Vox Daily

Verbum Domini, a daily scripture reading podcast produced by voice talent Brian Noe, has just become part of the largest Catholic Podcasting Network, SQPN.

Read more about the history of Verbum Domini and help us to pay tribute to a podcasting pioneer!

While we're still on the topic of podcasting, I would like to acknowledge someone who has made a great impact in religious podcasting as well as in voice over.

Over the past couple of years, I've been able to get to know Brian Noe, a former lector in his parish, through email and his daily podcast, Verbum Domini, the oldest continuing Catholic podcast in existence, established two years ago around this very time.

In addition to working with Adam Curry's PodShow and being a member of Voices.com, Brian continued to deliver quality daily podcasts spreading the Good News while bringing the Bible into the homes of his listeners everyday, and in time added guest lectors to read the daily scripture readings in his place, including Jennifer Willits from the Rosary Army Podcast among others.

Dutch priest Father Roderick, founder of SQPN, announced this news in episode #255 of the Daily Breakfast, a variety show style podcast featuring a mix of news, movies, tv-series, videogames, history, health tips, inspiration, and science fiction that is accessible to Christians of all denominations as well as people of other faith backgrounds (if you like The Simpsons, you'll love this podcast).

In a recent interview, Brian revealed “I’m very excited about the prospects for the program moving forward. I know that it will be in good hands at SQPN."

I want to thank Brian Noe personally for being such a trailblazer in this brave new world of podcasting and for ensuring the continuation of the Verbum Domini podcast by entrusting the preparation and production of Verbum Domini to the team at SQPN.

Verbum Domini joins other great podcasts such as the Secrets of the Caribbean, Catholic Insider, Da Vinci Cast, Secrets of Harry Potter, and the Secrets of Star Wars in addition to several others.

If you are involved with a podcast, please leave a comment. We'd love to hear about it and celebrate with you.

Best,

Stephanie

Hey Dallas VOs:

2007 Voicey Finalist Bettye Zoller has two classes you may be interested in attending this March.

A class for Cartoon and Character Voices as well as Audiobook Narration Training will be offered soon.

Check them out here!

At Voices.com, one of our goals is to connect you with voice over events and and educational opportunities that are happening around the country, continent, and of course, in your own backyard.

If you live in Dallas, TX, you may already be familiar with Bettye Zoller and VoicesVoices.

Here are a couple of classes you can attend this March with Bettye.

Cartoons and Character Voices

Date: Saturday March 3
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Dallas, TX
What: Cartoon and Character Voices
Description: Ms. Zoller teaches her new workshop "Cartoon and Character Voices." You'll find out the best way to practice your characters and cartoon voices, how to develop new ones, how to imagine and create characters and approaches to not only animated work but how to voice commercials in a new way with these amazing techniques. She's been developing this workshop for over one year and has presented it once to rave reviews. This "by popular demand" repeat will sell out, so enroll soon! Small group. You'll even work with scripts from major films, TV, more!
Fee: $299; deposit of $150 holds your place.

Audiobook Narration Training

Date: Saturday March 24
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Dallas, TX
What: Audiobook Narration Training
Description: By popular demand, Ms. Zoller again offers for only the second date, her popular "Audiobook Narration Techniques" workshop. Small group. Hands-on copyreading of many types of scripts. Take-home materials include publisher information and what your audio book narration vo demo should be and much much more.

Did you know: According to a recent AFTRA study, the field of audiobook narration is now number one in the "where the jobs are" category?

Fee:$299; $150 deposit holds your place.

For more information, please contact Bettye Zoller.

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. If you are a coach and have classes that you'd like to share with everyone, email me directly ( stephanie @ voices.com ) with your class information and I'll include it here on VOX Daily.

AudioFile recently honored Marc Cashman with an Earphones Award for his narration of the audiobook "Ship of Ghosts".

Read the review here.

SHIP OF GHOSTS
Author: James Hornfischer
Read by: Marc Cashman

This story and its teller match so perfectly that James Hornfischer’s history of the final battle of a WWII naval cruiser and its captured crew deserves the highest praise. The author combines details from the men’s memories and the historical record using a rare descriptive ability to paint word pictures as distinct and lasting as oil on canvas. Narrator Marc Cashman’s manner resembles conversation; one can’t believe he isn’t speaking from within. The pace, volume, and intonations he chooses seem natural, and the listener’s attention never sways from the riveting story of action, suffering, and survival. His worthy ability to enunciate without it sounding forced adds a pleasant dimension to an audiobook that is hard to pause until the final words. J.A.H.

© AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

Books on Tape, 2006 • 17.5 hrs. • Unabridged • History
Library Ed.

Peter O'Connell of audio'connell wowed PodCamp with expert advice and hot tips on recording equipment, teaching the crew about PodPresence.

PodPresence

It was my pleasure to be able to meet up with Peter O'Connell at PodCamp and hear his lecture on how to make your podcast more listenable. My seat mate was none other than Elaine Singer, a wonderful lady and voice talent you should all get to meet. (You can watch the video of the session by clicking on Peter's name a couple of sentences prior to this one).

To kick off his 30 minute talk, Peter discussed the basics, including equipment and recording software.

Here's a list of the equipment needed for podcasting:

• computer
• good sound card
• audio software
• usb (or firewire) connections are easier
• some brands to consider include m-audio Creative Technology, Alesis, Tascam and Digidesign

Peter said that you don’t want to ignore the sound! Most computers have an OK sound card. If you can't hear things very well on your computer, you will need to get an external sound card. What good is trying to get your message out if nobody can hear it?

Sound cards are priced between $35 - $200.

Hot Tip: Microphones can be bought for 300-400 dollars less than retail price when purchased from reputable people at eBay. There are sources out there aside from retail that will save you a lot on your bottom line.

Audio Software is:

• the heart of your production and the key to shaping the sound that you want
• depending on the level of commitment, there are a lot of choices that you have to work with

So, what should you use?

Beginners: AUDACITY is free ( http://audacity.soundforge.net ) or ePodcast Creator 2.0.62

~ Free and practical for basic voice recording

Advanced: Adobe Audition or ProTools

~ Free demos on download.com or visit digidesign.com or adobe.com

Microphone / mixer

You get what you pay for on mics ($50 - $300 for a pro name brand)

There are two schools on mics:

A list of high branded microphone producers who have some really good headsets that you can buy right now:

• Audio-Technica, Shure, AKG
• Handheld on stand
• Podcaster mic from Rode

Using USB microphones makes it easier to plug the recording directly into your computer; all the more portable (and convenient), but make sure it has good sound.

Headphone jack right in the microphone allows you to hear the sound coming right into the microphone - Rode.

If you have more than one presenter on your show, get a mixer.

Alesis and Yamaha make reasonably priced, good quality USB and firewire mixers. Full mixer, mic, headphone sets start at $250
~ bsw ( http://www.bswusa.com/podcastsolutions/)

Moving right along, it's time to get serious with your show and voice:

Organization = Credibility

You’re the expert but sounding like one doesn’t mean that you need a great voice. The listener needs to understand what they are going to learn or experience from listening to your podcast. The most important thing is that your message is heard and understood! Articulate!

Don't ramble... in some podcasts, this may be desired, but the majority of listeners favor more structured and content rich programs that keep their attention, not veer off in all directions.

Setting up the rundown

Take these factors into account:

• Respect peoples time
• Take them down the road in a logical sequence of events
• Set an agenda for your podcast episode
• Establish a running time for the show

What is a reasonable running time for your show? Will they stay with it for however long? Think about that as you are doing your rundown. Planning ahead will save lots of time editing your podcast.

Throughout the program, ask yourself:

How will my audience like this, not like this, respect this, understand this?

When these factors are not taken into consideration, you may end up with an unlistenable podcast.

Sound options to consider

The production:

Defining your podcasts’ objective/ purpose/audience will help you know how you want to design sound elements in the show.

Consider:

Intros, outros, breaks, segments

* Professional doesn’t mean conservative

Your on-air sound

Although nearly everybody hates how they sound, your listeners will be more forgiving if the content is great.

Hot Tips:

• sound like you only a bit bolder
• picture / imagine who you are talking to - a picture of a friend on a wall or something like that.
• posture (sit up straight), diction, and language

Again, if you want to watch Peter's lecture video from PodCamp, visit this link to get to the page where you can stream the video.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Ever wondered who does the voice overs for the Oscars?

Find out here at VOX Daily!

If you're tuning in to watch the Oscars, you will be hearing voices in addition to seeing fancy gowns, expensive jewelery and red carpet bling.

Don LaFontaine and Gina Tuttle will be sharing the announcing duties at the Oscars this year, Sunday, February 25, on ABC starting at 5PM PST.

Keep your eyes out for Don and Gina too... rumor has it that there may even be some on-camera time for the announcers!

This is the 79th Academy Awards and a reason to celebrate.

That being said, who are your picks to win this year?

Include your faves and the categories they were nominated in when you comment :)

Cheers,

Stephanie

Getting tired of seeing "announcer" everywhere you turn?

So's Marc Cashman!

Read his solution to this problem here.

How many times have you seen the term “Announcer” or “ANNC” on a script? Hundreds? Thousands? Can’t count that high?

Copywriters write that term on virtually every script they create for voice actors. “V-O” is another interchangeable appellation they give to the person who’ll be performing their script and hopefully bringing their copy to life.

The fact is that the word “Announcer” (unless you’re announcing the arrival of a train on track 49, or reading the legal tag at the end of a spot) is really misleading.

Most of the time, the “Announcer” is telling a story. Even if it’s a sale for ABC Department Stores and they’re having a sale, it’s still a story. Even if it’s a supermarket spot loaded with prices and items, it’s still a story!

When actors see “Announcer” on a script, many unconsciously fall into an announcer-y type voice. It’s ironic that many times the script is accompanied by direction that calls for a “non-announcer-y announcer.” This is all so silly.

Here’s my suggestion and what I tell my students (I teach voice acting in Los Angeles):

Whenever you see the term “Announcer” on a script, cross it out.

Replace it with “Narrator” or “Storyteller” and read the copy like you’d read a story. Because that’s what you are — a storyteller! You might find that this changes and hopefully enhances your performance—and possibly gets you the job.

Good luck!

MARC CASHMAN, Creative Director of Cashman Commercials, creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television in Los Angeles, CA. Marc also writes the Ask The Voice Cat blog at Voices.com.

If you missed the Voicey Awards Podcast last night (or don't have iTunes) you can still find out who won and share in the experience!

Listen to the podcast here via flash player to discover who the winners are of the 2007 Voicey Awards.

It is my great privilege to announce the winners of the Voicey Awards for 2007.

And the winners are:

Best New Voice: Kara Edwards
Best Personal Branding: Bruce Barker
Lifetime Achievement Award: Derek Partridge
Best Female Voice: Rachel Robinson
Best Male Voice: Adam Behr

Congratulations to Kara, Bruce, Derek, Rachel and Adam - you've done the industry proud ;)

If you'd like to listen to the podcast and hear the demos that won these talented folks their awards, you can listen to it here by clicking play on the flash player.

Download the 2007 Voicey Awards Show

Cheers,

Stephanie

The Voicey Awards are going to be celebrated tonight via the VOX Talk Podcast. Be sure to subscribe to receive the show as soon as it's published!

For those of you who have been waiting, the wait is almost over :)

Tonight, February 21st, 2007 at 6 p.m. EST, we'll be dropping the Voicey Awards podcast on the server and make sure that it gets to your email box.

One of the ways to ensure that you receive the podcast immediately is to subscribe to VOX Talk, the official Voices.com Podcast. You can do that by visiting the VOX Talk blog or by going to iTunes and subscribing directly from there.

If you want to get in the spirit, here are a few ideas to join in the festivities:

1. Make some popcorn or a tasty snack
2. Dress up if you like!
3. Invite others to listen with you
4. Make an evening of it
5. Give a shout out to your favorite finalists here at VOX Daily

To find out who the Voicey Award finalists for 2007 are, visit the Voicey Awards website.

This is just the beginning folks! We're so excited to be able to present these awards and recognize those who have worked so very hard to make an impact in voice overs...

Don't be shy, let your favorite finalist know that you're rooting for them here by leaving a comment.

Looking forward to sharing the Voicey Awards with you very soon.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

P.S. Congratulations to all of the finalists and a big thank you to our judges. Thank you also to all those who nominated their peers and congrats to all 2007 Voicey Award nominees as well. We couldn't have done this without you.

Joe Cipriano relies on his Neumann U87...

Which microphone helps you to make your bread and butter?

Let us know by leaving a comment!

A microphone for a voice actor is a very personal thing. For some, it's like their baby while for others it's more than that!

As mentioned earlier in this post, voice talent Joe Cipriano prefers to use a Neumann U87, considered the king of microphones from one of the most respected companies in the tech universe for microphones.

He pairs the Neumann with a microphone preamp called the Avalon M5.

When we record the VOX Talk Podcast, I use an iSight microphone by Apple. We bought it a couple of years ago for recording podcasts and find that it does the trick for shorter recordings to air on the website.

In a past episode of VOX Talk, Colin Campbell produced a generous piece about the difference between condenser microphones and dynamic microphones. Again, each talent will have their own preference between these two very different animals.

I'm giving you an invitation to share your microphone preference here via comment on this post.

Which microphone do you record voice-overs with and why?

Cheers,

Stephanie

Image courtesy of Cellar Dweller Productions. Click on the link to learn more about the Neumann U87.

When it comes to mimicry and imitation, you've got two different ball games, my friend.

One might thinking that being able to repeat something that you have heard could be called either mimicking or imitation.

While mimicking and imitation both have to do with the repetition (or replication) of something that is heard or seen, there is a significant difference between the two actions.

A mimic is able to repeat something, albeit not necessarily accurately. Mimicry is a superficial means of imitation. Take a moment now to think of a time when you mimicked someone or heard someone else, perhaps yourself, being mimicked.

This happens all the time with children. Kids mimic their parents, teachers, peers, and favorite characters. Their mimicry may not be spot on, but you get the general idea from their interpretation.

Another such example is of how parrots can mimic words that they hear. On the CBC radio program And Sometimes Y, a parrot named Alex was featured on the show, able to learn and remember 1000 English words. The depth of Alex's full comprehension, however, is limited to his complete understanding of how language and context works.

If you missed the show this Saturday, listen in on Tuesday (tomorrow) to catch the episode again or go back to the And Sometimes Y website at the CBC to listen to the show at a later date and hear what some very intelligent people have to say about the difference between mimicry and imitation.

As we've already established, while mimicry is one thing, imitation is quite another.

Imitation is a more sophisticated and deliberate means of recreating an action or a sound, consciously attempting to copy the tone, motivation, inflection, delivery, and phrasing of a particular sound or action.

A good example of imitation and imitators are comedians and those who are called sound alikes and voice matchers in our industry.

A good imitator can replicate an extremely close facsimile or produce an indistinguishable likeness to the voice of someone else.

An imitator identifies with the copy, the vocal behaviours, mannerisms, and essence of another person's voice.

In the end, mimicry is similar to an educated guess whereas imitation resonates more with research and critical thinking.

Any comments?

Best,

Stephanie

We're going to PodCamp Toronto... we will see you there?

A little while ago, I received an email from Leesa Barnes inviting me (and our team) to PodCamp in Toronto, an event taking place this coming weekend in you guessed it, Toronto!

PodCamp takes place over two days at the Rogers Communications Centre at Ryerson University, offering podcasters, listeners of podcasts, bloggers, readers, and other media representatives a free, interactive community event where the Canadian industry can meetup in a central location to learn, network, and make new friends.

Registration for PodCamp is free of charge. Getting your name on the list of attendees is as easy as visiting the official PodCamp Toronto website, selecting the EDIT button and adding your name to the registration list. The editing password is: canuck

After you register, be sure to join the Google group to keep up-to-date with everything PodCamp Toronto.

PodCamp is a 100% free, volunteer, sponsor-supported event. It is born out of the desire to share information and learn more about audio and video podcasting and related subjects.

What's a PodCamp anyway?

The first PodCamp was held in Boston in September 2006. That event has inspired many more PodCamp events, including PodCamp Toronto.

For more information on PodCamp Toronto.

PodCamp is a neologism coined by Chris Penn as a distinction from BarCamp.

If you're in Toronto, Southern Ontario or Up State New York, join us at Podcamp Toronto 2007.

Both David and I will be there on the Saturday of PodCamp Toronto 2007 and we look forward to meeting you!

Best,

Stephanie

The finalists are in for the 2007 Voicey Awards.

Want to know who is in the running?

Today we released the names of the Voicey Award Finalists in each category on the Official Voicey Awards Website.

Go check them out!

You can view all finalists and click through their names to listen to their demos and review their Voices.com websites.

Visit the Voicey Award Finalists here.

Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. When you are finished at the Voicey Awards website, you are welcome to come back to this post and leave a comment.

Want to get into blogging?

Blogging is not a passing fad...

it's another channel for you to use as a marketing tool and a creative outlet to get more mileage out of your voice over business!

Learn more about the benefits of blogging and how you can get started to make your mark in the blogosphere. There's no better time to get typing :)

Blogging as a voice actor should certainly be on your To-do List.

There's a very small learning curve and often the software is free to use.

What are some of the benefits to you as a blogger writing a blog?

• A greater web presence
• More relevancy
• A global means to communicate to customers and peers directly
• Higher search engine rankings
• Ability to receive positive feedback and constructive criticism

Those are some technical benefits of blogging, however, there are many other benefits that will broaden your horizons and network of acquaintances, colleagues, and friends.

Blogging also connects you with

• Your community
• New customers
• Fellow bloggers
• Organizations
• Friends

Dozens of voice talents and voice actors already have blogs that they use to promote their services, demos and use as tools to converse with other people about the voice industry.

A while ago, we published a blog post that recognized some voice talent bloggers. Since that post, there have been many other voice talents who have joined the blogosphere and added their voice (both figuratively and literally) to the happenings of our industry and beyond.

To set the record straight, every level of the industry should be blogging. Right now, the vast majority are voice talents blogging.

I foresee that coaches will be blogging, providing some value upfront via the blog about voice overs, vocal health, and present opportunities that lead to more students signing up for their classes.

It would be interesting to see casting directors and agents blogging as well.

Trust me, you don't have to look far to see that there are hundreds of questions out there about agents, how to get one, who should I go with, and the list goes on. If every agency had a rep blogging about what they look for in their agency, if they have openings for particular voice types, and so on, those lines of communication would do the industry good, giving a positive first impression to potential clients while establishing their platform as a voice talent agency.

Another aspect of the industry that is regrettably nowhere to be seen are the unions, perhaps the element of the industry that would benefit most from having a blog to educate members and potential members of their organizations.

Wouldn't it be great if someone from AFTRA, SAG, ACTRA, Equity, or any other union was blogging in effort to dispel myths and answer frequently asked questions about their union via a blog? People would be more informed and would likely join such unions more decidedly if more information was presented before having to make a commitment.

If everyone in this industry was blogging, or at least representatives for every aspect of the industry, there would be less confusion, more lines of open communication, and further development and unification of the voice industry as a whole.

If the entire industry was blogging, it would be seen as an industry, not as a fragmented piece of the larger entertainment fold.

Technology has done much to improve the business of voice overs over the years and blogging is another way for us to use technology to our advantage.

Now, for some objection handling:

If I blog and give away my knowledge, what's to stop others from passing it off as their own?

Stop right there! Sharing your knowledge is not giving others carte blanche to plagiarize your work. Etiquette in blogging is pretty strict. People who reference a work or source will note it in their post with a text link back to where they found the information.

If I give away too much information, people will never buy my product or service.

The opposite is true. By presenting useful information to your audience, you build trust and authority. Smart consumers know who the real deal is, so if you're providing quality content and ideas, they'll be coming to you to get the job done.

Only writers and journalists are allowed to publish material.

Have you ever heard of citizen reporters and citizen journalism?

Every day, regular people take the time to report on what they see. Citizen reporters and bloggers were instrumental in getting the word out in times of natural disaster (re: Hurricane Katrina or Tsunamis) and give a voice to stories that often are not picked up by larger media bodies.

More and more, traditional journalists, writers, newscasters and even courts of law are relying on content created by educated people or and those with exclusive information that was not covered by local news.

I hope I've given you some inspiration and motivation to start blogging!

If you want to check out some blogging tools, visit these sites:

Blogger
Squarespace
TypePad
Wordpress

Cheers,

Stephanie

Podcasting Advertisings Shooting Star

Is podcast advertising worthwhile?

Read these stats and then decide for yourself.

Recently, Voices.com CEO David Ciccarelli posted on podcast advertising in his blog The Biz.

I was amazed by how this fledgling industry has grown to become so competitive for ad dollars as well as the adoption of said ads.

To learn more about the current status of the market and where it is going, read David's post about the shooting star of Podcasting Advertising.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Looking for the industry's hottest and most current voice over podcast?

VOX Talk is your connection to the voice industry covering news about voice overs and voice actors, hot tips on how to grow your voice over business, technology, and a little help from your friends.

Check out VOX Talk and find out how you can get involved.

The VOX Talk podcast has been going strong for 12 episodes now with the 13th to be released later today!

We're pleased to share that we have a stellar team of contributors and correspondents that help make the show your show.

What truly makes VOX Talk unique is that all contributors to the podcast are professional voice talents.

Regular weekly correspondents include Julie Williams and Adam Fox. Julie and Adam have been a part of the team for over a month, entertaining and educating in The Biz and Tech Talk segments.

Most recently, Colin Campbell has contributed a five-part series to the Tech Talk segment, sharing his insight and knowledge of recording studio equipment.

We have also welcomed several wonderful contributors including Kristi Stewart, Bob Green, Bob Souer, David Boyll (in The Biz for episode 14) and have played audio feedback from voice talents Bob Brewster, Lora Cain, Bettye Zoller, Neetu Danani, Donna Papacosta and Mike Cain.

We've even had a promo for the podcast Tuning In With Wayne Henderson from Wayne Henderson air on VOX Talk.

Hosting the VOX Talk podcast is a special way for me to connect with our listeners and reach out to others in the industry.

So, how can you get involved?

Getting your voice on the podcast is as easy as submitting a 60 second piece for play in The Biz, Tech Talk, or some encouragement, quick tips to your peers or feedback for the podcast in the VOX Box.

Here are some of the perks for contributors to the VOX Talk podcast:

• Air time on the most popular voice over podcast
• Links to your Voices.com website
• An opportunity to share your knowledge
• A means to communicate with your peers
• Podcasting Experience
• Portfolio Credits

We stick to a regimented production schedule, recording new episodes twice a week, so the door is open for new audio commentaries, pieces, and features!

If you are interested in becoming a regular correspondent or contributor, please contact me directly to discuss your ideas.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

The Annie Awards were given out last night!

Cars may have scored top honors with the Best Animated Feature but you'll need to click through to find out who swept them.

The Annie Awards are presented by The International Animated Film Society. As you may recall, the awards were founded by voice acting legend June Foray in 1972.

Chron.com reports that the winner in the Annies category for best animated feature has gone on to claim the Oscar for animated feature film every year since the Academy Award for animation was created.

Three films are contending for the animated feature Oscar to be presented February 25, 2007 including Cars, Monster House and Happy Feet.

I visited AnnieAwards.com where the following information was provided:

Pixar's "Cars" was named best animated feature at the 34th annual Annie Awards, handed out Sunday at the Alex Theater in Glendale.

But ASIFA-Hollywood presented "Flushed Away," from DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations, with more trophies than any other film.

A tale of London sewer dwellers, "Flushed" earned honors in five categories: Scott Cegielski took the prize for animated effects; Gabe Hordos, feature character animation; Pierre-Olivier Vincent, feature production design; Ian McKellen, feature voice acting for the character of Toad; and Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Christopher Lloyd, Joe Keenan and Will Davies, feature writing. In addition, "Flushed Away the Game," from D3 Publisher of America, was named best animated video game.

DreamWorks Animation's "Over the Hedge," in which woodland creatures clash with suburbia, picked up three awards, including feature directing laurels for Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick. They also earned trophies for Nicolas Marlet for feature character design and Gary Graham for feature storyboarding.

In addition to being named best animated feature, "Cars" won the prize for best feature music for Randy Newman's score.

DreamWorks Animation, with eight wins, dominated the feature awards, while Cartoon Network, with four nods, led the TV pack.

The award for best animated TV production went to the Cartoon Network's "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends." "Bambi II," from DisneyToon Studios, was named best home entertainment production. A United Airlines commercial titled "Dragon," from Duck Studios, was honored as best animated TV commercial. Blue Sky Studios' "No Time for Nuts," which also is nominated for an Academy Award, was the winner in the best animated short subject contest.

Other winners in the TV categories were character animation, Yu Jae Myung, "Avatar," Nickelodeon; character design, Mike Kunkel, "The Life & Times of Juniper Lee," Cartoon Network; directing, Giancarlo Volpe, "Avatar," Nickelodeon; music, James L. Venable and Jennifer Kes Remington, "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"; production design, Martin Ansolabehere, "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"; storyboarding, Li Hong, "The X," Nickelodeon; voice acting, Eartha Kitt, "The Emperor's New School," Walt Disney Television Animation; and writing, Ian Maxtone-Graham, "The Simpsons," Gracie Films/Fox.

Winsor McCay Awards, recognizing career achievements, were presented to Bill Plympton, Genndy Tartakovsky and Andreas Deja. Stephen Worth received the June Foray Award for benevolent contributions to the art and industry of animation.

Any comments? Did your favorite animated feature win big last night?

Best,

Stephanie

Source: Annie Awards

Find out why some American and Canadian companies prefer to go with voices from the United Kingdom as opposed to homegrown voice talent in North America.

When you think of Britain and the British, images of pomp, chivalry, royalty, tradition, authenticity, and power come to mind.

To some, the UK musters romance, dignity and prestige, reminiscent of Jane Austen novels or the strength, bluntness and grit of a book by Charles Dickens.

For others, perhaps it's fashion, cosmopolitan airs, trend setting ways, stoicism, and dry wit.

Whatever their reasons, thousands of companies in Canada and the US are strategically hiring voices from across the pond to represent their corporate images.

Why is that?

Let's look at some of the reasons why some companies find British voice talent more attractive to sell their product or service.

British voices are in the mainstream and in most cases are respected for their perceived intelligence and vocal eloquence.

North Americans have always had a love affair with the British. Starting in the early days of settlement in the New World and confederation of both the United States of America and Canada, the British have played a major role in the development of the land and establishment of policy, culture, government and education.

The British, among other nations, principally the French, gave us a heritage and shared connections with trading partners. Tens of thousands of these brave people opted to stay in this new found land to nurture, protect, and establish their own communities.

All loyalties aside, another aspect that influences people to hire a British voice talent is that many high profile celebrities in Hollywood are from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. If you stopped to think, you could likely name at least 20 people who hail from the UK in the movies.

To illustrate, Scotland has given us Russell Waters, Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor, and Dee Hepburn.

Ireland has yielded Peter O'Toole, Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, and Colin Farrell.

Wales has given us Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ioan Gruffudd, Richard Burton, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Christian Bale.

England, perhaps the most generous of them all for celebrities, produced greats over the decades like Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Julie Andrews, Dame Judi Dench, John Cleese, Helena Bonham-Carter, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and more.

A statistic published on January 27th, 2007 in TheGuardian.co.uk states that there are currently 678,000 landed immigrants from Britain living in the United States today. This is merely a conservative estimate.

In the most recent US Census (2000), there were 824,000 citizens of British birth living in the United States, the majority of which prefer to live outside of large cities scattered throughout the country.

The Guardian also reported that a fifth of all British people who live in the United States are living in the state of California with only a slight margin living in metropolitan Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Most British people living in America have American spouses.

That's quite a number, which makes even more of a case for British talent in the Americas. People hear their lilting, distinguished accents and find them comforting and pleasing not to mention sophisticated.

Surely if there are that many people living in the US and Canada, some of them are personalities who are in the media or use their voice to make a living. Those individuals are seeking work opportunities and promoting their British voices as an asset and differentiator, offering refinement and exotic appeal.

To sum up, here are the key reasons why people opt to hire British voices in North America:

• To elevate their company status
• To help connect with people on an intellectual level
• To give perceived refinement to a product or service
• To tap into the sentimentality of people of British heritage
• To differentiate themselves from standard North American branding
• To present listeners with subtle yet persuasive marketing

British voice-overs and what they embody are very powerful without seeming salesy. They establish and engage. British voice-overs can be elegant, heroic, strong, graceful, jovial, quaint, condescending, posh, school masterly, didactic, forceful, and influential among other adjectives.

The dialects in Britain are numerous with each nook and cranny possessing their own twist on the Queen's English. If you went from one end of the nations capital to the other, you will be exposed to several completely different dialects; such is life in the bustling city of London.

While it is true that other accents may hold those attributes, somehow (likely due to shared heritage and the entertainment industry), the British manage to pull them off with a more universal style, making them citizens of the world as well as the lands from which they came.

Any comments?

Stephanie

Garfield returns to the small screen!

Garfield, the lovable, lazy feline with a penchant for lasagna created by Jim Davis, is due to make a triumphant return to television sets everywhere in a 26 episode season.

You may recall that Garfield started in comic strips, made his way into the cartoon world on TV, and was featured in a couple of movies.

Let's take a look back at the voices that made the magic as reported by TVSeasonFinale.com.

Comedy writer and veteran voice artist Lorenzo Music voiced the role of Garfield. The rest of the cast included Gregg Berger, Desiree Goyette, Thom Huge, Victoria Jackson, Howard Morris, Julie Payne and Frank Welker.

The guest cast, which was equally impressive, included Hollywood talent like Pat Buttram, June Foray, Stan Freberg, Chick Hearn, James Earl Jones, Don Knotts, Robin Leach, John Moschitta, Rod Roddy and Paul Winchell.

Part of the reason for the series' incredible voice talent was due to series writer/co-producer Mark Evanier's appreciation for unique but too-often underutilized screen and voice actors.

Garfield & Friends debuted on CBS on Saturday, September 17, 1988 and ran for seven seasons, one of the longest runs of its kind. The 120+ half hours remain very popular today and are all available on DVD. Part of the reason for the series' endurance is because of the often tongue-in-cheek storylines and the excellent voice work.

At one point, it was reported that 40% of the series audience was made up of adults.

Evanier has revealed that a new Garfield series is currently being planned.

The new series, which he'll be writing and voice directing, will be produced and distributed by Davis' company Paws, Inc. in partnership with Dargaud Marina S.A. of Paris. Interestingly enough, the tubby tabby series will be produced in both French and English. The show will be CGI and computer-animated but Garfield will look like his classic animated self rather than the recent film version.

Unfortunately, Lorenzo Music passed away in 2001. The name of the new voice talent has not yet been released, although sources confirm that it is not Bill Murray.

The first season will consist of 26 episodes and it sounds like a very good possibility that more will follow. It's unknown right now how the series will be distributed or when it will actually debut but rest assured, when Garfield returns, no lasagna will be safe.

Source: TVSeriesFinale.com

Attention Dallas talent: Bettye's giving two workshops this month... want to know more?

Bettye Zoller of VoicesVoices.com has been kind to send in her workshops for the month of February.

If you subscribe to the VOX Talk podcast, you may recognize Bettye Zoller as the voice over coach who presented some audio feedback encouraging you to follow your dreams in the VOX Box segment for VOX Talk Episode 11.

Each of the workshops is held in Dallas, TX with Bettye Zoller instructing.

Take a look to see if either of these workshops interest you:

Business of Voiceovers Workshop: Strictly Business is presented in Dallas Feb. 17. Bettye Zoller, leader. Learn how the business works worldwide! Fabulous take-home packet includes agent and producer lists!

Voice Acting Techniques Workshop: Voicings for Today is presented in Dallas Feb 24th. Bettye Zoller, leader. Guest teachers too. Hands-on copyreading in wide variety of vo genres!

Bettye has also submitted her workshops for the month of March, so keep your eyes on her website or this blog for updates.

For more information or to register, visit Bettye's website.

Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. Bettye will also be speaking at the V.O.I.C.E. Conference this March in Las Vegas, lecturing on "Finding Your Voice in the Audio Book Industry".

The Voiceys have their very own website!

As you may know, nominations are open for the 2007 Voicey Awards, the only awards show of its kind to exclusively honor you, voice-over professionals.

We handpicked three judges to represent the voice industry this year, including voice over instructor and former voice talent agent Nancy Wolfson, celebrity voice talent and author Rodney Saulsberry, and Burbank producer Marc Graue, also a voice actor, respectively.

There's still some time to nominate someone for a Voicey Award.

Nominations close on February 14, 2007 at 11:59 EST and the winners of the Voiceys will be announced February 21, 2007.

To nominate a voice talent go to the official website of the Voicey Awards to download the form.

2007 Voicey Awards Judges

About Nancy Wolfson

Based in Los Angeles, CA Nancy Wolfson is a private voice over consultant and freelance casting director for commercials, animation, narration, and audio books. She writes, produces, and directs demos for her clients and has been the leading coach in the top market(s) over a decade. Her coursework has been accredited at the university level in private and group classes throughout North America and Europe. For over 15 years, she has worked with beginners, working pros, and celebrities as a producer and talent agent.

About Rodney Saulsberry

Rodney Saulsberry is one of the top voice-over talents in the United States. For more than a decade the Detroit native and University of Michigan graduate has given voice to many commercial campaigns, including Toyota, Alpo, Colgate, and movie trailers such as, Finding Forrester, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Dumb and Dumberer, The Best Man, and Friday After Next. Saulsberry also lends his character voice to that animated Jazzman in Zatarain’s television spots. As an announcer, he has worked on the NAACP Image Awards, and the Essence Awards television specials. Saulsberry, the voice of Joe Robbie Robertson on the cartoon series Spider-Man, resides in Agoura, California.

About Marc Graue

Marc is the owner of the legendary Marc Graue Voice Over Studios in Burbank, California, a landmark for more than 20 years. This is where hundreds of commercials, cartoons & VO's are recorded daily. Also a voice actor represented by William-Morris in Beverly Hills, Marc can currently be heard on Nickelodeon's " Avatar-The Last Airbender", Cartoon Network's "Code Name: Kids Next Door" and the "Veggie Tales Larry Boy" series as well as the video games "Avatar", "World of Warcraft", "Gun", "007-Golden Eye" and the upcoming "Spiderman 3" and "Spiderman-Super Heroes Unite".

Robert Jacobs, commercial, narrative and promo voice talent, shares his story with Voices.com.

Robert Jacobs, a second-generation broadcaster and voice talent, grew up in a radio and television environment.

Robert officially started his voiceover career while at WPLJ-FM in New York City, when he landed a short read on an episode of the David Letterman Show in which Letterman infamously interviewed a slightly profane songstress named Madonna.

Robert Jacobs strives to provide high quality products, customer service and quick turnaround, saving his clients time and money. E-Learning and corporate training narrations are among Robert’s specialties. Robert delivers his voiceover recordings via MP3, FTP and overnight CD delivery, and phone patch is available.

Robert recently welcomed some prestigious new clients, including Omax Vitamin Company and George Mason University Basketball.

Roger Wesley from Omax Vitamin Company stated that “working with Robert was a pleasure, as he is professional in communications, quality of voice files, and turnaround. I would easily give Robert the highest recommendation. Our entire team, which includes Yale Physicians, was thoroughly impressed.”

Richard A. Pretl, Creative Director with The Leffler Agency adds, “We are always working on an extremely tight deadline, so when I am casting voice talent, prompt turnaround is just as important as a great voice. I have found that I can always rely on Robert Jacobs to not only nail the proper tone when recording a spot, but to deliver it on time. He is a true professional.”

Robert Jacobs, who has a web presence at Voices.com in addition to his own professional website, is working on many exciting new projects with government contractors and a major software developer.

For a comical review of why companies should work with Robert Jacobs, listen to an MP3 demo outlining the Top Ten Reasons to Hire Robert, delivered in the style of David Letterman’s Top Ten List.

With radio station licenses few and far between for regular people, many in India are turning to Narrow Casting, a means of talking to their community, reaching thousands through local 'radio' stations.

Recently, a link from IndianExpress.com was sent to me as a story idea.

Underground community radio is being exercised in various regions of India, and it's important to recognize the significance of narrowcasts and the people they serve.

Living in the so-called suicide belt, the hosts of popular radio magazine (narrowcast) declare that they have never once seen a farmer kill himself in their community.

The community of which I write has developed their own self-sufficient means of farming over the past 20 years and radio hosts (narrow casters Algole Narsamma and fellow sister Narsamma) believe that their programming has contributed to the well-being and morale of her fellow neighbors.

The two Dalit women research, script, produce and anchor a weekly radio magazine that reaches about 5,000 fellow Maadiga (Dalit) village women each week.

The Indian Express reports that with the help of UNESCO, an NGO called Deccan Development Society has given the Narsammas a school education and helped them “narrow cast” (or talk) to their fellow sisters about local problems, health issues, social problems, and most importantly, tips on agriculture.

The Narsammas believe that their local ‘radio’ station may have helped add to levels of awareness in this dark corner.

“We communicate in Telengana Telugu. The radio stations in AP all speak stiff Telugu which is not similar to our dialect. Also, they don’t understand our local problems or concerns either. We try and tackle local problems and we also have songs, by the way. We are heard through radio recorders over a public address system in large groups, you see permission ledu (there is no permission).”

However, the two Narsammas have not yet been given permission to broadcast their magazine, so in efforts to spread their message, they record their content on tape.

And it’s not just the Narsammas in Andhra Pradesh, Indian Express acknowledges.

There’s Namma Dhwani in Kannada since 2000, reaching out to three villages in the state through loudspeaker narrowcasts, Charkha—a development communications NGO in the North-East and Jharkhand since 1994, who continue undaunted despite not getting their own licence.

About 70 such organisations from all over India - aspirants to genuine community radio broadcasting - will come together at a conference to urge the governement to ease the process of applying for a broadcast licence.

The Union Cabinet had cleared the proposal for community radio stations in November 2006, but small groups complain that there is still no clarity about how to do things. The conference has been organised by the Community Radio Forum-an initiative of Drishti-an Ahmedabad-based media and arts NGO.

Despite the landmark Supreme Court judgment in 1995 in the context of cricket telecast rights, saying airwaves are not the government’s monopoly and belong to the people, all governments have since chosen to hold radio networks close to their chests. And this, despite the cable revolution opening up radio. Grudgingly, licenses have been given to about 23 private entities on FM.

News by private players is still a government monopoly, restricting private players to entertainment. This, despite the fact that these local community “narrow casters” can really make a difference in natural calamities, as was demonstrated during the Bhuj earthquake by a radio station run by women from Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan.

Electrician Rajinder Negi from Tehri in Uttarakhand, who devotes two days a week to voluntary services for the radio magazine Samudaayak Radio Henval Vani, says: “I courier my work to Noida to be relayed on Worldspace, but I cannot air it here, because of our radio policy! I tape and distribute people’s voices and problems with some solutions in our local language for my village and surroundings. At least, 500 people hear and benefit from it.”

“Look at issues on TV, is there any programme which can claim to be listening to people in the interiors? Only little radio operations can do that,” he adds.

At the conference this February, there will be several innovative cheap broadcast equipment packages on display-for instance the Radio-in-a-box, an entire radio station in a box, which costs half as much of a radio studio. But more than that, the organisers hope to win support for little people like themselves, who they say, add up to most of India.

~~

Do you have anything to add to this?

Is narrow casting a means of communication that you have to use because of radio station license issues?

Best,

Stephanie

Source: IndianExpress.com

Did you miss the commercials yesterday during the big game? Watch them at MySpace!

You may have missed the commercials created for the Super Bowl for a number of reasons, particularly if you are not living in the US.

MySpace has created a profile where dozens of commercials are available to watch from the game for those of us who either didn't see them yesterday or want to watch them again.

Click here to watch the Super Bowl commercials at MySpace

Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. The Colts won the game.