Stephen Mitchell, Director of Production at Chemistry Ad Agency, shares how VO talent can set themselves a part, what they look for in a voiceover actor and wisdom he’s gleaned along the way.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYwd8G0-JJP-wi9Sd56JWjw?view_as=subscriber
| Would you be surprised to know that there were several times throughout my career that I told Mike, “Maybe I should quit voiceover?” Even though I was making a great living from it…I still felt like if I had a slow month or got shortlisted but not chosen then maybe I should just quit. |
| Recently, I heard Angela Duckworth (psychologist & author “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perserverance”) say “don’t quit on a bad day.” Such a good reminder. Even if you love something with every fiber of your being…you WILL have bad days. Those are inevitable. Don’t make a decision based on the inevitable. |
On the best days, if you’re still not sure it’s something you want to do…that’s when you know you should change direction. Hope this encourages you this week. |
-Mike Stoudt & Heidi Rew |
Mike Stoudt and Heidi Rew share how Atlanta Voiceover Studio and this podcast can help you in your voice over career. Hear what the heck Atlanta Voiceover Studio even is and why we’re doing what we do.
At VO Atlanta, I went to a session on e-learning with John Kissinger. He said by 2025 the e-learning industry would be a 325 BILLION dollar industry. It’s growing rapidly which means there is more opportunities for us as VO talent. In that light, here are a few things to keep in mind with the changing industry. |
| The old e-learning industry mainly consisted of “text and next” type slides/videos along with a smooth, polished read. As things progress, John said the design is becoming more important and videos more interactive. |
Crazy, huh? It’s great to know where things are headed so you can give the best, most relevant reads possible. Hope you have a great week! |
-Mike Stoudt & Heidi Rew |
| I’m super optimistic and I love to serve clients. Sometimes, I can be a little overly optimistic at what I can deliver. My tip would be – |
This mainly relates (for me) to turnaround time. When a client comes to me and says, “When do you think you get this to me?” I want to say, “Tomorrow morning!” But I’ve learned what a realistic turnaround time is for me, then I always add a little time. It just allows for potential issues. I would rather say, “I can get this to you by COB Friday” and send it in Friday morning. Being honest with clients, more often than not, builds trust versus losing a job. And trust is how you create longterm and loyal clients. |
-Mike Stoudt & Heidi Rew |
| I just listened to a GREAT podcast on networking that reinforced how I’ve always thought of it. If you love podcasts, check out WORK LIFE with Adam Grant. He goes into some great specifics. I know you’re busy so I won’t list all of what he talked about but I will share something that I’ve always tried to ascribe to: |
| Every conversation, every interaction, just think about what you can give to that person. Find some common ground that’s not about voiceover. I’ll never forget meeting a very talented VO talent at VO Atlanta one year, because we exchanged hair product recommendations! Last year, Jennifer (the Disney casting director we’ve had here) thanked me for making her feel so welcome from the moment we met. We talked 0% about VO. I’m not saying that you can’t talk about voiceover but think about making connections with the WHOLE person. This is especially helpful if you’re just starting out. You may feel like, “What CAN I give?” There’s A LOT you can give but the way you uncover that is by pursuing authentic, human relationships. |
| ^^^THAT’S what networking is about! ^^^ Hope you have a great week & we’re able to see you this weekend! If you see Gerald Griffith, tell him thank you for organizing a weekend so helpful to the VO community. |
-Mike Stoudt & Heidi Rew |
| This may blow your mind. I was reading a thread the other day in a Facebook VO group. The topic? How long did it take to make it full-time in voiceover? There were tons of comments. One really stood out to me…Bob Bergen. Bob is the voice of Tweety Bird and Porky the Pig among many others. Bob said it took him EIGHT years. I started adding up the numbers and the average time it took people? 4-5 years. |
| This is not to be discouraging but encouraging. Don’t get down if you’ve been working really hard and haven’t seen a lot of fruit. That’s normal. It reminded me of Dave Ramsey’s (he’s a big financial influencer and guide) equation – FOCUSED INTENSITY over TIME (Dave also includes multiplied by God, but I know that’s not a part of everyone’s equation) = UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM. I’d actually add that the momentum may still ebb and flow in this industry. |
But isn’t it great to know that waiting and patience is just part of the equation?! I don’t like to wait at all and when I’m busting my butt, I want to see fruit and we will…just may not be tomorrow. Have a great week! |
-Mike Stoudt & Heidi Rew |
We’ve all done it. Sometimes I still do it.
Especially on those long days when I have a bunch of auditions to do and am tired. Not only do I second guess my voice over audition but I can’t make decisions on which takes I like. More often than not, it’s these times that I end up with a couple takes that sound the same. They may be slightly different but I just can’t seem to let one go.
So, what do I do, outside of getting a good night’s sleep and trying again the next day?
| 1| Take 5 or actually 10, maybe 20. I just take a few minutes away from my studio and do something else. That way I can come back with fresh ears. I look back over the specs and the script and then I listen back. 2| Play the same sections back to back. Play a section from the 1st take, now play that same section from the 2nd take. Do they sound exactly the same? If so, that’s probably not a good enough 2nd take. 3| Let it go. On voiceover projects that would mean a lot to me, I tend to second guess myself more. I recently auditioned for a Michaels commercial and man did I spend some time on it. I REALLY would love to voice a Michaels commercial b/c I love Michaels. I looked at other Michaels spots, read up on their current branding, did all the script analysis…then I got to the audition part and I had so many takes that I couldn’t decide. So…I kept telling myself…”let it go.” Don’t hold any take too preciously. Listen like a casting director/ad agency would, try to ensure the first take fits what you think they want the best then the second take just choose the creative choice YOU like the best. Let the others go. |
Hope this helps you next time you start second guessing your takes. |
-Mike Stoudt & Heidi Rew |
| For years, I have felt overwhelmed at how to develop my “marketing plan” for VO. I’ve finally figured out a really simple plan for me and last year that helped me increase my income by $30,000. Anyways…I’ll share how I simplified it later but today I just wanted to share a really simple thing you can do this week and it will probably take you 30 minutes. |
| ACTION: Go through your stack of business cards you’ve collected over the years (if you’ve thrown them away…don’t stress, I’ll give you something alternate to do) and look for anyone you’ve met that may need a voiceover. Set these cards aside and pull out your calendar. Now, write the contact info for one of those each week from now until you run out. |
| Each week, take 10 minutes to craft an email to that person. Make it personal and make it serve them. Let them know: 1| What you do – Voiceover + Style/Specs that you shine at and 2| How you can serve them – studio set-up or accessibility. Make that email more authentic than sales-y but just reconnect with them. |
| Last week, I did this and I reconnected with a recording studio owner in Nashville I met over 10 years ago! I didn’t even think he’d remember me but he did and we even got to catch up over the phone. We forget sometimes to think about the people we know and how they may need what we do. Have a wonderful week! |
| I’ll admit…I LOVE when people see WHAT I do and give me praise. That feels crappy to admit but it’s true. If you are into the Enneagram personality test, I’m a 3 which is the performer. I just desire those “pats on the back” for a job well done. Which makes no sense that I’m in the industry I’m in because I do not get that very often. I admit that to say that I totally understand your desire (if you have that desire) of being praised or told you did a great job, but if we can remember this thing we’ll always win the client. |
| WE ARE NOT THE HERO The client, customer, audience…THAT’S the hero. We simply are the guides. We guide the hero to THEIR win…whether that’s being part of the puzzle of a great commercial, helping the customer find the solution to their problem or taking the audience on a journey. |
My expectation of a job well done is praise but by shifting my perspective to the expectation of a job well done is guiding or helping someone…THAT makes the difference between a win and defeat (even if it’s just internal defeat). Guide on! 🙂 |
