We just concluded our Voiceover Demo Secrets teleseminar.
Running time: 2 hours, 13 minutes
This posting is for the people who attended it “live” (or who soon will listen to the mp3 recording) have to say about it….
HOW WAS THE “VOICEOVER DEMO SECRETS” TELESEMINAR?
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Thanks for the excellent teleseminar, Dan. Enjoyed it and picked up some great tips for my next set of demos. And it also relieved my guilt. I haven’t updated my demo in 9 years. David Lawrence was asked in the Q&A how long it’s been since he’s updated his own commercial demo. Without mssing a beat, he said, “Since 1999.” I feel better hearing that! He keeps booking from his old demo. I’ve been booking from my old demo, too, but it is time to update it. Thanks, again!
Thanks so much Dan. I was there and it was GREAT ! I am a student of David’s and never get tired of his amazing generosity
and humor while sharing such important and helpful information – especially in a field where people tend to be so competitive and territorial. It does tend to dare one to dream and make it possible. Thanks again.
The content was excellent for someone who is just starting out in the business….but, shame on me for not realizing that it was only about creating a generic demo and not about demo’s created when doing specific auditions. The title had me believing I could learn some tricks to make my custom “demo” (audition) stand head and shoulders above the dozens, or hundreds I come up against when competing for website projects (i.e. voice123, etc.) I would love to hear a class that’s more geared on marketing our voices in this new age of self representation via the internet, and until that time….I’ll just keep plugging along. After all…it IS a marathon and not a sprint, right? Have a great day!
Thank you both for an enlightening experience. For David, he’s found a new client for his service when I can get the funds together. I learned things I didn’t know and had confirmed a couple of things I did.
@Susan: The problem appears to be that you perceived “demo” and “audition” as synonymous.
A demo is something that represents you for a period of time ranging from months to years. It’s not something new that you create each time an audition opportunity arises.
That thing you submit to each of those audition opportunities: That’s the audition, not the demo.
At sometime in the near feature I’ll be offering one or more classes on effective marketing approaches for voice over talents. And, of course, Harlan Hogan and I devoted an entire module to it in our Starting Your Own Voiceover Business class.
Thanks for another informative teleseminar class. It was quite
helpful, although as ever, I could have done without the first fifteen
minutes of amusing ‘insider’ banter– which I feel could have been
better used either at the end with a longer question period, or within
the class itself, detailing any other issues. Overall, it was a great
guideline and revealed that the Demo is not just a ‘static’, one-time
vehicle for self promotion and marketing, but a ‘tool’ that can evolve
and be adapted or extended in multiples for different purposes and
areas for seeking work.
It certainly sounds as if David Lawrence is extremely successful (he
is not shy about blowing his own horn, and why not?), and that he is
THE Demo man to go to.
I am fortunate in the Bay Area, that when I am ready to do my Demo–
there does appear to be various good engineers who could help me to
accomplish that–but if not, I would consider it worth the time to fly
down to LA to work with him in person.
Thanks again for furthering my education in the field of voice over.
my review:
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“Voiceover Demo Secrets” was a waste of time.
There’s no reason for other voice people to participate in this so they can refine their voice demos.
Nothing to see here people, just go back to doing whatever you were doing.
Your voice demos are just fine as is.
You don’t need an unfair advantage like I now have..
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too silly?
If so, use this:
———–
Voiceover Demo Secrets was packed with valuable information. David Lawrence and Dan O’Day deploy a potent combination of folksy common sense with tactical analysis, arming you with techniques you can use to maximize the potential response to your voice demos.
David provides a seasoned insider’s perspective that embodies the universe of voiceovers – ranging from the isolated home studio dweller to an LA studio hopper – and touching on the many categories of voiceover that are out there.
David does provide voiceover production services, and after hearing him speak you’ll want to hire him – but this seminar is not a sales pitch, rather he’s sharing insights gleaned from having produced multitudes of voice demos, informed by the results of that work.”
———–
@ Dan: I guess I’ve been doing too many auditions on voice123, since they refer to your “audition” as a “custom demo”. Like I said earlier, shame on me. Oh well, live and learn.
I was actually at that VO/Production Summit that Dave refers to back in 1996. At the time, I was green and only part time on-air at a local radio station and looking for a way off the air and into the back studios where the really cool stuff gets made. The insights and inspiration I found that weekend helped my career roar to life and have stayed with me at every stage.
And now Dan has planted another monolith of knowledge with David Lawrence’s VO Secrets. I feel enlightened, energized and ready to do my new demo. Thanks to you both! I can’t wait to go home and listen to it again.
As “someone who is just starting out in the business” and still deciding if I make the jump from radio to vo, it was very helpful to resolve some concerns and answer many of the questions I had. And after listening to your questions and the tricks from David, I feel like this small fish can jump into the big pond sometime soon.
Thank you for your time and your insight. It would be an honour to audition against any of you.
In a word – “Brilliant”! David’s down to earth, yet insightful demo/career ideas and advice are superb! (And that’s a word I never use!)