Recapping our last discussion on one of the mainstays of VO opportunity: TV & Radio.
People aren’t watching and listening according to well-established expectations anymore. When viewership and listenership go away, station managers look to cut costs. The numbers of eyeballs just aren’t there like before, which means they can’t charge as much for spots as they used to. That compensation decrease gets passed on through a number of different vectors to advertisers, agencies, production houses, and yes, talent.
Ugh.
But wait! People are still watching TV, as long as you define TV as that big screen hanging on your wall. Traditional content sources and delivery systems (digital streaming) are changing faster than you can say Iran Nukes!
This “think with Google” article explains best:
3 TRENDS THAT SHOW HOW THE VERY NOTION OF TV ENTERTAINMENT IS CHANGING.
Honestly, I think there’s good and bad news in there, but the question is…how does a voice-actor position themselves to take advantage of that?
All sorts of ways.
As if to answer that question itself, Google also offers a good/bad outlook in this CNET article about voice synth and AI:
GOOGLE’S DUPLEX COULD MAKE ASSISTANT THE MOST LIFELIKE AI YET
Others, too, are expecting the current marketplace to practically explode with VO opportunity! Click To Tweet
VO talent, coach, and demo producer J Michael Collins would have you believe things are looking pretty rosy, actually; and I think he makes a fair assessment. His blog paints a promising patchwork of positivism. Rejoice, and Make a Joyful Noise.
Others, too, are expecting the current marketplace to practically explode with VO opportunity. [See John Kissinger’s planned session at WoVO’s Toronto Mini-Con in a few weeks: “The eLearning Explosion: Get Ready for the Windfall”.]
This reminds me of a session Bob Souer held at the second Faffcon in Atlanta: Get Ready for the Avalanche.
That was – what – 9 years ago?
I’m still waiting.
It’s not even snowing here.
CourVO