My criticism of Dan's comments are two-fold. First, I believe them to be wrong. In order to voice a national spot for Kraft, I'm sure he needed to become a union member. But second, union membership isn't a job qualification. And I say this as a former AFTRA member. I didn't have to pass an audition to become a union member. I didn't have to take a test, go through any kind of apprenticeship, or required training in order to become an AFTRA member. A master plumber or electrician does. All one needs to do is pay a huge initiation fee. It doesn't mean the member is any better than anyone else, or more qualified to hold a job. I feel that's wrong, and creating standards for membership, beyond an initiation fee, would professionalize the members. I was speaking with a financial consultant who had just passed a certification exam. It struck me there really is no such thing in broadcasting since the FCC 3rd class licenses were eliminated. That kind of certification would be used as a qualification, and demonstrate to a potential employer that the applicant has certain training and experience beyond what's on the resume.
Back to Ted, what he did was market himself. That's what any voice talent should do. If you can't effectively market yourself, you can't market your client's product. Stan Freberg's famous spot Why I Should Advertise on Radio is a great example. Having a golden voice isn't enough, as Ted proves. It's knowing what to do with it, and having a story that moves you to the front of the line. All of the thousands of out of work broadcasting guys have stories too, but they haven't found compelling ways to tell them. That's the challenge to any type of talent, whether we're talking a VO guy, an actor, or a recording artist. They're all born with a certain amount of God-given talent. It's what one does with it that makes all the difference.
