…and I really hate picking out any ONE or TWO things, ’cause it’s ALLLL gonna be just off-the-charts wonderful.
From Marc Scott’s session on CRM’s, and Graeme Spicer’s stance as a social media contrarian…to Joe Loesch’s Master Class… and the mic shootout or Pamela Muldoon’s session on LinkedIn, the info being shared is impressive. And I haven’t even mentioned the Karoake and the after-hours fun.
But let me just bring it all back to the one purpose. This is not FaffCon, and it’s not VO Atlanta. It’s WoVOCon. A conference by, for, and with World-Voices Organization members. The conference is a celebration, really, of the vision, the mission, and the ethic that defines this group.
#1
For those reasons, I can’t wait for Sunday’s “Shareholders Meeting“. For three hours the floor belongs to the members and the board of directors to plan the future; to count our blessings, but to also hash-out difficulties, and hear what members have to say. The board will listen, and ask for help. We hope the members will make tons of suggestions and offer to help.
Those three hours will be a watershed moment that will set priorities and direction for quite some time. Why? Because WoVO is reaching critical mass. At about 750 members, we’re reaching a threshold of effectiveness in the community that can’t be ignored. Focusing this much energy will make us even more successful and productive, squandering that much energy would be an embarrassment of grand proportions.
#2
There’s another talent organization out there with a longer history, a greater membership, a storied past, and a heckuva reputation (good and bad): SAG-AFTRA. There’s really no comparison between WoVO and SAG-AFTRA, and their shouldn’t be. SAG-AFTRA is the 800 lb. Gorilla in the room, a true labor union. WoVO is an industry trade association acting as an advocate for a group that the union considers a sort of red-headed stepchild. Yet, many of their goals are the same.
WoVO is union agnostic. At last count about 40% of our members claim to be union or Fi-Core, and 60% are not. But one issue is bringing us together for a common goal: pay-to-play indiscretions, and ever-changing role of the internet and digital media streams on the marketplace.
SAG-AFTRA has been slow to come around to an awareness of these game-changers…but of late, there’s been indicators that the gorilla is stirring. That was not by happenstance. Prescient individuals (WoVO members) have been sounding the clarion horn of warning for some time, and engaging in quiet, targeted meetings; advocating for the plight of voice-acting in the midst of this paradigm shift.
The union wants to know more. Certain SAG-AFTRA officers approached WoVO about arranging a session to hear what we have to say. THEY approached US. We took that as a huge vote of confidence that WoVO is the advocate our members want us to be.
Neither of these two meetings are to be “bitch” sessions. Sure, some things in disarray, and there are problems to be solved, but we intend to direct these sessions in only a positive manner. Let’s move forward constructively.
I’m hoping to offer reports on both those meetings, on this blog, and in our bi-monthly newsletter. Some of the discourse in those sessions may be recorded, and we’re exploring the possibility of sharing portions with our members and maybe a wider audience.
These are heady times for out community…full of promise.
CourVO
