Newsletter

December 2007 · Newsletter Archive

"Christmas renews our youth by stirring our wonder. The capacity for wonder has been called our most pregnant human faculty, for in it are born our art, our science, our religion."
-- Ralph Stockman

The 'Part-time' Job

Consider this: if you're working your chops 8-10 hours a week (cold reading, taking a workshop, getting one-on-one coaching, repeatedly listening to your initial SOUND ADVICE FOUNDATION coaching CDs, studying the commercial styles, doing your vocal warm-ups so you're prepared when an audition or booking comes up) and you're spending an additional 8-10 hours pursuing representation and promoting your demo (promoting your demo and postcards to the producers-- whether you have representation or not, pursuing representation from the talent agents) then for any other field you'd certainly be considered 'part-time'. Well, this is a profession. If you truly apply yourself for what is considered part time for any other line of work, and you do so for an extended period of time (say, a year or more) then voiceover/acting is very likely to become your primary job.

If you're bothered because you went after the agents for a few weeks a year ago and little if anything came of it, then you need to get back into the swing of this thing and work your skills so you can deliver at a moment's notice. (That's how quickly these things come up!)

It would help a great deal if you begin by getting honest and straight about how many hours you're honestly applying yourself to this field, and make it your goal to do this 'part-time.' You have to work your skills regularly and promote yourself constantly and consistently to succeed--at anything.

This is true of ANY field, but even more so if you are freelance and that's what a voice talent--what an actor is, by profession. A freelancer. It's well-known you have to self-motivate yourself to a great degree for any small business to thrive. And that's especially true at the onset--the first two years you are establishing your small business.

By the time you get your demo you may feel as if you did all your work already. Well, think again. You're still on planet Earth, my friend. Working your skills with me for two to three months is great--but it can't end there. You'll never get this thing off the ground if you don't keep going.

That demo we produced for you is built to last--but you have to keep the ball in play! It only represents you well if you continue to work your chops! You always have something you could be doing to further yourself in this field. If you do you'll find it's incredibly rewarding on many levels.

Besides, that's your job--that's the only way you will get a return on your initial investment. At the end of the day this is your small business and this is the only way you will succeed. No one will do it for you. Here at Sound Advice we're here to help as much as we can, but ultimately the onus falls to you. If you fall off the wagon--you can always hop back on and get the ole motor going again.

Like most small businesses, this thing takes dedication, tenacity and momentum. It's up to YOU to keep this puppy going. We're here to help.

By any other name...

It happens all the time. New talent often ask me, "Should I change my name?"

To be perfectly honest, when you ask someone with a name like 'McClanaghan' expect to hear anything!

My take on it is simply this: unless someone in SAG already has your name, I'd avoid going through the pains of attempting to change your name. What may seem harmless at the onset will often become an obstacle...especially when it comes to cashing your checks unless you do it legally. And, frankly, you really don't need an additional obstacle coming between you and getting paid.

Okay, so this presents yet another question: "How do you find out whether your name is taken already by another SAG member?" Well, naturally being as forward thinking as they are, here's what SAG suggests (according to their web site): "Because the list of available names changes daily, it would not be helpful to you for us to research your name choices before you join. During your joining appointment, we will ask you for three alternate name choices, in case your first choice is not available. A final name-availability check is done at the time the initiation fee is paid. Only then can an applicant be assured of having a particular professional name."

Now, I have to say, I think this is lousy advice. It's convenient for SAG but not for you. In fact, this is how Phillip Seymour Hoffman ended up professionally known as Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He NEVER used his middle name, for obvious reasons, (my apologize to anyone named Seymour) prior to joining SAG at the ripe old age of 25. He was told he could always change it later. (Yeah, right, like that's gonna happen.) Certainly, it didn't hurt his career any and we all know who he is, but having to accept a name you rarely or, worse, wouldn't care to answer to isn't much of an option, now is it?

Best advice: keep your name as it is whenever possible. If you must change it, be sure you can still cash your checks. If your name is relatively common, best look it up on the SAG registry ahead of time so you can rule it out in advance and allow yourself the opportunity to make arrangements for something you, the bank and SAG all can live with.

Sharing...Giving...

So many of our trusty SOUND ADVICERs have continually agreed to let us submit their emails in our Newsletters. And we thank them for sharing!!

Q: I did a big job (non-union) at the BEGINNING of MAY and haven't been paid for it yet. My agency claims they haven't been paid yet, and they've never really even told me how much I'm going to get because the market for the spot increased, etc., yada, yada, yada. Is this not ridiculous? HELP! What should a talent do? Thanks! TS

A: It does happen,TS. It's the anomaly, but it does happen!
It's even happened with us. (And recently, which makes all of us uneasy!)
Non-union is something of a wild-west show and certainly most non-union agents pay just after 90 days.
But, as we tell you guys, call around 45 days and then again just after 90.
As long as you stay on top of it--and your agent is confident it will pay, you're just going to have to hang in there.
Stay in good communication with your agent in the meantime. You'll get paid.
Sometimes we need to be far more patient than is comfortable.

Q: Months ago, I asked you (and Priscilla too) whether it would be okay if I used you and the SA crew as a reference. You said yes! :). As a heads up, I used you as a reference on a crazy 4,000 page job. Though I am quite certain that I will never hear from them again now that I have given them my rate.

A: We're happy to give you a proper reference.
In fact, everyone we produce a demo for are seen as endorsed by us.
Which is precisely why only we feature our SOUND ADVICE clients are on our web sites and why we're a bit strict with you guys. You're repping us and vice versa. We're joined at the hip!

As my talent agent says, "I love your clients. I can throw your book at them when they're out of line. It's all in there! They have no excuse!"
Which raises the bar for us even higher, wouldn't you agree? The world sees you as represented by us. That means a great deal to us.

Now, quoting your own rate on jobs is such a variable since each job has its own set of demands and each must be taken on individually.
This is another perfectly good reason why every production requires a producer and every talent a talent agent. (Contrary to what jibber-jabber you may randomly read on the Internet.)

However, today's Internet presence in our industry offers jobs that are soooo low budget they disregard the benefit of either and therefore put you, the voice talent, in a precarious position.

This is the single downfall of voice123 and, frankly, the greatest time-waster our staff at Sound Advice ultimately deal with when attempting to assist you guys when you're first starting out. The degree of difficulty is this: quote a talent rate on jobs we have little or no information on whatsoever. (Ugh.)

It's not our aim to train you to become a low-budget producer. We want you to succeed as professional talent.

We recommend voice123 and sites like it because it will flex your audition muscle and get you a steady diet of auditioning for spots and certainly allowing you access to work that in some instances has proven quite lucrative and even union, from time to time--so it's certainly not a waste of time or effort by any stretch.

Yet, there are scads of jobs like this on voice123 and similar sites that are truly aimed almost solely at radio talent who typically write, voice and produce 150 to 200 spots a week and are thrilled at the prospect of making $25-$35 per spot/page, which would likely DOUBLE their personal income over what they are making at the local station.

Most smaller radio stations are peopled with individuals who remain in radio, year after year, because they love the medium, but ultimately find themselves simply settling for the devil they know and often living below poverty to do so.

You have to consider this when twisting yourself around a pole desperately trying to win a job by supplying "the most appealing rate possible" to this extremely low-end job.

Best advice to you: simply tell them your rate is based on union scale.

For Narration, that's typically $350 for the first hour and (for non-union) an additional $100 for each additional hour, minimum of 2 hours.

For Commercial radio, $250 per and commercial TV or Cable a "buy-out" (flat fee in lieu of residuals) might run about $550 or more.

Rates would not likely go below these rates, but then these are even negotiable and additional reliant on usage (how long will it run and where).

Field it to an agent if it gets too deep. An agent is likely to get you better pay and is skilled in negotiating.

As always you have to be willing to waste it! Not everything is all that worth it. You'll land things you never expect and miss out on jobs you had your heart set on. It's simply the nature of the beast. Release the vise-grip a bit and offer it up to not-knowing one way or the other. (It's actually quite liberating!)

Just do your best to enjoy yourself and you'll be far more pleasurable to work with in the long and short run.

"Speak the speech, I pray thee..."

Here are a few industry terms you may (or may not) be familiar with that you certainly should know.

The first term deals with promotional items. And the best rule of thumb that applies here is the old adage, "Keep it simple."

premiums--A premium is a promotional item sent out by talent such as pens, pencils, mugs, hats, chattering teeth, waxed lips, hot sauce and so forth that usually has the talents' name and logo on it to promote the talent conceptually and tangibly through name-recognition.

The best, most-effective premium I ever saw was sent out by voice talent and illustrator, Pat Byrnes one Christmas season. It was a small battery operated clock that had his own little dog (logo) illustration from his demo chasing around the face on the sweep-second hand. His name was simply printed on the face of the clock itself. Not only was the tiny token appropriate, given the fact it was the holiday season, but a person can really use a clock. Every time you'd look at it...there'd be Pat's name. I thought it was a pretty cool premium. The most useful I'd ever seen.

I did t-shirts one Halloween that echoed the graphic that was featured on my demo-- a cartoon of the Frankenstein monster about to pluck a mic out of the hands of a small girl (aptly entitled "Plays Well With Others"). The image was 'season appropriate' and the select few I targeted really like them. In fact, I continue to hear about them now years later.

Premiums are not cheap and if they are can be a complete waste of money.
They are a fun little promotional tool that can leave producers, engineers and the like left with a pleasant memory of you.

I don't recommend premiums until the talent has their skills fully sharpened from training, their demo is a complete package, their web page is up and they are fully poised and ready to deliver the goods on a session. Otherwise the talent will widely promote a half-baked pie. That's quite the investment for something that's not cooked through.

However, if you are interested in putting a premium together for yourself be sure it's tasteful and appealing and an item that furthers the concept that represents you best. A premium is an extension of the idea of what it is you bring to the industry professionally. Be sure to include your web address on everything.

Wishing you the very best of the Season...and the coming year!

As another year screeches to a spirited end...it's exciting to consider where we're all headed in the coming year what with our recent opening of our LA office/studio. Most of you already know our very own PRISCILLA QUIRINO relocated to LA at the end of October to live and open our office there. The welcome additions to our team in Los Angeles are: studio manager/casting director, CAMILLA BASSALY, as well as recording engineers, CHRIS DUNN and JAROD PANTERMUEHL.

So, from our entire staff...including PAULINE, DELLA, JOLENE, COLLEEN, JEFF, LOUISE, JON, KATE and CRICKET...We wish you a very merry, happy YULETIDE-HANNAKA-KWANZA-NEW YEAR!! And look forward to adding to your success in 2008!!