Newsletter

July 2007 · Newsletter Archive

"I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
--Robert McCloskey, State Department spokesman

Navigate Freely

In our May Newsletter we included a link to three valuable maps our very own chief recording engineer, Jon Monteverde, created for you. They consist of some of the most prominent recording studios, casting directors and ad agencies in Chicago. We include these for your convenience so when you find yourself called for an audition or a booking you'll have a better idea where you're going! (Boy, I wish I had us when I was first getting established.)

Anywho...we've added both NYC and Los Angeles to our location maps, available through the links below.

New York:
www.soundadviceclients.com/maps/nyc_advertising.html
www.soundadviceclients.com/maps/nyc_casting.html
www.soundadviceclients.com/maps/nyc_studios.html
Los Angeles:
www.soundadviceclients.com/maps/la_advertising.html
www.soundadviceclients.com/maps/la_casting.html
www.soundadviceclients.com/maps/la_studios.html

So, have at it! The world is your oyster.

PLEASE NOTE: it's imperative you don't use these maps to cold-call or randomly drop by unannounced to any of these places. You will be met with a seriously irritated professional contact that will not likely consider you for anything beyond that point. Follow the protocol we established for you in the book ("The Sound Advice Encyclopedia of Voiceover").

Again, we no longer recommend, in this post-9-11 era, you walk your promo into the AD AGENCIES. Instead it's best if you mail them in. The talent agents are one thing, depending on who and where they are located, but the AD AGENCIES are another kettle of fish altogether, and you should simply mail in your promo.

What's 'The Big Idea'?

Donny Deutsch, famed maverick CEO who built a multi-billion dollar advertising and media business with his Deutsch ad agency, hosts a show called "The Big Idea." It's inspiring, entertaining and informative. According to Deutsch,

"There are TWO formulas for success:
1) Find something you love and you can be passionate about.
2) Work harder than the next guy!"

Simple! Wish I'd thought of that.

If you want to check out "The Big Idea" for yourself, click on (or copy into your browser) www.cnbc.com/id/19368798 for more Donny Deutsch.

Promotion is EVERYTHING!

In this industry, a professional (or even aspiring) talent is expected to work their skills no less than 8-10 hours per week and promote themselves no less than 8-10 hours per week. That would be part time for any other profession. Stands to reason the same principles apply here if you expect to see results! Meanwhile many well-meaning professionals often impart poor promotional advice by telling you NOT to direct mail your promo (postcards and demos) to producers and copywriters.

These individuals often have terrific professional credentials so to hear them doubt the effectiveness of embarking upon a direct mailing campaign is likely to discourage you from doing so. These folks are likely to inform you that mass-producing your demo is a waste of time and money.

In fact, recently one agent, whom I respect greatly, told a client (talent) of ours, "All direct mailing does is create a presence. I don't see any use in it." That's a quote.

Well, this is precisely why we encourage direct mailing your promo to potential employers. The objective is just that: to create a presence! In fact, that's the whole point.

In the last few years, dozens of national-caliber voice talent lost a bulk of their steady work after their (very prestigious, very well-meaning) talent agents told them, "You're on our house reel and our site. We even have you on voicebank.net. I honestly don't see the need for you to mass produce your demo or promote yourself. Save your money."

Sadly, after heeding that advice, many if not most of these terrifically talented pros managed to lose nearly all their steady work and some, to add insult to injury, even lost their agents--the same folks who advised them to refrain from promoting. At Sound Advice, we have extensively surveyed scores of commercial producers and copywriters nationwide. What we discovered is: talent who consistently mass promote their demos and postcards work far more than those who don't. And the talent who leave their promotion in the hands of their agents--soon become (or remain) completely anonymous.

If you leave the fate of your career in someone else's hands you will have a much tougher time creating and maintaining steady work.

The old adage, "Out of sight--out of mind," applies here.

Additionally, at Sound Advice we have available to you one of the greatest assets vital to a successful direct mail campaign: a tried-and-true mailing list of receptive, targeted industry contacts.

In fact, at present, we have the most current, most comprehensive mailing list of ad agency contacts in the country you'll find available anywhere. If you approach your small business as a professional talent and you promote your demo and postcards repeatedly to these industry professionals, region by region, no less than three to five times a year you will see results. If you don't--you won't. It's as simple as that.

We recommend you send each individual contact a postcard the first week, then skip a week, then send the same individual a demo, then skip a week, then send another postcard. That's drip, drip, drip. And that's how you make yourself known and available to the work.

Over the course of five weeks each individual contact receives a postcard or demo every other week. Your postcard contains your web address where your demo can be found in a single click, your cell phone number and your e-mail address are also included as well and small enough to allow you to conceal that information under a return address label (1/2" x 1 3/4"). This way you can replace your contact info with your talent agent information at a later date (i.e. "Available thru Paradigm 212.703.7540").

There are continually a new crop of producers and copywriters entering the Ad Industry everyday. It's important to give them something tactile--namely YOUR DEMO and postcard. Make yourself real and known to them--repeatedly. One full mailing is not enough!

Yes, it usually takes three full mailings or more to create an impact and start to make yourself known. But stay with it and be consistent. It will be well worth it. This is your small business and this is precisely how you work it.

If we produced your demo here at Sound Advice, you know you have something you can be proud of. Your promo is cutting edge and establishes a real 'brand identity.' Wonderful! Now, get it into the hands of the people most likely to hire you. Otherwise you're leaving your fate in someone else's hands (which is never a good idea) and, as much as your agent may like you or think you're the most talented thing going--it's really not their job to be your publicist or manager. The goal is to eventually need to hire a publicist or manager. Until then stay at it. Beyond keeping your vocal agility up, promotion is the other half of your job.

This does get easier with repetition and it certainly gives you something constructive to do between auditions, bookings and working your skills.

Keep in mind: the more you promote your demo, the more accessible you'll be to the work, the more you'll make your name known, the more likely you'll see a return on your initial investment. The more likely you will secure steady work in this business and be able to subsidize your entire acting career.

Part Time...For Any Other Biz

You've heard us say, time and time again... "If you put a minimum of 20 hours a week into your career, you will soon be working FULL time in this field. Twenty hours is part time for any other business. Make it your aim to work 'part time' at this!" Right?! Okay. So you may have wondered, "What exactly am I doing 20 hours a week?" Well, I'll tell ya--it varies a little based on whether

a) you're just starting out and coaching,
b) you're mid-production on your demo,
c) we've completed production of your demo and you're ready to roll. Or, lastly...
d) you've dropped the ball a bit, which we ALL do at some point, and you need to get back at it.

Fine. Allow me to offer you a few weekly targets to aim for and help you accomplish a consistent application of yourself to the task of becoming a steady working talent.

The FIRST 20 hour PART-TIME Checklist© (Prior to Demo Production)
- 2-3 hours of one-on-one coaching
- 2-3 hours of Improvisation or our In-Studio Workshop at Sound Advice
- 2-3 hours of listening to your one-on-one coaching and the Workshop podcasts
(we send the podcasts out every week via email, so be sure to check your 'trash' if you haven't been getting them.)
- 2 hours of research (reading the SA Encyclopedia, the Newsletter or past issues of the Newsletters, any number of recommended material listed in the back of the book.)
- 2-3 hours of 'studying the medium' (in other words, taping programs and commercials and playing them back to study the listed observable items outlined in the book.)
- 7 and a half hours of vocal warm ups; 45 minutes to an hour of articulation exercises and a half hour of cold-reading three to five times a week.
The SECOND 20 hour PART-TIME Checklist© (Mid-Demo Production)
- 7 and a half hours of vocal warm ups; 45 minutes to an hour of articulation exercises and a half hour of cold-reading three to five times a week.
- 2-3 hours a week applying "The Ten Principles of Performance"© to your demo copy, playing 'vocal solitaire'© with your copy and making yourself familiar with the text without memorizing or getting stuck in a 'muscle memory delivery'©.
- 2-3 hours of tracking (recording the demo tracks)
- 1-2 hours prepping the graphics, ordering the C-Shells and so forth.
- 2-3 hours of Improvisation and/or our In-Studio Workshop at Sound Advice
- 2-3 hours of listening to your one-on-one coaching and the Workshop podcasts
- 2 hours of research (reading the SA Encyclopedia, the Newsletter or past issues of the Newsletters, recommended material listed in the back of the book.)
The THIRD 20 hour PART-TIME Checklist© (Post-Demo Production)
- 4-5 hours of vocal warm ups; 30 minutes of articulation exercises and a half hour of cold-reading four to five times a week. (This NEVER goes away. Make it your constant.)
-2-3 hours of 'studying the medium' (in other words, taping programs and commercials and playing them back to study any of the listed observable items in the book.)
- 5 hours compiling and getting your promo out (to both AD AGENCIES and TALENT AGENTS) (This is on-going and never goes away. It takes persistence and due diligence.)
- 2-3 hours of brush up coaching sessions and /or In-Studio Workshop at Sound Advice
- 5 hours of a) listening to past coaching sessions in chronology, b) re-reading the 'Encyclopedia' in chronology and c) reading the Newsletters
- 2 hours of auditioning

Please note: if you've dropped the ball and need to get back at it, just apply the FIRST 20 hour Part Time Checklist©. That ought to get your game back up to par. Now you have a game plan and you know what you have to do move from 'unknown' to 'KNOWN and working steady'!

Creating a Comfort Zone

While filming Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt," actor Hume Cronyn was directed to simply stand, rather than stand and step back as he had been doing in a reaction shot. On the following take, Cronyn inadvertently stepped back once more. Afterward he told Hitchcock, "I'm sorry but I'm so uncomfortable just standing there."

"All right then," said Hitchcock, "Let's take it again and you'll step back and we'll have a comfortable actor--as well as one without a head." Hume Cronyn smiled.

Hitchcock continued, "The camera lies, you know. And when it does you have to learn to accommodate it."

What's In A Word?

"Grasp the subject, the words will follow." So said Cato the Elder--whoever he was. Well, here's a little snack food for thought while you sit at the beach or poolside. We recently updated "The Sound Advice Encyclopedia of Voiceover & How To Be A Working Talent." This is a little item you might have missed the last time you read it.

matching--The term used when you are trying to recreate the timbre, emotion, inflection, phrasing, volume/proximity and tempo of a delivery to make a slight adjustment or to correct a minor error in the initial read.
Also, if at a session the client preferred a specific take and simply wants to change a line or phrase they may have you 'punch in' the corrected line. This requires you 'match' the original delivery as much as possible.
Notably, actors (both novice and established alike) often harbor the misconception they are expected to deliver one perfect read and therefore attempt to 'perfect' a single delivery repeatedly, take after arduous take, as if they were trying to match a read.
The truth is there are only three circumstances in which one specific delivery is required from you:
a. When you are understudying a role on stage. According to Actors' Equity, you are expected to recreate the original actor's performance as closely as possible.
b. When you are in a professional touring company of a stage production (such as "The Producers" or "Hairspray"). These productions are very strictly choreographed in every way in order to deliver a more consistent product. The original production is set as the blueprint for the touring company, which is then followed to the letter. Additionally, these productions are often technically heavy shows; straying from the program would certainly increase the risk of injury to cast and crew and ultimately create a show that deviates dramatically from the original 'hit'...
c. And lastly, matching is adding or correcting a line in voiceover or on-camera.
Other than these three specifics, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, matching is not the desired goal of your performance it's only a tool and nothing more.
So, if until now you have always thought all that what was required of you was to match your initial take, again and again and again, then you were looking at performance as simply matching rather than acting.
For what it's worth you're in good company. It's an honest misconception.
To clarify: Our job as talent is always to give the director options within the context of what's being asked of us, regardless of the medium.
So play. It's your job. How many people do you know can say that?
The true objective of a skilled, professional talent in every medium is to deliver a variety of deliveries within the context of the scene, character and circumstance.
It takes imagination and agility. It takes an ability to simply play. Mastering the art of variety takes courage and the willingness to truly risk. By continually building your agility and engaging your imagination fully is forever the requirement of an effective artist--in any medium. So, take a leap of faith and surprise yourself take after take, within the parameters of the piece.

Our hopes for you...

I appreciate the effort, support and attention all of you at SA/BH provide. I am receiving several auditions per month from Lori Lins and The Big Fish Voice Company, have had a few from Moore Creative and The Green Agency in Miami. I also picked up a job from a postcard I sent out to a studio here in Louisville that I heard did a lot of ISDN work. They called the day they received my card and I did a job for them the next day. The best to all there. -JF

Thanks for the update. Great to hear our aims for (all of) you are coming to fruition. We wish you well--always!

Enjoy your summer. Be smart, be safe, be happy! We're looking forward to seeing you soon. -Kate & crew