Welcome to My Blog!
The Very Latest…
Puhleeze….in the name of all that is sacred….
Neither Brady Hales nor his wife, Elizbeth, are known to me. Both are featured in their ubiquitous and engaging online video ads extolling the virtues of voice acting. Their demeanor makes me think they must be nice people...which is a plus if you're selling...
Just Before that…
4 Obvious Reasons Voice Actors Should Try *ConnectionOpen* Today
More than a decade later, ConnectionOpen is even more the feature-rich, mature product for remote recording that you’d expect from itsfounder and #1 advocate, Randy Morrison.
How To Land and Keep Big Clients
It’s easy and it’s not. It’s obvious and it’s not. Don’t ignore the basics.
The Only Thing That’s Constant…
You know how this adage ends…but you DON’T know why I would write about it.
At Heart, It’s All About Story
Put the most powerful communication tool to work for YOUR voiceover business!
Benefits of Custom E-Learning Solutions Companies
Get to know one of your best sources of solid VO clients.
5 Ways to Appropriately Give Demo Feedback
Lord knows it's hard enough to be honest with YOURSELF about your demos. It's even harder to be candid, yet diplomatic with your peers when they ask you for an opinion about THEIR demo. And yet, the call eventually comes...that email with an attachment. Someone...
Voice Over Education
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...
Are You “Studio Approved”?
World-Voices wrestled with this issue from day one.WoVO is not in the business of making subjective decisions about whether you are a good talent, can give a compelling promotional read, or can kill it on a commercial read.But, there are some objective and measurable...
Studio On Wheels
Most voice actors seem obsessed with obtaining, and having at-the-ready, a mobile recording solution.I get it. I'm a geek too, and I've got several iterations of an "away" recording configuration.But let's face it, you can have a U-87 in your hotel room, and your...
Cracking the “Newbie” Nut
Every day a new voice is born. When they get older people tell them "you should be in radio" (not knowing that radio these days hardly has any live humans to speak of anymore). When that happens often enough, the person with the golden pipes starts to believe they...
Go With What You Know
Ask me what got me into being a voice-actor, and I'd tell you "AudioBooks". It seemed like a perfect fit for me. I was interested in it, and pursued it whole-heartedly for about 5 years. I ended up narrating some 40 titles, attended APAC twice, was a beta tester for...
Too Many Coaches, Not Enough Mentors
The estimate that only 5% of voice actors are truly supporting themselves and their families with strictly voiceover work is probably correct. (remember, 47.93% of all numbers quoted online are made-up).Whatever the number (almost impossible to discern), it's...
World Voices #WoVochat
The Tide’s Coming In
Just over 135 World-Voices Organization members will meet in Las Vegas this week. What that means to voice actors everywhere.
Rates Roundtable: Interactive Strike
Voiceover industry experts discuss the ongoing SAG-AFTRA Interactive Strike, the underlying issues, and the progress being made towards resolution.
Rates Roundtable is Back!
Video Game voice-actors and SAG-AFTRA negotiators discuss the Interactive Strike. A Gold-Ribbon panel of experts talk about progress being made in SAG’s longest-ever strike.
…Just Days
Not to beat a dead horse... but to beat the deadline and attend one of the best VO conferences of the year, you're down to a matter of days and hours. WoVOCon IV in fabulous Las Vegas Nevada happens the last week of June, and we need to know...
13 Days…and Counting
OK, I admit it, I'm totally biased about WoVO. Of course I am. I'm a founder and the current president. With over 800 members, World-Voices Organization is now more than just a cozy little group of like-minded souls. It's a movement. A movement about to celebrate...
The New NAB
National Association of Broadcasters. One of the biggest conventions on the calendar of a city that has more/bigger/better conferences than any other place on the planet. But why? I mean, I get CES (Consumer Electronics Show)...THE highest attendance at any Vegas...
Long Live Atlanta…
...until 2018. Now what? There's a lot of 2017 left! Gerald Griffith pulled off a masterful and edifying voice over conference again. 500+ newcomers and seasoned pros made the scene, and made memories. I'm still smiling. But you know what?...thousands of voice...
Just one more… Please enjoy this pic from one week ago in Atlanta.
'Traveling today. Up at 5am... a time of day that doesn't exist in my world. Please enjoy this pic from one week ago in Atlanta.
A Few Last Pics From VOA
I'll have some thoughts about the conference tomorrow, but 'thought you might enjoy a few more shots from the event. Recognize anyone? The Spanish-Speaking attendees broke out in song on the final night. Closing Ceremonies, VO Atlanta 2017 from Dave Courvoisier on...
Why I Love VO Conferences
Voice Over Atlanta launches Thursday. It's turned into one of the more encompassing of the many VO conventions that have sprouted-up over the years. The last I heard, upwards of 500 will be attending in one capacity or another. That's awesome, and shows the growing...
VO Business & Compensation
Freelance Marketing in a Covid Culture
Adapt…be agile, but don’t abandon creative marketing. Finding work in this enduring pandemic is a challenge.
Can We Just Standardize Audition File-Naming Please?
Computer hardware mega-companies can agree on USB across the board, so why can’t voiceover-land agree on a common way to name audition files?
The Discerning Audition Talent
The directions say one thing, and YOU are another…but you just KNOW you can do that thing. OK, but think about this first.
Voice Over Education
A Defense of the “First Take”
The main point of this blog is not going to sit well with many...least of all the accomplished voice coaches I've worked with. So, consider this point of view more as an idea I'm floating out there as an alternative. It's a counter-argument to the other end of the...
Don’t Buy New Recording Equipment. Do This Instead.
Dan Lenard made me a believer.He makes a strong case that very few audio engineers are equipped to adequately give technical advice for today's home-based freelance voice-actors.The proliferation and the challenges of today's individualized recording booths are a...
Cipriano Career Consulting
Ha!..and you thought he was only a pretty face!OK, so maybe you thought he was just one of those uber-successful and ubiquitous network promo voices.You'd be right on both counts, but you also know there's a depth and a generosity to Joe Cipriano that harkens back to...
The Case For Face
Everything you do online for your VO business: Demos, Blogs, Twitter posts, FaceBook updates, profiles, newsletters...even email signatures should have a picture.I used to sit on the fence on this debate...you know...the debate over whether a...
The Voice-Actor’s Law of Diminishing Returns
Franklin wanted to better his chances at getting documentary voiceover jobs, and sought out a top producer to help with a killer demo. He was taken aback by the quote he got. Would it be worth it?Barbara just knew she'd improve the sound of her VO auditions if she...
Don’t Dread Drymouth
Tonight, I'll climb into my studio, and once again face the spectre of dry-mouth.Dry mouth equals mouth clicks, and mouth clicks equals a noisy recording, and a noisy recording means longer editing time. Yes, I drink gallons of distilled water every day (I get...
Incoming!
Two Things:#1Anytime Pat Fraley shows up in Las Vegas, it's a good thing.Everybody's favorite VO Coach is making his appearance in So NV in early October for an AudioBook Narration Master Session. 'Not sure how Pat does it, but no matter how many times you've...
VO Rates Roundtable
Don't fault me or WoVO for focusing so much on voiceover compensation rates lately. We're only trying to keep up with the crazy pace of this industry. No one topic garners more interest among freelance voice actors than this issue. World-Voices Organization members...
Pudding Proof FAILURE… (and a WoVOChat invite)
To recap: 1) Last week I called to task a certain hi-profile VO coaching school for utilizing a series of increasingly rude autoresponder emails to coerce wannabe VO talent to sign-up for their program. [WHEN DOES AN OFFER BECOME OFFENSIVE?] 2) I followed up the...
Pudding
What's the old saying? "Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me".This has been a week of discovery, admonition, and contrition. Tuesday, I came down hard on what I believed to be a certain sector of the coaching marketplace that takes unfair...
Voice Over Hardware & Software tools
Coolest Online Digital Tool EVARR
Anyone who's had to build a story using subject interviews under deadline pressure (TV reporters?) knows the drill. You can't really compose the narrative until you know exactly what the interview subjects actually say...so the first task - while the clock is ticking...
Best Voice Over Lead Generator I’ve Seen in a Long Time
Access. How do you find access to names, emails, phone numbers of people/prospects who might hire you? THIS is how.
Google Search on Steroids
Understand a few simple syntax constructions in your google search,
and you can open up a world of opportunity.
The 5 Technology Myths of Voiceover
Impossible! 21st-Century technology BUILT today’s VO profession! How could it conceivably shackle your progress? Read it and weep. Chances are you’re guilty.
5 Tactful Ways to Critique a Voiceover Colleague’s Demo
Are you qualified to evaluate the demo of a VO peer? Yes and no. Here are five suggestions for seeing your way through that thicket.
SEO Checklist for Voiceover Websites
A website referred to me by a voice actor in Europe.
Care ‘n’ Feeding of Your Microphone
Your microphone is not just a hunk of metal and wires. It’s delicate, and requires TLC. Here are some tips.
Centrance Mixerface R4 Adds Mics
The well-received Centrance Mixerface R4 adds two Centrance-designed pivot mics. Centrance’s Michael Goodman explains in an interview from the NAB floor.
In:Quality at NAB
The makers of ipDTL (and now new related products) makes its stand at the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas
ASMR and Other Interwebs News
Oh, the stuff you can find when you have a computer and too much time on your hands!
Voice Over Events
…Just Days
Not to beat a dead horse... but to beat the deadline and attend one of the best VO conferences of the year, you're down to a matter of days and hours. WoVOCon IV in fabulous Las Vegas Nevada happens the last week of June, and we need to know...
13 Days…and Counting
OK, I admit it, I'm totally biased about WoVO. Of course I am. I'm a founder and the current president. With over 800 members, World-Voices Organization is now more than just a cozy little group of like-minded souls. It's a movement. A movement about to celebrate...
The New NAB
National Association of Broadcasters. One of the biggest conventions on the calendar of a city that has more/bigger/better conferences than any other place on the planet. But why? I mean, I get CES (Consumer Electronics Show)...THE highest attendance at any Vegas...
Long Live Atlanta…
...until 2018. Now what? There's a lot of 2017 left! Gerald Griffith pulled off a masterful and edifying voice over conference again. 500+ newcomers and seasoned pros made the scene, and made memories. I'm still smiling. But you know what?...thousands of voice...
Just one more… Please enjoy this pic from one week ago in Atlanta.
'Traveling today. Up at 5am... a time of day that doesn't exist in my world. Please enjoy this pic from one week ago in Atlanta.
A Few Last Pics From VOA
I'll have some thoughts about the conference tomorrow, but 'thought you might enjoy a few more shots from the event. Recognize anyone? The Spanish-Speaking attendees broke out in song on the final night. Closing Ceremonies, VO Atlanta 2017 from Dave Courvoisier on...
Why I Love VO Conferences
Voice Over Atlanta launches Thursday. It's turned into one of the more encompassing of the many VO conventions that have sprouted-up over the years. The last I heard, upwards of 500 will be attending in one capacity or another. That's awesome, and shows the growing...
Ethics in Voice Acting
Ethics? Really? I just need VO jobs! OK, I hear ya, but believe it or not it's all tied in together, and it's also best described in the context of community. Next week at VoiceOver Atlanta, J Michael Collins is moderating a panel on this very topic. As an intro to...
Latest Rates Roundtable – Feb 2017
This one's a gem, folks. I know I probably say something close to that for everyone RR that's come down the pike, but the information shared on this particular panel seems to be more needed than ever. The discussion went way beyond the scary realities of...
2017’s First Rates Roundtable
Most of January was taken with the effort of getting through January. But that's water under the bridge. February is here, and World-Voices Organization is back with a brand-spanking new panel discussion on voice-over rates. From what we're hearing, the new year...
Listen to my Commercial demoVoice Over Niches
VoiceOver Myths, Legends, and Fables, Part I
When you’re new at something, you tend to accept things at face value…but it’s important to ask why.
4 Obvious Reasons Voice Actors Should Try *ConnectionOpen* Today
More than a decade later, ConnectionOpen is even more the feature-rich, mature product for remote recording that you’d expect from itsfounder and #1 advocate, Randy Morrison.
How To Land and Keep Big Clients
It’s easy and it’s not. It’s obvious and it’s not. Don’t ignore the basics.
Voice Over Hardware & Software tools
CRM = Clients Really Matter
Everybody THINKS they should be using a CRM – a customer relationship manager. Trouble is, which one? Here’s a great list.
Does Craigs + List = VoiceOver Opportunity?
Is Craigslist a viable means to find voice-over jobs?…or to post your services to get jobs? Not just any jobs…GOOD-PAYING VO jobs. Seeking your responses to my query.
You Gotta Try This (Be “Open”)
Connection Open is not just another ISDN pretender. It’s your connection to something entirely all its own.
Hacks, Plosives, DAWs
So much good stuff to be found on the internet. This kind of bounty deserves to be shared.
ipDTL Improvements
What? You think any remote connection service as advanced as ipDTL is gonna sit on their hands? Not a chance. See what you’ve been missing.
The Skinny on Voiceovers.com
Matt Dubois stepped up with VoiceCastingHub. Now he’s stepping in with Voiceovers.com. Here are the facts from the source.
Dealing With Dialects
Delivering esoteric accents can be learned. But where to turn for a resource? Inquire within.
‘Best of the Web
Stuff too good not to share.
Great Voice Overs – It’s Not About the Mic!
Stop spending big bucks on fancy mics. Here are the three things you SHOULD be focusing on.
ConnectionOpen: Free Day Passes
Sure they want you to try out their new product. And once you see how amazing it is, then you get to give it to others.
WoVOCon VI Launches
There are VO conferences, and there are VO conferences. Then there’s WoVOCon.
Adverbs are Disappearing Real Quick
You know, verb modifiers. They usually end in “-ly”. Yeah, those. You gotta look close (er, closely) to see ’em anymore.
3 Reasons Why It’s Important to Remember That Voice Actors Are People Too!
Courtesy in business? Is that a thing? Yes, in fact it’s so important that many producers/clients/agents have almost forgotten.