Agent talks voice-overs

Julie Holman has seen it all over the last 12 years working as a voice-over agent for the Kim Dawson Agency in Dallas.

Her job is to find actors for a variety of productions in the metroplex – TV, films, commercials and industrials, as well as other entertainment ventures.

Holman was on campus Dec. 2 to speak to drama students about opportunities in the field. Richland Drama Chair Andy Long also took part in the discussion.

"About a year ago, there were four TV series shooting here [in Dallas], which was absolutely amazing and fabulous," Holman said. They were "Chase," "Lone Star," "The Good Guys" and "Friday Night Lights."

"They all went quickly," Holman said. "It's very hard to get a program established." The "Dallas" series will be shooting here sometime next summer and it will be shown on TNT. Her agency will be providing talent for that series.

Holman said the agency has employed the actors who are the voices for Metro PCS and Gander Mountain radio and TV spots, among many others.

The actor whose voice for National Insurance says, "Life comes at you fast" also is with her agency. It was a big deal for him financially.

"If you get a big campaign like that, for voice over or on-camera anyway, it could put you in six-figures annually, $100,000 a year, if you've got enough of that going on," Holman said.

Holman got her start in the box office at Theater Three learning about theater

management and ticket sales.

From there she went to the Society for Theatrical Artists' Guidance & Enhancement, an information center and

support organization for actors, where she was membership and executive director.   

At S.T.A.G.E., Holman produced

showcases for actors, which led to work in casting for such films as "Blank Check," "Texas Justice," "Necessary Roughness," a couple of Dallas movies of the week on CBS and other projects.

"We had at least a 10-year run before the film business kind of tanked in Dallas in the late 1990s," Holman said. "That's kind of how it started. We did everything – the "Wishbone" series, TV movies, feature films, other TV series, mini-series, which they don't really produce anymore.

Holman's advice to aspiring actors includes some marketing skills and staying engaged with the acting community, whether it's a group of actors or in a class.

"The first thing you need to know is you have to keep studying," Holman said. "Once you finish school, if you are an actor, you must practice.

"There is some work you can do by yourself, but it takes other people to practice and work – you have to keep your skill levels up. It's like any other art form".

Holman said if someone is serious about getting work as an actor that, "You are your own brand."  

Your marketing materials should include a headshot, a resumé attached to it, a valid email address and a cellphone to stay in touch with an agent, if you have one, or a theater company.

Holman suggested to aspiring actors not to have a "cutesy email." Instead, use an adult email address with some form of your name in it or have two email accounts; one for business and one for your friends.

Long, who has had a successful career in the acting field himself, said in addition to the marketing skills Holman suggested, a company provides quality customer service and as an actor, you should do the same;

return phone calls and emails – "That is you providing customer service."

Long said that he learned early on to use what's called "booking out." If you cannot make auditions on certain days or times of the month, use "booking out" with your agent so they won't schedule auditions for you during those specific times.

"Communication is the key," Holman said. "It helps us, it helps you, it helps things work smoothly."

Holman said that, at Richland, students get a lot of theater training, which is good, and recommended other ways for students to further their career.

"It's [training] a really good foundation. It's really how to act – how to be an actor," Holman said.  "You need to be seen in plays or showcases," Holman said. "Just get seen, get in theater circles, talk to your fellow actors, especially those who are working. Ask who they are with."

Holman said that you "really have to want to be an actor." If you really want to be in the business bad enough, don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't be in it.

"There are things about the business that are so irritating," she said.  "There's a lot of rejection. You go to auditions. For on-camera stuff, if you're booking one in 10 auditions, you're really doing great – you are really knocking it out of the park."

If you want to make a living in the Dallas area as an actor, Holman said, in any given month you might have an audition for an industrial, a commercial, a play, a TV series or a film.

"You get to do everything – you get to work on every aspect or genre of it," she said. "That's a really good thing."