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What a wonderful day in Los Angeles with friends from several years as well as brand new friends. In fact, I’ll say that as much as I keep coming to the Dan O’Day Summit each year for what I learn, it’s every bit as much for who I get to see and meet and spend time with while I’m here.

The day started with a journey inside the mind of Dan O’Day as he took us through his process of writing a radio ad campaign for a client in Ontario. Lots of good insights into Dan’s process and by extension into how I can understand the story my client needs to have told in my voiceover work. Not to mention those times when I write.

Following Dan’s talk about copywriting, we broke for lunch. Several of us VO-BB folk gathered around one of the tables for a photo together.

After lunch, we were back to the meeting room for our next session with Christine Coyle.

Dan O’Day and Christine Coyle just as Dan was getting ready to introduce Christine to the Summit 2009 attendees.

Christine, as she always is, was brilliant. It was ever so good to see her again and to get to work under her direction. We then had an opportunity to take part in a networking session in which we got to meet nearly everyone on attending the Summit this year. I found it very helpful and valuable.

Then after the networking session …

… a whole bunch of us from the VO-BB got together to have a group photo taken.

In the back row are Ben Wilson, Bob Souer, Scott Nilsen, Eric Souer and Doug Turkel. In the front row are Rowell Gormon, Pam Tierney, Janet Ault, Melissa Exelberth, Bobbin Beam and Natalie Stanfield Thomas.

I’ll post more photos and comments from tomorrow’s session when we can.

(edited to fix typo)

The day started very early for my oldest son Eric and me because we were catching the first flight out to Los Angeles. We’re in LA for the 14th Annual International Radio Creative and Production Summit hosted by Dan O’Day. This is Eric’s second time to attend and my 13th.

After a bit of a delay at the airport because of a flight attendant who was late arriving, we were on our way. After collecting our luggage and picking up our rental car, we were off to a lunch meeting with Lee Ann Jackson at Ambassador Advertising. When we arrived, Lee Ann had arranged for a greeting for us just as we walked through the door.

Eric and I love In-N-Out burgers, which we can only get when we’re visiting the West Coast, so Lee Ann was nice enough to take us there for lunch.

Then it was a quick drive back to the LAX Hilton where the Summit is taking place again this year. We had enough time to check in to our room, catch up with my friend Rowell Gormon when he arrived, and then Eric and I took part in the Repeat Offender (that’s what Dan calls people who’ve been to the Summit at least one previous time) meeting.

We had some very good conversation around the table, talking about things that have gone well in the last year as well as things that have been challenges. One thing I found interesting is that for the first time, the number of people in the room who worked at radio stations were outnumbered by those we are voice actors.

After the Repeat Offender meeting, Rowell, Eric and I were joined by Pam Tierney, Melissa Exelberth and Ben Wilson for dinner at another burger institution in Southern California, Carl’s Jr.

We stayed and talked for at least 2 hours after we finished with our meal and had such a wonderful time. This is one of the things I like best about coming to these Summit meetings each year, getting to spend time with old friends and to make new friends.

I’ll have more about the specifics of the Summit over the next couple of days, and more photos.

(edited to fix typo)

In today’s email from my manager and friend Stacey Stahl —
“Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.”
— Will Rogers

So often when someone contacts me to ask how to get into the voiceover business he or she will say something along the lines of “people have told me for years that I have a really nice voice.” Here’s the truth. Voiceover work is not about you. Even more so, it’s not about your voice. Really. If you attention is on you, what you want and how you sound you’re very likely to miss the opportunities for voice work.

My friend Kara Edwards provided a powerful illustration of how easy it can be to miss the open door of opportunity on her blog yesterday. Those doors are all around you. Are you watching and listening? Or are you so focused on yourself, your voice and what you want that you can’t see them when they open.

Everyone who has been doing voiceover for a while has a story, or rather, the story. You know the one you bring out when you’re hanging around the virtual watercooler sharing war stories with other voice actors. Well, head on over to the VoiceBank blog and share your story for your shot at an iPod Touch.

My friend Erik Sheppard blogs about an interesting idea that really is world changing. (He also challenges me to put more than 3 hyperlinks in a single sentence in one of his cute little footnotes, but I’m comfortable enough in my own skin that I don’t need to take the bait.) Back to the serious stuff, I’ve signed up. I hope you will too.

I ran across this quote during my morning reading. I thought you should see it too.

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. — Harry Truman

Later this week I’m going to be in Los Angeles at the 14th Annual International Radio Creative and Production Summit hosted by Dan O’Day. One of the presenters this year is going to be Pat Fraley. I met Pat for the first time at one of Dan’s previous Summit events (I’ve been to all of them except the very first in 1996) and have learned a great deal from him through the years. Pat is extremely skilled at teaching and you now have an opportunity to get an 74 minute audio seminar instantly, an audio seminar that will teach you a ton of tricks and tips on how to make your auditions stand out from the crowd. The link will forward you automatically to the information and order page with all the details for Pat Fraley’s Quick and Slick Voiceover Tricks.

How often do you take a few minutes to think about what you’re grateful for? I try to do this every day, though some days I spend much less time doing so than others. It’s startling what a difference even a few minutes of gratitude can make in your day. Your week. Your year.

For a cogent and thoughtful discussion about how to really say “thank you” in a powerful way, take few minutes to read through my friend Peter O’Connell’s blog post Saying Thanks? Write It Down!

100 years ago, during a recession, Henry Ford said “The man who stops advertising to save money is as foolish as the man who stops his clock to save time.”

I received this today from my manager and friend, Stacey Stahl.

Do not resist events that move you out of your comfort zone, especially when your comfort zone was not all that comfortable.

     — Alan Cohen

If you’re in the voiceover business you’re running a small business. Take a moment to read Samir Balwani’s 5 Easy Social Media Wins for Your Small Business. Good stuff.

(Updated to thank my friend Joel Smith for tweeting this link earlier today.)