VO Atlanta: The "Breaking Out of My Padded Room" Conference
Voiceover conferences are more than industry get-togethers - they're often social salvations
What do you know about the life of a voice actor?
Well, with the word "actor" in its title, you might imagine that more than a few are the starving artist type. It's not easy work to come by, there's a lot of rejection involved, and the vast majority don't earn a respectable living from it. All true. Maybe not the starving part. Quite a few hold full-time jobs or juggle two or more part-time employment.
You might also think that voice actors primarily work in animation, like your favorite Saturday morning cartoon when you were a kid. Not quite true, though some do. The rest of us would love to be in their shoes. Most of us work quietly and unrecognized in many other genres: corporate narration, eLearning, political, medical, documentary, audiobooks, telephony, explainers ... and yes, the better known genres of commercials (radio, TV, internet), promos, and video games. Me, I primarily work in commercials and corporate, eLearning, and explainers, though I've done a fair number of voice overs for film, TV, and YouTube animated videos.
What you may not realize is that professional voice actors these days work from home studios. Thank you, Covid! It was a trend in its infancy before 2020, but Covid closed down recording studios and opened the market for home studios, and it's now here to stay. If you're a voice actor today without a professional, broadcast-quality home studio, a good volume of work may be bit hard to come by.
Well, those home studios can be teeny tiny, often just 4x4, and more than a little confining when you're recording inside one for hours each day. No one else to interact with (unless perhaps a client via audio for a directed session). Just you, your mic, your script, and the equipment needed to make it all happen. Oh, and a nice little padded room to dampen echoes, keep unwanted outside noises out of the recording, and ensure a quiet noise floor.
So when you have a chance to bust out and meet some other human beings for a change, you're all over it! In the industry, we call that a voiceover conference. And we love 'em.
Conferences are for learning - and reconnecting with colleagues.
Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.
Drinking from the firehose
Voice actors joke that we spend our time in padded rooms talking to ourselves. Literally true. I don't really fall into that category because I mix it up with my on-camera work - where I'm always with a ton of people on set - and my On Camera Confidence coaching. It's a nice balance.
What do you get most from conferences? When I was starting out in VO, back in 2018, I was drinking from the firehose. Trying to absorb as much as possible. It was mind-spinning, but also exhilirating. I mean, if you're going to jump into the water, learn to swim with the best coaches out there. VO Atlanta has always delivered.
In recent years, with much more experience under my belt, it's more like cherry-picking. What do I want to learn? Which coaches, casting directors, or agents do I want to learn from most? It's a great opportunity to do a deep dive into one or two areas, rather than sampling many superficially, and especially to pick up a new skill or two. For me, that was learning live announce, also called Voice of God, from the ceiling-crasher herself, Randy Thomas, who's voiced umpteen Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, and so many TV shows and specials. Loved it! Can't wait to learn more.
Conferences are also great ways to network. Nowadays, it's meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends that I love best. The best way to make new friends? Besides walking straight up and introducing yourself, think about becoming a speaker. Best way to accelerate the networking! I've been a speaker at VO Atlanta 2021, at the One Voice USA conference in Dallas in 2023, and will be for the Mid-Atlantic Voice Conference in DC in November. When you're a speaker, people approach YOU, and if they've heard your talk, you already have a great jumping off point for the conversation.
What makes a conference especially memorable?
Anna Collins, the organizer of VO Atlanta, and her husband J. Michael Collins, a hugely successful voice actor, coach, and demo producer - and godfather of our industry! - put on a phenomenal four-day event. This is how they make it especially exciting, enough to sell out with over 1000 attendees:
Fresh, up-to-date content and speakers every year.
Additional workshops (for extra $$) that provide deep dives into particular topics of interest, led by well-known and respected leaders in those areas.
Fun and surprises in the way of entertainment, prize drawings, and spontaneous appearances of free champagne.
A well-run event with plenty of good food, ambassadors on hand to welcome attendees and smooth out any technical problems, and a hotel or conference center that's well-compensated, so they go the extra mile to treat your attendees the way you want them to be treated.
Smiles and professionalism all around. I'm not the only one already looking forward to next year's conference!
What do you like most in an industry conference?
0%Topical, relevant content
0%Networking
0%A change of pace
Getting the most for your money
Conferences aren't cheap, especially if you're a solopreneur and have to travel and put yourself up at a hotel on your own dime. Thank goodness for business expense write-offs! They do help.
To get the most bang for your buck, know why you're going and what you want to come away with from the conference? Updated industry briefings? New connections for business opportunities? A chance to promote your products or services, either as a speaker or as a sponsor or vendor? When you have a goal, it makes it so much easier to plan your time and prioritize which presentations or social events you attend.
One of the biggest challenges may be to put into action those things you've learned, long after you've rturned from the conference. Guilty! I tend to take copious notes, because I. Don't. Want. To. Forget. A. Thing. Except that when I'm back in the whirlwind of my typical workday, that folder of notes doesn't always get looked at. And some of those great ideas are buried, only to resurface when I finally get around to cleaning out my office. Does that happen sometimes to you, too?
Don't let it! If you can, perhaps on your way home, summarize the most important takeaways and keep them with you. Or throw the mishmash of notes into ChatGPT and ask AI to sort it into highlights and actions items for you. Make the most of the conference, even long after it's over.
That's my To Do this week (in addition to everything else that got log-jammed because I was away from my office for 4.5 days). Sigh. It takes a bit of work even after the conference to be sure I got full value. But you know what? In the end, it's well worth it.
Upcoming Events
Women in Business Expo and Symposium
Saturday, March 29
11am - 4pm EST
Atlanta, GA
(I'm the MC and panel moderator!)
Want to learn more? Let's talk!
I'm Laura Doman, a voice & TV/film actor and video communications coach. As an actor, I create memorable characters that tell my client's stories well, from the friendly CEO to your sassy best gal pal dispensing real-world advice. As a coach, I help you become more comfortable and charismatic on camera in videos, presentations, and online appearances.
