Welcome to My Blog!
Hot off the Presses…
Wouldn’t YOU Share?
Maybe it’s the “news guy” in me. I just hafta tell people when I see important stuff.
Like in today’s blog.
Just Before that…
Being Seen/Heard in the Online Noise
Standing out in the crowd is harder than ever.
First, ya gotta find the right crowd. Inquire within.
5 Tips for Avoiding VO Scammers
It all boils down to common sense…something that seems to be in short supply lately.
So…I wrote it down. See if you agree.
Update: A-I Voices
No, they won’t stop trying.
Here’s a current update on the latest artificial intelligence voice technology.
Do These 5 Things to Manage Info Overflow
Like most things, it’s about having a plan and sticking to it.
…AND using tools correctly.
Zion Nat’l Park
Thank you Teddy Roosevelt for setting the pace.
3 Surefire Ways to Lose VO Friends
…and we all need VO friends, but sometimes we also need to spout off. Here’s how to keep the one, and forget the other.
Voice Over Education
Do This Crucial Thing…
…to save your time and grief.
The rest will follow.
The VO Newcomer Playbook
There’s no more secret to approaching VO for the first time than there is ANY freelance “gig” profession.
It boils down to one word.
The #1 Enemy of Voice Actor Progress
You’re gonna hate me when you find out what it is.
You already know, and you’ve let it get in your way.
No SEO Will Survive THIS Search Method
Just when you think you might be gaining ground in the holy grail of search optimization, along comes a method for finding voice actors from way out in left field.
VO Coaching Conundrums
Apparently, a lot of people want to coach voice acting these days. But why?…and who? When does a voice talent become a voice coach…and where are the rules & regs? A few observations within…
4 Things That Will Make Your VO Clients Love You
Courtesy never goes out of style. Neither does consideration. If this is a relationship business, then here are some tips to curry good relations.
Creative VO Prospecting
Yesterday, I was reading through my Google Alerts, and came across a Craigslist ad placed by a seasoned VO pro. I've re-printed most of it for you to see below the line-break. The ad came complete with a graphic, phone #, website address, a map to his major U-S city...
Clearing Out the Crud
When your speaking apparatus is gunked-up... you can't keep up your VO commitments so well. And Boy Howdy, this is the season for gunking! How many times have I seen anguished posts on social media groups begging anyone for quick-fix solutions that will allow the...
Starting Out
Launching into the world of voice acting is a steep challenge. There are no manuals, but plenty of "opportunities". The opportunities range from legitimate offers of help to outright predation, and everything in between...including the costs involved. As you would...
Qualified to be a VO Coach?
The estimate that only 5% of voice actors are truly supporting themselves and their families with strictly voiceover work is probably close to correct. (remember, 47.93% of all numbers quoted online are made-up). Whatever the number (almost impossible to discern),...
World Voices #WoVochat
WoVO MiniCon #2
You need more than a voiceover conference, you need a World-Voices Organization mini-con!
Details within.
Friday Fun @ VOAtlanta
You woulda loved being here.
Opening Night: VO Atlanta
The faithful are here for the gathering.
Enjoy some photos?
Atlanta-Bound
The great VO pilgrimage is underway!
Watch here for updates.
Advice For VO Conference Attendees
For no particular upcoming conference specifically… 🙂
WoVO Rates Roundtable: Challenges of the Post-Voicebank Voiceover Marketplace
See our latest Rates Toundtable and learn how the post Voicebank world will thrive.
Muffett/Griffith/Courvoisier on VO Conferences
VO conferences are kinda like VO Coaches. Everybody is counseled to get at least one new one a year. True? Maybe, but is it right? A quick guide from some people who’ve been there.
WoVO Rates Roundtable: What Should You Expect to Pay for VO Coaching or Demo Production
A Blue-Ribbon Panel examines the ins and outs of demo production and VO coaching…offering a spectrum of what you should reasonably expect to pay.
New WoVO Rates Roundtable: Rates for Demos and Coaching
Instead of discussing the rates voice actors should charge for their work, we’re examining what we should EXPECT to reasonably be charged for coaching and demo production.
August Rates Roundtable by WoVO® Examines VoiceBank Buyout
A Blue-Ribbon Panel of experts discusses the aftermath of VDC’s purchase of VoiceBank in this latest version of Rates Roundtable.
VO Business & Compensation
Being Seen/Heard in the Online Noise
Standing out in the crowd is harder than ever.
First, ya gotta find the right crowd. Inquire within.
5 Tips for Avoiding VO Scammers
It all boils down to common sense…something that seems to be in short supply lately.
So…I wrote it down. See if you agree.
Zion Nat’l Park
Thank you Teddy Roosevelt for setting the pace.
Voice Over Education
My Monday Night Visitor
What day of the week would you say comes with the highest concentration of VO audition requests? Uh-huh. Monday. Now, let me explain that my prime daypart for recording auditions is midnight to 3am. Lately I've also adding 11am - 1pm after I rise, for doing...
Your Homework Assignment for Tonight
Does anybody watch TV without the DVR running in the background any more? Either way, your homework assignment for tonight is to play back pay a prime-time or prime-time access program and pay special attention to the commercials. Right. The thing that we all...
Lookin’ For a Reason To Come To Vegas?
...like you really needed one, right? Well, September 10th-11th is apparently a very popular VO weekend in Las Vegas. Two coveted voice acting coaches will be here for weekend workshops. #1. Pat Fraley Pat is hands-down one of the top VO coaches...he could do this on...
VO Email Marketing
Your email signature bookends your salutation. Both are perfunctory, and yet pertinent.As overlooked as the signature can be...don't you always notice when it's missing?...or minimal...or overdone?The email signature for a voice-actor is part marketing, part...
3 Warnings About Blog Titles With Numbers in Them
Why? Because it’s a manipulative device to get you to read it! That’s the #1 reason. You don’t want to be manipulated do you? Virtually every last blog about and for bloggers mentions this magic formula. I’m sure there’s some psychological reason behind it…so let...
Gold in the VoiceOver Frontier
Seasoned VO pros have just as much responsibility to protect our profession as do the newcomers.
Here’s why.
Break the Mold
It's late...or early...whichever. The clock says 3:32am as I write this.We're creatures of habit, tending to keep the same schedules. Mine is a late one. Yes, I do sleep. My sleep hours are just not YOUR sleep hours. Personally, I believe the hours from midnight...
What AGE is Your Voice?
Does a voice HAVE an age? Well, I mean, of course it has the age associated with the cords' owner but can you tell a person's age by their voice? Or vice-versa...does a certain timbre/quality of voice HAVE an age?I go back to the analogy surrounding race. The...
Does Voice Acting Have a “Slow” Season?
Time and again I see online posts asking if anyone else is experiencing downtime. It's almost as if people are trying to reassure themselves that their own reduced workload mirrors the experience of others (the old "misery loves company" thing).There are all sorts of...
The Ultimate Authority
Just when I think I've got a bead on the people who make up this voice over community, I find out I really know nothing.I mean, I've been to umpteen VO conferences, I write a widely-read VO blog, I administer some social media VO forums, I'm the president of...
Voice Over Hardware & Software tools
Wouldn’t YOU Share?
Maybe it’s the “news guy” in me. I just hafta tell people when I see important stuff.
Like in today’s blog.
Resources, Resources!
Ebb and flow. Some days the VO world seems to be quiet, but over the weekend it was decidedly not!
Make it Easy on Yourself
One of the all-time great VO collaborations, and I’m not talking about an audition.
See how two minds = one great idea.
Pronounceology
Voice Actors who see a need in our business, and fill it with a great idea.
Here’s a perfect example.
5 Reasons Why You Should NOT Produce Your Own Demos
Yeah…don’t even think it.
Here’s why.
DIY Websites: The Lowdown
How important is a website to your business?
Crucial.
So do you really wanna do it yourself?
Cattle Call Marketplace
Clients meet voice-actors, and everyone’s happy, right?
Wrong.
You can do better.
The New Norm in Security
You value your sound files, right? And all your docs, pics, programs, and financial data too?
Then you can’t afford NOT to do this.
The Mighty MIc
…our unofficial mascot. Our sword. Most of us wish we could afford yet ANOTHER one. Yes? Here are some ideas.
Persistence PayOff: ConnectionOpen
Weaker souls may have caved…but not the forces behind this distance-connection technology.
Hear the latest on this exciting platform.
Voice Over Events
WoVO MiniCon #2
You need more than a voiceover conference, you need a World-Voices Organization mini-con!
Details within.
Friday Fun @ VOAtlanta
You woulda loved being here.
Opening Night: VO Atlanta
The faithful are here for the gathering.
Enjoy some photos?
Atlanta-Bound
The great VO pilgrimage is underway!
Watch here for updates.
Advice For VO Conference Attendees
For no particular upcoming conference specifically… 🙂
WoVO Rates Roundtable: Challenges of the Post-Voicebank Voiceover Marketplace
See our latest Rates Toundtable and learn how the post Voicebank world will thrive.
Muffett/Griffith/Courvoisier on VO Conferences
VO conferences are kinda like VO Coaches. Everybody is counseled to get at least one new one a year. True? Maybe, but is it right? A quick guide from some people who’ve been there.
WoVO Rates Roundtable: What Should You Expect to Pay for VO Coaching or Demo Production
A Blue-Ribbon Panel examines the ins and outs of demo production and VO coaching…offering a spectrum of what you should reasonably expect to pay.
New WoVO Rates Roundtable: Rates for Demos and Coaching
Instead of discussing the rates voice actors should charge for their work, we’re examining what we should EXPECT to reasonably be charged for coaching and demo production.
August Rates Roundtable by WoVO® Examines VoiceBank Buyout
A Blue-Ribbon Panel of experts discusses the aftermath of VDC’s purchase of VoiceBank in this latest version of Rates Roundtable.
Listen to my Commercial demoVoice Over Niches
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Voice Over Hardware & Software tools
Freelancer Security
We ARE the IT department for our freelance businesses. But is that a strong suit for you?
Here are some fundamentals to consider.
Year-End URL’s
On the cusp of 2018, here are a few online resources I’ve been hanging on to for just this ocassion.
read moreGoogle Searches Demystified
Understand a few simple syntax constructions in your google search,
and you can open up a world of opportunity.
Get Paid!
With a new year looming…your top priority should be getting jobs, and that means getting paid.
Here’s a list of the best ways to do that with the least cost.
MailKing May Be Just Your Kinda Software
There’s Gmail, and then there’s programs like Constant Contact and MailChimp. Why not put them together? MailKing does.
read moreCRM: Can’t Reach Me
The never-ending search for a CRM (customer relationship manager) is…well…never-ending. Maybe this will bring it to an end for you.
read moreAutomated Voice Acting?
They’ll never stop trying. The innovators, scientists, and geeks who think there’s a digital answer to nearly every human function. Now, this.
read moreAddendum to “Bluff & Bluster”
Apparently, yesterday’s blog struck a nerve. It did with the author of VoiceCastingBank too. She has this extra message she wanted me to pass along.
read moreBluff & Bluster
In this case, I hated being right. Check out today’s blog to find out why a cease and desist order is bad for the voice-acting community, but oh-so-predictable considering the source.
read moreTwo Rare & Quirky, But Useful Tools
Sometimes the strangest missing link in a work flow can bring the whole project to a screeching halt. Here are a couple of quick, free tools that may help.
read more WoVO MiniCon #2
You need more than a voiceover conference, you need a World-Voices Organization mini-con!
Details within.
WoVO Rates Roundtable: Challenges of the Post-Voicebank Voiceover Marketplace
See our latest Rates Toundtable and learn how the post Voicebank world will thrive.
3 Reasons Why You Need a VO Accountability Partner
Who holds your feet to the fire? No, not your significant other. It should be a fellow freelancer…a peer…a trusted friend. Here’s why your business (you) needs this.