1. Added to the blogroll

    Posted August 29, 2010 by Bob

    Added to my blogroll is Internet Voice Coach, an interesting site with a good deal of free information as well as additional material available to subscribers.

    Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (1)

  2. Must read Seth Godin

    Posted August 25, 2010 by Bob

    I read Seth Godin‘s blog frequently. Today’s entry, Little lies and small promises, may be the best thing he’s written so far this year; and I say this in a year that has been filled with excellent blog posts from Seth.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (1)

  3. Richard Horvitz in New York with a surprise guest

    Posted by Bob

    Richard Horvitz emails this evening to let me know that he has a very special guest, a major animation agent, who will be at both days of his workshop weekend in New York City next month, September 25 and 26, 2010. In his email to me, about this special guest, Richard says:

    I’m not legally allowed to advertise the agent’s name or agency but suffice it to say, she is a big part of my career.

    I had a chance to take a workshop with Richard when I was in LA earlier this summer (about which more soon) and it was really, really marvelous. So, if you can get yourself to New York (or you’re all ready there) this would be a great opportunity to sharpen your voiceover skills with a truly gifted teacher. For more information email …

    richardhorvitzclasses@gmail.com

    … and you’ll get all the details. Mention in your email that you are interested in the workshop in New York.

    Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (0)

  4. A Hot Points must-read

    Posted August 18, 2010 by Bob

    My friend Blaine Parker publishes a weekly screed (his term) called Hot Points. It’s always worth reading (subscribe here), but this week’s is so good I’ve asked Blaine for permission to republish here, which he has granted.
    ————————————————
    HOT POINTS for The Week of August 16, 2010

    IS SOMEONE YOU KNOW LOSING BIG MONEY–OR MAKING YOU CRAZY–BY NOT READING HOT POINTS?

    Subscription to this wretched weekly screed is now available to anyone you might deem worthy. Just send your victims to www.slowburnblog.com and have them look for the subscription sign up box in the upper left hand corner.

    __________________________________

    HERE NOW, YOUR WRITER ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA

    This week’s screed gives a little jab at advertisers who are mortified by the word “free.”

    And it also yanks the rug part way out from under yours truly.

    The reason this is happening is because of an interesting item in Entrepreneur Magazine this month.

    Under the heading, “Doing Good: Entrepreneurs Who Give Back,” isthe story of a house painter named Matt in Loveland, Colorado, which is about 50 miles north of Denver.

    Some time ago, Matt received a call from a woman who had to cancel a pending job because her husband died of a heart attack.

    Matt returned her deposit and offered his condolences.

    Then a couple of days later, he did something unusual.

    HE DECIDED TO PAINT HER HOUSE FOR FREE

    Like I said: unusual.

    There aren’t a lot of businesses out there who would just up and decide to donate a couple thousand bucks in supplies and labor to a recently minted widow. (I’m sure that right now, avid Hot Points reader Russell Friedman of The Grief Recovery Institute is turning this whole thing over in his agile, grief-counselor’s mind and getting ready to fire off a missive about the wisdom of this move. We’ll wait and see.)

    And this charitable gesture led Mr. Matt to an idea…

    He and his wife (who is also part of the business) decided to publicize their effort, searching for people in need of home makeovers.

    Now, understand, they’re not suddenly donating paint jobs to everyone who wants one.

    They’re making it known publicly that for people in extreme circumstances, they’ll make things just a little better.

    THEY’VE COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO MAKING THIS PART OF THEIR ANNUAL CHARITABLE EFFORTS

    Matt decided to get the word out and let the community know he wanted to paint a home for a deserving family.

    They started contacting local media, which resulted in news stories. They have a YouTube video. On their website is this blurb:

    Free Paint Makeover
    M & E Painting is always looking to hear the stories of people and
    families in our community that need our help. Unfortunately, life can
    throw some curve balls that leave people in a tough financial situation.
    We are looking for nominations of people and families in the community
    that are in need of painting but do not have the means to make it
    happen. Please email their stories to info@mandepainting.com.
    M & E Painting’s 2010 goal is to provide painting services for six
    families in need completely FREE!! So far we have 3 projects
    lined up.

    What might be most impressive about this is that it’s costing him much less than anticipated–because his painting crews volunteered to donate their time.

    And as the company grows, Matt gives away proportionately more paint jobs. If next year’s business is up 30%, he’ll do 30% more free painting.

    SO, WHAT HAS THIS ACCOMPLISHED FOR MATT’S PAINTING COMPANY?

    Of course, you mean besides the joy of doing good for people in need. (While you’re not a cynic, and are entirely compassionate, you’re still wondering about the bottom line.)

    The result is untold thousands of dollars in free advertising. (That would be the “free money” in the subject line tease, friends.)

    M&E Painting has had a couple of TV stories done on them, had hundreds of hits at their YouTube video on this topic, and the word of mouth has been exceptional.

    (I will admit: there are several YouTube videos of the guy who holds a sign for Matt’s company at the side of the road–and those videos have received thousands more views than the charitable painting video. But I digress.)

    And, of course, now there’s the national story in Entrepreneur, which will no doubt generate much more word of mouth and some further news in Loveland.

    THIS CAN BE PERCEIVED AS UNDERMINING THINGS I’VE TOLD MY OWN CLIENTS

    Back in the day when I worked with radio station advertisers, there were frequent stories about these businessfolks helping out customers in need.

    And I always told these people that while the stories were good, we couldn’t use them in their advertising.

    Two reasons.

    One, you appear self-aggrandizing and calculating if you talk about the good you do and then say, “Buy from me.” (This is different than advertisers who tell their charitable stories as institutional, “feel good” messages instead of as sales messages.)

    And two, who wants to be bombarded with calls from people looking for handouts? If you portray your business as a charity, you start getting calls from charity cases.

    Now, I will stand by those assertions.

    But, what I never did, was tell these advertisers how they COULD use these stories.

    And Matt the painter has used these stories the right way.

    He performed out of the goodness of his heart, and has decided he likes doing it. As a result, he lets people know that he’s always looking for worthy families.

    And as far as I can tell, Matt never says, “Look at the good I do, call me to paint your house.”

    Instead he says, “Call me to paint your house,” or he says, “Give me the name of someone who deserves a paint job.” Two distinctly different messages–one of them sales-based and found in his advertising, the other charity-based and found largely in his PR materials.

    FEAR OF “FREE?”

    This does provide a bit of amusement about business that are mortified by the word, “Free.”

    Understand, this isn’t to say that all businesses should be giving things away.

    But there have been times when advertisers whose products were ripe for a free sample were horrified at the idea of giving anything away.

    There is, of course, the disingenuous car dealer cliché of “free floor mats,” which is possibly one of the most moronic and cynical free offers known to man.

    But we’re talking about things more like the time-honored “free taste” or “free consultation.”

    I’ve had businesses unwilling to lower the bar for entry in any way–and here we have a company giving away entire jobs.

    Now, granted, Matt isn’t giving away anything free to potentially paying customers.

    But he is parting with his product in a way that (a) is truly generous, and (b) is excellent PR.

    SO, DO I GIVE AWAY MY SERVICES?

    Not exactly.

    I don’t advertise giving away anything for free.

    But I certainly give away things of value.

    You’re reading one of them right now. (If it wasn’t of value, would you even subscribe?)

    I’ve given free consultations to prospects.

    I’ve given clients more work than they paid for.

    I don’t advertise giving things away because I don’t advertise. I already have more business than I can handle.

    I also love what I do, and I feel compelled to (as voiceover legend Bob Souer puts it ) “love my clients.”

    Would I give away an entire ad campaign to a needy business? That remains to be seen. So far, nobody’s ever approached who’s been needy enough. The only people who’ve wanted me to work for free make more money than I do. (Explain that one…)

    But we have certainly discussed taking on charity cases.

    And Matt in Loveland has inspired me by sharing the love.
    As always,

    Blaine Parker
    Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in
    Park City

    Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (1)

  5. I usually don’t push e-newsletters

    Posted August 17, 2010 by Bob

    However, Maxine Dunn is a bright and talented lady with a lot of valuable insights. You’d do well to sign up for her e-newsletter on her site, here. It comes out on Tuesdays and I think in short order you’re going to look forward to reading your email on Tuesday mornings, even if you don’t now.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  6. Auditioning

    Posted August 14, 2010 by Bob

    A short film about a voiceover audition where every word counts.

    My thanks to my friend Dan Nachtrab for also posting the link to this video on the VO-BB.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (4)

  7. Richard Horvitz in NYC next month

    Posted August 11, 2010 by Bob

    One of the highlights of the 2010 edition of the Dan O’Day Summit was the workshop by Richard Horvitz on the first of the two days. It was simply amazing. Worth the price of the entire weekend. So, please take that as my personal ringing endorsement to check out this PDF with details about Richard’s upcoming weekend in New York City. It should be a truly wonderful time. I truly wish I could be there.

    Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (1)

  8. There’s still room for you at Faffcon

    Posted August 4, 2010 by Bob

    Faffcon, the unconference (yes, I said UNconference) for voiceover pros still has room for you. And if you book your hotel room by Monday, you can still get the special unconference rate.

    I do so hope you can be there. And as you can tell from the video, I most certainly don’t belong in front of a camera; but I just had to take part helping to publicize this event.

    Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (2)

  9. The Coffee Date

    Posted July 29, 2010 by Bob

    Kristine Oller has created The Actor’s Library as a resource for smart actors (including voice actors) who are serious about career success. One of the great benefits of joining The Actor’s Library is that you get dozens of Coffee Dates that Kristine has recorded with talented people from all across the performing spectrum, including me, as part of the deal.

    However, the Coffee Dates can now be purchased separately, too, on this page.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  10. Voice contact

    Posted July 19, 2010 by Bob

    On her blog today, my friend Pam Tierney provides a great follow-up to Maxine Dunn‘s excellent article on cold calling from the other day. Now that you know how to cold call, Pam provides you with one really powerful reason why.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  11. Cold calls can heat up your business

    Posted July 17, 2010 by Bob

    My friend Maxine Dunn has written a brilliant piece on cold calling and voiceover that was originally only available to her newsletter subscribers, but has now been published on VoiceOverXtra. If you’d like to subscribe to her newsletter (something I highly recommend you do) click through and sign up via the link on her site.

    Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (2)

  12. Microphone Techniques with Rodney Saulsberry

    Posted July 13, 2010 by Bob

    Good stuff from Rodney Saulsberry.

    Category: Career Advice, General, People, Tools | Comments (1)

  13. New VO seminar – 20% discount if you act fast!

    Posted by Bob

    Dan O’Day has just released a wonderful new audio seminar by Pat Fraley “GETTING FUNNY FAST: The Arts of Voice Over Comedy.”

    It’s a bargain at the regular price, but if you order by Friday of this week you’ll get an instant 20% discount. You’ll find all the information here.

    Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (0)

  14. The color of grass and …

    Posted July 1, 2010 by Bob

    My friend Moe Egan offers some cogent thoughts about your voiceover business at VoiceOverXtra today. Well worth a few minutes of your time.

    Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (0)

  15. Weaknesses and strengths

    Posted June 29, 2010 by Bob

    There are lots of folks who think that voiceover work is all about the voice. Sure, there’s an element of truth in that idea. When we audition, many times the final choice the client makes is based on whose voice most closely matches what they’re looking for; but be careful how far you carry this idea.

    To think that a specific kind of voice is the “perfect” voice for our work is just silly. People with all sorts of voices are doing well. Small voices. Big voices. Deep voices. High voices. Smooth voices. Squeaky voices. Voices that rasp. Voices that sparkle. When I meet someone new, someone who isn’t involved in voiceover work, he or she will often say “you have a perfect voice for that kind of work.” Which is really nice, but not really true. In fact, with the kinds of things I see on many auditions these days, mine is exactly the opposite of the kind of voice they’re looking for.

    It happened just the other day when I went to the first audition I’d done outside my home studio in 9 years. The director at the audition session said “Nice voice, but you sound kind of announcer-ish. Can you be more conversational?” I did my best, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t exactly what they were looking for, especially since I didn’t book the job.

    However, as with most things, there’s good news with the bad. Sure, lots of people aren’t looking for my voice, but some people are. Enough people are. (And really, I couldn’t do all the voiceover work in the entire world. I don’t know all the languages. And again even if I did, I’d never get any sleep.)

    I love working with every one of my clients. I love telling their stories. Some are short. Some are long. Some pay lots of money. Some pay less. But every one is fulfilling and interesting and I can hardly believe I get to do this work for people. It’s so much better than working for a living. If you are one of my clients, please know that I’m not kidding when I say I love working for you. And I love hearing from you, including the times (as just happened the other day) when you have to tell me your clients went with someone else. That’s all right. We’ll work on something else, soon enough.

    And if you’re a voiceover talent reading this, then know that even though you’re not right for every job, you will be right for some of them. Enough of them. If you need more training to be right for enough to make a living, then get more training. If you just need to practice more to get to that level, then practice more. Keep pushing forward, one little bit at a time, every day. You’ll get there.

    And remember, it’s not about your voice, it’s about the story your client needs you to tell. Keep your focus on the story, on what your client needs. The rest will take care of itself.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (11)

  16. If you’re thinking about, do it

    Posted June 24, 2010 by Bob

    The Actor’s Library, a wonderful resource born from the creative genius of Kristine Oller, is now open for business. It’s a fabulous resource for anyone in the entertainment business, including us in voiceover. And Kristine is giving a substantial discount to those who join these first several days that the virtual doors are open. So, if you’re thinking about joining The Actor’s Library, be sure you do it before Midnight (Eastern) tomorrow (Friday, 25th of June, 2010).

    By the way, I get no commissions or any other kind of compensation for sending you Kristine’s way; just the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve helped you make a giant leap forward in your own progress. How do I know that? Because I’ve been in Kristine’s orbit since 2006. I know what hanging around her will do to help you.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  17. The Actor’s Library is now open

    Posted June 22, 2010 by Bob

    My friend and mentor Kristine Oller has created The Actor’s Library for people like us, folks who are who are working toward the goal or are actively living their dreams as a performer. The doors officially opened just a couple of minutes ago. Stop over and Kristine will take you on a tour of the place.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  18. Making room

    Posted June 15, 2010 by Bob

    My friend and mentor Kristine Oller has been mentioned a number of times here. Every time it’s because she’s written or done something well worth your time. Today she republished an article that is going to take you several minutes to read, but truly is worth every one of those minutes. Especially if you are serious about pursuing your dream of working in voiceover.

    Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (2)

  19. There is no map

    Posted June 13, 2010 by Bob

    Or perhaps more to the point, there is no single map everyone can follow to get to a successful voiceover business. You could do everything I’ve done for the last 27 years and you might be wildly more successful than me, or you might bomb completely. But since you can’t transport yourself back 27 years into the past, you can’t follow my exact path. The same is true for every other success you know in voiceover.

    There are foundational things. Like getting the training you need to operate at a professional level. Making sure your demos are first class. Always being on time. Always performing at your highest level. But, there’s no map.

    Now, you can take this news one of two ways, and here’s part of what I promised when I said I was going to write more about anxiety and fear. You see, I allowed my own anxieties and “what if” fears to keep me from moving forward full speed many times during those last 27 years. If you’re inclined in that same direction, that not having a map is bad news. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could just take a class, or a series of classes, learn everything you need to know to be successful in voiceover and then just become successful because you do what you learned?

    Actually, I don’t think that would be wonderful at all. That would be like working at a drudge job in a factory. One step, followed by another step. And another. And another. On and on. You see, not having a map means you get to make your own road. You get to draw your own map. I think that’s really good news. I hope you do too.

    Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (11)

  20. The Actor’s Library

    Posted June 12, 2010 by Bob

    One of the people I most respect is Kristine Oller. Not only is she brilliantly talented at both physical and business organization, but she’s also a super nice lady. What’s more, she’s always working on something that provides real value to performers, including voiceover people like you and me; which leads me to The Actor’s Library. I’ve signed up. I hope you will, too. I think you’ll be very glad you did.

    Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (4)

  21. Added to the blogroll

    Posted June 5, 2010 by Bob

    At VOICE2010, my friends Dave Courvoisier and Terry Daniel presented a ton of excellent material about social media and voiceover. I missed a large chunk of it because I was doing a voiceover session; but what I saw was superb. One thing I was there for was the announcement of a new website called Social Media VO. I’ve just added that site to my blogroll. I hope you’ll visit often.

    Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover, People | Comments (1)

  22. Free eBook for voiceoverists

    Posted May 25, 2010 by Bob

    The term “voiceoverist” may or may not be familiar to you. It’s an invention of my friend Philip Banks. However, the real point I’m making here is that my friend Mahmoud Taji has written an excellent eBook for anyone wishing to learn more about working in voiceover in today’s connected world. I think it’s well worth your time to download and read.

    Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (0)

  23. Are you headed to Promax?

    Posted May 16, 2010 by Bob

    If you’ll be at Promax BDA 2010 in LA, don’t miss the Marice Tobias workshop “Directing Voice Talent” while you’re there. Marice will present twice, at the main conference on Wednesday, June 23 at 3:30 PM and again at Bootcamp on Thursday, June 24 at 2:00 PM. By the way, Marice is holding her annual post-Promax workshop in LA the Saturday and Sunday following (June 26 and 27, 2010). I think it may be sold out all ready, but if you’re going I look forward to seeing you there.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  24. Will you be one of the 100?

    Posted May 11, 2010 by Bob

    Since 1997, the second year it was held, I have attended every International Radio Creative and Production Summit. It has not only been a great experience every year, it’s been a time of learning and growing. This has been especially true since I stopped working at radio stations in 2001. There are always parts of the Summit that are most valuable for writers, parts that are most valuable for producers and parts that are most valuable for voice talent; but it’s the mix of all of these elements and the way they play off one another that really takes the learning through the roof.

    This year Dan O’Day has assembled a terrific group of guest speakers. John Frost, radio imaging and production genius. Voice actor and coach Richard Horvitz and voiceover and branding coach Nancy Wolfson. Oh, and Dan will be presenting a couple of things too.

    Registration is limited to 100. I just finished signing up (roughly 2 and a half minutes after seeing Dan’s email that registration is open this morning) and I hope you will decide to go too. Dan has negotiated an excellent rate for the hotel, the LAX Hilton. I’ve paid my own way the last several years. Every time it has been more than worth it.

    By the way, there is a comment box at the bottom of the registration page on Dan’s site. If you mention in that comment box that you decided to attend for the first time because you read about it here, I will get a commission from Dan. Your registration price is the same whether you mention my name or not, so if you don’t want me to get the commission, don’t say anything; but I would be grateful if you did identify me as the reason you’ve decided to attend.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  25. Networking without looking desperate

    Posted May 1, 2010 by Bob

    With thanks to my friend Jane Ingalls for sending me the link, check out this excellent article Networking Without Looking Desperate: 5 Rules on the CBS Moneywatch site.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  26. 20 Imporant Marketing Lessons

    Posted April 30, 2010 by Bob

    With thanks to my friends Dave White and Dan Nachtrab for passing this link along to me, check out the superb article 20 Important Lessons I Learned from My Marketing Mentor.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (2)

  27. Tips for working from home

    Posted April 29, 2010 by Bob

    Steven Lowell posts excellent tips for everyone who does voiceover work from home on the Voice123.com blog.

    Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (0)

  28. Pricing advice

    Posted April 27, 2010 by Bob

    Paul Strikwerda has written a superb blog post about setting rates. My thanks to DB Cooper for posting the link on the VO-BB.

    (Updated to add the link to Paul’s voiceover site.)

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  29. How get the most from an event

    Posted April 22, 2010 by Bob

    Kristine Oller is flat out brilliant when it comes to organization and career planning. How brilliant? Well, read this article about how to get the most out of attending an event and then you tell me.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (2)

  30. The Voiceover Class

    Posted April 21, 2010 by Bob

    If you’ve been thinking about seriously pursuing voiceover there are a couple of things you need to do. Get your performance skills up to speed. I’ve talked about the voiceover coaches I recommend on this blog loads of time. Links are in the Career section of my blogroll. But, you also need to get yourself in the mindset that this is a  business, not just a way to have fun. Which is where the tele-classes that Harlan Hogan and Dan O’Day will be doing this year in May will make a huge difference.

    I took this class last year and even though I’ve been working as a professional voiceover for over 25 years, I got a lot out of the classes. I recommend you sign up. All the details are here. And if you mention in the comments section at the bottom of the registration form that I recommended the class to you, I’ll get a commission. If you don’t want me to get that commission, don’t mention me. Whether you do or not, the price of the class is the same.

    Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (2)

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