When I heard that 2022 would be VO Atlanta’s last year, I was heartbroken. Not only that it would never happen again, but that I would miss out on the last shindig.
From Wednesday of the conference through Sunday, I followed along on Facebook, feeling all the FOMO. People were arriving in my city, just a few miles from my house, and I wouldn’t get to see them???
I’m missing Uncle Roy! Bagels! Cliff! Mary Lynn! X-Sessions and dance parties! I spent the week morosely imagining all my friends having fun, meeting new people, and learning industry inside info…
Well, on the final day of the conference, they announced that J. Michael Collins and his wife would be taking the reins of the conference going forward, and I was SO relieved.
Whew! VOA will ride another day after all.
This conference has been very formative for me and my voiceover career, and I am excited for it continue.
While I wish I could write about my own personal experiences at VOA this year, I’m going to turn it over to some of my friends (and at least one stranger) who attended to give me (and you) the rundown on their biggest takeaways and favorite parts of this year’s conference.
Here’s what they all had to say about this year’s VO Atlanta Voiceover Conference:
Jessica Holtan - Hygge VO
Jessica and I have been friends for a long time (over a decade). At the last in-person VOA, she and I had a great time getting to know lots of people. Here’s what she had to say about this year’s VOA, her second time attending the conference:
Ok so the biggest takeaway…was the relationships I was able to form and nurture. From newbies to veterans, from actors to agents, every person I met held value and purpose, and I feel so honored to have met every one of them.
The time forming those relationships was also my favorite part of VO Atlanta. It didn't matter if I was in a session or eating lunch or shaking it on the dance floor - having all that amazing knowledge and energy around me was so incredibly energizing and uplifting.
Pavi Lustig
I met my German friend Pavi at the first VOA I attended, and we hung out last time as well. This year he traveled from Europe to attend VOA again, so there must be something worthwhile about the conference that keeps him coming back, right?
What an awesome community we are… that is definitely my main take-away from the conference by the way, especially after 3 years in semi-isolation… we are an incredible support system for one another and look out for each other—cheers to us!
David Kleber
David Kleber and I became VO buddies during lockdown through attending pro workouts with Atlanta Voiceover Studio. David is an Atlanta-based lawyer who is new to voiceover in the past few years. This year was his first year attending VO Atlanta in-person.
The two things that stuck with me were fairly consistent across several sessions - there's plenty of work for all who know what they're doing, but you have to know what you're doing, and you're never done marketing. This combination message was both uplifting and sobering.
I know there's a place for me in this industry, but it will take consistent hard work and dedication to find it. This industry is loads of fun, but there's always more to learn and staying in front of voice seekers is a constant battle.
I found all the education (both performance and business) really useful, but this was my first opportunity to be together with voice actors in person, so what I enjoyed most was meeting such nice people. I finally got to interact with people I only knew through social media or people I knew personally, but never met in 3D, and people I never knew existed but made fast connections.
Robert Rhodes
Robert and I have never met, but I noticed his photos from VOA as I was following this year’s conference vicariously on social media, so I reached out to get the perspective of someone I haven’t met yet.
My favorite part of VOA was meeting all the voices in person like Mark Rider and Emma O'Neal etc....and getting fired up and ready to get back to work. I attended a few panels...Promo..Demos...Trailer etc. I was my first time going. I loved it!
Lisa Costello
Lisa is a California-based voice actor. She and I are part of a geographically diverse group of voice talent who formed an accountability group during the pandemic, and had never met in person until last week after the conference. This year was Lisa’s second time attending VOA.
Biggest takeaway - the subtle differences between a news promo read, an entertainment promo read and a podcast promo read. Also, that I'm MORE than capable of taking my career to the next level.
Favorite part - seeing my coaches in person and meeting amazing women in VO!
Lee Goettl
Fellow Wisconsinite Lee Goettl and I met during the Zoom social hour breakouts at last year’s VOA virtual conference. He’s a full-time VO, very immersed in the world of audiobook narration.
Mine was a tie: The endless networking that I was able to take advantage of, and the class Jack Daniel taught on trailer work. Informative and explained how intense that part of the industry could get.
http://goettlvoices.com
Paul Schmidt
Fellow voice actor and blogger Paul Schmidt and I met at the 2018 VO Atlanta, both as first time attendees. He had a lot to share about his experience this year.
From the first session I attended, which was JMC's "Be the Weird Little Car" session on commercial VO, the message I needed to be reminded was LET IT RIP.
So often we're in the weeds of knocking out auditions that we get too concerned with the specs and trying to do the audition that will book the job, and we get away from bringing ourselves to the role. We forget to do great auditions that are authentically us and show that we can act.
Be the real you, show that you can act, and let them decide if you're the one for that role.
And regarding his favorite part of VOA this year…
It's always the same - the people. I tell my son I pay hundreds of dollars to go laugh with people for 4 days because that's the best part. I didn't attend one virtual conference during the pandemic because, to me, the value is in the relationships built by spending time with other talent and coaches. All the more true this year, as we all didn't think we'd be back next year, and then Anna and J. Michael saved the day. As a side note, I don't think there's anyone in our business who will be better caretakers of VO Atlanta and the community than the Collinses. I'm thrilled that they've stepped in.
Me too, Paul. Me too.
Thanks to all of my contributors for sharing their experiences from this year. Go check out their websites so you know who introduce yourself to at next year’s conference!
And thanks for reading, friends! Hope to see you next year at VO Atlanta 2023!
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