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Getting VO work in Lala land

D

djmimi

Guest
Yeah, well, for those of us "on the beach" we (specifically me) are looking for alternative sources of income. I now have a home studio that rocks, so does any creative types have advice/referrals on getting some of the VO work avail?

The problem with Hollyweird is that they STILL look at the outside of me. Inside, I'm just a Joisey girl. But outside, they think, dang, she a Chinee person fresh off boat so can't speak engrish!! If I go to VO agencies, the first thing they ask me is if I can speak Chinese. Heck, I can't even find the Chinese restaurant down the street.

Need to feed the bunny wabbit.
 
Hey Mimi...

As you are likely finding out, the fields of radio and big time LA voiceover are so different from one another that they're nearly mutually exclusive. Agents and casting directors in Los Angeles want actors, actors, actors. They rarely, if ever, want us radio folk. I learned this when I moved to Los Angeles in 2001, specifically to pursue voiceover. While I anticiapted a challenge, what I encountered seemed at the time to be a brick wall!

If you haven't already, start taking classes! I've taken some in LA and have benefitted most from the classes at the casting house Kalmenson & Kalmenson: www.kalmenson.com . You'll learn to discard everything you knew from radio about giving copy a good smooth read. While this was jarring to me at first, it's really helped me become a better VO performer. There is an enormous differnce between my demo from 2001 and my demo of 2007. My first demo was just way too slick. I sounded like a fine radio production guy, but I didn't sound like a real guy.

Practice, practice, practice using the techniques you learn in the classes. Produce a demo that represents you at your best and shop it around. Downplay your radio background. My experience has been that it really does not work in our favor.

In LA voicoever, perseverence and self-promotion are as important as talent. So keep at it. It took me six years to get representation by a major VO agency in town.

Have you signed up with the online VO services? Both Voice123.com and voices.com are very good. Many of the jobs are for a couple hundred bucks, but every once in a while you'll bag a big one!

I don't really have an answer for how to address the ethnic stuff you've come up against other than to suggest that if you have a killer demo, let your demo speak for itself. Let it be the absolute best representation of your VO signature.

I hope this has been useful to you, Mimi. Good luck and keep knockin on those doors!

Nick Gerard
 
Thanks Nick,
weird thing is that I actually have theatrical and commercial rep for on camera from an amazing agency, so yeah, I've been taking acting classes for a while now, but the VO thing (which you'd think would be right up my alley) escapes me. I guess I should revise my demo reel and keep pounding. I get work doing the silly chinese accents, (seems that's all they want me for on camera too), but just being a plain normal American person is tough. People just don't look at Asian people that way. 95% of what gets written by Hollyweird depicts Asian people as foreigners. My regular accent is really just plain New Jersey, lol. (what exit?)

I get jealous of all our compatriots who have the TSL lines and can broadcast their lines via satellite whereever the heck they want. There's a fella I know who is traveling around the country in his mobile studio and still earning a living. whew.

But thanks for the pep talk and the ref to Kalmenson. I realize it IS tough, but just wanna hear what worked for people...

Thanks
Meem
 
You sound great Mimi & of course look even better. Good luck.
 
Nick Gerard said:
Hey Mimi...

As you are likely finding out, the fields of radio and big time LA voiceover are so different from one another that they're nearly mutually exclusive. Agents and casting directors in Los Angeles want actors, actors, actors. They rarely, if ever, want us radio folk. I learned this when I moved to Los Angeles in 2001, specifically to pursue voiceover. While I anticiapted a challenge, what I encountered seemed at the time to be a brick wall!
Click to expand...

Shotgun Tom has talked about this same thing. He did very well with VO's in San Diego but in LA it took him something like four years of voiceover acting lessons and hiring someone to consult just on doing a demo reel in order to even get his foot in the door at agencies.

Read his story at http://www.laradio.com/worldofvoiceovers.htm
 
Great article, thanks very much!
I admit I've been spoiled - as a student in NYC, I had an ad writer who wrote spots specifically for me. (ok, I was young and cute at that time...sigh). And SF just spoiled me silly. But here, wow, ow ow ow!

Sounds like I'm in good company tho! LOL

Advice/suggestions all much appreciate guys. Thanks.

p.s. to TVC1500 :) javascript:void(0);
Kiss
 
You can always consider marketing yourself in other markets as LA is just soooooooo competitive. I used to work with a guy who is on spots in well over 150 different markets across the country and is still increasing that number. Besides, does it really matter where you do the ads as long as the checks don't bounce? ;D
 
Ah good point Mr Surfer - dude!
it's all about marketing, isn't it?

Hey, I just hired to do a VO at that voice123 - it woiks!
Thanks
Meem
 
djmimi said:
Hey, I just hired to do a VO at that voice123 - it woiks!
Thanks
Meem
Click to expand...

Congrats, Mimi on that VO gig! Yep, it woiks! That, and voices.com can be really good if you work them consistently. I've found that 30-40 auditions will generally yield one booking. That's a better ratio than I had 18 months ago. The quality of my auditions has improved just by doing so many of them, and I have a lot more confidence in my performance as time goes by. I can hear myself sounding more relaxed.

Give the client great customer service, and when someone is pleased with your work, they will often contact you for another job in the future. Stay in touch with the people who have hired you.

There are so many VO gigs out there. Just keep believin' that you're the absolute best person for the job and the jobs will come!

Nick Gerard
 
Nick Gerard said:
Just keep believin' that you're the absolute best person for the job and the jobs will come!
Click to expand...

Hopefully one of those jobs to come will be a full-time jock shift at 100.3 The Sound ;)
Mimi has the best female pipes in SoCal or NorCal !!
 
SuperRadioFan and LV Foghead, :-* :eek:
Such kind words, Thanks for making my day!!
I did apply, but as you know, it's a rough scene out there and lots of available talent. Musically, they are definitely onto something...
 
I hope this topic isn't too old for anyone to keep reading or posting on, but I just wanted to hear some of your guys input on the following: I usually book a lot of v.o. work, but the work has, shall we say....slowed. Called my agent to bug them (have to do that every once in awhile) and I was told that it's hard to get commercial vo work for jocks because the clients think the voice is "over saturated". HUH? Never had a problem before. I think it's a crock. Any one ever heard of that comment before? Thoughts?
 
ofthevoice said:
I hope this topic isn't too old for anyone to keep reading or posting on, but I just wanted to hear some of your guys input on the following: I usually book a lot of v.o. work, but the work has, shall we say....slowed. Called my agent to bug them (have to do that every once in awhile) and I was told that it's hard to get commercial vo work for jocks because the clients think the voice is "over saturated". HUH? Never had a problem before. I think it's a crock. Any one ever heard of that comment before? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

So true. If your on the radio in LA it's very difficult to get work for that reason. The exception that comes to mind is Keri Tombazian at KTWV
 
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