I Want to Thank You

If you live in the United States, this week is the week of our Thanksgiving holiday (aka the celebration of Native Americans sharing their harvest with the pilgrims, though that story is now suspect and was probably already proven to be untrue, but I don’t have time to do the research before I write this post, and anyway, the holiday has now been co-opted by the beginning of the holiday shopping season, and football games, and if you’re part of my extended family, deer hunting…

But I digress. 

Just this past week, I got a huge piece of the puzzle into place for my voiceover career: my Studiobricks recording booth. (LITERALLY HUGE, at 3.5ft x 4.5ft x 7.5ft)

Gotta grow my hair out…

And I realized that most of the major steps that I’ve been struggling to take over the past three and a half years, all of the things I agonized and stressed about...are complete. This doesn’t mean the journey is over, or that I don’t have more to learn or to strive for, but if a career is a home, then I finally feel like I finally have the foundation in place, the plumbing installed and working, the electricity running, and the walls up and drywalled...so now I just have to decide how I want to decorate. 

Any time you have a big hairy audacious goal (I don’t know who first coined this term, but I think it applies here), it can seem overwhelming, and it can be hard to even begin sometimes. 

In fact, I started this journey with a cassette recorder when I was 7 or 8 years old, so it’s been a long time coming for me. 

It took me a VERY long time to finally make my demo and to take all the other steps toward actually doing this for a living. It took a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of overcoming of fear, and a lot of help from so many people. 

So, in the spirit of the holiday, I wanted to thank all of the amazing people who have helped me get there. I’m going to get specific here, but if you have been around and simply been cheerleading me on, even if I don’t name you by name, please know that your texts, emails,  Facebook likes, Instagram comments, blog shares, etc have all helped keep me going when things got tough, and I appreciate every single one of them. 

A few random people and organizations not entirely covered below: thanks to my clients, my friends from VO Atlanta, WoVO (World Voices Organization), the GVAA rate guide, Gravy for the Brain, VO Weekly Workout, Jonathan Tilley (League of Listbuilders), and Tracy Lindley (The VO Edge). You all have been invaluable to me on my journey, and I appreciate the numerous opportunities and resources you have provided me along the way. And thanks to Ilana Kapra, Ryan Kellar, and my sister, Erin Konze, for all just existing in my life and the ongoing laughs and moral support.

If you have a big, hairy, audacious goal, I hope you go after it. I am proof that you can make them happen. But you won’t make them happen on your own. You need others to help you. And they won’t always know that you need help. Sometimes, you have to ask. Sometimes you need to ask friends or family, but often, you need to ask strangers or very vague acquaintances who have the experience and knowledge your family and friends can’t provide. 

Don’t be afraid to ask. 

(Suggested reading: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer)

Mom - Thanks for getting me the cassette tapes and recorder when I was eight. It was a great outlet for an imaginative only child who really wanted to just make things and talk to herself. Not much has changed...I’m still living inside a box inside my living room. The one I have now just cost a lot more. 

Mike Stalcar - Thank you, Mike, for your kindness and your encouragement, and for guiding me through the process of creating my first two demos. I might have put it off for more years if you hadn’t said “You’re ready.” 

Mark Riddle - Thank you for inviting me to audition for your project after I posted my demo on Facebook, and thank you for giving me further direction after I sent my first audition samples to you. I’m sure it was your direction that helped me book that job, and booking that job not only got me a voiceover agent, but also gave me the confidence to dive headfirst into voiceover rather than wading slowly in, inch by inch. You’ve given me so many opportunities, and I appreciate all of them. Plus, your photos of me kick ass. 

Wehmann Agency - Susan, Amy and Lucia, thank you for taking me on and representing me for voiceover! Thanks for letting me come in and record in-office when the outside noise at home got to be too much, and thanks for always having the backs of your talent and fighting to keep wages high as part of the Voiceover Agent Alliance. Your belief in me gives me strength at times when I still have so much work to do to get to where I want to be. 

Katie Willer - My best friend, thank you for letting me set up shop with my PVC-pipe oubliette in your basement and giving me freedom to basically come and go as I pleased. Thank you for letting me temporarily house my dream in your home when my own was inhospitable to recording. I love you always. 

Katie Adducci - Oh, GURRRL. It has meant so much to me to have someone sharing this journey with me. Thanks for introducing me to NoVoPro, helping me figure out how to set my recording levels when I was brand new, and for being my Accountabilibuddy. I love how we support and challenge each other, and help each other do the boring or tedious 

Michael Schwengel - Thanks for your openness to adventure, and for being my roomie at VO Atlanta two years ago. If you hadn’t agreed to go, I probably wouldn’t have gone at all, and my entire life would be different right now. I’m pretty sure I said something at the time about feeling that it would be a life changing experience, and I was right about that. But I probably would have chickened out if you hadn’t decided to go too. (Also, thanks for letting me use your studio, helping me with copywriting, and being such a great listener.)

Celia Siegel - I am so grateful to you for meeting with me and giving me your advice. One coffee date, and the simple suggestion you gave me allowed me to manifest the money I needed to get my new demo made. Thanks for giving me the belief that I could make that happen.

Northern Voiceover Professionals - Brian, Ian and Mike...thank you for bringing me into your fold! I am so grateful I got to be part of the group and learn from you all. So many of the steps I took in the past three years were because of listening to you and absorbing all of the info you shared. Your encouragement when I was struggling was invaluable, and I miss you all!

The Admin Group - To everyone who particpated in any iteration of the Actors Workout Admin Group over the three years that I ran it, thank you for participating, for being willing to bear with me as I experimented with how to motivate others, and for being a part of the group that I needed to create in order to motivate myself. I started the Admin Group right after beginning my journey into creating a profession out of voiceover, and without our weekly meetings, and having a set space and time to be held accountable, I doubt I would have accomplished half of what I have already accomplished. Thanks for being my friends. I couldn’t be a badass without you all. 

The teachers and coaches - Beth Chaplin, Tina Zaremba, Thom Pinto, Mary Lynn Wissner, Kay Bess, Steve Henderson...you have all been so extremely generous, sharing your experience, your knowledge, and your time. I have learned a ton from all of you, including learning more about myself as a performer and as a person. Acting is a very personal profession, and learning it requires being in an environment where you can be open and vulnerable. Thanks for creating that safe space, and for also pushing me (kindly) past my own limiting beliefs when necessary. 

The sound engineers - I feel like these guys maybe don’t get enough credit usually, but without them, I’d just be another voice. Ben O’Brien at HDMG and George “The Tech” Whittam both helped me make sure my previous studios were all set, and Dan Lenard audited my studio for my WoVO studio approval. And Uncle Roy Yokelson, thanks for the bagels and general pep talks. Thanks also to Todd Syring (Syring Sound), Andre Bergeron (Babble On), Tony Willamette (Minnehaha Recording Studio), Reid Kruger (Waterbury Music + Sound), Jerry Horwath (Buzz Cutz Audio), Reed Harvey (Digital One), Tom Hambleton (Undertone Music), Brady Moen (Hideaway Studios), Aaron Ankrum, and so many others who have helped make me sound great. Thank you all! (And sorry if I forgot anyone)

The strangers - Joey Schaljo and Lyssa Graham, I appreciate you offering your time to chat with me, despite never having met me in person. Thanks for letting me vent and reminding me that I’m on the right track, but that all of this just takes time. 

Brandon Nesmith - You are the best side-effect of my voiceover career. Thanks for believing in me. 

And last, but CERTAINLY so far from least:

Raye Birk - My teacher of a decade. The best acting teacher I will ever know and have the honor of working with. Your teachings had nothing to do with voiceover and absolutely everything to do with voiceover. Without you, I would not be 1/100th of the actor I am today. My eternal gratitude to you.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!