Post Promax 2016

(Originally posted on June 29, 2016)

Every year I go to Promax I’m always struck by the “themes” that evolve during the conference. After reflecting on Promax 2016, I wanted to share the ones that I noticed the most.

Promax/BDA is In Capable Hands

In my opinion, Steve Kazanjian is the most natural leader of the organization since I’ve been a member. Over the years, a perception that the organization was only concerned about generating revenue turned off a lot of people (including myself), and there appeared to be very little added benefit to membership. However, Steve’s strength is he conveys that all of us members are part of the same tribe and the staffs’ interests finally seem to be in line with the members.

Promax is for Professionals

Maybe I’m getting older or possibly every new conference brings memories of my own past frivolities, but now the conference appears to be more corporate/professional in comparison. That’s not a bad thing. Although the parties are not as raucous as they once were, getting the chance to have a conversation during the afternoon, without realizing everyone is still hung over, is a nice change. The only downside is there isn’t as much youthful iconoclastic energy at the conference, yet that doesn’t mean we aren’t seeing ground breaking work. Instead, I wonder if the reality may be that the media companies just aren’t paying for their young creatives to have badges.

The Rise of the Production Companies

As more and more media companies strip away their staffs, the influence of production companies appear to be greater on the day-to-day to work. There is no question that most of these companies and freelancers are doing exceptional work. My only hope is that companies continue to be hired for their ideas and creativity, and not just their costs. We saw enormous undercutting in the voice-over business about ten years ago, leading to a predictable result that looked unscrupulous and ugly. I’m hoping for better from the proco’s.

Networking isn’t a Dirty Word

A few years ago I went to the Real Screen Summit for reality television and was shocked to discover how easy it was to network and sell. My only comparison to Real Screen was Promax, which always had an uneasy relationship with networking. Networking at Promax in the past created two distinct problems; 1) the media companies did not want Promax to be like a yearly job fair for their rising talent, and 2) as I have always said, “the last people who want to be sold to are marketers.” That appears to be changing considerably for the better. Perhaps, the change is because now there are as many “vendors” as network employees. Regardless, I always believed myself and my company(s) added value to the conference, and I am relieved to know I have a chance to prove it to like-minded professionals.

Where does Voice Fit into the Evolving Landscape

Relationships play a part more than ever, whether the connections are your own or they are your representatives, but one disturbing trend we have witnessed now three years running is an apathy with promo agents towards the business. Promax is a process and all the agents who willingly sit out the conference are, in effect, rejecting networking and relationship building. I can speak from experience that “working” the conference is hard, but just because things are difficult doesn’t mean you should reject or quit the process. Instead, I subscribe to the idea you need to work harder, smarter and sometimes differently to make sure you are a step ahead of the competition.

All in all, I really enjoyed attending the conference and am already looking forward to next year to discover what is changing in 2017.