What To Choose For Meet The Producers
Tips to help audiobook narrators choose the right piece to perform.
MEET THE PRODUCERS
MEET THE PRODUCERS is a benefit offered to narrators attending APAC, usually through lottery or sign-up order, hosted by The APA, Audio Professionals Association. If you want to be a professional narrator, joining the APA is a great way to get on the path to meeting, and hopefully getting booked by, major publishers and producers.
In Meet The Producers, you get a great opportunity to read for a producer, one-on-one, and get valuable feedback on your narration, and possibly make a connection that will lead to getting on a publisher’s roster and getting hired.
Here are some pointers to make the most of this opportunity.
1) Be yourself. Annoying, but it’s true. Take a deep breath and be authentically you. Your personality will shine and they will be able to hear you reading different genres just by your interaction.
2) You may meet with a top publisher/casting agent, or you might meet with an assistant. These are both great opportunities. Don’t be disappointed if you’re meeting with (what you consider) a lower-level casting director. Many times, assistants are gatekeepers, and getting their buy-in can have a tremendous effect on your career. You also don’t know where those people will be in six months. Relationships in this business are key.
3) Choose the right piece to read. The right piece is the right piece FOR YOU.
How do you choose the right piece? Two ways to do it:
1) Research your producer and see what titles they’ve produced. This may lead you in a direction of choosing a genre. If you see they mostly cast romance, maybe don’t perform the political thriller. Maybe, I dunno, choose a romance.
2) Go with what you want for your career. If you want books that are thrillers, choose a thriller. If you absolutely don’t want to be hired for nonfiction, don’t read nonfiction.
3) Choose a piece you love that shows your ability. In general, choose a short piece from the last 2/3rds of a book that is a scene and not summary. A sign it’s a scene: there’s dialogue and/or action. You don’t need to explain the piece. Just perform it.
4) If you choose a scene with dialogue, think about a scene that shows two distinct characters. The producer will learn about your ability to distinguish between speakers.
5) If you are able to read for 2 minutes, choose a scene that’s shorter (not longer) than that. Your goal is to leave your producer wanting more. If you go too long, you risk them being bored or not having time to give you feedback.
6) Stay away from super famous piece (Harry Potter, Eat Pray Love, etc.) The producer will immediately compare you to that other performer/piece, and that’s not helpful.
7) Do your best. Even if you screw up, don’t worry about it. What is more important is the vibe the producer gets from you: are you confident, likeable, reliable? Are you cocky, difficult, or unprofessional? How you hold yourself and interact is as important (if not more so) as your performance.
8) Have fun! Yes. For real. Fun is contagious and so is joy. Lean into that, and you’ll make a lasting connection.
QUICK PITCH
If you are lucky to get a QUICK PITCH, you’ll present yourself to a team of publishers/casting people. Number 7 & 8 above still apply. Be yourself. Let them know what you excel at and anything that sets you apart from others. Have fun and joyful and they’ll naturally remember you.
FOLLOW UP
Follow up with whomever you meet with a quick email reminder of who you are (maybe a picture) and links to your demos and/or websites. Thank the producer and let them know your availability.
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Tanya’s next post will be about life in general and not work. She’s not sure if this is a promise or a threat.
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Thanks for the tips, Tanya! This will be my first APAC and Meet the Producers. I got paired up with PJ Ochlan, which I think is funny since we keep ending up in events together (Is that a sign? LOL). He's wonderful, so I'm looking forward to it.