Dear voice casting agencies,
You are being deceived!
People pretending to be professionals have infiltrated your talent pool. People who can barely swim. It’s happening on your watch and you probably have no idea what the heck is going on.
Why?
Because you don’t know or you don’t care.
You’re too busy trying to make a buck in this competitive market, and you have no time or money for decent quality control. Or you are aware that you’re accepting and advertising third-rate “talent,” but this is simply a reflection of your standards.
AVERAGE HAS BECOME ACCEPTABLE
Let’s talk about those standards for a moment.
In 1918, the Zenith Radio Company began manufacturing radios and, later, televisions and other consumer electronics products. For many years – decades, actually – the company’s famous advertising slogan was:
“The quality goes in… before the name goes on.”
To look at it another way, they wouldn’t put their name on something if it was anything less than their best efforts.
There are two ways to have customers remember our name: we need to do all we can to ensure it’s for all the right reasons… consistently.
Thank you, Paul. Another ‘bada-bing’ blog post.
Fantastic post Paul … I agree with every single word … and hope that the message gets through.
I love the way that your passion and commitment to providing the best possible product comes through so strongly.
An inspirational post to us all … to always strive to be the best you can be at whatever you are doing … The cream will rise to the top!
Well said, Paul. As a college professor, I see this mindset in an alarmingly large number of students, especially those just starting their education. I think education is at the heart of this philosophy, or, at least, a major player in this brand of thinking. Students are led to believe that just scraping by is fine. Thanks for this blog. I look forward to it every week. Keep preaching the truth.
At the risk of sounding like an old Batman TV show…ZAP! POW! BANG! KAPAW! I couldn’t help but feel the superhero in you! :0)
You are such a VO industry galvanizer, Paul. And I fully agree with Helen Lloyd, yet again.
Spot on once again Paul. Love your heart, passion and courage! (Not to mention the huge plus of being able to virtually pick your brain 😉
One of my old professors used to have a saying – “Good enough is neither”. It stuck with me. Very well written, Paul.
How do you say, “Touche” in Dutch!?
Thanks for your article Paul! It´s always a pleasure to learn from your experience and intelligence.
Amen I say to this Blog Paul! Nice Job!
Thank you! I can’t think of anything else to say that the other folks have said already! Great blog and great comments.
My friends, it’s such a pleasure to read your kind comments!
Thank you for every “like,” retweet and repost. In the unregulated world of voice-overs, it’s nice to know that we still have a group of dedicated people who stand up for standards.
Upward and onward!
Reading your words almost makes me want to tuck my tail between my legs and go home. I mean,like… “Who am I to think I have the talent to be a great voice-over artist? Is my ego getting in the way of reality?” I think I’m pretty decent at this craft, but then again, so do thousands of others. But, what happens it I don’t try? Where would you be today if you had turned and ran after reading something like this? You wouldn’t be the success you are today. You had to start somewhere, didn’t you?… we all do. And I’m sure when you took your first steps down this path, a lot of people thought of you as one of those no-talent upstarts. So… like you, I will not turn and run. I will forge ahead, making mistakes, correcting them, and learning as I go. I want to be like you, Paul, but grant me the right to make the journey with some measure of dignity and respect.
Peggy, there’s a difference between standing up for standards and discouraging people from giving it a go.
I can’t make anyone do anything. You have every right to want to become a success in this business!
The best I can hope for is that my readers will take my words to heart and make their own decisions based on all the information (and misinformation) that’s floating around.
I took my first steps in voice-over when I was 17 years old. Some of my mentors were kind to me and others were hard on me. What all of them told me was this:
In those days there were no home studios and the internet was in its infancy. All talent had to be vetted by producers, agent, clients and ad agencies. That was a good thing. If all you had was attitude, you wouldn’t stand a chance.
Today, there are hardly any filters. Absolute beginners and seasoned pros can compete on the same playing field because anyone can put up a website and record a few demos in a walk-in closet. Many casting sites don’t seem to care about quality, as long as you pay the annual subscription fee.
As Brett Hyberger noted, a lot of students think that coasting is cool and “just scraping by is fine.” I see the same thing in my industry. Most people that hope to make it, are underestimating what it takes and are overestimating what they bring to the table.
People don’t get to play in Carnegie Hall when they’re still practicing scales.
It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have aspirations. I want them to realize that it takes time and training to develop one’s talents. In a society that thrives on instant gratification, that’s an unpopular message.
As I say in my story, being able to deliver quality requires craftsmanship, consistency and care.
Consistency and care come from the inside. To become good at your craft, you need to surround yourself with great trainers and role models and immerse yourself as much as you can.
Have a fun journey and enjoy the ride!
SPOT ON!, Paul, with both your “Average has become…” and your response to Peggy K.
Thanks, Aaron!
Beautifully written, Paul… and, as everyone else has pointed out, spot on!
Hopefully, newer readers like Peggy will take it to heart and understand that you are talking about much more than the quality of the audio being delivered. It’s every bit as much about the quality of business ethics, communication with clients, mentoring and support for our peers, and the entire fabric of our professional selves.
You make me proud to be of Dutch ancestry! :))
Here’s to our Dutch heritage, Joe!
Bravo! Thanks for posting this article…..soooo true! Along with payment like $200 for 30 minutes of VO … Oh, and also another $20 bucks if you can do the music….. Seriously?!?!?! It’s dragging our business down!
You’re welcome, MJ. Those who accept these low rates are teaching clients what to expect. It’s time to lift our business up and raise the bar as well as our rates!
If someone worships at the altar of the VO who became a VO coach after two years experience, they are part of the problem. If someone hangs on every word from the VO online expert who has yet to make enough to step away from their day job they are part of the problem.
We are a part of the problem .. Me and Paul AND YOU! We have attach VO celebrity status to people simply because we like them and have met them. Anyone who has done 2 more gigs than you gets a speaking gig at the “awesome” VO conference (aren’t they all?) so they can tell people “How they done it.”
Everybody has to start somewhere, the trick is to have the guts to admit it. They need to choose their counsel wisely and we need to say “Philip is a nice guy but don’t ask him for advice as he hasn’t a clue what he’s doing”.
The business does need to improve standards and I’ve started where I spotted the rot, with me. If everyone else did the same things would improve in a heartbeat.
VOA (Voice Overs Anonymous) Ok, me first.
“Hello I’m Philip B and in the VO world I’m nobody.”
The best way to weigh the value of any type of advice is a.) to look at the source and b.) to test it out.
Never follow something blindly, just because it appears in print or on a website or because Mr. Nethervoice told you so.
For the record, I have never “attached celebrity status” to people simply because I like them and have met them. I don’t really care about status and I have not been invited to speak at that “awesome VO conference.”
Like Mr. Banks, I am committed to self-improvement, hoping to lead by example.
“I am Paul S. and in the VO world I aspire to be somebody.”
PS I happen to think that Banks is brilliant and I love his self-deprecating sense of humour.
SPOT ON Paul, bravíssimo! 😉
Please allow me to expand on your response to Peggy…
More than Carnegie Hall, as a professional musician since the mid 90’s, I would discourage ANY student or learning musician to do a gig if they’re not ready. You don’t even go to a crummy bar gig and play the “amateur”… you’ll get laughed out anywhere. You don’t rehearse or shoot blanks at the gig. And you’d best be solo anyway, because no professional musicians would let you go onstage or even join you if they thought you weren’t prepared.
For actors of any sort it’s the same, but especially with theatre actors or any decent TV or Film actor.
From a professional artists standpoint there’s a saying that goes this way: “ignorance is very bold”. The main thing amateurs tend to lack is the humility of embarrassment and some can display a silly “I can do that too” arrogance. There is more than meets… the ear.
A great classical master also coined a great document full of advice to young musicians:
“As to choice in the study of your pieces, ask the advice of more experienced persons than yourself; by so
doing, you will save much time.” Robert Schumann
I think it applied to the voice arts just as well. 😉
Best,
Joe