Last week an 'anonymous' LA Agent put a comment on Twitter that actors should always remember the importance of being likable. I couldn't agree more! We've all worked with someone that came across not so likable, and it can really leave a lasting impression.
Now, imagine being the client with a job on the line! It makes everyone's lives easier when we act professional, reliable, and yes...likable.
However, you don't want to ONLY be likable when you are behind the mic. As I always like to say, you never know where your next job is coming from.
Case in point- a couple of weeks ago I was in an airport in NC waiting on a delayed flight. I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me after I had helped her plug in her computer charger (the outlet was behind me). We chatted for a bit before she asked me what I do for a living. I'm a voice actor, I explained. I was expecting to have to offer more of an explanation (as I usually do), but she surprised me when she knew exactly what that meant! As it turns out, she works for a company that creates online tutorials, and regularly hires voice actors as part of her job. She asked if I had a card, and well- I gave her two :).
A different example happened just yesterday. I stopped into the local Pier 1 to see what things they might have on sale for the holiday weekend. I was contemplating a set of patio pillows when the sales girl asked if she could help me. We chatted a bit before she asked if we had ever met before. According to her, she 100% knew my face. I didn't recognize her at all. She asked if I had ever lived in South Carolina. I told her I had recently moved to Tampa from North Carolina. No, that wasn't it. I asked where in South Carolina she had lived. She said Florence, SC. Well, I knew instantly why I looked familiar to her. I've been the on-camera spokesperson for a car dealer in Florence for a couple of years now. That was definitely it, and we had a good laugh about what a small world it really is!
Now, imagine if I had been rude to her. She could have called her family and told them that the infomercial girl was not very likable. And believe me, I'm from a small town and I know how word can spread!
So, should we all be likable in the hopes of scoring a gig, or impressing someone that knows our work? No. We should all be likable because it's the right thing to do- and it makes the world a better, brighter place. Everything else is just icing on the cake!
Kara Edwards Voice Over
Monday, July 6, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A New Demo and a Valuable Lesson!
I've always been a big 'do it yourself' kind of girl. I like to make things, paint things, fix things, etc. Several years ago I tried to create my own website. It wasn't such a smart idea, which is why I ultimately had a website done professionally. (by Village Green Studios)
In the past 13 years that I've been a voice actor, I have never had a demo professionally produced. I've always done them myself, using real material and adding little bits on my own here and there. They've always served me quite well, but I've always wanted to have a demo created by a pro.
And now, a quick story if you don't mind. When we moved into our new house late last year, I knew I wanted the entire interior repainted. Florida homes are famous for their high ceilings (it helps with the heat) which are extremely difficult to paint. Still, I wanted us to do it ourselves. After putting 12 different samples on the walls in the past several weeks, I finally settled on a beautiful shade of beige. And so we painted, and painted. Proud of our accomplishments, we went off to bed. The next morning we awoke to a house that quite clearly had turned pink overnight. And not a very pretty pink at that.
Thankfully, one of our neighbors is a color expert. He runs a company that matches car paint after body work has been done. As he puts it, he knows color like I know voices. He came over, knew immediately where we had gone wrong, and accompanied us to the paint store to find the color we had intended all along.
The moral of this story? It's always better to go with a pro if you want the job done right.
Which brings me back to my new demo. I recently worked with the great folks at Voice Hunter to create a fresh new TV promo demo. I'm very happy with how it turned out! The process was a blast and there were ultimately so many cuts to choose from, it was difficult to get the demo down to a minute (a good problem to have!).
If you have a minute, please check out my new demo here! You can also hear it on my website at http://www.karaedwardsvo.com/. Then, if you have another minute- please let me know what you think!
Kara Edwards, Voice Actor
In the past 13 years that I've been a voice actor, I have never had a demo professionally produced. I've always done them myself, using real material and adding little bits on my own here and there. They've always served me quite well, but I've always wanted to have a demo created by a pro.
And now, a quick story if you don't mind. When we moved into our new house late last year, I knew I wanted the entire interior repainted. Florida homes are famous for their high ceilings (it helps with the heat) which are extremely difficult to paint. Still, I wanted us to do it ourselves. After putting 12 different samples on the walls in the past several weeks, I finally settled on a beautiful shade of beige. And so we painted, and painted. Proud of our accomplishments, we went off to bed. The next morning we awoke to a house that quite clearly had turned pink overnight. And not a very pretty pink at that.
Thankfully, one of our neighbors is a color expert. He runs a company that matches car paint after body work has been done. As he puts it, he knows color like I know voices. He came over, knew immediately where we had gone wrong, and accompanied us to the paint store to find the color we had intended all along.
The moral of this story? It's always better to go with a pro if you want the job done right.
Which brings me back to my new demo. I recently worked with the great folks at Voice Hunter to create a fresh new TV promo demo. I'm very happy with how it turned out! The process was a blast and there were ultimately so many cuts to choose from, it was difficult to get the demo down to a minute (a good problem to have!).
If you have a minute, please check out my new demo here! You can also hear it on my website at http://www.karaedwardsvo.com/. Then, if you have another minute- please let me know what you think!
Kara Edwards, Voice Actor
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I'm a Voice Actor, Not a Gambler
No one can deliver a punch line quite like my grandpa.
This past week when I was in TX for work, I took a 2 day flight to Lubbock to see my grandpa. He asked me how work was going, and I said good (I'm not quite sure he fully understands what I do for a living, so I didn't go into many details). He told me the following story.
"I once knew a farmer that was often accused of being a gambler. One day he decided to look up the word gambler in the dictionary. It said a gambler was a person who took a chance. That farmer knew he wasn't a gambler, because in farmin'- you haven't got a chance!"
My grandpa came to Lubbock in a covered wagon at the age of 7, in 1922. He retired from cotton farming this year, at the young age of 93. He saw many good years and many bad years on his farm, but he kept at it year after year.
I've spoken with many voice actors over the past year that are frustrated with how their business is going. Some want more work, some want different work, some are questioning if this is the right business for them. The truth is, voice acting is a profession that not everyone can succeed in. You need a thick skin to weather the storms, perseverance to keep planting seeds, and trust to just let mother nature take her course. You have to take the tough times, and turn them around.
And if there is someone in your life even half as wise as my grandpa- don't forget to stop and listen...you just might learn something that can change your perspective forever!
Kara Edwards, Voice Actor
This past week when I was in TX for work, I took a 2 day flight to Lubbock to see my grandpa. He asked me how work was going, and I said good (I'm not quite sure he fully understands what I do for a living, so I didn't go into many details). He told me the following story.
"I once knew a farmer that was often accused of being a gambler. One day he decided to look up the word gambler in the dictionary. It said a gambler was a person who took a chance. That farmer knew he wasn't a gambler, because in farmin'- you haven't got a chance!"
My grandpa came to Lubbock in a covered wagon at the age of 7, in 1922. He retired from cotton farming this year, at the young age of 93. He saw many good years and many bad years on his farm, but he kept at it year after year.
I've spoken with many voice actors over the past year that are frustrated with how their business is going. Some want more work, some want different work, some are questioning if this is the right business for them. The truth is, voice acting is a profession that not everyone can succeed in. You need a thick skin to weather the storms, perseverance to keep planting seeds, and trust to just let mother nature take her course. You have to take the tough times, and turn them around.
And if there is someone in your life even half as wise as my grandpa- don't forget to stop and listen...you just might learn something that can change your perspective forever!
Kara Edwards, Voice Actor
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