VO Producer Q&A's with Eric Michael Cap @ GOLD STREET

(from 2019 Interview with Jewels Jaselle)

1) Introduce yourself. Who are You? Name of your Company?  What you do - Your Role?...etc.

I'm Eric Michael Cap. My company is Gold Street. We're located in Burbank CA - the Media Capital of the World! You can find us online at GoldStreet.net & GoldStreetMedia.com , & on social at facebook.com/goldstreetcreative or LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/ericmichaelcap

We are an Audio / Visual Media  & Marketing Company/Agency. We Create (Transformational) Media for our Clients/Partners to reach their Audiences with their Message about their "Products" (Services, Mission), to Accomplish their Purpose & Desired Outcomes. And I am the "Chief" Audio/Visual Story-Teller / Media Producer + Project Mgr. In Biz for 20 years!

2) What type of projects do you normally Produce and Cast for?:  ie: E-learning, ADR, Games etc.

We normally Produce & Cast VO Talent for Video projects that require Multiple Voices - both English & Spanish. So we do a lot of Animation & Spanish Language VO & Dubbing, ADR, Corporate/Industrial Videos. We've also done multi-Character e-Learning, Audio Books, Toys & Video games. AND we Produce & Cast On-Camera Talent for Video projects; Corporate/Training Videos, Education & Health, Music Videos etc.

3) What gets your attention in an audition during a casting call?  ie: How Many Takes do you Prefer?  Do you prefer Slates or non-slated auditions?

• The Quality of the VOICE & Audition - Match What We're Looking For?
• The Speed of it (Earlier is better) & if VOTalent followed Instructions re Labelling, Availability etc.
• The Excitement/Enthusiasm I sense in their message. i.e. I want People who are excited about the subject matter we're Recording, not just the "Job/$"

When I send out a Casting Notice I always include:

• Project Overview/Description incl. Characters "Avatars", along with the Sides, and in some cases links to Video files, to give you the Talent as much info as we can to help You understand & deliver what our Client's looking for
• Pay Range for each Role & Release requirements (Buy-out)
• Content Length TRT # Min. #Lines/Words etc. * Draft Script
• Tentative REC Dates (Week) & Est. Session Length (1-2hrs)
• Specific Detailed Instructions as to How to Audition & Deadlines.
• Slates with Your Name/Role i.e. "JewelsJasselle reading for role of Lana" & then 1-2 Takes (maybe 3 if it's a real Quirky Animated Character you can have fun with).
• MP3 File Labelled with your Name_Role i.e. Jewels_Lana
• Separate MP3 Files for each Role/Character you're Auditioning for (No Comp's I need to Edit)
• Hard Deadline - usually 3 days, sometimes 5 days for children/teen roles (harder)
• Know Availability i.e. I'm avail. 3rd Wk April anytime or Tue & Thu anytime or specific am/pm times

4) What are some of the things you look for in a Talent that you would consider Hiring or Re-Hiring?

• VOICE - Character/Quality  & Versatility esp. Character ACTing for Multi-Supporting/Minor-Roles for the same project & Different Voice Styles - mature/authority-$, caring/re-assuring-health, dramatic - political,  upbeat & fun-millennials or little "sassy"  (not Nar)
• VO Experience i.e. Real-World Studio Exp. w/Clients (attendance) + Commercial Credits, Real-Job Samples (fake-Demo). Also, specific Genre or Industry Experience can Help i.e. EDU/Health Sector
• VO Dubbing / Lip-Sync Experience for Animation/Spanish Dubs
• Professional Home Studio 4 Pick-Ups/Remote (Good Quality Mic - Audio I/O - Quiet Room) + VO Samples REC In-Studio (Normally I can gauge Quality in Audition, but sometime people Read on-the-Road)
• Spanish/Foreign-Language - Must be a Native Speaker
• Re-Hiring; Successful & Positive Work Experience with i.e. Fast. Clean. Client Happy & Loved the Work, I Enjoyed Exp.

5) What are some deal breakers? ie: things that would lean you toward NOT Hiring or Re-Hiring a talent?

• Committing to & then Re-Scheduling a Session because of another Job/Gig 
• Being Late for a Session (grace D-O-Distance/Rain) * Text/Call Me/Client Know
• Not being Prepared i.e. Not having Read/Rehearsed the Script (We Can Tell)
• Not Giving 100% Effort during the Session - In/Out asap - Distracted w/Phone (Turn-Off Session starts)
• Being Difficult to Deal with - not following Direction, having an attitude/ego/drama (Mic set-up. HdPh mix)
• Disrespecting me @ Producer or my Studio or Business, our Script-Supervisor-Translator, or our Client (personally) - their Media or "Product" in anyway
• Unprofessional Conduct in the Session - Trying to Solicit Business with my Clients  - Giving the Client your Business Card  (I've had that happen & the person who did that lost 2 Re-Occurring Roles & $1,000's)
• Criticizing the Script or Translation. We go thru multiple iterations with our Team & Client & often-times our Client's end-Client to come-up with a Final Script. Bottom Line:  We need to Record the Script/Copy that's been Approved! Now as you know, we'll often times Record an ALT Take or "Safety" w/different pronunciation or inflection if we think something might work better & give we'll let the Client know & give them some options. If we're doing a VO or Dub and need to cut something or time, or discover a mistake/inconstancy that fell-thru-the-cracks, then we're open to suggestions & will seek everyone's input.

6) Aside, from the Performance, what are some other things you look for in a Talent? ie: level of Professionalism, Scheduling flexibility, Attitude & work Ethic etc.

We're looking to work with the Best Voice Actors & Talent in L.A. (& Beyond), so I look for Experienced Professional's with a track record who are not only Competent & Capable of Doing the Job, but who share our Core Values of Passion-Service-Excellence. That means:

1. You Love What You DO & are Passionate about your Craft.
2. You Love Serving People and understand that we're in a "Service" Business, and that the Client is the Hero (not you), and you're willing to do Whatever-It-Takes to make them Happy (i.e. another Take, REC an ALT), because you really care about the Client's "End-Product" & want the Project to be a Success.
3. You Strive for Excellence in everything i.e. You take Pride in your Work & don't accept Mediocrity or "Good Enuff". That means, saying "You Know, I think I Can Do That Better - Can I do another Take or 2". *

7) Name 3 Do's and 3 Don'ts that Talent should do or avoid doing. ie: constantly calling and bugging you to hire them, taking direction personally...etc

1. DO Say "THANK YOU" @ the End of the Session (Myself, SS, Client)
2. DO FOLLOW-US on Social Media & Like-Share-Tag Session PICS & Posts
3. DO SHARE What You're Working ON on Social Media - Sessions, Pers. Projects

• DON'T CALL Me or SPAM Me
• DON'T Try @ Contact our Clients or their End-Client's Directly to Solicit Business
• DON'T SHARE Your Political Opinions with Me or my Clients (We're NOT Interested)

Also if I may add; Be Careful What You Post on Social Media (COST YOU Work) Specifically Denigrating People or a Group of People, Using Profanity, Arguing with Strangers in Group...

8)  Final Thoughts: What can Talent do to make your Life Easier? How can they really WOW you? 

• At the end of the day it's really about the Audition (WOW Us/Client). 
• Read/Follow Instructions - Casting Notice.
• Be Flexible with Scheduling (Co-ordinate Multiple People) & Honor Your 1st Commitment.
• Bring Your A-Game to the Session - Prepare/Rehearse & Deliver
• Bring + a Great Attitude i.e  a Positive Can-Do Att. & Willingness to go the Extra-Mile i.e. Go-Longer (without Complaining), and If Needed - Re-Recording 1-2 Phrases or Lines (w/minor change) the Client needs @ Home quickly without Charging extra
• Being Reasonable with your Rates any Pick-up requests for Extra lines (@Home or @ Gold Street Studio)
• Being a GOLD STREET Team Player + FAN (We WIN - You WIN)

Thank You for having me & I hope this has been Helpful to You & Your Audience. Cheers!

NOTE to Voice Acting Talent re Contacting Us & Demo Submissions

Local VO Talent who's interested in working with us & want to Submit your Demo - you can sp by sending it to avpost@goldstreet.net with the Subject Line  "VO Demo Submission" - Ref. Jewels as a Referral and include Link to your Demo & Website. Please Don't Send/Attach any Audio Files - MP3 etc., because anything sent to me with an Attachment from someone not in my Address Book or that doesn't have a Specific Subject LINE, goes straight into a SPAM Folder & will probably never be seen/heard.