Paul Stefano

Stage Fright. We all get it sometimes. Whether it be on an actual stage, like a theater, or a virtual one, like your office conference room. You know, the rumbling in your stomach, the butterflies, the cold sweats. In take take a long time to get over your performance anxiety in the workplace.

I thought I had conquered mine in voice over and announcing. I no longer get nervous when reading on the mic in front of a group of peers,  and coaches. Not during a live session with a director on the line. Not even in a 12,000 person stadium when my voice comes booming over the loudspeakers.

Recently, however, I have been reminded of how our bodies can be affected internally, even when we have seemingly conquered our fears.

You see, I suffer from ulcerative colitis. The Mayo clinic defines colitis like this.

Ulcerative colitis (UL-sur-uh-tiv koe-LIE-tis) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers (sores) in your digestive tract. Ulcerative colitis affects the innermost lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum. Symptoms usually develop over time, rather than suddenly.

Ulcerative colitis can be debilitating and can sometimes lead to life-threatening complications. While it has no known cure, treatment can greatly reduce signs and symptoms of the disease and bring about long-term remission.

I’ve suffered with this for about 20 years. It took a long time and visits with LOTS of specialists to get an answer, and even more to get things under control, but for the most part I did. With the help of medication, my symptoms were in remission, almost entirely.

That is, until recently.

I started to think about what might have been different to bring about this return of symptoms, with a vengeance. I can’t be sure, and that is one of the truly insidious parts of this disease, but…it may be my stage fright!

One theory about something that can exacerbate UC symptoms is nerves or anxiety. Nothing in my life has really been anxiety producing lately, except when I dug a little deeper.

You may have seen me post on social media, or on my podcast The VO Meter, talk about my large increase in my live announcing gigs. The pace has really picked up. This year, I have worked for 3 different Universities doing the public address announcing for: Wrestling, Gymnastics, Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse and Men’s and Woman’s Volleyball. Each of these sports were new for me at each respective school. Each one brought a lot of prep work, practice and excitement!

Now, after my years of doing voice over work and announcing previously, I thought my time getting “nervous” just before game time were over. After all, I don’t feel nervous. Well, maybe a little. I never was overly shaky, no stumbling, no fumbling and really, I all around Kicked Butt!

I started to think about my recent colitis flare up and thought, “Maybe it’s the new jobs”. As I said, all of these “gigs” as we call them in voice acting were new at each respective school. Could I have buried my nerves around each of these situations to the point that they were affecting me internally, even though on the outside, I was cool calm and collected? After all I was driving to new locations, sometimes stuck in traffic wondering if I would get there on time. Looking at campus maps to find the right parking lot to park in and walking directions to the venue. Using different equipment like microphones. Meeting new staff and trying to make a good impression. Yes, I was doing a good job, “on the mic” but was I secretly driving myself to illness?

Unfortunately, I probably will never know for sure. I know outwardly, I’m having a blast, still doing a good job (I think?) and learning more all the time.. I can only hope that as things become more routine, my body settles down, and I can keep doing what I love.

So, have you experienced anything similar? Have YOU conquered your Stage Fright?

I’ll never forget the day Bob Bergen told me I sucked… Sort of. Bob, the longtime Looney Tunes Voice of Porky Pig and Tweety Bird is WAY too much of a nice guy to use that kind of language. He did tell me my voice over demos were not at all competitive and I should remove them from the internet quickly before I did permanent damage to my career. As the saying goes, you never get a 2nd chance to make a first impression. I listened. After all, who am I to argue with Porky Pig? I took down all my horrible self produced demos, and went back to the drawing board. Well, started on the drawing board really.

I see this scenario play out again and again in the world of voice over. Someone has some itsy bitsy bit of training in acting, radio, television and the like and they think they can just buy a USB mic, setup in their kitchen and press GO. It’s much harder than that, however.

Let me backtrack a bit. When I got into voice over 7 years ago, I thought I knew what I was doing. I had a B.S. in broadcasting from Towson State University. A very good school that had turned out tons of great local media personalities as well as a few national ones. Dwight Schultz from the A team was probably the most famous when I enrolled. Now it’s Brian Stelter or Amy Schumer. During school I was on the FM radio station, and cable access tv station. I had tons of classes on broadcasting and production. I had also been an NCAA Division 1 public address announcer for years. So when I decided to hang out my shingle for voice over work, with NO VO training whatsoever, I thought I GOT THIS!

And, I was COMPLETELY wrong. It turns out I didn’t know a THING about voice acting. Luckily through dumb luck and maybe a bit of web savvy I found a few online resources to help. The VO-BB or Voice Over Bulletin board was extremely helpful. That was where I “met” Bob. Truth be told, however, this forum has been around so long that its really just a traditional bulletin board service. People post text replies and questions and someone replies in a thread. Even posting pictures is a bit hard. Still, there is a ton of information on the world of voice over there. If you have the chance to check it out, I highly recommend. Anyway…I posted a link to some horrible demos I produced myself. A simple music bed sourced from the music of my longtime friend Chris Ritsch, some really poor reads by me and no other effects or producing whatsoever. Bob (and others) told me they were terrible, and you know what? They were RIGHT!

It was ONLY then I found out there was a whole world of voice over classes, conferences, online tutorials and private tutoring. So, the next year was a crash course in learning as much as I could in order to be able to get “demo ready”. I did produce a demo within a year and started submitting it. That still probably wasn’t the best idea, but that’s a story for another day. Truth is I have never stopped learning. I still soak up as much information and training as I can every day. Still, that demo did land me with several agencies and booked me lots of work. YMMV.

Now as I’ve been in the business for a while I try to help “newbies” to the business as well. Hopefully you’ve heard of my podcast The VO Meter that is all about that. I post in facebook groups and reply to tweets. Some may say I’m too brutally honest, but that’s just the way I am. I hope, whomever hears/reads my words takes them to heart and puts them to good use, like I did when Mr. Bergen tried to help me.

So, moral of the story. Voice Over is HARD. I spend more time each day getting rejected than I do working. At this point, I’m pretty good. Good enough to be a full time voice over person, working every week, and even getting nominated for awards! But, it’s all because I listened to the seasoned pros who were so giving of their time and expertise who set me on the right path. Thanks BOB!

This week’s Facebook Group quandary comes from the Indie Audiobook Narrators and Producers Group. In it, a user asked if anyone with Auditory Sensitivity has tried to edit an audiobook and how that has affected them. I actually broke my self imposed rule and answered this in the group as well as here. I think it’s an important topic that doesn’t get discussed enough.

For those that don’t know noise sensitivity or Hyperacusis is a disorder that makes it difficult to deal with everyday sounds. From WebMD Hyperacusis is a hearing disorder that makes it hard to deal with everyday sounds. You might also hear it called sound or noise sensitivity. If you have it, certain sounds may seem unbearably loud even though people around you don’t seem to notice them. There is also Misophonia is a disorder in which certain noises trigger strong responses from you, including some reactions that others may perceive as unreasonable. Some great examples are the sound of people chewing loudly, or tapping a desk. I sometimes jokingly create a fictional Samuel L. Jackson quote that goes like this…”You call it Misophonia, I call it chewing with your M-Ffin, mouth shut”

The truth is, millions of people suffer from these issues. My daughter is one of them. If I examine myself closely, I probably do too. The diagnosis is difficult, and often a moving target. The symptoms can point to a host of issues, so it’s not alway cut and dry. In my daughter’s case the Doctor said Misophonia, then changed their mind. I personally think it’s still there. She’ll often freak out at my wife for chewing with her mouth open, or when me or her brothers stomp our feet too loudly.

So, as you can imagine for someone with noise sensitivity, listening very critically to voice over with highly sensitive speakers or headphones can be difficult. In some ways it can be helpful. I think Juan Carlos Bagnell (while admitting he suffers from Misophonia) said that in some ways, it gives him Super Powers when listening to audio! He’ll hear clicks, pops and echos that the a mere mortal will NEVER notice. Same has always gone for me. It became an issue, however, when I started to edit my own work. I spent SO much time listening and editing my voice over auditions that it would take me hours to complete. Every mouth click, breath, over pronounced S would drive me crazy! Audiobooks were even worse. I had no idea what was a reasonable breath versus what was my psychosis creeping in.

So how did I solve it? Outsourcing! It is a best practice as an audiobook narrator to outsource your editing and proofing anyway. It gives you time to focus on what you do best, narrating! It’s usually a higher paid skill as well, so it makes sense to spend more time on that than editing. That was the main reason I did it in the first place. It allowed me to finish books twice as fast and usually work on 2 at a time.

After a while, however, a funny thing happened. As I stopped listening to myself all the time, as well as listened back to the finished recordings my editors would send back, I started to be bothered less by extraneous mouth noise, breathing and the like. After all, if the professional editor who has done 100s of books deemed it okay, why wouldn’t I?

Now, while I still outsource audiobook, e-learning, and any other long form narration editing work, I do edit my auditions every day. And you know what? I hardly ever over analyze. Thanks to my FABULOUS editors, Christopher Rain and Natalie Stanfield for keeping me sane!

I’m an audiobook narrator (among other voice over pursuits). I’ve narrated just over 100 books. I’ve produced another 25-30 more. After years of training, going to conferences and trade shows, I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to create a good audiobook. I also know when it’s time to let go.

Last week I got an email from an author with whom I completed a book in mid January. They asked me if I could change the first sentence of the audiobook because they didn’t like the tone the character had.

Now, I did this book on ACX, which has very clear language in all the contracts between rights holders and narrators. They say that the author (in this case also the rights holder) has the right to request any changes, prior to the First 15 minutes being approved. This is a checkpoint that ACX has in place so a narrator can record a portion of the book and send to the rights holder so they can get a feel for how the book will sound. It doesn’t NEED to be the first chronological 15 minutes of the book. In fact, often it’s a good idea for a narrator to record several scenes that include a lot of the character voices. This way the rights holder gets to sign off on the choices the narrator makes. In the case of this book, I did bounce around a bit with the first 15 minutes content. However, the sentence in question was sent to the rights holder, because it’s the very first line in the book. I’ll add that it was also part of the audition!

After the first 15 minutes is approved, the audiobook character choices, style, etc, are largely in the hands, solely, of the narrator.  When the book is completed and uploaded for the rights holder to approve, they can request “reasonable changes”. For this book, that was also the case. I re-recorded several lines for the rights holder/author. One that was NOT requested, however, was the first line of the book.

The book was approved, and has been on sale since 1/19/22.

So what did I say to the request to update the book? NO. There was ample time for any changes to that ONE sentence. The first 15 minutes, prior to the final approval, heck even the audition! At this point, it’s WAY too late for me to honor that request. I’m extremely busy with other projects, including this blog! Plus, as I told the author, I LIKED the way I did that line. It was an acting choice I made, and I’m not willing to change it now.

Could I have reasonably made that change? Sure. I really do think it would be a bad idea, both for me, and the author. At some point the author needs to trust the narrator. After all, that’s what the audition process is all about. Finding someone you like that can bring your story and characters to life. After that, it’s time to let go.

Curiously, this author has another book up for audition on ACX. Do you think they will hire me?

 

Today’s question from the land of Meta comes from the VO Preneur FB Group run by Voice Talent, Voice Coach, Podcast Host and all around good guy Marc Scott.

Someone asked, and I’m paraphrasing, Voice Over work tends to be full of ups and downs, what do you do as a side hustle in order to stay afloat?

Anyone in the entertainment industry has probably had this battle with themselves. How can I work on my side hustle when my full time job is so demanding? How can I make more money in my side hustle? How can my side hustle, become my full time hustle? What even is a side hustle? Also how many times can I use the word “hustle” in one post? I may have added that one. Drinking game anyone?

Some of us, have become full time voice actors, only to find that it really is a rollercoaster and we’ve had to earn income in other ways just to pay the bills. Is that a Side, Side hustle?

I have approached this 2 ways.

1. I started VO very much as a side hustle. For those wondering, here is what Wikipedia says about that definition. 7 years, ago I was working at an online university. It paid well, but it wasn’t really what I wanted to be doing. So, I investigated voice over, fell back on my 20 year old training that lead to a B.S. in Broadcasting and did a lot of training. I worked my butt off in all my free time until 3 years ago, “voice work” became my full time gig. I’ll explain the quotations in a moment.
2. Once I became full time I DID find that it was really tough to make a living by strictly recording my voice to a DAW and collecting a fee. It was a constant chase, and in many respects still is.

So, what did I do? Well, let me take you back a little to provide some reference.

As I mentioned my training started over 20 years ago. If you count my time on the Springfield High School morning announcements, my experience goes back to 1990. Even at that time I knew I wanted to do something with my voice. I had NO idea what that meant, but I knew I had a pretty good sounding voice, and I could do voices. I also liked the tech. So, I went to college for that! I did some talent stuff like Deejay on the campus radio stations, and fill in host on the campus TV shows. I also, however, learned a lot about media tech. Old tech, but tech nonetheless. Video and Audio editing, camera operation, lighting, stage craft, video and audio production. I left college thinking I’d work in television or radio, probably news. I sent out tapes (yes I’m old) to every station in the country I could find and got…nothing.

I moved on. I found a couple of related jobs working for The Cable Guide, then Primestar Satellite TV (where I once met Mike Rowe!) but quickly decided this media thing was a bust. I worked dozens of jobs over the years, but always felt like I had missed my calling. I worked for EZ Pass, as a financial advisor, an editor then director of quality assurance for a website, the Baltimore Orioles, and finally for the University. All along the way, I learned many different skills and gained a lot of knowledge.

I also, would constantly get these cues from the universe. At EZ Pass, they asked me to record the first IVR system for the company because I had a nice voice. Of course they didn’t pay me for it. While working with the Orioles, I met with someone from my Alma Mater, Towson University who did public address for athletics. He asked me if I wanted to try and I did, for about 6 years. Then, at the University they asked for volunteers to record some e-learning content. I said yes, and found that the company had a full production studio in the otherwise faceless business park office. That was when the bug came back. I said to the director, “You mean to tell me you record and produce all the content right here?”

That set me off. I started learning everything I could about voice recording from home. Booth setup, mics, DAWs, acting, marketing. Before long, I was doing it! I’ve been at it full time now for nearly 3 years and I couldn’t be happier.

So, why did I take you on that trip down memory lane? Because, ALL those skills I learned on my “hiatus” from voice work, have allowed me to branch out in my voice over career when times are tough. In business we call them vertical markets. Other business lines you can leverage to increase your bottom line. Since going full time I have done and been paid for all of the following:

1. Recorded other talent as a live engineer
2. Created recording spaces both in person and over video
3. Edited and mastered audio files for other talent
4. Written Copy
5. Created fully produced advertisements with music and effects
6. Edited Copy
7. Created and produced a podcast
8. Presented at conferences, both in person and virtual
9. Worked as a grip
10. Announce for 2 Division 1 Athletics Programs

All of this is what I would call “VO related” which is why I’ve taken to calling myself a full time voice professional. In most cases the skills are complimentary. They help me with my “main job” of voice talent. Plus they help pay the bills, which is always nice.

So, if you are struggling with the high and lows of being a full time voice over artist, look back in your past. I bet you have a bunch of skills you can lean on in order to either supplement your income, or maybe even create a new side, side hustle!

Today’s FB question nightmare comes from the Voice Actors of NYC Facebook Group , to which I belong. The question was an amalgam of things that this person was doing in order to “get started” in VO and how to proceed. I won’t cut and paste because it will give away content that is in a private group and may incriminate the person. I SO want to, however, because this is like a college level class on what not to do. I couldn’t help but add my snarky comment “OMG you are listing the playbook for what NOT to do!” I then added that this person needs a voice over coach STAT!

Anyway, it covered all the hits.

1. Bought an AT2020+ microphone and an isolation chamber
2. Signed up for Fiverr, Upwork and ACX
3. I’m making a self produced demo to send to agencies.
4. Oh and I heard a certain Top Level Agency is pretty good, should I send my demo there?

OMG is right.

Whew, where to begin, Let’s see.

First of all, let me say that I’ve done ALL of these things in some way or another. I’m not bashing this person for asking. After all, as my partner Sean Daeley from The VO Meter is always saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know”. Created my own demo, CHECK. Bought a USB mic, CHECK. Recorded in a terrible space, CHECK. Signed up for all the freelancing sites, CHECK. Created my own demo, CHECK. Submitted to top agencies before I was ready, CHECK!

Here is why some of those things are bad in a nutshell.

The voice over industry is ULTRA competitive. However, by the same token, you CAN get started with a USB microphone in a closet and book a job on Fiverr. You’ll get paid (a little) and then you can technically call yourself a professional voice actor. There is literally NO barrier to entry. In order to book consistently, however, you need to be competitive, right away, straight out of the gate. Even on Upwork, you will be competing with THOUSANDS of other voice actors who are at the top of their games. There is no JV league.

In order to do that, you need a few things. These aren’t necessarily in order of importance but close.

1. Recording space. This is THE most important thing. A booth is nice, but it’s not the only way. I happen to use a Studiobricks Booth, but you can also create a fabulous space in a closet, or in an open room with the right acoustic treatment. Even a terrible USB mic will sound great in a good recording space
2. Equipment. Now, I just said even a USB mic will sound good if your booth is good. While that is true, some companies and casting agents are interested in knowing what type of equipment you use. If you can say a Sennheiser 416, or Neumann TLM 103, it certainly won’t hurt
3. Coaching. This could and some would argue should, be first. I did things a bit bass akwards which is why I place it here. I did have a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism, so I thought I had enough coaching when I started out. I was WAY wrong, but that is why I setup my recording space and equipment first. It was what I knew at the time and it did help me, in so much as when I was done coaching, I was ready to start working immediately. Anyway, I digress…Coaching. Acting lessons or an acting background are great. Then, Voice Over specific coaching is a must. There are a ton of intricacies involved in voice acting specifically, that you can only get from a coach who understands and has worked in voice over.
4. Create a great demo. A demo is a voice over artist’s calling card. It’s a showcase of the type of work you CAN do, not even necessarily what you have done in the past. I am hired off people hearing my demo, a lot. There are lots of ways to do this, but you really need to work with a seasoned producer who understands voice over specifically. I have some great friends in the business who do this, and I don’t want to leave anybody out, so I’ll say, look around the VO industry. If they have produced a bunch of demos for other voice actors, you will be in good shape.

Like I said before, asking questions is not a bad thing. That is exactly how I started. Once I did all the stupid things I mentioned above, many kind hearts in the VO industry helped steer me in the right direction. People like Bob Bergen, Philip Banks, Melissa Exelberth, Peter Bishop, Trish Basanyi, Liz de Nesnera, Terry Daniel, Dan Lenard, George Whittam and Doug Turkel. Without these folks, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That is to say, a middling voice talent…but I’m getting better! (I think).