Millennial Trends

Digital Nomads, Part 2: An interview with the “VOMad”

Millennial Lifestyle, Millennials on the Road, Voiceover Abroad

Far and away, one of the best aspects of the Internet is knowing that, no matter what you do, you are never alone.

Building off of our “Digital Nomads in a Gig Economy” post, Maria and Ian chatted recently with fellow millennial voice talent Sean Gray, known as the “VOMad” [or, “VONomad”]. Sean’s a smart, talented fellow voice actor who is taking full advantage of the portability of voice over work to travel all around the world. Read on [or listen below!] to learn more about this fascinating fellow, and how he’s carving out his niche while traversing the globe.

Audio playback:

Millennial Voiceover — VOMad Transcript Audio

——-
Ian Fishman: Sean, where are you right now? Where are you joining us from today?

Sean Gray: I’m in Berlin. It’s kind of becoming a little bit gentrified now, but it has some nice history. Where I am has always been the neighborhood where the artists would always go — I think David Bowie spent some time here in the 80s. It’s where the Turkish families came and it was always very cheap to live here, which is what attracted the artists. It’s just a very nice, relaxed atmosphere. It definitely feels like a city, but the atmosphere is not tense, like I would usually feel in a city. It’s a very relaxed, laid back place.

IF: I’ve always pictured it as being like the best parts of the Village in New York and Wicker Park [Chicago], but with less yelling and shoving like you get in America. Or at least like a different kind of rudeness. I picture sharper elbows but less yelling.

SG: Yeah, for sure. I haven’t been in the States yet, but I would imagine there’s maybe a bit less yelling from the movies, you know?

Maria Pendolino: Obviously, we always slam our fists on car hoods and scream that we’re walking just to let people know that we are, in fact, walking.

IF: “Hey, I’m walking here!” is the unofficial slogan of America at this point.

MP: Sean, a big part of why we wanted to talk to you is because as millennials, a lot of us have become digital nomads in a gig economy and especially in the voiceover community. And one of the things that kind of freedom allows us is to travel all over the place. And it sounds like that’s something that you’ve figured out really well for yourself.

SG: For sure. I’ve had my sights set on this for about, I’d say, three years. I read [Tim Ferriss’] “Four-hour work week,” and I was already in voiceover by that time a little bit, very slightly, and then it just clicked for me — I don’t need to be some kind of e-commerce guy, I can do voiceovers anywhere I want. So why not do the four hour work week thing as a voiceover?

IF: That’s one of the best things about it. Being alive in 2019, as long as you’ve got the chops to do it, access to the auditions and a good internet connection, you really do have the freedom to do it from anywhere. Even 10 years ago doing it outside of New York, LA, London, and to a lesser extent, Chicago, it was significantly harder to just to build your business, let alone exist in it.

Speaking of which, where have you gone as a VOMad? What’s reaches of the planet has this taken you? Make us jealous.

SG: I started in March with an experiment. I went to Bali. I decided, let’s do five weeks and see how it goes. I figure, I’ll get all the gear and we’ll see how this works. If this is gonna work for me — a six hour or seven hour time difference and basically living in the jungle — then I know at least most other places will also work for me. I’ve just arrived in Berlin a couple of months ago. I’m pretty much at the beginning of the journey. I’ll be in San Francisco at the end of October.

MP: So with someplace like Bali, which is perhaps a little bit more far-flung and less industrialized than Berlin or San Francisco, how did you find things like internet access, or different sites to upload large files?

SG: Bali came with pretty much all the challenges that you can possibly hope for… or let’s say, not hope for. The main challenge in Bali — they had some decent internet, but you had to kind of find it, which was a big challenge.

IF: How did you find it?

SG: I spend a lot of time and energy looking for the right place. And you know, the internet was one thing, but that was the least of my worries, to be honest, because the houses there are kind of made of bamboo, or the doors have holes in them and it’s in the middle of the jungle. So you’re hearing the jungle screaming through the walls or even the roof, you know? The big challenge was finding a place that not only had internet but that also was not filled with jungle sounds or mopeds or what have you. It’s a pretty loud place to be honest.

MP: So you’ve just got like, screaming Howler monkeys as a watermark on all your files.

IF: I was just thinking that I’ve been doing this all wrong. I’ve been adding all of that in post.

SG: If you could just go to the source, I recommend it. If you do a lot of jungle work, go for it. If “jungle” is your niche voice, Bali is the place for you.

IF: Did you find any challenges in this kind of first experiment in Bali with of your long-term clients? Let’s say there was a project you did before you left for Bali. Did you have trouble matching audio? How are you thinking about that as you move from space to space?

SG: The sound stays pretty consistent in this booth that I bought. I didn’t have any problems with that. That was totally fine. And I didn’t have many projects at the time that were carrying over to this five week thing. I made sure that most of the jobs I did in the weeks coming up to Bali that I did them on my portable set, so that if there were any pickups that needed to be done it wouldn’t sound too different.

A couple of instances did occur when a client asked, “Hey, can you redo this sentence?” This was totally unexpected and a job from like, a few months ago. I said, “Sure, but do know that I’m on a portable setup now, it could sound slightly different.” And when I sent it to him, he was like, “Hey, this is perfect. I don’t even really hear the difference. So thanks very much.”

IF: I’m always so relieved and terrified when I hear that. I’m like, “Oh good, that’s awesome that it matches! Wait a minute, you’re telling me that this mic matches that mic, when… how much have I spent to treat out my sound booth and such?”

MP: You just get a little overconfident on your pillow forts. You get that plane coming in, but then you don’t have to add it back in post. [Laughs]

SG: It’s a good point what you’ve just said here. One of my fears before doing this came from not wanting to compromise in the slightest on quality, because this is my business and my goal is to have my business grow throughout my travels. I want it to grow, so no compromises, and at the same time, how can I possibly offer the same amount of quality with so much less? I think the main difference is that I have slightly more challenges in terms of sound coming from outside. It’s just a matter of finding a quiet environment. And other than that, I think the quality is pretty much the same.

IF: I was wondering initially whether or not you would line up a number of gigs and rent out a studio and then just go and bang all of those out in one afternoon. But it sounds like you do everything from your portable rig. Is that correct?

SG: I had a few instances where I had to do a live recording. For those, I went ahead and just hired a studio over there because I don’t want to take any risks at seeming unprofessional of course. And that was fine, too. They are very affordable, actually — especially in Bali. It’s like, I think I paid like 25 euros an hour for a very, very nice studio. I just took a scooter, brought my iPad, brought my own gear because I didn’t want to deal with an engineer and everything, so I just set up my own gear in that studio. I had a nice quiet space with internet. It all went perfectly.

IF: Logistically, time zones are already a slight mathematical nightmare. But as far as where your business is based out of, versus where you are, versus where your client is… does that cause any hiccups for your business? Has that affected you at all in the ways in which you can procure and complete work and get paid?

SG: My business stays in the Netherlands, and that’s not gonna change anytime soon. In terms of time zone, that was a challenge in Bali mainly… but I guess I work with people from all over the world already. We just figure it out. We make it work because that’s what we’ve got to do.

MP: You’ve just added like 14 world clocks to your iPhone, so you always know the time.

SG: A funny thing happened with the first call I got in Bali. So, it’s like a six hour time difference. And so, it’s evening where I was, and it was just normal working hours back in Holland where I have a lot of clients. And they called me and I was like four beers into a nice night out at a live music event. So I was like, okay, what should I do? So I picked up and I had to play it cool. I was like, “Yeah… I’m at an event. Uh, is it okay if you email me this and I’ll get back to you in a couple of hours when I’m back home?”

It did take a bit of getting used to: I could get a call in the middle of my evening. How am I gonna handle that? And I don’t want to lie, but at the same time, I don’t need to make it more complicated by saying, “Oh, I’m in Bali now, but I can still record, etc.” I keep it simple and just provide the same level of service and convenience. The “no compromises,” that’s been the whole basis on which I’m doing this, that I don’t want to compromise in service or quality of what I’m delivering.

MP: Yeah. I think there’s this element millennials in general are more comfortable with, perhaps than some of the other generations. in the expectation of always being “on.” And especially in the gig economy and freelancing, there’s a lot of people who are side hustling — you know, some people doing something like voice over or another creative pursuit, and they’ve built up a portfolio of clients… but they might also still be working a day job.

It’s interesting because I feel like there’s this surge right now, where people are trying to recapture work-life balance and like, “Don’t forget to download your six meditation apps and write in your gratitude journal!” But also when your client emails you at 1130p EST, the expectation might not be that you’re getting up to do the job, but there is an expectation that you’re going to reply to their email, because they know you’re seeing it with your notifications, because they know you have your phone, because they know you’re scrolling while you’re doing whatever you’re doing.

So, how do you find that? Like, as you know, as the gig economy keeps building and as you’ve got clients all over the world, different time zones, whatever — how are you finding balance while taking time to explore these new cities that you’re in. Obviously there’s a reason that you wanted to travel — so, how’s your work life balance?

SG: I’d say it’s pretty good. I try to be reachable as much as possible. So that does mean that, you know, during a nice evening with friends, I might have to take a couple of minutes out in order to let a client know I’ve read their message and when I’ll get back to them. I mean, not every job, not every email needs to be responded to immediately. But I can always respond and say, “Hey, I got your message, I’ll get back to you.” If it’s really pressing, I’ll go for it. Of course I’m here to enjoy my travels… but it’s also my career, my voiceover business that’s allowing me to do this.

I will admit there have been some stressful times during evenings out and that kind of stuff, but then again, that’s also occurred when I’ve just been at home in a normal time zone. I think it’s part of the voiceover industry… or at least, it has been for me. It takes a bit of getting used to how to handle boundaries in that respect.

MP: I feel like I’ve conditioned my friends. I’m in Buffalo, New York, which is Eastern time and they know I do a lot of work with people on West coast time in Los Angeles, and they kind of know the look on my face when I pick up my phone and like, turn my body slightly away from the table to try not to be rude. And they know I’m teeing something up to record after dinner and I’m only going to keep it to one margarita.

IF: It’s a trade off — it’s that blessing and a curse that there is always everything to do, and nothing to do. “I’m going to go live my life as I see fit, but I’ve gotta take my work with me.”

SG: For sure.

MP: Sean, if people are interested in reaching out to you and pitching a city where they think you should visit or want to hit you up for a drink if they’re in your city, what are your socials and stuff where people can find you?

SG: Feel free to reach out on Instagram. My handle@seangray1 is just kind of my personal one, but I post both personal and business stuff there. You can also email me at sean@voiceofgray.com. If you want to reach out, I’d be super happy to chat!

Sean Gray: Voice of Gray [website]

Want to read more about being “Digital Nomads?” Check out the original blog post here. Or, bring it all back home to hear demos or request a demo.

Let’s Talk About “Influencers”

Millennial Marketing

What is an Influencer?

And why and when does it matter in voice over in reaching Millennials?

The notion of an “influencer” in marketing isn’t anything new: in essence, it’s an attempt to one-up word-of-mouth advertising by having that “mouth” be someone with a specific social status and following.

Ideally, for a product that aligns with a strong majority of that person’s base.

But the term, and style, of influencer marketing has exploded over the last couple of years with the non-stop rise of social media… and, thanks to Millennials now driving most social & online habits, with the changing definitions of “celebrity” and “influencer” status. Whereas pre-social media, those terms were relatively interchangeable, “influencer” is now almost strictly based on online, social media presence, and assumes that the tens of thousands of “followers” an influencer has will follow their lead in buying, consuming, and sharing your product.

So, this begs the question: are social influencers really the best for getting your message out… and turning consumer dollars into your dollars?

Influencers, and Maintaining Influence

For clarity, “influencers” are individuals with power to affect purchasing decisions based on their reputation, authority, knowledge, position or relationship. Largely, influencers are… influential in a specific niche [otherwise, they’d be “celebrity spokespeople”], and specifically garner/exert their influence via social media.

Undoubtedly, one of the strangest places to see the “influencer” trend turn up has been in voice over. Unless the person doing the voice over is on screen, very few people are able to distinguish the person behind the voice. Unless you’re, say, Amy Poehler, or Matthew McConaughey, where you’ve already spent over a decade in the public eye.

Yet, increasingly, casting directors and producers are seeking “influencers” for voice over work, per request of the end-client [a.k.a., the product].

This is a little surprising to see… and it’s not just because I’m not an influencer in that sense [I’m not very into social, and that’s OK!], and therefore my audition for someone looking for that may carry less weight. Frankly, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t just hire the best person trained to do the job.

Voice Influencer, or Voice Actor?

What strikes me is this: the whole reason an influencer has any influence to begin with is that they peddle in authenticity — in being their “true” selves. If the people following the influencer see a reason *not* to trust them anymore, they’ve lost their base… and likely their career. [After all, no one is going to cast you for once being an influencer… unless you’re going in for Celebrity Real World Season 57 or something]. If you’re the end-client paying for a campaign, why would you hitch your wagon to someone who could just as easily accidentally damage your brand? After all, what’s more inauthentic than shouting to all of your friends, out of the blue, “Hey, this detergent is by far the best out there!” if you’ve never given a rat’s patoot about detergent before?

Meanwhile, hiring a trained voice actor — someone who makes their living fostering connections to script and character, while staying in the background — affords the end-client the luxury of finding the voice that most truly fits their brand and campaign, who has the versatility to deliver across multiple campaigns and strategies. Someone who recognizes that the product, not them, is what needs to be sold.

Not to mention, if you’re really trying to create brand identity [as opposed to hype], more often than not, your best bet is to maintain consistency in messaging… and that includes in your voice over. Think about it: one of the biggest changes in the last few years has come from Subway. For roughly a decade, they very, very successfully branded themselves as a health-conscious, care-driven chain for discerning customers who want to develop and maintain healthy habits & lifestyles. But, for the last couple of years, they’re pushing subs that have as many calories as one ought to have in a day [I never knew there were so many ways to have a Philly cheesesteak!]. Don’t get me wrong, I love eating all that kind of stuff. But, at this point, Jimmy John’s has a better reputation for healthful sandwiches — rather than adding bells & whistles, they’ve focused on their fresh ingredients & speedy delivery.

So, when & where do influencers belong?

There’s absolutely a time and place for influencers — that time is “hype,” and that place is “social.” But otherwise, if you’re looking for an influencer for your national campaign, there’s a good chance you’re just going to crater their credibility… and yours. No matter if you’re Subway or Jimmy John’s.

But, please… don’t ask me to pick between the two. Now that I eat keto, if I broke my diet, I’d just have both [good grief, I miss bread].

Curious about other trends in marketing to Millennials? We’ve got a “Millennial Marketing” hub waiting just for you… or, head on back to the home page if you just need a reset. We got you, boo.

22 Clues You Might Be A Millennial

Silly Millennials

Let’s face it: with 80 million Millennials in the U.S. alone, there’s a good chance you might be one of us. Whether you’re so Gen-X you’re disgruntled about being called a Millennial, you popped out of the womb with a smartphone in hand, or you’re just a Baby Boomer who understands the finer points of living with a lifetime of debt, more than likely, you’ve been a part of [or influenced by] some of the classic “Millennial” behavior.

Not sure where you land? Read on to find out!

You were born in the ’80s.
We’ve never seen it, but we know that guy with the hair built a car that went real fast.

Well, duh. This one is just math. If you were born between 1981 and 1996, you’re already there… whether you want to be or not. C’mon in, the water’s still potable for another few years at least!
You’re politically independent.
OK, snowflake, take it down a notch.

It’s true: most Millennials will bristle at being called “Democrat” or “Republican” [or even “liberal” or “conservative”]. Even if we’re far more likely — as a generation, that is — to vote for left-leaning policies, there’s enough of an individual streak that we’re far more likely to give a third party a shot. [Just don’t do it in a Presidential election]. Which means…
You don’t bat an eye at someone smoking pot at a gay wedding.
I typed “Millennial Gay Wedding” and got this. Pretty good!

Live and let live, love and let love. We’re all in debt anyway; we may as well throw the best celebrations we can. Speaking of which…
Wealth to you is experiential, rather than acquisitional.
Millennials, living their best “rich” life.

I just wanted to use my “word of the day” calendar here [the word is “rather”], but it’s a well-documented trend: the discretionary income Millennials have is increasingly spent on vacations and exploration, rather than material, conspicuous wealth [cars, property, jewelry]. Is it due to growing up in the backseats of gigantic Chevrolet Suburbans? To the glitz of social media [a sunset in Maui gets way more likes than a new Audi]? Or to growing up aware of climate change, and an innate need to do as much as we can, while we can, before we’re feeble and dehydrated anyway?

Either way, the things our Baby Boomer parents worked for — the stability of material wealth — has given way to spending habits that are far more fleeting, yet more memorable long term.But while there’s some generational resentment towards Baby Boomers [we’ll save that for another piece], we are thankful our parents placed more value on home ownership, because…
You moved back home after college.
Eh… on second thought, maybe I’ll just live here. Yeah. That’ll work.

Man. That recession from end of 2008 through 2011 killed a lot of prospects, and probably some of your self-confidence. Nothing like coming out of law school with a degree and… parking cars as a valet? It happened to more of us than any of us care to admit.Flat out, thank you, Baby Boomer parents, for giving us a place to come back to, much as we would’ve loved to be out making enough money to live and pay down debt on our own. It’s partially why…
You put marriage off until much later than your parents [and certainly your grandparents].
To have and to hold, in sickness, and in debt…

There’s something that feels wildly irresponsible about saying “To have and hold for richer and poorer” when you’re the “poorer,” living in your parents’ basement again. And for many of us, that’s where it’s at: we’d love to be settled and setting up our financial and emotional futures, but we’re going to wait until we’re able to support ourselves before we add in the responsibility of health insurance and joint taxes [let alone a family].OK, that’s enough negativity — after all, one of the strongest Millennial hallmarks is…
You’re optimistic about your lot in life.
Anything is possible with enough wine.

This one threw me the most, but Millennials — despite being maligned as lazy and entitled — are also one of the most optimistic generations out there. And not just because we’re hoping Bernie Sanders is going to magically change the tax code to cover our student loan debt. While we don’t have the manifest destiny of past generations, or the drive for conspicuous consumption of our parents, there’s some comfort in knowing that we’re generationally developing strong, long-term habits that emphasize people over products. Which is a little surprising for conventional wisdom, because…
You might not be atheist, but you’re not really religious, either.
God? No God? Whatever God? All good!

Come on out, ye godless freaks: Millennials, more than any generation before us, are eschewing conventional religion. That doesn’t mean we’re not spiritual [an overwhelming majority are still agnostic at minimum], but it’s just not as big of a deal to go to religious services, or wear your religion on your sleeve, quite like our parents or grandparents. We’re increasingly finding community through activities we’ve found on our own, rather than the community we grew up with. Plus, meeting new people of different walks and stripes just gives us more inspiration of what to explore next. After all…
You’re embracing diversity and working to be more inclusive.
We all do better when we all do better.

Millennials are the most racially diverse generation in history, and especially in the U.S.: over 40 percent of U.S. Millennials are non-white, and the U.S. projects to be majority non-white by late 2040. Fewer than 10 percent of Millennials say interracial marriage is bad, yet fewer than 20 percent of the “Greatest Generation” say it’s good. And we’re the generation most encouraging of raising children in LGBTQ+ households.Pat yourselves on the back there, fellow Millennials. And then go do some yoga to celebrate. Because…
You’re health conscious [to a point], even if…
Your first stop when you’ve got a health issue is “Google.”
The best way to stay fit is to exercise, and never, ever, ever see a doctor.

Yeah, you’re gonna raise your blood pressure way higher wondering which of these 11 extremely rare, debilitating diseases you actually have… which is still way less scary than going to the doctor after the age of 26 on your own insurance.

But, overall, you’re pretty healthful: you care more than your parents or older siblings about where your food comes from, if not necessarily having the most balanced meal any and every day. For example, you’re far more likely to grab a grass-fed, locally sourced burger from your neighborhood pub than drive to get a salad at Applebee’s. Because…
You ain’t afraid to treat yo’self…
…and you know exactly where and when the expression came from.
Circuit City is a fever dream of a long-lost, fuzzy past.
We got these at Best Buy instead.

You know it existed… you remember seeing those giant, plug-shaped red buildings anchoring strip malls [how quaint!]… but for the life of you, you can’t ever find a relic in the real world. Honorable mention goes to those small-to-mid-sized malls with CD stores. HMW, Sam Goody, Strawberries… RIP, old friends.
You remember passcodes instead of phone numbers.
Oh, look! *That’s* what a phone booth looked like!

Before my first cell phone, I kept a massive, tattered list of all of my friends’ numbers… as well as notes on where I could find a pay phone if needed [I ran around cities a lot on my own]. Much like frosted tips, that thankfully went by the wayside in the early aughts.Now? I remember a few numbers I had to call so many times I couldn’t forget them if I tried… and I have 1Password. Speaking of which…
You know to have more than one password for things, right?
Seriously. Make sure you do that. For ALL of them.

Like, completely different passwords — not just “1Password1” and “1password!” as two separate passwords. If you know that, you are definitely, positively a Millennial.
You know YOLO, and you have no FOMO because you already keep it 100, you GOAT, you.
This guy gets it, and probably makes acronyms for a living — AKA, he MAFAL.

Yep. Life is short. But that’s also probably the extent of your acronym agility, because you’re a Millennial. You’re probably working 5 different jobs while you’re reading this. Also…
You’re probably working 5 different jobs while you’re reading this.
Can you hold, please? My work is calling. No, my other work.

And you’re doing it on your phone, with three dogs tethered in one hand and a BiteSquad bag in the other, on your way home to snag your Lyft to your one, actual, in-person job: a full-time, 72-hour per week copy editor at a digital book publishing outfit.
You still have a GIANT wallet [or 4] of CDs. Not that you use them. They’re all digitized, which doesn’t even matter now that we can stream anything we want, anytime we want.
Oh, yeah! CDs! Those high-yield savings bonds!

But… I mean… I spent so much time filing them all into that giant freakin’ book to toss into my car [that no longer has a CD player, because the future]. I can’t just give them away… right!?
You have no problems downsizing your possessions.
*Sigh* This is all I need to be happy.

This one’s not so much an “extra cash” as it is a “less clutter.” Frankly, there’s just no reason to have that many shirts when you can wear only one at a time, and Millennials increasingly equate more possessions with more stress. Whether it’s tossing your old shirts on eBay or just bringing them to your local Goodwill, it’s no wonder the Tiny House movement has exploded with Millennials. And right in line with that…
Your purchasing skews towards reusability, durability, and sustainability.
Will these locally grown, sustainably sourced, fair trade, no-wash bunny hats hold their value?

Well, we’d rather not waste our money. And while donating and upcycling is exactly what one should do with anything “extra” they have… you know you can nip that in the bid by resisting the impulse to buy more than one set of dishes. There’s only so many people you can have in your parents’ basement at a time anyway, amirite? Unless…
You’ve got an original NES, SNES, or Sega Genesis.
All our childhood playtime icons, rolled into one moment.

Then, pack all those people right in your parents’ basement after all. It doesn’t matter when you learned how to drive a Mario Kart or “heat up” in NBA Jam. What matters is that it’s Friday and it’s time to unwind with some good, clean, cheap fun. After all…
You know TGIF once meant more than a restaurant chain.
TV PARTY TONIGHT!!!

In fact, it stood for one of the greatest TV lineups in history. But you missed it, because you were out riding bikes with your friends until you could come back and play a Game Boy and unwind with Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged, you Millennial, you.

*Royalty free images supplied by Pexel.com and Unsplash.com.

Still not sure if you’re a Millennial? Never fear, friend — we got you. We’ve got a handy breakdown here at “What Is A Millennial?” …but if you need to start all over, we won’t judge. We’ll bring you back to the home page here.