BLOG
Celebrating the power of the spoken word & the joy of listening to stories itโs fitting that Iโm narrating a range of Audiobooks this month.
A huge thanks to those who have entrusted me with their wonderful projects for Audiobook month!
TJ London
Podium Entertainment
Harper Audio
Graphic Audio
SA Oliver
Check out my audiobook demos here
Listen here for my work on audible
It's been three months since I updated my branding with the images shot by Musselwhite Photography Ltd.
Every week I get positive feedback about it.
A creative choice which seemed pretty bold and risky in the moment, has helped make me that bit more memorable to existing clients, prospects and new leads.
As voice actors, it's essential that we let our ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐๐ do the talking.
But that means the battle is all about stopping the scroll and getting people to press play in the first place.
To do that, you need to be fearless.
And you need to trust creatives who know their sh*t.
The value of good photos ins't just on your website. It's in the social media pic that makes people doubletake, or that email footer that recipients don't just glaze over.
So a huge thanks again to James and Fliss for their brilliant work.
And I'm sorry to confirm that this suit has been officially recycled... Then replaced with an identical version.
Want to see if the paint constricts my performance?
Check out my demos here
Tales of the unexpected...
Or how I got to 100k subscribers on YouTube by accident.
Even writing the phrase 'YouTube journey' makes me want to cringe and laugh simultaneously.
But after receiving this Silver Creator Award for reaching 100,000 subscribers, I guess I have one?
My channel came out of Covid - surprise surprise. Stuck at home, I started playing around with some ideas for educational content for clients, and made a series of videos about how to work, direct and negotiate with voice actors.
After that, I felt myself beginning to enjoy the challenge at getting competent at something new. So I decided to make more educational content about voice acting for a year, posting once a week.
โ๏ธ I learnt how to film myself better.
โ๏ธ I learnt how to structure a video.
โ๏ธ I learnt how to work with an editor.
And the process helped consolidate a lot of my learning and ideas up to that point in my career. I made videos for 52 consecutive weeks, and even got my subscriber count past the 1,000 mark!
But then... I ran out of things to say.
I faced a choice - try to keep going just because I felt I owed it to my audience, or admit that it was a good run, but something drastic needed to change.
Not being excited by the prospect of repeating myself - and having no real interest in becoming a coach to other voice actors - I chose the latter.
Taking a step back, my biggest concern was that I was addressing my peers and not my potential clients.
But my OTHER biggest fear, was that even I was bored retreading what my clients should be (hypothetically) interested in. I wanted to be truly excited by the content.
So I just began repurposing my Tiktok content instead - recordings of me performing material that it excites me.
I didn't post natively.
I didn't optimise video SEO.
I just set up a workflow and was consistent.
And after a few months, the channel started to really snowball.
Received wisdom is that you should focus on ONE social platform and make getting really good at it your focus. A sentiment I broadly agree with.
But if you believe in your stuff, it's already getting some traction and you can find a way to repurpose it easily, then it's definitely work a try.
Through the act of ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต repurposing (using repurpose.io - no advertisement involved), I managed to grow my YT to 100k and my Instagram to 91k without much real effort.
And those new platforms?
They had ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต audiences to my Tiktok - including a LOT of clients.
So yeah. I'm not saying do what I do.
Just sharing my own roundabout journey and marking a milestone!
But where do I put this????
๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ-๐๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ?
Feel free to contact me here
If youโd like to check out my You Tube Channel click here
Honey the studio cat can be demanding when it comes to her 'attention quota'.
And the quickest way to jeopardise it?
Client's sending me a script without an effective brief, which leads to either:
1 - Lots of unnecessary back and forth
OR
2 - A sample that doesn't serve the client's purpose.
So for the sake of clarity AND my cat's time, here's a checklist of stuff to do when reaching out to a voice actor.
1๏ธโฃ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐.
(And this goes DOUBLE if the script needs to be delivered within a specific timeframe).
Reading aloud is the quickest way of noticing whether the language flows, if there's unnecessary repetition, whether or not anything is missing etc.
2๏ธโฃ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐.
Specificity is crucial in ALL communication.
Saying 'I'm speaking to the team' or 'I'm speaking to a pirate' isn't sufficient direction if I don't know what THE SPEAKER'S RELATIONSHIP to that team or pirate is.
Do I love pirates?
Do I hate pirates?
AM I a pirate (or a recovering one)?
All will profoundly change how I speak to other pirates.
3๏ธโฃ. ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป (๐๐ง๐) ๐ถ๐.
Whether it's a character piece, an audiobook or a corporate explainer - we're communicating to provoke a response. What is it?
Avoid general phrases like 'to be inspired' or 'excited'.
What is the ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก that you want the listener to undertake.
4๏ธโฃ. ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐.
You have a rough cut of the video or character? Share it.
You know what genre music is being used? Share it.
You have a picture of the speaker? Share it.
All these things immediately help us to key in on what you're searching for. And if you don't know, then anything that helps evoke the MOOD is still great.
5๏ธโฃ. ๐๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐.
Do I need to know the company's decades-long history?
Do I need to know the original name of the wizard realm before it was destroyed by the forces of chaos 10,000 years prior to the events of the story?
If it doesn't impact the delivery of the text, then leave it out.
6๏ธโฃ. ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ.
To avoid the dreaded 'what's your quote' VS 'what's your budget' standoff, be as clear as possible about where the voice recording is going to be used and for how long.
Any professional voice actor will be able to explain their subsequent rationally.
This may seem a lot to ask, but once you have this stuff down it doesn't have to be long, and will save you a TON of time in the long run.
And let me know if I've missed anything!
Feel free to contact me and and we can discuss your needs directly.
I was honoured to have won the One Voice Award for Best Promo at this years awards. This was for my work on Megan Thee Stallionโs album release trailer, which you can view here.
I was proud to be up for six awards in total, including Best Male Voice Actor for the seventh consecutive year. So to finally win for a genre that I hardly ever work in felt... entirely fitting, to be honest! Just shows you how unpredictable freelance life can be.
Huge thanks to Citizen Skull Productions for the opportunity and Gravy For The Brain for hosting such an amazing One Voice Conference and Awards.
It was an honour to lead a workshop and participate in a panel as part of the one Voice Conference as well.
A MASSIVE thanks to Voicefox for the continued opportunities, many of which have led to previous nominations. And my biggest love to my wife Sophie, my mumโฆ and Honey the Studio Cat for their support.
Congratulations to ALL the winners and nominees this year. And that goes for all those who even dared submit too. By choosing to be in the arena in the first place, youโre daring to dream big. And thatโs half the battle.
๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ-๐๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ?
Feel free to contact me here
Seven years in the making.
The man who got me to share my voice.
Back in 2018, I received a DM on Instagram from a writer asking me if I was interested in collaborating with him on an original project.
I barely had 1000 followers at that point and apart from the odd poem, hadn't really shared much creative work online. But he took a punt in reaching out to me and we decided to work together and see what might happen.
The project was called Accursed Adam - a series of diary entries by a protagonist who was definitely NOT... a vampire - who was choosing to document his life in the shadows using an old tape recorder.
The writing was heightened, poetic and visceral. As an actor who at that point, was mainly forging my VO career in the corporate space, it provided a rich contrast to the explainer videos and elearning that I was paying the mortgage with.
And it proved integral in shaping me as an artist. As all great writing does.
Shariff Butler is that writer, and on my first full day in Atlanta, I was able to finally meet up with the man who I'd been lucky enough to collaborate with -purely online - for years.
We shared drinks, talked life, love, art and Shakespeare.
And it felt like I was catching up with a dear friend that I hadn't seen in years.
Shariff put his faith in me with his words without a single caveat.
He encouraged me to experiment and play with his work rather than dictate the delivery.
He gave me the confidence to own my space as an artist in a way that I had only found previously in theatre.
Relationships like that don't come around often. So it was an honour to finally meet him, share laughs... and plot what might come next.
If I don't make a single further connection on this trip, it's already been worth it for this.
Here's to the value of finding the true collaborators we're MEANT to find.
An insight into the acting job that got me on my way to a career as a british male voiceover artist
Kill them with kฬถiฬถnฬถdฬถnฬถeฬถsฬถsฬถ customer service
It's a big worry for most service providers.
How do I stand out?
Sure, we all offer subtly different skills.
But you tend to be offering the same broad solutions as your peers.
For example, any competitive voice actor needs to be:
โ
A great actor.
โ
Offer fast turnaround.
โ
Provide broadcast quality audio.
These are non negotiable.
But offering exceptional customer service is probably the next best 'hack' to make yourself memorable and become a client's go to provider.
Do you want two examples for one?
Last month, I was experimenting with my mobile recording set-up.
I wanted to see if I could get a truly portable but affordable solution that would allow me to offer a consistent, professional sound while travelling.
When I enquired about the portable VOXBOX to Richard Holmes, he was kind enough to offer me a free trial so I could test his invention firsthand.
He even delivered it to my house as we happen to live in the same area of London!
At the same time, audio wizz Henry Willard offered to lend me two of his own mics so I could compare and contrast them.
What resulted was a 'VO on the go' crash course which took in South London, Somerset and Nottingham. In each new space I tested both mics with the VOXBOX in a variety of configurations.
At every new location, I'd record samples and send them to Henry and he'd take time out to feedback on the quality of sound.
The result?
I purchased the VOXBOX and am taking delivery of a Sennheiser 416 as my travel mic this morning.
There might be comparable solutions to the VOXBOX.
Or engineers who have similar knowledge to Henry.
But because of their exceptional customer service...
I'm never going anywhere else.
We all THINK we know what good customer service looks like.
But it's only when you experience it at a high level that you appreciate just what an impact it can have.
That's what I spent last week doing...
But all within the sound-proofed warmth of Games Workshop's Black Library, working on my fourth Warhammer audiobook.
It's lovely to mix things up by working in person in a new studio, but what I most admire the directors I work with here are their consideration.
๐ท ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ท
They're clients who know what they want.
Because they know the material inside out.
Every project has been prepped twice so there's absolute alignment about what the end product should be.
๐ท ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฅ๐ง ๐ท
The Black Library supply the most material in advance of any producer I know.
โ
Thorough pronunciation guides.
โ
Character breakdowns.
โ
Chapter guides.
You name it - all bases are covered in advance.
And that potentially stupid question you want to pose just to be safe?
It's dealt with ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ.
๐ท ๐ง๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ท
They let me do my job.
Even when I keep getting the same pronunciation wrong.
They still always allow me space to play creatively.
And because of that, I'm encouraged to try things, be playful and offer my best work.
These are ALL fundamental qualities I look for when working with any client.
If you can have a clear brief, provide the supporting materials necessary and are willing to provide space for the voice talent to do their thing, then the job is 99% done.
Do you provide your clients with a checklist of requirements?
Holidays are for holidaying.
Not for taking your work to a different location.
But this week, I've been experimenting with portable recording set ups.
Assisted by Honey the studio cat, obviously ๐
Why?
Because I've promised myself to embrace more in person work events (such as conferences and out of town opportunities), leaving the comfort of my beloved and meticulously constructed home studio.
Leaving town doesn't stop the enquiries coming in.
(๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐
)
So a huge thanks to Richard Holmes for allowing me to trail his ingenious foldout VOXBOX.
And to the wonderful Henry Willard for lending me two different mics to experiment with.
Every day, I've been setting up this travel set-up in a different room of my home.
Each room has a different level of outside noise and it's own acoustic to be navigated.
And so I record text audio with both mics, varying positioning and set up to see how it effects the sound recorded.
So far, I've been really impressed with the results I've been managed to capture with this set up.
The whole process has taken my back to the first four years of my fulltime voice acting career, where I created a temporary set-up using acoustic blankets every morning which had to be deconstructed every night!
The acid test with this will be taking everything on the road next week, when I'll be visiting Somerset for my mum's birthday followed by a few days in Nottingham recording an audiobook.
I won't NEED to use this travel set-up. But it's as good a time as any to test it out and see how viable it truly is.
Do you ever take work on the road with you?
This week, I ticked something off my bucket list.
I got to record a video game at OMUK.
For those who might not know, they are one of the foremost providers of voice casting and production in London.
Amongst the countless titles they've worked on, I'd pick ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ, ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป and ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ as three personal favourites.
I first did a workshop with OMUK's director Mark Estdale back in 2017, so to be finally in the studio for an actual job rather an audition was a huge relief ๐
The session itself was fantastic too:
โ
A wonderful project.
โ
We finished an hour early.
โ
Enabled by OMUK's fantastic set up.
And I even got to share a scene with VO royalty Stephane Cornicard ๐.
And yet...
It would feel disingenuous to leave it there.
Because I've been on the other side, 'looking in' too.
Whenever I see one of my VO friends (and they almost always ARE friends) taking a selfie at a studio I'd love to work with, a little part of me questions what I'm doing wrong.
Not that that ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ don't deserve.
Not that ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ should't celebrate their work.
But the inevitable shadow of comparison looms.
Now this isn't new to acting life.
And we all know what comparison is the thief of.
๐ก๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐, ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ.
You train with the right people.
You trust the process you've built.
You audition to share your interpretation, not second guess.
And if other people's content triggers you (however unwittingly), you remove it from your life.
This post is just my way of sharing the struggle.
I'm incredibly grateful for every opportunity that comes my way (including this courtesy of Voicefox). And I'm currently on a pretty good run with a number of great projects on the boil, my first VO award win etc etc.
But I still get knocked back on a daily basis. Indeed, I've spent the last decade fighting for the opportunity to be knocked back in the first place.
And while I'd love to say 'it's nothing personal', when it's your voice and personal creative response that's being rejected on a consistent basis, that just sounds a bit mad to me!
So, we learn to adjust and cope best we can.
For me, it's sharing these thoughts here.
If that makes you think me unprofessional, then I'd call that 'lead qualification in action'.
After 22 consecutive winless award nominations...
I was named ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ at VOX, the longest running voiceover awards in the UK.
Now if you've been following me for any length of time,
you'll know that I embraced my winless streak as a perverse form of anti-marketing.
In fact, for myself and fellow winless-multi-nominee Anthony Hewson - it's been a consistent source of black comedy.
(Which is why I started my acceptance speech with a shout out to him).
But that interaction reveals a wider point about the voice acting community as a whole.
It really is overwhelmingly supportive.
I cannot put a number on the number of hugs and messages I've received - from people I've known for years and people I've known for days.
Maybe it's because we work solo most of the time.
Maybe it's because we're all freelancers.
Maybe it's because of the free wine.
But without that support, it would have been impossible to build the career I have so far.
That support has meant such an incredible amount to me, I'm scared of attempting to start naming names in the knowledge I'd inevitably leave people out.
So rather than attempt something clever, I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to the community as a whole for everything.
Second to the sound of my mum shrieking down the phone when I told her I'd finally won, it means the world.
After 22 consecutive winless award nominations...
I was named ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ at VOX, the longest running voiceover awards in the UK.
Now if you've been following me for any length of time,
you'll know that I embraced my winless streak as a perverse form of anti-marketing.
In fact, for myself and fellow winless-multi-nominee Anthony Hewson - it's been a consistent source of black comedy.
(Which is why I started my acceptance speech with a shout out to him).
But that interaction reveals a wider point about the voice acting community as a whole.
It really is overwhelmingly supportive.
I cannot put a number on the number of hugs and messages I've received - from people I've known for years and people I've known for days.
Maybe it's because we work solo most of the time.
Maybe it's because we're all freelancers.
Maybe it's because of the free wine.
But without that support, it would have been impossible to build the career I have so far.
That support has meant such an incredible amount to me, I'm scared of attempting to start naming names in the knowledge I'd inevitably leave people out.
So rather than attempt something clever, I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to the community as a whole for everything.
Second to the sound of my mum shrieking down the phone when I told her I'd finally won, it means the world.
This week, I've spent four hours recording a dream project.
โ But I didn't audition for it.
โ I didn't pitch myself for it.
โ I didn't even know about it.
Instead, a director simply dropped into my inbox wanting to collaborate on something that combined two of my favourite things:
๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐.
Now I've signed an NDA, so I can't share much more other than it's very much a proof of concept.
But this is a perfect example of when marketing 'for exposure' - done right - can actually work in your favour.
How?
Because the director in question had seen me on Instagram, performing excerpts from ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ Shakespeare and games.
And because the deeper he dug, the more my body of content hammered home ๐ช๐๐ข I am, ๐ช๐๐๐ง I love and ๐ช๐๐ฌ I do it.
So rather than spend time auditioning hundreds of actors, he saw what he wanted and reached out.
The project itself hasn't been formally announced, so I would never have known to put my hat in the ring in the first place!
Thus proving one of the benefits of social marketing...
It opens you to leads and projects you never knew existed.
I'm not saying this is the only way to market.
It DEFINITELY isn't.
And neither is it for everyone.
But if you consistently position yourself in the right way, putting out the right content that refelcts your passions, your personality and your values...
Things. Do. Happen.
If you speak to a freelancer about their work, there's a good chance that they have difficulty in switching off.
When you're the one responsible for:
๐
Paying the bills
๐ณ Booking the clients
๐ฑ Making the connections
You feel you must be CONSTANTLY hustling,
otherwise you simply don't 'want it' enough.
Even the wins pass fleetingly, because you've cultivated a mindset of insatiable progress.
No one job will ever be enough.
No one award will ever be enough.
No one financial milestone will ever be enough.
So here's your reminder to TRY and give yourself a break today.
This game is about working SMART as much as hard.
And a big part of that is sustainability.
In order to win the game, you need to be sure you keep in it. And that requires looking after your health and setting boundaries as much as it does wanting it hard.
The 'addiction' mindset to work can be very attractive.
Eddie Guerrero demonstrates a pretty compelling argument for it in this wrestling promo,
deftly flipping his 'problem' into a solution.
But he died of heart failure within a year or so of delivering this speech.
Have I really used the passing of a much loved pro wrestler to make a point about business?
Yes. Yes, of course I have.
But hopefully you get the point!
After 9 days in Mauritius eating amazing food, reading on the beach, kayaking, sailing and generally being insufferable, I'm back behind the mic.
Thanks to Lux Grande Gaube for the trip of a lifetime.
And thanks to the single VO job that paid for it all.
My 'holiday hot take' about business?
Nah... I'm not going to pretend I don't have one.
Because everyone does that joke ๐
Iอtอ อwอaอsอ อtอhอeอ อvอaอlอuอeอ อoอfอ อcอuอsอtอoอmอeอrอ อsอeอrอvอiอcอeอ.อ
Yes, the resort itself was absolutely stunning.
But it only worked because every member of staff I encountered was ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐, ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ณ๐๐น and ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ.
Not sycophantic.
Not scared to push back.
Not underpromising to over deliver.
Lux markets itself as a ๐๐๐๐๐๐ brand.
And they absolutely live up to it.
With every. Single. Detail.
What does 'luxury' look (or more sound like) in voice acting?
For me:
โ
Fast and attentive communication.
โ
Instinctive and malleable acting
โ
Rigorous attention to detail.
And to be more specific, this means that I'm going to be even more focused on quality over quantity when it comes to clients so I can offer that high level of service without running myself ragged.
Anyway, great to be back (*sobs into sunhat*).
What did I miss?
I had one of my favourite voice over directed sessions recently.
Why?
Because of the language used.
Most actors who have done any form of improvisation will be familiar with the 'Yes, and...' approach.
In short, this means that an improviser should always accept what another improviser has stated and then ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ฟ on it.
What they shouldn't do is 'block' it by rejecting or undermining the suggestion.
Why is this approach creatively effective?
โ
Because it means people feel heard.
โ
Their suggestions are being explored.
โ
They're contributing.
So, in the session, this director never said 'not like that'.
Instead, they always took what I gave them and then built upon it.
Rather than creating a binary of right or wrong choices, the recording became a GอAอMอEอ (very meta) of exploration.
Searching for different flavours.
This does NOT mean I didn't make wrong choices.
This does NOT mean I wasn't corrected.
And it certainly doesn't mean that I'm a sensitive soul who needs to be spoken to in a particular way to get results.
But when we're talking about the difference between good and GREAT (which is what I'm aiming for), using language that opens people up will always lead to a win.
Has the WAY someone spoke to you helped you do your job better?
So this week I was invited to join BAFTA Connect.
What's that?
According to the website:
๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ข ๐ฉ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ข๐ด ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ค๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง-๐ฉ๐ค-๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐ก๐ก-๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐จ.
In reality?
It'll be me standing in a busy room trying to overcome my crippling imposter syndrome.
But we've got to be in it to win it, right?
Plus, there's lots of wonderful people I know already who are a part of it.
I can probably just cling to one of them ๐
Life as an actor is an emotional see-saw at the best of times.
I've landed some of my favourite projects this year, but also feel a bit beaten down after a few too many (possibly near but you never know) misses.
So to get this news at the end of a long week was lovely!
Congrats to all other successful applicants and I look forward to seeing you at the networking events.
My three years at drama school was traumatic.
I spent two years auditioning to get into one of the top institutions in the world.
Finally selected as one of 30 in a field of 3,000.
I'd read countless actor biographies about the importance of training and was totally focused on dedicating the next three years into making myself a better actor.
But then the wheels came off:
๐
New teachers on the course weren't qualified.
๐ฉ New building works for the course were delayed, leading to less than ideal facilities.
๐ฑ The school took over another drama school, thus doubling the number of students.
It was a salutary lesson about putting ANYTHING on a pedestal.
There were still a lot of good things about the school in question, but there was no sense of safety. Which I'd argue is pretty integral to effective learning.
I'll be honest that the disparity between what I'd hoped 'my dream' would be and the reality got to me.
I got depressed.
I second guessed myself.
I became overly-competitive.
And by the end of my second year... I was NOT in a good place.
So I did something radical.
I asked the head of the course if I could take a year out, so I could get my head back together and rediscover my love for the craft.
And to their credit - they said yes.
I spent the next year back in the 'real world', and it was the single most important year of my acting career.
โ
I took time out to actually LIVE a life outside of my passion.
โ
I took time to work with an acting teacher who spoke to me.
โ
I took time out to make my OWN work.
And the result?
A greater sense of who I was as a person and artist.
A confidence that I was in this for the long haul.
And a critically celebrated one-man show*.
It's not all been smooth sailing since then.
But it's a necessary reminder that we're shaped as much (if not more) by adversity than success.
Have you ever suffered a set-back that ended up helping your career?
(okay, and also my biz, LinkedIn ๐)
Sunday marked 5 years of married life with my wonderful wife, Sophie.
We marked the occasion by watching PJ Harvey perform at Gunnersbury Park, which was phenomenal.
To say Sophie has had a huge impact on my life would be an understatement.
The unconditional love.
The unconditional support.
The unconditional encouragement.
But when it comes to voice over, my business simply wouldn't exist without her.
I'd done one voice job in 8 years of acting when we met...
Sophie was the one who encouraged me to do my first VO courses.
Sophie was the one who said yes to turning the bedroom into a studio.
And Sophie was the one paid the bills while I found my feet.
For a lot of us, the career we want simply isn't possible without the support of someone else. Which is why my biggest work goal isn't to do with the brands I work with but the life and love I can offer in return.
It's not a new thing.
But it still needs to be said.
Here's to those partners who change our lives (and work) profoundly.
