Phil Sutfin - Profile

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Silence or Success: A Voice Performer’s Paradox

With the recent events in Virginia, I’ve been thinking more about the idea of speaking up. We all know by now President Trump’s remarks, regarding the shocking display of events in Charlottesville. Subsequently, everyone from the CEO of Walmart to LeBron James have added their own counter points making me wonder; what is the cost and benefit to expressing yourself when your business and your identity are one in the same?

Hacking Voiceovers

I was recently listening to a podcast, featuring one of the top up-and-coming voiceover talents in our business, when the performer bashfully mentioned spending tens of thousands of dollars in coaching and demos the prior year. Hearing that figure, I was instantly floored. 99.9% of voice actors don’t average 25K in yearly earnings so spending a comparable amount on training appeared crazy to me.

Why Voice Overs is A Part Time Job with a Full Time Commitment

Throughout my career as a voice over agent and manager, I’ve had various professionals from other businesses come in to see me about working in the world of voiceover. Some of these people were enormously successful and 9 times out of 10 I would try to discourage them by saying “do you really want to take a pay cut?” That’s not to say some didn’t show signs of talent but talent is only one facet of the job.

Rejected: The Three Reasons a Voiceover Agent Passed On You

So, you’ve built yourself a nice career, and you are ready to take the next steps. You want those big commercials or those network promos, maybe you even think you’re right for movie trailers. There is only one problem; The NY, LA, and Chicago agents who control that business, aren’t taking notice of you.

Betting On Trailers

Voiceover performers generally aspire to one of two possible career paths: 1) being the voice of a beloved cartoon character, or 2) becoming the next Don LaFountaine of the trailer world. Everything in between, whether commercials, narrations, promos etc., is usually not considered until the reality check occurs that the entry point to other voice work is much easier and still profitable.

We All Need a Guru

(Originally posted on August 3, 2016) The other day one of our assistants enthusiastically came in my office to ask me if I knew who Tony Robbins was? "Growing up in the 80's", I needed to explain, "it would have been impossible to miss Tony's infomercial barrage."

Call Me Ishmael

(Originally posted on July 20, 2016) I want to play a quick game... I'm going to pretend I'm a successful actor. During the week, I receive a call from a major agent/manager who tells me how much he/she enjoys my work. He/she praises me and I am admittedly flattered.