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Voice over is a heroes' journey. Make it your journey. Actor, voice talent and storytelling coach David H. Lawrence XVII takes you on a journey each episode into the art, commerce, science and mindset of voice over as a performing art, and as a profession and business. Presented by VOHeroes.com.
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Hey there, hero! I was at a party a couple of years ago, and someone in our group was asked, “What do you do?” In Los Angeles, it’s rare that the answer to that question isn’t “I’m an actor.” In this case, the woman answered with a bit of a twist: “I'm a bit of an actor." Please don’t let me catch you saying this. That would be an issue. And I’ve heard versions of that: "I dabble in audiobooks." "Occasionally, I write some stuff." In this episode, I want to impress upon you that words do matt...
Hey there, hero! Lagom is not “just OK.” It’s not “good enough for government work.” It’s actually a cultural concept in Sweden that is really useful in lots of different ways. In a nutshell, it means “not too much, not too little, but just right.” Kinda like Goldilocks and her interaction with those three bears. And we, as performers, can embrace lagom to help us try just a bit harder… …and not get wrapped around the axle trying to be perfect. Your thoughts on this? Does the concept of “just...
Hey there, hero! You’ve likely heard many times in life the pithy quote, “Winners never quit!” (And sometimes, the additional converse of “Quitters never win!”) Yeah. You can safely ignore that. This episode is all about the truth: winners do sometimes quit. Let’s discuss a bit deeper when and how and why. When do you decide to give up? What are your personal standards for abandoning an effort? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full ...
Hey there, hero! If you’re at all like me, I’ve often wondered if I’m the odd man out. A left-brained person in a right-brained body. See, I’m a creative…but I’m also proudly analytical and organized. I hear you. “Freak!” Yep. And guess what? Turns out you are too. My evidence? Two different authoritative videos on YouTube that dispel the left-brain/right-brain myth. From Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkJHc5QKc8w And from TedX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMSbDw...
Hey there, hero! What is your reaction when you see someone you know on TV? When a colleague pops up on the screen in a movie? When you hear that familiar voice in a spot? When you see the byline, and it’s not you, but someone…just…like…you? And further, what kind of feelz well up when it’s for something you submitted an audition? I’m sure there is a whole rainbow of reactions - and I’d love to know what you have as a go-to response. Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join thi...
Hey there, hero! Actors, voice talent and writers often face the question of whether they should run their creative practice as an individual, being paid as an employee, or as a company, paid via invoicing on a more formal basis. And the answer is… …it depends. In this episode, I take a look at the options you have in either case, not as a professional business manager, but from both sides of the equation. What has your experience been when making this decision? As I say in the episode, pleas...
Hey there, hero! I ran across a quote by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz that called out a huge difference in how feedback/criticism/adjustments land with kids…as opposed to how that can land with adults. And it comes down to what he called “...the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-esteem.” Adults don’t like to be questioned about their choices. Kids? They usually don’t give a rat. They’re used to being guided by adults, and don’t know what they don’t know. So…some advice in this episod...
Hey there, hero! Short and sweet: six words that might make your day a bit more impactful, and give you a bit more moxie and courage to do what we do as professional performers. (I ask my students at the end of each of our live workouts if they had anything resonate for them during the session - a #1 takeaway - and as I traversed the web yesterday…Ms. Anjelou, in just those six concise words, handed me what was my #1 takeaway of yesterday.) Thoughts? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST...
Hey there, hero! So… …you didn't get the gig. They went with someone else. You're disappointed, and that's understandable. But what are you missing from the experience? It can be a lot of valuable information and factual results. I share some of the gifts we get when we don't get the job. Were any of them forgotten? Are any of them a bit more valuable than you thought? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where...
Hey there, hero! As you sit there at the moment of creation... With a blank page... Nothing yet recorded for an audition... A blinking cursor... Not even a countdown to begin recording, or an unclicked record button, not even a cleared throat... ...how do you handle that moment? Are you frozen? Or do you make a mess and then make it better? That's a phrase I didn't include in the episode, but it's worth having handy: just get something made, even if it's messy (it likely will be first time ar...
Hey there, hero! The pundits are out with their predictions for this year. I have my predictions as well, and I guarantee you that mine are right and theirs are wrong. And there's joy in what I'm predicting. I think you'll be surprised. And what are your predictions for the new year? What are you looking forward to, hoping for, maybe even prepared to be disappointed over? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, wh...
Hey there, hero! If you find yourself talking to yourself when you're by yourself... ...that's not only OK, it's a mark of genius. That's what the Internet says, and I'm going with them on this. I don't want you to feel anything but joy and wisdom if you're an inveterate self-talker. And I'm not limiting my support just to those who murmur or mutter to themselves - I'm a full-volume talking machine when I'm alone, sometimes raising my voice to make a point. And I want to celebrate with you th...
Hey there, hero! This is the final episode of the podcast for the year. And as I recorded this episode, I was wading through my inbox, which is currently filling up with listicles of The Best XXXXXX Of The Year, or Our Predictions For The Best XXXXXX Of The Upcoming Year. I tend to look at those things as fun, maybe interesting, but ultimately not very useful. Want a healthy alternative? Do your grunt work. Update your resume. Review your bios. Re-edit your demo with footage from your last jo...
Hey there, hero! There’s a lot of value in having workable expertise, value in having expertise that’s exceptional, and it’s something I think most of us strive to acquire. There’s also a lot of value in being dependable, being reliable, being a rock to others in your life…to show up, hit your mark and do the work. If you had to choose one or the other (I’m sure we’d all like to strive for both, but…), which would you prefer? I’d like to know your answer to the question posed in the title of ...
Hey there, hero! Space mathematician Katherine Johnson said, about the new strategies, tactics and calculation being created for the moon landing, “There were no textbooks, so we had to write one.” Ever faced something brand new in your acting, voice work or writing? It’s not like working in a factory doing repetitive activities that have a long history of experience. There are very few “explainer videos” available on the things we create for our characters, our actions and our explanations. ...
Hey there, hero! You’ve met people in our business who’ve been trained to say yes to everything. When asked what they are best at, they never say never. They say yes to anything. They can play any role, voice any character, write in any genre…each with world class capabilities. Yeah. Don’t be that guy. But…are you being honest with others and yourself as to what you truly are capable of doing, or are you shorting yourself and “playing small” with your actual skill set? Does a self-effacing te...
Hey there, hero! The people who aren’t in our line of work simply don't understand the kinds of numbers we face every day. Actors, voice talent, casting, directors/producers...there are a lot of people who want to do what we do. And if those people knew the actual stats, most would likely rethink that desire. And sometimes, we need to remind ourselves just what we're wading into when we want to play in the pool. Let's look at these numbers...in the dozens, hundreds and even thousands. Shocked...
Hey there, hero! Deciding to pursue a performance related career also guarantees an immense amount of weirdness. You can't even begin to predict what's going to happen, like you can in some more traditional lines of work. In this episode, I reveal the strange cascade of events that resulted in me booking a multi-season run on NBC/BBC’s sci-fi series HEROES, playing the creepy, evil Puppetmaster, Eric Doyle. I mean really, really strange. Have there been strange twists in your career? Care to ...
Hey there, hero! The amount of effort it takes to learn something new, and to become facile at something, can seem like a humongous effort; once you get to a point of competence, you can and should feel really good about that accomplishment. It's a good 95% of the full journey to get to that point. Enjoy. You've worked really long and hard to get there. To then become really expert at something...to continue the honing and refining of that last 5%...is not likely to take just 5% of the time i...
Hey there, hero! As kids, our parents often gave us limited choices (if they want to save valuable time and keep their sanity). But you're not a kid anymore. If you're trying to decide between a couple of presented options, there might be one or two that you could consider... ...even if no one's mentioned them as a possibility. You could take a moment when a list of choices are given to you, and ask, "What else ya got? PB&J? Cheese burrito?" Ever thought to yourself that you could have go...
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