With all of the hubbub over the 40th anniversary of the moon landing a few weeks ago, it got me thinking about what it takes to achieve something great. On July 20, 1969, two men who walked on the moon changed the world; it was the first time mankind had ever set foot on a planetary body other than the Earth. It was an event that united a world in turmoil and represented the pinnacle of mankind’s ability to achieve greatness.

But just four days before one of the most historical events in our collective history, there were just three guys sitting on a launch pad in a capsule smaller than a Hummer truck. Three men who had no idea if their rocket ship would be able to get them to the moon, who had no idea if they’d be able to land (and not crash) on the moon, and no idea if they’d be able to leave the moon and return to earth. All they knew was that they were going to give it their best shot.

Can you imagine that? Just picture sitting on top of one of the most combustible vehicles ever created, not knowing if you were going to succeed or fail, but going out there and doing it anyway, because you were more afraid of not trying than of failing. If that kind of courage isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what is. I guess that’s why they’re still celebrating the moon landing 40 years later.

It makes me wonder: were those astronauts some kind of superhuman heroes, or just people who truly had the strength of their convictions? Just imagine if everyone had the courage that those three men did; people would accomplish almost everything they set out to. Because in the end, while it’s true that you won’t fail if you don’t try, you also won’t succeed if you don’t try. If Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins had decided that they were too afraid to try and walk on the moon, the world might be a very different place today. What are you missing out on by not trying for something great?

After all, as the saying goes: “Shoot for the moon. If you miss, you’ll still land among the stars.”

So here’s one for you to consider. I was speaking to a guy last week who had ALWAYS wanted to go into professional voice acting. Though he thought the entire field was interesting, he had a specific interest in animation and cartoon voices. In fact, he had been creating his own cartoon ideas since he was a kid. (He is now in his 50s)
He told me he was very close to following through, but he still wanted to think about it for another year. I inquired about his hesitation and he explained he was concerned he would not be successful. I told him I understood his concern and explained further that there are no guarantees of success in voice acting, or any other small business venture. I wished him luck and reminded him to call if he ever had a question about the field.

Just for something to think about, let’s contrast this with a similar story, the story of a Guy named Seth.
Seth grew up in the North East and took an interest in cartooning from an early age. He certainly could have put it off or pursued other things, but he went ahead with the support of his parents and did the thing he wanted to do.
For Seth, this ended up being a great choice.
Today, many of us know Seth MacFarlane for the results of his follow through. He is an Emmy Award Winning Voice Actor, Writer, Cartoonist and Composer. Perhaps best known for creating the animated series Family Guy and American Dad, MacFarlane won a Best Voice Over Performance Emmy Award for his work voicing the Stewie Griffin character from Family Guy.
MacFarlane’s production company Fuzzy Door Productions continues to develop a broad range of concepts and a recent deal with Fox Broadcasting is rumored to have made him the highest paid television writer and producer in history.

Again, there are no guarantees of success in any endeavor, but if you don’t pursue the things you want to do, let’s just say your odds go down hill fast!

Now, go do YOUR thing!

Here’s Some Interesting Perspective For You
I’m learning more every day!

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was approached by our local Chamber Of Commerce to participate in a workshop designed to allow area 10th graders to gain real perspective on occupations that might interest them.

800 some-odd 10th graders…. sounds like fun to me, so off I went.

I was stationed in a room with a guy representing a Video Game Company, a woman from our local CBS affiliate, a theater guy, and a chef. The way I figured it, we were one of the cool rooms.
And when they set the 10th graders free to speak with whomever they chose, my suspicion was correct. There are a lot of 10th graders with interest in some facet of the professional recording field, and many who were specifically interested in voice over.

The thing that i heard repeatedly that really got my attention was the pure determination these young adults had when it came to doing the things they wanted to do in life. I spoke to many who couldn’t imagine not doing the thing they want to do!

There might be something that can be learned… or re-learned here. You have a great deal of control over follow through and success in the things that you want to do.

I contrast this experience with many experiences I’ve had with adults who really want to pursue voice acting. The difference is that 30 or 40 years later, in many cases it seems there are always roadblocks, both real and imagined that grownups can’t overcome, particularly when it comes to things we want to do.

My advice…. listen to a 10th grader once in a while!

The view from the passengers seat

Calling shotgun prior to departing for a destination indicates to all other travelers in your group, that you prefer the passengers seat. Strangely, the passengers seat is where many people choose to spend nearly every day of their entire life.

When it comes to pursuing the things that we really want to do, the things we imagine we would enjoy, the things we secretly know we could be really good at, most folks choose to remain in the passengers seat. In effect, they are actually calling shotgun on their lives. Instead of pursuing goals, many just sit back and watch as others move closer to their dreams.

People often narrow their focus to things that they feel they have to do, and at the same time find any excuse to sidestep the things that they want to do. This is in no way limited to the voice over field, it is a condition that is without boundaries. We put off vacations, time with our families, visiting landmarks, changing careers, splurging on toys, and trying new things.

There is always a reason to put anything off, and the truth is, there always will be.

There are many names you might use to refer to the rare individual who boldly moves forward. The person who, doesn’t see the small risk in doing something different, but instead sees the enormous risk of delay.

You may refer to this person as… different… or …crazy… or even …unrealistic.

I most often simply refer to this kind of person as… HAPPY!

My advice… get out of the passenger seat. You’ll have much more control when you are behind the wheel.

I hope you’re Happy in 2009!

David at Voice Coaches

My car’s registration is four months out of date.

It’s not that I didn’t renew the registration; I did. I just haven’t gotten around to putting the sticker on the inside of my car window yet. The registration itself has been sitting in a pile of mail in my house for four months now, and every time I pass a police officer on the roads, I hope he doesn’t notice that I’m driving with an expired registration. So why don’t I just spend the 37 seconds it will take to put the new registration in? Because I simply haven’t gotten around to it yet.

What does all this have to do with voice overs? Well, just like I haven’t gotten around to putting my registration in my car yet, I can’t tell you how many aspiring voice actors I’ve encountered who “just haven’t gotten around” to marketing themselves yet.

A prime example occurred a couple of years ago. I had a student from Syracuse, NY, who I thought had the whole package. He had an amazing voice, an incredible personality, and what seemed like the will and drive to really make things happen. About a year after he completed his demo, I ran into him completely randomly, and I asked how things were going. “Well, I’ve been really busy with work, and I sent out a couple of demos early on, but I really just haven’t had the time to pursue it yet.”

That got me thinking. I understand that people are busy (and I can relate since I haven’t even found time to put a sticker in my car) but is it too hard to find the time to try and launch a new career for yourself? At what point does the amount of time and effort required to market yourself outweigh the desire to enter into a new and exciting career?

One student who isn’t waiting to find out is Don Madison. Don is a retired military man who now works for a private contractor in Iraq. Rather than wait for his return to U.S. soil to begin training with Voice Coaches, Don is currently utilizing our phone link system to undergo training from halfway across the globe.

Don got interested in voice overs initially while doing video production for the professional training company he works for, and he decided that voice over acting was something he wanted to pursue when he returned to the U.S. When he found out that we could train him while living in Iraq, Don jumped at the chance. Don says, “I’m a big believer in not putting things off until later. I tell my kids ‘there’s no time like the present.’”

I agree with Don, and he sets an example for all the other aspiring voice actors across the country. If he can find the time to train and study and practice while living and working in a war-torn corner of the globe, I think we can all find just a few minutes a day to spend on a little self-marketing. Because what would you rather do? Get a demo out into the marketplace and start an exciting new venture, or have to admit a year later that you simply “hadn’t gotten around to it”?

Me? I’m going out to my car right now to put that sticker up.

Next… that long awaited trip to San Francisco

By the way,

I’m Mike Spring

Director of Communication

Voice Coaches

And The Winner Is…

I am an American and a small business owner. I don’t know about any of you, but I am always impressed with the men and woman who are willing to run for president. Regardless of Obam-inality, or McCain-ism, it is impressive to see individuals who are committed to leading, particularly in these complicated times.

Regardless of how either candidate does, if you are pursuing voice over work professionally… YOU are the winner!

Why?!!

Because instead of sitting back and complaining or worrying about the economy, you are taking an active role in your financial future. Instead of relying solely on your current employer or former employer’s pension to afford you a comfortable lifestyle, you are working to control that on your terms.

Far too many people are content to sit on the sidelines when it comes to the things that they want to do in life. This willingness to always be reliant on others is part of the reason that many of us run into financial and lack-of-fulfillment issues to begin with. From the time you make a decision to achieve something, you are putting yourself in a winning position. Regardless of election polls and news reports, you ultimately control a great deal of your life’s outcome.

Remember, regardless of whether you think you CAN do something, or think you CAN’T do something… you will probably be right!

Best Regards!

David at Voice Coaches

Adopting an “Almost” All About The Money Attitude”

In addition to voice over training, a great deal of the work that I do involves hiring professional voice actors and producing them through a variety of material. because of this, you will certainly never hear me suggesting that the voice over field isn’t lucrative. Frankly for the effort and time commitment involved in a typical VO session, the income can be hard to beat!

but…

I do have to say that I have often found, particularly in new voice over artists, that the folks who are pursuing our field singularly for money, often struggle. Again, it is not because the field is not lucrative. In my experience, an initial struggle in building success is often the result of a lack of perseverance.

For this reason I always strongly recommend a secondary motivation to anyone pursuing this field. Income is a great first motivation, but when coupled with other reasons to stick with it, you have a serious recipe for success.

Here is my short list of reasons (other than money) to pursue voice over work. Don’t worry, once you get your first paying gig, there is little chance you will quit. These secondary motivations are designed to help keep you in it until that first job.

1. Because you think you will enjoy it!

2. Because you can picture yourself doing it!

3. Because you know other folks doing it are not better than you!

4. Because you have always wanted to!

5. Because you will regret never trying!

I would love to hear some ideas any of you have!!

Best Regards!

David at Voice Coaches

I had an opportunity to regain some perspective last week by getting to know around 1200 10th graders! I was invited to speak and interact with teens attending a day-long career exploration day at a local college. The event was great and the folks I met, all 10th graders from across New York’s Capital Region, were even better. An interesting thing I heard throughout the event was the inability for these teens to conceive that someone would actually choose not to follow through and do the thing they want to do in life. I met young men and women who wanted to be musicians, actors, broadcasters, and even a couple who had aspirations in voice acting. The thing that struck me as interesting is that nearly all of them were determined to pursue and be successful doing what they WANTED to do. Not doing it never even crossed their minds. Now, conversely, I have spoken to groups across the country on Voice Acting and Ethics in Acting Training. In these groups the average age of my student is probably 50 something. Many of these folks want to and always wanted to do something like voice acting…the difference is… most of them never will! Certainly makes me wonder what things might be like if people actually did the things they wanted to do in life! Whether you want to pursue Voice Acting, fly a plane, learn pottery, or sail the world, on behalf of 1200 10th graders and myself… GO FOR IT!