Vox Daily

Why did you choose to work with Voices.com? We'd appreciate hearing your thoughts :)

One of the keys to success is knowing your strengths. When you become aware of your strengths, you can focus more clearly on them and continue to excel.

You've probably gone through a similar exercise at some point in your career before, and we'd like to ask you for your opinion on what you feel we do best.

By learning more about the aspects you love most about our service, we can serve you even better!

How do we make your experience exceptional or out of the ordinary?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts,

Stephanie

Is buying used gear just 'as good as new' for aspiring talents starting out in the business? Let's tackle the realm of second-hand recording studios, what to look for, and your return on investment (ROI).

When a business is in startup mode, usually the entrepreneur looks for ways to cut costs while obtaining all of the necessary objectives to run their business.

In the case of a voice talent, building a home recording studio is paramount to their success and fundamental to conducting business on a daily basis.

That being said, a voice talent entrepreneur's highest expense when getting started is the equipment to build their home recording studio. Ideally, a professional-grade home recording studio comprises of a computer, recording / editing software, a professional microphone, a microphone stand, head phones, mixing board, speakers (to hear the balance of your mix with), and a proper room to record in. This recording studio, or room, may be a full-out sound booth or a spare bedroom depending on the resources available to the voice talent.

To give us an idea of what's out there, professional recording studios are worth tens of thousands of dollars. The most expensive recording studios cost well over 1 million dollars to construct.

On average, a professional-grade home recording studio costs in the neighborhood of $10,000 to $25,000. Smaller project studios or freelance voice talent home studios could range between $2,500 to $5,000, brand new.

Regardless of industry sector or creative background prior to the start of an imminent voice career, the purchase of a professional-grade home recording studio is the largest, most tangible investment that will be made in the life of a voice-over career.

The equipment, once purchased by the business owner, becomes a hard asset, and if need be, can be sold in order to raise funds to purchase newer, more efficient equipment in the future.

Keep in mind that these hard assets are also subject to depreciation. In Canada, we depreciate computers and electronic equipment at 50% a year. That's quite a hefty sum, meaning that a new piece of equipment could depreciate significantly in less than 3 years.

When someone is in the market to buy gently used recording studio equipment, the odds that they will be getting a great deal and equipment in good condition are definitely in their favor. There are many places that buy and sell used equipment ranging from the local newspaper classifieds to online listings on eBay.

There is no shortage of second-hand equipment looking for a good home, that's for certain, but how can you tell if the equipment is worth the asking price and if it will happily meet your needs?

First off, always be sure to seek out photographs of the object you are interested in. If you are networking locally with someone, setup a meeting to evaluate the equipment in person, including a test-drive of what the piece can do for you and how it operates.

Check for scratches, dents, loose items, and quality. Brand names the likes of Shure, Neumann, and Digi002 are high-end whereas a microphone from an all-purpose electronics store in the mall may be less professional.

Ask where the item was purchased, how much it was purchased for, and when it was purchased. Knowing these variables will give you the leverage you need to decide whether the price for the equipment is fair or way off base. You can also request a copy of the original receipt.

Ask for original boxes, warranties, and user guides. This documentation will prove that you are purchasing from the original owner.

Some manufacturers offer 'transfer of ownership' papers allowing you to benefit from free software and hardware upgrades or promotions in the future. The serial number would then be registered under the purchasers name, thus making you eligible to receive bonuses and free upgrades by virtue of your business dealings.

Your return on investment will be evident in good usage of your equipment. As long as you are learning how to use it, you will get something out of it.

Have any of you had experience buying second-hand recording studio equipment? How did it work out for you?

Best,

Stephanie

Does recording voice-overs for food commercials make you salivate? Do hunger pangs appear out of nowhere when describing delectable dishes? We want to know!

Sitting down to read copy about food must be a salivating experience, and if you are recording long after you've eaten, which I've heard is very popular, it must also be like grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

Have you ever had a craving for the food you are pitching in a commercial while recording?

I wonder if that internal reaction would act as a subconscious catalyst when interpreting copy. It makes some sense that the longing or at least heightened interest in the copy you are performing would add more enthusiasm and genuine appeal to your overall performance.

In theory, your performance is supposed to conjure those cravings in a viewing audience, not induce them upon yourself! That being said, if others are being persuaded by the copy that you are reading, why couldn't you, a fellow human being with the capacity to hunger and thirst, too?

Following that stream of thought, it would be interesting to know if certain foods bring out more hunger than others when reading copy.

For example, you could have a commercial about a hearty, home-cooked meal, complete with roast beef, glazed vegetables, and mashed potatoes...

Perhaps it's a commercial that targets people on the go, marketing quick fixes like fast food restaurant fare, take-out, or pop in the oven TV dinners. Or, it's all about rich, creamy ice cream, pastries, and confections.

Depending on the time of day, if you have had anything to eat recently, where you are in proximity to food, and how appealing the copy is, you could be writing yourself a recipe for Death by Chocolate or find yourself running out the back door to the garden in search of some organic grub.

If you have had cravings while recording voice-overs for the food and beverage industries, what did you do, if anything, to indulge that craving after your session?

Cheers,

Stephanie

Have experience moderating for voice talent forums? We're looking for 2 or 3 enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to help revive VoiceOverTimes.com.

As you may know, we have a web property established as a voice talent forum to discuss everything from getting started in the industry through to the technical aspects of voice-overs and the recording process.

VoiceOverTimes is a great resource for those who enjoy chatting and sharing their insight in a bulletin board style forum.

There are currently almost 400 members in the VoiceOverTimes community and the opportunity for a few inspired people to revitalize this forum is an excellent one indeed.

If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, please leave a comment on this post or email us directly stating your interest and experience.

Looking forward to working together with you to make VoiceOverTimes the best that it can be!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Technorati Tags: Voice overs, Moderators, Voice Talents

Do you know how easy it is to get paid for voice over work? Clients can now pay you directly with PayPal at your Voices.com website by clicking on your PayPal link!

Voice talents, great news!

You can now direct any client to your personal website at Voices.com to receive payment for voice over work.

When clients are ready to pay you for your work, all they need to do is scroll down your website at Voices.com and click on the PayPal logo on the right hand side of the page.

The secure payment gateway between Voices.com and PayPal ensures that the funds are directed to the correct PayPal account, in other words, the email address that you have registered with us that is also associated with your PayPal account.

The client confirms the details on screen and enters an agreed upon amount into the payment field. After this step, PayPal displays a confirmation screen confirming the payment details.

By clicking on the "submit" button, your client will be able to send the agreed upon funds directly to your PayPal account.

Safe, secure and easy.

As always, to your success!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Technorati Tags: paypal, online payments, paypal payments

What kind of voice-overs are talked about in a hair salon? Find out!

On a recent visit to Berkana Salon, I had some time to chat it up with fellow customers while we had our tresses trimmed and found out what the average person thinks about voice-over and what makes voice-overs memorable long after they've been heard.

A political science student from the University of Western Ontario was to my right and to my left was a university aged brunette. The political science student was reading a novel when I asked him who his favorite voice talent was.

He replied that he really likes the male voice talent who records for banking commercials on the CBC.

The young woman said that she loved the IKEA voice talent for his quirky, humorous, off the wall interpretations and Scandinavian accent.

One of the salon employees chimed in that she liked the IKEA voice talent too... 2 votes for Mr. IKEA.

The young woman's mother had just purchased a new Acura with a GPS system in it and commented on how the only voice available was a female voice. There were no male voices to pick from, I asked? No, she replied, but thought it would be a good idea to have both a male and female voice to choose from.

During the conversation, someone piped up that they wanted to know who that "movie trailer voice" was, you know, the same guy that voices all of the big ticket trailers. "Why, that's Don LaFontaine, of course!" I replied. Shortly after, I was able to relay that Don has voiced over 4000 movie trailers and started his career as a movie trailer copy writer, something that astounded the entire salon.

That was just my experience.

What about yours?

Feel free to leave a comment!

Stephanie

Technorati Tags: Voice-overs, Hair Salon, Don LaFontaine

Find out why professional voice overs have stopped investing in search engine advertising and are doing all of their online voice marketing at Voices.com.

Why pay for sponsored search engine advertisements when we bring the Internet's traffic to you at Voices.com?

The decision to stop paying search engines advertising dollars occurs when a voice talent realizes that all of the traffic (that is, people looking to hire voice talent) online is usually directed to voice marketplaces, partially because of high natural (non-paid, relevancy based) search engine rankings or their ability to aggressively market through sponsored ads.

The cost of ranking #1 for keywords using Google AdWords is staggering. Popular keywords such as "voice overs" or "voice talent" go for approximately $2 a click. And that's just one click. Those keywords are searched for hundreds of times a day. Imagine the cost to you if only 1 person out 300 who clicked through your advertisement actually converted as a customer.

The price of customer acquisition would be $598 ($600 in advertising to gain one customer at $2 per click). That one customer cost you $598 to bring to your website.

Now, assuming that you received work from this visitor, let's say a $200 voice job, you have actually lost money on that customer. Because it cost $598 to bring them to your site, their payment to you of $200 still leaves you having spent more on advertisements. At the end of the day, there is no profit and your margin of loss would be $398.

That may seem extreme, but there are people who do lose more money on average than they make when using search engine pay-per-click programs.

The answer to that, you might say, is to spend less money on the keywords but still be visible in the sponsored results.

This is where unseen disadvantages creep in. The search engines have structured their programs as such that the lower you bid on a given keyword, the less likely you will be served as an advertisement, resulting in less relevancy which leads to fewer clicks and a poor click-through rate.

At the end of the day, individuals who bid low often lose money and relevancy.

What is the answer to this dilemma?

Easy. Let us bring all of the clients to you and be your voice marketer.

As a member of Voices.com, you will receive the following customer acquisition tools and benefits:

• A featured listing on the #1 ranked website in Google for many voice over related keywords, including the sought after keyword "voice overs"
• A variety of traffic visiting the Voices.com website bringing a cornucopia of jobs
• Search engine optimized website capabilities
• Leading edge technology and SEO tools

That being said, Premium and Preferred members of our service receive even more benefits and are given the ability to communicate directly with clients who post jobs at Voices.com. In addition to the Featured Talent Categories and priority ranking in the search results, these talent are also able to market their voices more effectively by using our service as their primary online marketing tool.

We know how to work with the search engines to bring clients looking for voice-overs to our website. Our SEO (search engine optimization) strategies are in place, evolving with the engines and consumers who use the engines themselves.

Our specialty is marketing.

Many talent say that they have been contacted for work directly through their Voices.com websites. Some talent find work exclusively through our voice talent search engine. Each one of those clients was marketed to, converted and paid for by Voices.com, regardless of how they found and hired a voice for their project.

As I mentioned earlier, Premium and Preferred members enjoy higher ranking in the search results. Premium members are given priority ranking, ranking higher than any other level of talent membership.

It is quite possible to be hired for work through the Featured Talent Categories or through the search more often than it is to be hired through an audition for a job posted at the website. This is particularly of interest to talent who have limited time to audition for jobs and want to be hired directly based upon their MP3 voice over demos.

With Voices.com as your voice marketer, you will save time, money, and gain an abundance of tools to help you reach customers online.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Technorati Tags: Google, Yahoo, AdWord, Search Marketing, PPC

New to the industry and need some tips? Read this comprehensive guide on what you'll need to get started and develop your talent for voice overs.

When getting started in voice overs, aspiring talent quickly discover that it takes more than just a great voice to succeed in this highly competitive market.

Although at first glance, there may seem to be few doors that open for amateur talent seeking voice over work opportunities, the avenues for personal growth, talent development and networking are overly abundant.

You just need to know where to find them.

The notion of becoming a voice over talent usually starts with a compliment from a friend, colleague, or family member. When someone hears similar sentiments from people outside of familiar circles, the individual is inspired to make an action plan and thoroughly research the voice over profession.

Aspiring voice over talent can find a wealth of resources and guidance from a variety of sources on the Internet. There are several good websites online that share information about the industry, providing solutions to nearly every "Getting Started" voice over question and career development resources. These resources may manifest themselves in an array of business templates, strategies, and eBooks.

If an aspiring voice over talent desires to fully explore voice overs as a career, there are multiple ways to research the field without having to leave the comfort of home. Some of these research methods include visiting the websites of professional voice over talents, listening to voice-over demos online, and reading up on what industry leaders have to say, including coaches, agents, authorities, and casting directors.

There's an abundance of voice over blogs online that reveal what it is really like to be in professional voice overs, providing excellent insight into what can be expected if one were to enter the voice over profession. Many professionals freely discuss their career objectives and thoughts about the industry as a whole, personal observations and their career progress.

Voice overs are very busy not to mention employed in an extremely popular field. The majority of professional voice overs do not have time to lead an aspiring talent by the hand and personally consult them regarding their voice and potential career prospects. Professionals often link to other helpful blogs or voice over industry websites. These links are available to aspiring talent as a means to discover more comprehensive resources that will aid them in starting out as a voice over talent.

Although reading the blogs or visiting websites of professional voice overs may be a fun, leisurely activity, your research should lead to more hands-on and educational endeavors such as contacting a voice-over coach.

A voice over coach will be able to identify what your voice type is, the kind of work you'd be best suited for, and will assist you in developing your vocal range, both artistically and technically.

Voice Over Coaches

Make an appointment with a voice over coach. They will be happy to assess your voice and set up a training program for you at their studio. Going with a private voice over coach has its benefits. Who else could provide an objective opinion on your voice, tailored vocal instruction, specific guidance, and career resources on such a personal level?

A voice over coach will help focus in on your strengths and develop your talents. Sometimes it takes someone else to let you know where you shine as a voice actor and the areas of voice acting that aren't necessarily your forte.

A voice over coach will also be able to identify your specialty skill sets, and if you would like, help you to plan and record your voice over demo. These preliminary efforts will define your voice over career at present and help you to provide extraordinary voice over services to your future clients.

As with anything valuable to your development, a voice over coach will charge fees for their services. When selecting a voice over coach, don't let their coaching fee be the sole deciding factor regarding whether you study with them or not. The fees that you pay should also provide you with a comfortable learning environment, a teacher who you can relate to, and the voice over skills that you want to acquire.

Workshops and Tele-classes

Some people prefer to meet in person, taking lessons in a group. A workshop is an open class that is run by a voice over instructor and attended by voice overs who want to improve particular skills, such as character voice acting, for example.

These workshops are often followed by a question and answer period. The environment is often more casual and free-spirited than a private lesson and enables you to network with people within your field, perhaps even meet colleagues who will become your friends.

Usually there is a cost for participating in a workshop to pay for the instructors' time, materials, and the venue. These fees can vary, but expect that in most cases, there will be a fee for the workshop.

Tele-classes are taught over the telephone. When participating in a tele-class, all you need to do is dial in to the phone number that your instructor will provide you with, and enter the class number for your specific class. Be sure that you do this on the date and at the time that your class is scheduled for.

There may be special code that you'll need to dial after calling in to be routed to the right tele-class, similar to how you would check the numbers on the door if you were looking for a classroom in a building. Once you're in on the call, the instructor will greet everyone, introduce the program, start teaching, and then have question and answers period. Bear in mind that there may be a fee associated with a tele-class.

These classes are convenient for voice over talent who do not live in large centers or have access to voice over coaches in their city.

Voice Over Communities

If you would like to network with other voice overs and aspiring talent, you can glean information and feedback from each other in person, through Internet chat groups, or by posting on voice over support forums.

These kinds of communities of professional and aspiring voice overs chat with each other about vocal technique, recording equipment, job opportunities, and more.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of joining a peer support group is that you can share experiences with fellow voice overs, learn at your own pace, and if you're in a position to do so, give insight to other voice overs.

Voice Over Books

One of the easiest and fastest ways to get a handle on the voice over field and voice industry as a whole is to sit down and read a good book. Aside from either going to the local library or ordering a book or voice-over eBook online, there isn't much legwork.

Good voice over books will help you with technique and some also guide you from the ground up, including how to brand yourself, how to record voice overs, be found on the Internet, promote your voice, make money as a voice over, operate your business, and give you the encouragement you need to get going.

Another good idea is to locate a royalty-free voice over script collection. You will need one to record your first voice over demo from. These scripts are also good for practicing with either on your own or with a voice teacher.

Getting started in voice overs is more complicated than one would think, but for those who succeed in this career field, it is one of the most satisfying, flexible, and lucrative professions in the world.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Technorati Tags: voice overs, voiceovers, voice over, getting started, getting-started,

A 25-year veteran of the entertainment industry, Garland Thompson’s calendar is filled with theatrical roles, podcasting, and voice over work.

Garland Thompson’s journey to voice artistry began in the world of theatre.

As a teenager in New York City, Garland worked for his father's theatre company, the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop, as a sound designer and engineer.

Following his time at the writers’ workshop, Garland worked for a series of professional theatres in NYC as a sound engineer, including The Public Theatre, The Manhattan Theatre Club, the American Place Theatre, and the New Federal Theatre.

Garland discovered his passion for voice acting during his days working in college radio. Garland worked for KUT-FM, the local public radio station on the University of Texas campus. He also worked at the UT Performing Arts Center as a stagehand for a couple of years.

While working at the theatre, a fellow colleague who happened to be a vocal coach inspired him to start taking voice-over lessons, a natural progression considering his experience in broadcast radio. As it turns out, broadcast radio is quite complementary to podcasting, a medium Garland has embraced to the full.

Today, Garland hosts his own podcast called “Sunday Go To Meetin’, the podcast that’s never on Sunday”. Garland shares vignettes from his career, explores Podsafe music, comedy, and poetry. His eclectic podcast format also gives him the opportunity to conduct interviews with poets, journalists, actors, and writers, including a wonderful interview with jazz singer Robin Stine. The podcast is available on Blubrry.com.

Garland’s voice is fun, experienced, and persuasive. When you are listening to his work, one often forgets that he is selling something, which is an incredible feat for an advertising messenger.

Garland Thompson also is a big fan of voice acting for podcasts, currently starring in a sci-fi podcast entitled, “Children of the Gods” recording for two voice character roles, Commander Yelton Marshall and Gunnery Sgt. Sergei Petrov. Garland relates that the podcast is an exciting serial podcast that is created entirely though collaboration with other artists, an endeavor that brings him great satisfaction.

Best regards,

Stephanie

Technorati Tags: Podcast, Podcasts, Garland Thompson

An inside scoop on IBM's role in the animated feature film, Foodfight!

IBM teamed up with a company that is producing an animated movie called "Foodfight!".

A working synopsis of the animated film is as follows:

When the lights are turned off and the doors are locked, chaos reigns supreme for the products in this grocery store.

The Foodfight! cast includes the voice talents of Hilary Duff, Christopher Lloyd, Charlie Sheen, Wayne Brady, Eva Longoria, and more.

The production company is using IBM hardware for the animation and rendering, and as a result, have named the computer in the movie "Blue".

The voice is going to be picked from IBM US, we're told, and IBM employees in the United States are trying out online.

A Canadian IBM employee, who is also a good friend of ours, is going to take a run at the role, even though he is from Canada. As this is an internal casting call, only IBM employees have access to the audition link.

If you work for IBM US, check out the opportunity internally. You might just have the perfect voice for the job!

Foodfight!, directed by Lawrence Kasanoff, is currently in production and slated for release in spring 2007.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Technorati Tags: Hilary Duff, IBM, Animation Movies

Find out what makes us different and how the job postings at Voices.com set us apart from other websites.

A part of our service is attracting clients to post voice over jobs for you to audition for at Voices.com.

Although this effort is of extreme importance, there is yet another aspect of our job acquisition activities that is even more significant...

We evaluate each job posting, making sure that it meets our job posting criteria and guidelines.

Everything from the job research, editing, following up, and posting (project management), is done by a member of our team at the office, protecting you from the potential spam abuse of automated systems.

Voices.com is all about how we can serve you. We have procedures in place to benefit voice actors and people who are posting jobs or searching our website.

How do we improve your auditioning experience?

- The jobs we post are legitimate
- All job budgets must start at USD$100 as a minimum requirement
- There are more details per job posting
- We provide accountability as we develop relationships with our clients as well as talent

Over the past couple of years, I sent out weekly emails to all of our Guest talent members, highlighting a sampling of 5 jobs (contact details / company details removed) to give an idea of the caliber of jobs posted at Voices.com.

After the move to Voices.com (we used to be InteractiveVoices.com), we thought that there must be a better way to share information about all of the job opportunities posted at Voices.com. Only seeing 5 examples a week (out of a potential 50 or more) may not satisfy the appetites of those wanting to know about our job postings immediately, even if they are unable to audition for them.

If you are a Guest talent at our website reading this post, please leave a comment with your thoughts regarding how you would like to see job opportunities presented to you at Voices.com.

Looking forward to your reply,

Stephanie

Corporate podcasting is growing by leaps and bounds, and so are the opportunities available to you. You could be making money by recording podcasts for businesses! Ready to dip your toes in podcasting?

It's no secret that the world has embraced podcasting. You can listen to a variety of podcasts, including podcasts for travel, finance, celebrity news, religious, do-it-yourself, gardening, learning a new language, and more.

Podcasting is a medium of the people for the people. Nearly anyone can record a podcast given the equipment and content.

Having said that, podcasting may be perceived by the majority of us as purely an amateur activity.

That simply isn't the case!

Did you know that there are companies out there paying professional talent to record their business podcasts for them?

Case in point: An article published yesterday in the Muskegon Chronicle heralds the advent of corporate podcasting services. Yes, not just corporate podcasting, but the actual production of those podcasts.

The article suggests that the podcasting itself (even the entire production) can be outsourced to professional voice talents such as yourselves. Companies are willing to pay $200 per episode, according to Jason Piasecki of Qonverge, a marketing firm focusing on podcasting in Muskegon, Michigan US.

Qonverge has caught the attention of more than one prominent citizen in Muskegon.

The Muskegon Chronicle reports:

Qonverge is working with the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce to produce a weekly podcast by chamber President Cindy Larsen. Larsen comes to the podcast with an academic and professional background in broadcasting, making her comfortable with the new medium.

MACC Cast has produced four weeks worth of programming, allowing the chamber to get its message out on fighting for business issues, growing a small business and advantages to locating a business in Muskegon.

"I have been overwhelmed with the positive response to the chamber podcasts," Larsen said. "It appears to be a popular format for business people who are multitasking at their desks. People are also impressed by the quality of the sound and enjoy the format."

Podcasting as a means of earning an income appears to be an avenue many of you are likely pursuing right now.

Do you profit financially from recording podcasts? If so, feel free to mention the name of the podcast and the company you are working for.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Want your website to rank higher in the search engines? Find out everything you need to know to get indexed in Google, Yahoo!, MSN and others with Voices.com's "Secrets of Search Engine Optimization".

Ever wondered how to get your website ranked higher in the search engines?

Looking for a guide to help boost your position in Google, Yahoo!, and MSN?

When you upgrade your service at Voices.com, you will receive our exclusive 15 page guide on search engine optimization, chock full of helpful hints, detailed examples, and online directories for you to submit your website to.

The ebook is easy to read and there's something for everyone. Here's a glimpse of the SEO guide!

We want to share some of our secrets with you as Google's #1 ranked site for voice overs.

This SEO (search engine optimization) guide is not for sale and is only available in conjunction with this special offer at Voices.com.

The SEO offer ends on September 30th, 2006, so act now!

Are you ready to to increase your position in the search engines?

Best,

Stephanie & The Voices.com Team

Amanda Parsons of Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada helped "Everyone's Hero" to keep on swinging through production, bringing Christopher Reeve's final project to fruition.

"Everyone's Hero" was one of the last film projects taken on by the late Hollywood actor, Christopher Reeve. Christopher Reeve directed the film until his death in October of 2004. One of the characters in the animated film was voiced by his wife, the late Dana Reeve (died in 2006), who passed away from lung cancer before completing the project, has come full circle with the help of Halifax native, Amanda Parsons.

The Chronicle Herald in Halifax describes "Everyone's Hero" as follows:

The animated film "Everyone's Hero" is about Yankee Irving, a young Babe Ruth fan in New York who strikes out at the plate but rallies to befriend a smart-alecky baseball named Screwie. Together they overcome every obstacle in order to return Babe Ruth’s favourite bat Darlin’ halfway across the continent for the third game of the 1932 World Series in Chicago.

When searching for a voice actor to complete Dana's work, Amanda Parsons was discovered to have a voice strikingly similar to Dana Reeve's. Amanda was able to seamlessly deliver Dana Reeve's remaining lines, including one line that was spliced.

The project was a family affair for the Reeves, including their son Will who voices the role of the Big Kid. Whoopi Goldberg rounded out the cast, performing the role of Babe Ruth’s favourite bat Darlin’.

Amanda Parsons is a member of the Impatient Theatre Company in Toronto and performs commercial voice-overs in addition to acting on the stage.

To read the full article, visit the Chronicle Herald website.

Cheers,

Stephanie

The Annie Awards will celebrate the best in animation during the 100th year of animation on February 11, 2007.

Nominations are currently being accepted for the 34th Annual Annie Awards!

The Annie Awards have a rich history, founded by voice actor June Foray (Looney Toons, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Woody Woodpecker, etc.) in 1972. It was upon the suggestion of her husband that she christen the awards the "Annie Awards".

The Annie Awards, touted as 'Animation's Highest Honor', will take place on February 11, 2007.

To read more about how you can get involved, whether as an entrant or as a judge, visit the Annie Awards official website. The deadline to enter is October 6th, 2006. ASIFA-Hollywood must receive materials for nomination judging October 27, 2006.

Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. If you are interested, a full press release for the Annie Awards can be read here.

Wonder why clients are particularly fond of and often require custom MP3 demos for auditions?

"Don't judge a book by its cover", could now be translated to the phrase "Don't judge a voice talent by their stock demo".

In recent years, the voice industry has experienced exponential growth and enjoyed interest from new markets, particularly aspiring talent who want to get started in the business of voice acting.

The doors have swung wide open. Now, anyone with a computer, microphone, and access to the Internet can claim that they perform voice-overs, whether as a hobby or as their career.

How did you differentiate yourself as a professional voice actor in the past?

Until a short time ago, all you needed was your voice-over demo, a polished and expertly produced sample of what you can do with your voice.

Usually, these demos were (and are currently) compilations of various spots including commercials, imaging, narration, promos, telephone work, and character voice acting. These demos were (and in many cases still are) the most popular tool used to promote your voice and get you hired without having to audition for a client.

Nowadays, if someone has the money and knows of a good recording studio, they can easily walk right in and record a demo, too. These demos are fully produced and edited by professional recording engineers, and perhaps, the talent is also coached by an in-house trainer or by the engineers themselves.

That being said, how to you differentiate yourself as a professional applying for voice over work today?

The answer is manifested in the form of a custom MP3 demo.

The custom MP3 demo plays one of the greatest roles in validating or exposing the quality of a home recording studio.

Custom MP3 demos reveal the setup of a room, acoustics, and room temperature as well as the quality of the microphone, recording software and editing skills of the demo producer.

A custom MP3 demo, when performed by a professional, demonstrates the confidence that experience brings. A seasoned voice actors' or voice performers' talent and interpretation will shine through the recording, supporting their claim of being a career professional, both as a performer and a producer.

When the technical and artistic elements align properly, a great custom demo emerges, leaving no doubt as to the professionalism of the candidate applying for the job and leaving no surprises for the client when the real job begins and the audio is received.

Custom MP3 demos are also an indication of your interest level in a given job posting. In my experience, receiving custom demos reinforced the professionalism and genuine enthusiasm of the service providers who applied for our telephone job posting.

Lastly, recording a custom MP3 demo illustrates that you can efficiently record and produce on your own schedule. If you are recording at home with a professional-grade recording studio, it should be quite easy to pop open a new session and record a brief piece of copy. This is another indication to a client that you will be able to get their job done in a timely if not expedited manner.

Now, the floor is yours...

Has recording custom demos helped you get work?

Best,

Stephanie

Want to know how we picked the voice for our telephone system?

On July 19th, 2006, we posted our telephone system script for the launch of Voices.com.

The key reasons why we needed a voice-over recorded were:

- A new voice for our company
- New branding for Voices.com
- New script for Voices.com

We posted the job looking for a female voice between the ages of 25-45 with a clean, crisp voice, similar to a Canadian accent or neutral US accent.

Over the first few days, there were less than 40 auditions submitted, which was a bit of a surprise. I'm certain that will be a breath of fresh air to some of you, though :) By the time I had closed the job posting on August 23rd (after our set deadline), there were 70 auditions total after over 30 days of receiving applications.

Each proposal was reviewed and every audition was listened to.

I really liked reading proposals that were addressed to me personally. After reading a personalized proposal, I was excited to listen to the demo, and even more so if a custom demo was referred to in your notes.

Everyone who included custom interpretations of our script impressed me. Your professionalism in many cases resulted in being added to our 'favorites' list to listen to again when final casting decisions were being made.

I have to admit that talent who submitted custom demos and personalized notes were ingrained more clearly in my mind over talent who did not submit custom demos.

On a related note, demos that were of higher quality won favor with us when we were reviewing. Quiet demos or demos set at a lower bit-rate were harder to hear and more difficult to discern talent by.

When it comes to quoting, the main objective of our casting was to find the perfect voice, not a competitive price. We were actively looking at prices between $175-$200, going on the voice alone and paying close attention to dialects.

And, the talent awarded the Voices.com Telephone System was... Kim Somers!

Click here to listen to our auto-attendant and to hear Kim's voice.

A special thank you to everyone who auditioned and grateful thanks to Kim for all of her hard work :)

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Wondering where the videogame business may be going? Read this round table interview with four industry insiders conducted by The Hollywood Reporter to find out.

I happened to find this article today and thought that it would be of interest to those of you who are in the videogame voice acting business or aspire to be.

The main message is that Hollywood producers and actors will cross-over into a variety of different mediums, including videogame voice acting, reprising their on-camera roles for blockbuster videogame releases.

Although many Hollywood actors, for example, Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, have already been featured in videogames for their voice talents, this interview suggests that there will be an increase in Hollywood talent working in the videogame industry.

Piqued your interest?

Click on this link to read the Hollywood Reporter Videogame Round Table Interview.

Any comments?

Stephanie

If you have a busy schedule recording voice over work every day but would still like to be a member at Voices.com, why not ask your manager or agent to sign you up for an account with us?

If you are a professional voice talent (whether union or non-union) with a full serving of voice work on your plate, you can still be a participating member of Voices.com.

Over the years, we have received many inquiries as to how we can serve talent who have representation. Recently, a very busy, professional voice talent with representation asked me how the Voices.com web service could fit into their marketing mix.

At the moment, the respective talent has a manager and agents across the country who manage many aspects of their career, including invoicing. Each day presents this professional with numerous voice over jobs, leaving little time to set out on their own to manage freelance voice over work opportunities, although the idea of more work has piqued quite a bit of interest.

My response to the aforementioned professional and to any of you who are in the same boat is this:

One sure to maximize voice over work opportunities while respecting your time and relationship with your agent or manager is to ask your representative to sign you up for an account with us at Voices.com.

That individual would be managing every aspect of your account, including uploading voice demos, filling out profile information, submitting your demos for voice over work, featuring your voice is special categories, and so on.

Their email address and contact information would be registered with us. All contacts and job offers made to you would be delivered to your representative via their email address, giving them the opportunity to represent you and negotiate terms on your behalf.

Here's a link to our membership comparison chart.

With our professional memberships, your representative will also be able to submit auditions on your behalf and market you in a variety of high-trafficked Featured Talent Categories.

You will enjoy priority search rankings in our voice talent search engine with the Premium membership. You will also be able to link to your website and include your managers' contact information in your Profile.

What do you think of this solution?

Best regards,

Stephanie

P.S. If you want to share this post with your representative, forward this article on to them for review by filling out the "Email this Post" form at the bottom of the page.

Changing our name was more than just a fun project, it was part of our strategy to get more work for you. Read our Top Ten list to find out how this change affects you!

Several months ago, we came across the opportunity to acquire the domain name and website Voices.com. Our initial feeling was that re-branding our ( and your ) website to Voices.com would be the best move, despite the technical challenges that lay in front of us.

However before we made the switch, we decided to consult with various professionals within our personal networks. David spoke with software developers, branding consultants and venture capitalists, while I connected with bloggers and people from the media. We also spoke with you, our members, to ensure that you'd be happy with the move.

The conclusion? We decided to take the plunge and change the name.

Here are some of the reasons why re-branding as Voices.com was and is the best business decision for our team, as well as all of you.

1. It's short.

2. It's memorable.

3. It's easy to spell.

4. Word of mouth will accelerate. It's simple to say "Listen to me on Voices.com" or "My demos are at Voices.com".

5. The word "voices" was already part of the previous name "interactivevoices", so the new name was more of a refinement of the familiar as opposed to the shock of abrupt change.

6. Our top search engine rankings would stay intact. With the change complete, we're confident that Google, Yahoo! and MSN have successfully indexed the new site and will continue to do so.

7. Your website would have a very cool URL - yourname.voices.com

8. The name encompasses the entire industry, not just a portion of it. Many have mistakenly viewed interactivevoices.com as a source for telephony projects such as voicemail, on-hold recording and IVR, which is the abbreviation for "interactive voice response". Voices.com is home to professionals who record for all applications. In essence, we cast a larger net for you.

9. A modest update to our company logo, brighter colors and easier navigation could all be accomplished at once.

10. An opportunity to deliver a new, but familiar layout and move to a CSS-based design. This means that Voices.com works well not only on Mac and PC, but also on Palm, BlackBerry and all mobile phones. Text size can also be increased or decreased to improve the usability.

The better, shorter, more memorable name will help us to tell our story to clients, producers, casting directors and talent agents resulting in more voice-over work for you.

That's the story in a nutshell :)

Are you happy with the new name Voices.com?

Cheers,

Stephanie

Antonio Banderas is known for his work on camera, but is quickly becoming recognized for his voice work behind the scenes.

A couple of nights ago, I happened to be watching television when a commercial for Nasonex came on featuring an animated bee with an incredibly familiar voice.

By the end of the :30 commercial, I was quite aware that the voice of the bee was none other than Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas, a native of Spain. The bee's suave Spanish accent and the distinct color of its voice gave Antonio away, as did the personality of the character he was portraying relative to other roles he has recently performed.

Now, this isn't the first time Antonio's voice has played a prominent role in his projects.

Antonio Banderas made a splash voicing the role of the adorable yet dangerous 'Puss In Boots' in Shrek II, and is slated to reprise his role in the third installment of the trilogy, Shrek the Third, due out in 2007.

Can't get enough of Puss In Boots? The IMDb (The Internet Movie Database) says that a feature film Puss In Boots has been announced, set for release in 2008.

Have you heard any celebrity voice-overs lately on television?

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. Antonio Banderas is also known for his singing voice in the movie "Evita" (1996) performing as 'Che', the narrator.

That's right. We've successfully made the transition from Interactive Voices to Voices.com. September 1st marked the official launch of Voices.com, and not without notice either.

MarketWatch, Advertising Industry Newswire and thousands of others have picked up the press release.

Google, Yahoo! and MSN have ranked Voices.com with the #1 search results position.

So, give us a try. Login, then let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

All the best

David

If you are a member of Voice123 or are considering it, you need to read this post.

Voice123 recently added some new categories to their voice over recording options. One of the categories is for "Adult Content Recordings”, meant specifically to promote voice-overs with mature, sexual content.

The team at Voices.com would like to assure all of our members that this type of work is never posted on our site.

We will not condone adult material by recognizing it as its own special category, nor endorse those recordings as business as usual. We feel this reflects on you, your colleagues, and their clientele.

Promoting this type of work affects the most vulnerable of members, children under the age of 18. Sexual predators will view this as an opportunity to contact their prey.

As a moral issue, we hope that our position is clear to all who use and participate with our site.

How do you feel about the new Voice123 "Adult Content Recordings" category?

Stephanie

Bob North professional voice talent has renewed his relationship with Voices.com, the voice marketplace.

From the age of 13, Bob North knew that he was destined to follow his father’s advice: to do what he loves and to get paid for it. Bob’s gift for gab led him to Ohio State University where he majored in Broadcasting. As a freshman, he started his broadcast career working at a CBS affiliate (Channel 10) in Columbus, OH. During these formative years, Bob joined the crews of WBNS TV and WOSU TV, respectively. By the time Bob was 23, he was already a veteran of television and had his feet firmly planted in radio.

Bob North’s career in radio spanned over a decade, giving him an array of opportunities including positions as an on-air personality, program director, production director, music director, and sales representative. Alongside his bustling radio career, Bob also enjoyed working as a freelance voice talent. During his present career as a freelance talent, he has taught voice over as well as on camera seminars, specializing in the use of the "ear prompter".

Bob North recently launched the website http://RepublicanVoiceOvers.com with voice-over colleague Pam Conley to attract additional political consultants during the political seasons. It’s been said that Bob is “the guy national political consultants trust to get their candidates into office and to get their issues passed coast to coast.”

Bob and Pam have been working together for over 20 years in while maintaining their individual ventures. Last year, the duo won a Gold Pollie award with Wilson Grand (out of Alexandria VA) for a "Twilight Zone" parody called "The Truth" a spot voiced for a Nevada client whose project won the award.

Bob North’s voice is one of the most trusted in the US. His straightforward, no nonsense style coupled with savvy business skills is the perfect combination for any client seeking a reputable and honest voice-over.

Bob North’s voice-over experience and charismatic personality makes working with him more than just business as usual. Bob North is talented, credible and professional. Each of his clients is given priority service and voice-overs that sell, whether they are concepts, commercials, or a vote for office.

Best,

Stephanie

Voice actors have started to blog, giving the public an intimate view into the lives of professional voice actors.

Over the past year, there has been an incredible adoption of the creation and consumption of blogs worldwide. Blogs are generally used as online journals for individuals and tend to form a community around the person writing the blog posts and their audience. Corporate blogging is used to give customers a means to provide feedback and to help with product development while getting to know the company better.

According to blogging authority Technorati, as of September 2nd 2006, they are tracking 58.2 million blogs, a number that continues to enjoy exponential growth. As of September 1st, Feedburner, an online media distribution tool, manages over 389,325 unique feeds, serves 236,632 publishers, and over 21,933,188 subscribers to blogs, podcasts, video podcasts, and more.

The entertainment industry in particular has seen a sharp rise in the number of voice actors blogging about the industry, opening up about their careers, recording techniques, and sharing trade secrets with aspiring voice actors entering the field of professional voice acting. A great deal of social networking has occurred as a result, introducing isolated voice actors to each other, giving them a means to reach colleagues who live next door or even thousands of miles away.

If one has been observing the trends in the blogosphere, its easy to recognize that voice actors have unique voices, both behind the microphone and in their daily observations.

A recent post on VOX Daily asked its readers to comment with the name of their blog, the web address of their blog, and to detail what they write about. The blog post itself "Have a blog?" included a reference to the blog of voice actor Bob Souer.

Bob had published a post about fellow voice actor David Houston, directing his audience to a fresh look at how to get into the business of voice acting. David Houston hosts his blog on his website. David states, "I use the blog as its own page on my website, and it has helped direct more traffic there."

Donna Papacosta introduced herself to other voice talent bloggers leaving a comment about her blog. Donna is a voice actor and communications consultant. She produces her own podcast in addition to blogging, a multi-pronged approach to reach her customers online and on their iPods. Donna's blog and podcast focus on communications topics, including writing, speaking, marketing, and podcasting.

Wayne Henderson shared both his website and podcast with VOX Daily. Wayne's podcast discusses the infamous TV show LOST, Ballroom Dancing, Kiefer Sutherland's show "24", the Green Bay Packers football team, and his journey as a voice talent. Wayne likes to keep on top of blogging and podcasting news, commenting "I am interested in checking others' responses to this VOX Daily blog to see what everyone else is up to."

Voice actor Karen Commins, writes about her life as a voice actor and focuses on helping fellow colleagues to develop a healthy and fulfilling voice acting career. Karen relates, "Through my blog, I feel like I am helping people interested in voice-over on a much greater scale than I could achieve on an individual basis". Karen, who also keeps a blogroll, links to several key blog influencers including VOX Daily at Voices.com, Bob Souer, Elaine Singer, and Mary McKitrick.

Journeying along the same road is Glad Faith Klassen's blog "Heart Talks". Glad, broadcaster and a voice actor, uses blogging to share her feelings on a personal level about her faith, people she meets and how they affect her life. G. Faith's blog is hosted on her website. "I love getting comments from people who tell me something I wrote 'resonated' with them", G. Faith intimated.

Voice actors who want to share their experiences and insight with other voice actors discover that starting a blog is the perfect way to connect with others while giving something back to their community. A blog performs multiple functions as mentioned earlier, including a creative outlet, a means to communicate, a nurturing environment, networking opportunities, and contributes significantly to search engine rankings.

I hope you liked our follow up post!

Cheers,

Stephanie