Yes, I’m delighted to let you know that Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino have put their heads together and are planning Acting for Advertising Part 10 on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 9:00 PM Eastern / 6:00 PM Pacific. Nancy is going to cover 2 chapters of her core curriculum this time, so you’ll get double value for your money. Price to get on the call including an MP3 copy to keep is $49. Reserve your spot at Break Into Voice Over.
Orson Welles is interviewed about a number of subjects here, including voice acting.
My thanks to my fried Joe Szymanski for posting the link to this video on the VO-BB.
Marice Tobias will hold her first weekend seminar of this new year in Los Angeles later this month. Details are on her blog. Marice is amazing and works exclusively with established pros. If you do study with her, I’m confident you’ll be glad you did.
Kevin Delaney emails with a note that he is planning a free webinar on New Year’s Eve (UPDATE: on Wednesday, January 5th) about New Year’s resolutions and making 2011 your best year yet. Details are at his Wealthy Bohemian blog.
My friend Paul Strikwerda has prepared this video with some troublesome truths about a voiceover career.
John Florian emails that VoiceOverXtra is teaming with Bettye Zoller to hold a webinar “7 Steps to Building a Better Brand“.
According to the LA Times, video game casting director Brigitte Burdine was killed by an apparent hit-and-run accident early Wednesday morning. My thanks to my friend Kevin Delaney for passing along this shocking, sad news.
Update: My friend DB Cooper posts on Facebook a link to this obituaty at Gamasutra.
Kevin Delaney emails with a note that he is planning a free webinar on New Year’s Eve about New Year’s resolutions and making 2011 your best year yet. Details are at his Wealthy Bohemian blog.
I’ve taken a few days off to spend with my family during the holidays, so haven’t been posting and updating here. Also, I love those Christmas recordings so much that I wanted to leave them at the top for a few days.
During this final week of the year, do you take time to look at the year that’s wrapping up and figure out what went well and what didn’t? Do you make plans for the coming year? I’m not the sort of guy who loves to spend hours creating elaborate plans for the next 1, 2, 5 and 10 years; but I do look at the future year and sent myself some targets. I’ve also realized in the last few years that I find it much more encouraging to have targets that I’m confident I can hit and surpass … rather than setting myself some lofty and unattainable target way out in the distance.
So, for this coming year, my hope it to lose a bit of weight. I’m setting myself a target of a half a pound a week. I know it’s not much, but it’s something that I believe I can not only reach, but perhaps surpass. I’m also raising my billing target by 30% over the target I set for this year. That one may be harder to hit, but again, I think I can reach it and perhaps surpass it.
How about you? What are your goals and targets for 2011?
I’m bumping this old post back to the top today as part of an annual celebration of Christmas. It was originally posted on Christmas Day in 2007.
The inimitable Philip Banks, my friend and mentor, has been the source of many of the very best posts at the VO-BB. I’ve quoted some of them here (search on Philip Banks if you’d like to read them) and now it’s my great pleasure to again point you to something truly special. (Note: Kudos to Peter O’Connell for being the first to blog about this.)
On Monday, Philip proposed to us that we jointly record the classic Christmas poem T’was the Night Before Christmas.
The script made it way around the world, from the UK to the USA, Japan and back again. Then Mr. Banks put his final stamp on the entire proceeding, adding a wonderful musical background.
[audio:https://bobsouer.com/pix/vobbxmas.mp3]I think you’ll agree, a beautiful Christmas gift. I’m so grateful I was able to take part in the fun.
Here are the talented members of the VO-BB who took part, and the order in which they appear….
1. Philip Banks
2. DB Cooper
3. Peter O’Connell
4. Kara Edwards
5. Bob Souer
6. Diane Maggipinto
7. Todd Ellis
8. Connie Terwilliger
9. Brian Hart
10. Moe Egan
11. Greg Littlefield
12. Mary McKitrick
13. Michael Rhys
14. Liz de Nesnera
15. Frank Frederick
16. Tammy McDaniel
17. Greg Phelps
18. Marcy Worthington
19. Greg Allen
20. Caryn Clark
21. Frank Frederick
22. Liz de Nesnera
23. Michael Rhys
24. Mary McKitrick
25. Todd Ellis
26. Liz de Nesnera
27. David Monteath
28. Mary McKitrick
29. Philip Banks
30. Kara Edwards
Merry Christmas to you and to all those you love. And may your new New Year be filled with joy, peace and much success.
(Update: I’m bumping this to the top of the page again for Christmas Day!)
From my friends at the VO-BB (including me) to you. A repost of our video, as produced by Jeffrey Kafer.
Last year we did an audio version of the classic ‘Twas the night before Christmas and this year the VO-BB gang got together for a video version of the same. Enjoy!
Kudos to Jeffrey Kafer for compiling all the multitude of video clips into that one delightful piece.
Tomorrow, the original audio version.
Every 3 months I get to narrate a number of podcasts for the Office of Science and Technology at the Embassy of Austria. These podcast articles are part of a quarterly online publication called “bridges” and the latest edition, Vol. 28 has just been released.
If you’ve been thinking about attending Faffcon2 in Atlanta, February 25 through 27, 2011, you have less than 2 weeks left to take advantage of the early bird registration price. If you haven’t been thinking about attending Faffcon2, and you’re a working voiceover talent, why not? The first Faffcon was an incandescently wonderful experience filled with golden nuggets for everyone who attended and participated. By working voiceover talent I mean someone making money doing voiceovers even if you’re not full-time with voiceover yet. Please register today, because in less than 2 weeks the price goes up. I hope to see you there in Atlanta.
From my manager and friend Stacey Stahl:
Before you can live happily ever after,
You must begin with once upon a time.-anonymous
Audiobook master narrator Scott Brick tells a wonderful Christmas story on his blog that I hope you’ll take the time to read.
My friend Stefania Lintonbon has prepared a lovely podcast about Christmas stockings. Enjoy!
I hope as your voiceover business grows that you offer your services in ways that help those causes and individuals who need your help. Not just at this “holiday” time of the year, but all the time. Edge Studio in New York is providing an example of what I mean through a new venture they are launch on my birthday. We actually they didn’t know next Monday is my birthday until I told them earlier today, but regardless they are starting a new charitable venture (link is to a PDF) on December 20th to benefit Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, an organization that works with publishers and technology companies to help people with visual and learning challenges.
The essential point is that for each unique visitor on Facebook who clicks the “Like!” button at the Edge Studio fan page between December 20th and January 4th, Edge will donate a $1 to RFB&D. Kudos to Edge for doing this. If you’re not all ready a Facebook fan of Edge, wait until next week and then “Like!” away.
