More On Specialization

Hey, there!

In another issue, I talked about not trying to specialize in VO, but being a generalist.

There’s more to that – and it has to do with your brand. Here’s what I mean.

You might think that your brand will dictate what kinds of VO you’ll be best at, and most successful at.

To a certain degree, perhaps.

But for the most part, we might be selling ourselves short if we only market with our core brand.

An example: when I first moved here, I thought with my amazingly handsome face and startlingly masterful physique (sarcasm fully intended), and my background in morning radio shenanigans, that I’d be sitcom-city, baby. Crazy frat boy that never grew up, nutty neighbor, goofy uncle.

Nope.

Here’s the brand I was handed: creepy, evil villain.

Oh, sure, recently, some of the Disney sitcoms have cast me as the nutty-neighbor-goofy-uncle type, but for the longest time, creepy, evil villain.

Who knew??

But if I had only marketed the brand I thought I was, and wasn’t open to other possibilities, more general in nature, who knows what I would have missed out on.

What categories of VO are you missing out on? What have you simply dismissed as “not your brand?”

Find them. Lean into them. Be ready to kill at them.

Hope this helps!

David

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  1. David, your words ring true… whether an actor, a voice over pro or wanna-be, or at the office with presentations and spreadsheets, those who “stretch” and move into less-comfortable areas will find professional growth is usually the result… as long as such is undertaken with the knowledge that such an effort may meet with less than considerable acclaim. Practice before commitment, remove ego, and trust in your schooled talents… they should serve you well. Certainly this post is a good, gentle reminder to continue one’s walk toward more open doors…

  2. I have always felt that being a generalist is also a good thing. Its like reading and being interested in a lot of things. My intuition tells me that the door opens in more places when you want to play in more spaces.