With my thanks to my friend Greg for posting the link on the VO-BB, and thus leading me to it, here’s an interesting story in the Boston Globe about life as a television promo voice. What I was really delighted to see is that my friend Frank Frederick is featured in this article, starting in the third paragraph.
General
Cost effective and quite effective
My buddy who blogs by the name Some Audio Guy has an interesting post up about how he helped a friend deal with some significant audio problems to the tune of only 30 dollars. Good stuff. Well worth a few minutes of your time.
A potent marketing message
Tom Asacker has posted a short but potent marketing message on his blog. Don’t miss it.
Skittles
Pat Fraley emails this evening with a YouTube link to this amazing bit of work by Sean Donnellan.
Sean is a student of Pat’s. Really superb work, Sean. Really.
Part Two of the podcast interview is now available
Tracy Pattin has published the second part of her podcast interview with me on the VoiceRegistry blog. In case you’re interested and you missed it, you can still hear part one, too.
Voiceover job opportunity
Tracy Pattin posts on the VoiceRegistry blog that Literati Audio, Inc. is searching for a British female voice talent.
Industry Resources
Stephanie has posted a gold mine of links and valuable information on VoxDaily.
I think this one is worth bookmarking on its own.
When you need a stopwatch
Many times when you’re reading copy, you need to check the length of what you’ve just read. Especially for commercial or promo copy. My friend Charlie Glaize emailed me a few days ago with a terrific web site that might help you out the next time you need a stopwatch and don’t have one handy.
Honing the edge
Working at the very highest levels of voiceover involves being able to deliver performances that move in very tiny shades of adjustment. This is the reason why I love taking part in the weekend seminars that Marice Tobias holds. I’m taking part in my third such experience this weekend in Seattle, Washington. The focus, as it was in New York City last November, is on trailer and promo reads. What I find fascinating is that by learning about these subtle shades of difference and adjustment in a trailer or promo read, I also get much better at my work on commercials and narrations.
So this time I didn’t find myself filled with anxiety about how I was going to do. Having been through that experience a few months ago I found it much easier to stay calm, centered and at peace. I volunteered to go second this time, which also gave me the opportunity to plunge right in. What I especially love is taking the game to the next higher level, and then the next and so on.
It’s also a joy this weekend to meet Kitzie Stern in person. Such a talented lady. And to see Dave White and Jon Rivers again. They were both at the weekend in New York City. (That’s where I met Dave for the first time. Jon and I have known one another since sometime right after dirt was invented.) Plus lots of new friends as well. We’re at Bad Animals studio in Seattle, a great facility. I’ll write more tomorrow or at least as soon as I can.
I’m not in the voiceover business
In the marketing and advertising business there’s a famous illustration about how dangerous it can be to give the wrong answer to the question: What business are you in? The story goes that back in the middle of the Twentieth Century, the railroad companies thought they were in the railroad business; so the airlines passed them up and, at least in the United States, the railroad companies are now shadows of their former selves. (The correct answer, by the way, is that they were in the transportation business, not the railroad business.) If you have attended a marketing seminar in the last 20 year or more you’ve probably heard a variation of that story at least once.
So what business are we in? My answer to that question was prompted in turn by a question I received in my email a few days ago from my friend Rich VanSlyke.
In this business of being a freelance voice talent, you have to constantly seek out new clients and ask for work. The illusion is that if you get enough clients, the work will come by itself. But, you must constantly be reaching out to new people. I’ve been doing it for 7 years and I will always be doing it. That’s how it works. Correct?
Rich,
Here’s how I look at the answer to your question:
1. Our highest responsibility or goal as a voice professional is to help people solve their problems. So, when I am hired for the first time by someone, I try to do more than just a great job. I try to make sure that I’ve solved all the problems for them that I can. Did they need a second or third or 20th voice? Do I know someone (or several someones) who could fit the bill or at the very least audition? What if there are changes and they don’t have any more budget to get fixes done? My answer to that one is I do the fixes for free. (Adding here, unless a job through one of my agents, in which case the my agent handles the fee negotiations.)
2. When we help people solve problems, we become much more than just a voice for hire. We leave a sweet impression. We stick in the mind of the person who hired us. So, for example, a few weeks ago I started working for a huge corporation because a guy they just hired there remembered me from work I’d done for a company he used to work for. This was new work for me that I did NOT have to go find. It came to me. Hundreds of dollars of work, and thousands more lined up behind it in the coming year.
3. Yes, we have to be marketing and prospecting for new clients all the time. But, if we’re doing a great job of solving problems for people, it’s must easier to get referrals, recommendations and good word-of-mouth that makes that prospecting so much easier. Easier, but still necessary. No question.
So, I don’t know about you, but I’m in the problem-solving business. I just do voiceovers as one of the ways I help people solve problems.
Brain insight
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor speaks about the brain. But don’t let that stop you from watching this video.
My thanks to Tom Asacker for posting this video, thus leading me to it.
Join the discussion about multiple agents
Tracy Pattin asks what you do when you receive an audition from more than one agent? Comments are open so join the discussion at the VoiceRegistry blog.
A seminar with Harlan Hogan and Elaine Clark in Portland
The weekend of April 12th and 13th, Harlan Hogan and Elaine Clark will present a 2-day seminar in Portland, Oregon. Registration details and a link to send in your deposit are on this page of Harlan Hogan’s site.
On Saturday, April 12th, Elaine is going to talk about Acting in the White Space.
Reading the words is only 25% of the voice actor’s job—
The other 75% is what you do in the ‘white space’ around those words…!
Sunday, April 13th, Harlan will speak about The Long Haul, building a voiceover career that lasts.
Winning an audition is great—
a winning career even better—!
My thanks to Stacey Stahl, owner of In Both Ears for reminding me about this upcoming event.
(Update: edited to fix typo.)
A seminar with Pat Fraley on April 5, 2008
Pat Fraley just emailed me the following…
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Recently, I’ve been focusing on teaching critical voice over skills, which are not often available. That’s why I’m presenting the Master Comedy Performance Event, Saturday, April 5, in LA, with Candi Milo.
85% of all Animation and Radio Dialogue Spots are Comedy driven. All other voice over genres of advertising and entertainment call upon Comedic Skills to some degree or another. It is a critical skill, and there are many valuable truisms to Comedic Voice Over Performance, which can be effectively taught.
I’ll be teaching with the greatest and most successful performer in animation ever: Candi Milo.
Here’s a link to more information and a Free Lesson from Candi.
http://www.patfraley.com/CandiMilo/CandiMilo.html
To reserve a place in the event, just e-mail me at: patfraleyteaches@aol.com
Regards, Pat Fraley
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I’m sure this will be another great learning opportunity.
Tracy Pattin’s podcast interview with me is live
I mentioned the other day that I had a very nice conversation with Tracy Pattin, who is the blogger writing the VoiceRegistry Blog. That podcast is now live, in fact, I’m listening to it while I’m writing this post. As you’ll discover, there is a second part that will be published sometime soon. I’ll post again when you can hear that.
A video on voice booth construction
Michael Minetree has posted a video of his work building his very high quality voice booth on his Echos forum. It’s a big file (22 Meg) so even on a broadband connection it will take a while to download and play. But, I think you’ll find the wait is worth it.
Update: Or, even better, Michael has emailed the YouTube info.
Very interesting, Michael. I look forward to further updates as you get closer to completion of this massive project.
I had such a nice chat with Tracy Pattin the other day
Tracy blogs at Voicebank.net’s VoiceRegistry Blog. I’ve linked to several of her posts because she’s had many excellent things to say, interviews, and insights. A few days ago we exchanged several emails and then visited together on the phone for a podcast. Just a bit of the interview is posted for you to read now, and tomorrow the podcast will be live.
Thank you for the delightful visit, Tracy. I look forward to our next connection.
A glimpse into the Summerset dialect of Southwest England
Bob Kingsley blogs under the name Somerset Bob and has published several podcasts called Somerset Life. Some of them were written by my friend and mentor Philip Banks. The others were written by Bob. All of them are virtually opaque to this set of ears, but then I’ve never before encountered this Somerset dialect of English. Whatever the case, they are an auditory delight.
Update: Be sure to read Bob Kingsley’s comment, below, for a bit of important clarification about this accent he performs!
The Soccer Mom Myth
My friends Michele Miller and Holly Buchanan have co-written a new book that’s just been released, called The Soccer Mom Myth. Michele and Holly are two of the brightest and most insightful ladies I know. Whether you are a man or a woman, you’ll find a lot of valuable information in The Soccer Mom Myth.
(Yes, I this post doesn’t exactly have anything to do with voiceover work. But, think about it for a few minutes. Maybe less.)
Update: I neglected to thank Roy H. Williams and his Monday Morning Memo for March 10, 2008 for alerting me to the release of Michele and Holly’s book. Thank you, Roy. Painful or pleasant, I always look forward to reading your pieces each Monday.
Plant the seeds
When it comes to your voiceover career, of for that matter any freelance career, we’re all farmers. Growing up, I lived in the farm country of Central Minnesota. Every spring, along with lots of other things, we always planted the seeds. If we didn’t plant the seeds in the spring, we would have had no business looking for crops to harvest in the autumn. Which seeds you sow, and in what fields you sow them, is up to you.
Tracy Pattin’s blog post about an opportunity that didn’t result exactly the way she hoped, but which was still a seed planted, was the germ that lead to this post.
You see, when we plant the seeds, some of them bear fruit very quickly. Others take a while and some incubate for just about forever. You don’t know which is which, in fact you can’t tell. So, you can’t worry about what the outcome will be from a specific seed that you’re planting. Just like Tracy took the risk to ask for that interview, the immediate outcome isn’t the focus, taking the risk. It’s planting the seed. And just like the farmer, if you plant the seeds, you will get a harvest. Some years will be bumper crops. Some years will be pretty meager. But, ever year you’ll have a harvest. And of course, for us in the voiceover business, we don’t have to wait until Spring to plant or Autumn to harvest. We can plant and harvest any time of year. Not to mention, voiceover work is much easier than working for a living.