VO Mastery & That’s Voiceover – Two Conferences, Back to Back

I had the luxury of attending two voiceover events in L.A. recently thanks to my living close to the city. Panel discussions and Q&A, well known voice actors and industry players were all the order of the day…in both cases.

VO Mastery 

We were entertained and hosted by illustrious voice talent, Randy Thomas, who put together a day full of information, kicked off by phenomenal one-man show, “Talking to Myself” by James Arnold Taylor. The renown voice of Obi-wan, Fred Flintstone, and many, many more recognizable voices, James is absolutely the real deal and has the talent of 1000 men in one, Hollywood hot list, package. We moved on to hearing from J. Michael Collins about the business of our business, heard from celebrated animation voice actors, such as Debi Derryberry, EG Daily, and Tara Strong,  and “Live Announce” talent such as Joe Cipriano, Melissa Disney, and Randy, herself.  An interactive portion of the day, allowed us to listened to a live casting session, where we were able to critique the voices for ourselves, thanks to GVAA‘s David Rosenthal and Christina Milizia. As a Bonus, Randy organized a small group of us the night before, where we worked in studio and were critiqued by a mainstay agent at Atlas talent, as well as, the incredible, Melissa Disney. Super productive to be in the studio receiving direction from top of the line industry people. Randy Thomas treated us royally and provided an unforgettable experience.

That’s Voiceover 

Phenomenal talent, producer, and author, Joan Baker, with Emmy Award winning producer and her husband, Rudy Gaskins, and team, put on a class act at Warner Bros. Studios on Saturday, November 12th.  Again, panel discussions and Q&A. We were exposed to the most successful voice actors and industry people in the business and given opportunities to meet industry professionals, one on one, and audition for a real promo gig with CBS2 in L.A., though this all required prior screening and approval. The consistently hilarious, Scott Parkin, hosted the evening’s events and we were given a taste of Hollywood at Steven J. Ross Theatre on the Warner Bros. lot. Those lucky enough to attend, or be nominated, were also at the Sunday evening event, the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Awards.

WHAT I RECEIVED:

A consequential gift of attending the events was meeting others that do what I do everyday. For the most part, we work in isolation, so to spend time with my “lifestyle twins”, was super enjoyable. Lifestyle? Yes, a career in voiceovers is a lifestyle – full of constantly changing gears, strange hours, interesting requests, creativity and business savvy, and maintaining vocal health.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Before you start introducing yourself to the world – be really good at what you do.

Have your $#!+ together. Do your homework.

Be innovative and flexible in your approach to your business, despite the most expensive advice.

Know that there is truly no one else like you. Similar, perhaps. But, not identical.

Do what actually works for you, creatively and lifestyle-wise. You may find your niche on an untraditional path.

Know where you stand. Don’t put the cart before the horse.

Create realistic goals and get to work.

Keep working. Tenacity wins.