General

Dan O’Day has leaped into the blogosphere with both feet, offering thought-provoking ideas about radio programming and advertising on a regular basis. If you’ve visited his blog, you’ve seen that Dan is a superb writer. He’s bright, funny and very willing to tell it like it is, though I appreciate that he always does so courteously. (And with, truth be told, a healthy dose of snark now and then.)

Dan happened to mention to me today that he’s hoping to put a video up on his site, adding that he’s never used video on his blog previously. (Actually this is technically untrue since this post includes a YouTube video of the great Gary Burbank.) In any case, I got a chance to preview his, honestly, shocking video. It’s a tour of The Famous Radio Ranch, where the legendary Dick Orkin works along with his happy team of creative ranch hands, crafting radio and television commercials for clients all over the world. Again, it was more than a little shocking. I had a hard time sitting through the whole thing. But ultimately the video was so strangely fascinating that I watched it all the way through twice.

So, assuming Dan manages to figure out how to post a video of his own on his blog (an open question, since Dan isn’t the most technically savvy guy on the planet) and assuming you stop by his blog this weekend (or better still sign up for his blog’s syndication feed) you may have a chance to see this for yourself.

By the way, while I’m writing about Dan O’Day and Dick Orkin, I’ll take a moment to remind you that Dick is one of the featured guests this the 13th Annual International Radio Creative and Production Summit. Check out the details of the Summit and if you decide to go, and if you put my name as your reference in the comment box in the on-line registration form, I’ll receive a commission from Dan, assuming this is your first time at the Summit. Now, if you don’t want me to receive the commission, just don’t put my name is the comment box. Either way, your price to attend will be the same.

And whatever you decide, don’t miss this video.

A rolling stone, as the old saying goes, gathers no moss. In this case, the Stone in question is my friend Steve Stone and he emails today with news that he’s now in a new studio, with top drawer equipment and the best environment for Steve to concentrate on his work.

A few days ago, I recorded one final session of pick-ups and corrections for the Bible narration project I started in late August of 2007 for Thomas Nelson Publishers. That’s right, this monumental narration project began 12 months ago, and now appears to be completely finished.

And on this subject, two of my friends have had similar projects. My friend Dan Lenard has been cast to narrate an English language translation of the Torah through Voice123.com. (Side note, my project for Thomas Nelson was cast through Voices.com.)

And my friend Robert Jadah has just completed a recording of the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs in both the King James and New King James versions. (Side note, my project was also the New King James version.)

Congratulations Dan and Robert. As you guys know, it’s a project of Biblical proportions (pun intended); but well worth it in my view.

My friend and long-time mentor Charlie Glaize has given me permission to quote something he’s recently posted on the Yahoo! VO group. Charlie had been planning for a while to make a short trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Here’s his story …

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Whenever I leave town I always pack my full-blown mobile studio in a handy, small suitcase on rollers. It has all my accessories from firewire cables to an electrical power strip, to a small mic stand. I just drop in the hub of the studio, the Mac Book Pro, and I’m out the door.

However … this was a last minute getaway, and we were leaving Monday afternoon, returning late Tuesday afternoon. So, I figured, what are the odds I’ll really need to record much over 24 hours after a really busy Monday? … Besides, I am editing my niece’s wedding using iMovie on the MacBook Pro and I have it plugged into an external hard drive …. So, I decided to take “Mobile Junior” …. my Mac Book (not the Mac Book Pro) in a smaller travel bag, about the size of a brief case. That, a mic stand and a USB mic (a RODE, instead of the Sennheiser 416 that I usually hook to the MBox, which I didn’t want to pack this time), should do the trick, right?

Anyway …. a couple of quick jobs did come up … naturally. You may know how that is. You like being wanted and needed …. but not as you are headed out the door to the beach …. Yes, I was beach-bound from our friends’ condo, when I realized I had forgotten the Alltel high-speed modem that allows me to connect to the net wherever I can find a cell signal … just in case there is no Wifi connection available …. like then, at that “bare feet wanting to jump in ocean” moment.

My trusty Blackberry was keeping me up-to-date on client emails … and here came one now, asking for just 4 quick promos …. could I deliver them by Monday evening? Yikes! I could normally record and send from a hotel or condo if I could read from the computer screen while recording using Amadeus software and the USB mic. But without the internet, I couldn’t do that.

One solution … I have done this on other vacations, before buying the Alltel modem. I would go to a Wifi spot, download a script from the client’s email, then record in my mobile “soundproof booth” – you guessed it – my car … then head back to the Wifi hotel or wherever, and send the file.

Why would I stay where there is no Wifi? Good question. Last summer, it was a family reunion at Lake Junaluska, NC. Beautiful area, but all the family was staying in rustic old houses around the lake … with no Wifi or internet access, except in the nearby conference center. And this week? we were staying with some friends who did not have internet access …. arghhh!

To handle this week’s situation, I was able to use the Blackberry for reading the scripts while I recorded in my car! Yes, it was 90 degrees, but it was quiet for the 5 minutes I needed to record. It worked great … even though I still had to drive to a hotel nearby to send the sound file.

All this to say, for the folks who are recording on flash recorders, maybe a Blackberry – or, of course, an iPhone, might work for reading those scripts.

This leads of course, to my APPLE friends wondering why I have a Blackberry rather than an iPhone ….. we can get into that later if you like, or you can email me off list. But basically, I did not want to change from Alltel which has served me wonderfully from as far as California to Hawaii to Florida and New York with no problems. Also, I needed the “push” technology that Blackberry offers that the new iPhone is about to offer in a few days with their big upgrade. I DO want that iphone, but now, I am afraid I have gone too far with Blackberry and really like what it offers. I was not prepared to like it, but I really do! It’s mainly for email and phone use, and it works fabulously! Now, when Verizon buys Alltell in a few months …. maybe I’ll change service – and phones, then. Who knows?

So there you are folks. And my lesson …. always pack the full-blown studio!
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Thanks, Charlie. I agree and I’d suggest a second lesson: always deliver the goods for your clients, however many speed bumps you have to clear along the way.

Update: You’ll find this story on the VoiceOverXtra site as well.