Arielle Negrin, Promo and Trailer Agent at Atlas Talent

This was an informal session where Arielle gave us background on the state of the promo and trailer genres in VO, and answered our questions before we read scripts for her. She works in the L.A. office.

  • Most promo actors don’t have an exclusivity contract. Not as much $ as Commercials.

  • Network promos are Union: CBS, ABC, FOX, NBC, CW

  • NU promos are called non-jurisdictional. Narration is NU.

Auditioning

She picks who she sends auditions to.

Promos:

  • Honor the punctuation in promo scripts. They hate when you ad lib or try to get creative with them.

  • It’s been a slow season, which is a reflection of the entertainment industry.

  • Cable and networks sometimes use women, maybe 40%. Not much for sports.

Commercials:

  • Specs are your identity.

  • Don’t look at Directions at first, just the script.

  • Don’t read the way you think they want it.

  • She can use a commercial demo to break you into promo, but not vice versa.

Trailers:

  • They’re sticking with the guys they know. They’re fighting against each other so they continue using the voices they like, to keep the C-suite happy.

  • Some executives think trailers are not as impactful unless it’s a man.

  • Agents can only send 3 or 4 submissions per spot.

auditions, casting, VO talent tips, conferencesDaree Allen Nievesvoiceover