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General

How is it changing?

Career Advice, General

One of my favorite phrases is “The only constant is change.” I like this phrase, at least in part, because I like plays on words. But, I also like it because it reminds me that there’s always something pushing us to change. We may not like it, but we have to deal with it anyway.
Here’s an example, quoted by Tom Asacker in his blog post about this subject …

… in the most recent past when you wanted to check the time, you looked at your wrist watch. Today, because of the ubiquity and portability of cell phones, you look there instead. In fact, according to AdAge.com, “The world’s watch makers may be in trouble as teenagers increasingly look to their mobile phones — rather than their wrists — to tell time.”

On the one hand, a key to success as a voiceover talent is to build relationships with clients who hire you again and again. Repeat business is wonderful. But, if you succeed in building a bunch of these relationships, that doesn’t mean you can stop marketing and looking for new clients. Because you never know, again quoting from Tom’s blog post …

So, here’s something to be paranoid about: What’s changing in the world of your customers? And how are those changes going to change their expectations of you? Because this I can assure you: Like it or not, change is coming.

How are you preparing to meet the changing requirements of your clients? They have to deal with change all the time, too. So some of them, no matter how long term the relationship, are going away. You can’t just coast along and assume everything is going to stay wonderful. It won’t. Besides, you never know when you’re going to start the next long term client relatoinship.

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If you’re handy you can make your own Sound Absorbing Panels

General, Tools

My friend Willie Edwards is an ongoing source of excellent ideas. He posted on his blog some time ago about how to make Sound Absorbing Panels that can help you tame the sound of your recording space, especially if you don’t have an ideal room in which to do your voiceover work.

Now, he’s added a new blog post with two more excellent suggestions of further DIY projects. Thank you, Willie. I so appreciate that you’ve found and linked to these excellent resources.

(edited to fix typo)

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Are you looking at your career right side up …

Career Advice, General

… or upside down? And which is the better plan in the long run? Clearly, different people are going to need to approach planning and direction in different ways, but Tom Chandler offers some arresting thoughts about how to change the way you think about your career and your life goals by tearing a page from the greatest chess player the world has ever known, Garry Kasparov.

Tom even includes the design for a simple worksheet to help you implement this change in your thinking patterns. Excellent stuff, Tom. Thank you.

(edited to fix typo)

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It’s always nice to get good notices

General

When we give voice to a story, most of the time there is no review or critique of our work. The check clears and we move on to the next project. Today, however, I ran across a review of a documentary I narrated in late 2004. The producer was Nova Herman and the production was done by Partners in Motion in Regina, Saskatchewan.

I love narrating documentaries. It’s my favorite kind of voiceover work. In this case, the documentary was on the role the Canadian Embassy in Iran played in helping 6 US diplomats escape from Iran during the hostage crisis in 1979.

And I see at bottom of the review that the documentary won an award at the 2005 Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival.

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Star turn in the Post

General

With thanks to Tony Quinn for posting the link on the VO-BB, there’s a very interesting article in the Washington Post about the trend of using big name, on screen, stars as the voices in animated films. I think the article takes a very balanced look at the situation, including comments about both the less-than-stellar performances in some films and the marketing realities that ensure this trend will not only continue but likely grow.

And for some cogent and thought-provoking commentary on this subject, be sure to catch my friend Mary McKitrick’s take in this post on her blog.

Update: My friend James Lorenz offer some additional insights and thoughts on his blog, specifically about responses to a poll he ran on this matter.

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Dan O’Day answers your questions about Summit 2008

Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover

If you’ve been reading this blog of any length of time you all ready know that I’ve attended Dan O’Day’s International Radio Creative and Production Summit 11 years in a row, and that I’m going to be at this year’s event, coming up August 8 and 9, 2008 in Los Angeles. Yes, that’s the same weekend as the VOICE 2008 conference. I’m going to attend both, I’m just going to miss some of VOICE 2008 to attend the Summit.

You may well not want to try to attend both conferences. So, how can you decide whether the Summit is the conference for you? You can spend some time going through the respective web sites. Maybe email each of the people behind both conferences. But, Dan O’Day has also provided you with the opportunity to ask him your most important question about the Summit in a free teleseminar on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. Actually there are 2 teleseminars. One earlier in the day, at 2:00 PM Eastern/11:00 AM Pacific. One later, at 9:00 PM Eastern/6:00 PM Pacific. You can sign up for either one. Just click through on the link for the time you’d prefer.

One last thing to mention, if after taking part in one of these teleconferences, you decide to register to attend for the first time, you can put my name down in the comments section of your online registratoin form. If you do, I’ll receive a commission from Dan for your attendance. But, if you don’t want me to get the commission, don’t put my name in the comment field. Either way, your price will be the same. And I hope to see you in Los Angeles in August.

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Pat Fraley featured on Vox Daily

General, Getting started in Voiceover, People

Pat Fraley is a superb voice actor and an even better teacher of voice acting skills and techniques. If you get a chance to study with him, do it. I’ve taken a number of seminars and master classes with him, none more valuable that the audiobook master class I took with him in July of 2006. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you want to get in to doing audiobooks, the single best thing you can do is take Pat’s audiobook master class.

Pat is featured on Vox Daily today. I’m sure he’ll blush several shades of red when he reads all the nice things being said about him, but all of them are well deserved.

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The new Ask Joe video is posted

General, People

Joe Cipriano has posted his third video as part of his Ask Joe group on I Rock the Mic VO.com. This time he answers a question I sent in, about auditions.

Joe also provides an update on the new 3.0 version of Source Connect and takes us on a road trip to the space where his new home studio is in the early stages of construction.


Find more videos like this on voiceover universe presents…
Good stuff, Joe. I look forward especially to seeing updates on your new studio as it gets closer to completion.

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Sage advice from my friend Philip

Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover, People

While browsing through the posts Philip Banks has made on his Ecademy blog, today I ran across a brilliant bit that perfectly illustrates the difference between a reference and a referral. Well said, Philip, though I did think this bit …

“So he’s finally forgiven me for sleeping with his wife. Thank goodness for that!”

… was a bit over the top. Ha!
As he so often does, Philip slips the point home with the skill of a surgeon and anesthesiologist combined. You never feel a think until the procedure is complete.

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