Sirenetta Leoni Inside Voiceover—Information + Insights On Voice Acting

Seth Goodin puts into words what many of us have been wondering: "Are the "gatekeepers─the pickers─indeed fading away?"

If so, what are the implications for voice actors?

Those of us who have been around the voiceover industry for more than ten years have already witnessed significant shifts in "gatekeepers," as more and more clients have turned to online data bases (e.g., Voicebank, Voice123) to find talent for their projects; often bypassing traditional voice talent agencies altogether. And with constantly improving, cheaper, and more portable technology, the landscape ten years out may look totally different, yet again...We may have a totally new set of "gatekeepers;" either human, or possibly even digital ones.

At any rate, I think that voice actors would do well to take Seth's advice that you shouldn't just be waiting around for someone to "pick" or "annoint" you to heart, because way too many of us, use this excuse as a justification for doing little or nothing while we wait (present company included). Ultimately there is only one person who is responsible for advancing your career and you don't have to wait around for him or her to pick you. Tag─you're it!

From Seth's Blog: "...It's a cultural instinct to wait to get picked. To seek out the permission and authority that comes from a publisher or talk show host or even a blogger saying, "I pick you." Once you reject that impulse and realize that no one is going to select you--that Prince Charming has chosen another house--then you can actually get to work."