Posted June 29, 2006 by Bob
As I’ve noted previously, I’ve been cast as the voice for “bridges,” the podcast by the Office of Science and Technology at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC.
The latest issue, Vol. 10, is being rolled out today. Most of the audio is already posted as I type this. (update: The text of Vol. 10 is also now available.)
Category: General | Comments (0)
Posted June 28, 2006 by Bob
You’re going to love this video clip. Brian Haymond emailed the link to me. Thanks, Brian. It was a good day for a good laugh.
Category: General, People | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
If you’ve signed up for a premium membership with either Voice123.com or InteractiveVoices.com (soon to be Voices.com), you should check out the comments Brian Roberts has posted in the blog at Voice123.com.
Here are a couple of highlights:
I did more than 600 auditions in the first 6 months with V123 and made maybe $1000. I was working at it full time!! I’d wake up each morning, go down to my computer and start auditioning. I had an amazingly loud alert on my MAC that screamed at me to check my mail whenever a new email from V123 came in. Id did this EVERY day for MONTHS. And was discouraged.
And
For example, for the first 2 months, I didn’t realize that my microphone was missing a battery that made it sound horrible! I auditioned for HUNDREDS of jobs with this bad mike and NO ONE SAID A WORD. Once I figured it out, It was amazing how much my chances increased and my profits.
Especially in this second comment, Brian makes an extremely important point, you have to have professional equipment and it has to be set up correctly if you have any serious chance of making a decent living doing voice-overs…even part-time. Read the whole thing. (By the way, I’m not surprised no one said anything about Brian’s bad microphone. The clients almost certainly just chalked up his auditions as coming from someone who wasn’t a professional. Which means you need to find and fix the problems you have, because no one else is going to do it for you.)
By the way, one guy who does a lot of voice-over training, and who takes the time to make sure his students understand this essential point is Michael Minetree.
Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
Vox Blog, the voice-over blog at Voices.com points out there is a contest running through July 23, 2006 to become the voice of either Namor (a.k.a. Sub-Mariner) or Jean Grey. Or go directly to the contest entry here.
Now, that contest is primarily for folks with significant professional voice-over experience. But, the Voice-Over Contest continues at Minewurx Studio. And that contest is closed to people with such experience.
So, if you want to push the boundries of where you are…whether you’re a novice just getting started…or someone who’s been doing voice-overs for some time but wishing you could get your big break; opportunities are right under your nose.
A few years ago I heard a quote from Henry Ford that applies: “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)
Posted June 27, 2006 by Bob
I’ve just added two more demos to my demo section on the left. The one I’m most excited about is the Audiobook Demo because my CD from Pat Fraley just arrived today. I’m my toughest critic, but I think it sounds pretty good.
While I was at it, I also added my Medical Demo to this page.
Both the Audiobook Demo and the Medical Demo have also been added to my InteractiveVoices.com (soon to be Voices.com) and Voice123.com pages.
Should you wish too, leave a comment about how you think they sound. Good, bad or indifferent, I’d like to see what you have to say.
Category: General | Comments (10)
Posted June 26, 2006 by Bob
If you teach or coach voice-over talent, you ought to check out Stephanie’s latest post on Vox Daily, the voice-over blog at Voices.com.
Category: Blogging, Career Advice | Comments (2)
Posted June 25, 2006 by Bob
Peter Coyote and Joe Cipriano are two guys who work in the major leagues of voice-over. Recently, two of my friends, Charlie Glaize and Michael Minetree have pointed me to opportunities to get inside the minds of these guys via the Internet.
Charlie emailed me today to point out this article, which offers some thoughts from Peter Coyote about doing voice-over including audiobooks.
And on Michael Minetree’s blog, I found links to two different videos (one and two) that offer behind-the-scenes looks into Joe Cip’s world.
Enjoy!
Category: People | Comments (2)
Posted June 24, 2006 by Bob
Karen Commins attened the Audiobook Master Class in L.A. the day after I did. The same three great teachers (Pat Fraley, Hillary Huber and Kimberly Brault) led the class. It was held in the same studio, Buzzy’s. (Andy Morton, the Chief Engineer there is the tops!)
Karen has done a superb job of capturing the day in words and photos.
Category: General, People | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
As of yesterday, June 23, 2006 Vox Daily, the voice-over blog from Voices.com (formerly InteractiveVoices.com) has moved to its new and permanent home. Check it out. The site is very well designed and includes all of the posts and comments from the InteractiveVoices.com blog, searchable by keyword.
Comments are easier to leave, too. Check it out.
Category: Blogging, Career Advice, General | Comments (0)
Posted June 22, 2006 by Bob
That’s what my friend Blaine Parker has. I wrote about his win again this year at the Radio Mercury Awards a few days ago, so we already know he’s a brilliant writer. (Just keep scrolling down, you’ll find it.)
But, today I want to call your attention to Blaine’s voice-over work. You’ll find several tasty samples at his web site, GetThatVoice.com. Go. Listen. And don’t miss the “About Blaine” page.
Category: People | Comments (0)
Posted June 20, 2006 by Bob
In my flurry of posts of late, I’ve neglected to take note of Voice123.com’s third anniversary. I joined them in the late summer of 2004 and have made back my annual professional subscription fee many times over each year. Happy Birthday, Voice123.com!
Category: General | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
Check out this post at the blog at InteractiveVoices.com (soon to be Voices.com) and exhange a link with them. I did and this is what their link will look like on your site:
Voice overs from Voices.com, the #1 voice marketplace.
Category: Blogging, General | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
Several days ago I added a link to Dave Christi’s site to my list of voice-over links over on the left; but I neglected to post a note here about having done so.
Dave is another example of a guy with a lot of talent with whom I’ve had the delight of corresponding via email. I hope in the next year or two that we get to meet in person.
He’s also a really nice guy. He even posted a link back here on his blog when writing about nice people in the voice-over business.
Thank you for the kind words, Dave. Takes one to know one.
Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
My first encounter with Pat took place 2 years ago at the Dan O’Day sponsored 2004 International Radio Creative and Production Summit. His presentation was on creating and using characters. Since Pat is a very successful animation and character voice-over talent in Los Angeles, this was great fun, but not all that practical to me, since this isn’t my niche.
Then last year, Pat was back for a second session at the 2005 Summit. In 3 hours, Pat Fraley taught us practical and immediately useful techniques about how to approach copy at auditions. How practical? In the last year, I’ve earned at least $5000.00 more than I would have, because of the auditioning tools I gained studying with Pat Fraley. In fact in less than a year, I’ve won multiple high-paying jobs using the ideas I learned from him.
I’ll write about my expreriences of putting the audiobook class lessons into practice as time goes on, so there’s more to come on that subject.
Category: Career Advice, History, People | Comments (0)
Posted June 19, 2006 by Bob
The Audiobook Master Class presented by Pat Fraley was everything I hoped it would be and more. It was really 3 master classes in one. We each received a wonderfully detailed book of notes, saving us the trouble of writing like mad and hoping we weren’t missing something important in the process. Instruction both in the classroom and in the studio came from our three very talented teachers: Pat Fraley, Hillary Huber and Kimberly Breault. (Hillary’s link is to a page on Pat’s site. I can’t find a site specifically for her. Here is another page with some good comments about Hillary.)
First, it was training in how to approach the reading of an audiobook. It’s a very different approach than doing a commercial voice-over. The word picture Pat gave us was “it’s like a train,” running for a very, very long time in the same direction. Recording sessions for audiobooks often last 3 to 6 hours, with just short breaks each hour and for the longer sessions, a stop in the middle of the day for lunch.
Second, it was training in how to find work recording audiobooks. There were many helpful suggestions here, not just about web sites to look at but suggestions about letters to use for contacts and follow-up. This was the part I expected to get the least from, because I’m such a poor self-promoter, but even I believe I can follow through on these simple, and practical ideas.
Third, it was recording our actual audiobook demos. There were 3 voice booths in use, with four of us moving from booth to booth in turns. (One group had 5.) I was delighted to get to record with three talented artists: Connie Zimet, Dwight Harmon and Cindy Shoemaker. Hillary, Kim and Pat each provided direction and notes as we recorded.
This week they are taking our raw tracks to a professional editor to prepare the finished demos. We’ll receive them in a few days.
In addition, Kathe Mazur came in during lunch to offer us her insights as a successful voice talent recording audiobooks for major audiobook publisher, Books-on-Tape. It was wonderful to hear her thoughtful comments about both the delights and the challenges involved in recording audiobooks.
Having now attended three training events with Pat Fraley, I strongly recommend you jump at your next chance to take one of his classes; at least one that makes sense for your specific area of interest. The price of the serminar, the air transportation from Charlotte to LA and back, the hotel, rental car and meals…all of it combined was worth every penny based what I learned in one 8-hour day. I’m very confident I’ll make it all back, and lots more before this year is finished.
Best of all, its was a load of fun!
Category: Career Advice, History, People | Comments (0)
Posted June 18, 2006 by Bob
And one of the most talented I’ve met in a long time is Connie Zimet, who was part of the Audiobook Master Class I took this weekend in California. (About which more shortly.)
Connie lives in Florida, so she and a young lady named Rachel (from New York) were the two who beat me out for the title of “traveled the farthest” to get to the class.
In any case, I was impressed with everyone I met, but Connie was head and shoulders above the rest of us. I’ve added her site to my “Voice Over” links on the left.
Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (0)
Posted June 16, 2006 by Bob
Another recent email correspondent is Wayne Thompson. I haven’t met Wayne in person yet, but just spend a few seconds with his demos and you’ll see why I’m impressed with his talent.
Category: People | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
Brian Haymond, whom I met for the first time just over a year ago, has left a very nice comment. Which reminded me that I’d been meaning to add a link to Brian’s site for some time now. He’s another of the very talented folks I’ve been privileged to meet over the years.
Category: People | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
This evening I fly to Los Angeles and tomorrow all day I’m going to be attending Pat Fraley’s audio book master class. There’s a second class the following day. Both are fully booked. (I’m sure there will be others in the future.)
I’ll post my thoughts about the class here once I’ve had a chance to absorb what I’ve learned. But, I’m sure it’s going to be a great experience. Janet Ault, a very talented lady I’ve met through Dan O’Day’s International Radio Creative and Production Summit, has attended a previous class and emails that she loved the experience. (It was at the Dan O’Day event two years ago that I also first met Pat Fraley.)
Category: Career Advice, General, History, People | Comments (0)
Posted June 15, 2006 by Bob
While this isn’t specific to the world of voice-over, I want to offer a word of thanks to the Instapundit for pointing me to Clusty as an Internet search site.
Category: General, Tools | Comments (0)
Posted June 14, 2006 by Bob
That was me. You see my web hosting provider, Powweb.com, is in the middle of migrating to a new server platform. And Monday was my migration day. I tested everything thoroughly, but when I flipped over to the new server, this blog ended up partially broken. Partially, because you could still see the current posts and all the links. But broken because you couldn’t leave or even look at a comment or any of the posts not displayed on the first page.
However, thanks to the great support forum at Powweb, I found the answer and we’re back.
(Update: I’ve now solved the remaining mystery, about why Day By Day wasn’t displaying. It was a different, but related problem involving the new server configuration.)
Category: Blogging | Comments (0)
Posted June 11, 2006 by Bob
I’ve just added a link to DC Goode’s web site in the Voice-over section of links on the left. He was kind enough to email some rather nice words this weekend about my post on competition versus selection which was triggered by a post from Stephanie on InteractiveVoices.com’s blog. (Soon to be Voices.com’s blog.)
DC wrote to say that he agreed completely with the point of my post. Naturally, as I did with Karen Commins just a couple of days earlier, I popped over the DC’s site. I was impressed with his demos and even more impressed with the work he’s done and the clients with whom he’s worked.
Thanks for the kind words, DC.
Category: General, People | Comments (2)
Posted June 9, 2006 by Bob
As I write this post, today’s the last day for you to get the lowest registration rate for the International Radio Creative and Production Summit 2006 of $495.00. This link goes directly to the registration page.
If you write or produce radio commerials or voice for radio, television or the Internet you should seriously think about attending. I’ve attended every year since 1997 and it’s made a huge difference for me professionally.
This year, Dave Foxx of Z-100 in New York will present a seminar on station promo production. Harlan Hogan will speak on Advanced Voice-over Strategies and Techniques. And there’ll be a panel of voice-over agents and casting directors. Each of these will be worth the price of admission alone.
Even if you have to pay a bit more than the minimum, you’ll be glad you were there. Register today.
Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)
Posted June 8, 2006 by Bob
I mentioned Blaine Parker once previously on this blog in a post I wrote about all the people I know and have worked with who have won awards. Blaine just won his second Radio Mercury Award. He’s an amazingly talented writer and voice-over guy. This is a link to the audio of his award winning spot. He’s not only the writer, but the voice talent on the spot.
Good for you, Blaine. I’m grateful to know you.
Category: People | Comments (0)
Posted by Bob
The answer to the question posed in the title to this post can be found in large part in this post on the InteractiveVoices.com blog (soon to be the Voices.com blog). Read the whole thing, but here’s one key thought.
Competing means that you are jockeying for the top position, and that there can only be one winner.
The term “Competing” gives permission to the client to treat voice talent like dirt, and to be frank, abuse you, your time, and your skills. For the client, it’s a passive experience. For you, it can be demeaning and stressful.
It doesn’t help anyone, clients or talents, to be in the mindset that this is a competition where it is okay to ‘let talent compete’ for voice-over work…
Exactly. I don’t see Charlie Glaize, Ross Bagley or any other voice talent (male or female) as my competition. There’s plenty of work for all of us. Plenty. Thousand and thousands of opportunities for professional voices. My voice and my interpretive ability is right for some of those jobs. But I’m not right for many, many others. And somone else should be cast for those jobs.
I find it fascinating that much of the time when I’ve been cast from an audition, the person who hires me says something like, “When we heard your voice, we knew you were the right one for the job.” Now that rings my chimes.
Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (0)
Posted June 7, 2006 by Bob
Today, Karen Commins left some kind words in a comment. So, I immediately checked out her website and her blog. Karen is a talented lady and I’m sure will continue to do well in this crazy business we call voice-over.
We’re both going to the audiobook Master Class with Pat Fraley in Hollywood, but she’s attending the Sunday session on June 18th and I’ll be there on Saturday, June 17th. I’m sure we’ll compare notes afterward. Some of that note comparing will, no doubt, make its way here. Something to look forward to.
Category: Blogging, Career Advice, People | Comments (2)
Posted June 6, 2006 by Bob
Several days ago I mentioned that the Voice Over Contest at Minewurx Studio had started. Here’s the page where you can hear the current contestants. And here’s the latest news about a prize that’s been added since my last post.
So, if you’re just getting started, go thou and do likewise. Uh, I mean, enter the contest. After all, you could win. And as Michael Minetree, the owner of Minewurx says, if you do, you’re going to be very happy.
Category: Career Advice, Getting started in Voiceover, People | Comments (0)
Posted June 5, 2006 by Bob
One of the few drawbacks of the Voice123.com service in the past was the poor quality of the audio playback of demos; both those posted at our custom pages and those we submitted for auditions.
But, I’m delighted to note as of a couple of days ago, Voice123.com has doubled the bit rate of their files from 32 to 64Kbps. I’ve re-uploaded all of my demos to take advantage of the improved quality. If you use their site, you ought to do the same.
Category: General | Comments (0)
Posted June 3, 2006 by Bob
Thanks to a brilliant plug-in called Akismet, I’m turning comments back on. The most recent dozen or so posts are already returned to a comments active state, and as time permits over the next few days I’ll re-active the rest.
That is all. Carry on.
(update) All messages should now allow legitimate comments. If you find one that doesn’t please post a comment here and I’ll fix it.
Category: Blogging | Comments (2)
Posted June 2, 2006 by Bob
If you manage your own website, I recommend CoffeeCup Software. I’ve paid for and use their tools. Right now, CoffeeCup Software is celebrating their Tenth Anniversary by giving away 10 diamonds, one to each of 10 randomly selected customers. Read the details here. Then go here to buy their software on CD.
And, if you end up winning one of the diamonds, I hope you’ll write and let me know.
Category: Blogging, General, Tools | Comments (0)
