Do You Believe In Magic?

Sometimes in this business (and yes it IS a business..more on that in a minute) you hear about/learn from some amazing talent. Bob Fraser is one of those people. Bob posts on several of the Voice Over groups I'm on, and a post this week really resonated with me.

Voice Over is work. It's what I do. It's my job. IT'S MY PASSION. It is NOT a "quick way to make a buck." I wanted to share this post as a reminder to those of us who are working at what we love, and as an eye-opener to those who think that Acting/VO are easy! (This is a long post, so grab a cup or glass of something, pull up a chair and read on)

Thanks Bob!

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Do You Believe In Magic?

There are basically two types of actors who read my stuff, study my computer-based programs, or come to my seminars:

Working pros who are looking for ways to improve their acting income, and newer performers who are anxious to start making money acting.

I think I attract those types of actors because they know that my entire focus is on the money-making part of being an actor.

The success part.

The show BUSINESS part.

As my pal, Charlie Holliday, loves to say, "They don't call it show art!" And I do my best to provide good information for actors who want to make money in show business.

But the fact of the matter is, I know the truth - and the truth is that the only actors who are really going to succeed in our business, are the ones who understand (probably before I launch into one of my rants) that they must take effective action, in order to see the fruition of their dreams.

Not to put too fine a point on things ...YOU HAVE TO WORK AT IT!

I'm sorry for yelling, but THAT is a good piece of information.

What brought on the yelling?

Well, as you have probably gathered, I am a well-known recluse. I like being at home with my family, my bird (Boyd), my books, and my computers. But in the last month or so, I've been going out to see a few plays and participate in a couple of 'panels' - at various actors' gatherings. I don't know why I get invited to these things, as I am clearly anti-social and pretty much the working definition of a hermit - but I do get invited and I go, with my adorable wife, who comes along to gently remind me to be nice.

Anyway, as a result of my recent forays into the real world, I have run into quite a few actors.

Now, while it is sorta nice to be recognized (if you could call it that) - "Oh you're that guy who writes on Now Casting. What's his name?" - the problem is that I meet far too many actors who sadden me.

There are a lot of actors out there who seem to befully invested in the belief that there is a one-step method to show business success.

"Can you introduce me to an agent who can help me? I'll thank you when I get my Oscar," is the most common conversational gambit. I try to point out that there is no golden ticket to get "in" - and that it's a waste of time to keep looking for one. But people don't listen. Frankly, it's frustrating to see our school system turning out so many educated people who still to believe in magic, wizards, lucky charms... and, just possibly, enchanted beans.

This adult belief in a magical solution is probably the main stumbling block for those actors who are having a hard time of things. Especially those who continue to insist that their careers will 'happen' -somehow - as long as they believe it will and continue to intone that plaintive (but clearly magical) incantation ... "I want to be a working actor, I want to be a working actor." Not to mention the poor unfortunates who go to endless parties and spew out the all too common - "I'm an actor... do you know any casting directors who will give me work? I know I can be a star, if someone would just give me a chance" - elevator speech.

Don't they know that while they are in that 'mode,' they're about as interesting as an Amway salesman at an orgy?

The part that saddens is that I am certain that these actors - the sort who believe that there must be a secret passageway that leads directly to the red carpet ... and all they have to do is find someone to give them the key - are going to suffer tons of frustration and disappointment - for a very long time.

AND they are leaving themselves wide-open to the early onset of bitterness - which is a kind of mental cancer. Believe me - eventually bitterness metastasizes into regret, grief, anger and depression.

My prescription?

Throw away your magic beans!

JUST. WORK. HARDER.

It's not a good plan to lollygag around, acting for free in theatre and student films - for years on end - hoping that the Wonderful Director of Oz will appear one day, in a sparkle of pixie dust, and discover you.

Spend a lot more time looking for a paycheck for your performing and a lot less time schmoozing with adults who believe in magical chants, secret handshakes, bewitching potions, enchanted headshots or Staples' Magic Button.

Please, oh please - do not continue to believe in fairy tales - because if you do ... you will not live happily ever after.

Which brings us to talent.

Oh, that word!

Shakespeare said, "Talent will out!"

But he didn't add "Talent will be well paid, respected and successful."

(Because Willie was a sharp cookie and knew better.)

Talent is a gift - and if you put it to use, it may pay the bills.

The critical phrase is ... "IF you put it to use."

Jennifer Hudson is a recent case in point.

Meteoric is a word they use.

Has she got talent? Yes, by the truckload.

But everyone is turning her bio into a Cinderella story, a fairy tale ... "first she lost on American Idol and all looked hopeless ... but then she got a lucky break and went on to win the Oscar."

The erroneous conclusion being drawn from Jennifer's story (and others like hers) is that her talent was 'discovered' and well rewarded ... and that ours will be 'discovered' and rewarded too.

But did you know that about four years ago Jennifer was working on a Disney cruise ship - in a big heavy costume with five-inch heels and tons of make-up - belting out Disney ditties for a paycheck?

The point is this:

If a tremendously talented future Oscar winner can 'go on the road,' working on a cruise ship to earn money with her talent ... oh, never mind - I'm sure you get the point.

Listen, after you throw away your magic beans, your next move is to stop wasting your time looking for a one step solution - and start looking for acting work that pays.

ANY acting work that pays.

That's the first step.

That's putting your talent to use.

Go on the road if you have to.

GO. GO. TO. WORK. FOR. MONEY.

And please don't invite me to anything ...I'm staying home this month.

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If I lived in L.A., I would take him out for a drink!

If you want to get more insights from Bob, subscribe to his newsletter: Show Biz How-To

So, what do you think?

Using the right words

When people first find out that I speak more than one language, I often get asked "Don't you get confused?"

It's as if the fact that I speak two languages is a hardship. Actually, quite the opposite is true. It's a gift. Having a second vocabulary opens up the world to me, it doesn't shrink it.

I admit, when I was a kid, I did sometimes mix my languages.
Notice I didn't say mix UP.
I combined them not, because I was confused, but because I was choosing just the right word that fit the meaning I wanted to convey. And sometimes that word happened to be in a different language than the one I started my sentence in!
Luckily, my parents pretty quickly made it clear: "Finish your sentence in the same language you started it in!" It was another exercise in finding the right word in the particular language I was speaking in.

Now, some languages are just more precise in certain concepts than others are. Take the Inuit who have over 200 words for our word "snow," describing all its different facets.

So what does this have to do with Voice Over?
A lot actually.
As a voice over artist, I work with words every day.
All types of words: silly words, sales words, medical words, technical words. They all convey a meaning.

My job is to bring that meaning to life.
As voice talent, we're not just reading, we're telling a story, and to do that well you need the right words.

This is not as obvious as it seems, especially when you're dealing with a script that was translated incorrectly.

I often record bilingual scripts - one version of the script in English, the second in French. Sometimes the translations leave something to be desired.

So here's my advise: If you need to have a script translated, use a professional translator.

Do not use "Sophie in HR" who happens speak French. Or "Maria in A/R" who happens to speak Spanish.

I speak French fluently, but when it comes to translations, if a client asks me for that service, I provide it by working closely with a professional translator to make sure that my client gets the best and most accurate script possible.

Yes, it makes my voicing of the script a lot easier.
But, more importantly, using the right words will make my client look and sound good to their clients. And happy clients are always a good thing!

100+ VO Resources!

As a Voice Talent, I'm always on the lookout for information and resources.

Well, the great gang at Voices.com just made that search a whole lot easier!

They just published a list of 100+ Industry Resources for Voice Over Talent, and I'm honored to be listed in their blog section!

Check it out. Bookmark the page! It's worth it!

My thanks to Stephanie Ciccarelli at Voices.com for this great list!

Voice Talent: What business are you in?

Think about that question for a minute.

It's not so obvious.
When I was "behind the glass" as an engineer/producer, the voice talent that I loved to work with the most were the ones that made my job easier!

They had talent, they knew what to do, and they were pleasant to work with.
They helped me do my job well, by doing their job well.
Now that I'm in front of the mic, I realize that my job is to make my client's job easier!

My friend, and amazing voice talent Bob Souer, has just written a great post about what business we are really in a voice talent. It's a must read!

Enjoy!

My "Elevator Demo"

We've all heard of the "Elevator Speech," right? Being able to tell someone what you do/sell yourself in :30 or less, basically in the time it takes to ride an elevator.

Well, when it comes to Voice Over, demos are already pretty short, and getting shorter. Anything much longer than :60 these days is considered "too long!" And people say that if you don't grab the listener in the first :10, they'll stop listening and go on to the next talent.

So my friend Philip Banks threw out a challenge to those of us on the VO-BB:

"Sell your voice in a 10 second demo.

Your sounds, your experience,

your reads, your personality in 10 seconds."

WOW! It was a challenge, and I had fun putting mine together.

Here is my contribution:

Liz's :10 Demo

Think about it. If you truly only had :10 to showcase what you do....could you? Give it a shot & let me know, I'd love to hear it!

Putting yourself out there!

My friend Bobbin Beam has a great post on her blog about the Art of Risk in being an actor.
It's absolutely worth the read!

As the cruise line commercial says, when you're an actor you need to "get out there!" no matter the risk! :-)

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2008 Voicey Awards!

Well, it was an honor just to be nominated!
Really it was!
I know that when you hear that, you're probably saying, "Yeah, sure!" but actually, even though I didn't win in my category, I was still really happy, and yes honored, to be considered!

And here's the thing, I was still able to let clients, prospective clients, colleagues and...ok, family ;-) know about the fact that I was in the finals. I got this great graphic to use as a promotional piece, and....there's always next year!

Frankly it was still a win for me!

As to who among my friends won:

Winner of Best New Voice - Jeffrey Kafer
Winner of Best Teen Voice - Jesse Springer
Winners Best Voice Team - Kara Edwards /Adam Fox
Winner Lifetime Achievement - Pat Fraley

Congratulations to all!

You can also go listen to the Voices Vox Talk Podcast of the announcement of all the winners!

Thanks to Stephanie Ciccarelli, and the entire Voices.com staff for all they do for the voiceover community & for putting together the Voiceys!

Searching for myself!

So....on his Blog today, my friend Peter O'Connell posted about "Google Placement" and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), all about our constant hopes of being on Page 1 of a Google search...or at least in the first 3 Pages.

So I went searching...for myself, so to speak!

Here is where I come up:

“French voice over” ranked #4! - THAT was a nice surprise!
“French voice talent ” ranked #6!
“Bilingual voice over” ranked #19 (page 2)
“French female voice over” ranked #69 (my TalentDatabase.com page)
“Female voice over” - I gave up looking for me! ;-)
“de Nesnera” ranked #2 (after my older brother - every "de Nesnera" is my family!)

So then I went looking for "Hire Liz" my website url...just to see, and came up #1 - not bad.

It was a worthwhile exercise...I'm doing well in some areas, and need to work on some others!

Then, when I was doing the "Hire Liz" search I happened upon another "Liz": Liz Stevens.
She's an illustrator, and I just love her style! I don't know her, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of her artwork!

So today I learned something about my placement in cyberspace and found some cool art!

Time well spent, I think! (Thanks for the push, Peter!)

Boys & Their Toys...aka: Gear Envy!

In the voiceover buisness there are the working actors (I'm lucky enough to be one of those!), and then there are the Super Stars! Don LaFontaine is one of those super stars. He also happens to be a really great guy!

When I attended the VOICE2007 voice over conference last year, "The Don" was a featured guest. During the Q&A session, I asked him how he kept fresh after the scores of sessions he voices every day. He said he loved the words, and loved what he does. - It really is a great way to spend your days! - He also stayed at the conference till every last person who wanted to
shake his hand & have their picture taken with him was able to do so!

I was recently directed to an article on Don's new VO studio. Yep, serious gear-envy! But what's interesting is that although he does have all the best bells & whistles (as he says, he can afford it!) he still records his voice "flat" letting his clients deal with any processing in post-production. It's still cool to see what the big-boys are playing with!

On a side note, Don had a health scare recently, so please keep him in your thoughts as he recovers.

My thanks to Eddie Eagle for the heads-up on the above referenced article.

What goes around, comes around

One of the best aspects of being a voiceover artist is that I get to work out of my own home studio, without anyone looking over my shoulder every minute, of every day.

One of the hardest aspects of being a voice over artist is that I work out of my own home studio, without anyone to talk to all day!

There's a reason we VO's joke about being a bit strange: we sit in our padded rooms, talking to ourselves all day!

But one of the most amazing aspects of being a voice over artist is the fact that I have been blessed to meet the most talented, funny and generous group of people on the planet, both in person and "virtually" online: other voiceover artists.

This business, like many others I suppose, is built on relationships. But, regardless of what outsiders or newcomers to voiceover may feel, there truly is no "competition" in this business. I don't sound like Moe Egan, or Mary McKitrick. Bob Souer doesn't sound like Jeffrey Kafer or David Monteath. Each of us is unique in our sound, our delivery and in the types of VO we are best suited for. If a client likes the way we sound we get hired. If we're not right, hopefully one of our friends is!

There's a real sense of community. A group whose members are happy help each other along the way, and who celebrate each others victories.

I have been happy to pass along job leads to friends and I have been lucky enough to have leads steered my way as well.

My father taught me a long time ago that when someone does you a favor, you may not always be able to "pay" that person back right away - or ever - but if you help someone else, the good just keeps on going. The ripple effect is real.

I'm thrilled to be a part of a community that lives this ideal, and doesn't just give it "lip-service!" (Pun intended!)

I'm on the latest episode of the "Voice Overs On Demand" podcast!

I was just interviewed on a great podcast:
"Voice Overs On Demand" with Terry Daniel & Trish Basanyi.

Check it out!
Voice Overs On Demand! - Episode 9

You can also download it from iTunes.

It was so much fun!
We talked about my background and marketing and....well, GO LISTEN!

(It runs about 30 minutes)

Enjoy!

Be yourself, not someone else!

This will be quick, but (I think) profound.
The classic: "It may be simple but it's not easy"

My friend and FABULOUS British voice talent Philip Banks just posted this very "simple" admonition to all of us VO's out there, and which works for any entrepreneur:

"Do you know the name of the man who provides the voice for most film trailers? It's Don La Fontaine; there are a few other men doing the same job. Ashton Smith, Hal Douglas and Nick Tate to name three. Between them they account for about $12,000,000 in fee income. Call any agent in New York or Los Angeles and they've got "that sound" covered. What are most of the male voice in the USA trying to sell? The same sound, the same voice; their USP ......Me too! How far do you think it gets them? On a few web sites frequented by Voice Overs I posted this .......ME2 . My point is a fairly simple one but so few seem to want to take it on board.Is your business just a clone of another business set up by you in the hope of getting a share of the market? Wouldn't it be easier to sell YOU?"

Your story is unique: tell it! Works for me! (Thanks Philip!)

On the road to success

When I started down the road to becoming a full time voice over talent, there was a lot to learn. Not the least of which was how to run my own business and all that that entails. I'm still learning new skills as I go along - blogging for instance! - and enjoying the process.

While many of you on the VO Blog circuit have probably seen my friend Mary McKitrick's great post on setting rates, I think it's worth reading again...and again...and again! Her followup on perceived value in voice over is also a must read.

As entrepreneurs, because yes, that's what we are, it is our responsibility to value ourselves and our talent. That confidence will be reflected in how we interact with clients, who we can then turn into raving fans! And if certain people don't see your value, move on.

As one of my mentors, Barbara Winter, once told me "Make it your goal to only work with the willing."