A VoiceOver Abroad … thoughts on a conference.

As voiceover artists we spend a lot of our time alone with someone else’s words and yet, put us all in one place, and our own words take us into conversation with colleagues, producers, editors, publishers and organisers. People we have shared our thoughts and ideas with on-line, transform into friends; figures we have admired and respected from afar, are humanised as they share their wisdom.

Audiobooks are my passion and when I found out there was a place I could go and talk about nothing else, I leapt at the chance. Along with several VON members (and honorary members), myself, Gabrielle Baker, Helen Lloyd, Matthew Lloyd Davies and Gary Francis Furlong, flew out to New York.  I flew into JFK Airport late on Sunday night filled with anticipation and excitement. The customs officer asked “What do you do ma’am?” When I said I was an Audiobook Narrator, he said “Cool!” stamped my passport and I was officially in America.

The NewYorker “Art Deco” Wyndham Hotel turned out to be the perfect point from which to enjoy the next few days.  Next door to Maddison Square Gardens and a stone’s throw from Times Square, I spent my first day sight seeing and resting. The Fearless Girl statue next to the famous Bull in the financial district is overrun by tourists but worth the experience. A walk over the Brooklyn Bridge is highly recommended and the New York Public Library is stunning.

If you’ve navigated the tube in London, the Metro could not be easier. I fell in love with Central Park and MOMA and the plethora of accents everywhere were music to my ears. An early night followed; this conference was going to be 72 hours of networking and learning and I didn’t want to miss a thing!

An early metro ride got me to Johnny Heller’s Splendiferous Workshop in time to meet Johnny himself and I was thrilled to see many VOs I had met at the MAVO Conference in Washington last year. We blended into the American crowd and ensconced ourselves for a morning of adventure; Johnny Heller does not disappoint.

There were 4 panels; From Prep to Performance; Character Choices; The Business of Audiobooks; and an ACX panel. The discussions ranged from 3rd person narration and how invested we are in the details of the story to the importance of humanity and authenticity in making informed choices.

Q & A allowed for conversations about commitment, ACX and APA (Audio Publisher’s Association) educational resources and the importance of taking yourself seriously. The panellists were all incredibly talented, hugely experienced narrators: Johnny Heller, PJ Ochlan, Sean Pratt, Scott Brick, Hilary Huber, Amy Rubinate, Carol Monda, Andi Arndt, Teri Schnaubelt, Jeffrey Kafer, Kevin Pierce and Simon Vance. The breadth of knowledge was astounding and the small group size meant that we enjoyed wonderfully informative sessions.

The panels were interspersed with one to one sessions with various coaches; watching already talented narrators transform reads with the guidance of such caring and giving coaches was fabulously informative and entertaining. The entire day was a great experience, full of opportunities to chat over lunch, coffee and Ann Richardson’s cookies.

A swift 4.30pm finish meant that we could all travel across to the official start of the conference, the APA Welcome Mixer at the Boat Basin on the Hudson River, a beautiful outdoor location that allowed for more chatting and mingling. I then jumped in a cab with my fellow BeeAudio Narrators to McNally’s Bar to their mixer where I managed to meet up with James Adams and chat with many other narrators about the excitement of the next day.

Early Wednesday saw me arriving at the Javits Center (an enormous, incredible glass building that also holds Book

Expo at this time of year) for the APA Conference, a beautifully organised day of nothing but Audiobooks – heaven! This day was organised similarly around panel discussions that ran concurrently and split into production, tech and business themed panels.

I attended:

Production: Getting to the Next Level: panellists from Hachette Audio, Scholastic, Skyboat Media and Scott Brick gave sage advice on customising your approach and the importance of good communication with the author/rights holder and/or production house; when and how best to contact casting directors and the dos and don’ts of moving your career forward.

Your Body, Your Voice: had wonderfully engaging panellists (including Robin Ray Eller and Chris Ciulla) giving advice on best practice for taking care of yourself and your voice; tension releasing techniques, circulation, breathing and hydration; remembering to take a moment to reset once in a while.

Ask a Casting Director: representing HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Tantor Media and Brilliance Publishing, the panellists enlightened us with their experiences, dropping hints about knowing your own voice, checking in with your publisher and the importance of connecting with your material. The entire morning ran smoothly and again there were opportunities to chat and discuss over breakfast, coffee and lunch.

In the afternoon there were more panels and the opportunity to vie for a place on a Speed Dating session with producers or a Director’s Diagnostic session allowing you to discuss a particular piece or have a general chat with someone in the know. It meant missing several panels on marketing and branding but I was lucky enough to be assigned a Director’s Diagnostic session with Mike Charzuk from Audible and after 48 hours of audiobook immersion, I had plenty to talk about.

The day was beautifully rounded off with a Listener’s Lounge session hosted by Johnny Heller, where various award winning narrators helped us unwind with some amusing and entertaining reads. An hour of drinks followed allowing us to de-brief and catch up with everyone.

That evening the Brits (and several honorary Brits) gathered in a local diner to share our stories, indulge in Bison Burgers (!) and then, another impromptu gathering at a nearby hotel allowed us all to come together and relax after a hard day’s graft.

The day after APAC, the Audies take place, where the best of the best are applauded and lauded. The best narrator of the year awards were won by Tavia Gilbert and our very own (Brit) Simon Vance (full details of all the winners are on their site). It’s a posh affair and I have to admit that I didn’t go (despite the glamour) as just down the street the Naudies take place. All the narrators gather to chat and mingle and await the entrance of the winners after the Audies. Yet another opportunity to share stories and experiences with fellow narrators and catch up with some good friends from abroad.

All told, it has been an amazing, enlightening, exhausting experience. The value of being able to sit and talk with so many narrators and producers in one space cannot be denied and I leave feeling inspired and enriched. I have a huge todo list and am invigorated to move my career forward. New York is an experience in itself. The roads could not be straighter and the names and the layout could not be simpler. Being able to stand at a cross roads and see all the way to both sides of the island is something I shan’t ever forget.

Thank you New York, you were wonderful!

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