The Elite Sandbox: Always Aim High

Happily enjoying a couple weeks of travel respite after the 11th Euro VO Retreat, the 4th at the stunning K-Club outside of Dublin, Ireland, so many reflections on what was probably one of our very best events have taken hold. When to do less. When to do more. When to go completely off-the-rails in an audition. But I think I speak for the majority of our attendees when I say that the biggest takeaway was learning to believe you belong with the best and brightest.

During the retreat, the term, “Elite Sandbox,” was coined to describe the university-like environment of working 10-hour days not just with top-tier agents, casting directors, and coaches, but also getting to experience the dynamism of being amongst a small group of truly world-class talent and seeing ideas and techniques come to life as one performance inspired another, and another, and another. The joy of deep, immersive, creative play.

It might be a bit much to describe it as like watching the neurons of the scientists fire in a scene from Oppenheimer as great minds came together to do impossible things, but there’s some validity to the analogy……though the only thing we detonated were about ten minutes worth of fireworks at the end. And any pretense that a few of us were good golfers. That poor caddie needed a stiff drink.

Minds, however, were certainly blown. And egos were checked at the door as even top-booking talent learned things they didn’t know they didn’t know. It was PhD level voiceover, and if I had a personal takeaway from the week it was that for all of the distress and uncertainty over so many shifts in the media landscape that are impacting everyone in entertainment these days, when all is said and done and the voiceover industry of tomorrow comes clearly into focus, those who will still be here are the ones who refuse to settle for anything less than greatness in every performance…..even through the failures it takes to get there.

Throughout the week there were many happy tears, many emotional ones, and a few questioning ones. But in the end, everyone rose to the occasion to grow from wherever they were, to the next level in their journey, and with more focus and understanding of what reaching the pinnacle really requires in terms of training and personal investment.

The great thing about the Elite Sandbox, however, is that you don’t need to spend thousands to come to a retreat to experience it. Never before has our industry been filled with more abundant and accessible offerings to learn, gather, and grow together. From sub-$100 webinars to conferences, meet ups, donation-based online events, and opportunities to learn with and from those who know what it takes, the Elite Sandbox is just a click away. Or a flight to Europe if that’s your jam. Or anything in between.

What matters is……that you come play. Grab a shovel. Grab a bucket. And dig. Dig for better. Dig for greatness. Dig and play and laugh and cry until your soul pours forth from every read. Because if you do, the temporary vicissitudes of the marketplace will never be able to hold you back from the destiny you deserve.