One of my favorite things about being a librarian/researcher at USA TODAY for 21 years was working closely with so many super-talented reporters and editors. During my final two years, 2006-2008, that group included Alan Gomez, a reporter in the News section.
Alan and I have stayed connected on social media over the years, which is how I learned that, after 14 years, he had left USAT in late 2020. Several months ago he wrote a fascinating LinkedIn post about the multitude of new, entrepreneurial ventures he had developed in that one year period, and how he had invested in a pro level home studio and hired a voice acting coach.
What he has been doing can be a model and inspiration not just for people leaving traditional journalism, but making any kind of career transition. I asked him to participate in my periodic ‘3 Questions for…’ blog feature, and I believe that his answers can help people sketch out their own road maps for career transition, whether that has already happened, or might in the future.
Many thanks to Alan for his insightful answers!
1. Can you briefly describe the journalism work that you did for USA TODAY and previously, and how that has prepared/influenced you in your new freelance work, voice acting, and teaching?
I was a reporter for 20 years and covered just about everything. At my first papers – the Pensacola News Journal and the Palm Beach Post – I covered cops, courts, the military, higher education, and state politics. At USA TODAY, I covered Congress, immigration, politics, war, disasters, major sporting events, suicide squirrels, you name it. And along the way, I was a general assignment reporter and got to travel extensively.
What I didn’t realize throughout that time was that I was learning skills that would help me succeed in a wide variety of post-journalism fields. You sometimes hear that journalism only translates to a few jobs: media relations, public affairs, freelance writing, maybe investigative work. But ever since leaving the field in late 2020, I’ve been teaching, consulting, translating, working as a fixer, non-journalistic freelance writing, ghost writing, fiction writing, and voice acting. And in each of those, I’m realizing that the skills I learned as a journalist are incredibly helpful. Sure, I can’t be a doctor or a lawyer because I don’t have those degrees. But being able to identify and tell a good story, getting total strangers to trust you, working as part of a large, sometimes dysfunctional team, and being able to dive into a new topic and expert up quickly – those are all highly-transferable skills.
I’ve had a cartoon on my desk for years. In it, a few disheveled office workers are waiting their turn in line. The one at the front is covering his eyes with one hand and throwing a dart with the other. He’s aiming at a wall filled with cards listing different subjects: bioengineering, foreign affairs, liposuction, oil, vinegar, M&Ms, etc. Atop the board, a sign reads: “Today I am an expert in.” The cartoon is titled “How Reporters Start Their Day at Work.” Turns out that can work outside of a newsroom, too.
2. My sense is that the world of voice acting will be unfamiliar to most people. Can you briefly describe what led to your decision to work in this field, especially since you have invested in a studio, lessons, and being coached? And related to that, please add an example or two of voice acting you have already done.
This goes back to my college days when a buddy and I were the radio announcers for our college baseball team at Florida International University in Miami. He was the play-by-play announcer and I was the color commentator. We did that just for fun. My signature call was a Chewbacca roar whenever our team hit a home run, so clearly, we weren’t trying to come across as professionals. Years later, as a reporter, I was lucky enough to be a guest on NPR and SiriusXM news shows many times and loved every chance. But still, I never really thought about voice acting.
It wasn’t until last year that I even considered it as a job. As luck would have it, my old college buddy was also fed up with his job and suggested we both dive in. It was one of those ideas that had been lost in the back of my mind until he brought it up. So, we jumped in.
The most eye-opening aspect of this has been shedding what my voice coach, Tim Powers, calls the “NPR voice.” While he was impressed with my voice and delivery, he stressed over and over that I needed to break from the newscaster style and be more natural, be “real.” At first, he scolded me for calling it “voice over work” and insisted that it was “voice acting” (said with a dramatic flourish each time). I laughed about that at first, but the more I listened to professional voice actors, and to my coach casually do amazing reads, I realized that it was, in fact, acting. You have to analyze each script, understand the motivation of each character, determine the intended audience, and play the role. I still struggle with that every day, but it’s getting better and I feel more confident each time.
Just like any industry, it’s hard to break in, no matter how good your pipes are. But I’m currently narrating my first audiobook and have booked several small roles, including a video game character and a public service announcement encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
3. Do you have advice/guidance for people in creative fields who are now, or may soon be facing career decisions similar to the ones you’ve made during your post-USAT days?
To put it simply: don’t be afraid to try new things. It’s scary, but you don’t realize what you’re capable of until you try something different. I had one or two ideas in mind when I left journalism, but each day really brings about a new opportunity. I never thought I’d teach…until I was offered the opportunity. I never thought I’d be a consultant…until I stumbled into it. I never thought I’d be a voice actor…until my friend came storming over to my house demanding we give it a go.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told clients “To be honest, this is my first time doing this.” And somehow, nobody has turned me down because of that. If you study up on something, learn from people who know more than you, and present a smart plan, there really is no limit to what you can do.