Industry news, views and reviews

Voice Registry Podcast- Tracy Pattin Talks Again with Commercial Copywriter Colleen Wainwright (Part 2)

July 21st, 2009 Posted in Audio Podcast

Colleen Wainwright is a writer-speaker-illuminator who started calling herself “the communicatrix” when she hit three hyphens.

She spent 10 years as an award-winning TV copywriter crafting ads for brands like Wheaties®, Gatorade® and Jell-O®, and another 10 acting in them for cash money. Since deciding she’d blow her brains out if she had to sit through one more meeting about which way the bears danced around the cereal box, Colleen spends her time teaching other creative souls how to talk about what they do in a way that wins them attention, work and satisfaction.

Right+Click to Download Podcast (9.6 MB)

  1. 7 Responses to “Voice Registry Podcast- Tracy Pattin Talks Again with Commercial Copywriter Colleen Wainwright (Part 2)”

  2. By John Iron on Jul 21, 2009

    If I’m not as good as the guy that got the job, how is that “not about me”?

  3. By Debbe Hirata on Jul 21, 2009

    Once again, invaluable information. “Where is this all going,” Tracy asks. Hard to say, for sure. But as Colleen points out, the main driving force behind the read is talent…pure, raw, talent. Plus it helps to be in the first six submitted for the job. ;-) Thanks, ladies, for opening your hearts and brains for this enlighening conversation. I love it.

  4. By J.S. Gilbert on Jul 22, 2009

    Thanks for offering up some stuff that might be alittle hard to hear for us actors.

    I recall when I was doing more casting, it was often “first through the door”, meaning the agency creatives would grab the first talent agency’s cassette that got there and listen to the 10 or 12 people and make notes and then wind up never having time to listen to the other agency tapes.

    And sometimes, if you had the misfortune of being on the tape after a heavy hitter, the clients might talk right over your audition (discussing the other guy’s audition)

    Tape was good because even though you could fast forward it, most tended to listen to it linearly. (It was also harder for clients to “steal” taped auditions for pitches)

    Nowadays when most of the auditions are posted to Voicebank or an internal talent agency server and the client has to download your audition, they tend to pick and choose, often from the same small group of recognized names – makes it hard for talent who ahave been pigeoneholed or for new talent.

    But the craziest thing I have seen is when the client passes on local talent in S.F. and sends the casting to L.A., where the S.F. talent now reads via their L.A. agent again and this time gets booked. (it happens a lot)

    My tip for increasing your booking ratio, marry Alex Bogusky or some other good Creative Director or at least go work for the agency.

  5. By Tracy Pattin on Jul 25, 2009

    Thanks for your comment John. I think what Colleen means is that there are many factors that make it “not about us.” Of course when we’re not selected we feel like it’s personal. And it is. But it’s also about a host of other factors, out of our control.

  6. By Tracy Pattin on Jul 25, 2009

    Thanks Debbe for your comments! Yes! It does come down to that raw talent…and being heard in the audition lineup…

  7. By Tracy Pattin on Jul 25, 2009

    Great insights J.S.!! In addition to marrying a creative director, this makes the case for us to get into the business of marketing, branding and nurturing those relationships.

  1. 1 Trackback(s)

  2. Jul 22, 2009: What drives voice casting people crazy?- Voices Of Advertising

Post a Comment