John Baldoni writes on Leadership At Work at Harvard. His post today is titled Five Things John Madden Teaches Us about Leadership. As you read, substitute the term voiceover each time you see the word leadership. I’d suggest the parallels are quite striking and the advice more than a little useful.
(Update: When I posted this previously I neglected to thank my friend Ralph Hass for posting the link to this article on the VO-BB. Thank you, Ralph.)
Seth Godin’s blog post Sixty to zero is something you want to read if you haven’t. Where are the cliffs in your business? Can you change direction when you need to or are you going too fast? Important questions. Comments are open. I’d be delighted to hear your answers.
My thanks, as ever, to my manager and friend Stacey Stahl for sending the link to Seth’s blog post.
John Florian has published an article by Ed Gambill, the founder and chairman of the Society of Accredited Voice Over Artists (SaVoa, Inc.) on some recent news from the organization about reaching the benchmark of 100 accredited voiceover artists.
Further information about SaVoa can be found in a previous article by Nikki Saco, or at the SaVoa website.
With thanks to my friend Jane Ingalls for sending me the link, check out the World Digital Library that launches tomorrow. Multilingual format, primary material from cultures around the world, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, architectural drawings and other significant cultural materials is how the collection is being described. Oh, and the price? Free.
This should prove a very valuable resource for many people, including us voice actors.
The Erik and Ember podcast has a new update. Be sure to check out Episode Three featuring the exceptionally talented Ann DeWig.
Update: And if you can’t get enough of Ann, she’s also featured on Ryan Drean’s podcast. My thanks to my friend Joe Szymanski for having the link to that podcast on his blog, thus leading me to it.
Dave Temple offers some mighty valuable counsel on his blog. As strange as it may sound it has to do with Eating a Frog at the start of the day. Read the post. You’ll understand.
On his voiceover blog, my friend Greg Houser recently provided you with a straightforward walk through the question of whether or not you should have ISDN in your home studio.
A few days ago on her voiceover blog, my friend Bobbin Beam provided some solid advice for how to find and keep your connection with the stories you’re telling as part of your voiceover work.
My friend Jeffrey Kafer blogged the other day about a lesson he brought to his voiceover work from his previous occupation as a tester in the gaming industry.
What Jeffrey has done is one of the key methods of making progress in any field: Find a related industry. Identify how they solve problems. Apply the parallel methodology to your own business. Even if my business is my voiceover work? Yep. Read what Jeff did. Think about your own life experiences. What kinds of parallels can you find?
Scott Brick, audiobook narrator without equal, is featured in a podcast interview with Tracy Pattin on the Voice Registry Podcast and the Voicebank Blog.
Check out the post at my friend Craig Crumpton’s Voice Actors in the News blog about World Voice Day. Interesting stuff, Craig. Thank you.
The other day, and I just noticed the post today, Seth Godin wrote some deeply insightful words about success. Very interesting and thought-provoking stuff. Well worth the few moments it will take you to read and think.
(updated to add the actual link to Seth’s blog post. sheesh!)
With thanks to my friend Craig Crumpton for posting a link on the Yahoo! group he runs called Voice Actor Appreciation Society, you can pop over to the forum at Billy West’s site and wish him a Happy Birthday today.
My friend Greg Houser helps you look at your voiceover business from four key points of view in this blog post called “It might be time to take a SWOT at your VO Business.” Excellent stuff from an excellent mind.
The Quasi Glamorous Life is a podcast featuring Mercedes Rose and Harold Phillips, which I’m adding to my blogroll today. Their episode 9 features an interview with Brian Vermier and Kristina Hughes from HoldonLog, the company that makes PerformerTrack.
Harry Kalas, long time voice of the Phillies and of NFL films died a couple of days ago and I’ve been remiss in failing to mention it. My friend Zurek reminded me today when I was looking at his blog.
Another great voice stilled. This has been some year.
With my thanks to my friend Dan Nachtrab who pointed me to my friend Zurek’s blog where I found the link, here’s a fabulous article about directing voiceover sessions for games. Lessons here for all of us, my friends. From voice actors to the folks who hire them, we all have to raise our game to newer levels just to stay current. Beyond that is even better of course.
Dan O’Day blogs today for the first time about some of the preliminary details of the 2009 edition of the International Radio Creative and Production Summit. This years’ will be the 14th annual edition of the stellar event. I’ve attended 12 of the previous 13 and it has been a stunningly valuable time for me each year. Even as my business has focused more and more narrowly on voiceover, the Summit continues to be a must-attend event for me.
By the way, should you (when Dan posts the actual registration information) decide to put my name in the comment box of the registration form as the person who recommended the Summit to you, and if this is your first year to attend, I will receive a commission. Your registration price is the same regardless, but if you don’t want me to get a commission, don’t put my name in the comment box on the registration form. No matter what you decide on that score, I hope to see you there in Los Angeles in August.
One of my on-going client relationships is with the Office of Science and Technology at the Embassy of Austria in Washington, DC. Each quarter they publish an online journal called “bridges” that includes a number of articles I help them produce as podcasts. Volume 21 has just been published. While each article that is available as a podcast is linked individually, the podcast section has it’s own page where you can listen to all of the audio articles in one place.
I’ve posted a number of times on my blog that I believe the very best way to launch yourself into the world of narrating audiobooks is by taking Pat Fraley’s audiobook master class. Next month, May 9, 2009 specifically, you have your next opportunity. The event is called, this time, The Audiobook Reading Royalty Event, and takes place once again at World Famous Buzzy’s Recording in Los Angeles.
Pat has, as usual, provided a free first lesson which you can hear when you click the audio player.
[audio:https://bobsouer.com/pix/PatFraley_RoyalOverview.mp3]All the details including registration information is at Pat’s web page for The Audiobook Reading Royalty Event.
(Updated to add:) Oh, and about the name? That’s because Scott Brick and Renee Raudman will be co-teaching at this event with Pat. Scott and Renee really are the King and Queen of audiobook narrators, with Pat playing the role of Court Jester I think. In any case, it will be a great experience that will set you up for audiobook work like nothing else you can do.
