![]() The now widely used Custom Audition, rates, delivery method(s), how to categorize and structure demos….everything. They stole everything, right down to my color scheme (guess which one). He didn’t even try to change the wording! It was my thinking that he had hired someone to compose his site, they found me at the top of Yahoo! and ripped off my content. I went to have a look, only to discover that he had “copied and pasted” my index page……verbatim. I had a guy from Calgary send me a note asking if I’d link to his site. Audio from my demos started showing up on other people’s demos – SFX and transitions. What I didn’t expect, was how badly I got plagiarized and ripped off….again, much like Microsoft. It’s at about 160 pages now and enjoys fantastic rankings. My site grew by about 3-4 pages a week at the start. I was bombarded by so many questions from both clients and talent that I kept writing content for my site and pointed everyone to look at. I figured that if it worked for Microsoft, it would work for me….and it did. So, I chose to share information from the start. Kinda like someone reading about playing the guitar….but never having the skills to play it. I knew all along that – in respect to VO – one can have all the information on the subject in the world, but if they don’t have talent for the work, they won’t succeed. Everyone held their cards pretty close to their chest for fear of losing….whatever. No one was sharing information on the trade….primarily because it was so new (running a home studio and delivering audio via the internet). Most, if not all of them, were tantamount to a flashy business card. When I started my web presence in 1998 there were about 30 guys (no gals) on Yahoo! with a website up. There’s a few technical tricks I’ve learned over the years I would have liked to have known at the start, but really, I would have done a much better job of protecting my intellectual property. What is the one thing you know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started out in voiceover? I had a buddy in Toronto I knew for years say…….”So, you’re going to do VO….fulltime?” I’m sure he thought I was smoking something…lol.Ģ. So, I decided I’d try to do freelance VO. I had to start all over with less than nothing, I was carrying debt. He lent me his vintage 1966 Mustang to get around (in winter, no less). Things came full circle when I ended up back with my brother at his house in Oakville outside of Toronto, literally stranded there after being dumped by Girlfriend From Hell back in Ottawa. ![]() When I left for good in 1997, I recall saying to myself that I’d be happy mowing lawns if that were my fate. Lousy money, horrible hours and tons of stress led me to the point of a nervous breakdown. The only thing positive I took from radio was the experience – everything else was horrible. I remember getting hot under the ears after that and I think that ultimately led me down the path to VO. I didn’t have a “passion” for doing VO – I was simply good at it – it was part of my job.Ībout a year before I left radio (1996 or so) I recall saying to a producer I worked with daily that “Guys in Toronto are getting paid $750 for a local spot, you know….” In fact, I said this so many times, he got pissed off and told me to shut up and read the spot. It’s funny, but I really didn’t “know” I want to be a pro VO talent, but I was keenly aware that every radio station I worked at, I always got the lion’s share of commercial work. I would say that my professional career started when I got into radio in 1984 – my brother inspired me to get into radio broadcasting he had a few years behind the mic at that time. The beginning: When did you know you wanted to be a voiceover talent how did your career begin (please include what year it started) and then when did your passion for voiceover develop into something professional? ![]() Today’s 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent are answered by Todd Schick, a professional voice-over talent based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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