Maxine Dunn- voice-over artist and on-camera spokesperson

Today I came across an article by Maxine Dunn regarding cold calling that I think is worth your time to read (thanks to Perry Norton for the link).

The only addendum I would add is that more valuable than a cold call is a warm call – having sent some correspondence to your prospect 2-3 days prior and then calling them up.

But in either case, the most important outcome is to get on the phone. Thanks Maxine.

Tags: commentary, marketing, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice // Comments Off on anatomy of a successful cold call by maxine dunn

David Ciccarelli from Voices.com sent along to me a summary of his company’s past year in business, including how many voice over jobs were awarded, average payments, highest payments and total voice over earnings for voice talent who secured business all through Voices.com.

A couple of disclaimers here: I consider David and his wife Stephanie to be my friends and that both are highly ethical in their company’s operations. I trust what they say to be true and I think they run an above board operation. I have said in the past that if I subscribed to any pay to play (P2P) service, I would immediately subscribe to Voices.com based on their credibility alone. I respect the owners and their company.

I am not a paying member of Voices.com. I do have a free profile page. There is another service in the P2P industry where I had a free listing but I had it removed because I believed that group’s credibility to be so suspect that I didn’t want my name or brand associated with them in any manner. And there are other companies in this category whose reputation also precedes them and also not in a good way.

In short, the “pay to play” voice over business model does not work for me. I don’t believe or financially support any service in which voice talent “pays to play” i.e. pays a subscription to receive auditions. I believe such services lower the rate expectations of potential clients because so many voice talents who swim in the pay to play pool low ball their rates out of what I feel is a kind of sad desperation for revenue of any kind.

The pay to play model negatively impacts the voice over business and its practitioners, in my opinion.

While each individual has the right to run their business has they see fit (even or especially in desperate times), that low balling adversely affects my business and is degrading to my industry. I choose to play elsewhere.

The results of the Voices.com survey are:

• $39,290,580 in Total Earnings by Voice Talent at Voices.com
• 155,915 Voice Over Jobs – This figure represents the total number of public, private and direct message job opportunities that have been awarded to voice talent at Voices.com.
• The Highest Paying Voice Over Job awarded via Voices.com that the company is aware of was $37,000
• $252.97 Average Payment for a Voice Over Job (among all possible VO job categories): David noted that projects posted at Voices.com range between $100 and $500, thus resulting in average payments of $252.97.

This last figure illustrates my point better than anything else I might say regarding how ALL pay to play services lower the rate expectations of potential clients. I also have a sense that at other services, that average fee might even be lower.

Taking the Voices.com figure ($252.97) though, as a P2P industry average – that figure, I believe, doesn’t reflect what the voice over customer market “dictates”.

I believe it reflects what the voice over customer market “can get away with” with the help of the pay to play (P2P) business model.

There is no filter of voice over quality or talent abilities within the P2P model – legally I don’t think there can be and as a business model I don’t know why the P2P owners would want there to be. Anyone can sign up, pay the subscription fee and audition with P2P companies. It’s assumed that if someone has no talent, that fact will be reflected in their audition submissions and therefore the talentless won’t get the work (survival of the fittest).

But the nasty truth is, regardless of any supposed audition filter or cut off limit a P2P service may ascribe to, the sheer volume of auditions combined with lower average quality of the combined auditioners (note: they ARE talented and highly compensated voice talents in the P2P mix…somewhere…I guess) means that all the power is in the client’s hands – they can smell the desperation in the auditioning herd and they capitalize on it…to the detriment of the voice over industry as a whole.

Think about not just the local or regional radio commercialsâ…but the 10-20 minute narrations, e-learning projects, sales and marketing videos. These long form pieces are a vital part of the industry. Take a minute to do some average calculations on what those fees should be in addition to the local and regional spots.

Then add national commercials, TV promos, radio imaging fees, bigger message on hold projects.

By my calculations, $252.97 is well below what I would expect an overall average fee to be. And for those who would say that’s on par with “my” fee structure or that “I’d” be lucky to get that for a fee, I guess I’d ask you to take a long hard look at your business model. And even dare to say – self worth as a voice over talent.

To mis-quote the old hair commercial, I’d say, “You’re ‘not’ worth it. You’re worth more.”

And for those who’d say it’s none of my damn business – I’d say on that count, you’re probably right. We all have to choose our own paths and mine may not be right for you.

Tags: voice 123, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voices.com // 20 Comments »

Here’s a scenario: you get a call from a commercial client and it’s a rush deal, they need the spot done yesterday. You will have very little time to digest the copy before you have to record it and send it back. What are you going to do?

For many folks, they will scan the script and hit record. After all, the client needs it NOW and they are in panic mode, not quality mode so it won’t reflect on you if the read isn’t perfect.

Stop. Don’t do it. Back away from the script and the microphone. Breath.

You can still get the spot done quickly but also get it done right.

Step 1. Grab a pen or pencil

Step 2. Read silently. Mouth CLOSED, no lip movement. Read only with your eyes…don’t speak a word of that script….not one word.

“What?! That’s crazy, I need to practice how this will sound!!!!”

I told you to be quiet when you read the script for a reason. You need to dissect the script as you read.

So read this :30 second script 3 times – this will take you about 2:30 all totaled.

On the 1st read: Read for comprehension – this is vital. VITAL! You need to grasp the copy writer’s intent going beyond script direction (cause often you won’t even get that!) Are they going for humor? Drama? Silly Sublime? Are you a character or just an announcer? What kind of character or announcer? What kind of sell are they going for? Knocking them in the head with a sledge hammer kind of sell (“Sunday! SUNday! SUNDAY!!!”). Is it a scare tactic script (“is your computer data backed up or could you lose it all with one power surge?!”). All these things and more you need to be able to identify after the first read through. Take/make notes on your script.

On the 2nd read: Is there a change in tone or intensity from one part of the script to the next? Does it start softly and build in intensity? Is it suble all the way through? Is it hard sell all the way through? Where is the critical sales message (you likely found that in the first pass but you should confirm your assumption here).

One the 3rd read: Start reading the script out loud, making your announcer marks as you go. Check the copy for time (notice – this is NOT something I advise in the first two read throughs – to do it earlier would take your mind away from critical interpretation notes.) Now your natural voice over abilities and acting talents can take shape and make the script your own.

By now you understand the script a lot more than you would if you just started reading. You’ll have a better chance of properly conveying the message the client needs the listener to hear. You’ll have a comfort level with the copy, intent, sales message and pacing of the script so that not only will you cognitively understand the script, your mouth will have wrapped itself around the words and give you a better shot of cutting the spot in a shorter amount of time…maybe even in one take.

Tags: commentary, voice over workshop // 6 Comments »

I’ve been a bit lax in my logo reviews of late (and I know you find this upsetting) so here’s a very cool update for those of you of the golf persuasion (like me).

The Ryder Cup is a long standing bi annual golf tournament featuring the top golfers from the United States versus the top players from Europe. Its a long weekend full of some great golf.

And there may be no sport more dependent on logos given all the golf shirts and baseball caps sporting thousands of golf related logos. The Ryder Cup really is the sport’s Oscars and this updated tournament logo fits that bill perfectly.

I really enjoy the tournament and I think this new logo is a home run. But I’d love to get your impression as well. Are you more fond or not so fond of it?

Tags: branding, commentary, logo design, marketing // 2 Comments »

Sure, you can register for Faffcon AFTER tomorrow (Monday, January 31, 2011) but it will cost you more.

So if you are thinking of going…today or tomorrow would be the time to register.

And courtesy of public relations manager for Faffcon and lovely voice talent Pam Tierney, the news for Faffcon 2 is especially good with registration up 30% over the first Faffcon.

Need to know more? Here’s the full press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Registration Up 30% for 2nd FaffCon Voiceover Unconference

(Los Angeles, CA January 31, 2011) With 4 weeks to go until FaffCon 2, registration for the unconference for working voice over artists has risen 30% over last September’s inaugural event. Participants from 19 states, the District of Columbia and Canada will be attending the February 25th-27th unconference to be held at the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel in Atlanta, GA.

With a focus on performance, business and marketing, and technology, FaffCon follows a highly-interactive, peer-to-peer learning format. Previous session topics have included performance techniques, setting up and troubleshooting home recording studios, and finding new business.

Presenting sponsor Voicebank.net is once again on board. Voicebank’s VP Stewart Wilson-Turner says “one of the primary reasons Voicebank chose to partner with FaffCon was its demonstration of professionalism and genuine effort and desire to promote constructive dialogue amongst working voice over artists in the industry.”

One of FaffCon’s missions is to leave a positive footprint in each of its host cities by making a donation to a local communication-related non-profit. FaffCon’s organizer, voice over talent Amy Snively, selected Everybody Wins Atlanta as FaffCon 2’s charity partner. “As Voice Artists, literacy is extremely important to us,” Snively says. “Partnering with Everybody Wins Atlanta and their mission to get kids reading, and loving it, is a logical extension of that priority.” A portion of each FaffCon registration fee will be donated to EWA.

Space is still available for FaffCon 2: Electric Boogaloo with regular registration open until 1/31/11. There is limited availability for the Friday Fieldtrip, a VIP tour of the CNN Center and dinner at Max Lager’s with stand-up comic Mrs Hughes performing a live set. Dinner only tickets are also available.

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FaffCon is a participant driven peer to peer event for working Voice Over professionals. It is an open space unconference revolving around a dynamically generated agenda to share tips, generate ideas and have fun. Unconferences are an emerging way to meet fellow professionals to share ideas and problem solve with others in the trenches.

Launched in 1998 and recognized as the service that “put the voice over industry online”, Voicebank’s voice-over audition system is the most widely casting software on the Web. It is the primary casting and project management tool used by more than 1600 top Ad Agencies, Animation Houses & TV/Film Studios, Independent Producers, Production Facilities and Casting Directors (voice over & theatrical) around the World.

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Contact: Amy Snively, Event Producer
E: Info@FaffCon.com
Pam Tierney, Media Liaison
P: 773-883-9084
C: 312-636-3174
E: Pam@PamtierneyVO.com

Tags: commentary, faffcon, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups // Comments Off on faffcon 2: electric boogaloo regular registration open until 1/31/11

This week on Voices.com’s Voice Over Experts, Terry Daniel and Dave Courvoisier discuss how social media and the use of online social networking tools can promote your voice over services and help you to get work.

Tags: social media, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voices.com // 1 Comment »