It's a "lonely" business..........

Sid Whatley

I have been a voice talent now for almost 30yrs. fine-tuning my deliverys in a national Ad Agency I helped build in the 80's. After selling out I came "home" in 93 and set up my studio and started contacting clients...old and new. After 2 years I became succesful again but at a cost.
I have instilled into my clients that "I'm here all the time...no problem!!"
Many other talents go to seminars/workshops/vacations (whats that??) and I just wonder how they do it. Why.........I'm almost afraid to go to Walmart........I might miss a call!!! Now I know most people would say "What are you complaining about???" and actually I'm not but it sure gets lonely around the old "homestead". Guess I should count my blessings and put up a "great wall" around my home. Sure, I have most weekends off but a Vacation...no way. Anybody else have this "problem"?
By the way........thanks Voice123!!

Todd Ellis · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006, 03:31 (GMT) Post subject:

Sid - Fellow full-timer here. I feel your pain. Also - forget about 9 to 5. I'm CST - so it's 7am (for the east coast calls) to 8pm (for the west coast calls). I do have my office manager Cocoa (Terrier/Poodle/Mutt) to keep me company. He lets me know when the two people I see every day - the DHL guy and the mailman - are here. One thing I do is transfer my calls to my cel when I leave the house, that way I don't fear missing anything.

I really enjoyed listening to your demos. I was trained by some great "old timers" starting in '84 - and by that I mean I know how to use a grease pencil and a razor - not a comment on your age. I'm 42 and just starting to catch a hint, just a hint of "time" in my voice.

Great to hear you're doing well!

Russ McLamb · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006, 03:45 (GMT) Post subject:

Man, that's the reason I got out of radio after 23 years. It was consuming all my time leaving very little for my family. I made the decision 5 years ago to do VO fulltime and get out of that mess. Best move I ever made not only financially but mentally as well. My hours are Monday through Friday 8a-6p. Call me after 6pm or on weekends leave me a message. I do take a travel setup on vacation so I guess it's a "working" vacation for 3 days of it at the beginning. I always take the last two days off completely to spend time with my wife and kids. Been working that way for over 4 years and haven't missed any work yet or had any complaints.
You gotta make time for yourself, your family, even for training and improving.

Russ

Sid Whatley

Thanks for the postings guys. Yeah.......the Grease Pencil and the Editing Block are distant memories now. Guess all the younger talents are saying "What the hell are they talking about???". Been there...done that.
Not to mention the late night Pizza Crumbs all over the board!!! I'm Central Time too and the ones that drive me crazy are the Californians who just love to call at 6pm my time....4pm their time and need a spot "TODAY". Usually by that time I'm trying to enjoy a nice cold Tacate.
"What do you mean....I slurred a word?". Oh well....nature of the beast. Of course the kids are living in Dallas now but the wife and our puppies are at home and thats nice.

Russ McLamb

Todd Ellis · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006, 22:47 (GMT) Post subject:

I have a great client who called me once a week at 8pm because it was "only 6 in California". I broke her of that by calling her cel at 6am because "it's already 8 in Illinois".

Speaking of "good old days" anybody ever make an endless loop by splicing RTR tape into a loop and threading it over the capstan backwards?

good times. good times.

Sid Whatley

Don't recall doing that, guess I never had a reason.....but I was having too much fun in the 80's to remember anything! What I do rememer is that before computers, after making 20dubs, I would box em up and head out to Fed-X. Because I live in a small town the local deadline was 3pm. If I missed that I could drive 25 miles and catch the 5pm pickup. If I missed that I could drive 10 more miles and catch the 7pm. Then (4 or 5 times) if I missed THAT I would have to drive 75 more miles to Dallas for the 9pm!
I had to drive the first 25 miles everyday for sure because I always missed the local 3pm pickup. At least gas was a lot cheaper!

Andrea Rooz · Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006, 13:59 (GMT) Post subject:

I know all of you old timers must have heard of a 'Blackberry'? Smile

THAT should change the way you do business. (BTW, I made it into radio for the last couple of years of 'carts' and 'splicing'.)

Go and take a vacation, this isn't radio where you need to worry about your fill-in taking your gig (sad to say, that's happened to me and at least a dozen other I know).

Sid Whatley · Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006, 01:36 (GMT) Post subject:

No vacations. When you are the exclusive voice for many many clients they depend on you and when they start a "sale" they want it on the radio the next day. Not always but usually it's the norm. If you aren't there and they have to use another voice then their campaigns become inconsistant and you are history.......eventually.

Andrea Rooz · Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006, 02:58 (GMT) Post subject:

Sid, if you give them some notice, can't they work around your schedule for a week? Even your harda$$ clients would want their voice talent rested and happy!

Sid Whatley · Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006, 14:29 (GMT) Post subject:

I will admit that I'm exaggerating a little. I didn't take a week off last year but I did the year before. BUT........haven't had one this year. I have most of my weekends off and many times I take a Friday off and we have an "extended" weekend so thats ok. I'm not complaining.....it just becomes a little confining at times. Everyone have a great Christmas!

Tyler Jones · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006, 02:48 (GMT) Post subject: Young Buck !!! WHAT !!!!

Okay, grease pencils...Not sure...But anything new technology wise and I could probably answere anything. I've broadened my spectrum when working with audio. I don't stick to just voiceovers as good as the cash can be at times. I have opened up to new ventures, by the way surround sound is where it's all going for voiceovers in the now and future. better
pick up the pace or you'll fall behind...just kidding I know you grey heads have lots of wisom in this field and I would never undermind that.
If you know what a DAW can do ( digital audio workstation ) than you should learn to use loops in your voiceover jobs, when bidding..
Quality loops that are royalty free will help grab em and keep your vocie more safe if you tell em it's copyright protected until released by contract and payment. ( www.timespace.com ) some free loops will be posted on my site soon ( www.plexusrecords.com ). Cheers, all.

Thomas C. Gass

Sid Whatley

Thanks Thomas. You have a good point. In fact I have realized that situation. Occasionally I take off a day or two for a physical or maybe an extended weekend (off Friday & Monday) but my clients always hit me BEFORE I leave. I e-mail everyone that I am leaving at 5pm and suddenly I have the busiest day of the month...........the day I'm leaving!
Then it's all I can do to get away......on time. Again, I'm really not complaining and thank the Man for a wonderful and 99% stress-free lifestyle. It's no wonder everybody wants to be a voice-over Artist!!! Sid

Barry Seymour

Okay, I'll see your spliced loop of tape and raise you a Scotch-taped capstan!

I got a Sony reel-to-reel mono tape deck for Christmas when I was a kid in the 60s; it was two speed. To change speeds you'd screw a larger capstan on over the smaller built-in one!

In the late 70s I did something similar to get my Santa Claus / elf voices on the air around Christmas time using our Revox tape decks. I'd record the elf voice at normal speed, wrap a bit of Scotch tape around the capstan, then play it back; it's faster, but not in the Chipmunk range. Then I'd record the Santa script with the Scotch tape still on, then remove the tape to play it back. You had to wrap that tape carefully to avoid a warble in the sound.

Nowadays at 50 I have enough seasoning and range in my voice that I can now do Santa without the Scotch tape. Not that I'd have any place to put Scotch tape; Adobe Audition has no capstans, real or virtual. Neither does my PC. roll smilie

So, to recap my archaic terminology; capstans, Revox and Chipmunk. You kids can ask if you want, don't be embarrassed!

Ho ho ho! santa grin