So this winter, I’m having lunch in Miami with Doug Turkel and we’re talking about voice over and also about the half dozen or so supermodels who are walking behind me and our sidewalk lunch table. I first realize there is this parade of supermodels because Doug was looking right past me as we spoke and his head was repeatedly turning slowly from left to right with his eyes bugging WAY out and some spit drooling off the side of his mouth.

I thought it might be a small stroke of some kind. Or maybe he’d seen Santa Claus, the reindeer AND the sleigh.

But no, it was just Miami supermodels.

So our conversation continued.

We talked about the blog posts I’d just started, 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Talent, which people in the voiceover world seemed to be enjoying. I asked him where HIS submission was and he said, “Funny you should ask…” wherein he went on to tell me about a free e-book he was writing which was similar and yet not so much to 5Q:VO.

That book, released today, is titled: Voices of Experience – Pro Voiceover Talent Share the Wisdom of Their Success.

There are two amazing things about the book (which really isn’t similar to 5Q:VO because both are as unique as their shared voices)

1. Doug took the time to connect with the all these amazing voice talents and garner really great stories and insights unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The e-book weaves this wonderful voice over painting that will easily impact readers new to VO as well as those of us who are a little longer in the voice-over tooth (as it were). The content is amazing, the format is lovely and the affect on readers active in our industry will be long lasting.

2. There is no truly good business reason for Doug to do this book and certainly no logical reason to make it free. But he did it anyway. The talents featured were handled professionally so they knew their stories would be in good hands and because of that, readers are taken on a magic ride through the professional experiences of the voices most voice-over talents strive to be but cannot. We can learn from them, though.

Wednesday night, I grabbed the mane of the social media merry-go-round and opined: “Something very big is about to be unleashed on the VO world (and not by me). #voiceover talents will LOVE it. Stay tuned.”

Voice of Experience IS that big thing. No get rich quick schemes, no train to be a voice over in a weekend, just insights to allow the reader to interpret the stories however they like.

And I think they will like it quite a lot.

I’ve added it to my free e-book section on this blog and I will direct anyone who asks about getting started to read it as well.

Thank you, my friend (“the author”), for lunch and the supermodels but mostly for the book.

Tags: commentary, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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This arrived in my email today from my teacher, Marice Tobias. I like her style for many reasons but to follow is a prime example.

The LA Times article that ran May 7, 2012 is the perfect springboard for this installment.

When Joe Flint asked to interview me, I asked if he wanted to write the same article others had written or would he like to write the one that no one has? He said he wanted the former but had to submit several angles to his editor. As we saw, it ran with the celeb angle and that work-a-day actors resent them getting so much work. Truth be told, those who are so inclined, resent anyone getting any work they aren’t getting, so celebs have plenty of company there. In any case, here’s the article I wish someone would write someday:

“Voiceover, The Most Underestimated Career in Show Biz”

It’s been called the Best Job in the World and when all the planets align, those who upon whom the Voiceover Gods smile are happy campers. But, for most, that alignment is like catching lightening in a bottle and the day-to -day getting in and then staying in is like scaling the Washington Monument with Vaseline on your fingertips.

It’s not necessarily for lack of talent or drive but for the sheer numbers, the elusiveness of the work and the shifting tide of pop culture that renders Today obsolete with the click of keystroke.

Shared in one of our seminars by a successful talent who did his research, this statistic is sobering:

On any given day, there are 1.3 million people pursuing voiceover work. One point three million.

Even if we eliminate less than stellar candidates, the amount of talent available outnumbers the amount of work a thousand fold, and the ability to build and maintain a healthy career becomes more challenging every day.

Despite this reality, the training ground is a virtual border town, glutted with shingles luring prospectors to pan the gold of hitting it big with a minimum investment of time, money and due diligence. There are almost as many land offices as there are prospectors, many with less interest in someone striking gold as they are in getting their filing fees.

Then there is the elusiveness of the work. While many jobs can be pursued on one’s own, the preferred avenue for the richest veins is via representation.

The ante on representation is higher than ever before. The gamble is higher, the turnaround time shorter and the number of people seeking representation vs. how few of them there are, make them as sought after as the work.

Gone are the days of putting an ok demo together, meeting with an agent and being signed on the spot. Today, you have to already be awesome, have recognizable credits, be willing to date before you marry and share the spoils of current strikes before you get access to the mother-lode.

Do not expect to get anywhere with generic materials, standard reads or being a canvas upon which clients can paint. And, it’s at least a five year minimum build to a solid career, so don’t give up your day job until it’s totally in the way.

Finally, there’s the need to know and embrace The Landscape of Pop Culture and Social Media.

When Bob Lloyd, the original Voicecaster suggested I have “my own thing” I was surprised. “But Bob, there are at least 10 workshops in town already.” (There are now over 100 in every market and zillions on the web) “True” he said, “but nothing for the working pro. Some people are still doing the same read they did when they got into the business.”

“Why not”?

“They don’t want to hurt feelings and/or risk losing them.”

There’s always a way to say something in the spirit of enhancement and encouragement, so here’s mine:

Stay current to remain relevant. Do your homework. Watch, listen and understand the Cultural Conversation. It’s why Betty White is still cool and why so many of her contemporaries are warming webbed chairs on the porch.

The Game has changed and the Rules have been re-written. It doesn’t matter if how it was seems to be better than how it is. Making it wrong doesn’t make you right- it makes you irrelevant.

PS: The rest of what I said about celebs in the interview is that each has a distinctive personae that gives products, ideas or services a place to live, there are a lot more celebs/people in the public eye that ever before, there’s no longer a stigma to voicing commercials and star voices in an animated film give the producers something to put on the marquee.

You don’t have to be a star for people to think you are one. You just have to have something unique, special or different enough for them to think you are.

To Be Continued.

Tags: commentary, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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You would think with the lack of “audio’connell in….” posts in the past few months that I hadn’t been traveling or hadn’t spent a moment with some of my VO friends on my travels. Well as my frequently flyer miles will attest, you would be wrong in that assumption.

The truth is I forgot my camera or left it in the car. I rectified that tonight.

I got to have dinner with Charleston, West Virginia’s top voice talent Amie Breedlove tonight, enjoying time with her, her husband Bobby and their two dogs. I got to see her studio, discuss some renovations she’s planning there and listen to parts of her new commercial demo she’s producing (which is going to sound awesome).

The nice thing I learned about the Breedloves is how passionate they are about the city of Charleston, WV when it seems in many ways the city has given up on itself by most outward appearances. It’s a state capitol that, based on it immediate urban blight and poor city planning has very much given up on itself in spite of its many positive attributes.

But Amie and Bobby haven’t given up on Charleston and are quick to point out the many great things the city has to offer. They are true ambassadors of this area and the Chamber of Commerce would be wise to take note of their insights.

A great time had by all. Thanks so very much.

Tags: voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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There are so many topics that I should be covering on this blog post but I am bogged down with business and life. As an example, the following news is weeks old but I didn’t want to just ignore it because of MY tardiness.

Terry Daniel and Trish Basanyi are bringing ‘back’ the “The Voice Over Cafe” podcast. In a previous incarnation, the pair produced 20 episode “Voice Overs on Demand” and this new version mixes some of the segments from that show with new ideas for the Cafe.

These are two folks who respect the voice-over profession and it shows in the production and its vibe. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Tags: commentary, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I always enjoy sharing projects featuring my voice-over pals and this video featuring the voice talents of DB Cooper is a very worthwhile watch.

Tags: video, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I’ve held on to a blog post from “Not Just Voiceover”, produced by my voiceover friend James Lorenz, since mid-March because I just wasn’t sure what to do with it…but I knew there was “something” there. The post noted:

Actor-singer Zac Efron, who is part of the animated movie ” The Lorax”, says giving voice-over for the film was not what he had expected.

The actor plays the lead protagonist Ted and admits putting his voice down for the part was not what he had expected, reported contactmusic.com.

“It was kind of weird. It was not what I expected. Luckily, I found out we got to record before it was animated, so we didn’t have to fit our lips into their mouths, which I always wondered if people had to do or not.

An “actor” who doesn’t understand voice acting? “Fit our lips into their mouths,” said Efron. Surely, that was a joke, right?

But why was Zac Efron (or Taylor Swift for that matter) the right voice for the movie? I kinda wonder, but do not know, if the casting was more about star power than voice acting skills.

Certainly, my opinion is tainted because this is my business. Further, in fairness, I’ve not seen the movie and maybe the performances by the two young performers were amazing. And movies are a business, not an acting showcase – stars do sell tickets.

But is it right? The answer is, I think, it doesn’t matter because the celebrity voiceover situation is unlikely to change.

But then I came across this AMAZING interview with the great voice actor Billy West produced by Dan Roberts.

There is so much great stuff here but West talking about celebrity voice over made me feel better and not so alone in my opinion.

What do you think?

Tags: character voices, commentary, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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