Laura Schreiber

Finding Voice Over Work on CastVoices

August 1, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Clubhouse Round 2

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u39kitauzpzpzig/AADC1By9qOM1pBTJ6eJ-E6gRa?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR3sYhpM9uYnETOPUWcohM3HdIPwVYqMut_Ng8XcN3Z6AXpCOmvqZFXN_08

Put simply, our first Clubhouse with the Liz Atherton and Nick Krause of CastVoices left us wanting more! So many guests in our room “Ask the VO Coaches” had questions, that Diana Birdsall and I did not even get through half of ours. So we were lucky enough to have Liz and Nick back again. If you are not yet in the CastVoices user group, the timing could not have been more perfect. This week some paying members were getting a little antsy about when more bookings would roll out and the tone of the chatter was somewhat impolite, so having Liz available to answer questions meant a lot. The funny thing is that as some were raising questions, I myself booked two roles on a video game that I auditioned on only through the site. It will be an ongoing role with work that will likely last years. So, for these of you who are worried, I urge you to sit back and relax. The work is coming. Now, for my re-cap:

There Are Some Features Unique to Cast Voices

On this platform, if a casting director choses, they can give you feedback on your audition. This is not typical and is extremely valuable! There is a sound-byte feature in your profile. This is meant to give voice actors an opportunity to stand out regardless of your level of experience. This is where you can show the human side of you and reveal a glimpse of your personality. Nick is extremely proud of the code that he has built, he has worked hard to create a platform to highlight voice actor’s talents. I shared that I love the resume feature, and Liz commented that ultimately this will be interactive.

CastVoices has a Social Mission

Liz was thrilled to share that the entire CastVoices team is likeminded in their focus on service to others. When they did an Indiegogo campaign to launch CastVoices, they ended up donating 50% of what they brought in. Of those funds, 50% went to feeding America, and 50% went to Tim Friedlander and Jay Preston’s financial assistance program for all actors in need. This money was given not with the question of “should we” but a “how can we” from a place of “spirit and love.” This team is truly amazing.

A Lot of SEO has been Put into the Site

Nick explained that the goal is that if someone searches for your name, they want your CastVoices profile to pop up. If someone searches for a project you’ve done and it’s on your resume, your CastVoices profile should come up. Through dynamic site maps, you are indexed in google right away.

Differences in Membership Levels on CastVoices

Liz made it clear they are very transparent: the only way they make money on the site is through subscriptions, not through casting. The differences in membership levels include the amount of samples shown, logos posted, and booked work you can show. On all levels of membership, clients can reach you directly.

Getting Buyers to the Platform

Their entire team is working hard to create strategic partnerships every day. They are connecting with creative directors, advertising agencies, gaming companies, and more. They go at it as a project enhancement platform. Every single day they reach out to clients, just as we do as small business owners, and encourage them to use the platform. As of Friday they have 36 creative directors and 61 agents on CastVoices.

Some Questions That Came Up

Bev Standing asked for tips to set up her profile. Liz advised to look at the categories on her demos and to create a custom URL. Liz also offered that if people don’t have a website up yet they can use this custom URL. Liz also pointed out that we should specify the age ranges we can work in. Others asked if the CastVoices team will go over their profile and resume and Liz said she’ll do so as time permits. They also revealed that they have a huge client who needs translations, and already have business in 50 countries, so if you are able to provide translation please list that. Another topic that came up was etiquette. If you are contacted within the platform, it is appropriate to stay within the platform, not to track the casting director down outside of the platform. Another guest asked if they are looking for trends. Nick explained the ultimately they will, but at this juncture while they are doing certain analytics they do not have trends that will help voice actors yet. It was also asked if a profile can go stale. The answer is no. If you update it with new samples of booked work, so should be fine. If you are inactive, you can mark yourself inactive.

Conclusions

CastVoices is good for the voice over community. Their heart is in the right place and they have set us all up for success. How can we, as talent, help them take off? If you have clients who need to cast you can point them toward cast voices.

Getting Noticed Using Voice Over Marketing

July 25, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Whether you’ve been able to tune in to our Clubhouses the past few months, fellow professional female voice talent and coach Diana Birdsall and I have been spending A LOT of time talking about voice over marketing in our weekly club “Ask the VO Coaches.” Why? As working creatives, we wear a lot of hats, but we have to run our business like a business, which means building lasting relationships with clients. The best way to do this is with marketing. This week, we were fortunate to have the amazing Montreal-based talent, coach, and demo producer Kim Handysides join our panel! Kim is a true inspiration and a wealth of knowledge. For those who don’t know, Kim happens to be in a weekly accountability group with me and Diana, so we know her quite well. Kim has blazed a path for women in voice over, pushing the boundaries of what women can earn, where women can work, and proving just how much one woman can do! Kim has done it all through smarts, fierce determination, creativity, and oodles of talent. So, if you sadly missed hearing her wisdom, here is just a taste of what you missed out on from the great one.

Voice Over Marketing with Kim Handysides

Kim has always had a uniquely creative approach to marketing. In the early 1980s, when Kim launched her voice over business, she created a demo tape and marketing campaign all themed around a coffee break. She hired an actor to go with her, dressed in makeup, and around break time at 10:15 Am, they would approach potential clients like ad agencies. They were able to get into and actually talk to 90% of the companies they approached. While there was an initial investment of about $700, which in that time was even more money than it is today, Kim started her business with this campaign and still works with many of these companies today.

Inbound vs Outbound Voice Over Marketing

We spent a lot of time talking about this with Kim. Kim talked about how when you seek clients, research them, create a list, and reach out, that is outbound marketing. If you are looking for experts in outbound marketing, coaches like Mark Scott and Jonathan Tilley focus on outbound marketing.

Inbound marketing, in contrast, is when you draw clients into your website, whether it’s through blogs, videos, or stories. You make your website a place clients want and need to come. Kim referred to marketing experts like Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. Kim advised that sharing infographics can triple your traffic and including Instagram stories and tik tok videos is another strategy to yield huge results. Kim explains that inbound marketing is 59% better on leads and 61% less expensive!

A new voiceover talent, David Jacobs, asked a common question that has been coming up a lot in our weekly Clubhouse. He wanted to know how to position yourself when marketing when you genuinely don’t have a body of work. He asked if “fresh” is the way to go? Kim reminded us that 90% of what we bring is our own unique personality. We spent time talking about how we differentiate ourselves from other talents, and what we bring to the table that makes us unique. Another new talent, Ben Ekres, was concerned about having a tagline to market himself. We all assured him that none of us have a tagline and we are all thriving in our business marketing endeavors. Kim explained to Ben that it is far more important to spend 50-100 words to say who you are and what you do so that google can find you.

How Our “Storefronts” Should Attract Clients

Kim did a thoughtful analysis of how to sort out what our clients are interested in. Whether you want to blog, do a podcast, do or videos, there are a lot of ways to present great content to position yourself as a problem solver for those who might cast you. Kim gave the example of saying you are an anime guy and staking your claim through a targeting marketing approach. She suggested a thoughtful blog about the art form, or perhaps doing a review of a video. Kim suggests coming up with a list of different topics within the main category of anime so that you can appeal to people in that field. This example can be applied to other genres.

How Do You Know Which To Do?

Kim advised that you should consider what makes you happiest. She also said to think about what you are good at. Lastly, if you try both, you should see what yields better results in your target market. Kim happens to prefer nurturing existing relationships, inbound marketing, and pay-to-plays for herself. Kim also reminds us that if you have 15-30 regular clients who send business all the time your business will thrive.

There’s So Much More to Voice Over Marketing

The summary ends here. If you missed it, I suggest booking a business and marketing coaching session with either myself, Diana, or Kim to catch up! We can help you come up with a strategy for your business. Our Clubhouse with Kim covered so much more, including what to put in your bio, common mistakes talents make like imposter syndrome, and who to target when looking for contacts. Kim talked about finding areas you want to focus on and becoming an expert in a field. Even though we only chatted for an hour, the blog could go on and on. Kim is brilliant and we are so thankful to have had her with us!

The Beauty of VO Marketing

July 17, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Jonathan Tilley Was Out Guest

I have to admit, that when Diana Birdsall and I got Jonathan Tilley to come on our weekly Clubhouse, I got a little fan-girled out for a quick minute. If you don’t know Jonathan, he is quite fabulous. He runs a genius marketing course for voice actors and other creatives called League of List Builders to teach about direct marketing to clients. Diana and I both took his class years ago, and as full-time professional talents and coaches, have used his methods with great success to build our own businesses. Jonathan also teaches about specialty topics like Instagram marketing, selfie techniques, lighting….so basically he is a marketing g-d and everything that comes out of his mouth is pure brilliance plus he is lovely and kind and so fun. See why I was excited to have him on our panel? So in case you missed it ( and I don’t know why you would miss it but if you did…) here is a recap based on my notes from Jonathan Tilley’s panel with us:

What is the beauty if marketing?

Our chat with Jonathan started out with this pivotal question. Jonathan talked about the importance of authenticity and being a real person to the people we reach out to. We talked about how our goal really is to make connections so that we can ultimately build relationships and get to know people and actually make deep connections. Our marketing should be friendly and down to earth.

Instant Gratification Doesn’t Work

Researching the people we are marketing to is essential. Jonathan gave the example of Starbucks. If we wanted to find a Starbucks, we wouldn’t just set out. We would take the time to see which Starbucks was closest to us. In this world where we all want everything right away, marketing is the one time where we need to take our time and learn about who we are marketing to, whether or us a podcast, ad agency, or video production company. We need to know a little about them BEFORE we reach out.

The Subject Line Matters

After years in voice over, I can tell you it is still hard to know what to put in the subject line. Jonathan says it should be clear and professional. The subject line should say who you are and what you offer. After all, this is a way people often make sure an email is not spam, so if you are a “Female Professional Voice Talent” say that.

Making a Personal Connection

Jonathan talks about how everyone loves compliments, and the best way to engage is to make people feel good with something that you genuinely feel. So, if you are reaching out to a video production company that you would like t work with, look at the work they have done on their website and social media. Write a personalized letter to them and tell them what you liked and why it resonated with you. A heartfelt compliment goes a long way!

Promoting Yourself Without Seeming Like a Spammy Braggart

This is a tricky one for a lot of people. We want to sing from the clouds how great it would be to work with this ad agency/vide production company/agent but then it’s about us and not about them. Jonathan talks about how making them feel good starts with showing that you understand what problems they are dealing with and what the solutions are. Speak the clients language: “On an ideal day you get work done under budget and ahead of time. I’d love to make your day a little easier. I specialize in……some brands I’ve worked with are (insert 3 examples). That is the kind of language that is client centered and works for them.

As a tip, Jonathan suggested googling production house nightmares and dream stories. He suggested it would be a great way to get insights into their pain points and desires.

Follow Ups

Jonathan recommends monthly follow ups. I have to say, I was surprised by this. For years I have done quarterly follow ups. Jonathan reminded us that it often takes a minimum of 5 correspondences to get a potential client to engage, so whether they reply or not, monthly follow ups are best. These correspondences should also be individualized and interesting. Remember, our goal is to build a relationship.

Jonathan also shared another fun way to follow up is to share testimonials from clients cleverly interwoven with a behind the scenes glimpse of what was really going on. So if you have a rave review that talks about your stellar performance, but in reality you were a ball of phlegm sipping throat coat between each line, it balances the testimonial.

What if You’re New and Don’t Have Street Cred?

We had a few folks ask Jonathan how to reach out to potential clients when they are brand new to voiceover. They had been told “fake it til’ you make it” but wanted to know how you have credibility without a client list? Jonathan encouraged everyone that nothing should stop you from going after your dream clients. All you need is a demo, a website, the internet, and time. Typically, you want to attach an MP3 of your time. You need to carefully craft your personalized letters to talk about how you can best support their needs, and shine, regardless of your time in VO.

It Only Takes One Hour To Be Entirely Re-Inspired

July 17, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

As A Working Mom Sometimes My Attentions are Divided

Often, I am mono-focused on my voice over business. As a full-time, professional talent, this laser focus is what has helped me to build my business and lay a strong foundation. I’ve missed lunches with friends and sat inside on weekends working while my family is outside enjoying a beautiful day together. I never feel like I am missing out because I have very specific goals and I am on a mission. Often having fun and reaching one’s goals are mutually exclusive. That brings me to my current conflict, I am a mom of twins, and my twins are rising seniors in high school. College visits are not only an essential part of the admissions process, but my twins have unique interests, so they are looking at entirely different schools. At the moment, all of my values as a parent and goals as a solopreneur are being put to the test: am I steady enough to juggle everything and be there for my kids while continuing to fuel my business? I have felt tremendous pressure, and been having a constant mental struggle, until our weekly Clubhouse today.

College Visits Taking Me Away From My Work Routine

First let me explain why the college visits are a challenge for me. It’s not that I am a helicopter parent and can’t let my kids go it alone. My husband is an attorney and runs his part of his practice. It is not easy for him to miss work either. If you have not dealt with college admissions recently, the kids now, in addition to grades and test scores, get something called a “demonstrated interest” score, so they basically have to visit schools they are applying to as part of this to show their interest to the admissions committee. As a voice talent, I have always marketed myself as having super fast turnarounds and being in the booth all the time. This week, and for a lot of this month, that is frankly not the case. My day to day routine of auditions, booked work, and marketing is different as we are doing these college visits. I am not good with change and this change in routine is freaking me out. While I am thankful to have this time with my twins, and while I am trying to enjoy seeing all of these amazing schools, I am stressed about this deviation from my routine. I worry that all that I have worked to build is being undermined. I have felt like this all summer.

Clutter Building Up

Collage of Laura Schreiber's studio, Michelle Blenker's, and Diana Bidsall's — Every week I look out at the pristine work spaces of Michelle Blenker (top left) and Diana Birdsall (bottom left) while I continue to struggle in mu cluttered zone outside my booth.

While we are traveling about, my house feels less tidy too. Like many, love HGTV. I have been noticing when I watch my beloved programs my own house is looking more and more cluttered. As my time is more divided than usual between work and the twins, my house is taking a back seat. It is terrible. I have also noticed when I zoom with my accountability partners, others seem to have their act more together. Whether they are other working moms or just busy voice actors and coaches, their desk does not look like it is under siege and looks like a space someone would actually enjoy working. So this week in addition to being stressed about my schedule, I was feeling rather down about my lack of organization as well.

The Hour That Changed Everything

On Thursday Diana Birdsall and I did the one hour Clubhouse with the creative genius Jonathan Tilley. Years ago, I think in 2015 or 2016 I took his fantastic marketing class for creatives called League of List Builders. This is an on-going course that you can still take! Since then, I have followed Jonathan and continued to learn from him regularly on social media. I went to school for Political Science and History, so there was a major gap in my marketing knowledge. I studied with Jonathan to fill said gap. Anyway, the Clubhouse is meant to help others in the community, but this one hour with Jonathan left me feeling so re-inspired. It reminded me of how far I’ve come and how much I have learned. It refocused my attention. I have built something amazing. It also made me feel filled with new goals that I am super excited to pursue. I guess our time with Jonathan was just what I needed to bring the joy back. I was left feeling like I have focus again and that if I just allow myself time to breathe and re-center, I will be back on track.

It is quite extraordinary how one hour with the right people can totally shift your perspective, turn everything on its axis. This is not just about the power of positivity, but that is part of it. In voiceover, it is really important to know who to take advice from. There are A LOT of people with microphones out there. That does not mean that everyone talking should be listened to. But when one hour can give you so much solid information and direction, those are the people you should be listening to! If you happened to miss our Clubhouse, stay tuned for my next blog on the beauty of VO Marketing that will summarize our chat with Jonathan.

Why You Should Be on Cast Voices Too

July 6, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

The Access

If you’re a professional voice over actor like me, and like me you’ve been in the business a while, then you know it is not so often that we get to speak directly with the folks who run casting platforms. Or with agents. Typically candid conversations like this only happen at conferences. It just so happens that one of my VO besties, the amazing Liz Atherton, who for many years was the founder and owner of Texas based TAG Talent, is now the brains behind Cast Voices, the newest casting platform that is sure to bring great things to our industry (know wood). Liz has an amazing team, including Nick Krause, an on-camera talent who also does some VO, and Bobby and Elizabeth Alcott. They have all worked really hard to bring us something that us new and different. They are extremely transparent in all of their practices, and they want to create something that raises the bar. In this scenario, we have unique, inside access.

The Clubhouse

If you didn’t know, Diana Birdsall and I run a weekly Clubhouse in our Club “Ask the VO Coaches.” Last week, Liz Atherton and Nick Krause came into our club to chat with us all about the awesome features of Cast Voices. What made the hour special was that many guests got to ask their questions directly to Liz and Nick, and there was a great back and forth exchange. I noticed several things. First, Liz comes from a place of grattitude. She is so profoundly appreciative of the support they have had thus far from the voice over community. She views the process as extremely collaborative and despite her many years as an agent, speaks to every single talent with respect and patience. Next, Liz and Nick care very much about being clear and transparent about all practices. For example, if a project manager on the platform posts a job for $500, the talent sees the job as $500. They are not chipping away at it or altering anything. I also noticed that they are willing to engage in community dialogue. When a bling talent commented about accessibility issues on the site, Nick was extremely responsive and will to hear all suggestions about how to improve the tech. This is a team determined to work hard for the voice over community.

Some Features

Even though I thought I knew so much about Cast Voices before the Clubhouse, I too was reminded of many awesome features. You have the ability to create a unique URL. You can create a sound bite. You can set usage reminders for your bookings, so that clients can opt to renew their usage at the end of the run. During the Clubhouse, Liz and Nick were able to flesh out the differences between the free and the paid plans. I personally have opted for a paid plan, as I wanted a chance to show client logos and video clips. Liz also mentioned that they will soon be starting a referral bonus program. If you have not been on Cast voices yet, the build out is pretty amazing. From client logos and videos to resume posting, the features really make voice actors look good.

You can list or connect with your agents on Cast Voices. Liz advised that if you have multiple agents, it is best to either include all agents or none of your agents. Agents work so hard to support their talents, it would not be polite to connect with some and not all. Adding agents is easy. On the left hand side, agents are listed. When you click on it, you can simply add your agents email address. An invite is sent to connect them. It is really that simple. And Liz explained that the same etiquette that applies off the platform applies on it. If one agent sends you a booking first, that is who you should submit for.

My Thoughts

I’ve been in working in voice over for many years. As a working professional, we all have resumes. I feel that Cast Voices is designed to bring our resume to life. When someone has spent a lifetime casting voiceovers, they know what to look for. They know how to make us look good. The amount of thought put into this set up is phenomenal. I am so proud to have my client logos and my commercial front and center. No one has ever given me an opportunity to show my chops like this. To be frank, it feels really good. Aside from my website, this platform looks better than any other platform I am on.

I also think it is different having an opportunity to work with someone who has been part of our community for so much of her life. If you don’t know Liz Atherton, let me tell you, you would love her if you met her. It’s impossible not to. She is amazing in every way. If you did not know about the huge philanthropic mission of Cast Voices, they have one. She is kind, she is smart, and she is determined. I don’t know when we will start seeing bookings on Cast Voices, but if Liz Atherton is a part of it, I plan to be too.

The Radio Imaging Panel At OneVoice Conference USA

July 5, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Why I wanted to Do It

So if you asked me when I got into voice over what I dreamt of doing, I would have told you that “I want to be a Disney princess,”or “I hope to book a target commercial.” Never did I utter the words, “I want to do radio imaging.” Why? Because I had no idea that this genre of voice over even existed, or what it meant to be a female radio imaging voice for a station. I actually attended a GVAA webinar that J. Michael Collins did on radio imaging and a light bulb went off in my head. All of this energy, enthusiasm, and passion that I was constantly having to tone down for my conversational commercial voice over reads was what made me perfect for radio imaging! That enthusiasm was the essential ingredient for station liners, stingers, promos… anything necessary in imaging!

Over the years, I have worked really hard to build my radio imaging business. Each station that i work with I found on my own and I negotiated the contract on my own. I have small stations all over. Some I work with on monthly retainers, some on quarterly retainers, others as needed. Some I do everything, from copy writing and voice over to coordinating the mix-down and production of their work. For others, I am just the female voice of the station. When my VO besties and I decided to meet up in Dallas for the OneVoice Conference USA this August, we planned to do a panel about our accountability group. For me, that is a big part of who I am, but that is not all that I am. I wanted to be able to share with others my unique path into a genre that I very much love.

In Good Company

The team at OneVoice put together an all-star panel for Radio Imaging. I am elated to be on stage with these folks. In addition to me, the others include Randy Thomas, Joe Cipriano, AJ McKay, Paul Cartwright, and Brent Williams. I have to say, to be up there with Randy blows my mind a little. When J. Michael and AJ did my first multi-format imaging demo back in 2017, and I asked how to get started in radio imaging, JMC connected me with Randy. She suggested that I fly out to LA for her VO Mastery conference, which turned out to be amazing. Since then, she has been a mentor to me. While there, I took a master class with Joe Cipriano in promos. It was incredible. I had been a working pro for quite some time at that point, but was new to radio imaging. To be on a stage with them means so much. If you don’t know, in addition to voicing countless radio stations around the country, Randy has announced the Oscars, the Super Bowl, and the Tonys! Joe Cipriano is a man who typically needs no introduction, but just in case you’ve been locked in a broom closet, he has been the voice of Fox and CBS for over 25 years. AJ McKay is a well known talent, coach, and creative director and has worked with the best in the biz! Paul Cartwright is a well-established British talent, now based in LA, who has worked with top brands. And finally Brent Williams it the creative services director of Z100 in NY!! The Station I listen to every day! So yes, this radio imaging panel is one that you will want to watch!

What Do I Have to Offer

When I first looked at this line up, I was ecstatic, then I got nervous. Then I realized the very reason I was nervous is why I need to be on the panel. You see, unlike people like Randy and AJ, I did not work into radio imaging because of a background in radio or work as a DJ. I know lots of brilliant talents… Issa Lopez, Chad Ericson, Josh Goodman, Jeff Berlin… who all started as DJs and got into imaging. I am different. I came to voice over in my mid-thirties. I have always booked a lot of commercials. I love doing commercials. I have a ton of energy, and I needed to find what else was in that category. I love working with my radio stations for imaging. From CHR, to Christian, to Oldies to Adult Hits, I am happy in many formats. But you can’t just record a demo and hope that the universe sends you work. Having work in imaging requires consistent, daily follow up. It takes commitment and hard work. It takes determination. Talent and the ability to voice the liners is only a small part of booking imaging work, especially for those of us not from Radio. So I am on this panel to talk about how a determined, hardworking, focused, ambitious voice actor built a solid radio imaging business all on her own.