Voiceover Networking and Gratitude; The road to voiceover success can sometimes be challenging! I have been actively working in the VO industry since 2011 but started pursuing VO in 1999! There were a lot of years after my initial training and first demo when I just simply didn’t know how to market myself. It was frustrating, to say the least. In 2011, after further training and then a narration demo, I was able to book my first short audiobook! The client liked my work so much that he booked me again shortly after that for a slightly longer children’s book. It just carried on from there! I was booking children’s apps, e-learning modules, and more.
Gratitude, Balance, Growth, Equanimity
Then in 2014, I started my company called ”Mid Atlantic Voiceover, LLC”! I live in Virginia, and I saw the need here for a VO training event to cover Va, MD, DC, and beyond! I wanted to continue my VO education/training and not always have to go to NY, Los Angeles, or Atlanta to make that happen. The first event was small, with just 28 attendees, but it was a great event! Our theme is always to ”Get Inspired,” and right from the start, even at a small event, everyone felt inspired! I could go on and on about the conference and how it’s grown over the years and evolved. But I want to share something even more important.
Gratitude Invites Change
In November of 2021, after we had just finished our 2nd online format of the MAVO conference, my Mom passed away rather suddenly. It was heartbreaking because my Mom and I were so close, and I hadn’t had the chance to see her much in the past few years. I was devastated. Later, I realized after that just how important it is to not take people or things that we have in our lives for granted. I wanted to make a positive change in my life, so I started writing down in my agenda daily as many things I could think of that I’m grateful for. When you begin with gratitude, it opens up a world of opportunity for good things to happen. It has helped me tremendously. Maybe give it a try!
Get Inspired
The sub-themes for our MAVO2023 ”Get Inspired” Conference this year on November 10-12 will be Gratitude, Balance, Growth, and Equanimity. It is absolutely essential with our busy schedules to try to find balance. If we don’t have balance in our daily lives, it can cause excess stress, health problems, etc. Some of our sessions will focus on tools to balance your daily life with auditions, family, and more. Many of our sessions will focus on Growth in the industry. Our sessions are performance-based for a reason.
I want attendees to leave the conference feeling like they have had the chance to perform and get feedback on the spot so they can apply it to their careers immediately after they leave the event. And lastly, Equanimity! Equanimity is mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation. I have spent time over the past year adding meditation to my daily routine. It has helped me to have better mental clarity, especially when I’m extra busy – which is all the time! I wanted this sub-theme because meditation has helped me so much. I plan to incorporate at least one meditation session/option into the schedule so that people can improve their skills or explore the idea of meditation if they don’t do it already.
Voiceover Networking and Gratitude
Networking events are so important in the VO world. In the end, booking work is not JUST about your talent or acting ability. It’s about who you know and who you’ve trained with. Knowing the right people can help you to open doors that you might not be able to open on your own. I hope you’ll take this into consideration as you plan your road to success over the next few months! I hope to see you all at MAVO2023 in November.
Voiceover Networking and Gratitude by Val Kelly – Voice Actress
Owner/President/CEO/Executive Producer/Director, Mid Atlantic Voiceover, LLC
