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voice over community

OneVoice21 Recap

September 1, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

The Afterglow

Laura Schreiber and J. michael CollinsAs I sit here on my flight reflecting on my amazing weekend in Dallas, TX for the first-ever USA version of the OneVoice Conference, I am struck by how wonderful the weekend really was and how glad I am that I made the trip. From the opening ceremonies, J. Michael Collins and the Gravy for the Brain team set the tone that as a voice over community we are all better together and we are truly OneVoice. JMC made us feel inspired and proud. Having shout-outs for my panels and my own participation in the panels I was in meant so much to me personally. The entire weekend was tremendous. We enjoyed time with friends, educational panels, a beautiful black-tie gala with star announcers, and time to explore Dallas. I left feeling like I did what I came to do.

The Camaraderie

Diana Birdsall, Shelley Avellino, and Laura SchreiberFrom the start, I planned to attend the OneVoice with my “VO Family,” my closest industry friends. Outside that super tight circle, many who I love were attending as well. When I say this, I mean the people that you wish you saw all the time and could see in person regularly. Just the fact that I have so many friends like this at the conference is a blessing. On top of that, I made new friends that I hope that I keep in touch with! At events like this, you just click with people.

The Panels

Melanie Murphy, Shelley Avellino, Laura Schreiber, and Diana Birdsall and I am so proud that I got to present on two panels, both of which were on the main stages and both were streamed internationally. The first panel was “How to Build a Kickass Career With a Powerhouse Accountability Group.” It sounds like a long name but we had a lot to get in. I was on the panel with my actual accountability partners and besties Shelley Avellino, Diana Birdsall, Michelle Blenker, and Dearbhla Trainer. Melanie Murphy was the amazing moderator. Two members of our group did not participate for personal reasons. The panel was great. We got to interact with a lot of the audience and speak to a lot of attendees afterward. I felt like we got our message across, which is that as much as you think you can accomplish alone, you will do so much better in the group!

Paul Cartwright, AJ McKay, Laura Schreiber, and Staxx Williams

The other panel that I was on was OneVoice’s first-ever Radio Imaging panel.  I was so excited to be the only woman on this panel, and my other panelists are pretty impressive including the legendary AJ McKay, Brent “Staxx” Williams from Z100 in NYC, and SOVAS winner Paul Cartwright. This panel was both fun and informative and it went really fast.

The Schmoozing

I think I literally talked for four days straight. From meals to coffees to sessions to talking in between sessions, the “catching up” just went on and on. Whether we were networking or just being friendly, not a moment was wasted. As a working mom, I felt bad because every time my kids called I was with someone. Many of my friends made even more time for schmoozing than I did, as they were able to stay up for events like the fiesta which was after my bedtime.

One Voice 21 in Texas

Texas Exploring CollageWhile the conference in and of itself would have sufficed, I actually got to see a little of the Dallas area too! One night I had dinner with my besties out in Grapevine. Historic Grapevine is a quaint and thriving town with oodles of personality. We are in a fun place that had chili that was way too hot for this Jersey girl and got to explore the area. We also got to see McKinney, where Diana Birdsall lives. We went out to eat, went shopping, and had boozie ice cream, which is apparently a thing! I got chocolate liqueur sorbet since I don’t eat dairy. I loved McKinney. The town was beautiful and had a warmth and sophistication that I was not expecting. It reminded me of mainline towns in Philly where I am from. I was so glad to have more time with my friends, too.

OneVoice 21 Hopes

Somehow leaving home and wearing actual clothing instead of gym clothes for several consecutive days does something to your psyche that you didn’t know you needed until it happens. Being present got my wheels turning in so many ways. It already has me thinking about future conferences and how I can contribute. It has me thinking about my role in the industry. I was also left with a yearning to keep in touch. I spend a lot of time as a voice over coach helping people refine their goals and shape their focus. As I enthusiastically look forward, I need to think about what my goals really are for myself and what I need to do to get there.

Filed Under: Business Management, Coaching, Voiceover Tagged With: OneVoice Conference, voice over community

Another Instance of Why the VO Community Matters So Much

December 13, 2020 by Laura Schreiber

Now More than Ever…

Laura Schreiber and Industry Friends in NYC
With Uncle Roy, Lynn Norris, Michelle and Steve Sundholm, and my sister Julie Levin in NYC in Chinatown SOVAS Weekend

I think we can all agree that 2020 has presented us with some challenges. For those of us who enjoy the close knit voice over community, from the myriad of conferences each year to traditional events like Uncle Roy’s BBQ and Christmas Parties in NYC, when you work alone in a padded foam booth, interacting with others in voiceover is so much more than a chance to network. Any of us who go to these events will tell you about the gooey sweet bonding that happens between the karaoke and the shop talk. So the lack of face time in 2020 has been hard, but for me, the presence of social media groups, especially on Facebook (as much as I hate to admit it) has helped fill the gap. I feel like I still “see” my dear friends and have a sense of how they are and what’s going on. More than that, I crave the interaction, look for their posts, and try to be responsive. For me, these voice over groups on social media are not a distraction, they continue to give me a sense of connection when we are all forced to be distanced at the moment. This week, these connections in my Facebook voice over community genuinely helped me through an experience from a pay to play that had me feeling pretty exasperated.

The Frustrating Experience of this Week

Laura Schreiber at WoVo Con in Las Vegas with Industry Friends
Laura Schreiber with Michelle Blenker, Diana Birdsall, David Rosenthal, Lisa Suliteanu, and Kim Handysides at WoVoCon in Las Vegas in 2017!

On Thursday I got one of those messages we all love: I had been cast in a national spot. Spoiler: wait before you start celebrating for me, it does not end well. The initial offer was low and it needed negotiating, which in no way scared me off, negotiating is part of the job, right? But the good news was that they wanted me and I was available. The message came through Voice123 and the client asked me to call him right away. I called the client back immediately. I spent a long time chatting with the client. The spot was actually more regional in use but the client wanted national rights to not have to deal with his client more later. Fine. We also discussed pricing for web and social media. He was pleasant and very specific. He wanted a zoom session Friday morning. I gave him a choice of times and he said he would get back to me. I had a 5 pm zoom on Thursday and I was in a really good mood during that call. When I got off of that call, I got an email from the client. He said his client no longer had the budget and was going to use an in-house voice. They were going to use an in-house voice for a national spot? Are you kidding me? And he wasted so much of my time. I was really annoyed. I was aggravated. Frankly, I was pissed off.

I Was NOT Alone….

One of my VO besties suggested I post it on Facebook. We have a VO Red Flags group, and I also decided to post in our V123 Platinum members group. My wheels were turning and I was curious if he had interacted with anyone else. I wanted to see how others would have reacted and if this had happened to anyone else recently.

Laura Schreiber and Industry Friends at Uncle Roy's BBQ
Kim Handysides, Shelley Avellino, Devla Trainor, and Laura Schreiber at Uncle Roy’s BBQ in NJ

I got an immediate response in the V123 group. This guy had been making his rounds to other top voiceover talents. He had been negotiating with one male talent all week, since Monday! He had contacted other female voice actors at my level who also book a lot on that platform to negotiate with them! For some reason I have not seen my post go up in the Red Flags group yet. Sometimes that happens.

Laura Schreiber and Industry Friends at VOA
Michelle Blenker, Michelle Sundholm, Diana Birdsall, and Laura Schreiber and VO Atlanta 2018

The point, though, is that I felt much better having a community to discuss this with. I was not alone in my booth, or alone in my kitchen talking it through with my husband. I was part of a pretty awesome group of talents dealing with this together. I went from feeling angry to being thankful for having such awesome people. I realized this guy was outnumbered. He had heard over and over and over that his budget was too low. We were all in sync. The reason that there are industry standard rates and that we can all work so hard to maintain them is because those of us in the industry are such a cohesive, tight knit network.

So to be clear, the response that I got on Facebook this week had both an emotional impact on my stability and also, at the same time, showed the impact of the VO bond on our business. By communicating and remaining close, we all benefit. It is so so important that we stick together!

So cheers to a better 2021, and to seeing you all in person, so that I can give you all a big hug and we can have some fun together again! I am so profoundly thankful for this community.

Filed Under: Voiceover Tagged With: female voice actors, live session, negotiating, rates, Uncle Roy’s BBQ, VO, VO Red Flags, voice over, voice over community, voice over conferences, Voice123, voiceover, Zoom

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