VOICEOVER PASSION
Published September 16, 2010
I love this voiceover business!
One of the main reasons I love it is because of the people in it!
I don’t mind telling you that most of the voice talents I know and work with are the best people in the world. They are great at what they do; they respect each other; and they have a remarkable passion to see each other succeed.
Why? Well, maybe it’s because the voiceover business is not yet recognized as a critical part of the marketing world. The creative writers are well-respected as the backbone of the advertising industry. And they should be. The graphics creatives are revered, as they should be! Audio engineers even have their own category in the Emmys and Oscars, and they should.
But voice talents?
Nah, we’re just..well..uh…a voice.
Yeah…right!
Great voice talents bring copy to life! They create mental images that are FAR more impressive and life-changing than video images and print graphics (to all my video shooters and graphic illustrators friends: just kidding).
BUT…combine a killer voice talent with your graphics or video and you’ve got a life-altering project!
So, some day voice talents! Some day.
Some day all producers will understand how we make them look good! Clients will understand the value of a voice that creates a brain image of their product, and video/audio engineers will get the impact of a voice well done. Some day.
The great news is that many of those folks are already there. They get it. They know the value of a great voice talent.
But still…
In a recent awards event there were three projects that I voiced that were nominated. Two of them won. I was pretty wired about that. But in the entire awards ceremony, the voice talent of each of the projects was never mentioned. Not once.
Now, mind you, I’m not bitter. I’m really not. If anything, I take it as a challenge. That’s just the way I’m wired.
So, here’s a call out to you folks that put on those award ceremonies. You hand out candy to the writers, the producers, the musicians (well, some of them); how about some love for the voice dogs?
In the meantime, we’ll just keep voice acting; improving our craft; developing our technique. When you’re passionate about something you don’t need accolades. You need opportunities.
And some cash doesn’t hurt.