J. Michael Collins

If you’ve ever read through my articles, or listened to one of my webinars, you know that I’m a devout proponent of a “The Customer is Always Right” attitude. I have always believed that success is in large part a direct result of customer service and the way you treat your clients, making them want to return over and over again.

As boilerplate advice, this should be an ironclad principle; but what happens when business picks up so much that you find less and less time to offer your clients the personal touch? How do you avoid becoming a victim of your own success, and creating a negative cycle that harms growth right as things seem to be coming together?

This is a challenging question, and a problem most of us would be happy to have. That said, it’s a very real issue for talent with careers that are mature or maturing.

Your most valuable asset is your time. Keeping this in mind is the foremost element in finding a happy medium between customer service and opportunity cost. If you are booking regularly, the single most valuable use of your time is likely auditioning for new work or marketing to new clients. These are the activities that generate new revenue, and create the potential for establishing new long-term clients to power the growth of your business. Therefore, time spent servicing existing clients, though important to keeping them happy, is creating opportunity cost by taking you away from activity that has the potential to generate additional sales.

What this means is that you need to establish a minimum figure to define the value of your time. If your metrics tell you that one hour of auditioning or marketing is likely to lead to at least $300 in work, you would be ill-served to devote an hour of your time to servicing a client who is paying less than that. As such, there comes a point where you need to re-evaluate your rates, and even terminate client relationships that are potentially costing you money. A bird in the hand is certainly worth two in the bush, but if you have an established pattern of results that can be statistically demonstrated to yield X amount of revenue for Y amount of time investment, selling your time for less than that ratio is selling yourself short.

There is a false perception in our industry that buyers are exclusively cost-driven these days. While many are, just as many value quality over saving a few dollars, and are very likely to consider a reasonable rate adjustment to maintain access to a talent with whom they have an existing and positive relationship. Don’t be afraid to tell your clients that due to increased demand you have to implement a price hike commensurate with how the marketplace is now valuing your time. Will you lose some clients as a result? You bet. However, the 75% who are willing to honor the value of your time will make up for that lost revenue, freeing you to spend more time generating new work at your new rates.

Your revision policies deserve some attention in this respect as well. Early in my career, I was happy to offer copious script changes and round after round of performance revisions to clients, often at little or no charge. I was thrilled to have the work, and when you only have a few gigs a week….or a month…..your time doesn’t seem so valuable. Today, I’m sure to spell out clear revision policies for my clients. Live-directed sessions are considered final sale, and sessions over 60 minutes will incur an additional session fee. For jobs completed offline, I’m happy to offer reasonable performance revisions as long as they don’t include wholesale direction changes…..it is our duty to get the job done right, after all. My price will also include one round of minor script revisions for non-broadcast work, or broadcast work that has not yet aired, (if it’s already on the air and the script is revised, that’s a new spot.) Clients deserve service and reasonable flexibility. That said, minor means minor. For a commercial, that’s a line or two. For an industrial, perhaps a paragraph. For a training module, maybe a page. Anything beyond that, or any additional script changes, are billable, because they take me away from activities that will grow my business, and quite literally cost me money by using my time.

Your clients deserve respect, cordiality, and professionalism at all times. They deserve attention to detail, diligent work, and a reasonably flexible attitude that accommodates the eventualities that everyone encounters in this business. You, however, deserve to be fairly compensated for the time you spend making their product shine…….after all, your time is valuable.

JMC: Tell us about this year’s venue.

The 2016 Voice Arts Awards ( http://sovas.org/home-vaa/), preceded by the That’s Voiceover Career Expo (http://thatsvoiceover.com/), are just around the corner. These November staples of the voiceover industry social calendar conceived and brilliantly managed by Rudy Gaskins and Joan Baker, who founded the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, offer all members of the voiceover community the opportunity to both learn from industry luminaries, and celebrate the business that is so near to all of our hearts. Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss the scholarship with 2015 recipient Brenda Robinson.

In 2015, The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences introduced the first SOVAS Academic Scholarship (http://sovas.org/sovas-scholarship/,) which I had the honor of sponsoring. This year, the scholarship has grown in content and support, and the opportunities for career advancement provided by the package of training, equipment, and access are second to none.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

JMC:

Tell me about your background in voiceover and where you were in your career when you won the SOVAS Academic Scholarship.

Brenda:

I was involved in the film industry in Utah off and on for years, first doing background, then auditioning for minor parts and commercials. Later, after starting voice over, I joined Utah Women in Film and started learning a little more about film-making behind the scenes. I also sing, and have studied Broadway, opera and pop. Voiceover was something I was intrigued by, and it was just the love of being creative and acting but being somewhat anonymous that made me want to dive in. I worked with a coach on and off for about two years before I made my first commercial demo almost 8 years ago, and I have been working at it ever since, doing a few various spots, from E -books to some corporate narration, commercial work for web and TV, to recently working with a children’s author in the UK narrating one of his stories. There will be more collaborating to come. There’s been a lot of learning, sometimes through the school of hard knocks, along the way.

JMC:

How did you first hear about That’s Voiceover?

Brenda:

I met Joan Baker two years ago at VOICE 2014, which was produced by Penny Abshire and James Alburger. She won the Humanitarian Award. Afterward, when everyone was dancing, I started talking to Joan as we were dancing and I mentioned that Rudy was already a Facebook friend of mine, and then she and I connected on Facebook. After that I started taking notice more about That’s Voiceover, and I knew I just had to attend last year.

JMC:

What were your thoughts when you were announced as the scholarship winner? There was no formal application process in 2015. Was it a surprise?

Brenda:

I had absolutely no idea it existed, and yet even though I didn’t know anything when you, (J. Michael,) started talking and got ready to announce it, a feeling came over me that my name would be called; Yet it was all in one moment and very surreal. More than anything, I felt humbled and so grateful to have been chosen. That has meant as much or maybe more to me than even the financial aspects, but of course that helps too. It was great to be the recipient of such fantastic opportunities, and to be given this gift. Many VO friends I was sitting by kept telling me to run up to the stage, and although I remember some of what happened, much of it is a blur.
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JMC:

What did you enjoy about That’s Voiceover in 2015?

Brenda:

I enjoyed the chance to mingle with other voice artists, or those looking to get into the business, and to hone my craft and learn more from some of the best in the business, like you, JMC, Joan and others. I love how the voice community in general is so giving and I feel there is less ego involved than in some other forms of acting and entertainment. I really like the opportunities it gives us to audition for big jobs like the Channel 2 news and the Speed Dating with agents, as well as attending the awards themselves, which are such a wonderful addition to the entertainment industry by honoring voice artists.

JMC:

How has the scholarship helped you advance your voiceover career?

Brenda:

It has given me the confidence and more of the tools I need to take me to higher pursuits. It was great to work with Joan one-on-one, and I feel we have made a real emotional and professional connection. I took away some valuable information that I have kept and implemented regarding the auditioning process and getting out of my own way so I can soar. We have a lasting connection on both fronts. Pat Fraley has always been so genuinely kind and helpful as well, and he has such a wealth of knowledge about different aspects of the business, in addition to various genres of voice over, which when followed and practiced make a difference for the better in the audition process and when voicing anything.

JMC:

What do you hope to learn at this year’s That’s Voiceover expo?

Brenda:

By continuing on this path and working through the tough times, I will continue to hone and gain invaluable skills. Also, learning more about the business end and technology and growing more as a voice actor, It’s always wonderful to see so many friends I know and to make new friends in the business.

“I did it my way.” That’s likely to be etched on my tombstone for several reasons, some more laudable than others. Among them can be counted my voiceover career. From building it based on a radio background, (not the dreaded announcer!) to embracing online casting in its infancy and defending the platform concept despite many controversies to eschewing Los Angeles for Luxembourg, my career has been defined by the non-traditional……and there’s not much I would change. However, one element that I look back on with some regret is the history of my personal skill development as a talent long before I became a coach myself. At that time, I thought, no one needs a voiceover coach.

As a self-starting entrepreneur first and an artist second, I have always put the business of voiceover ahead of the more metaphysical performance side of the equation. I didn’t need a coach, by God, I was a natural. I could do it on my own, figure it out through trial and error, and develop by doing. Either you have talent, or you don’t, and I didn’t need to pay someone hundreds or thousands of dollars to be taught how to read copy. I had it within me, and I was quite sure. There was a time when I genuinely believed voiceover coaching was a scam, plain and simple, designed to separate wide-eyed newbies from their money or to feed upon the dreams of those nibbling at the edges of the industry with promises of cash and glory. Not going to fall into that trap, was I?

I was right about being able to learn and perfect my craft on my own. Over twenty years, I slowly transitioned from a one-trick, big-voiced pony into a versatile voice actor capable of delivering just about any read from late-twenties hipster conversational to movie trailer to grizzled old cowboy, and pivoting on a dime between them. To this day, I’ve never had an hour of coaching in my life, and I’m damn proud of what I’ve been able to teach myself over the years by doing, failing, and learning from my mistakes. I’m walking talking proof that no one needs a coach to be successful in this business.

I’m also a damn arrogant fool.

As I’ve become a part of the coaching and demo production community over the past eight years or so, I’ve been blessed to watch both talents I’ve coached personally and those taught by my colleagues build incredible careers, often in a matter of just a few years. In a handful of cases, I’ve seen people go from zero to big-league bookings and earnings in as little as a year with a well-planned strategy, intensive study, and the guidance of a coach who became a mentor. Seeing this magic at work has filled my heart with joy, but it is also bittersweet.

It’s bittersweet because I now realize with absolute certainty that if I hadn’t been so mule-headed for the first ten years of my career (when I was stuck in a lazy middle rung on the VO career ladder,) and had accepted the help and guidance of people with more experience who knew better, and who could have made me a better talent faster, I could have been where I am today far sooner. Indeed, I would be willing to bet that my rejection of coaching has cost me as much as a million dollars in lost earnings throughout my career simply because I thought I could do it all on my own. In the end, I did, but my wallet is a lot lighter because of it.

There is no doubt in my mind that any and all talent can benefit from the ear of a quality coach and that newer talent can position themselves for success far earlier with such guidance than they can without it.

That said, there have been many discussions lately about what makes a good coach and what to look out for as potential red flags when finding the right fit for you.

I believe the core definition of a quality coach is someone who possesses a background in the industry, knowledge of the marketplace, an ear for nuance and subtlety in delivery, and the heart of a teacher, taking genuine joy in the development and success of their students.

This can take a lot of forms in our business. Some people prefer a coach who is also a successful, working talent. These people experience the life they are training their students for every day and will always be on top of the latest trends and shifts in the marketplace, as they have to be aware of the lay of the land to compete in their own right. There’s a strong argument for learning from someone who has been there and done it and continues to do it every day.

Of course, successful working talent by definition, will have limited availability if they choose to move into coaching, as coaching rates (however high they may seem to some,) will never match what a busy talent can earn from actually doing VO work. As such, you may have to approach several of these types of coaches before finding one with an opening to take on a new student, or you may have to accept spending some time on a waiting list.

There are a handful of highly-respected coaches who have never been VO talent, but rather have come from backgrounds as casting directors and agents to develop followings as trainers of talent. These folks can offer the unique insight that comes with having been on the other side of the glass, and though they may not be performers themselves, as experienced buyers their ears are in tune with what the market expects.

Many successful talents start coaching late in their career to transition to a lifestyle where they have more control over their scheduling. Several well-known coaches fit this mold and can offer the wisdom of accumulated experience to teach what it takes to build and sustain a career in the long run.

Finally, in recent years several credible organizations dedicated to training have emerged, often aggregating some of the top coaches in the industry under their banner to offer a wide variety of a la carte services to talent. These organizations will manage your VO education in a more classical academic manner, often laying out a series of classes and programs for you to complete to progress in your training.

All of these options are valid and can potentially help you build your career, but you also must be vigilant in protecting yourself from less ethical players who may simply be looking to make a quick buck by offering cookie-cutter services with questionable content to anyone with an active credit card.

Red flags you should consider include hard sell or high-pressure tactics, constant streams of spam or solicitations, emails shouting at you in all caps to SIGN UP NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! Suspiciously low prices can be a warning sign as well. Successful coaches, especially those who are talents, don’t need to cut their rates to pay the bills. Watch out for programs that are over-long or over-short. Voiceover isn’t nuclear physics; You aren’t going to get a degree, and you don’t need to study for years before you are marketable (and if you do, your coach should be discussing whether this career is really the right fit for you, and maybe not taking your money.) On the other hand, a weekend intensive coaching package with a demo attached is usually a sure recipe for a waste of cash. Some months of training and a well-thought-out demo plan should be standard expectations.

Moreover, the Internet is your friend, because the Internet never forgets. When checking out coaching options, do your homework! Google the name of the coach or organization and look for reviews, good bad and neutral. It will be hard to find complaints about the best coaching choices.

References are gold. Any coach should be able to give you at least a handful of verifiable references of people who will attribute part or all of their success to working with that coach. An even better test? Ask them to give you a reference of someone they have turned away because they didn’t think they could help them, or didn’t think it would be a good personality fit. An ethical coach doesn’t accept everyone who walks in the door.

Once you’ve done your research, make sure you and your coach mesh on a personal level. Different coaches have different styles of teaching. Some are shouters, screamers, and cursers. If tough love is what motivates you, you can find it out there. Some are nurturers, peppering constructive criticism with praise. Styles vary from energetic and performance driven to didactic and academic. Not all will be the right fit for everyone, so get a feel for whether you will be happy spending many hours of your life with this person.

Ultimately, though, however you do it, if you are considering coaching, don’t hesitate. I did for a long time, and I’m poorer for it. Learn from my mistake.

The 2016 Midwest Voiceover Conference in Columbus, Ohio was the fourth installment of this staple of the conference calendar, and it was once again a testament to the organizational skill of James Minter and his team who put on a top-class event.

Featuring a lineup of industry luminaries led by keynote speaker Joe Cipriano, this conference continued to cement itself as a worthy annual pilgrimage for those eager to learn about the business and expand their VO knowledge. Rodney Saulsberry offered his mastery of technique to the eager attendees, while Cristina Milizia showed why she is one of character VO’s fastest-rising stars. These were only a few highlights of information-packed weekend renown for an intimate setting that encourages attendees and presenters to mingle and socialize.

This year, I was pleased to bring my panel series to The Midwest Voiceover Conference, as we continue to address the issues that will define our industry’s future. VO Atlanta 2016 was the beginning of these panels, featuring representatives from the major online casting sites on the first day, and an assemblage of experts on the second day drawn from the conference presenter list.

In Atlanta, we began to get clear answers from Voices.com regarding their policies and recent controversies that have revolved around their site. These included increased transparency for Professional Services clients, a commitment not to attempt to convert public jobs to managed ones without the client initiating the conversation, and a commitment to maintaining talent access to client contact information, (and vice versa,) on public jobs not managed by Professional Services. Representative Jennifer Smith also clearly stated that Voices has no intention of offering transparency to talent regarding the spread between talent’s bids and Professional Services’ ultimate rate.

Voice123, (voice123.com) then represented by CEO Margarita Rueda, and bodalgo CEO Armin Hierstetter pledged in Atlanta to continue to offer services without a middleman, and each made changes to their platforms at the request of the community, with Voice123 removing the requirement to list experience, (which created an unnecessary bias against talented newcomers,) and bodalgo becoming the first online casting site to build in an optional time-based cyclical usage model for licensing, thereby creating the possibility of earning residuals through the site, and training buyers to be aware of the paradigm.

Armin and Jennifer joined the Midwest Voiceover Conference panel again in Ohio, with Juanita Casas representing Voice123.

In Columbus, with the core controversies already asked and answered two months earlier, the discussion progressed into a wide-ranging examination of rates and ownership. Most pressing was the need for clarification from Voices.com on the sixth point of their Terms of Service, which reads as follows:

“Upon the earlier of the transfer of the audio file to Voices.com or the Client, the Talent assigns to Voices.com all right, title and interest, absolutely, to the copyright and other intellectual property in or relating to the Talent’s work throughout the world, free of all licences, mortgages, charges or other encumbrances, unless agreed otherwise by the parties in writing. The Talent hereby waives their moral rights in the work. Voices.com and its Client assignees or licensees may use the Talent’s work without restriction from the Talent and without any rights of approval by the Talent. Upon payment by the Client, Voices.com assigns the audio file purchased by the Client to the Client. If the Client’s rights to use the work are limited, the limitations will be specified in writing.”

Over the past few months, this language has caused much anxiety within the voiceover community as speculation ran rampant regarding the implications behind Voices seeming to claim all rights in perpetuity for any work done through the site.

Again speaking on behalf of Voices.com, Jennifer Smith stated that the language is necessary to protect Voices.com in the instances where the site pays talent in advance of receiving funds from the client, (which apparently happens with some frequency,) thereby necessitating that the rights transfer to Voices.com and not to the client, who has not yet paid for them.

Jennifer further stated that Voices.com intends to continue publishing intended usage media and duration on managed jobs, and encouraging buyers to do so on public jobs, and that Voices considers this language binding. Though they will not attempt to police or enforce unauthorized usage, Jennifer encouraged any talent who believe their voice is being used in excess of the published scope of the job to contact the site to discuss how they might pursue their claim.

Moreover, Jennifer indicated that Voices would be open to offering talent who were concerned about protecting their rights additional written assurances if approached, and made it very clear that Voices was not interested in obtaining rights to the work of talent except in cases where Voices has yet to receive payment from the buyer.

In another somewhat surprising twist at the Midwest Voiceover Conference, Jennifer stated that Voices was willing to study the idea of creating a usage cycle structure for clients to have as an option on the site, and that formally opening work on the site to residuals could be a possibility in the future.

All three panelists pledged in no uncertain terms that their sites would never impose an enforced rate card, like certain other sites have chosen to do.

Voice123 strongly defended the principle of an unfettered open market for talent and clients alike. While accepting that the sites had a responsibility to protect the interest of their users on both sides of the glass, Voice123 clearly articulated a vision that revolves around being as hands off as possible when it comes to letting buyers and talent find common pricing ground on their own. Juanita did note, however, that Voice123 also considers $100 to be the minimum price of for-profit work on the site, and encouraged talent to report any buyers trying to circumvent this by using the “To be defined,” budget feature.

Armin, bearing freshly printed #rockstar tee shirts, once again impressed with his candor and no-nonsense approach. He revealed that bodalgo is more likely than the other sites to intervene in rate-related matters, regularly restricting buyers from posting work with budgets lower than professionally acceptable. Armin also discussed the continuing evolution of bodalgoCall, an ipDTL-like service that is free to premium subscribers, allowing seamless remote recording without any extra equipment.

All three sites were of a single voice that while they do feel obliged to work to maintain and improve rates for talent over time, the single biggest factor in helping them do so is talent education as to what professional rates are and talent willingness to maintain those rates when quoting for work.

The second panel at Midwest Voiceover Conference, on Saturday, featured Edge Studio CEO David Goldberg, GVAA head Cristina Milizia, star talent Joe Zieja, World Voices executive board member Randye Kaye, and respected blogger, talent, and marketing expert Marc Scott.

This panel featured an intense discussion regarding many of the issues percolating in the community over the past year. The panelists all stated a desire for increased transparency from Voices.com on matters involving compensation. They echoed the sites’ comment on Friday that it is incumbent upon all in the talent community to educate themselves about what constitutes reasonable and professional rates.

As opposed to the Atlanta experts panel, which dismissed any concerns about ultra-lowball sites, this group was more wary of the dangers posed by bargain basement sites like Fiverr, especially in light of the massive investment being made in industry-specific SEO, (search for anything VO related on Google and see where Fiverr comes up in the rankings.)

There was also a rollicking discussion on the role of unions in voiceover, and how effectively they represent the interests of voice actors, with differing opinions on the matter.

Ultimately, everyone agreed that though the surface of our industry may sometimes seem stormy, the seas beneath are as calm and plentiful with work as they have ever been, and that through continued dialogue and engagement we will emerge stronger and wealthier as a profession.

I couldn’t be prouder to count myself among such a loving and generous community, and I am ever grateful for the contributions of everyone who joined my panels in Columbus.

I can’t wait to be back next year!