1. Spotlight on Doug

    Posted March 23, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Doug Medlock is featured as Mayhem in this delightful video.

    Category: General, People | Comments (0)

  2. Marice Tobias in Atlanta next month

    Posted March 22, 2012 by Bob

    The fabulous Marice Tobias will bring her unique and powerful coaching to Atlanta next month.

    Category: General | Comments (0)

  3. Spotlight on Moe

    Posted March 21, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Moe Egan was recently featured at Peter O’Connell’s blog.

    Category: General, People | Comments (0)

  4. Added to the blogroll

    Posted March 20, 2012 by Bob

    For the last few years, I’ve had the joy and delight of working with my daughter Karen Souer on lots of voiceover projects. She’s a really superb content director. She’s also quite adept at basic audio editing. Not to mention, she’s a very good copy editor and a creative writer.

    So, I’m thrilled to note that Karen is taking on more clients. She knows the ins-and-outs of the voiceover business pretty well, having not only worked with me, but grown up in my house. I’ve been doing voiceover work professionally since before her first birthday.

    Karen’s site and blog are now live. I hope you’ll check them out. Even more, I hope if she can help you that you’ll hire her.

    Category: General, People | Comments (0)

  5. Learn about Natalie

    Posted March 19, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Natalie Stanfield Thomas is featured in an interview at Peter O’Connell’s blog.

    Category: General, People | Comments (0)

  6. Friends

    Posted March 18, 2012 by Bob

    For those of us old enough to remember, voiceover work used to be a rather social experience. We would run into friends and make new connections when we met at auditions and sessions. At one time both auditions and work were done in a recording studio in the city (whatever city we were living near at the time) and then some years later, while the work was still always at a recording studio the auditions were done at our agent’s office.

    But all of that has changed. In the last 5 years I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I’ve had to go somewhere other than my own studio to do an audition. Add the fingers of my other hand and I can count the number of sessions I’ve recorded in someone else’s studio during that same 5 years. The social interactions and connections that were once commonplace have all but vanished.

    So, we’ve had to find other ways to connect. The Internet provides a wealth of opportunities. Facebook. Google+. Twitter. And my favorite, The VO-BB. And even better is when these virtual connections break out in the real world. A significant part of why Faffcon is so important to me is because every 6 months for the last 2 years, it has provided a time and place to connect face-to-face with some of my favorite people.

    Don’t underestimate the importance of friends to your success. Especially friends who truly “get” what your life is like. These are the friends who will help to sustain you when things are murky or gloomy or confusing. They will celebrate with you when things take a turn for the better.

    I’ve recently been thinking about a couple of my dearest and closest friends and how much I cherish my friendship with them. I hope you will take a moment today to reflect on the blessings in your life, and especially those friends who mean the most to you. Maybe it’s time to send a quick note or make a phone call to remind him or her of just how much that relationship means to you?

    Category: General | Comments (7)

  7. Another day, another quote

    Posted March 17, 2012 by Bob

    With a tip of the hat to Trent Hamm for posting this on his Simple Dollar blog:

    “The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” – Richard Bach

    Category: General | Comments (0)

  8. Quote for the day

    Posted March 16, 2012 by Bob

    From my friends at Ambassador Advertising:

    “The best portion of a good man’s life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”
    —William Wordsworth

    Category: General | Comments (0)

  9. Learn about Liz

    Posted March 15, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Liz de Nesnera is featured in an interview at Peter O’Connell’s blog.

    Category: General, People | Comments (0)

  10. Quote for the day

    Posted March 14, 2012 by Bob

    From the Monday Morning Memo a few weeks ago:

    “When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.” - E.W. Howe

    Category: General | Comments (1)

  11. The true stories of the people you think you know

    Posted March 13, 2012 by Bob

    There are a number of names that shine from the pages of American History. Francis Scott Key. Amelia Earhart. Butch Cassidy and Sundance. Barnum. Twain. But, how well do you know the real story behind each of these names? A newly released audiobook narrated and produced by my friend Michael Holmes is now available that tells the true story about the people you think you know well. It’s called The Americans. It’s a marvelous collection of riviting stories that are not only well told, they also benefit from being true.

    I encourage you to get your own copy of The Americans.

    Category: General, People | Comments (0)

  12. Why I help sponsor Faffcon

    Posted March 12, 2012 by Bob

    If you’ve looked at the Faffcon website, you may have noticed that I’m listed as one of the sponsors of this event. Yes, I actually help underwrite Faffcon each time even though I have nothing to sell or promote to other voiceover talent. I don’t coach. I don’t have a line of voiceover products or accessories. I don’t have a book (physical or electronic) I’m trying to sell.

    So, why? I’m convinced that for many of us working voiceover professionals, there’s nothing more helpful we can do to move forward with our voiceover business than to attend Faffcon. And without sponsors, Faffcon wouldn’t exist or if it did, it would be a radically less awesome experience.

    The way each person who attends Faffcon shares in the experience varies tremendously, but the value of the experience is there for the enrichment of everyone in attendance. For that matter, each Faffcon is different than the one before.

    But some things are the same. Each time there are working pros sharing from their accumluated wisdom and other working pros asking probing questions and everyone listening and speaking attentively. These are the hallmarks of what makes Faffcon unique and wonderful. It’s important to note that I am far from alone in my sponsorship of Faffcon. Here’s a complete list:

    Voicebank.net

    Bob Souer (me)

    Edge Studio

    Mara Junot, professional voice talent

    Audio-Technica

    BSW (Broadcast Supply Worldwide)

    Dave Courvoisier, voice actor

    Liz de Nesnera, French and English Voice Over Talent

    GA Voiceovers, the Voice of Technology

    Rich Owen, Get Rich, Voiceover Talent

    JS Gilbert, Professional Voice Talent

    Bobbin Beam, ISDN Voice Actress, Female Voice Talent

    Moe Eagan, Voiceovers by Moe

    Melissa Exelberth, Bilingual ISDN Voice Talent

    Harlan Hogan’s Voiceover Essentials

    The VO-BB.com

    Corey Snow, Voxman, Voice Actor

    Word2WAV, an Automated Audio Recording Application

    Source Elements

    Lynda.com, Online Software Training Videos

    Diane Maggipinto, D3 Voiceworks, Female Voice Talent

    Sound Advice, Voiceover from an Engineer’s Perspective

    Voice Over Xtra, The voice-over industry’s online news, education and resource center

    The Dallas Voice Acting Meetup Group

    A profound thanks to each person or organization that is sponsoring Faffcon. As you can see, there are a number of other voiceover pros who are also helping to sponsor Faffcon. Each of us has our own reason for why and I’ll let the each of them speak in her or his own way about those reasons. For me, it’s really very simple. I want to do everything I can to help ensure that Faffcon continues to flourish for a long time to come. If you aren’t able to be at Faffcon 4 in Ventura, CA, I hope you’ll make everyeffort to be at the next one — date and location of which will be announced at the close of Faffcon 4.

    Category: General | Comments (0)

  13. Quote for the day

    Posted March 11, 2012 by Bob

    With thanks to Trent Hamm for posting this quote on his blog, The Simple Dollar:

    “You’ve achieved success in your field when you don’t know whether what you’re doing is work or play.”  – Warren Beatty

    Category: General | Comments (0)

  14. The most important marketing

    Posted March 10, 2012 by Bob

    I don’t know about you, but for many years the single thing that kept me from really moving forward with my voiceover business was a lack of confidence. Oh, I knew that I had a “nice” voice. I knew that I was pretty good at reading technical copy and sounding like I knew everything I was saying. But, fundamentally, I didn’t really believe I was good enough to accomplish everything I was hoping to accomplish.

    Two people have made a huge difference in my thinking over the last few years, and that has made all the difference.

    Nancy Wolfson. And Marice Tobias. These two ladies, through their superb coaching, helped me understand that I am enough. I just need to do what I all ready know how to do and simply be myself. Their methods are different, but between the two of them, the message finally sank in.

    Now, I mention all of this to introduce you to a recent blog by Seth Godin called Conflicted. It’s well worth a couple of minutes of your time.

    You see his key point? The person you most need to market to is … you. You have to believe, really believe, you are enough before you can truly moving forward the way you want to move forward. In fact, all of the other marketing and selling you may be trying to do? Until you understand that you really are enough, isn’t going to get you anywhere near what you’re looking for. But catch hold of this simple truth and the momentum will begin to build.

    Try it. You’ll see.

    (edited to fix typo)

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (7)

  15. A microphone to consider

    Posted March 9, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Paul Strickwerda reviews the Microtech-Gefell M 930 Ts microphone over at RecordingHacks.com.

    Category: General, Tools | Comments (2)

  16. A spotlight on Rowell

    Posted March 8, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Rowell Gormon is featured in an extensive interview over at my friend Peter O’Connell‘s blog in a feature he’s doing called 5 Questions for a Professional Voice Over Talent.

    Category: General, People | Comments (0)

  17. Mixing tricks

    Posted March 7, 2012 by Bob

    From the mind of my friend Dan Popp comes this tasty article on mixing audio for playback on the radio. Not all of us in voiceover also produce, but for those of us who do, Dan’s advice is solid gold.

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

  18. Your personal brand

    Posted March 6, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Blaine Parker writes a weekly screed he calls HOT POINTS! He’s given me permission to republish today’s edition, which I think is chock full of valuable insights for all of us voiceover types.

    HOT POINTS for The Week of March 5, 2012
    COULD HOT POINTS HELP SOME POOR SOUL YOU KNOW?

    Subscription to this relentless weekly screed is now available to anyone you might deem worthy. Just send your victims to the newsletter signup page at Slow Burn Branding.

     

     

     

    THE POWER OF OMISSION IN YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

    In these relentless weekly screeds, we’re frequently ranting about the ingredients required for building a business’s brand.

    We don’t typically spend so much time talking about personal brand.

    Perhaps we’ve been giving personal brand short shrift. Maybe it’s time we looked a little more seriously at what personal brand can mean to your business.

    Especially if you’re a sole proprietor or a consultant, your personal brand is significant. A powerful personal brand can change your life.

    A powerful personal brand can help you leap tall buildings and change course of mighty rivers.

    Metaphorically, of course.

    But it can do all this only if you’re smart enough to leave stuff out.

    BRANDING FOR LAUGHS AND PROFIT

    We’ve talked previously about how successful comedians represent the power in personal branding.

    For example, compare Andrew Dice Clay with Jeff Foxworthy.

    Dice is not nice. You wouldn’t ask him to babysit your three-year old. You might call him and say, “Hey, I need a creative and vile way to talk about sex with animals. Any ideas?” You will not take your mother to see Andrew Dice Clay unless she wears a leather jacket and keeps a pack of Luckys rolled up in the sleeve of her T-shirt just above the “live to ride” tattoo.

    But the kinder, gentler, “you might be a redneck if…” happy-go-lucky hick Jeff Foxworthy? Sure. You could ask him to babysit your three-year-old. You might even go to church with him. You can be fairly certain that he helps old ladies cross the street without pushing them in front of a bus.

    Two very distinct, different and polarizing brands. Two very successful brands.

    And if you’re a faithful reader to this relentless screed, you also know something else about Mr. Foxworthy.

    You know about one of those important things that he knew to leave out of his brand.

    HE’S A COMPUTER GENIUS

    Foxworthy went to one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, majored in computer engineering and used to work on IBM mainframes.

    It’s definitely something to be proud of.

    You also haven’t heard about it in his comedy.

    In fact, you probably haven’t heard about it at all unless you’ve researched his life.

    That’s because Mr. Foxworthy apparently understands the power of omission.

    “You might be a redneck if…” does not jive with juggling the zeroes and ones inside some of the largest and most powerful computers in the world.

    And Jeff Foxworthy is not alone in this kind of skilled omission.

    Other personal brands have deceived you through their ability to omit irrelevant info in deference to honing the keenly honed blade of brand.

    HOW’S YOUR BRAND IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA?

    Just to show that this power-of-omission branding is nothing new, let’s venture back to the golden years of Hollywood.

    There’s an actress whose brand was one of great beauty. She was always cast as glamorous and seductive.

    If you’re a fan of film, you probably know who she is. Born to assimilated Jewish Austro-Hungarian parents in 1913, her given name was Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler.

    We know her as MGM’s silver screen stunner, Hedy Lamarr.

    She was gorgeous. She was always cast for her looks. The glamorous and seductive beauty was her brand.

    She certainly wasn’t known for her brains.

    Which is why it might come as a surprise to find out that Hedy Lamarr was co-holder of a US patent for spread-spectrum communications and frequency hopping.

    COME ON UP TO MY PLACE FOR A LITTLE POWER FLUX DENSITY LIMITATION, BABY

    Yes, indeedy.

    In a pre-digital age of analog radio communications, Hedy Lamarr designed a way in which radio signals could be spread across a frequency domain with the express goal of guiding US Navy torpedoes to their targets in a way that couldn’t be jammed by the Nazis.

    She presented it to the Navy. Know what they said?

    In essence: “We appreciate your interest in the war effort. You’d be better suited to taking your glamorous brand on the road and raising money from an adoring public.”

    They had no interest in her technology.

    But they did understand her brand. That might even be why they had no interest in her technology.

    Had she handed her spread-spectrum torpedo guidance plans to John Barrymore and sent him into that meeting in a white lab coat, things might have been different.

    Hedy Lamarr’s personal brand was wildly successful, and that brand precluded her from being seen as a brainiac.

    Being brainy is something to be proud of. But the studio knew genius didn’t have a whit to do with her brand and it was left out.

    See also, Jeff Foxworthy: not a computer engineer as far as you know.

    IS THAT AN INGOT OF AUSTENITIC NICKEL-CHROMIUM-BASED SUPERALLOY IN YOUR POCKET OR ARE YOU JUST GLAD TO SEE ME?

    Another profession not known for bringing super geniuses to the runway is modeling.

    Instead, the modeling business is known for creating that iconic creature known as the super model.

    Periodically, there are certain women who become globally exulted as the most beautiful in the world, and they are endlessly paraded before us draped in all manner of overpriced designer wear that looks good on nobody but tall, skinny women who get paid big money to parade accordingly.

    You would not think about sitting down with a super model and having a game of chess.

    Which is why it’s all the more interesting to find out that the fabulous Cindy Crawford, she of the prominent mole, was (a) valedictorian of her high school class, and (b) was accepted to Northwestern University on a chemical engineering scholarship.

    Yes, had she stuck with chemical engineering, Ms. Crawford could be toiling away somewhere in an obscure laboratory, figuring out a new process for separating impurities and various non-methane hydrocarbons and fluids from natural gas in order to make it pipeline quality.

    Instead, through the magic of YouTube, she will forever be with us as the host on House of Style.

    Proud to be a genius? Perhaps.

    But not too proud to leave it out of the brand.

    OMISSION IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS IN BUILDING ANY BRAND

    Big brands thrive on intense focus.

    Your personal brand is no different.

    One of the frequent challenges I’ve faced in working with small business owners on their advertising is an unwillingness to Leave It Out.

    Typically, it’s ego talking. “This makes me important and people will care!”

    Well, it might make your mother care.

    Often, it’s fear-based. “I’m afraid that if I don’t say this about me, people won’t like me!”

    Well, if you’re trying to sell widgets, knowing that irrelevant thing about you isn’t going change their opinion about you re their intrinsic need for widgets.

    As with any other exercise in branding, the Prime Is Imperative.

    What is the ONE thing you want to be known for?

    AND THAT IS INTENSELY DIFFICULT TO FIGURE OUT FOR YOURSELF

    Because with an entire lifetime under your belt, there are uncountable things to be known for.

    Figuring it out takes hard work.

    It often requires assistance.

    But knowing what to leave out is vital to figuring out The One Thing.

    Hedy Lamarr’s glamour and beauty.

    Cindy Crawford’s gorgeous, all-American mole.

    Jeff Foxworthy’s redneck roots.

    Geniuses, all three.

    And part of the genius is that the genius always stayed behind the curtain.

    As always,

    Blaine Parker
    Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in
    Park City

    www.slowburnmarketing.com
    www.spotsbeforeyoureyes.net
    Follow on Twitter @blaineparker

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

  19. An Intermediate level on-line voiceover class

    Posted March 5, 2012 by Bob

    Juan Carlos Bagnell, otherwise known as Some Audio Guy, is going to hold a 4-week series of voice acting classes starting in April. Details are on Juan’s blog.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  20. Susan Cain on introverts

    Posted March 4, 2012 by Bob

    A powerful TED talk about the power of introverts by Susan Cain.

    I’m featuring this video because even though Susan doesn’t say a word about voiceover in her talk, there’s a very large number of us in voiceover who are introverts.

    Category: General | Comments (4)

  21. And while we’re talking about Pat Fraley

    Posted March 3, 2012 by Bob

    Don’t miss the voiceover event Pat is holding in San Francisco at the end of this month, March 31st and April 1st and Polarity Post Production in San Francisco.

    Category: General | Comments (0)

  22. Pat Fraley in Dallas this month

    Posted March 2, 2012 by Bob

    Pat Fraley is holding a voiceover workshop in Dallas the weekend of March 10th and 11th at Cakemix Recording in Dallas.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  23. Time management and voiceover

    Posted March 1, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Bobbin Beam has written an excellent blog post about time managment that’s well worth your time to read.

    Category: General | Comments (1)

  24. Quote of the day

    Posted February 29, 2012 by Bob

    This one came to me from my manager and friend Stacey Stahl:

    Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.

    — Simon Sinek

    Category: General | Comments (1)

  25. Added to the blogroll

    Posted February 28, 2012 by Bob

    I’m always happy when I find a blog about voiceover that I didn’t know about before. I’ve recently added John Lano’s blog Thoughts of the Voice Over Genie to my blogroll.

    Category: Blogging, General, People | Comments (0)

  26. SAG-AFTRA

    Posted February 27, 2012 by Bob

    Category: General | Comments (2)

  27. RIP Beverly

    Posted February 26, 2012 by Bob

    Today is the wake and tomorrow is the funeral for a lady you almost certainly don’t know personally. She wasn’t a big star. She wasn’t famous. She did have quite a few friends and I’m grateful to have been one of them.

    Beverly Joy Brennan and I worked together at a radio station in the Chicago suburbs from 1980 to 1982. That’s when our friendship began. It continued in the next several years when she was working at a boutique advertising agency in Chicago. She hired me several times for commercial campaigns, giving me my first professional commercial sessions.

    In the years that followed, after I’d moved away from Chicago, we corresponded, writing letters to one another until the Internet grew. Then emails. A phone call now and then. Sometimes when I was in Chicago or she was in whatever city I was living in at the time we would get together for an in-person visit. I didn’t know it at the time, but the final one of those was last summer.

    Bev was 3 years younger than me. It’s quite startling when someone younger than you dies. More significant of course, it’s really startling when someone you’ve known for such a long time dies.

    She did have quite a few friends. There were also those not so fond of her, because Bev was a bright, articulate woman who wasn’t afraid to say what she thought. Not everyone agreed with her. But, her faith, her politics, her home, her family and her friends were all deeply held values.

    One of my fondest memories was when my wife Cinda and I sang at her wedding. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful ceremony. I’m glad we were able to be a part of it.

    Bev also had one of the best marketing minds I’ve known. I’m going to miss being able to call or email to ask for her thoughts and insights.

    Rest in peace, dear Beverly. I pray for the peace that passes understanding to cover your family in the days ahead.

    Category: General, People | Comments (4)

  28. Talking to one person

    Posted February 25, 2012 by Bob

    A bit of conventional wisdom you’ll often hear about how to be more conversational or more “real” in your voiceover work is to “just talk to one person.” But, as my friend Juan Carlos Bagnell (also known as Some Audio Guy) points out in his recent blog post Stop Talking to One Person, there’s a lot more to doing a good voiceover than applying that one bit of conventional wisdom.

    Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)

  29. The Lorax

    Posted February 24, 2012 by Bob

    With thanks to my friend Bruce Miles for posting the link to this video on the VO-BB, here’s is a behind-the-scenes trailer for the new animated Dr. Suess movie The Lorax.

    Category: General | Comments (1)

  30. Mentoring

    Posted February 23, 2012 by Bob

    My friend Karen Commins asked me the other day to offer some thoughts about being a mentor to other voiceover people. She also asked my permission to use those comments in a blog post she was preparing, permission I gladly gave. Karen’s blog post is Are you looking for a mentor in voiceover?  Like all of Karen’s blog posts, it’s thoughtful and well-written and is well worth your time.

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

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