Know People Who Know Things You Don't Know ...

Last week I spoke with an air talent who wanted to know if I knew anything about going into voiceover and imaging. I told him, "It's not my focus, but I've got a lot of friends in that line of work."

I began reaching out to my go-to people in all things production, voiceover and imaging. I reached out to Jerry Vigil, Josh Goodman, Hollywood Robert Rhodes, Jen Sweeney, Ron Chavis, Sonny Andre, Issa Lopez, Eric Hollywood Davis, Doug de Nance, Pat Garrett, Angelique Perrin, and Jeff Charney. For those of you know me, I will text and call dozens of times within an hour whenever I need to talk to someone. I was not on a timetable, but I wanted to get the information back to the air talent ASAP. Unfortunately, this was one of those days when no one was answering phones or texting back. Usually, no response means they are making money working on a project for a client.

I started to think: Is there anybody I missed in my mental roller desk? Then it hit me ... Roberta Solomon. I checked my contacts for her cell number and gave her a call. Sure enough, she answered, and told me what I need to know and a lot more.

Roberta: Sam Weave-vey, what do I owe this pleasure?

Coach: You know things I don't, I need information on voiceover and imaging stuff and it's how you make a living.

Roberta: What would you like to know?

Coach: Like how does it work? I have a client I coach who wants to get into the business to make some extra money. How did you do it? I remember the first time we met, you were on-air and Public Service Director for a Lite FM station and KMBZ.

Roberta: Almost right, Public Service Dir. for both, and on-air at the Lite station. But to answer your question, radio-to-VO was a natural progression for me. When you and I first met, I was already doing freelance VO work while working at the station. I grew that work over a period of several years, until I was making more money outside the station than I was on the air. At that point, I decided to pursue VO full-time. This is probably more than you needed to know

Coach: No, don't stop, I know you are going to say some other pertinent things my client will need to know.

Roberta: Okay, well, I left radio and I worked out of a rented studio space for about a year, before I put a studio in at my home. I'd always wanted to do this work, and I'm uniquely suited for it. I've always felt more comfortable telling someone else's story than my own. I love the gear, I love the unpredictability of the work, and learning all sorts of new stuff through a script. Whether it's voicing a commercial, movie trailer, or narrating some non-broadcast piece about how a dialysis machine works, it's the diversity of the projects that's always turned me on and like I said, I have always wanted to do it. Are you sure I am not boring you?

Coach: No, I love this. I know how passionate you are about what you do. How has radio played a part in what you do now?

Roberta: Working in radio is where I learned everything ... the mics, how to operate the equipment, how to connect with a story and the audience, why PDs are crazy ... ha, ha.

Coach: Alright, I hope present company is excluded.

Roberta: Not really, you are crazy, but a nice crazy.

Coach: Alright Miss suck-up, keep going.

Roberta: Every move I've ever made has been a natural growth from what I did before. There weren't a whole lot of women on the radio when I started on-air. And certainly, there were only a handful of women doing VO full-time when I stepped onto that path. But in each case, I saw that as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

It's always been exciting to me to know I'm among the first women to ever work in both areas. My attitude has always been to view obstacles as opportunities.

Coach: Tell me some of the stuff you've done.

Roberta: Oh gosh, over the years I've imaged hundreds of radio and TV stations, and my current station roster keeps me hopping. I started a couple of months ago as the promo voice for KCBS in San Francisco, will begin next week as the new voice of WSIL-TV in Paducah, KY, and I'm heading into my 15th season co-voicing the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network. I've voiced promos and shows on NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, Reelz, Adult Swim, NatGeo, Animal Planet, Smithsonian Channel, etc. I'm one of just a handful of women who've voiced movie trailers and recently signed on as one of the new voices for Screen Junkies' "Honest Trailers," which has millions of followers and are kind of hilarious. I've become the go-to Voicegal for a bunch of giant hardcore music festivals. I also do a ton of VO work that most people will never see, I work for a pharmaceutical company explaining the latest research on pediatric heart conditions and just landed a spot for an endoscopic weight loss procedure. I always tell people "If you're not dealing with ADHD when you start doing VO work, you will be soon!" There's something different every day -- a different script, a different audience, a different story.

Roberta: You know I did not plan on doing "This is Your Life Today,"

Coach: I know, but you are doing so well. Hey, how has technology changed things for you?

Roberta: Well, it has enabled us to work from anywhere, anytime. That's both a blessing and a curse, but it's an expectation now. I recently cut emergency spots for a TV station with a mic plugged into my phone, as I sat under a massage table in an airport spa. You have to stay on top of the technology of the moment, and all of us in VO are constantly updating. The thing that continues to be a source of empowerment to me is the joy in the work. I know it sounds kind of corny, but it's all about the fascination of what's next. Learning new technology can cause some anxiety, but also exciting and essential.

Coach: Anything else I what should I tell my client, and if I didn't mention it, he's an air talent?

Roberta: One of the most challenging things for me is when I get phone calls from folks on the air who say, "I want to do what you do, work from home and do freelance. I just hate radio. I want to do imaging like you." Sam, I ask you, how does anyone who says they hate the industry expect to walk out the door and become a branding voice for radio?

Another thing is: You will most likely not step away from radio and become instantly successful as a voiceover artist. It's an incredibly competitive field, and there are a lot of talented voices out there. Tell your client that the very first thing he should do is to find a coach who specializes in voiceover. If you want, I would be happy to talk with your client. For many, the transition requires unlearning techniques you used as an on-air personality. There really is a difference between being on the radio and voice acting. In VO, they are looking for authenticity.

Coach: Well, I guess I am caught up now and thanks for the offer to call my client. Roberta, you are so talented and full of great information, I promise to catch up more often.

Roberta: It's a deal, we will start talking at least once a month from now on.

Conclusion ...

You can never have enough knowledgeable friends in this business. Especially the ones who continue to grow and learn. But then again, that's why there're my friends. Another friend of mine always says, "Live, love, grow."