I belong to a very active LinkedIn group for working voice actors and the question of the day is about the “Law of Averages.”
Ed Victor says – “My new law of averages in scoring work is frankly “Less is More”. Less auditioning. More work. Is this the beginning of the end for agents and casting directors? Is the writing on the wall? Am I full of it?”
My first response to his question (there may be more):
Most of my work remains referrals, repeat clients and direct hits to my website or to one of the other websites where my demos are parked (some free and some P2P) with no auditioning. I also try to target a few new contacts each week through reading group posts, following links, key word searches.The vast majority of the auditions do seem to disappear into the ether – many never get heard. But I have landed a few nice little projects this year through auditions from agents with very limited pools – and most of those have been character voices or role-playing.
Ed continues: “These days I can audition till I’m blue in the face, horse, or both – that would amount to: blue in the face and horse at the same time. But here is the key. I’m still not getting or winning anything new. Then inevitably I hear, “Oh, it’s the law of averages. The more auditions you do the better your chances!” Really? Is that how it works? Cause I haven’t seen that at all. I guess it really is like playing the lottery these days.”
I have written about the number of auditions I am doing and I too see diminishing returns. I might as well be going for a walk. Health is very important.
It’s a matter of being proactive or reactive.
On-line casting sites (P2P’s) require the talent to be reactive. The ball’s in the voice-seeker’s court. It’s a wait-and-see approach making the talent vulnerable to forces beyond his or her control. When the jobs are not forthcoming, it’s easy to point the finger at a particular site. If the energy you put into your career is average, the results will be average.
If you -on the other hand- use the P2P’s as a back-up in your marketing mix, and actively start promoting yourself, you are in the driver’s seat. It takes a lot more energy and effort, but the returns are so much greater and the rewards are so much more satisfying.
A short wile ago, I wrote a piece about the law of averages. It’s the story of John the voice-over man, but it could very well be a story about…. YOU!
http://nethervoice.com/nethervoice/2010/02/24/bursting-the-audition-bubble/