Posted September 30, 2009 by Bob
My friend DB Cooper (Deirdre, to her friends) was interviewed at the Austin Game Developers Conference about her voiceover work.
Very, very nice Deirdre. By the way, in case you don’t know, Deirdre also is the hostess for the wonderful VO-BB, a bulletin board for voice actors.
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Posted September 29, 2009 by Bob
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Posted by Bob
Then check the blog post today by my friend Taji. He’s starting a new website called I Love Voice-Over Work, intended to feature your stories and experiences.
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Posted September 28, 2009 by Bob
With my thanks to Joe Cipriano and Trish Basanyi for posting this video on Facebook, here’s a look at Danny Dark, Ernie Anderson, Bill Whitman and Gene Moss.
Great fun to see these icons of the business at work.
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Posted September 27, 2009 by Bob
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Posted September 26, 2009 by Bob
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Posted by Bob
My friend Rowell Gormon’s turn in the Star Wars Universe shines brightly. You can hear his narration in this wonderful video.
And read more about it on his Clogged Blog.
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Posted September 25, 2009 by Bob
Mike Elmore provides us with a glimpse into his voiceover studio today.
Very nice Mike. Thanks for the quick tour of your place.
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Posted by Bob
My friend Pam Tierney told me a number of weeks ago about a wonderful blog called The Simple Dollar. I’ve been enjoying the posts there every since. Today’s, called What is a “Good Job?” really hits it out of the park for me. I love my job, not because of the money involved, but because I love telling stories and now that’s what I get to do all day long, every day.
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Posted by Bob
My thanks to Tony Quinn for for posting the link to this video on the VO-BB. Steven is the voice of Law And Order.
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Posted September 24, 2009 by Bob
Though Benjamin Zander doesn’t mention voiceover a single time in this 20 minute video from TED, if you will take the time to watch it with your eyes and ears wide open, I think you’ll agree with me that he has a whole lot to say on the subject.
Are your eyes shining now? Mine are.
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Posted by Bob
Tom Asacker offers some cogently thoughtful words about social media and fences. Well worth the couple of minutes of your time it will take to read.
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Posted by Bob
Gabrielle Nistico will present an hour and a half voiceover workshop this weekend as part of the Charlotte Film Festival. Details and registration is available at this linked page of the Charlotte Film Festival site.
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Posted by Bob
My audiobook narration work really took off after I attended one of Pat Fraley’s audiobook master classes in Los Angeles a few years ago. At that class I learned everything I needed to know to not only do the work, but to find it as well. October 17, 2009 is the date for Pat’s The Billion $ Read Audiobook Event in Seattle. Click through on that link for all the registration details.
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Posted September 23, 2009 by Bob
Edge Studio has published a web page chock full of good information about keeping your voice in shape.
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Posted by Bob
A couple of years ago several of us voice actors in North Carolina got together for a day of food, bowling and just spending time together. And I’ve taken part in a few smaller meals and gatherings since then, but we’re hoping to get a good sized crowd of voice actors together from across the Carolinas on Friday, October 2, 2009.
I’ve posted details in the Events section of Voiceover Universe. If you would like to join us and I somehow missed inviting you directly, please leave me a comment here and let me know you’ll be joining us.
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Posted by Bob
My friend Anthony Mendez shines brightly in his latest promo work for CNN.
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Posted September 22, 2009 by Bob
My friend Greg Houser is not only an extremely gifted voice actor, he understands security extremely well. He’s written a superb article published at VoiceOverXtra called Beware the Hidden Spider’s Web
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Posted by Bob
Then check out this brilliant audition from my friend and mentor, Philip Banks.
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Posted September 20, 2009 by Bob
My friend Philip Banks has a wickedly British sense of humor (or humour, depending on your spelling preferences) which makes complete sense since he is, in fact, British. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea; however, if you appreciate that sort of thing you might enjoy Philip’s recent demonstration of same on the VO-BB.
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Posted September 19, 2009 by Bob
My friend Kim White emailed me the link to this video about Social Media. It’s well worth 4 minutes and 22 seconds.
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Posted September 18, 2009 by Bob
My friend Pam Tierney blogs today about learning to accept help when offered and to ask for help when needed. Regardless of where you are in your life and your voiceover business, you probably need some help now and then. On the other hand, you can probably offer some help now and then, too.
In the last 25 plus years, many people have given me help, sometimes when I didn’t even realize how much I needed it. And never with the expectation of being compensated. I have received so much generosity through the years it makes my head spin when I think about it.
When someone asks me for help, they nearly always ask “how can I repay you?” My answer is always the same. “Don’t try to pay me back. Look for an opportunity to help someone else. That’s the best repayment of all.”
One of the things I love best about the voiceover business is the way people in this business do help one another. Let’s keep it going!
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Posted by Bob
John Florian has published an interview on VoiceOverXtra with Kat Keesling about the Hear the Bill site and effort. It’s well worth your time to read.
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Posted September 17, 2009 by Bob
My friend Bruce Miles is not only a superbly gifted voice actor, he also writes and produces; so from time to time he needs other voice actors to provide voices for some of his production projects. One of those came up recently and he took some careful notes during the auditioning process using not only a few friends, but also two of the online casting sites.
Would you like to read his thoughtful observations about what he saw and heard during that process? Click through to his post on the VO-BB. I think you might find it very interesting. I know I did.
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Posted by Bob
My friend Dave White emails with news that a guest appearance he’s recently made on a TNT drama called Leverage is now available on the web. You can see the whole episode on the TNT site. Very shortly after the program starts, Dave makes his first appearance as a police officer only a few minutes in.
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Posted by Bob
My friend Terry Daniel has posted an excellent video. Good advice, Terry.
Comments are open. How do you help folks keep realistic expectations?
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Posted by Bob
I spent last weekend in Kansas City, studying with Marice Tobias. It was one of the best weekend workshops I’ve attended, both because of the breakthrough I personally experienced (more about that in a moment) and because of the wonderful group that gathered there in the Midwest.
Every one of these weekends is unique. No surprise. After all the mix of people is always different. The culture continues to change. Each of us, including Marice, have experienced a bit more of life (sometimes a lot more of life) since the last time we were together. But, this one was especially special, perhaps because of the way it started. Roberta Solomon, who lives in Kansas City, invited the whole group to her house for a party the night before the workshop started. She also invited a number of other voice talent and several other friends from around KC to join us. It made of a very relaxed and fun start to everything.
Ben Wilson and Caryn Clark stop for a photo with me as we arrive at Roberta Solomon’s house. She’s coming out the door to welcome us just as the photo was being snapped by Karen Hutton.
As the evening progressed, we were treated to a rare acoustic performance set by The Snotrockets, headed by the amazing Doug Medlock. (Doug is the one wiping the sweat from his forehead in this shot.)
Marice managed to talk me in to singing with the group, by convincing them to do Amazing Grace. I looked up the chord progressions for them on my phone’s web browser and we did 3 verses to I would say a pretty decent round of applause. It’s the first time I’ve sung with a band backing me since sometime in the late 80s.
The next morning Caryn Clark, Ben Wilson, Karen Hutton and I walked the 3 blocks or so from our hotel to the wonderful CR Sound, the studio where the workshop was taking place. It was during this first day when, though I didn’t recognize it at the time, I found my biggest highlight of the weekend.
Marice has been talking for several months now about how challenging it is to move from one kind of voiceover work (let’s say an eLearning narration) to another kind (for example a commercial) and yet another and so on. It’s very easy for the echoes of one style to bleed into the next session. Getting a handle on what that means to me personally and my work was the big breakthrough of the weekend. Worth the cost of the entire weekend for that one thing.
After our Saturday of study, we gathered at Gates, a Kansas City BBQ institution. I enjoyed myself a great deal at this meal. I love BBQ in all its various flavors, but I think Kansas City style is my new favorite.
Sunday was another excellent day of study, working on mic, and culminated in a group photo just outside the back door of the studio.
Sadly missing from this shot because he had to leave before the photo was taken is Steve Stone, but the rest of us are here. What a great group. From the left: Ben Wilson, Karen Hutton, Marty Wall, Jen Sweeney, Caryn Clark, Leslie Wadsworth, Chris Rollins, Kimberly Justice, Doug Medlock, Roberta Solomon, Stacey Stahl, me and Dave White.
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Posted September 16, 2009 by Bob
If you do, then get over to Pat Fraley’s web site and sign up for his Billion Dollar $ Read two-day audiobook event. I took Pat’s audiobook class in 2006 and have been working steadily in audiobooks ever since.
And you get to work with not just Pat, but the cream of the audiobook world: Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki, Kathe Mazur and Hillary Huber.
Here’s Pat’s first lesson, free.
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Again, all the registration information is at Pat’s web site.
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Posted by Bob
I’ve been studying with Marice Tobias for a couple of years now. It’s been a great experience. I’ve learned a ton. I’ve booked more and better paying work. And she’s one of the most insightful and delightful people I know. If you’ve been wondering about where Marice will be teaching her workshops for the rest of this year, here are the details.
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Posted by Bob
Just launched and looking mighty spiffy is Voice Talent Productions, a web site featuring some mighty fine voice talent, even me.
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