Career Reframe
Christian Kolberg used to work for the local newspaper publisher. Then he realized he had a knack for auctioneering. That’s him to the right, and him with me on the far right at the recent “Chefs for Kids” Gala fundraiser…dressed as Cap’n Hook for the Neverland-themed event.
Christian doesn’t think of himself as a voice actor, but in a sense he very much is. He is a master of the specialized cadence that you expect from professional auctioneers. His wit and humor serve him well as he delights the crowd. He sets his own freelance agenda, and works all around the world.
Race to Reframe
Ken Warkentin IS a voice actor, but in a very specialized way. He announces horse races at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey. If you visit his website, you’ll find he does other voice work too. But this is his specialty, and he’s king.
Who says announcers are gone?
I COULD GO ON…
…like the guy I know in Las Vegas who used to be a D-J, but now produces his own music, lyrics, and voice for talking Hallmark cards. Would you call him a voice-actor?
I would…and he’s found his own specialized (and largely non-competitive) niche by thinking outside the box.
YOU get to create your career
My point is that your best opportunities are the ones you find for yourself, or CREATE for yourself. It may not be as hard as you think.
I was talking to a VO newcomer yesterday who felt burned by a certain Pay-to-Play site, and wondered how WoVO could help him find work. I explained that it wasn’t really wasn’t in our mission statement to find people work, that he would have to develop marketing techniques to find his own work.
There was a long pause on the line, and then he said: “…well I wouldn’t have any idea how to do that…”
This is what worried me, and why I wrote my book “More Than Just a Voice” a couple of years ago. Everybody should be FORCED to take a 3-month workshop with Tom Dheere or Doug Turkel before getting into voiceovers. There’s too much fantasy and not enough foundation in the mind of those seeking a foothold in this profession.
This work takes guts, cunning, intuition, persistence, hard work and an enterprising spirit.
You think auctioneering, horse-race announcing, and greeting-card jingles are easy? They aren’t, but you get good, and the competition starts thinning out.
I mean, how many Cap’n Hooks do you know?
CourVO