Leap of Faith - 2015

A new year about to begin, and with it, greater success!!

I look back, and almost another 12 months have passed. Many of you follow along on social media, therefore I suppose I don't always feel as though I need to "blog". However, I still feel that it's important to keep some sort of log. A constant reminder and time stamp. So here we are again. 

2015 will be my 4th year of pursuing a career in Voice Over. I will begin THIS entry by saying...

 I QUIT MY DAY JOB! 

Today is the last day of 2014, and the FIRST day being a full time Voice Actor! It is also in some way, a leap of faith. Do I know if I will be a continued success, no. Do I FEEL like I will. Yes. It's a gut feeling, it's almost as if someone has been whispering in my ear this whole year coaxing me to make the jump, to leave behind guaranteed money and safety. As I write that, a smile has crossed my face. It wasn't just someone whispering, it was a year of different people in many different areas of success TELLING me that I'll make it. And you know what. I believe them. 

SUCCESS?! 

Now that word has some weight. Have I done anything HUGE? Have I booked anything monumental? Anything ensuring consistent great money? No, not yet. But what I have done this past year, is book consistently. Some small paying gigs, some very nice paying gigs, a few times a month, and for a few months, a few times a week. My VO income began to surpass my waiting tables income, so much so that I began taking more time off waiting tables. I began signing up for more workshops and classes, and at the end of the year I began seeking out VO coaches. The more I learned, the more I booked. Come December I knew, this is my time, because I needed more time to really get going. I needed to spend MORE time pursuing the craft, learning, networking, and being available for last minute bookings. So yes, this IS a step towards a bigger success. 

PUTTING MONEY WHERE MY MOUTH IS

I may have mentioned in a prior blog a conversation that I had with Chris Sista. He basically told me, I'm a photographer, a professional photographer, I have the best equipment because I want to be the best. Spend the money on what you are, your business. I don't charge people money and come over with a point and click, so why do you still have a usb mic. That was about 2 years ago, I've been upgrading ever since. I upgraded this year as well. I have a new Pre-Amp and a new Microphone. I will still use my Neumann TLM - 103 daily, but I now have a Sennheiser MKH416 and a John Hardy M-1 Pre. My sound quality has indeed improved! I've been actively seeking out workshops and coaching, continually learning new techniques and methods to attack copy. And the big one, I finally took advice from VO Actor friends that have the success I am looking for. I put money into a professional Voice Over Demo. After MUCH deliberation, weeks of research and questions. I chose Chuck Duran for this task. The consultation with Chuck was the deal sealer, he really got me. Got what I was going for, got my "Brand" my "Signature" and we put it into each peace. In 2011 my first blog post was talking about the demo's I had just made on my own. Since then, I updated and upgraded those demo's twice. And they got me work, they even got me agents. I was continually feeling good about them, and people were saying they sounded good. However, they still didn't compete with some of the demo's I would hear in the agencies I wanted to be in. The Top. The ones that get all the big ticket gigs. I want to voice for Nat Geo, Discovery Channel, I want to voice for Honda, Dunkin Donuts, Target, Microsoft! 

This my friends. Is investing in your business. Voice Acting is my business. If I'm not booking something, I am taking classes to figure out why, and ready to book it the next time it comes around. If I send out an email for a chance to read for something huge, it better have the best sounding demo attached to it. So here it is. My new Demo for 2015

I am very happy with it. It has already opened a few doors and I have only sent it a few places. I've been waiting for the new year, with the new website to really start reaching out with it all. One of the best replies I received from a huge agency was, "This has your signature all over it"  <--That is exactly what I wanted to hear!

IT CAN BE DONE

Don't get discouraged out there. This is my 8th year in LA. This will be my 4th year pursuing Voice Over ONLY. The decision to FOCUS on Voice Over three years ago was a tough one. But it was probably the best decision I made, and it's the only advice I give out constantly to beginners. Focus Focus Focus, make your goals achievable. Have a lofty goal, one that's way out there, but then fill the path to it, with small achievable goals. Every goal achieved lights a bigger fire under that ass of success.

THE NEW YEAR

Join me. Here is my new Facebook VO page : https://www.facebook.com/JayPrestonVO I will be posting jobs, events, exciting news there instead of my personal page. People have told me that's an important thing to have, so why not have one. The new website will go live tomorrow, I'm very happy with the new design and layout. It's just as VO focused as I am now. My VO goals for the new year.

Continued Success ~ Gain More Knowledge ~ Learn what it takes to book a Promo ~ Book more Video Games ~ Book another National ~ Work Daily ~ Make Another Demo

The Happiest of New Years to you all.

May it be a healthy, surprising and prosperous 2015

Jay Preston 2014 Commercial and Explainer VO Mash UP from Jay Preston on Vimeo.

Networking in the VO world

Where do the months go?

I always think to myself, So much has been happening, I need to blog it. But I never get around to it, next thing you know it's over a year later! Hundreds of women have given birth since my last blog! (Including my SISTER!)

Rather than a complete catch you up, I will talk about something that I've been doing the last 10+ months that seems to be working. The next few blogs will hopefully catch you up a great deal and some will focus on ways to achieve success, on a moderate level. (For I have not yet achieved FULL Quit-my-job success...yet)

With that said, I will state, for the record, that without my Job waiting tables at the Tam O'Shanter for the last 5 years, I would not be where I am today. The one person responsible for giving me a head start on this journey and introducing me to some fantastic VO peeps, I met while working the lounge at the Tam on a Friday night. We became friends, and he's been helping me meet people, he's given me great advice along the way, he's pushed me to make smarter decisions all while being a genuine nice guy. It's a rare find out here in LA, a RARE find. And one day I hope to help him out in anyway that I can, not to "re-pay" him, But rather, to thank him.

 LESSON TO LEARN: Do not take your mundane day to day bill paying jobs lightly, you never know what it could lead to. You'd rather be out on a Friday or Saturday night, "networking", why not do it where-ever you happen to be.

On NETWORKING. 

BULL SHIT NETWORKING
I am not a general networker. I don't like talking to people I don't know, about nonsense or jibber jabber just to see if they can help me in any way while knowing full well, they are wondering if I can help them in any way. It's a disgusting necessity of the business as far as I'm concerned.  Being someone who spends much of his life really watching people and how the act and interact, I have developed a gift that is able to read through bull shit and lies, and when someone is talking to me just filling the air with b.s. because they realize I'm not who they hoped I'd be, it eats me up inside. I hate being around it.

FRIEND NETWORKING
The type of networking I do enjoy and am very good at, is when a friend introduces me to someone they know whom they think I should know. It levels the playing fields. It's more comfortable. It also doesn't happen as often as I'd like.

CUT-THE-BS-NETWORKING w/ A FRIEND
There is a third type  of networking that I find works well for people like me. But you need a good friend who is skilled at the first type of Bull Shit Networking. Luckily I have a few who are very good at it. One friend in particular has begun HIS voice over journey and I've been helping him out weekly to get started.  This networking genie can go into a room, talk to almost everyone, weed out the scrappers and find the people you REALLY want to be talking too. Then when his drink runs out, you bring him another, and you are seamlessly introduced to some good people. Then the two of us can keep a conversation going for as long as it takes, and chances are whoever we meet we like, and they like us, a friendship BEGINS. And THAT is what you are looking for. Or, should I say, THAT is what you SHOULD be looking for. A friendship. Not someone that can do something for you.

IT'S not "Who you know", but "Who likes you"

Many people have the wrong concept about networking I think. From my experience it seems like a lot of people talk until they find out what you do, then, if it's something they think could benefit them they say "I should get your card" Or "Here, take my card, we should talk more". I'm guessing, but maybe 10% of those contacts come through. You should never force your card to people or force it from them. The exchanging of information should come organically. For instance;

One says something to the affect of; Damn, where has the time gone? We've all enjoyed each others company so much, but we really should "explore" the rest of this gathering. We should all stay in touch and grab a drink sometime etc. And someone else says Absolutely, Do you have a card? Oh thanks! Here's mine.

This all translates to, "You are someone I would like to work with" "I don't mind being around you" "You are a pretty cool person, we can get along" and other variations of, lets be friends.

When that is the kind of networking you accomplish, you are really making headway.

KEEPING CONNECTED

Always keep in mind that the person you just connected with is probably in high demand. 1,000's of other people are wanting to befriend him/her. So how do you stay in the front of their mind. A short email once a week, maybe once every two weeks. Find out if they are doing anything around town workshops wise or class wise, and go. See if any of your other friends have made a similar connection and go with them to an event. If a few weeks go by and you haven't had an email reply or haven't seen that person. Don't bug them as much, but don't give up either. Every now and then, shoot them another e-mail. Share with them something you've been doing that you are proud of. You never know when you'll catch them at the right time. But don't give up.

Keeping connected can be a hard thing to do. But when it pans out and you gain a friend in the business that you want to be a part of. Nothing feels greater. And one more thing, when you gain that friend, DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING FROM THEM, other than a friendship. If you are hoping and expecting them to hook you up with a job, then you are wasting your time. If you are truly new friends, you will be on there mind and jobs will happen organically through your new connection. Heck, you may even be able to get THEM a job through some more of your networking.

YEAH YEAH YEAH...bullshit.

You may think that I'm just spouting hopeful blah blah blah.. But It's happened to me already on both fronts, and it looks as though it may continue happening throughout the next few months. I've made some great friends over the last 3 years, some of them it took the whole 3 years to make, but I consider some of these VO people (who's names I will keep out of my blogs if I can, and may have already appeared IN my blogs in the past.) to be friends.

and Finally;

EXPAND THAT NETWORK

Don't limit yourself to the neighborhoods around you. There are VO actors in all states, and as you are auditioning for things, you will come across them again and again. Listen to their reels, reach out to them, many of them will reach back out to you. I came across a particular voice actor in New York that I continually noticed was booking job after job. Even jobs I was auditioning for. Rather than thinking, who is this ENEMY!!?? I looked up his website, listened to his work, then .. (small world) when I got my first VO agent a year ago, I realized.. this guy has the same agent! So I contacted him, and we've been friends ever since, he shares much needed knowledge with me, and I've helped him book a job a few months ago. Across the country networking. Keep your mind open.

Bring me that horizon

Wow, thanks for sticking around. Now I get to share with you the latest two things I've worked on. The first and most recent is an ad for Angry Alarms. I worked with this client on The Ories game for iPhone and iPad and they hired me back to write and record over 150 lines of dialogue in my Scottish accent! It has been such a blast to work on and am very much looking forward to the final product. I happened to have a kilt and a pretty funny idea for an ad, and they hired me to do that too! Here it is below.

Another job I am very proud of is this video below for the Honest Tea company.

Thanks for joining me again friends. Stay tuned. Next blog soon!