13276: If I Ever Catch You Saying This, We Will Have Words

Raw transcript:

So, I’m at this party
and as happens in Los Angeles, as you’re
having a conversation in a little group,
somebody says, “So, what do you do?” And
the answer I heard someone in our group
give really made me sad.
I’m going to give you some alternatives
and some some some life advice in this
episode of the VO Heroes podcast.
So, I’m at this party in the Hollywood
Hills, you know, people way above my pay
grade, some peers, not very many. Um,
and I’m in a little group of people.
We’re talking and a guy asks this woman
in our group, “So, what do you do?” And
in Los Angeles, the answer, nine times
out of 10, is, “Oh, I’m an actor.” This
woman said, “I’m a bit of an actor.”
like apologetically,
you know, because she isn’t, you know,
wellknown or she doesn’t have a lot of
credit. Who knows why? Who knows why?
She could have been uh very wellknown
and I just didn’t know her and she was
being facicious. I don’t think so. But I
hear this sort of thing all the time. I
hear things like, “Yeah, you know, I’m
you know, every so often I’ll do an
audio book. I’m a narrator. You know, I
dabble at voice over. Um uh you know
occasionally uh I’m a writer. I you know
write some stuff. All of these things
all of these things words matter. Words
matter to you and to others.
The the to others part is something that
could affect your ability to get work.
It could affect your ability to uh
network with people on an effective
level, to be respected and treated like
a peer rather than somebody who’s just
kind of trying at it. Or who knows? Now,
you may be dabbling at audiobooks and
you may think that you’re just being
honest. But if you’re not, if you’ve got
a bunch of audiobooks, and by a bunch I
mean more than three under your belt,
you know, if you uh audition on a
regular basis for voiceover or on camera
work, please
don’t minimize your effort. Don’t
minimize the journey that you’re on.
Don’t don’t make yourself less than or
other yourself.
I want you to joyfully say, I’m an
actor. You don’t have to go I’m an
actor. You don’t have to go uh you know
so boldly and proudly that it becomes
cartoonish.
But there is nothing wrong with saying
I’m an actor. I love saying I’m an
actor. I’m a voice talent and I’m a
storytelling coach.
I I just I just love the whole nature of
it. And so I want that for you. I want
you to proudly say it. I get that it’s a
it’s a slog. Sometimes it’s horrifyingly
difficult sometimes to make progress in
a business that is so random and so
weird and and all of the things that
we’ve used to describe the things that
we do. I know that most of the time you
don’t get the job and that can make you
think, well, I’m not really a
professional. I’m not really very good
at this. People who are very very good
at this stuff don’t get the job. I I you
know, I’ll calm down, but don’t let me
catch you doing this. I don’t want to
have a problem with you. I don’t want us
to have words.
I want you to lead a life that feels
great, that feels fulfilling, no matter
where you are in your journey.
when you were a student of acting,
however you learned how to act. I don’t
think you said, “Well, I’m just kind of
like going to classes every so often,
not really kind of playing hookie
sometimes, but you said, “I’m an acting
student or I’m pursuing acting or I’m
doing something. I’m learning how to
act. I’m I’m taking acting classes.” I
don’t think you minimized yourself.
And I just I want you to have that grace
and joy with yourself and for yourself,
please. It makes all the difference in
the world. Plus, I want us to be on a on
a good working base. I don’t want to
have a problem with you.
Um, do me a favor. Join my mailing list.
Underneath this uh at the bottom of
this, if you’re on VO Heroes, there’s a
little signup sheet for our mailing
list. You can hit the like button if uh
if you like what you’re hearing, you can
pass this on to another actor who
constantly is minimizing their journey.
Uh you can subscribe to the channel. You
can click the notification bell. It’ll
tell you when new episodes come out. So
many things that you can do. But please
be proud. Be proud. You deserve that.
I’m David H. Lawrence the 17th. I thank
you so much for watching and for
listening. And I will see you in the
next episode of the VO Heroes podcast.

(from YouTube)