A Tiny Crack in the Glacier

I've noticed something interesting lately at work: signs of life. For many months, since the economic downturn last fall, we've had a major hiring freeze. My colleagues in corporate America also felt the chill, as they searched for new jobs after being downsized or yearned for new experiences within their own companies but were stuck.

But recently, I've begun to feel a thaw in the glacier. People moving around the company not because they must take on extra work due to workforce reductions, but actual movement in the pursuit of career advancement. HR, calling to ask about friends I've referred to the company, with open slots to fill with talented managers. On my own little team, many of my teammates are preparing to move on to new assignments as brand managers outside of our division. As a marketer, job rotation is seen as part of the culture: a rite of passage as you move from brand to brand on the road to promotion. Outside of the office, a network of dormant corporate recruiters are beginning to awaken with new and bright opportunities, and they are reaching out to me and my colleagues. After so much bleak news about the economy and joblessness, these are positive signs.

I'm hopeful this thaw will translate to the world of voiceover soon: marketers fund advertising, and advertising uses talent (both on camera and off). What would that mean? Agents who are more open to signing new talent, because there is more work to go around. Actors who audition more often as a result of these new opportunities. Because actors are auditioning more, they're booking more too. And a brighter more hopeful tomorrow after so many gray and hopeless days.

Yes, I know, the recession's not over yet and my happy scenario is wildly oversimplified. There's still a huge glacier blocking the flow of energy, funding and work for everyone. But these little signs are like tiny cracks in the ice. A few more of these and pretty soon... smooth sailing. It's a wonderful feeling, Hope.