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role model

Determination and Success in Voice Over

February 1, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

It Takes Fierce Focus to Build Something From Nothing

RBG Quote about Women and SuccessIn the past year, we lost Ruth Bader Ginsberg, feminist icon. Her story is nothing short of amazing. For any working mom, Justice Ginsberg is the quintessential role model in many ways. When institutions like Harvard tried to place road blocks before her, she simply pivoted and found another way by moving to Columbia. When Ginsburg could not get hired by the large New York City law firms because they simply did not hire women at the time she was working, she forged he own path in the public domain, a path the was paved with so much success it led her to the United States Supreme Court where for decades she was the voice of liberal change. Justice Ginsberg’s example serves as a role model for so many working women in so many fields. Her determination was limitless. She continually found a path toward success. Achievement knew no limitations. Her focus on her end goals is a model for us all. To succeed as a professional female voice over actor, the same fierce determination is vital to build something from nothing. We are constantly thrown curve balls and challenges, and it is the ability of those of us to look beyond these challenges and maintain focus that separates successful voice actors who persevere in an extremely competitive field from those who dabble for a time.

It Takes Determination to Work with Coaches and to do Demos

Getting your foot in the door in voice over is not easy and takes great determination. Voiceover work begins with working with great coaches. Just getting on the roster of sought-after coaches can take determination and perseverance. Once a voice actor begins working with coaches, it requires, commitment, focus, and routine practice in order to develop the skills necessary to work in voice over. Even those of us who are seasoned professionals typically continue to work on our craft for the duration of our careers to understand what reads are booking and make sure that our reads are up to par.

Next, it requires determination to do demos. A voice over actor must prepare for each demo, in each genre. Demos are not just a lot of work, they are typically quite pricey. Saving up to do your demos is another area that, you guessed it, requires determination.

There are Ups and Downs in Voice Over

You've got what it TakesVoiceover life is often described as feast or famine. Sometimes I say my months come in like a lamb and go out like a lion. It takes real determination to push through these ups and downs. You have to be dedicated to the long road, and understand that a voice over career can much more accurately be compared to a marathon than a sprint. When the voice over gods shine down on you, it is the best feeling in the world. But we all go through times when the work just is not abundant, and we have to continue to submit auditions and work on our craft with the confidence that in an hour or in a day the tide can turn and the work will start pouring in.

It Takes Determination to Sift Through the Vast and Ever Changing Social Media Landscape and Make Your Own Way

Don'r Measure Your Success By Others
Sound advice from coach and demo producer J. Michael Collins.

In the face of these ups and downs, social media can be a tricky place to tread. You have to be sure of yourself and your journey if you want to see what others in your field are up to. For me, especially in a year when we cannot be together in person, I love keeping in touch with industry friends online. It is important, though, not to compare what other people are booking and the work they seem to be getting to what you are doing. Remember that social media posts are a carefully crafted glimpse of what people want you to see and in no way present the total picture of their ups and downs.

It is Not Necessarily the Most Talented, But the Most Determined That Make It

RBG Quote Remembered for AbilityIn life, there are plenty of people with talent who abandon their goals. Why? They simply lack the determination to reach them. If you haven’t heard this yet, I will say it again here, in voice over it is not about the voice. A good voice will only get you so far. A voice over career, which is really what you want, is about fierce determination to succeed. It’s about knowing how to build industry connections and running your small business. It’s about maintaining your skills. And it’s about solid marking with a focus on your goals. If you want to succeed in voice over, you need to be committed to working hard!

Filed Under: Voiceover, working mom Tagged With: coaches, determination, female professional voice actor, feminist, professional voice over actor, role model, social media, VO, voice over, voiceover, working mom

Migraines and Voice Over: Oy Vey

February 3, 2020 by Laura Schreiber

It’s a Conundrum

I have so many good days, when I am super productive, I have tons of energy, and I get more accomplished than I had ever thought possible. On such days, sometimes a crazy thought creeps through my head: what if they’re gone? What if just as suddenly as they came, I will never get a migraine again? Then, like a load of bricks dropped on my head, I wake from my sleep with the throbbing pain behind my right eye and I hope that I get the medication in me in time so that I can take the lowest dosage possible. So, how can the good days seem so immeasurably good and then the bad days I am just so thankful for each task that is completed. When making toast seems like climbing Mount Everest, the vast contrast between the good days and the bad days of this working mom is mind blowing. But here’s the real kicker: I speak for a living. As a migraine sufferer, on bad days, I don’t want to talk. At all. The sound of my voice seems to echo against the inside of my head and is excruciating. How frustrating that all of the things I am passionate about, including voice over, are not easy on migraine days.

Making it Work

As a working mom I try hard to exhibit good coping for my twins Emma and Jack, so laying curled up in a ball on the sofa all day is not a good longterm strategy for a chronic problem. When I’m “lucky,” and believe me I am using that word loosely, my migraines will come on a weekend and I can sleep them off. Often they come as they like as they are triggered by all sorts of things: stress, lack of sleep, my cycle, the weather, so in short- life triggers them. When they come on a week day I try to take the medicine as early as I can. I tend to be a heavy sleeper and wake up confused, but if I can actually get the medication in me early, that helps. I try to always have both coffee and ginger ale in the house as they help. My strategy then changes. Daily routines will be completed, but anything extra gets pushed to another day. Nothing fun will happen on a migraine day. I try to give myself a break and only do what is essential. Booked work will be recorded. Auditions will likely be skipped. All emails will be replied to. I will likely defer any direct marketing. In terms of mom tasks, if I can ask Harlan to help with anything, I do!

Planning Ahead

My migraines started when I had my twins, almost 17 years ago. It is safe to assume I will have them until the kids go to college, so now, like with everything else, I plan ahead. Here are some tricks that help me a lot, just in case a whopper of a head ache should descend:

  • Pack school lunches the night before. I actually make sandwiches or entrees for a few days at a time so that I just have to grab the sides each night. It really speeds things up!
  • Have set laundry days.
  • Order groceries weekly so your house is always stocked with the basics at minimum.
  • Plan your food for the week. I have a weekly print out so if I am down for the count someone can figure out the food.
  • Make sure to refill the migraine medication regularly. It is terrible to realize that you have run out at 3 am when you really need it. Keep a stock of it on hand.
  • If you cannot drive on your medication, as I often cannot, make sure you have carpool arrangements that are flexible for your kids.

Voice Over Specific Issues and Migraine

There are work related tasks that I will and won’t do on migraine days. I will happily do any self-directed sessions at my leisure. I will happily record short and normal length scripts. A migraine day is not the day to have an ISDN session with new clients and multiple people giving directions. My brain just can’t process the input and it is not a smart, career promoting move. I also wouldn’t promise to deliver 10,000 words of eLearning with a migraine. It doesn’t mean I couldn’t record a few modules, but I pride myself on being a meticulous editor, and nothing is meticulous when you are on such strong headache medicine. The other task I would avoid on migraine days is voice matching. I have a knack for being able to match others’ voices and my own past jobs. But, on a headache day, that is just too tricky and I would wait.

Pros of Working with a Migraine Sufferer

Yes, I wish my migraines would stop and never come back. But, I do think they have changed me. I have so much more understanding of what people with much more serious chronic illnesses go through. I am much more patient. I am genuinely thankful for every non-migraine day. I am very sympathetic when others have to reschedule and are under the weather.

Filed Under: About Me Tagged With: challenge, Chronic, focus, full time, guided sessions, Migraines, plan, professional, role model, self-directed, VO, voice matching, voiceover, working mom

A Working Mom’s Passion for Voice Over

May 10, 2019 by Laura Schreiber

https://youtu.be/FFkV3FcOx1M

My Why

Me with my Mom and my sister Julia in Peddler’s Village

I don’t remember my mom ever sitting down when we were kids. She worked so hard to take care of us. She was always busy. If she wasn’t helping us with our work or cleaning or putting away laundry she was cooking or on the phone with our Mommom. My mom ran a tight ship, then and now. Nothing was out of place. Ever. When she wanted to redo the family room she took down the wall-paper and pulled up the carpet. When she wanted to move she listed the house. But despite how hard she works when we need help with work or to talk to her she is present so completely and gives with her whole heart. My mom is amazing in every way. There are so many days that I think about what she would have done in a given situation with my kids or with a teacher at work or in my house and I wonder how on earth she had so much energy. My mom was also always really sweet.

This Mother’s Day, I find myself thinking about my role as a daughter and a mother and what it all means, because to me it means a lot. As a small business owner, I try to bring so many elements of what my mom taught us growing up into my daily life. I want my clients to feel and to know that there is nothing I won’t do for them, that I will bend over backwards to give them what they need and provide the best service possible. I want them to feel that I am always there, in part because I am working so much and in part because I want them to be so happy with the job I do that they come back to me. And at the end of the day, everything that I do well I attribute to my mom.

My Kids

I have written about this before, but I am certain that I never would have had the courage to start my business if not for my children. I had a passion and a desire to pursue voice over since college, but that alone was not enough to inspire me to go after my dream. Instead, the reality of leaving my kids and commuting to New York City was what made me have the confidence to build my voice over career. I didn’t want to miss out on a single minute of raising them. I wanted to be able to work full-time and still be there to attend the science fairs and the school plays and to pick them up if they got sick. The dream of combining my professional aspirations and my personal ambitions gave me such a fire inside that nothing else matched. I will be forever thankful that I am able to have a career and be near by.

One of the many facebook groups I am in is for Voiceover Moms. Other women often post these amazing pictures of themselves in the booth with their babies in baby carriers. I missed that page but every time I see those photos I feel such a sense of pride and camaraderie. I feel like we are all in this together, supporting each other and building something meaningful for ourselves and our families. I also know that some days are harder than others, and knowing that we are not alone and that we are their to support each other means so much.

My Hope

It is my hope that just as my mother gave me so much I hope that I am instilling this fearlessness and sense of self-worth and pride in my own children. From running my voice over studio, I have learning so much from working with others, but before even getting to that point, it is that I pursued my passions for them, and my hope is that Emma and Jack will have the same fire within them and that they too will be fierce enough to go after what they love, both in their professions and in their personal life.

My Village

Nothing in life is so simple for a working mom. My life is better, profoundly better, not just because of the example set by Mom and my Mommom Harriet, but because my sister Julie is so present and helpful too. Julie is always there for me and my kids and helps both as an emotional support and in so many ways, from taking care of the kids and the dog to helping with homework to late night phone calls. Trying to list the way my family is amazing almost seems to trivialize their impact, when my intent is the opposite. I am also blessed to have an amazing Mother-in-Law who is an extremely involved Grandma and is also so close with my Mom. They are like sisters to each other. Whether she is sitting at the table doing Latin and Spanish homework with the twins, or helping with holiday dinners, it is so wonderful to have such a tight-knit family. And my sister-in-law Claudia lives one street away. She is also a wonderful influence in so many ways for my twins. I can go on and on, but the point I am trying to make is that I could in no way raise my twins the way I dream of on my own, and they also happen to have one heck of a father, but since is a blog post and not a book, I will just end by saying that this Mother’s Day I am thankful that I was born to my mother and that we are surrounded by such amazing women.

Filed Under: About Me Tagged With: daughters, Mother’s Day, mothers, role model, small business owner, voice over, voiceover, working mom

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