VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Eddie Eagle · M&M Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 2393

I'm sure the royalties soothe the separation anxiety.

kkuhlken · Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:48 pm Post subject:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he has taken a much larger pay cut now that they've replaced him.
_________________
My full name is Karl Kuhlken (think Macauly Culkin...it rhymes)

Suave, debonair, a ladies man. Sophisticated, urbane, well heeled....no, wait...that's not me

paulstefano · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:44 am Post subject:

ballenberg · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 6:18 am Post subject:

True, Melissa..a lot more interesting...And I still miss the real Aflac duck..I couldn't help but laugh out loud every time!

I agree with everything above about how this should have been handled. Oh well...Sadly, guess this is now what we'll now remember about the Geiko Gecko. Speaking of long runs, their announcer has had that gig like forever..I'm thinking a good 20 years?!

Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 939

Here's a lil more on the history of the Geico Gecko:

The gecko first appeared in 1999, during the Screen Actors Guild strike that prevented the use of live actors. The original commercial features the Gecko, voiced by actor Kelsey Grammer, who climbs onto a microphone on a podium and utters "This is my final plea: I am a gecko, not to be confused with GEICO, which could save you hundreds on car insurance. So, STOP CALLING ME!", before licking his eye. Later "wrong number" ads used Dave Kelly as the voice of the gecko. In the subsequent commercials with Jake Wood (which portray him as a representative of the company), the gecko speaks with a British Cockney accent, because it would be unexpected, according to Martin Agency's Steve Bassett. In 2010s commercials, the gecko's accent is more working-class, perhaps in an effort to further "humanize" him. "As computer animation got better and as we got to know the character better, we did a few things," says Steve Bassett, creative director at The Martin Agency. "We wanted to make him a little more guy-next-door. And he looks a lot more real than he's looked before." Chelsea Clinton interviewed the Geico Gecko in April 2013.

And for those saying Gilbert wasn't as vocal when he lost Aflac, you have very short memories. He took loudly to social media as well as traditional media/interviews after getting fired. Personally I took issue more with his firing than this one as I'm not at all a fan of political correctness. That said, buyers still have the right to do whatever they want with their products.

paulstefano · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 7:54 am Post subject:

I wish somebody would hire Gilbert to do his Groucho Marx impression. That kills me every time.
_________________
http://www.paulstefano.com

Eddie Eagle · M&M Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 2393

Great history stuff Bob!

Lee Gordon · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 11:40 am Post subject:

The Geico ad I always hoped to see was a group of their cavemen, sitting around a campfire, roasting the gecko. Gasp

_________________
Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

Leslie Humble · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 3:15 pm Post subject:

Lee for the win.
_________________
There are rules to the Universe. Learn them and prosper. www.HumbleVoiceover.com

Bruce · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 3:59 pm Post subject:

O.T. just a bit... OK, a lot .... If you love Gilbert Gottfried and can tolerate erotica, the video of him reading "50 Shades of Gray" is stunning. Or is that stunting? If you can't tolerate either, please forget I said anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkLqAlIETkA

B
_________________
VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Michael Schoen · Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 10:26 am Post subject:

It was only a series of TV commercials, not the most important thing.
A lucritive ten year run doing anything is pretty good.
I am glad he apologized.
The guy who had the Lexus gig made a fuss when John Hamm replaced him.
It's happened to all of us in some way.

I remember the day longtime NBC voice Danny Dark was suddenly replaced for the new "must see TV" campaign in the 90s
It was good for Townsend Coleman not so much for Danny.
_________________
http://MichaelSchoen.com

Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 625 Location: Chicago, IL

Turns out, there was more to the story about his losing the gig....

http://dailycaller.com/2010/04/21/geico-voice-over-actor-fired-after-calling-tea-party-group-mentally-retarded/
_________________
Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com

Eddie Eagle · M&M Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 2393

Bish · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 5:39 pm Post subject:

The plot thickens.
Unfortunately the recording of the offending phone call is now unavailable (pulled by YouTube for TOS reasons).

So... what I don't get is that if you have a "stage name" of D.C.Douglas, and a real name of Lance Baxter (under which you made the call)... who joined the dots? Or did he introduce himself as "Hi, I'm Lance Baxter... but you may know me as D.C.Douglas, the voice of the Geico Gecko!"

As this was from a few years ago, maybe it should be seen as a precursor to Geico throwing their hands in the air after the more recent events... "Enough with this guy already!"

Anyone here thing that being "high maintenance" is a good way to hold on to a long-term gig?
_________________
Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 939

First of all, DC was never the Gecko. He was the announcer, and he still is.

Second, success in this business takes risk. After ten years voicing a national campaign you've proven yourself to have value to a company. So, you risk asking for more money. If they balk and you lose the gig, hey, that's the risk. But there's zero chance for a pay raise without the risk. This is done all the time, and more often than not the buyers give the actor a bump.

The only thing this actor did that I found a mistake was airing his dirty laundry on social media. That's tacky, and very detrimental to a career. Buyers do not like actors bad mouthing publicly. This is an ego move, not a business move.