The theme of this year’s APVA Awards is “Kings of The Game.” It’s been a week since the 2024 award nominees were announced in all categories. While all the voice artists are being celebrated for their artistic and valuable contributions to the African Audio Industry, it is very important to note some key factors that truly make one the “King of The Game” in their audio craft.
EXCELLENCE
Timeless Value
Understanding the value that voice artists bring to their work whether as a spoken word artist, podcaster or voice over artist / voice actor is crucial to the overall success of audio storytelling. For long years, storytelling has been and continues to be the bane of our existence as people.
Artists bring a wealth of outstanding talent and experience to their work and connect with a wide range of audiences both locally and globally. Their unique skill brilliantly captures and executes the essence of vocally relevant concepts and stories. However, the final outcome of the work everyone sees is as a result of the work no one sees.
Excellence is embedded in the main work process of voice artists – constant practice, cold reads / rehearsals towards the final production, drafting & marking scripts, proofreading, scheduling interviews and booking guests for podcasting sessions, several studio recording takes that run into long hours, self directing / taking direction from voice directors, collaborating with fellow artists, countless edits, sleepless nights of undertaking several reviews and meeting deadlines are all parts of the creative process that no one sees. Yet, it’s so mesmerizing to hear the final audio product that informs, educates, inspires and entertains us.
Most times, when we voice artists record our voices in a studio, we have to wait for helicopters or planes to fly over or wait and pray for dogs to stop barking and wait for outrageous background noise to die down so we can continue our work. These are some of the inconveniencing factors we encounter behind the scenes. Therefore, excellence is achieved through creativity, hard work, integrity, patience and great value which are all very important to our overall work / business performance and continued success to achieve quality audio productions.
INVESTMENT
Passionate Sowing
Imagine the amount of money and time that goes into producing audio / audiovisual content. It can be very expensive and time consuming to buy, maintain and upgrade quality equipment, renew software subscriptions, fuel generators and run a home studio, pay for various related training and courses to help you hone your knowledge and skills and also update your business knowledge pertaining to the audio craft. Every outstanding voice artist you recognise, puts in a great deal of effort to invest in their work and business. They take their craft seriously because they understand that they have to invest accordingly to get great returns on investment. It’s a case of: “you reap what you sow!” True Kings of the Game are passionate sowers.
MULTITASKING
Gifted Players of The Game
Some voice Artists / Audio Storytellers are versatile talents who consider a number of multitasking skills and activities while being creative in their craft – scheduling business meetings, scripting and translating, performing, proofreading, collaborating, constant practice and training, editing, dealing with clients, meeting work deadlines, reviewing and redoing vocal deliveries, submitting countless auditions, pitching to clients, marketing, promoting work, evaluating the performance and quality of audio productions and so on.
VERSATILITY
A coat of many colours
In voice over, some artists do more than one VO niche area and deliver audio work to the various clients in their respective companies. Being versatile comes with years of experience and mastering the art of the craft. Being versatile is like wearing a creative cloak tailored for resilience and excellence. Having the stamina to do several tasks simultaneously and excellently is an outstanding achievement. This is what it means to be a King of the Game!
VISIBILITY
All eyes on the Kings
When voice artists share their completed audio work online across various social media platforms, be it a podcast, spoken word audio / video, voice over audio / video production, they’re working hard to promote their vocal art. For some, it can be very discouraging to get little or no traction and engagements. It can also be very frustrating when they don’t get any support from followers but amidst the disappointments, they keep sharing their work and process hoping that others can connect with their work and possibly be inspired to find their voices. Now, that’s the real deal!
CONSISTENCY
Onward and Upward!
Voice artists are brave and tenacious people! Hard workers! Kings in their own right! They tell timeless stories that will be relevant for generations to come. They satisfy the needs of Brand ideas and concepts by connecting with a wide range of audiences – Toddlers, Children, Youths, Men & Women and Elderly People.
Being a king of the game as a voice artist is beyond what we see and think of the process. Despite numerous rejections and challenges they encounter throughout their creative journey, they press on and keep going strong in a bid to conquer many fears.
Hopefully, this article will enlighten you about the world beneath the surface you recognize and identify with. And if you know any voice artist, please give them their flowers right away!
Congratulations to all the 2024 APVA Nominees. It’s a great honour to be recognized for your outstanding contributions to the African audio industry. Kings of the game that are highly worthy of appreciation and respect. Cheers to you all and best wishes!
And if you’re a voice artist that didn’t get nominated this year, do not be discouraged. A nomination is not necessarily a yardstick for talent success. Keep honing your skills in your respective audio fields and understand that being a true “King of the Game” is having the boldness, excellence and determination to tell stories that matter.
Written By
Stephanie Ugbeye
