VO School Podcast

This week on the VO School Podcast we are discussing how an actor markets and brands themselves in 2017 and beyond.

How you present yourself to the world can make or break your career and we discuss the various approaches that can help you to stand out in a crowded field.

What is the difference between branding and marketing? How soon should you start your marketing journey? What are the gatekeepers looking for when they choose talent? And what are the major no-no’s and turn-offs that will hinder your chances?

Joining me this week are two titans of the marketing world - Celia Siegel is the founder of Celia Siegel Management, widely recognized for building strong personal brands for voice talent. Before creating CSM, Celia was a respected talent agent with stints at CESD, JE and Wehmann. A brand builder, certified life and business coach, success strategist and talent manager, Celia has advanced the careers of top VO talent for more than two decades.

Doug Melville is Chief Diversity Officer for TBWA\Worldwide, a top ten ranked global advertising agency. Since joining the TBWA, he’s led efforts that resulted in more than $150mm being spent with multicultural + women owned businesses in the creative space. He’s presented 3 TEDx talks on the topic and made multiple appearances on Fox Business.

And in a first for the podcast we are launching an exciting competition! You could win a brand audit from Celia that we will be recording and putting it out as a future episode. Submission details are in the episode or you can visit our Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/voschoolpodcast/).

It’s the tenth episode of the VO School Podcast and this week I wanted to do something a little different. We are taking a look at the psychology of the voice actor!

How does one deal with disappointment, rejection and self doubt? What techniques can you use to combat performance anxiety and how do you deal with a person bringing negativity into a session?

We also explore tactics to help you get into character, perform at your best in the audition room and the recording studio, and how to unwind after a difficult session.

I’m thrilled to have been joined by two fantastic guests. Dr. Chloe Carmichael holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University. Her Manhattan based private practice focuses on stress management, relationship issues, self esteem, and coaching. She has worked one on one with many stars from stage and screen. and contributes her knowledge to media outlets such as The Huffington Post, Fox News, Cosmopolitan, New York Post, US News, Refinery29 and Forbes.

Anna Vocino is a voice actor, stand up comedian and food writer. Her voice credits include promo campaigns for ABC, Nickelodeon, Fox Sports, Cartoon Network, and The Tennis Channel, plus hundreds of TV and radio spots for clients like Subaru,, Bud Light, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Target, FedEx, Legoland, and McDonald’s. She can also be heard on TV in The Office, Celebrity Death Match, The Young & The Restless, and Jimmy Kimmel Live, as well as “a bajillion video games”.

This week on the VO School Podcast we are talking about voiceover conferences!

Working as a voice actor can be a lonely profession, especially if you work predominantly from home. One way to get out of your booth and meet your peers, agents, producers and coaches is to go to one of the many voiceover conferences that take place around the world each year.

Joining me this week are Gerald Griffith - founder and CEO of VO Atlanta, the biggest voiceover conference in the world. And Dave Courvoisier, voice actor, Emmy Award winner and President of World Voices Organization and the WOVO Conference.

What exactly is a VO conference? Why should you attend? What can you leave with that you didn’t have when you arrived? How do you choose which conference to attend? And how can you make the most of the connections that you make?

We also take a peek behind the curtain at the planning of a major voiceover conference and we learn how much work is involved in the preparation and overseeing of such a major event.

How do you get your first voiceover job? That is the subject of this week’s VO School Podcast!

We investigate four huge tactics that will help you book not only your first gig, but regularly as a voice actor.

How do you market and brand yourself? Should you reach out to an agent for representation? How do pay to play and online marketplaces fit into your career (and should they!)? And how do you reach out to marketing and advertising agencies to promote yourself. We also discuss how getting recommendations from other voiceover professionals is vital to a successful career.

I’m joined by The Voiceover Network’s Rachael Naylor and Bodalgo.com’s Armin Hierstetter. Two highly respected and well known members of the voiceover industry. We have a frank and sometimes surprising discussion about booking work as a voice actor in the 21st century. And most excitingly (not really), I reveal that my favorite word in the entire world is in fact German!

Is it who you know or what you know? Well, it’s both! So this week we have devoted an entire episode of the VO School Podcast to networking!

Skill, a great demo and perseverance are all crucial for a career in voiceover, but if people don’t know who you are it’s all rather irrelevant.

With the help of three extremely talented voice actors who regularly tear up studios across LA - Tim Friedlander, Brad Venable and Jay Preston, we will explore how you can become a network ninja, both online and in-person.

Does walking into a room full of strangers scare you? Are you bamboozled by the plethora of online groups and social media platforms? We delve into all of this and discover that the secret to effective networking is simpler and less frightening than you’d imagine!

I also put Brad, Tim and Jay on the spot to see if the can put into practice what they preach (they can of course!) so that’s fun!

A voiceover demo can make or a break a career! As a voice actor, it is your shop window, your calling card and your spokesperson. So what makes a killer demo? How can yours be irresistible to casting directors? Where do you go to get one? And how much do they cost? This week on the podcast we delve into demo’s with two of the industries top demo producers.

Terry Daniel is a 20+ year veteran of the voice industry, he is not only a voice talent, coach and demo producer but one of the most well respected industry commentators.

J. Michael Collins is a multi-award winning demo producer, coach and voice talent with over 20 years experience voicing and casting for some of the worlds biggest companies.

Join us as we discuss the dangers of self producing, how a bad demo can result in you being blackballed, how a good demo is an ambassador, and we throw in a squirrel anecdote for good measure!

This week on the VO School Podcast we are examining the intriguing and sometimes treacherous world of coaching!

Who needs coaching? Where do you find reputable teachers? And what can a great coach do for your career? These are some of the questions we delve into.

I’m joined by two extremely well respected coaches, who offer their services to voiceover professionals across the globe.

Anne Ganguzza is an LA based voice talent, coach and business and technology expert. She utilizes her background in technology and education to help students meet the ever-changing demands of the current voiceover marketplace.

MaryLynn Wissner is a legend of the voiceover industry. With 30 years as a casting director for some of the worlds biggest corporations, film and TV companies and video games studios and over 25 as a coach and mentor, MaryLynn is a highly sought after and widely known teacher at the top of her game.

Join us as we take deep dive into the world of coaching, workshops, scams, plans and social media for cats!

This week on the VO School Podcast we’re talking technology! More specifically, what you need to set up your own home studio for voiceover.

What is the first and most important consideration? Do you have to spend a lot of money to get professional results? Do you have to be a tech expert? And what common mistakes can you avoid?

We also share some insider tips to optimize your recorded sound without having to spend any money at all!

Joining me this week are Amanda Rose Smith - audio engineer and producer from New York City, and Tim Tippets - voice talent, audio expert and educator from Chicago.

Embrace your inner geek and join us for a chat about all things audio!

This week on the VO School Podcast we get serious! Starting out in voiceover is fraught with potential pitfalls and we dive in headfirst discussing the many banana skins a new talent faces.

In this episode we explore new talents vulnerabilities and what they can do to recognize and mitigate predatorial tactics.

Joining me this week are two industry veterans with over 50 years of voice industry experience between them. They are known and respected for their honesty and they do not disappoint in this episode!

Paul Strikwerda is an experienced Dutch talent and writer who moved to the US in 1999 and is the author of one of the industries most popular blogs, with over 39,000 subscribers.

Erik Sheppard started in VO as a talent 25 years ago, he is owner and head agent at Voice Talent Productions, president of the VO Agent Alliance and host of ‘The Outspoken’ a no-holds-barred YouTube channel devoted to the reality of a career in voiceover.

Prepare yourself for an unflinching look at the reality faced by new entrants to the voiceover industry.

If episode one was an outward look at the voiceover industry as a whole, episode two is looking inward and exploring the skills and personal traits needed to become successful.

What are the skills a voice actor needs to compete? Does success require certain character traits? And can these be learned or are they innate?

Presented by Jamie Muffett with special guests Jodi Krangle and Jim Kennelly.

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