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Part 3 of 3: I MAY OWE YOU AN APOLOGY (about SaVoa)

April 20, 2012 by Rowell

 

(For those who came in late, Part 2 and Part 1 are below)

What does it say when Seven Professional Voiceover Artists finally decide they no longer want their names associated with the executive board of an Association of Professional Voiceover Artists.  (That’s a rhetorical question.)

It’s one thing if you want to have your own private club with your own rules.  No problem.  Enjoy.  But before its implosion yesterday, SaVoa’s executive board was meant to be more than a single person’s domain.

Why does it still bug me?  That’s not rhetorical.  And here’s the rest of it:

Several weeks ago, a special conference call was requested by members of the executive board and convened by me, to discuss the validity of concerns (mentioned in Part 2). And while it was eventually agreed the most recent case in point was not worth a huge fight, it did expose some existing tensions, and resulted in motions to request that our founder relinquish his office of Secretary/Treasurer. After some awkward and testy exchanges, I did probably the only presidential thing of my whole blessed term and suggested a compromise of asking the founder to stay on as Treasurer but turn Secretary duties over to another member, an idea which had been offered by our then-Vice President and with which I agreed.

The protestation was made that we did not have enough North Carolina residents to satisfy our charter, unless I was willing to take over another office. Further discussion was avoided when our attorney advised us that there was actually no such restriction on a certain number of officers being residents of the state.

Further proposed shufflings were proposed. And our founder was, justifiably, ticked off…feeling he was being given the Captain Queeg role in our own version of “The Caine Mutiny”. Raw nerves were exposed, tempers grew thin. And when our still- Secretary/Treasurer moved we table the conversation until a later time, I lost my temper. Rightly or wrongly, I hotly stated we were already in a meeting with the authority to discuss the issue and I was tired of hearing complaints from board members yet having to stand by — powerless to do anything either way.  I lost all diplomacy and, as us old folks still say, I lost “my cool”.  And it’s all there on the recording I was making for the group as meeting minutes and provided them with later…unedited with my blow-up intact.

A vote was taken, and the Secretary and Treasurer’s jobs were split, our founder promising to hand over the seal, membership database materials, and website passwords to another member who stepped forward to act as temporary Secretary.

I regained my composure somewhat for the remainder of the meeting, apologized for my outburst…and later that evening informed all concerned that I was resigning my position as so-called President. I had seen and heard for myself what had happened when I had tried to assert the authority I was supposed to have had. And it was a character I did not want to see ever again.

The board members, to a man (and one woman), assured me I was overstating my embarrassment…that they took no offense…and wanted me to stay on. One or two even complimented me for being one of the few to finally say something everyone else had been thinking.

I let my resignation stand, writing a lengthy explanation to the board as to why I felt they had a better chance of making great changes to SaVoa without me at the top of the roster.

I even stated for the record that I gave the group’s creator the benefit of the doubt…that I had not been recruited and put in place just so I would be the “reputation” and “friendly face” of SaVoa while the inner workings stayed with the status quo. But I told them that true or imagined, I sure felt that way.

The next week, as a courtesy, I was informed that new officers had been selected and voted upon in an emergency conference call. New members were being brought up into the executive board. Looked like things were finally ready to take off…progress to be made…benefits to members realized…faces saved . I was asked if I’d like to retain my shield and the designation, Friend of SaVoa…which I gratefully agreed to.

I told my friends I would withhold public comment about the recent dustup. No need to air the dirty laundry, now that it appeared the washing machine was working.

Now comes the “spin cycle”.

Now I learn that the creator/Treasurer has re-thought his relinquishment of power. I am informed that he’s consulted outside attorneys to fight his “ouster”. The control of the savoa.org website will not be relinquished, nor its database of members. (While the claim of the founder that he paid for the establishment and upkeep of the site is absolutely valid, one of the last decisions I presided over was that he would be reimbursed for all his expenses to date with our thanks.)

With this, and all the talk of “lawyer-ing up”, I think I’ve changed my mind as well. No longer am I willing to give SaVoa’s creator the “benefit of the doubt” about anointing me as a mere  figurehead for my supposed reputation, so he could stay in control.

And I resent the hell out of it.

Mind you, this is all from my perspective. This is my experience and these are my opinions. You will doubtless hear or read other accounts, if you’re not too fatigued to follow them. I have deliberately gone out of my way not to name names. They’re easy enough to find for those who want to dig.

This is about MY name…and how I feel it has been misappropriated and misused.

All I can attest to is what I feel.

What I feel is “used”…used for my name – my reputation – to put a false front on something that could have really truly been a good thing for freelance voice talent.

Instead, it has imploded on itself, and given credence to some of its most vocal critics who originally dismissed SaVoa as just one good ol’ boy’s private clubhouse.

And that…makes…me…mad.

— over and out —

Filed Under: General, Getting Started, Stories From The Biz, Voice Jobs Tagged With: implosion, reputation, SaVoa

I MAY OWE YOU A BIG APOLOGY (if you joined SaVoa because of my name)

April 20, 2012 by Rowell

 

So long, SaVoa.  I’m sorry.  Really truly sorry.

…and I’m angry.  Really truly angry.

As a voice talent, being used sort of comes with the territory, right?  I mean, you put yourself out there as spokesperson for whatever the script may call for (within reason).  It’s understood up front.  No harm, no foul.

But what happens when something you’ve put your voice to turns out not to be quite as advertised? And what if people are hurt after buying into it because you were such an effective “shill”?

Some years ago, a fellow got the really truly good idea for a group which would be called SaVoa:  Society of Accredited Voiceover Artists.  He, and some founding members, braved ridicule and derision for thinking there ought to be a non-profit group…or guild…or association…of professional, veteran voice talent who could establish a certain recognized level of talent and technical ability.  This was not to be/or/compete with a union.  As I later thought I understood the concept, it would be a sort of Underwriters Laboratory for voice talent:  wherein a producer considering a voice might see the SaVoa shield and be assured a quality job from an experienced talent.  …a Good Housekeeping Seal, of sorts.  Not a guarantee of work for the member, but one more reason for a potential client to say, “yes”.  This made sense to me because I regularly have clients of my own call and ask, “Who do you know that does…”.  And I have regularly benefitted from being recommended by another talent, and having my abilities vouched for by a trusted pro.

SaVoa’s creator, who by his own admission can come across as confrontational, took a lot of guff from the skeptics as he slowly sought the support of like-minded individuals.  Some reactions to his idea were downright hostile (“who do you think YOU are to judge ME???”)  Others were not so much offended as bewildered (“okay, I’m not sure how this would really benefit me”).  Originally, I counted myself among the latter, but saw no harm in the concept.

I’m still surprised when someone tells me they know my name, or my work, or my reputation.  I’m even more surprised when they express admiration for my talents and character.  I expressed that surprise a few years ago when I was approached to help with SaVoa’s advisory board by its then-President, the group’s creator.  While expressing thanks for the kind words, I reminded the gent that I wasn’t even a member…had never applied, submitted voice and tech samples or membership fee, nor did I really have it on my priority list, though I wished the organization no ill will.  I was told that wouldn’t be a problem.  The proper committe members would “vet” me, and my help in evaluating talent and perfomances could prove really useful.  I agreed, not feeling I had that much to offer, but willing to see if I could indeed help.

I sat through monthly conference calls, offered an opinion here and there, listened and offered opinions on some of the voice demos from potential members.  And that was about it.  I felt the others knew far more about how SaVoa was supposed to work, and so did not do much else in the way of “advising”.  Imagine my further surprise when not much later I was asked to accept a position on the Executive Board.  Again, I demurred, citing my lack of experience within the group and my status as a non-paying member.  Again, I was assured it would be beneficial to SaVoa to have someone of my reputation and experience on board (sorry…you know it’s bad when the puns come out unintended).  I accepted.

Surprise turned to outright disbelief when, not too much later, I was again approached by the group’s creator to see if I would consider accepting the presidency of SaVoa.  As it was explained to me, the original non-profit charter required a certain number of officers to be residents of North Carolina where the application was filed and approved.  There was to be a shuffling of duties and, as it was put to me by the group’s creator, he was aware that a lot of potential members might be put off by his somewhat abrasive public shows of personality…whereas I had a great reputation in both the talent and character departments, and could help SaVoa improve its image, while he stayed more in the background as Secretary/Treasurer.  Again I protested my inexperience, and my total lack of interest in parliamentary procedure, debate, and organizational structure.  Again I was assured there would be plenty of experienced hands to support me.

I knew I wasn’t the first person to be approached for this position.  So I checked with a couple of the others who were friends of mine.  Both explained their reasons for declining, and left the decision to me.

I wish I had listened to them.

— to be continued —

Filed Under: General, Getting Started, Stories From The Biz, Voice Jobs Tagged With: implosion, reputation, SaVoa, voiceover associations

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