whatever I can on my own ... and when I no longer have to ask the question, I'll go looking for an agent. :)

In the meantime, please do keep us posted on the release of your book! It's really fantastic that you're so busy. And best of luck with the one man show! If you ever have any plans to take it to Canada, let me know.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer, Bob.

All the best,

--Jodi

[Bob Bergen]

My pleasure!!!

And it sounds like you are doing everything right! Just keep it up!!! From VO workshops, to acting class, to improv, do it all!!! Want it more than anyone else! Work harder!!!!!! And have fun!!!

Deb rocks!!! I'm teaching with her next year of a cruise from Vancouver to LA. Commercial and cartoon VO workshops! Plus, if all goes as planned, I'll be doing my one man show!

Plus, all you can eat buffets! What else does a starving actor need??!!

;-)

[Jodi Krangle]

Thanks for the encouragement, Bob. :) I am definitely working hard - and having more fun at this than I've had at pretty much anything in my entire life - which tells me I'm in the right profession.

As for your cruise, yes, I'd heard about that. I'd *love* to go ... but it's kind of the same thing as with Voice 2008. Money issue. Just starting out, there isn't all that much extra for "working holidays" like that. And my husband's indulgence only stretches so far at this point. (I don't blame him at all.) There's also no indication of how much the cruise actually *costs* - in total. I've looked on Deb's site and can't seem to locate that? I can see how much the *deposit* is ... And of course, there's airfare from Toronto to Vancouver ... So yeah, it gets a bit pricey to think about these things. Especially now with the airfares as high as they are (almost the cost of the ticket in other taxes, tacked on! Ack!)

But one day ... For now, I just need to get more work.

[AceTachyon]

I'd buy the book. Put me on the list.