Admit it, the Aflac Duck campaign was a fun little diversion. Gilbert Gottfried blew it (hey, he’s an insult comic, it was bound to happen), and in a brilliant bit of PR, the company decided to throw the doors open in a nationwide search for the next voice of the Duck. And here he is: Dan McKeague, radio sales manager from Minneapolis.
From the CNBC Story:
McKeague beat out well-known celebrities like Jeff Foxworthy and Richard Lewis for the job which Gilbert Gottfried lost after making jokes about Japan post-quake. Gottfried had been the only voice the duck has known since being introduced 11 years ago, but Aflac gets most of its revenue from Japan, so Gottfried’s remarks turned out to be no joke. (Gottfried never did the voiceover work for Aflac’s Japanese ads.)
A nice bit of PR for the company that helps it recover from the damage done by Gottfried’s less than thoughtful remarks, a pretty cool opportunity, and a re-establishment of goodwill. A win win for everyone.
Well almost everyone. Not unlike the Ted Williams situation, I have seen members of the voiceover community/industry grousing about how someone who didn’t pay their dues or spend a ton of money on training and equipment, or maybe just wasn’t them, got a gig that perhaps they shouldn’t have. Specifically, one quote I heard was “Who invited this guy to the party?”
Who invited him to the party? The same people that invited you, me, and every other voice artist out there: THE CLIENT.
Now I am certain that this isn’t the majority of people out there. Most of us, I hope, have the perspective that this is a selection process that the only part of which you control is your performance. Most of us realize that your chances are slim in just about every audition process you have, unless it is targeted specifically for you. Most of us get the fact that there is another job around the corner that might be yours.
But for those who do not, here’s the rude awakening: you aren’t going to get everything you audition for. You aren’t going to get half of the things you audition for. You probably aren’t going to get one-quarter of the things you audition for. No one promised you a NatGeo documentary series, a national ad campaign, or a Pixar/Dreamworks film deal. Learn your craft, work your contacts, market yourself. Audition. And audition some more. And don’t obesess about the relative success of one-off situations like the Aflac campaign. You got into this because you wanted a career, not a job, right? Don’t lose that perspective: there is always another job.
Congratulations to Dan McKeague! That’s a sweet gig, and I hope it gives you much success. Everyone else? Let’s get back to work!
Karen Commins says
Greetings, George! I LOVE your answer to the question of “who invited him to the party?” The sort of criticism aimed at Daniel McKeague isn’t limited to those in the voiceover community. Unfortunately, it’s part of human nature.
Although I don’t like organized religion, I watch Joel Osteen’s show each week because his core message (as echoed in his theme song) is “Discover the Champion in You”. Recently, his show touched on the very issue you raised.
I remember he said that “the higher you go, the more the haters come out. You’ve got to be so confident in your calling that you don’t have to have everybody cheering you on.”
This phenomenon about the haters is true whether one is the bride of Prince William, the hottest sports or music star around, or the new voice of the Aflac duck!
After the announcement about Daniel McKeague’s selection, I saw a comment on the Aflac duck Facebook page that truly illustrates this point.
Someone wrote that her husband had been laid off and had auditioned for the spokesduck gig. She then complained that she wished the job had gone to somebody who needed the money rather somebody who was already set up!
Mind you, she doesn’t know whether Daniel McKeague “needs the money”. She just gave into the jealousy and bitterness that she felt because he now has something that she wants.
I’m thrilled for Daniel’s success! His story illustrates some other things that Joel Osteen has talked about:
* Our creator wouldn’t give you the VISION of your dream without giving you the PROVISION to obtain it.
* You may not see any way of obtaining your dream. You may think things won’t work out. You have to change your thinking and be positive. You have to continue to do your best and maintain your faith that things will happen for you. SUDDENLY, things may change for you.
* SUDDENLY, you may be the recipient of an explosive blessing that catapults you to a whole new level of existence.
* Blessings with your name on them are just waiting to be claimed. No one can deny the good that is on its way to you.
The explosive blessing of the Aflac job had Daniel McKeague’s name on it. He now will need to ignore the distractions of the many haters and just quack all the way to the bank! 🙂
You wrote that that we weren’t promised a NatGeo documentary series, a national ad campaign, or a Pixar/Dreamworks film deal. I prefer to think of it as not knowing which of those or many other blessings of voiceover work might have my name on them.
Since I saw it happen for Daniel McKeague, I know such a thing can happen for me. It’s up to me to maintain my positive attitude and continue doing my best so that I am in the right time, place, and frame of mind to be in line to claim all the good on its way to me!
Thanks for a thought-provoking post!
Cordially,
Karen Commins
http://www.KarenCommins.com
George says
Karen, thank you for your comment!
I don’t want to sound like the “scold” of our little community of voice actors. But the little bits of venom that I started sing, like you saw, really made me steamed. I definitely like your attitude about not knowing which of those big things has your name on it. To me, that is the best way to keep your head up and your drive going: one of those things could be right around the corner.
We shouldn’t waste time or energy feeling as if we didn’t get a job we “deserved.” The kind of ‘crabs in a barrel” attitude you described is detrimental to everyone, and constructive for no one. Professional jealousy is one thing (if properly applied, http://wp.me/p1q5Iu-NR), but some of what we are seeing is misdirected energy use.
Thanks again for the very thoughtful comment!