151 & Counting: A fat stack of radio
Twelve Years of Making Radio: What I’ve learned, and what I like
by. Josh Streufert
Last week, I was in the studio producing a radio spot for our friends at Georgia United Credit Union. When we got back to the office, I went through my standard routine after every production: traffic the radio spot, archive the final, and add a copy to my iTunes library in a playlist titled “WMG Commercials”. This playlist is my personal repository of spots I’ve made over the years.
To my surprise, this modest little spot for Georgia United was my 151st (I didn’t notice when I hit 150). My how time flies.
In honor of this admittedly arbitrary milestone, I spent a few minutes reminiscing and rummaging about my archive. Below are five of my sentimental favorites over the years (I’m not saying that these are my best, of for that matter the most effective, just my sentimental favs). But before we get to the spots, I thought I’d first share a few of the things I’ve learned in my last 12 years of writing, producing, and directing radio spots.
1. Hire professional voice talent
Relatively few people make their living as professional voice actors. Those that do, tend to be awesome — and their non-union rates are about the same as anyone else. Don’t hire your niece who wants to be an actor. Avoid first-timers. Go through reputable agents and get audition demos based on your script. Did they bring something special to the part? Is their timing good? Do they sound rushed? Did they record variations? Are they improvising? Are their improvisations any good? The answers to these questions will make all the difference. Most of the hard work is done in the casting — nail it, and the rest is easier.
2. Be nice to actors and especially their agents
continue reading »No one wants to work with jerks. It’s true for you. And it’s true for actors. If they like you and the project, they’ll do a better job. Ask them for their opinion on your favorite take. Listen to their suggestions. If they want to go again, let them. And make sure everyone gets paid on time. Agents are your friend — they round up the best talent they can, and ask them to burn an afternoon recording a custom demo for you. You want them to answer the phone if you call. Also, don’t beat ’em up too bad on price. Pay their asking rate as often as you can — it’s not that much — save your negotiating for when you really need it.