This sign, just like other signs, was designed to catch the eye of passerby’s.  Those driving with a constant wondering gaze in search of  something beyond the ordinary.

Now a sign that can promise a better life for only 19.99,  a greater hamburger for cheaper, a new way to straighten hair, a cell phone plan that can connect you to spaceships in the next galaxy, a place to get a custom voice over demo, an airline that… what a minute, did I actually see a sign on the side of the road advertising Voice Over Demo Reels?  Yes my friend, yes I did.

It’s a new world order and enough people now know about voice over to warrant road side signage.

I call that I wake up call from the alien ships above and I better make sure my cell phone plan is set up for interstellar calls.

The days of a few have giving way to the many, and if you’re not busy changing, then you’re busy dying. And the best advice I can give for living a happy full life, is,

”                                                 “

Last week I recorded a Voice Over for the show “Bleep My Dad Says”.  Only this was no promo read, but rather a commercial read for a commercial that Bill Shatner is watching in the show,  and said commercial features Cybill Shepherd.  You following me here?

So my part consisted of saying three lines, simple right?  You just lay down the tracks, do three takes of each, bing, bang, bong, out the door…right?…Right?

My call time was 10 at the Warner Brothers lot, Set 5.  The last time I had a call time I was wondering if Y2K was going to force me store gallons of water, buy a generator, and move to Wisconsin where I could be “Off the Grid”

I  got a script messengered to me, and they even had me of the cast list page under Co Star.  Although there was an asterisk next to my name, and the dog, so I wasn’t completely flattered.

For the recording we actually we’re called to set, where Bill was totally checking me out as if might have been a Klingon.

Then they had me stand in the middle of the set with Cybill Shepherd were we had a pleasant chat about here career from “The Last Picture Show”, to “Moonlighting”, to the present, all in about a two minutes.

We recorded and then I was sent to the Green Room to wait.  They did apologize for making me hang out in the Green Room rather then my own trailer.  There was just too many people on the show they told me.  I’m just thrilled that someone thought I might need a trailer!

The “Go with The Flow” part was the rest of the day as I was reminded how good I have it with Voice Over.  I ended up leaving at 4:30 that day, after lot’s of waiting and little reason for me to be there.

The “Call My Agent”  was reinforced by my agents as they asked “Why didn’t you call us!?”

I guess the unique, odd experience is enough to let someone make me sit in a room all day with a fridge full of beverages another voice over actor and an head executive of the show from CBS, who we thought was an extra.

So two jobs in the last few weeks have come down to me and another “Woman”.

Which, in my opinion, is fantastic.  If they go guy, it’s me. If they go girl, they go her, and there just isn’t that much I can do about being a woman, except for years of hormone replacement and very costly surgery.

So on one job, they went with the girl, the other me.  50/50?  I can live with that.

What’s more on one of the jobs they told me one of the big reasons I got the job was I was the only one able to say, “Ahhhhhhh” and make it sound believable.

Who knew that skill set would one day pay off?

Agents love this!  They love to call you at those times where you think they’re calling about a job.

They don’t want you to get to excited, but they just got a call from the producer and they said they’ve narrowed the massive nationwide search down to you and 5 other guys.  So stay by your phone, cause the call could come at any moment and when they make up their mind they’ll want to record right away!

My advice…Do not stay by your phone!  Do not call your family to tell them “the good news!”!  Do not start thinking about how much money is coming your way!  And do not start spending any of that money!

Do whatever you can to put it in perspective.  Yes, it is an accomplishment.  Yes, you have a much better chance then you did when it was down to you and 1252 auditions via VoiceBank. Yes, you need to be able to record if they do go with you.  And, Yes it could change your life.

Just remember, chances are what they are and the “House always wins in the long run”, and it’s not down between you and another guy, cause they just went with Matt Damon, who’s schedule just cleared up, and who they wanted all along.

One more thing, try to stay positive.

]]> http://www.daleinghram.com/blog/2010/04/its-down-to-you-and-another-guy/feed/ 1 http://www.daleinghram.com/blog/2010/03/sometimes-they-come-back/ http://www.daleinghram.com/blog/2010/03/sometimes-they-come-back/#comments Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:05:35 +0000 Dale http://www.daleinghram.com/blog/?p=183 It’s been my experience that when a big account goes, it goes.  You’re the voice, then you’re not, and that’s that.

After all why would they bring back someone they got rid of.  That would be like bringing  back the first Darren Stevens from Bewitched.

The other part of winning a big account is losing a big account.  It is inevitable, at some point, the ride will end, the bars will lift off and some kid with bad acne and no motivation will ask you to exit while someone else takes your seat.

“Easy Come, Easy Go.”

is easy to say when it’s coming.  Try it when it’s going.  That’s the hard part.

I was talking with another Voice Over talent today about “the going” part.  He said that he wished every voice over could get a big account and then lose it.  It provides a perspective that you just don’t get when it’s coming.

The tendency of big accounts is lazy and entitlement.

The hard work somehow doesn’t seem as important and you begin to feel like you deserve the checks.

When that goes, if you’re not in the right place mentally, it can lead into a major downward spiral.  Then you get desperate, and that’s the kiss of death for a read and a career.

I personally have had the big accounts and lost them, and have wrestled with every emotion that comes with that.

Luckily, I’ve now had the experience of having one of those big accounts come back, and having lost with the ability to say “Easy Come Easy Go”, while it was going, I can now fully enjoy the coming (back), with an appreciation and understanding that only comes from losing.

“Good Riddance, Thanks for Nothing!”

As we all hope for improved wages, better returns, more jobs… heck, A job, it serves us to take a look back and see what we can learn from last year.

For me 2009 wraps up the decade with the understanding that the Voice Over Biz get harder the older you get.  And most of that can be attributed to the increasing multitude of complexities that come with the adding of years.

These complexities are endless, unavoidable, and unpredictable.  However that doesn’t mean they have to be debilitating.

For me, the loss of income, investments gone wrong, and a little boy on the way (1 month and counting!), could cause fear, anxiety, and bad gas.  And it did! But the key is what I do with it.

To make a positive is the only choice I have, cause the negative just feeds negative.

"Always with the Negative Waves"

So as I begin my goals for 2010.  ( Always a good idea.) I find myself taking that fear and anxiety and parlaying them into focus, renewed work ethic, and a stronger faith in my past.  Meaning I know I’m good at what I do, and the down times are just opportunities to catch up on reading and a litmus that make the up times all that more sweeter.

For me the year was one for introspection and making sure that all the “junk” that happened doesn’t through me off my balance.

So it is with great excitement, feeling as if I’ve found my balance, that I enter this new decade. There will be much work, with no few guarantees.  However, I look forward to looking back at the end of 2010.

Here’s to the next decade in the biz.

]]> http://www.daleinghram.com/blog/2009/12/the-new-year/feed/ 1 http://www.daleinghram.com/blog/2009/10/going-back-to-school/ http://www.daleinghram.com/blog/2009/10/going-back-to-school/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:03:18 +0000 Dale http://www.daleinghram.com/blog/?p=156 After many years of resting on my laurels, which at times was very uncomfortable, as it turns out laurels can be quite prickly.  I’ve decided to reinsert my self into the  role of pupil and search for enlightenment.

I was searching for some sort of shaolin monk to teach me “The Path”, but when I found out how much Monk’s were charging these days, I settled on an acting class on Pico Blvd.

The questions are:  Why? Why Know? Why an Acting class?

The answer:  Cause it was time.

I just knew it was time to get back out there, and you know what, I have no purpose other then that.  I have little idea where this is going to lead me and even less expectation.

All I know is I needed artistic stimulation with a little direction thrown in.  You know something to add a little flavor to the soup.

I think that at some point every artist needs some type of class, seminar, or workshop to reawaken vision, or on a less esoteric note, get some blood pumping into stagnant muscles.

Only thing is, that you have to be ready to except it’s consequences.

Side effects can include: Hard Work, Artistic Rebirth, Telepathy Powers, Success.

Hoping for two new pilots I just  did to get picked up.  Mall Cops “Mall of America”  a show that picks up where Paul Blart left off, but with less Blart and more officer.  The Pilot aired Thursday October 15th.  The other, as of now has no air date.  It’s called “Conveyor Belt of Love” and is just what it’s name says.  5 Women watch 30 Men come by on a conveyor belt and decide if they’re interested.  I want the show to get picked up simply for the opportunity to get a t-shirt.  Who wouldn’t want a “Conveyor Belt of Love” T-shirt?  Well, maybe my parents.

Just like On Camera actors VO actors have to sweat the networks suits deciding, in their infinite wisdom, whether a show is a GO.  Cool thing about VO actors is they can have multiple shows at the same time.

But just like On Camera actors,  just because you did a show that got picked up or renewed doesn’t mean you can’t be killed off.

Now maybe your character won’t die a tragic death in a freak Tea picking expedition on the tundra in Tibet, but there might be a producer who thinks they can do your job better, and it’s the same end result.

So keep your fingers crossed, have your family and friends praying, knock on wood, send bribes, or carve a tiki.

What ever you do realize it all turns to dust, the flowers die, and shows all get canceled.  

And yes The Simpsons, One day, will get canceled.

Normally a mess up doing Voice Over, is just that, but on occasion it becomes a monster threatening to send you to the Looney Bin.

Your Brain starts to sweat about not getting it right and you cascade into a down word spiral of self doubt and loathing.  You start to think about how dumb you are for not being able to say a stupid word or phrase that a 3 year old could.  in my cause “Toyota”

You start to wonder how stupid everyone listening  thinks you are.  About how stupid you’ll look when your ineptitude makes it onto some famous reel of stupid people.  If fact somehow you’re entire life becomes stupid in the wake of your complete failure to say one stupid, dumb, stupid word.

The question is not so much how you got here, but how you get out.

My advice: Do whatever you can!

Namely remember the song from Sesame Street.  “Oops I made a mistake that’s all.”

It’s life, it happens, and the only real way you’ll leave a lasting “BAD” impression is to panic and start acting like a weirdo.  Make fun of it.  Get goofy.  Breathe.  Think of playing baseball with Kangaroos.  Anything to take your mind off of your Brain Sweats.

Oh, and you probably will find that you actually will begin to sweat for real!

I finally did say Toyota right.  My secret?  I took my  Left Shoe off and waved it in the air while I read the copy.

Seriously !

Whatever it takes.

I love working in Voice Over and that is why I do it.

Unfortunately  why most people get into it is for the lifestyle and/or the money.

Silly, Silly, People.

"I'm just in it for the Money!"

Though they both may be great products of a successful VO career, they don’t provide the drive for attaining a successful career.

The Hope must be fueled by the right desire.  In my opinion, that desire is the WORK itself.

Money and Lifestyle make for false hope’s that are much easier to disappoint.