AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 2)

Hey there!

As a part of these One A Day videos that I’ve challenged myself with this year, I asked viewers to submit questions for a virtual AMA.

Because I got so many questions, I couldn’t answer them all in one. So this is the second AMA video in the series. In this video, I’m going to answer questions about why I am unable to make Rehearsal® Pro for Android, what the best path is for a newbie to get VO work, and if there are any shortcuts I can recommend for a diamond in the rough to get ahead quickly as a performer.

And the answers are…

(Click/tap ↑↑↑↑↑↑ that red YouTube button to subscribe to my channel. You’ll get notified when I release new videos.)

Hope this helps!

David

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hey there it’s David H Lawrence the 17th
and got a lot of questions to go through
for the ask me anything we’re in our
second AMA episode I thought we’d be
able to I’d only get a few questions I’d
be able to do it in one episode but
that’s not the way it turned out so
let’s take a look what we got this time
so do you have any plans to make
rehearsal Pro for Android ah no not a
chance
love you Android users really do but
unfortunately the model that I’m using
for rehearse Pro is a one-time payment
and paid apps in the Android ecosystem
the Google Play ecosystem very very
different from the Apple iTunes Appstore
ecosystem Google is very laissez-faire
about their their apps they don’t really
care much that there are people out
there who make a blood sport out of
cracking paid apps and putting them up
on all kinds of sites you really have to
work hard to download an app on an
iPhone on an iOS device iPhone iPad iPod
touch from any site other than a the
Apple App Store the iTunes App Store not
so with Google Play and so there’s
hackers out there they just love hacking
paid apps you know rehearsal pros not
ad-supported there’s no subscription
just a one-time payment of 20 bucks and
I have to make do with that to continue
to develop it to keep up with the iOS
upgrades I mean it’s just I got I got
like three people on the team right
basically it’s hard enough to keep up
with iOS and so yeah I’m sure there’s
something that you can find in the world
of Android that’ll help you out okay
next question as a newbie to whom and
how should i market myself to get
auditions and work I know that there are
some very good p2p sites out there but
they are a bit expensive
for those just starting out I know you
do not agree with the workings of fiber
but I wonder if there are other sites of
that nature that are more in line with
your thoughts on gig ward
gig work so the first thing I would say
is don’t rush to get work
get good then get work right I think a
lot of people try too hard too fast to
jump right in start getting auditions
start getting work I got to pay for what
I’m you know classes that I’m taking
whatever take your time
learn the craft get good at it then
start to add the idea of auditioning to
the mix don’t push too hard once you do
get to that point where you’re good
enough to really lay down a fantastic
audition and be in the running be
competitive for work then I would say
the first place to start would be ACX
because it’s free and audio book
auditioning that’s like trial by fire
because you’re not auditioning 15
seconds or 30 seconds you’re auditioning
a couple of minutes or more and it
really helps you with your storytelling
which you can use all over the place
from there whatever you want
I would go to Voice one two three first
just to avoid voices comm there are a
couple of other sites that have popped
up here and there but dalgo is another
opportunity but yeah they’re expensive
especially if you want to audition
you know they lead you right up to the
water right they let you go through the
whole process and then right when you’re
about to submit oh yeah did we not tell
you you have to be a member
yeah that’s like four hundred dollars so
I get it
I get that it’s a challenge I really do
but I would start with a CX because you
don’t have to wait for somebody to ask
you to audition you can go and look for
auditions hope that helps
next question there’s a long question so
I don’t know anyone in any type of vocal
use field so I need to ask you if you
were working with someone who has never
had any exposure except audiobooks radio
some minor plays some short ivr work
did you just obviate that sentence never
had any exposure I’m sorry that’s a lot
of exposure I never had any exposure to
vo work where would you tell them to
start assume their life’s there their
interests lie in narrations of books and
IVR and they are not rich with bucket
loads of money to dump into the effort
providing this person were educated had
good dictation pronunciation was
animated not too heavily accented in any
one particular diet dialect have
experienced others telling them they
have a beautiful voice how difficult
would it be to get into the
aforementioned fields well all of that
is great but it has nothing to do with
getting into the aforementioned field
there is one thing and one thing only
whether you have a beautiful voice a
different voice a raspy voice a great
voice and not so great voice it’s about
storytelling it’s about reaching out to
an audience holding them in the palm of
your hand looking at that one person
through your mind’s eye and just
wrapping them up in the story drawing
them in and keeping them and if your
voice is beautiful on top of that and
you’re articulate you’re not
particularly what did you say one
particular not accented that’s great
that’s awesome but some of the best
storytellers in the world they don’t
have the best voice they don’t have the
best non dialectical you know accent
free voice they’re beautiful in their
own way you know when you say beautiful
do you mean sexy do you mean deep do you
mean cute do you mean authoritative I
mean there’s so many things that go into
what beautiful actually means and I’m
sure your voice is beautiful because I
think everybody’s voices are beautiful
um is there anything that you would put
forth as a less traveled path to getting
into vo
yeah so who are you talking about here
you’re talking about yourself I’m just
asking I’m just wondering let’s travel
it’s it’s like you’re asking for a
shortcut and I can tell you that it may
take you a while it may take you little
or no time at all but there are no
shortcuts you either have it or you
don’t and if you don’t have it you got
to go get it and that means taking
classes it means getting coaching it
means practice practice practice more
practice practice after that yeah I I
don’t see any
shortcuts I think that really being
enthusiastic and really being hooked up
and just desperate to be in the business
is a big plus but I think you really
have to take whatever that beauty is
that you have and make sure that you
become a storytelling genius that’s
really that’s really where it is all
right I think that’s enough for today I
I still have more some of them are very
short we’ll get to more of them in the
next episode if you’d like to subscribe
to my youtube channel so you know when
that next episode is coming out well
maybe there is a head there my head and
you can click on it if you want and if
not there’s a subscribe button somewhere
on the page and look you up if you want
to see the latest video I’ve done go
ahead and click on that frame and
YouTube will play it for you I’m David H
Lawrence 217 these are the AMAs thanks
so much for listening and watching and I
will talk to you tomorrow.

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