"Always start your first blog post with a quote" — Toby Smith, 5 minutes before writing.
What do you get when you cross a biology graduate with a musical theatre nerd?
Hi - I'm Toby. 27, married to Naomi (her blog) with a wonderful one-year-old. Blogs/diaries/journals/spill-your-heart-out-onto-a-page type things have never been something I've had a decent go at, though I think I like the idea of them. Don't they feel narcissistic though, talking about yourself as though people will be interested enough to stop watching Love Island and read? Do I need another thing to risk inflating my ego? Being the whole world of a 1-year-old does wonders for that by the way. Maybe they're a good way to not internalise your thoughts too much and have a laugh at your own expense at the same time. Who knows. Safe to say - I don't read blogs. This will probably be a screaming train-wreck. Time will tell. Here we go.
What makes your life so interesting then?
Certainly not enough to make you switch off Love Island. Please don't let me take you away from such scintillating television. Someone told me it was a good idea to get your name (and maybe even face - we'll see how this goes) out there if you're starting a new venture that relies on people knowing who you are and that you might possess a morsel of talent. We all think we possess a morsel of talent though, don't we. You've got to be good at something. For example, I happen to think I'm quite good at making an omelette and that when I sing a song, at least 40% of people don't leave the room with fingers in their ears. Some people have even gone so far as to say I have a nice voice. High praise indeed. Whatever that special talent of yours is, you've got to make sure you use it to your benefit and hopefully not to the aural discomfort of others. So yes I've sung a few songs, acted in a few plays, danced in more musical numbers than should have been allowed, and also happen to teach biology to teenagers at a secondary school.
When does it get interesting, you ask! Good question. Gold star.
You've got the face for radio
Quite the compliment, no? Beggars can't be choosers though, and solider on I must. Occasionally, the above was accompanied with, "You'd sound good on the radio too". Once I was sure this was not yet another thinly veiled insult, and it had been repeated to me more than once, I wondered if these 'friends' and 'colleagues' might not be entirely loony. You can't declare such things about yourself though, can you? It's a British thing, I know, but I can't very well break the news to people that I do, indeed, have a face and voice for the radio! So even though I had an inkling that my morsel may lie in my voice, it took a while for the idea to bed in so sufficiently that I actually did something about it. You should know: 'Doing something about it' is a very uncommon action for me to take, preferring usually to 'see what happens', 'go with the flow' and 'let him find his own way down from there'. "Doing something", in this case, involved booking a recording studio session with a renowned voice over artist with the intention of recording some demos and producing a showreel with which to offer my services as a voice actor. Wait... what?
Time for a booth
First of all, if you're looking to start out in this field - look no further than Gary Terzza's VO Masterclass. This wonderful human is so kind, encouraging and knowledgeable that he'll turn a nervous wreck into Brian Blessed in the space of a few hours. Do check him out https://www.vomasterclass.com/
Gary (with Anthony the sound engineer) helped me to deliver, improve and record 4 demo tracks that I can use as part of my online portfolio (showreel). If you're still reading, you might want to have a listen (voice123.com/tobysmith2011). I've got to say, this was one of the most fun things I've ever done and by the end, I was feeling totally in my element. All the hours of reading The Gruffalo through a myriad of character voices felt like it was paying off (beyond my son's priceless giggling, of course) and maybe I could feel a twinkle of future possibilities in my gut... Either that, or the croissant I'd eaten for lunch had been a horrifically bad decision. Hopefully it's the first one. Fingers are all crossed.
The present day
So that's why I'm writing this. Hopefully I'll write a few more posts to chronicle my journey into this brave new world and hopefully you might read again. Oh, and if you happen to be producing a project (or know someone who is) and liked my demos, please do get in touch. My morsels await your email.
First published 24th July 2019
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