George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Sourceconnect
(704) 293-7469
george@voevolution.com
  • Home
  • Demos
    • Commercial
    • e-Learning
    • Narration
    • Promo
    • Democratic Political
  • About
George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Header Logo
  • Clients
  • Contact
George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Logo

Dan McKeague

I Never Promised You a National Campaign

April 27, 2011 by George 2 Comments

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!

Filed Under: Career Development, Marketing, Sales and Contacts, Tip o' the Hat, Voiceover - Work Tagged With: Aflac, Dan McKeague, duck, Gilbert Gottfried, selection, winner

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • When Your Voiceover Work Impacts You
  • Verizon Dropping ISDN in Some States
  • Sales Performance International – Knowledge is Not Power
  • D-Link Gaming Router
  • Joe Miller for US Senate

Archives

  • February 2023
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • July 2012
  • May 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010

Categories

  • Agents
  • Audio
  • Audiobook
  • Career Development
  • Faffcon
  • Interview
  • Marketing, Sales and Contacts
  • Music
  • Narration
  • Networking
  • On-Camera
  • Pat on the Back
  • Power of Human Voice
  • Press Release
  • Random Thoughts
  • Samples
  • Social Media
  • Sound Resources
  • Tech Talk
  • Tip o' the Hat
  • Tools You Can Use
  • Training
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Video Testimonial
  • Voice Artists
  • Voiceover – Work

Contact

If you want a quote or a personalized demo, feel free to contact me today. I’ll be happy to review your project by phone or email.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

george@voevolution.com
(704) 293-7469
george.washington.iii
George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Footer Sourceconnect
George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Wovo Logo

©2023 George Washington III // Voice Over Site by Voice Actor Websites

George Washington III African-American Voice Actor Footer Logo
(704) 293-7469
george@voevolution.com
MENU
  • Home
  • Demos
    • Commercial
    • e-Learning
    • Narration
    • Promo
    • Democratic Political
  • Clients
  • Contact