The VOHeroes Podcast

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 ...

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...

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 yest...

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 ...

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 g...

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 ...

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 ...

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 yo...

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 ...

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 cr...

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 ...

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 lo...

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, rea...

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 r...

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 go...

Hey there, hero!

I just got a really convenient, healthy, awesome phrase dropped in my lap.

It immediately made sense, and helped me soothe any anguish I have (not much, but it rears its ugly head from time to time) about the uncertainty of our business.

And maybe it will help you, too...at a number of levels: decoupling the result from the process of auditioning or spec writing, giving yourself permission to love all parts of the pur...

Hey there, hero!

One of our most famous and revered actors used the title of this podcast as the answer to a question asked of him by an industry rag.

The question was, “What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned about the business you’re in?”

I want to drill down on this, and why, even if you’re not at Brian Cox’s level of notoriety yet, you should learn from this statement as well.

Ever feel this way about the second oldest profe...

Hey there, hero!

Early in my career in radio, I thought the more inclusive and general I was with my on-air content, the more people I’d attract.

I learned that having the audacity to bring my own very personal sensibilities to everything I do was a much better approach.

Just being me was the more attractive and authentic thing to do. It didn’t make everyone happy, but it was the path to truth in performance.

It’s also a hell of a lot ...

Hey there, hero!

The audience is listening (and watching and reading). And social media and review sites allow them to criticize, rate and review your artwork.

And there are always outspoken members of the audience who have things to say. And they aren’t always respectful or constructive. Sometimes, they are downright aiming to hurt you.

I have my own approach to ratings and reviews - I pick and choose the reviews I pay attention to (...