Dancing to a different beat.

These individuals have bucked convention and found fulfilling jobs off the beaten path

EACH FEBRUARY, BLACK ENTERPRISE SCOPES OUT UNIQUE CAREERS to bring to you. In the past, the careers featured have been largely creative (cartoonist, puppeteer, animator), although a few have been downright scientific (meteorologist, bug repellent chemist). What they all had in common was that they were born of the pursuit of people's passions, not just their need for a paycheck. And, yes, those profiled actually loved their work.

This year, we've found a few more folks who are forging offbeat careers that fulfill the needs posed by both passion and pocketbook. The twist this time around, however, is that none of them has an employer. They're freelancers, self-contained nomads of the working world who are generally regarded by 9-to-5ers with a complex combination of envy and suspicion.

There's plenty to envy. Successful freelancers enjoy the best of two worlds, meshing an entrepreneur's independence with an employees freedom from bottom line accountability. The skepticism is probably a holdover from more traditional times. Those who still work a straight 40-60-hour week can't help but cling to the notion that anyone with the luxury of coming and going at odd hours can't possibly have a "real" job.

Well, think again. Not only are the following professionals disciplined and successful, they also have to hustle every day just to get their next job, no less build a career.

HEAD OVER HEELS

Falling face first through plate glass, being thrown from the back of a moving truck, diving off a building, being beaten and lynched. This is the stuff of people's nightmares. But for April Weeden, a Los Angeles-based stunt woman, they're resume builders.

A trained dancer who majored in public relations at Chapman University, Weeden was working as a casting agent in 1994 when she hired William Washington to serve as stunt coordinator on a film. The movie went nowhere, but the Weeden-Washington relationship took off--both personally and professionally.

"I had absolutely no interest in stunt work," Weeden recalls. "But he started showing me a few things. I think even he was surprised at what I could do. I enjoyed it, so he started training me, and I began to get work." Now, Washington is her fiance, and Weeden's list of stunt credits runs more than two single-spaced pages.

In the business a mere four years, Weeden doubled for actress Halle Berry in last summer's Why Do Fools Fall in for Jennifer Lopez in Anaconda Vanessa L. Williams in Eraser (a which she broke two fingers one day, and still showed up for work the next).

More recently, she was cast as a nameless slave hanging from a tree in Beloved, and has worked in numerous television and video projects as well. "The longest I've gone between projects is a month," Weeden notes, with pride. She has reason to brag. While Weeden does have a publicist, Tobin & Associates, she has no agent for stunt work, choosing instead to market herself.

"I'm constantly reading the trade [newspapers], to find out what's going on, what's coming up next and sending out my resume and photos," Weeden says. The 30-something Weeden also has maturity on her side and attributes her outlook to a devout spirituality and a solid college education.

"If I hadn't gone to college, I wouldn't be where I am now. Having studied public relations in school helps me to market way I do. And my dancing background helps me do stunts. A well-rounded background is rare in this business."

If well-rounded, college-educated stunt women are rare, tack on African American, and you have a real novelty. There is no official group specifically for black stunt people, and Weeden is aware of only 26 black stuntwomen. Although there's plenty of work out there, the jobs available to African American women are limited--and not merely because there are fewer roles specifically written for them.

"I am very seldom hired to do "ND," or nondescript, work," she explains. "That's work where there's a person just driving a car down the street [in a movie]. There's a lot of that work, and a lot of money to be made in that. [African Americans] don't get much of it."

She insists, though, that doing stunts is great work, if you can get it. Stunt people on big-budget films are paid through the Screen Actors Guild (for TV roles it's the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists) at a per-diem rate of $576, $2,000 per week, plus overtime, meals and residuals. The low-budget film rate is $446 per day.

The days tend to be long (12-plus hours) and a job can last hours, or months. Doubling for singer-actress Brandy On the film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Weeden worked six days a week for six weeks, three of which were spent shooting in Mexico. Having made about $30,000 her first year out, Weeden earned nearly $100,000 last year.

When she's not working, she's training. She takes karate lessons, rides and practices stunts on horses (her specialty) and driving stunts in deserted areas. Long falls, she says, aren't something you can practice on a regular basis, but Weeden has to keep her body limber and lean to perform them. She's also one of the few professionals who can truly claim daily soaks in the Jacuzzi and regular massages as a job requirement.

Aware that, on the surface, her career seems daring and glorious, Weeden, who seizes every opportunity to talk to young people about it, chooses to make a less glamorous impression on today's youth.

"I always encourage kids to go to college, or at least to a trade school," she says. Putting her own twist on an old adage, Weeden continues, "I never say it gives you something to fall back on. I tell them, it gives you something to stand on." Spoken like a woman who understands that what really matters in life is not how far you fall, but knowing how to land.

AN EYE FOR STYLE

When Michaela Angela Davis first met an up-and-coming young recording artist named Maxwell, she was a fashion editor at Vibe magazine, and he had not yet cut his first album. Still feeling his way toward a hit, Maxwell was also still trying to sculpt an image, and was always wearing hats.

Once Davis saw the texture of his hair, they agreed he should grow it long and wear it natural--rather like Davis' own hair. By the time Maxwell had his first hit single, "Sumthin', Sumthin'," he also had a sexy, slightly retro look punctuated by wild, ode-to-Einstein hair. Davis calls it "freedom hair."

Davis has an eye for what works from head to toe, particularly for musical artists who have a message to convey, not just through song, but through their own personal style. Davis is a stylist who sspecializes in that very area: developing, refining and redefining the personal presentation of mega-stars including Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Herbie Hancock, Abbey Lincoln and L.L. Cool J, among others. Creating their looks-in magazines, concerts, videos and print advertising--is her bread and butter.

Whether their forte is pop, jazz, or hip-hop, Davis' goal with each client is the same: "to make their [personal] presentation an equal representation of their music." For that reason, Davis has turned away work for people whose songs she can't appreciate. "If I don't hear it, it's hard to see it. So, part of my turning work away is luxury, but part is knowing how I work, and when I won't be the best person for that job."

Davis claims strong people skills, a healthy sense of others' individuality and a gut for risk as key to her success. Creating an image is hard, she says, but nurturing consistency is harder. "You'll work with someone for a while and develop a look that works. We'll do a great photo shoot with them and then a video and they look fabulous. Then you'll see them in some TV interview a few weeks later, looking a wreck," she says, laughing.

Raised in Washington, D.C., Davis moved to the Big Apple to major in theater at New York University when she was 18. For extra money, she assisted her aunt, Joanne Buffer, a prominent stylist who was working exclusively with the renowned fashion photographer, Richard Avedon. By 1984, Davis was in her junior year, making $50 a day on fashion shoots and training beside fashion icons. Shortly thereafter, she quit school to pursue a fashion career full time.

While Davis may have abbreviated her formal education, she has an unswerving commitment to learning all she can about her industry and her craft and expresses little interest in those who don't. Bemoaning the fact that many of today's stylists are little more than glorified personal shoppers, Davis insists that "there's an importance to knowing your fashion history." Black or white, she says, stylists "need to know more than who Gucci or Armani are. You need to know who Patrick Kelly and Willie Smith were."

Having worked her way through the ranks of apprenticeships and fashion editor positions (including one at Essence), she went out on her own in 1993. Today, her rates vary, depending on the type of work, the artist and the venue, and she employs an agent to handle her negotiating and field jobs. Advertising shoots pay the most, with the scale anywhere from $150 to $5,000 a day. Generally, the bigger the celebrity, the bigger the pay. Ross and Vandross have paid Davis upwards of $2,500 a day, the same fee she might get to work with an entire band of lesser known performers.

The money, while good, is not all gravy. Davis says she made about $100,000 last year. But her expenses, which include a few trips to Europe each year to "smell the trends and see the shows," and the costs of looking stylish herself--clearly a job requirement--are significant. Also, because even the best freelance stylists can encounter monthlong dry spells, careful money management is key. And, as with the artists she serves, Davis is in an industry in which, at 34, she's already considered "up there." "It's almost like an athlete's life," she says. "You've got your prime time and then it's time to move on."

Having recently moved to the suburbs of New York with her eight-year-old daughter, Davis is working on a book about the impact of a dozen black women on the fashion world, as well as another writing project focused on the black fashion aesthetic.

"We picked the cotton that made the clothes, but we're still not major players in the fashion world," she says. "It's important for young black people to know that there is a place for them in this industry, and being a designer or a model aren't the only ways to get in. There are other ways to impact the images of who we, as black people, are--images that will stand for all time."

SPEAKING OF SUCCESS

Rodney Saulsberry has heard it his whole life. In response to his singing, acting and even his answering machine message, he's been told repeatedly: "You have a great voice."

But it wasn't until 1992, after his two-and-a-half minute audition tape was snatched up by one of Hollywood's biggest agencies, International Creative Management (ICM), that Saulsberry nailed his first job as a voiceover artist.

Five years later, his voice is, literally, everywhere. It's the voice you hear narrating a movie trailer that ends with, "Starts Friday at a theater near you." Which trailers? You name it: The Players Club, Crooklyn, BAPS, Blues Brothers 2000, Clockers, Out of Sight, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Soul Food and Friday are just a few. He's also done television promos for most of the networks.

Saulsberry narrated the critically acclaimed True Hollywood Story on the Life of Marvin Gaye, and was the voice heard leading into commercials for last fall's NBC's The Temptations movie. He's a credited announcer on Russell Simmons' One World Music Beat and also does commercials for Honda Accord, Alpo, Nestle Crunch and more.

If it sounds like a lot of work, it should: Saulsberry made more than $200,000 last year. But if it sounds like a lot of time, prepare to be intensely jealous: Saulsberry works about eight hours a week.

Noting how much his golf game has improved since he changed vocations, Saulsberry says, "The money, freedom and variety are so good, how could you not love it?"

The 42-year-old Detroit native has followed his heart throughout his career. After earning a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Michigan, he taught briefly before moving to New York to pursue his first love: acting. His stage successes led him to Los Angeles and roles on television. He has appeared on Capitol (a short-lived soap opera), The Young and the Restless and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

"I was definitely making a living in acting, but I wasn't fulfilled," says Saulsberry, who's been married for 18 years and has a young daughter, Traci. "I didn't like the audition process and being limited to detective and cop roles. The voiceover world is a lot more laid back. Very few people do it, so it's a small, tight community. It's just a nicer environment."

But it's not without its particular brand of demands. Saulsberry, whose agent fields all requests for his work, is--like a good doctor--always on call. He wears a beeper at all times and typically hears about a job within hours of the scheduled studio time. Says Saulsberry: "I'm like Pavlov; when that beeper goes off, I jump. They know me on the golf courses. I'm not likely to get through 18 holes."

Of course, he's not likely to have to work weekends either. And a day's work is usually measured in minutes. "A 40-second spot," Saulsberry explains, "should not take a good guy more than three takes in 10 minutes."

Nailing that brief performance, however, is not as simple as it sounds. "I know it seems like you're just reading, but there is some technique involved," he says. "In Stella, they wanted laid-back, they didn't want the 'up' Rodney. Baps was a high voice. Clockers was low. So, it's very creative. My acting background is a real advantage."

The upsides of the business are obvious and many. Among them is a decided lack of competition. Once you've established yourself as talented and professional, repeat work is all but guaranteed. "Producers in this town trust what they know works," he says. "So, they stick with it."

Despite that, and having a great agent, Saulsberry leaves nothing to chance, hustling for work whenever necessary, and practicing his craft--constantly.

"At breakfast, I read cereal boxes out loud. Driving down the street, I read street signs. I listen to news radio and repeat word for word what's being said. I vocalize, as if I were going to sing. And when I'm watching trailers in the theater, I'm repeating it all--quietly."

Saulsberry is also careful to protect his "instrument," never smoking, rarely drinking and or doing anything that might hinder his ability to perform. "Whenever anybody asks how I'm doing, I always say fine, because if I even hint that I think I might be getting a cold, they're going to say they can hear it, and go with someone else."

Saulsberry, who says he believes that "anyone can do voiceover," is determined to become the industry's best. There are those who believe he already has, like the storeowner who recently called to let him know that a gift he ordered for his daughter had arrived. "The lady just went crazy [after hearing] my voice mail," he says, imitating her. "Oh, that voice, that voice. What a great voice!" Happens all the time.

unique career resources

The nature of unique careers-especially those dominated by freelancers--is that they're not organization-oriented. But for more information on the careers featured here, you may contact the following:

Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures 4810 Whitsett Ave. North Hollywood, CA 91607 Phone: [phone] www.stuntmen.com

Screen Actors Guild 5757 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036-3600 323-954-1600 www.sag.com

American Federation of Television & Radio Artists 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 900 Los Angeles, CA 90036-3600 323-634-8100 www.aftra.org (ask about their Voiceover Guide)

For more information on being a stylist and associated careers, contact your nearest school of fashion, art and design.