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.
