Then you’re going to love the new site called Convert My Files, Now!
General
The new union commercial deal has been approved
AFTRA and SAG have jointly announced that new three-year deals have been approved by the rank-and-file that cover commercials made for television, radio, the Internet and new media. The final tally showed 94% “yes” votes. The new deal is effective retroactively to the 1st of April 2009 and continues through the end of March 2012.
Checkmate
Voiceover friends in Raleigh
When the delightful news that my friend Kara Edwards was going to be in Raleigh, NC (just a 2.5 hour drive up the road from me in Charlotte) on the same weekend at that my friend Rowell Gormon was celebrating his umpty-umpth birthday, it seemed like the best possible excuse for a voiceover road trip.
It turned out to be a great way to spend a day. Not only did I get to visit with Rowell again (always a delight) and to see Kara again, I also got to see Donovan Corneetz again and to meet Chadd Pierce for the first time. We spent an all too brief 3 hours chatting together at a delightful place called The Carolina Cafe.
When the meal was done, we found a spot outside where I could test out my camera’s automatic timer photo setting.
As you can see it worked. From the left, that’s Donovan Corneetz, Kara Edwards, Rowell Gormon, Chadd Pierce and me. Truly a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Living in a half-built house?
When people believe the world is going to end in six months, they’ll do all kinds of strange things. Like live in a house that’s only half finished. Peter Bregman blogs about how that situation parallels the way a lot of us are living these days. I found Peter’s blog while reading Bill Taylor’s blog post about Recession Leadership, a post that’s also well worth a few minutes of your time. My thanks to Tom Asacker for linking to Bill’s blog post yesterday.
A great big round-up of recording software
With thanks to my friend Dave Courvoisier for posting a link to this article on his blog, be sure to check out the exceptional article in EQ magazine cover all of the major Digital Audio Workstations.
Changing everything?
With thanks to my manger and friend Stacey Stahl for sending the link my way, don’t miss this TED talk from Seth Godin on the tribes we lead.
Share the experience
Scott Brick’s blog has a big announcment. A contest sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association called Share the Experience could provide you with the opportunity to immediately begin working as an audiobook narrator because the contest is searching for the next great audiobook narrator. Again, details are on Scott Brick’s blog.
You auditions, weak or strong?
Take a look at the question of auditions with the multitalented Bill Holmes on Voiceover Xtra.
Web analytics insights
The folks at Future Now know a whole lot about how to make your web site ever more effective for your business. I highly recommend you spend some time reading through this excellent post called Make Your Web Analytics Actionable in 5 DIY Steps. Well worth your time.
What kind of attention?
Tom Asacker writes today about the constant search for attention in the marketplace. He cautions that much of this search for attention is, at best, wasted effort and may even be counter-productive.
Sure, if something pops into view, people will be compelled to look at it . . . once! Â But spending money to force it to pop into someone’s view is a flawed approach. Â Like the buzz of mosquitos, the annoyance will ultimately be ignored or brushed off. Â If they become a big problem, folks will purchase products to eliminate them.
What are you (what am I) doing to be genuinely different, to deliver genuine value, in today’s overcrowded media marketplace?
Words to Hours
The folks at Edge Studio have prepared a set of guidelines if you need to convert from the number of words in a project to the number of hours it will be when finished.
Rest in Peace, Wayne Allwine
With thanks to Matt Dunford who posted the link in the Voice Actors Appreciation Society Yahoo! Group, you can read a wonderful tribute to Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, on the Disney Blog.
In the Disney Blog post, that YouTube video is embedded.
(edited to add video)
The lost art of reading aloud
Nancy Wolfson emailed me an article this evening that is published by the New York Times and can also be found here on the Education News web site. The author of the article, Verlyn Klinkenborg, offers some sobering thoughts about what we’ve lost in the last century plus as society has abandoned the practice of reading aloud to one another.
As a narrator of audiobooks, I’m grateful for the business opportunities presented to me by the explosive growth of audiobooks. I find there is something truly wonderful about telling great stories, finding ways to bring the words to life. (Not just with audiobooks, of course. I love voiceover work in all its various aspects.)
It’s not possible to unscramble the eggs and thus society isn’t going to reverse itself and go back to the way things used to be; but I do understand that some things are gained and some are lost with each such turn in the direction of life and civilization.
(edited to fix typos and add some clarificiation)
Even more nice people in Ohio
My friend Dan Nachtrab along with his wife Niki and daughter Cara joined my wife Cinda and our three boys (Eric, David and Brian) for lunch today near Dayton, OH. It represents only the second time I’ve visited with Dan where he didn’t have to travel at least an hour for our visit. Clearly, Dan is a very nice guy. Not to mention a brilliantly talented voice actor.
My middle son David volunteered to take the photo, which explains why he’s not in the shot. All in all it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours in the middle of a Sunday in May.
More nice folks in Ohio
I’ve been corresponding with Ron Harper now and then for a few years now, ever since I ran across his voiceover blog. Each time I’ve been in Western or Central Ohio we’ve tried to work it out so that he could join us for one of our voiceover get-togethers, but something has always come up that kept him from joining us. However, today we finally made the connection.
From left to right, that’s Ron Harper with Eric, David, Brian, Cinda and Bob Souer. We enjoyed a very nice meal together and some delightful conversation about everything from WRKP to how Ron got started in radio back when he was in college. So much fun.
Increasing value
Seth Godin points out that there are two ways of increasing value for your clients and customers. One is by providing the same service and lowering the price. But, is that truly the best way?
Elaine Clark and Harlan Hogan in NYC
With my thanks to my friend Liz de Nesnera for posting this on the VO-BB, Elaine Clark and Harlan Hogan will be holding a weekend of voiceover workshops in New York City the weekend of October 24 and 25, 2009. Registration details are on Harlan’s web site.
A talent agent in New York who is willing to what?
Erik Sheppard posts on his blog today that Billy Serow, voiceover agent with Abrams Artists Agency in New York will be appearing on an upcoming episode of the Erik and Ember podcast.
Thinking about starting a blog?
Maybe you’ve been told you need to start a blog to help your voiceover business? Or, you’ve just thought about for a while. I think Dave Young’s audiobook Why Be Blog (and you should too!) is the best possible introduction to blogging for business, voiceover or otherwise.