THE VOICEMASTERS CLASS

VO Directory

2009-12-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Following is a Voice Over related Directory compiled for the benefit of established and up-and-coming voice over talent who want to secure more voice over work through the Internet it doesn’t include VO coaches or personal VO artists Sites:

So far 225 casting websites and growing!

A

Affordable Voice Talent (Contact Person Scott Taylor)
Air Talents
Another Tongue
Audioconnell (Contact Person Peter K. O’Connell)
All Coast Talent
Audiology Productions Canada
Asian Voice Overs
Audio Link
Audio Localization
Audio Produktion
Audio 2 Brain
Audio Book Voice Talent division of voices.com
Audioline (south african)
Audio Godz
AudioXtra
Atlas Talent Agency
Accent Bank (UK)
Independent ADVOICE (holy moly … look at the roster here… Dr. Who, Captain Picard… geez)
Abrams Artists

B

Bodalgo (contact person Armin Hierstetter)
Brain Box, The
Big House Casting & Audio
Braintracks Audio
BKP (United Arab Emirates)
Big Fish Voice Company, The
Berland Casting
Back Stage

C

D

E

E-Learning Voices (Contact Person Rick Gordon)
Ear Ache Voices
Excellent Voice
Edge Studio’s Voice Design Group
EM Voices Australia
Escena Digital (Spanish)
Elaine Craig VO Casting
Elite Casting Network
Explore Talent
Encore Voices (French VO company in LA)
Ethnic Voice Talent

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

Qvoice UK

R

S

T

U

UK Screen

V

Vibe Productions
Voice123 (Contact person Steven Lowell)
VoiceActing.com (Contact person James R. Alburger)
Voice Archive
Voice Bookers
Voice Group, The (UK)
Voice Group
Voices.com (Contact person Stephanie Ciccarelli)
VOplanet (Contact person Michelle Summers)
Voice Over Directory, The
Voiceovers UK
Voicefinder.biz
Voiceover.com
Voiceworks, The
voice-overs.co.uk
Voice Punch: VO Directory
Voice Over Gallery, The
Vocal Point
Vox Talent
Voice Shop, The
Voice Squad, The
VoiceTape
Voice Over Select
Voices On Call
Voices dot cc
Voice Caster, The
Voice Hunter
Voice Talent Online UK
Voices Online Now
Video Voice Bank
VO Resource Guide
Voice Over Casting (Dot) Com
Voz Media (based in Spain)
Voice Casting dot com
Voice Recruiters
Voice Spots
Vox USA
Voice Actors
Voice Overs Australia
Voicebank South Africa
Voicebank Ltd. UK
Voice Talent Online
Voice Artistes
Voice & Script International (VSI)
Voice (dash) Overs
Voiceconcept.net (based in Spain)
Voix la (french)
Voice Talent Casting
Voice Models (dot) com
Voice Trax Casting
VO USA
Voice Over LA
Voice Works Productions
Voice Talent Productions
Voice, The
VoicesPRO
Voice Scouts
Voice XOX
Voice Toons
Voices Voice Casting
Voice Maven

W

X

XIJ industries (Contact person Jack ‘Xij’ Oughton)

Y

Yakety Yak All Mouth Ltd. UK

Z

Freelance Sites that Occasionally have VO audition listings

Directory Contributors

Voice Over Resources and Directories

Voice Over Xtra (Contact person John Florian)
Vocalist
Voice Over Times
Voice Over Universe
Voice Over Bulletin Board
Voices In Media
Voice Over Podcasts

Free Voice Over ebooks

Voice Over Blogs

VO Directory

Apr 20th, 2009 by Mahmoud Taji

So far 225 casting websites and growing!

A

Affordable Voice Talent (Contact Person Scott Taylor)
Air Talents
Another Tongue
Audioconnell (Contact Person Peter K. O’Connell)
All Coast Talent
Audiology Productions Canada
Asian Voice Overs
Audio Link
Audio Localization
Audio Produktion
Audio 2 Brain
Audio Book Voice Talent division of voices.com
Audioline (south african)
Audio Godz
AudioXtra
Atlas Talent Agency
Accent Bank (UK)
Independent ADVOICE (holy moly … look at the roster here… Dr. Who, Captain Picard… geez)
Abrams Artists

B

Bodalgo (contact person Armin Hierstetter)
Brain Box, The
Big House Casting & Audio
Braintracks Audio
BKP (United Arab Emirates)
Big Fish Voice Company, The
Berland Casting
Back Stage

C

D

E

E-Learning Voices (Contact Person Rick Gordon)
Ear Ache Voices
Excellent Voice
Edge Studio’s Voice Design Group
EM Voices Australia
Escena Digital (Spanish)
Elaine Craig VO Casting
Elite Casting Network
Explore Talent
Encore Voices (French VO company in LA)
Ethnic Voice Talent

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

Qvoice UK

R

S

T

U

UK Screen

V

Vibe Productions
Voice123 (Contact person Steven Lowell)
VoiceActing.com (Contact person James R. Alburger)
Voice Archive
Voice Bookers
Voice Group, The (UK)
Voice Group
Voices.com (Contact person Stephanie Ciccarelli)
VOplanet (Contact person Michelle Summers)
Voice Over Directory, The
Voiceovers UK
Voicefinder.biz
Voiceover.com
Voiceworks, The
voice-overs.co.uk
Voice Punch: VO Directory
Voice Over Gallery, The
Vocal Point
Vox Talent
Voice Shop, The
Voice Squad, The
VoiceTape
Voice Over Select
Voices On Call
Voices dot cc
Voice Caster, The
Voice Hunter
Voice Talent Online UK
Voices Online Now
Video Voice Bank
VO Resource Guide
Voice Over Casting (Dot) Com
Voz Media (based in Spain)
Voice Casting dot com
Voice Recruiters
Voice Spots
Vox USA
Voice Actors
Voice Overs Australia
Voicebank South Africa
Voicebank Ltd. UK
Voice Talent Online
Voice Artistes
Voice & Script International (VSI)
Voice (dash) Overs
Voiceconcept.net (based in Spain)
Voix la (french)
Voice Talent Casting
Voice Models (dot) com
Voice Trax Casting
VO USA
Voice Over LA
Voice Works Productions
Voice Talent Productions
Voice, The
VoicesPRO
Voice Scouts
Voice XOX
Voice Toons
Voices Voice Casting
Voice Maven

W

X

XIJ industries (Contact person Jack ‘Xij’ Oughton)

Y

Yakety Yak All Mouth Ltd. UK

Z

Freelance Sites that Occasionally have VO audition listings

Directory Contributors

Voice Over Resources and Directories

Voice Over Xtra (Contact person John Florian)
Vocalist
Voice Over Times
Voice Over Universe
Voice Over Bulletin Board
Voices In Media
Voice Over Podcasts

Free Voice Over ebooks

Voice Over Blogs

15 Comments »

15 Responses to “VO Directory”

on 26 May 2009 at 2:07 pm1 flyingdutchman

Better late than never…

Here are a few other companies:

http://www.mikelemoncasting.com
http://www.voixla.fr
http://www.voiceconcept.net
http://www.audio2brain.ch
http://www.vsi.tv
http://www.audioproduktion.com

Social Media Marketing: Are You Being Dull? Pep Up Your Posts!

2009-10-31T17:34:00.001-07:00

Social Media Marketing: Are You

Being Dull? Pep Up Your Posts!

Note: Philip Banks is ANYTHING but dull. And he loves to provoke us ...

By Philip Banks

Voice Actor

You’re trying so hard to get your name out there and the word dull is not necessarily an indictment on your voice acting skills - It’s YOU! You’re dull!

Of course I don’t mean you’re dull people. I mean that you’ve become so focused on self-promotion that you’ve forgotten all about content, all about other people and all about life.

On the VO webwaffle page, you post something about a job you’ve just voiced, that’s it.

You believe the fact you have done something is in itself worth posting and is inherently interesting. It isn’t!

You’re dull! There’s no detail, no story. Nothing other than “I showed up for work today and some work showed up for me.”

REAL FRIENDS ...

Last year I attended Sue and Ian’s wedding. You don’t know them, so that’s of no particular interest to you.

But what was nice was that I got through the entire event without talking about my work. It was Sue and Ian’s day, not another opportunity to network or get a much needed ego massage.

Sue and Ian are friends, have been for years.

... & ELECTRONIC FRIENDS

My VO friends are different.

Many are not really friends at all, other than due to a random click on a mouse - ADD PHILIP AS YOUR FRIEND.

Like good electronic cyber friends, they then ignore me other than to regale me with dreary anecdotes about having 5 auditions to get out by 4 p.m. for a pencil company web site and ... and nothing! No interesting part to the story.

You see, you’re dull!

NOT COOKING RIGHT?

You’ve got the social and electronic media thing cooking on gas, yet it’s still not quite working for you.

Your inbox isn’t as full as it should be with jobs, and the phone is not ringing endlessly.

It’s not the “nature of the beast” or “the current economic climate” - it’s people becoming battle weary.

You say nothing of interest, do nothing of interest, and write/post/blog/twitter on it ad nauseum. You’re dull!

HIRE DAVE DULLARD?

You are the sort of person people emigrate in order to avoid.

Even using an electron microscope and a hyperbolic microphone, most people could not find their interest in anything you have to say, write about or anything you do.

But that’s OK because you only want to promote your career, you’re not looking to engage people you’re looking to get them to hire you.

Ask yourself this: between Mr. Windswept and Interesting or Dave Dullard - both equally capable VOs - who would you hire? Exactly!

SELF-PROMOTION TRAP

The real downside of constantly self-promoting, apart from the dullness, is that people stop reading, stop listening and stop thinking of you as a viable option when a job crops up.

I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true. And if you want to climb the VO ladder, don’t get VO coaching, get interested in other people and become interesting.

People should want to spend time with Philip Banks, not a VO from Portgordon.

SHOW SOME PERSONALITY

Producers and directors should take away more than a good take from a session with you.

I heard someone say that in the world of voice-over artists, it’s difficult to find the characters. There used to be plenty around.

No one is suggesting that you manufacture a life and soul of the party persona, just give a little of yourself.

WHAT I MEAN ...

Two silly examples for you:

1) A promo producer who works for one of the US TV networks has a photo of my dog as the screensaver on her office PC.

2) Cynthia, PA to the head of Presentation and Progamme Planning at another TV station puts down the telephone.

“You’ve been talking to Philip,” says her colleague.

“How do you know?” asks Cynthia.

“You were laughing most of the time!”

CHOOSE YOUR JOB

There really is more to this than meets the eye.

It’s time to take stock. Let’s look at two jobs:

Job one is self-promoting dullard.
Job two is voice over.

The jobs are mutually exclusive. You must choose one.

ABOUT PHILIP ...

Philip Banks is an international voice talent based in the United Kingdom – which, he says, “Thanks to technology, means nothing.” From his home studio he delivers commercials, promos/imaging, corporate voice-overs and more – including (per a whimsical note on his web site) “just making strange noises.”

Email: banksey@philipbanks.co.uk

Web: www.philipbanks.co.uk

Coping With Copy: Difficult ... Offensive? Approach It Positively

2009-10-31T17:33:00.003-07:00

Coping With Copy: Difficult ...

Offensive? Approach It Positively

By Rodney Saulsberry

Voice Actor, Vocalist, Coach & Author

Voice-over copy can present challenges. But rather than go it alone, learn from the experiences and advice of celebrity voice talent Rodney Saulsberry, in the following excerpt – reprinted with permission – from his book, Step Up To The Mic – A Positive Approach to Succeeding in Voice-Overs.

OBSTACLE: DIFFICULT COPY

The positive way to deal with copy that’s hard to say is, take your time.

If I look at copy and realize it’s challenging, I know I’ll have to concentrate. I spot words that might be tough, and then I go over them a number of times in my mind – aloud, if I can – so that when I get to them during a take, I don’t stumble.

If a small portion of the copy is really crazy, I will say so to the employer – in a polite way.

If the writer happens to be there, then I’ll try to be tactful by saying, “Well, this is a little hard to say.”

I'LL SUGGEST CHANGE

Sometimes I will read the copy slightly differently than how it’s written, without asking if I can. Many times when this happens, the client or director will comment, “You know, you did THIS where I had THAT, but to be honest with you, I really liked what you were doing. Can you do it again?"

Nine times out of 10, you won’t have to alter the script anyway. Professional ad writers are generally excellent at their work.

Before you suggest a change, try saying the difficult copy first. Asking to change the script should be a last resort, and you always have to be tactful about it.

Remember, everyone in the room has the same positive goal. You all want to do a great job.

OBSTACLE: THEY KEEP CHANGING COPY

The flip side to difficult copy is copy that keeps changing. It is a tough situation when a client can’t decide what words he or she wants you to record.

Here are some ways to keep your cool when this happens.

Keep a positive attitude when there are copy changes during a session, by realizing that oftentimes copywriters aren’t sure, or they are on deadline, or they have to turn in copy before they are ready.

Sometimes they will be writing copy while you’re working. Remember, you could be doing something else that you don’t like as much. Voice-over is fun!

THEY'RE THE BOSS

Also remember that these people have brought you here. They are paying you a certain amount of money, and there is a certain amount of time they have with you contractually. It’s their time, and they can use it how they want.

Understand that when people are in the creative process, sometimes things change. Just put on a positive hat that says: “They are in the creative process and they are under the gun. I’m here to do a job, and I will do it.”

OBSTACLE: SWITCHING CHARACTER VOICES

You have your main voice – your signature voice. Most of the time, that’s what employers want you to use.

Even if you go into a high falsetto or if you go into a low basso thing, it still has an origin, and that origin is your signature voice.

Therefore, even if you play a character with a unique voice, you’re really doing a variation of what’s already there.

BUILD FROM BASE

This knowledge comes in handy when you’re asked to play more than one character during a session. When you work in a cartoon, you have your main role, though contractually you may have to do two, three or four other minor characters.

If this is the case, you have to say to yourself, “Okay, the main character I’m doing is about up here,” meaning your voice is at a particular high pitch. Then, you’ve got to take the next character into a lower voice.

If the higher guy spoke rapidly, the lower guy might speak more slowly and deliberately.

OBSTACLE: OFFENSIVE COPY

There will be times when you are given copy that you’re not excited about morally. It may insult you as a female or an ethnic minority, or it may be against your religious or personal beliefs.

What do you do?

You tell the client or director that it offends you, and explain why. Ask them to change the copy, and hope for the best.

FRIENDLY, CIVIL DIALOGUE

When I’ve had jobs where the text has been offensive and I have taken the time to alert the director, for the most part, we have had a civil dialogue about it, and the changes were made.

One thing about the voice-over industry is that it’s a friendly community. I think the reason I love it is because it’s a happy environment.

So, when things really bother you, your employers are usually open for discussion.

Of course, this advice deals with situations where you get a job and encounter offensive copy that you never saw before.

If the copy bothered you during an audition, you shouldn’t have taken the job. There’s nothing more empowering than avoiding a situation that could be a problem, before it actually becomes a problem.

ABOUT RODNEY …

Rodney Saulsberry is the voice of choice for behind-the-scenes narration, and a voice-over coach based in the Los Angeles area. He is in demand for promos (Dancing With The Stars, networks …), announcing (Grammy and Country Music Awards …), movie trailers (How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Tupac Resurrection, Finding Forrester …), commercials (Zatarain’s, Twix, Toyota Camry, Burger King …), audiobooks, animation and more. He is also a vocalist (Better Than Before), and author of two popular voice-over inspirational books, Step Up To The Mic, and You Can Bank On Your Voice.

Web: www.rodneysaulsberry.com

Email: rodtalks@aol.com

Agents: How To Submit Your Demo (So That It Doesn't Get Tossed)

2009-10-31T17:33:00.001-07:00

Agents: How To Submit Your Demo

(So That It Doesn't Get Tossed)

Note: This article is a chapter reprinted with permission from Demo & Marketing Magic for Voice Actors, by Penny Abshire, now available as a downloadable e-book.

By Penny Abshire

Voice Actor & Coach

VoiceActing Academy

When you have your “killer” demo ready, you may decide you’d like to seek representation by an agent.

The recommended methods for sending out your demo to potential agents vary from teacher to teacher and from area to area.

Since I’m on the West coast, I’ll tell you how we do it here, and also what I’ve learned from coaches in other parts of the country.

THE WESTERN WAY

On the West Coast, it is not recommended that you send out your demo unsolicited.

Whether it’s to an agent or a potential client, if they aren’t expecting it (or they’re not accepting demos at that time), it will probably either be set aside indefinitely or it will be thrown away.

After all the time, effort and money you’ve put into it – that’s the LAST thing you want to happen!

CALL FIRST!

It’s pretty easy to save your demo from this fate. CALL first. It’s that simple - and it's common courtesy.

I’ve had students tell me that they just want to send out their demos blind and see what happens. They’ll do most anything not to have to talk to someone on the phone and risk rejection.

You’re in the wrong business if you think every time you present yourself you’re going to be accepted with open arms. Facing and accepting rejection is an integral part of show business!

MIDWEST & BACK EAST

In the Midwest and East Coast, VO talent and coaches tell me that it’s quite common for a voice actor to mass produce demos and send them to every production company, agent, casting director and potential client.

This is very different from the West Coast, but it’s the way things are done there.

The best advice I can give you is to contact a VO talent, coach or agent in YOUR area and find out how they want to receive demos.

COLD CALL EXAMPLES

The following are some examples of what you could say on the telephone when contacting a potential agent.

1. To determine if an agent is accepting demos ...

Agency: Good morning, XYZ Talent Agency, may I help you?

VOA: Yes, Can you tell me if your agency is currently accepting new voice demos?

Agency: Yes, we are.

VOA: Can you give me the address and person’s name I should sent it to, please?

Agency: Certainly, our address is P.O. 123, Opportunity, New York 20003. Send it to the attention of Matilda Brown.

VOA: That’s P.O. 123, Opportunity, New York 20003 - Attention Matilda Brown, correct?

Agency: Yes, that’s right.

VOA: Thanks for your help – goodbye.

2. If they say 'No' ...

Agency: Good morning, XYZ Talent Agency, may I help you?

VOA: Yes, Can you tell me if your agency is currently accepting new voice demos?

Agency: No, not at this time.

VOA: When would be a good time to check back?

Agency: Probably in about 6 months.

VOA: Thanks for your help – goodbye.

Both calls are pretty simple. And in both you are anonymous! Also remember, rejection one day can turn into acceptance the next. That’s a part of show business.

3. Follow up to see if they’ve received your demo ...

VOA: Hi, this is (your name). I spoke with you last week and sent you a copy of my voice demo. I’m just checking to make sure it arrived and that (name of the person they gave you) received it.

Prospect: Yes, it came in yesterday, but I don’t think (name) has had a chance to listen to it yet.

VOA: No problem, just wanted to make sure it arrived. When do you think it would be a good time for me to check back?

Prospect: He’s pretty busy, you’d better give him a couple of weeks at least.

VOA: Great! I’ll do that – thanks so much for your help.

Then make a reminder to call in two weeks from that date and DO IT!

Agents are extremely busy – so expect that if they are interested in you, it will probably take some time to get a response. If they aren’t – you won’t hear at all. That’s Showbiz!

KEEP MARKETING

Important: Don’t be duped into thinking that if you have an agent you no longer have to market yourself.

It is a show business reality that an agent will only really WANT you – when you don’t NEED them.

This meaning: they will only pursue actors who they know already have a client base – and a proven track record. In short, they want the actors for which they can make a large commission.

Don’t misunderstand - agents can be terrific people to have on your side – and when it comes to negotiating contracts, they are invaluable.

But my point is that if you have any dreams that an agent will be “pounding the pavement” on our behalf (and that all you’ll have to do is sit back and count the jobs rolling in) – it's time to let go of that!

NEVER GIVE UP

If you have submitted to an agent and you don’t hear back or you get a rejection letter – don’t give up!

They may not be interested in your voice right now – but things can change. It may be they already have enough people in their talent pool with similar voice characteristics to yours.

In the next couple of years - when you send them your new and improved demo - you may be exactly what they are looking for.

Never give up!

“Every exit is an entrance to somewhere else.”

-Tom Stoppard, playwright who won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love

ABOUT PENNY ...

Penny Abshire is senior producer, creative director and voice talent at the VoiceActing Academy in San Diego, CA, where she co-teaches workshops (in-person, by phone and on the road) with James Alburger. A classically trained concert pianist - performing since the age of seven - actor and dancer, she has won numerous industry awards and is author of the popular book, Demo and Marketing Magic for Voice Actors.

Email: info@voiceacting.co

Web: voiceacting.com

Auditions: Online, It's Not War! The Mistakes We All Make ...

2009-10-31T17:25:00.001-07:00

Auditions: Online, It's Not War!

The Mistakes We All Make ...

By Steven Lowell

Public Relations Manager, Voice 123

I have been doing more and more Quality Assurance on auditions submitted through Voice123 (the online voice-over audition and casting service) and at the same time, I answer emails from voice talent who express to me that they have not gotten work.

Whether they are experienced in offline voice-over casting or not experienced at all, many manage to make the same mistakes that I have seen cost them voice-over work.

I am basing this article on information gathered via:

Customer service emails.
Auditions and demos listened to while doing QA at Voice123.
Both voice seeker and voice talent complaints about working online.

EXPERIENCE IS BEST TEACHER

From those three factors, I get a sense that some may get emotionally charged up, which is EXACTLY why you should keep reading.

Also keep in mind that I am describing mistakes made by everyone at some point. I have now seen it happen, and I blush because I made the same mistakes at some point, while using Voice123.

I understand where a talent comes from. I also know that the greatest education comes from those who have made mistakes, and then learned why they were mistakes.

Problem #1:

Working Online Is Not War!

Working online carries with it a greater need for understanding.

If you approach working online as if it is "Me vs. Them," you will find yourself unemployed.

I have seen notes and emails go back and forth between clients and talents such as:

"I watermarked my audition, so you cannot steal it."
"Your budget is laughable, but I am auditioning anyway."
A budget quote: "You tell me."
An audition remark that states, "I have 30 years experience, and I have never seen someone so cheap in all my years ..."

WHY START FIGHT?

For a voice talent, seriously, if something upsets you, it is best to walk away from the audition.

Do not waste energy or time on being aggressive online. It is too easy for people to fight back and remember you.

If you want to start a fight, you will get what you want, and then some.

Problem #2:

Slaaaaaaaaaating

- or Aggressive Slating

I think this is the most common.

What many voice talent do not understand is that working with computers instantly means you are dealing with people with short attention spans.

A study showed last year that from "mouse click to frustration," you had a time frame of only 3 to 20 seconds.

Keeping that in mind, if you are a buyer or producer, with even as little as 10 demos to listen to, how often can you take the following slates before you just get frustrated:

"Hello, my name is *** and I will be doing three takes, of three different reads for you, and I have watermarked each one to protect myself."
"Hi, my name is ***. My web site is ***, and you can find out more about me at ***. I will be doing three reads."

Those 'slaaaaates' are killers!

Not only is the first one displaying that a voice talent may be paranoid - a sign of inexperience while working online, but they both go on for more than 10 seconds.

EXPERIENCE IT ...

Try this, which lends itself to why it is not a bad idea to know about online customer service:

Walk into a store and ask where to buy soda. If the guy behind the counter explains every single detail of the store for two minutes before telling you what you originally asked for, you may just walk out.

Online sites: their interfaces provide your name, and the client is about to hear you anyway, so there is no point in explaining for 20 seconds, what they will hear for the next 20 seconds.

Problem #3:

Paranoid Behavior

& Watermarks

When online casting started, watermarks made sense, but not so much anymore.

Why? Because:

the online community has been around for several years now,
the Internet sites have gotten wiser about who posts jobs, and
there are a 1,001 ways to verify someone before they post a job.

Plus, if for some reason they try to take the audio, web sites have that covered, too. How do I do it? I am not telling. It took me years to figure out how to catch people, so I won't shed that skill in public.

PARANOID BEHAVIOR

So, what do I see talent doing?

Loud watermarks that sound more like tests of the emergency broadcast system.
An announcement that there is a watermark, and that it is being done to protect their work. That one alone turns off a buyer immediately. It makes a voice talent sound nervous.
Submitting auditions with poor audio on purpose, and then explaining it away that "I did this to protect myself." That only makes one think you are making excuses for yourself.

Problem #4:

Not Following Directions

The common response I get when I mention this is, "Well, they do not tell me enough to go on."

That happens, yes, but I am referring to specific times when a buyer asks for something in a description, and the voice talent thinks it is a good idea or OK to submit whatever the talent thinks is best, and to make up a reason as to why it was done.

If you do not understand how that feels to the buyer, try this:

1. Imagine you go to a restaurant, and you are trying to impress your loved one.

2. The waiter takes your order, and you are waiting for it to arrive.

3. The waiter comes out with a completely different order, and says, "I know you asked for this, but I wanted to give you something different."

Working online is like "being your own business," so how do you think it makes a buyer feel when you do the opposite of what they requested?

How would it make you feel, if you were hiring?

Problem #5:

Not Understanding

'Give & Take' Of Working Online

Like it or not, auditioning online carries a heavier burden of reassurance that a job can be done.

It is not about, "I auditioned! Now, someone will call and tell me what I have to do next!"

You need to have a business plan in place, because when you work online, you are directly in contact with the buyer. There is no agent-filter or production house to report to on a certain date and time.

It is all about you, from A-Z.

WHAT HAPPENS ...

This is "give and take" ...

As the "seller" of your voice online, you have to own a professional online business known as YOU, which you present to buyers of your voice-over skill.

You have to be the "giver" because this is a new playground, with a new way of doing business in voice-overs.

I will not lie. It is not always easy, and it does take some time to learn how to communicate online.

Problem #6:

Not Seeing The Forest

For The Possible 'Greens'

Working online is about building relationships - not "paying to play." If you want to pay-to-play something, try online poker.

I say this because the budget you see from the voice seeker may be lower because the person simply has no idea who you are, and what you can do.

Everyone is equal when you work online, even those with decades of experience, so those budgets may be just teasers. Once the voice seeker knows you, and knows you can do what they need, the real money will come in.

GET REPEAT BUSINESS

I have been told several times that Voice123 shines because of the repeat clients, not the job postings.

These voice talent know the difference between playing online and working online.

A tip: I did something recently to help a very experienced offline talent of many years. He explained to me that working online was difficult. I told him the following:

If you are experienced offline, find someone younger than you, and show them your profile and auditions.
See if they could re-write what you send in emails and audition remarks.

He swallowed his pride and ego, and we agreed he could tell me I was wrong forever. But he did as I suggested, and booked his next online audition, after a two-year drought.

I take no credit. I give credit to the young man who re-wrote the text for his uncle to make it more net-savvy, short and sweet.

The idea came to mind because I wrote my brother's Yahoo personals profile, and the next day, eight women showed interest. I have always believed that the arbitrator tells a story better.

Problem #7:

Whatever Has You Upset

About The Web Site You Use,

Don't Mention It

They know already, trust me. They deal with it too, and tell us about it.

If you want to relate to someone, do so on a positive level.

Voice123 works on issues all the time. We have constant communications, with over 10,000 emails a month.

For instance, what do you accomplish with an audition remark like this?

"The audio you will hear is not good because Voice123 insists on using 96 KBPS, which sounds awful!"

Your purpose was to be hired, not file a complaint, and the seeker knows it is an audition process, anyway.

Problem #8:

A Phony Accent

When a voice seeker requests an accent, please take care to not offend someone's nationality.

Understand that when a person is highly offended, they might feel compelled to hit back, and not say why.

People who audition and hire talent from Voice123 tell me what they hear, and I'll pass along these tips:

A French accent request does not mean "Sound like Pepe Le Pew"
A Spanish and/or Hispanic accent request does not mean, "Sound like Speedy Gonzalez or Cheech and Chong"
An Italian accent request does not mean "Sound like a Joey Soprano"
A German accent can be confused with an Austrian accent.
An African accent does not mean "Sound like you are from the Bronx"
A Chinese accent does not mean "Replace the letter 'L' with the letter 'R' "
A Scottish accent does not mean "Mike Meyers 'Big Sexy' impersonation"

INNOCENT OFFENSE

These are innocent mistakes made because sounds and images are stuck in our subconscious mind, and we may mean no offense. But still, I have seen how these errors offend people greatly, and when working on an international stage, it helps to be aware of what your buyer feels.

Certain "characters" in the North American culture of entertainment are deemed highly offensive in other countries.

I have learned this through my years of traveling. I also worked in Times Square for seven years - considered the crossroads of the world for good reason.

As we all know, people can be very sensitive while working online, no matter who you are, so there has to be a level of understanding that we are all starting over in this online playground.

Yeah, we can all audition. But we can also be much more than just a voice talent.

Voice Actors Mix With Audiobook Pubs At New York City Pub – An APA Event

2009-10-30T03:06:00.001-07:00

Three cheers: Voice actors Diane Havens and John Pruden mix with Dan Zitt (center), Director of Master Recording and Producer at Random House Audio.

Voice Actors Mix With Audiobook Pubs

At New York City Pub – An APA Event

Oct. 29, 2009

By John Florian

VoiceOverXtra

Where can voice actors mix, mingle and informally chat with dozens of audiobook publishers?

Try a pub event. We mean, a networking Mixer for members of the Audio Publishers Association (APA) such as the Oct. 27 get-together at the Wheeltapper Pub in New York City.

The APA sponsors these informal networking events so that “members can get together in a more relaxed setting than is offered at other APA events,” says the organization.

The annual Audies Awards – the “Oscars” of the audiobook industry - and Gala, and an annual conference are among other APA events.

While outnumbered 4-to-1 (which was actually a fine networking ratio) at the recent New York mixer, voice actors traded smiles and tales with the publishers, an agent or two - and amongst themselves, of course.

Voice talent attendees included Alan Sklar (pictured with Robin Whitten, editor/publisher of AudioFile magazine), Barbara Rosenblat, John Pruden, James Langton, Katherine Kellgren, Johnny Heller, Diane Havens, John Florian, Joyce Feurring, Robert Fass, Gerard Doyle, and Sergei Burbank.

The list of attending audiobook publishers is a “Who’s Who” of this world.

Also smiling with voice talent: Amanda Mackler, agent with Atlas Talent Agency in New York.

For information about the APA, the organization’s web site is www.audiopub.org. Or, write info@audiopub.org.

Tricks For Editing Out Breaths & Other Noises Between Words

2009-10-20T19:49:00.001-07:00

Tricks For Editing Out Breaths

& Other Noises Between Words

By Melanie Haynes

Voice Actor

As voice talent with our own home studios, we engineer our own sessions. However, many of us do not consider ourselves to be true audio engineers.

We have learned enough and purchased the right equipment to produce a high-quality recording, and some of us can even mix in a little music. But personally, I would not really call myself an engineer. (My audio engineer friends would heartily agree with me.)

There are, of course, voice talent who have as many years engineering as they do voicing. By that, I mean they have many years of both!

So, what I'm about to share is not for them: how to deal with extraneous noise, or a breath that seems too loud, between the words in our recordings.

VARIOUS WAYS

Although some audio software allows you to "soften" all the breaths in one fell swoop, we who use different software have to manually deal with each offending instance.

There are a number of ways to do this:

the breath can simply be cut,
the area can be "silenced,"
the breath can be normalized to a much lower level, or
you can record ambient sound and then cut-and-paste it in place of the breath, noise, or gap between the words.

CUT IT OUT

Cutting works if there is enough space to allow for a normal pause between words. But if there is not enough space, the result will be a choppy, disjointed reading that will affect your normal timing.

To highlight the offending area and replace it with silence can work, especially if music will be mixed with the voice eventually.

However, if music is not going to be added, there might be a noticeable difference between the noise floor of your read and the space between the words. This will sound too abrupt - like a drop out - and draw attention to the fact that editing has been done.

It could also possibly highlight the general noise floor of your recording - which, hopefully, isn't the case since you've learned to keep that noise floor low.

RECORD AMBIENT SOUND

I've found that what works best for me when I don't want to leave the breath at all - or when there is some other noise - is to highlight that area and simply hit record.

The space is automatically filled with the ambient noise floor of the entire recording. (I'm sure that some voice talents now are having a "well duh" reaction to that advice.)

This method is so much simpler than cutting and pasting ambient sound into that space. And the discovery of it has made a world of difference to me!

ABOUT MELANIE

Melanie Haynes has been a professional voice talent and actress for 25 years. She’s a veteran of film, television and theatre who has voiced thousands of radio and television commercials, corporate narrations, web narrations, podcasts, tutorials, on-hold and voice mail messages. Her vocal styles include: professional and authoritative, warm and caring, bright and upbeat, quirky and fun, sensual and sexy. Character voices and dialects are also in her repertoire. She also writes a very informative blog for voice actors.

Web: www.melaniehaynes.com
Email: info@melaniehaynes.com
Blog: http://voice-over-studio.blogspot.com

Hiring Someone To Promote You? More Scenarios & Hiring Checklist ...

2009-09-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hiring Someone To Promote You?

More Scenarios & Hiring Checklist ...

By Bettye Zoller

Voice Talent & Coach

VoicesVoices.com

Read Part 1

Should a voice talent hire outside promotional help?

As I explained in Part 1 of this series, public relations and marketing professionals have indeed helped me with publicity and public awareness over the past 20 years.

Has it been a wise investment?

Let me continue sharing my experiences with you, and conclude with some suggestions.

SCENARIO THREE

A sub-agent in one of my agent’s offices said she was leaving to start a PR firm. Her monthly retainer would be $600.

After my last experience with ‘Mr. Teflon’ (as I was now calling him), this sounded reasonable. I decided to give her a try.

We met several times to discuss goals and needs. She was attentive and seemed professional.

She had six employees working in her office. I was hopeful. But that soon changed.

PROMISES, PROMISES

I phoned repeatedly to inquire about various tasks that were supposed to be completed.

She kept promising to finish these items but made excuses for being late.

Finally, I confronted her. I asked how she could have an office with six employees and still not get a few simple action items accomplished in my behalf.

She replied:

“Well, honestly, Bettye, my employees are really out-of-work dancers and actors so I’m sure you can understand why we have trouble getting business done. They just don’t know much about business.”

Then, she laughed.

WASTED $1,800

I informed her I would not be paying her next month’s retainer. She was out of the business by then.

This experience cost me $1,800 for the three months in which nothing was done in my behalf.

I had assumed, because she had worked for some years in my then-agent’s office, that she knew the business and could act in my behalf.

I was wrong. Experience with one business does not necessarily translate to being good at something else.

VAGUE PR PROMISES

The problem with all of this is that PR contracts are vague and the legal language is difficult for a layman to understand.

In actuality, most contracts contain little assurance that the client will be satisfied.

Career success is illusive and hard to document in any field, particularly in show business. Phrases such as, “in the client’s behalf” and “subsequent actions taken” do not spell out whether the PR manager or the firm is working successfully for you.

WHAT'S IT MEAN?

This simply means the PR representative made phone calls and took meetings.

For a billed phone call or meeting, there is no way of knowing what was discussed, if your name was mentioned, if you were the main focus of that call or meeting.

When you are billed for client lunches or dinners, it gets more dangerous to your pocketbook.

Expensive restaurants and bars can add to the monthly tab quickly. Read the contract concerning “expenses.” Be careful.

WHAT'S THIS FOR?

Further, it is often difficult to tell exactly what you are being billed for most of the time!

Some PR firms bill clients for phone calls (as do many lawyers) by the quarter hour. The monthly bill states the price of each call to the client.

What was said in the call, how much time was taken with chatting - or on matters other than your needs - may never be documented.

Be prepared to pay expenses without knowing exactly what you paid for.

SCENARIO FOUR

I purchased two private hours to discuss publicity and promotion from a well-known voice-over coach with a national reputation, who travels the U.S. presenting workshops.

I won’t divulge the name or even the person’s sex.

At 45 minutes into my first private hour ($350 up front), the coach stood up abruptly, saying, “My hours are forty-five minutes in duration. Thank you for coming.”

With that, the coach walked from the room. I was alone. The coach talked on a cell phone in the next room.

Without so much as a “nice to meet you,” I gathered up my belongings and left.

WHAT ABOUT ME?

I felt the disinterest and coldness. The coach took too much time talking about subjects unrelated to my purpose, and relating personal stories about other clients.

When I asked a question, the answer was terse and short.

Beware of buying into a “national reputation” or a “Hollywood name” without careful investigation. Just because a teacher or PR professional lives in California or NYC does not necessarily mean that person provides superior service or knowledge.

There are many wonderful teachers and experts all over the world.

LEARN FOR YOURSELF

Whenever possible, attend workshops and meetings that offer public relations publicity tips, networking opportunities, information on getting stories in newspapers and magazines - any information in the realm of public relations or publicity.

Many of these are free. Some require a small fee to attend.

Not only will you learn wonderful information to use yourself, but you’ll benefit from hearing others’ experiences and their questions.

The unions AFTRA and SAG often provide wonderful workshops in this area, as do organizations including Women in Film.

Watch for them in your area.

IF YOU HIRE ...

If you choose to pay someone to undertake publicity or public relations work in your behalf, here are some suggestions for choosing wisely:

1. Determine how many clients they currently serve.

2. Obtain personal experience referrals.

3. Insist on a “trial period” to see if your relationship is satisfactory on both sides.

4. Never sign a long-term contract until you know your money is being well spent.

5. Consult an attorney to look over the contract.

OR, HIRE AN ASSISTANT

I have had very good results from hiring assistants, helpers and office assistants.

Particularly, people new to the voice-over or acting field who truly want to be around me have been quite fruitful. They want to “learn the ropes.”

I need their assistance in phoning, office tasks and similar duties. This is a "win-win" for everyone. Give it a try and help someone new by sharing your knowledge and by paying them.

AND PAY THEM!

I do not believe in unpaid internships.

Many disagree. However, I believe that a salary, no matter how small, is needed out of respect for others. A salary usually improves performances too. Everyone’s work should be paid work.

OVER-CONTROLLED

One last thought: I once was with an agent who had strict policies on self-promotion:

Everything had to be ‘cleared’ by her office before it was mailed or given out.
She insisted on taking an active role in demo production.
You had to use the recording studio and headshot photographer she designated and pay their fees.
The photographers also had makeup and hair stylists we were expected to pay.
The costs of buying prints from the photographers were exorbitant.
Then, she chose the headshot poses. They were usually the ones I liked least.
Her logo had to be on everything (stickers were not permitted), making it useless if you left her.

I did leave her. And when she relocated her office, all of her clients' print pieces needed to be redone. On one occasion, this cost me over $1,500.

I simply could not operate under these circumstances. Worst of all, she was slow in making decisions and giving permission.

I called repeatedly to ask about a flier or a postcard or a new demo I was seeking her approval on. I was simply frozen without recourse. My hands were tied.

LESSON FROM THIS

The lesson: When you sign with an agent, ask about policies on self-promotional activities.

If they won’t release a client mailing list (people who hire voice talents most often) be suspect.

ABOUT BETTYE ...

Bettye Zoller is one of the nation's best-known voice, speech, acting, and voice-over coaches, and is a winner of ADDY, Clio, Golden Radio and Audie Awards. She holds advanced degrees from three universities, has served on university faculties for 30 years, and currently is the Feagin Artist Guest Professor at Tulsa University, and presents workshops sponsored by Women in Film and Television. She is a professional audio engineer and producer, and a Simon & Schuster audiobook author and reader. Her VoicesVoices recording studio and training facility is in Dallas, but she also teaches by invitation worldwide.

Web Success / Part 2: What Happens To Online Auditions? Sites Respond ...

2009-09-02T18:44:00.001-07:00

Web Success / Part 2: What Happens

To Online Auditions? Sites Respond ...

By Paul Strikwerda

Voice Actor

Read Part 1

John was a Realtor. The past couple of years had been the toughest ever.

Plenty of prospects; very few buyers. John had to work twice as hard and twice as long to woo aspiring homeowners.

One day, his boss called him into the office and by the look on his face, the boss was not a happy camper ...

“John," he said. “Do you have any idea how many leads you lost in the past three months?”

“Well, maybe a few here and there," said John. “I don’t really keep track."

“What?” answered his boss angrily. “Are you telling me that you’ve spent hours researching homes and showing your clients house after house, and you have no clue how many sales opportunities you missed? Are you serious?

"How about the Taylors? They seemed ready to buy and they bailed out at the last moment. What went wrong?”

“Oh, I remember them,” said John. “They backed out because they said the escrow fee was too high.”

“That might be true,” said his boss, “but do you want to know what really happened?

"After you had put in all your time and found them the perfect house, they walked out of our office and contacted the sellers directly. Two days later, the property was sold.”

JUST AN ANALOGY?

Of course I made this entire story up, and yet this scenario happens in voiceoverland each and every day.

If you’ve taken a good look at your audition submissions of the past couple of months, doesn’t it seem like a majority has disappeared into a gigantic black hole?

As I mentioned in my Part 1 about this topic: most of my submissions didn’t result in an actual booking - not because the job was awarded to another talent, but because the voice shopper never became a buyer.

How did I know? Because months after the deadline for a project had passed, still no talent had been selected for the job.

ASKED SITES WHY?

It turns out that I’m not alone. That’s why I brought the matter up with three pay-to-play sites.

I specifically asked them about their “conversion rate.” That’s the term marketing professionals use when a prospective consumer takes the intended action.

I particularly wanted to know the percentage of voice seekers who had become voice buyers. And here's what they told me.

VOICE 123

Mike Gomez is Account Executive at Voice123. He replied:

We have around 4,000 active Premium subscribers on the site and these are the stats we keep regarding hirings:

50% – book at least one a month

30% – book between one and five a month

20% – book more than five a month.

Since we don’t control who gets hired (or) why and when, we currently have no accurate way to account for this.

Although we do know most jobs are granted on the site, because we see talents are renewing constantly since our sales have been growing constantly through the months, and the only way talents have money to renew is if they get work.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Voice123 has earned its spot in the marketplace. But the fact that people continue to renew their membership doesn’t tell me a whole lot about the effectiveness of the service Voice123 provides.

VOPLANET

Donna Summers is the president of VoiceCasting and partner at VOplanet. This is what she told me about her company's conversion rate:

Because we deal with large production companies and ad agencies for the most part, virtually all the auditions we do are for actual jobs.

It is rare that an ad agency would take the time, effort and money it takes to put together an ad campaign, hire a copywriter to write the script, get as far as voicing it, and then completely dump it.

If one of our talents gets the job, we are of course, thrilled. If the client books elsewhere, we do call and thank the client for the opportunity and ask who booked the job.

In answering your question, Paul, I would have to say that 100% - with a little margin for error - would be the number of auditions that actually become jobs.

VOICES.COM

Back in 2003, David and Stephanie Ciccarelli created Voices.com out of their condo. Now they have eight full-time staff and four computer developers on contract.

David estimates about $11 million of business goes through the site annually. If you’ve ever used their services, you know that Voices.com makes money from your subscription fees and from an optional 10% SurePay escrow fee on top of whatever the talent’s fee is, paid by the voice seeker. According to the site:

This Escrow fee is kept by Voices.com to cover the charges that we incur from holding the deposit for a period of time in a secure third-party account.

Stephanie Ciccarelli summarizes my unease regarding audition submissions as follows:

You’ve noted that many people are concerned to see that some of the past jobs they’ve auditioned for months ago have not yet progressed to awarding a talent, leaving them to wonder if a client is merely window-shopping or kicking tires, possibly also wondering if auditioning online is a waste of time.

According to a snapshot of statistics from the last four months (April 2009 through July 2009), tracking the completion rate of jobs posted at Voices.com, we can confirm that at any given stage, half of the open jobs are still being reviewed by their client, and the other half are completed (that means a talent has been chosen), with over 2/3 of those completed jobs being verified and processed via SurePay.

Although this information is reassuring, we are aware that there is still room to improve and to grow.

Stephanie cites a number of reasons as to why it appears that many voice seekers on her site never seem to select a candidate. Allow me to paraphrase:

1. Some clients, regardless of their deadlines for finding talent, may not have a pressing need to have their voice-over recorded instantly. In other words, they file away the auditions until they are ready to hire. Sometimes this could take many months, but eventually, someone gets the job.

2. Some clients use sites like Voices.com to find talent, and they prefer to work with them off-site, leaving their job in an “Open” status. This explains why there are fewer “completed” jobs than there truly are.

3. Some voice talents and/or voice seekers don’t want to use the SurePay system. If that’s the case, the job won’t be registered as completed.

FORMER CASTING DIRECTOR

What do voice seekers make of all this? A former casting director for a nationally-known ad agency gave me permission to share his or her thoughts as long as he/she would remain anonymous:

Agencies will do a lot of casting for projects they “hope” will become a client. They will hold auditions ... actors will hold their breath - after creatives fawn all over them ... expect a hold or booking ... alas ... no call!

Of course it happens that another (voice actor) is booked. But it does also happen that no one is booked, as the agency did not get the account or the budget was cut.

It also happens that an audition is used as a demo in a pitch for the account. The performer never knows about it. Top brass may not even know this practice is going on at his or her agency.

The head of production is calling the shots without others in the chain of command knowing anything about you (performer) being screwed.

You may have been instrumental in getting an account. When the time came to cast for the account, you may have been forgotten for a more high-profile talent.

I protested this practice, to the shock of the production chief. It was an uphill battle to have any effect on this practice, but I did make some headway.

In short, we don’t have many options in regard to this practice. Many agencies or agents don’t participate in this practice. But it does happen.

NO VERIFICATION

As a former journalist, I have to add that there is no independent way of verifying the statements from the online casting sites.

There actually is software to keep track of conversion rates, though. QVC uses it and so does Amazon.com. In fact, most e-commerce sites track their transactions at least on a daily basis.

So, how would you evaluate whether or not your investment in a particular pay-to-play site is worthwhile?

Without a clear conversion rate, you can only base your decision on:

Previous personal experience
Anecdotal evidence
Testimonials & recommendations
The reputation of the company
Trust and gut feeling
The size of your wallet

ISSUE RESOLVED?

There you have it. Were these answers satisfying to you? As you have noticed, the online casting sites are listening to us, and they don’t shy away from controversial topics.

They are following up with job seekers, and they too have to work with ad agencies that are only using their service to test the waters.

And finally: as every matchmaker knows, no matter how carefully you select two interested parties, not every match ends in matrimony!

ABOUT PAUL ...

Paul Strikwerda is a 25-year veteran of the voice-over industry whose Nethervoice service features German and Dutch voice-overs, translation and evaluation services. Born in Holland, he has worked for Dutch national and international radio, the BBC and American Public Radio. Although 90% of his work is in English, Strikwerda also records in Dutch, German and French. Clients include Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, and the Discovery Channel. He also publishes an informative and entertaining blog, Double Dutch.

Email: paul@nethervoice.com

Web: www.nethervoice.com

Hiring Someone To Promote You? What To Expect (Lessons Learned)

2009-09-02T18:24:00.001-07:00

Hiring Someone To Promote You?

What To Expect (Lessons Learned)

By Bettye Zoller

Voice Talent & Coach

VoicesVoices.com

A hot topic on Internet voice-over forums and web sites these days is a debate about the value of spending advertising dollars on public relations / marketing firms to market voice-over talents.

Oh sure, the value of these firms to actors in film, TV and theatre ... to singers in all media ... to book authors ... to the fashion industry ... and to just about anyone who sells anything in the marketplace ... or to people seeking that “fifteen minutes of fame” has been proven without doubt.

So, should a voice talent hire outside promotional help?

Few can afford it, but if you can, is it a wise investment?

MOST IMPORTANT LESSON ...

Over the past 20 years or so, when I finally could afford to think about plunking down large sums on marketing and publicity as a voice talent, I interviewed with and eventually retained several PR marketing firms and individuals.

These individuals said they could advance my visibility in the marketplace.

Probably the most important lesson I learned about this effort was that while my visibility did increase, the firms and individuals did not seem to have the connections to advance my cause with those who HIRE voice talents.

That remained up to me.

GOT ME PUBLICITY

What they did, mostly, was to garner publicity for me in publications, by arranging radio and TV interviews, scheduling book signing events, and arranging speaking events.

This was helpful. But I admit that I initially felt queasy about my decisions to invest.

Let me share what I learned through several experiences. Draw your own conclusions.

SCENARIO ONE

A high-rise building in New York City.

The guard at the marble front desk in the cavernous lobby wears a uniform with epaulets on the shoulders. I expect the “changing of the guard” at any moment.

I try not to fall down as my heels click across the slippery floor to his throne. His Majesty inquires about my purpose for visiting and checks my family tree (only kidding).

Next, I take the elevator 15 stories up to visit the PR firm in the clouds.

Boy, are they in the clouds! A woman dressed in what looks like designer duds takes me to her office furnished with oriental rugs, antiques, oil paintings. I feel as if I’m in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada.

Right away, I know I’m not going to be able to afford to retain them.

THE BASE FEE IS ...

After a brief conversation about my general publicity needs, she shoves an informational packet in my hands and says, “Our base fee is $6,500 per month. There are extra fees of course.”

My mouth is dry. I need water!

“Why don’t you take this packet home and look it over and get back to me," she says. "Then we will determine if we will accept you as a client.” (Accept me?)

Feeling like a wet puppy, shoulders hunched, I crept back to the elevator.

BUT, BORROWED IDEAS

The packet looked like something the Queen of England would distribute.

I ran my fingers over the velvety paper stock. Later, I borrowed some ideas from that packet to use in my own publicity folios!

I never went back, of course.

I learned that the leading PR firms are simply out of reach to us mortals who are not Angelina Jolie or Paris Hilton.

This experience took place about 10 years ago. At today’s prices, that firm’s retainer fee is probably somewhere around $10,000 or more per month!

SCENARIO TWO

A friend - who had worked at a major PR firm before returning to free-lance status - phoned, attempting to solicit me as his client.

I liked the fact that radio was in his background and that he was, like me, a voice talent. He was well dressed, glib and well educated.

By the end of our conversation, I decided to retain him. His monthly fee was $1500. His contract was for six months, not one year.

I was pleased by both.

COSTLY EXPENSES

The contract stipulated extra charges monthly for postage, mileage, entertaining clients and office supplies.

And after six months, his monthly fee increased to $2500.

I discovered that those monthly expenses could be pricey. The “entertaining clients” expense was particularly troubling, as he tended to take clients to expensive bars and eateries.

However, in each case, he fully documented the intent and the results of the meeting, so I paid without question.

But soon, that changed.

NEXT SIX MONTHS

I signed another six month contract. He had accomplished several goals on my behalf during the initial six months.

And his expertise in print design was a big plus. His mailers were impressive.

He designed my CD labels, postcards, letterheads and other promotional items.

He was a perfectionist who spent weeks deciding on paper stock, typefaces, the composition of a flier. He insisted on expensive printing services, however, and the printer’s bills were enormous.

PUBLIC IMAGE IMPROVES

Still, my public image improved enormously.

I got new headshots at his request. The expensive cards and mailers were wonderful. I now had a logo embossed in gold.

At his urging, an artist created a cartoon-like sketch of me that I still sometimes use today.

His work was paramount in getting notice. My branding was gorgeous. If my PR representative had kept up this pace, I believe my money could have been well spent.

A LESSON LEARNED ...

The first two months of the second contractual period at the new higher monthly fee were hopeful with plans laid and grandiose plans.

In retrospect, I suspect he got commissions from a host of suppliers. So be it.

Unfortunately, many of the print pieces bore his name as “public relations management.” When I left him, all these pieces were useless.

So learn this lesson now! Make sure someone else’s name on your print pieces is a sticker and not printed on the item itself.

You may switch agents or PR representatives. You may choose to use those expensive materials for more than one purpose.

Protect your investments! Peel off the old sticker and you’re good to go.

OPINION CHANGES

In the third month, I fell ill with bronchitis for a week and his monthly retainer check was three days late.

He was livid, yelling at me on the telephone. I told him to come to my house to pick up the check. He did.

After that, my opinion of him changed. He obviously was in dire need of money despite his expensive clothing and car.

I subsequently found out he had lost his house and was deeply in debt. His ex-wife was suing for back child support.

People phoned me for recommendations because he was trying to secure new clients. He did not return calls promptly. I became dissatisfied and told him so.

I had two months left on my second six-month contract. He missed deadlines. He provided very little return on my $2,500 per month (plus expenses).

THE STICKY WICKET

Nevertheless, an attorney advised me to finish out the contract to avoid legal fees.

When I complained to my PR rep about his lack of action, he became defensive, speaking in a hostile, argumentative voice.

The lesson: Be careful doing business with friends or colleagues. As the English say, “It can be a sticky wicket.”

And as mother said, “Never ruin a friendship with business.” I lost a friend and lots of money in this horrid experience.

Coming in Part 2: More Scenarios and Lessons Learned

ABOUT BETTYE ...

Bettye Zoller is one of the nation's best-known voice, speech, acting, and voice-over coaches, and is a winner of ADDY, Clio, Golden Radio and Audie Awards. She holds advanced degrees from three universities, has served on university faculties for 30 years, and currently is the Feagin Artist Guest Professor at Tulsa University, and presents workshops sponsored by Women in Film and Television. She is a professional audio engineer and producer, and a Simon & Schuster audiobook author and reader. Her VoicesVoices recording studio and training facility is in Dallas, but she also teaches by invitation worldwide.

Email: btzol@aol.com

Web: www.voicesvoices.com