Have you seen the Simpsons Movie yet?

Find out more about the movie and also discover a cool website where you can make your very own Simpsons avatar.

Want to know what mine looks like? Check it out!

The Simpsons Movie, as we covered last year, is now out on the big screen featuring the voice over talents of people we've let into our homes for over a decade, including the voice of the eternal 10 year old boy, Nancy Cartwright, also known as the Simpsons character, Bart Simpson.

Other cast mates include Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, and Tress MacNeille. Guest starring in the movie are Erin Brockovich, Minnie Driver, and Albert Brooks.

While the movie is sure to please, the companion website is just as much of a crowd pleaser. You can make your very own Simpsons avatar, take a tour of Springfield and play interactive games as well.

One of my favorite parts of the site was that your character gets to go along for the ride with Homer to different destinations of your choice in Springfield.

In each location, you get to meet characters that are commonly found in that place. I went to Moe's Tavern where the usual crowd was hanging out and to the Kwik-E-Mart.

If you click on a character, they are prompted to say a signature line from the show. The use of voice over on the website is just phenomenal.

If you'd like to have a Simpsons experience and create your own avatar, go to SimpsonsMovie.com and register for a free account.

Best,

Stephanie

Images © SimpsonsMovie.com

What does 007 do after retiring?

Pierce Brosnan, known in North America for his former roles of James Bond and Remington Steele, has now moved on to greener pastures, literally.

Meet the new voice and narrator of Thomas & Friends™.

Thomas & Friends™ has just received a new, British voice to lead them into the next phase of their series.

HIT Entertainment has recently announced that actor Pierce Brosnan signed on as the new voice of the Narrator in the award-winning children's DVD and television series Thomas & Friends™.

Pierce Brosnan has already started production in London and will make his debut in “Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery” a direct to DVD special, set for release in the US and UK in Autumn 2008. Pierce Brosnan will provide the voice over for all English-language releases for the brand, including three upcoming Thomas & Friends television series and three DVD specials.

Famous Thomas & Friends alumni include former Beatle Ringo Starr, Comedian George Carlin, Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin, Bronx native Michael Brandon and the Michael Angelis of the UK who have all voiced the role of the Narrator in the United Kingdom and in the US.

Thomas & Friends is Live Action and is shot in High-Definition technology at Shepperton Studios in the UK. Thomas & Friends can be seen on Nick Jr. and FIVE in the UK, and PBS ® and PBS KIDS SproutSM in the US.

Thomas & Friends is one of the most beloved and recognized brands worldwide inviting children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. Thomas the Tank Engine was originally created by a father for his son. Today, families in more than 140 countries and 25 languages enjoy fun and adventure with their engine friends while experiencing timeless life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation.

Pierce Brosnan commented, "One of my fondest memories as a father was sharing the stories of Thomas the Tank Engine and watching the series with my children when they were young. I am thrilled by the opportunity to be the Narrator for this beloved series, following in the shoes of so many famous names, and helping introduce Thomas & Friends to many more generations of children."

Bruce Steinberg CEO HIT Entertainment commented, "To say we are thrilled that Pierce Brosnan is the new Narrator of Thomas & Friends is an understatement. Pierce brings a wealth of acting experience to the role, as well as a unique voice that children and parents around the world will recognise and trust. Pierce's contribution to Thomas & Friends will go a long way in maintaining this iconic character as one of the most loved children's brands in the world. I would like to also take this opportunity in thanking Michael Angelis and Michael Brandon for their significant contribution to Thomas & Friends. They have set the standard for future Narrators."

To learn more about HIT Entertainment and read the full press release, visit the HIT Entertainment website.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Images © HIT Entertainment

What do you love about VOX Daily?

What would you like to see more of and is one post a day enough for you?

Here's a chance for you to leave your suggestions and help shape future publications at Voices.com via the VOX Daily blog.

What do you have in mind?

You may have noticed that I've been writing a lot of themed weeks over the past couple of months to unify concepts and particular events going on in the voice over industry.

Periodically, we also have guest bloggers who submit their articles to be published here on the blog, many of whom are familiar faces in voice acting as well as those you may be meeting for the first time.

As much as we provide our own spin on what's going on with regard to news, entertainment, interviews, vocal health, career, or business practices in the voice over industry, VOX Daily truly belongs to the voice over community and it's primarily through your participation that this blog comes alive, bursting with conversation through comments and spreading the word about voice overs.

At the time of this article being published, nearly 500 of the most influential people in the industry receive VOX Daily each day via email subscription and thousands more come to the website to read each VOX Daily each week.

Wow... that's a considerable amount of people, isn't it?

That's precisely why I wanted to provide you with an opportunity to let us know how VOX Daily affects your business, even your life.

By sharing what you like most about VOX Daily, what you think is missing, or what you'd like to see more of, we can improve and deliver more of what you want to read about.

This week, I'll be posting a potpourri of topics as we receive feedback from you. This could be presented either as comments or emails sent to me directly (stephanie(@)voices.com).

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,

Stephanie
Editor of VOX Daily, The Voice Actor's Blog

©iStockphoto.com/geopaul

Need a break from the everyday?

Tune in to hear the winning pitches from our first ever 60 Second Pitch Contest here at Voices.com.

For 60 seconds, voice actors will be pitching their services, letting everyone know who they are, what they do and how their product or service can make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Three voice actors will be chosen from this group of outstanding participants as winners, but truth be told, everyone who entered the contest is better for it as the true prize is being able to confidently converse and promote your business.

The criteria being judged includes: clarity, purpose, passion, creativity and professionalism.

And the finalists for the 2007 60 Second Pitch Contest, in alphabetical order, are:

Alison Pitman, Amy Snively, Amy Taylor, Betty in Boca, Bob Green, Bryan Cox, Chuck Patterson, Doug Barron, Jason McCoy, Janice Downes, John Weeks, Karen Commins, L J Jackson, Marc Cashman, Mike Holmes, Rajiv Hasan, Robert Jadah, Thom Wilkins, Tracey Rolfe, Troy Lund and Vicki Amorose.

Prizes for the winners of the 60 Second Pitch Contest are as follows:

First Place, valued at $2500.00 includes a Five-year Premium membership subscription to Voices.com, a website optimization package, a public relations campaign, a featured article on the #1 voice over blog VOX Daily, Julie Williams’ “Proven Voice-Over Techniques” CD, and coverage in the Biz segment on the VOX Talk Podcast along with a link on the Voices.com home page for one week.

The 2nd place winner receives a prize package valued at $1000 which includes a 3-year Premium membership subscription to Voices.com, website optimization package, a public relations campaign, the “Proven Voice-Over Techniques” CD courtesy of Julie Williams, and an acknowledgment on VOX Daily and VOX Talk with a link to their website.

And the 3rd place winner, with a prize valued at $500, receives a one-year Premium membership subscription to Voices.com, website optimization, a press campaign, the “Proven Voice-Over Techniques” CD courtesy of Julie Williams, and an acknowledgment on both VOX Daily and VOX Talk with a link to their website.

To find out who won and to listen to their 60 Second Pitches, listen to the show here at VOX Daily!

We hope you enjoyed the show!

If would like to add a comment, please do so below :)

Best wishes,

Stephanie, David and the Voices.com Team

Here's the run down on 12 new features we're confident you'll love. Check out the list, then give your feedback by leaving a reply below.

1. SurePay Escrow service
Accept online credit card payment using SurePay directly from your Voices.com website.

2. "Add This" Social Bookmarking
Drive more traffic to your Voices.com website by bookmarking the page with this handy tool. You'll see the widget located just below your contact information on your Voices.com website.

3. File Attachments
Clients can now attach images, PDFs, Word docs and other text files to job postings, giving you the opportunity to review the full script prior to sending a reply.

4. One-click Private Leads
Private Leads can be created directly from your Voices.com website.

5. Previous & Next
You'll notice some new links that make navigating the Leads at Voices.com much easier.

6. Better Formatting with the Print This Page Feature
Print This Page is now formatted specifically for printers with no graphics and large clear fonts while still including all the relevant details for each job posting.

7. Updated Feedback System
We’ve updated the Feedback system so that only those people who've hired you can rate you. We will only be including transactions processed through SurePay in this metric because those are truly the only transactions that we can track and espouse as work that we have concrete proof of that has been completed at Voices.com.

8. Recently Hired Replaces the Top Rated
To coincide with the much-improved Feedback system, we’ll be showcasing those voice talent who have recently completed work at Voices.com on the home page under the new Recently Hired list.

9. Better Security
Voices.com is bank-level secure. We use the industry standard Versign 128-bit SSL certificate to encrypt the storage and transmission of data on our servers. Currently, Voices.com is the only voice-over website to offer this level of security.

10. Voice Over Experts Podcast
The #1 educational podcast featuring renowned voice over coaches from US, Canada and abroad. Join us each week for pearls of wisdom and tricks of the trade to improve your voice over career. This show is produced weekly. Listen to this podcast if you are a voice actor, actor, public speaker, voice over coach, student, producer, instructor, voice talent agent, or a casting director.

Listen to the podcast here

11. Webinars
• Discover how to maximize your voice talent account and learn how to attract clients to your Voices.com website as well as audition tips and more.
• Participate in the next webinar if you are a voice actor, voice talent, or member of Voices.com.
• When? Every Tuesday at 2:00 PM EST ( Toronto, Canada / New York, USA )
• Register for the next webinar at WebEx >>

12. Free eBooks
Need a place to find excellent royalty-free scripts to practice from and an awesome how-to book for voice overs? If you're a Premium or Preferred member at Voices.com, you need not look any further than your new library of resources, accessible to you absolutely free!

Just click on the “Help” link, then click on “eBooks & User Guides” to access the bonus material.

How did we do? Are you happy with this release?

Let us know by adding a comment!

Best wishes,

David, Stephanie, Laurynda, Carol and Erica
The Voices.com Management Team

How are voice actors found and who hires them?

What do clients look for and are there any similarities?

Learn more about the kinds of jobs voice actors are hired for and the kind of businesses that are researching the voice over industry and progressively going online to work with voice actors directly at voice over marketplaces.

Want to know more?

Clients who purchase voice over services can be from any industry, country, and speak a variety of languages.

Since the need for audio production is universal as well as the need for voice overs, the global market of clients creates an enormous demand for voice actors who provide quality voice over recordings to represent their company, organization, or event.

Clients hire voice over talent to record for television, radio, podcasts, video games, audio books, film, animation, telephone, corporate presentations, narration and other purposes.

While some of that information is common knowledge, it may be a good time to analyze why it is that people who need to hire voice actors are choosing to do so online through voice over marketplaces.

For some, it's all about convenience. They can be anywhere in the world, login to their accounts and post a job or review responses submitted to them without having to even pick up a phone. With the ability to do business online a substantial amount of time is saved.

For others, it's about saving money. Why go through an advertising agency or talent agent if you can go direct to the source? In some cases, clients who go this route are even more generous with their budget because the funds weren't divided between several different people.

Or, it's all about staying on message. It's not surprising that companies want to provide creative input and direction. Some organizations have people on staff who are responsible for voice casting and project management, an asset that saves them time, money and also enables creative control.

Many clients who use agencies to hire talent on their behalf miss out on being able to communicate directly with the voice actor, perhaps not even pick the voice that they want. Using a voice over marketplace to find a voice actor provides a client with unlimited choice and possibilities unheard of if working with an agency.

People who use voice over marketplaces are early adopters and Internet savvy. They likely use other online services to conduct business with and generally have a corporate website of their own. These people are familiar with the Internet and are able to use it effectively to meet their goals.

These people, for the most part, are also comfortable using online payment systems to purchase products or services.

A growing number of these people grew up with the Internet, so the concept of searching, finding and making purchases online is a part of their lives or second nature to them.

When it comes to hiring a voice actor online clients are likely to do so in one of three ways.

1. Searching
2. Posting a Job
3. Contacting a Voice Actor Directly

For a client who needs to hire a voice actor, a voice over marketplace meets all of their business needs and fulfills their project requirements while ensuring their satisfaction in a timely and cost-effective manner.

The beauty of being able to work directly with a voice actor for the client is that they can also build a long-term business relationship with them.

First of all, they know who they hired, their contact details, and can easily refer them to colleagues who need a voice over recorded. Secondly, a bond is forged with that voice actor. The voice actor understands what it is that the client wants and can consistently deliver audio to meet their needs as well as help their client with other multimedia projects.

How has your experience been working directly with a client or voice actor?

Add your thoughts below :)

Best regards,

Stephanie

What is a voice over marketplace?

How have voice over marketplaces impacted the voice over industry and what does the future hold?

As more and more people take their businesses online, the paradigm is shifting from traditional offline scouting to online recruiting.

A voice over marketplace is a location, typically based online, where voice actors can feature their voices and audition for job opportunities to acquire voice over work.

Merriam-Webster.com defines "marketplace" as:

1 a : an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held b : MARKET
2 : the world of trade or economic activity : the everyday world
3 : a sphere in which intangible values compete for acceptance or the marketplace of ideas

As the term "marketplace" implies, portals that perform this function connect buyers and sellers, for the purposes of this article, buyers and sellers of voice over services. Voice over marketplaces serve both the buyer and seller, and in some instances, facilitate communications and or transactions between the two.

By virtue of the fact that a voice over marketplace consolidates both talent and job opportunities, it is an integral part of any voice actors marketing efforts as well as the most convenient and effective source for clients to find voice actors and buy their services.

For those who discover this method of recruiting nowadays, it seems very commonplace as if it's 'always been' this way.

For many people who have lived longer on this earth, they know that there was a more complicated way in a simpler time when things were done according to the corporate whims of large agencies that controlled the majority of all voice over work and voice over talents.

Anyone who can remember recording with analog technology, splicing tapes together, recording sessions with your peers, and auditions recorded in person at recording studios and agencies can relate to what I've qualified in the statement above.

During those days there was a specific way things were done with few alternatives to the status quo. You were either in the union or you didn't get work. You had an agent or you didn't work in the biz. You had the Voice of God as an announcer or you had nothing at all. As a female working in the field, making a living was extremely challenging to say the least.

With sweeping changes in technology, the mindset of the public, and methods for acquiring voice over services, the world of voice over has realized that there is a job for every voice type, not just for a certain kind of voice or limited to a select clique of players.

While there are still people who clearly dominate their particular niches in voice over, technologies such as the Internet, more affordable audio recording equipment and accessible educational voice over information through online channels has broadened the horizon considerably, turning a boys club into a marketplace.

Here we find ourselves in the year 2007, post 90s Bubble-Burst in a new world of Web 2.0, an era that some refer to as the second coming (or second generation) of the World Wide Web.

Voice over marketplaces have made searching for, auditioning, and hiring voice actors easy and direct, streamlining the entire recruitment process by presenting a variety of the world's finest freelance talent in one central location online.

Barriers once put in place by limited technology or bureaucracies have crumbled. Globalization has also figured prominently in the paradigm shift regarding voice overs and how they are recorded, delivered, payed for and used.

International business is done on a daily basis through voice over marketplaces, most people preferring to use the US Dollar as their global currency of choice.

The voice over marketplace has increased the visibility of professional voice actors and in turn has made it hassle free to work with the right voice for a project.

How have voice over marketplaces affected you and your business?

Add a comment sharing your thoughts.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

What is a union?

What can unions like SAG, AFTRA, ACTRA, and Equity do for you, and to be considered a professional, does everyone need to be in a union?

This article about unions is one of the more controversial topics we'll be exploring this week. Unions are part of the voiceover ecosystem, and they have done quite a bit to secure particular benchmarks and benefits on behalf of all performers who use their services.

How do you feel about the union(s)? Add your thoughts here at VOX Daily.

In the past, we have written about unions on VOX Daily to help define what role a union plays in the big picture which is the voice over industry.

Unions are not unique to the voiceover industry.

There are unions in nearly every field of industry. Off the top of my head, the first unions outside of the ones related to recording and performing arts are teachers unions, construction workers union, the autoworkers union, and the nurses union.

Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines the term "union" as:

2 : something that is made one : something formed by a combining or coalition of parts or members: as a : a confederation of independent individuals (as nations or persons) for some common purpose b (1) : a political unit constituting an organic whole formed usually from units which were previously governed separately (as England and Scotland in 1707) and which have surrendered or delegated their principal powers to the government of the whole or to a newly created government (as the United States in 1789) (2) capitalized : the federal union of states during the period of the American Civil War c capitalized : an organization on a college or university campus providing recreational, social, cultural, and sometimes dining facilities; also : the building housing such an organization d : the set of all elements belonging to one or more of a given collection of two or more sets -- called also join, sum e : LABOR UNION

Unions are not just groups of people with a common purpose. A union is made up of a bureaucracy and there are certain rules and initiation rites (either a financial fee or working a union job) that go hand and hand with being a member of a union.

In theory, a union embodies the Utopian idea that everyone should behave in a particular fashion, observe the same guidelines, assume the same political leanings and strive to achieve a common good as is defined by the union. As a reward for doing so and by hitting a specific financial goal, members can achieve access to health coverage, a pension, and other worthwhile benefits.

While it may sound ideal, there are issues that do arise in each union and they are generally discussed through meetings and conferences, sometimes achieving the desired outcome of resolution, sometimes not.

Unions exhibit traits of strength, unity and purpose through strong membership. Without a strong membership base and reasons for everyone to abide by the ideals set out by the leadership of the union, no matter how great a union's past, it can still fall as an organization is only as strong as its weakest link.

External factors can directly affect a union for better or worse.

Oftentimes, politics or changes in the marketplace will come into play from outside of the union that cause great unrest or great joy, depending on the new reality of the day.

Many unions themselves, as mentioned above, do have distinct political views which makes the union not only an organization that adds value through membership via benefits or community, but can also alienate people within their organization who do not subscribe to the beliefs adopted by the union.

Internal conflict, though not spoken of publicly for obvious reasons, does occur. If a member decides to leave a union, there are consequences for doing so and often the stakes are very high. There is even a name for this membership designation, in some cases, a designation which enforces drastic action. Rejoining the union for some is very difficult. Whenever politics are involved it is quite seldom that things are very simple.

To get another view of the question of joining the union, I asked our friend, non-union voice talent and Canadian voice over coach Debbie Munro to share her thoughts on the matter.

Do keep in mind that the views presented in quotations below are Debbie's views and they do not necessarily reflect the views of Voices.com:

Debbie Munro's Opinion on Union and Non-union

To be union or not to be union, that is the question isn’t it?

I will start out by saying everyone is entitled to their opinion and both sides have valid points. Keep in mind this is all the info that I’ve heard and accumulated through various professionals.

Research for yourself.

Union

There are many benefits to the union so let’s start with those. First off in the acting industry there are usually no salaries, benefits, retirement or rate guarantees and with non-union they are doing away with residuals (being paid for the project after the end of the contract each time it airs). The union makes sure we’re covered in these areas and fights for top wages.

There are three main unions to consider.

In the US, SAG (need only one union credit to join I believe), AFTRA (can join without any credits) and then in Canada ACTRA (you need 6 credits to become ACTRA). ACTRA is individually run from province to province.

Each union has their pros and cons. If you live in a union working town such as L.A., Vancouver, Toronto and so on, then the union works very well and its presence is strong and worth joining. If only it were that way everywhere.

Non-Union

In cities like San Diego, Calgary, Edmonton and others, the union has a harder time. If you are union, you can’t audition for non-union work, however you can audition for union work if you’re non-union (if you can find a producer willing to see you).

Voice over marketplaces like Voices.com promote both union and non-union work, however most of the work offered is non-union. In many cities there is a lot more non-union work than union work; that fact makes it very hard on the actor to decide which direction to go.

If you are union your rates are set out for you. There is no guessing game. If you are non-union, your agent (you) have to negotiate the rates with the production company. Sometimes they will pay you union scale, but most times do not. This is why the company goes non-union in order to save money. What this does for the union though is to make it harder to stay alive.

If too many people go non-union then the union won’t be able to work as well, and for those that are union, they survive off of their residuals and larger scale projects. They’ve earned it and non-union projects are taking it away.

On the other hand, todays market is a lot tougher than it once was and joining the union isn’t as easy
anymore (with the exception of AFTRA).

Due to the Internet, work is easily accessible so producers are finding people who will do the job without the unions. Technology is changing things and competition is getting tougher.

What’s the right answer? Only you know.

For me, if I stayed in Edmonton the opportunities for union are slim. It was great for me when I volunteered to work my way in, and to build my education. Sites like Voices.com gave me the opportunity I needed to get where I am today. I believe they are the starting block in todays world, unless you live in a union town. At least there is hope for newer voicers looking for a way in to work their way up to union.

The bottom line is it depends on what you want for you.

I believe we get to a point where we shouldn’t be bidding against each other for rates. But we can’t forget that there is a journey along the way. A process that for many is absolutely necessary. I hope that they can one day find a happy medium, but lets face it folks, it’s all politics, and no one ever really wins in politics.

Always aim for the highest goal…to be union, but research what you have to do to get there."

~~

So, that's Debbie Munro's opinion.

I want to reiterate that what Debbie has presented regarding the unions are her opinions and they do not reflect the opinion of Voices.com.

Ladies and gentlemen, again, I leave the floor to you.

Looking forward to hearing your opinion on the topic presented.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

When you hear the word casting, do you think of going fishing?

If so, you're going to learn about a whole new world... the world of the voice casting and the casting director!

What is a casting director, what do they do, who hires them and how do you go about getting in front of one...

And once you do, what do they want?! Find out at VOX Daily.

As we have heard before, a casting director, specifically a voice over casting director, is someone who has an ear for picking the best candidate for a particular job.

It is the responsibility of the casting director to "cast" the right person in a role for a client who usually has little interest, ability, or lacks the confidence to "pick" the right voice to represent their company, project, or brand. The casting director wants to get the best possible performance out of an auditioning talent.

It is their goal, in fact, to make a voice actor feel at ease because they need to evaluate all of their options in the best light to pick the most appropriate voice for their client's campaign or project. A casting director charges a fee to the client for their time and expertise.

Casting directors cast for a variety of projects including commercials, movies, animated films, cartoons and more.

While the role of the casting director may appear intimidating, after all, they do decide who gets to land the part, it is in the best interest of the casting director to solicit the best possible performance from each performer who auditions for a role.

Voice casting is an art. The casting director needs to be familiar with the project they are casting, the audience that will be consuming the production and also how that audience needs to be communicated to.

In essence, the casting director is a voice actor's friend, just as a voice over coach and recording engineer are.

A casting director has a huge responsibility placed on their shoulders to not only cast the best candidate but also to treat each person who walks in the door with the utmost respect which helps them keep an open mind when casting for a particular role, voice over, or shot.

Sometimes, a voice casting director is responsible for casting an entire voice acting cast for cartoon series, animated films, video games and audio books. These projects are especially interesting and challenging for a casting director as there is so much to consider, including how the voices match each other, how a voice fits a role, if the voice actors have good chemistry and if their voices fit the ideal that their client is looking for.

How do you impress a casting director?

Be sure to arrive on time, even slightly early for your audition to make a good first impression. Give them as much as you possibly can in an audition because it is far easier to tone a performance down than to pull more out.

Casting directors want you to shine. The more at ease you are, the likelier they are going to receive a bang on audition from you and have something to work with when the casting director is deliberating with their team.

Be sincere, personable and respectful. If they provide direction to you, take it! Show them that you can be directed, that you are able to listen and also that you can improvise.

After all is said and done, there is a new breed of casting director that you should be aware of.

When people post voice over jobs at Voices.com, they put themselves into the seat of the Casting Director. They are responsible for picking the perfect voice for the job from a variety of applicants, only these are submitted to them online as digital auditions.

Sometimes, hiring a casting director just isn't in the budget for many companies employing voice talent or it just simply isn't necessary because the company has someone on staff who possesses an ear for the creative elements their client requires and is capable of picking a suitable voice.

These clients prefer to hire voice talent through voice over marketplaces to get the job done, and more and more hiring is being done this way as technology and other aspects of business evolve.

Have you noticed any particular trends in this field with regard to online voice casting?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Stephanie

Now, we enter into waters where it's all about selection and not rejection!

Agents are very selective, but as we've said earlier, there is a voice for every job and a job for every voice.

Does an agency shoe fit for you?

Learn more about voice talent agents, what they do, how to find one, approach one and what happens if you are offered a contract.

Agents. Voice talent agents...

This category of people in the voice over industry as often seen as the individuals who hold the keys to the kingdom, are negotiators of deals, and promoters of talent.

Finding and getting an agent is usually somewhere on a voice actor's To-Do List after making a voice over demo and before joining the union (if joining the union is an objective for them, that is).

Having an agent does simplify some aspects of a voice acting career, however, being contracted by one is not an easy process and many people who are very talented do not have representation for a variety of reasons.

Voice talent agents and agencies who represent voice talents are usually situated in cities known as hotbeds for voice over work like Los Angeles and New York among other high profile cities. While New York City and L.A. may be loaded with opportunities and perceived as well-connected to lucrative voice work, there are other markets to consider where representation by an agent is concerned.

Some agents as noted above prefer to work in major markets. Others may represent talent by state, regionally or even locally, depending on their preference and business goals.

There are agents who specifically represent voice actors and some who have voice actors on their roster of talent which may include actors, models, singers, and other performers.

Now, cracking the nut on how to get a voice over agent.

Many agents prefer to be contacted by mail (yes, mail routed through a post office) and are generally inaccessible by email or phone due to the volume of applications they receive on a daily basis.

Research how agents prefer to be contacted before doing so.

Some appreciate receiving a brief letter asking if you can submit something to them before you send your package. If they are interested in taking on new talent for their roster, they will give you instructions or a go ahead to send your package. Showing courtesy to the agent and their staff makes a big difference when you are trying to establish a relationship.

If you have the go ahead, you can send a package promoting your voice over talent.

Most agents expect to receive a package from you that contains a brief cover letter, resume with references, an updated head shot (head shots are required by some agents and specifically not requested by others) and a CD copy of your voice over demo. Some agents like receiving packages that stand out while others are not terribly concerned with the packaging.

Make sure that your packaging is professional looking though and properly addressed. The person receiving the package may or may not be the agent, so be sure that what you send is a package a secretary or other staff member feels comfortable passing on to the agent. If the package looks tattered, poorly labeled or addressed incorrectly, they may see it as non-professional and throw it out to save their boss some time; at least this is how some may see it.

Assuming that your package makes it to the agent, chances are that a busy agent will only have time to listen to about 5 to 10 seconds of the demo, so it had better be your best material as you won't be in the room to tell them to "skip to track 2". Some are more generous with their time, but these agents are few and far between.

Something to remember is that just because your voice is not what a particular agent or agency may be looking for doesn't mean that no one wants to hire you on. It's all about selection, not rejection.

If the result is a positive reaction from the agent, you might just receive a call and potentially an offer or contractual agreement to be signed with the agency for a period of time.

Now, this is where things become as clear as mud.

Contracts from agents are usually a mixture of legal terminology and a bunch of places to leave your signature. They can be very confusing as the contracts aren't necessarily scribed in layman terms or self-explanatory.

It's critical that you understand what is being required of you when signing with an agent otherwise you could literally be "signing away" some of the freedoms you currently enjoy as a freelance voice actor.

This week, we received a question from one of our voice actor members here at Voices.com about a contract offer received from an agency.

After trying to review it and not having much success confidently deciphering the agency contract, it struck me to seek help from my good friend Nancy Wolfson, a former agent who is now a voice over coach, to give us some perspective regarding contracts and the like. Nancy is the owner of Braintracksaudio.com, and as a former agent, has a wealth of information on her site about what to do in this very situation.

Nancy reveals that although the vast majority of agencies have standard operating policies, there are instances of variation where the agency code is concerned.

Some agencies still abide by rules set in place by traditional agencies decades ago while others have adopted more progressive procedures that have adapted to the new landscape of voice overs today, resulting in "loosey-goosey" spins on the former "standard operating procedures" of voice talent agencies.

Here's some advice taken straight from Braintracksaudio.com courtesy of Nancy Wolfson:

If you’re confused about any legal paperwork, ASK.

If your agent is too busy to entertain your questions (they are probably on the other telephone line trying to round up opportunities for you!), see if there is someone in their accounting department or their legal department who has time to answer your questions.

The typical top market union agency contract agreement is boiler-plated to engage a talent for a 3-year window.

Once signed, this means that an agent can (legally) keep a talent from leaving and taking their talents and earnings to another agency during that 3-year window.

Excepting extreme circumstances that might come into play, the talent can only wangle loose from that agreement if they have not made the minimum amount established by SAG in a 90 day span of time (details on that is available by contacting SAG).

An agent can "drop" a talent any time the agent wants to, even if that talent is under contract.

However, when handed such a contract, there are all kinds of options a talent has the power to make on that contract.

For example, talent can get in there with a red pen and cross off that "3-year" thing and handwrite in "1-year" instead and initial by that change. If the contract says "this talent agrees to work exclusively with us and nobody else," the talent can get in there and "red line" through that and re-write what they want to establish as the operating agreement on that front. The talent needs to tell the agent that they are requesting these special amendments and tweaks, and it is up to the agent to decide if that nullifies the desire to put the talent under contract...

A talent's leverage in this situation rests upon on how much money they are, may be, or might be perceived to be bringing in with them to the agency.

I've always encouraged talent to take a contract home and even run it past an Entertainment Attorney for review with them, as we are all entitled to and responsible for understanding the legal agreements to which we sign our name. And in the ever-growing landscape of the Do-It-Yourself business models, it becomes even more important to understand the legally binding engagements you are creating.

That said, if a talent is very new to the scene and is objectively lucky to be receiving the offer of contractual engagement at all from a proper agency, then they might consider being as gracious and compliant as possible lest they appear more high-maintenance on the front end of a new relationship than their earnings (or absence thereof) would merit.

Back to the "loosey goosey" factor of how things are commonly handled these days: It is not uncommon for an agent to express interest - legitimate and earnest interest - in a talent these days, and still NOT offer that talent a contract.

My advice to that talent? Who Cares. Don't press the agent on this matter. They are "trying before they buy," in a sense, and so long as the talent is getting opportunities from the agent, there's no reason to pester them for a binding agreement.

Sure, it's nice on a personal and emotional level to know that an agent wants you so badly that they want to "marry" you into a contract. But so long as the talent is benefiting from the opportunities that agent has on deck and/or making money, drop the need for proof of their love on a piece of paper - keep on "dating" and making money.

~~

I must say, that's sound advice!

Thank you to Nancy Wolfson for sharing this insider view of the business.

Have any of you found this article useful?

Please add a comment below and share your thoughts.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

What does it mean to be an audio engineer?

How do audio recording engineers fit into the mix of the voice over industry and why is there an entire profession dedicated to making everyone sound good?

Learn more about audio recording engineers, the people with the golden ears, here at VOX Daily during our Meet the Voice Over Industry Week.

First of all, what is an audio recording engineer?

An audio recording engineer is a person who has amassed a wealth of information specific to the art of audio recording techniques, and technology.

These are the people many pay the big bucks to when they want to sound polished and broadcast-ready.

Similar to an engineer, audio engineers are hired to create a solution to an audio challenge or plot out a course and 'engineer' the project.

Audio recording engineers generally work in recording studios where they are responsible for anything related to audio production, which may include recording, editing, mixing and mastering audio files. Recording engineers, by nature of their craft, often work with musicians, spoken word recording artists (voice actors, narrators, etc.) and session singers.

Formal education is accessible for training audio engineers. These programs are very focused and address a wide variety of content in their curriculum as well as provide practical experience for their students to record different subjects to learn how to work with different people, instruments, and be flexible as an engineer in a number of recording situations.

Recording engineers are experts when it comes to gear and how to use it. These people are very serious about their equipment and know each sweet spot, room temperature and level like the back of their hand. Many have experience as musicians, so they are familiar with nearly everything they encounter that emits sound.

Recording engineers are your friend. If you are a voice actor who needs to lay down some tracks, make a voice over demo, or record a for a client, audio engineers are there to see you through the session and capture your talent digitally for all to hear.

While many voice actors are capable of recording auditions and voice over work from a professional-grade home recording studio, those beginning in the field, making a voice over demo, or revamping their sound often work with a pro to engineer their sound, whether as a personal choice or at the behest of a client or voice over coach.

Not all voice actors are audio engineers by trade although some may consider themselves to be so. Many voice actors happily reply upon audio engineers to produce all of their recorded work for clients because either they do not have the technical skills, desire, or finances to setup a proper studio at their home.

Although this reality may result in more fees for the client when hiring talent who frequent audio recording studios to do their voice over work, many people are willing to pay for additional expenses if necessary should the voice actor's voice be exactly what they need to complete their project. Some voice actors even have agreements with studios that they use on a regular basis that include discounts in exchange for their loyalty and referrals.

Have you had any experiences working with an audio engineer that you would like to share?

Add your comment and let the discussion begin!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

What is a voice over coach?

What do they do and what qualifies them to teach?

Why would you need one, how do you find one, and what can they offer you?

That's a lot of questions, isn't it? Good thing we have the answers!

Learn more about this integral role in the voice over ecosystem and why it pays to be educated and trained as a voice over actor.

When it comes to the becoming a voice actor, it is strongly advised that training is sought out and taken on with interest and vigor.

While there are many different avenues that education can be consumed there is one definite way above all others that rises to the top as not only the preferred method but also the most effective: receiving personal instruction from a voice over coach.

Many voice over coaches as we have learned before have worked in the voice over industry as voice actors and have reached a point in their career where they have much to share and pass on to other people who perform voice overs for a living.

Just as a voice actor may specialize in a particular niche of voice over, some teachers are renowned for specific areas of expertise.

Some examples are coaches that focus on commercial voice over, coaches that are expert narrators, others who create character voices, and those who tend to have musical or theatrical backgrounds that add to their voice acting instruction in general.

As we've come to see, there are many different ways you can study with a voice over coach or instructor.

1. Private instruction in person
2. Private instruction over the phone
3. Group instruction in person
4. Group instruction over the phone (teleseminars)
5. Group instruction over the Internet (webinars and podcasts)

Private Instruction in Person

Private instruction in person is most effective when pursued on a regular basis. It is through private instruction in person that a voice actor will be able to track their efforts and further develop their skills one on one. Studying privately with a teacher in person is often preferred as a teacher is able to observe and demonstrate physically with more ease than instruction provided over the phone.

Private Instruction by Phone

Private instruction by phone is one of the more convenient ways to learn about voice acting as you don't have to be in the same vicinity as a voice over coach to receive an education. Many students have found that this method works best for them if they are based in an area outside of where voice over hotbeds are to be found such as New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago.

Group Instruction in Person

Group instruction through workshops and seminars conduced in person gives the attendees a different kind of education, similar to a classroom style education where a teacher is responsible for reaching a variety of different people as they present their material. These options are quite popular and many teachers tour with their workshops to cities across the US. Many students will fly in for a workshop to a central location for a number of reasons related to studying with a specific teacher, honing a particular skill, or simply for the sheer enjoyment of community that these educational opportunities provide.

Group Instruction by Phone

Group instruction over the phone known as teleseminars feature an instructor presenting on a given topic with callers on the line who are generally muted. Near the end of a call, the teacher will usually open up the lines and release the mute functionality so that questions can be asked or clarifications made. This also presents time for people to come in on the call and thank the coach for their efforts too, providing feedback if they like.

Group Instruction over the Internet

Online training is also an option that is favorable depending on what a voice actor's needs are. Webinars and podcasts are excellent ways to join in on a lecture topic or discussion. Many webinars are free to attend and simply require that a long-distance phone charge be incurred in exchange for listening in. Questions can be asked in real time of the instructor and a Q&A period opened up toward the end of the webinar.

On a similar note, receiving podcasts are nearly always free unless stated otherwise. While they are not as interactive (you can't ask a question and get a response in real time from a recording), they are available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be listened to from anywhere. Follow up questions can be sent to the instructor, usually by email from their website. A podcast is more a less a "taste" of what you could learn from the coach if you decide to study with them.

Just as a voice actor uses their voice over demo as a free sample or calling card, voice over coaches are able to promote their services via podcast or writing articles for blogs and online publications.

Another way for teachers of voice acting and voice over to promote their services is through writing books or producing training CDs. Many instructors are also authors. You can get a really good feel for how a teacher will be in person from reading their books. I know because I've read enough of them to see how their personality comes through on the written page and how it correlates with how they teach or are in person.

Through their publications and or podcasts, you'll learn more about what they can do for you, but one of the best ways to measure how qualified a teacher is to teach you is by reviewing student testimonials and reviews.

Credibility can be measured by a voice over coach's career successes, personal success or the success of other people they have taught.

Studying with a credible teacher is very important. Be sure to check references and read any biographical information you can find related to their teaching career and education. Referrals are often the best way to connect with a teacher and students who love their teachers are very good ambassadors for them.

A sign of a great teacher is that they care about you as a person as well as a student. Teachers who invest this level of interest in their students are more likely to help them succeed throughout their career and connect those individuals with opportunities for advancement in the field of voice acting.

Some teachers even help students create or reinvent their voice over demos. This service can range in price depending on the overhead incurred or services included with the production from about $800 to a couple thousand depending on where you record and with whom. We'll talk more about this when we discuss audio engineers.

How do you find a voice over coach and pick the right voice over coach for you?

There are voice over coaches who actively participate here at Voices.com in our podcasts, on the blogs and webinars. There is also a beauty of a list at Harlan Hogan's website that lists teachers by location in the United States.

That being said, do any of you have a teacher you would like to refer?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

What is a voice actor?

Many people want to be one, others think they are one, and some people just plain don't know what they are!

Why do they exist and what do they do?

How do you become one?

Find answers to these questions and more at VOX Daily.

For many, becoming a voice actor is a dream come true.

While voice acting is a popular career field to consider at present, it is still a business and successful voice actors know that their career has everything to do with three specific factors:

1. Artistic Vocal Talent
2. Being Technically Savvy
3. Having Business Sense

As we mentioned earlier, a voice actor is the producer of the creative vocal work that is recorded and used for a variety of applications including commercials for radio, television, telephone, podcasts, audio books, video games and more. The voice actor uses their natural gifts, predominantly their voice and mastery of it, to infuse life into the written word.

A voice actor is a creator of voice overs, and a voice over is the audio component of a media application commissioned by a client. Voice actors are also known as voice talents, voice overs, voice over artists, VO, VA, narrators, announcers, orators, and so on.

Voice actors come from a variety of backgrounds including the theater, singing, public speaking, educating, film and other fields.

Who are voice actors?

They could be your next door neighbor, your favorite on-air personality, the person who volunteers to read for the blind, a children's storyteller at libraries or hospitals, a musician, or someone who reads at your church.

Voice actors come from all walks of life which makes this industry all the more interesting and eclectic.

As with any business, there are different areas that people can specialize in while using their signature voice, that is, the voice that brings home the bacon.

Some voice actors make money doing commercial reads while others are more at home reading epic poetry or character voices for video games. There is a job for every voice actor and voice type as each client is looking for something different.

A while ago, we covered how to make the transition from singer to voice talent, a popular article that recognized the connection between the two professions. As a singer, many of the tools and techniques developed as a result of the Bel Canto method are ready made for voice overs. Years of operatic training come full circle as diction, proper breathing, tonality, interpretation, and characterization skills are transferred to create a vocal masterpiece using the spoken word as the canvas.

Many come from the theater or from on-camera careers in television or film. Sometimes, even celebrities take on the art of voice acting, a phenomenon that started with Tom Hanks' voice acting in Toy Story way back in 1995 to the star studded celebrity voice acting films of the 21st century including Cars, Shrek, and Ratatouille.

Some people find their calling in voice over earlier than others while most discover voice acting later as they opt for a career change (something new) or desire to use skills acquired during their former career and apply them to an entrepreneurial dream of starting their own business.

Voice over is a field of study as well as a profession and instruction is available through individual coaching sessions, voice over workshops, books, podcasts, CDs and webinars, many of which are accessible regardless of location and are reasonably affordable when investing in your voice over business.

There are several designations that we can consider when identifying the professionalism of a voice actor.

Voice over instructor Connie Terwilliger has identified four basic phases that people go through as they mature in their voice over career.

These Four Basic Phases are:

• Wanna-be
• Newbie
• Part-time
• Full-time

To define them further, a Wanna-be is someone who has been told that they have a great voice and should use it to make money.

A Newbie has taken a couple of seminars, has an idea of the direction they want to go in, simple technical abilities, and a low cost home recording studio.

A Part-time voice talent still works a day job to pay the bills, is more educated in voice overs than a Newbie and has the ability to record pro quality audio.

Lastly, a Full-time voice over talent is actively working in the business and can pay their bills in voice over or a very closely related area.

Obviously, it is the goal of any voice actor to achieve the fourth phase and work at their business full-time.

That being said, in order to get to this stage, you need to possess a solid balance of artistry, technical abilities and business skills.

While it's easy to identify your strengths you also need to know where your weaknesses may be in order to succeed in voice overs.

The floor is now yours: Can you relate to anything written in this article?

Add a comment with your thoughts!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

This week, we'll be looking at all the different people and the roles they play in the voice over industry.

If you're new to voice overs, consider this a tour of the community that you'll be part of for years to come where you'll get to know who is who and how each person in the mix plays a contributing role that propels the voice over industry, and, even your career.

Who are the people in your neighborhood? Find out this week on VOX Daily.

Voice over is a very distinct niche within the entertainment and audio recording industries.

Similar to an ecosystem, there is a natural order of things and diverse relationships that take shape, many of which are symbiotic, or, mutually beneficial to the parties they involve.

Take humans and trees for example.

Trees produce the oxygen we need to breathe. When we exhale, or breath leaves our bodies, carbon dioxide is produced as a result. Following our exhalations, the trees then breathe in our CO2, which is their source of air, and the cycle thus continues as they instinctively produce more oxygen rich exhalation for us to inhale. We then exhale carbon dioxide and the tree is nourished... you get the picture.

Just as in nature, many relationships within voice over are complementary and there are very few self-serving relationships. For those that do exist, they are a necessary part of our voice over ecosystem, and without them, there wouldn't be a balance.

That is just the nature of things.

Let's take a look at the roles we'll be profiling this week with a brief overview on each, starting at the base of the ecosystem.

Voice Actors

A voice actor is the producer of the creative vocal work that is recorded and used for a variety of applications including commercials for radio, television, telephone, podcasts, audio books, video games and more. The voice actor uses their natural gifts, predominantly their voice and mastery of it, to infuse life into the written word. A voice actor is a creator of voice overs, and a voice over is the audio component of a media application commissioned by a client. Voice actors are also known as voice talents, voice overs, voice over artists, VO, VA, narrators, announcers, orators, and so on.

Voice Over Coaches and Instructors

A voice over coach is a person who is either a teacher of voice, instructor of voice acting, or has extensive practical experience working as a professional voice actor who applies their knowledge and methodology through the teaching of their craft. These people are trained to educate and are often associated with beginning voice actors or voice actors who are seeking to enrich or expand their voice over abilities through private coaching or workshops. There are fewer voice over coaches than there are voice actors and their profession is in many cases related to the theory of Publish or Perish. The nature of a voice over coach is to teach but this person may also perform, direct or cast (pick) voices for other projects.

Audio Engineers and Producers

An audio engineer is a person who is highly skilled in the field of audio production, including recording, editing, mixing and mastering. As an audio engineer, this person is usually employed by a larger recording studio or can also be a freelance producer who works independently, running their own production studio. There are schools where people can be trained to acquire skills in this technical aspect of the voice over business. For voice actors who are not as savvy technology wise, recording engineers and audio producers are heavily relied upon to help them produce their voice over demos or record broadcast ready work for clients.

Voice Over Agents and Talent Agencies

A voice over agent is a person who promotes and represents a voice actor, presenting their voice over work for consideration when a job that the voice actor is suited for becomes available. An agent can be independent or part of a voice talent agency that operates similarly to a quintessential talent agency, meaning a company that employs several people as agents to build a brand and manage a variety of talent, not just voice actors. Agents usually represent voice actors who are either union or non-union depending on the agreement an agent has and if they are affiliated with a union. Agents take a commission on the work they acquire for their voice actor clients, usually in the 10% - 15% range for their services; this could be a commission on top of what the voice actor makes or taken from the earnings directly. A Finder's Fee is also a term that applies to some agents and agencies.

Casting Directors

A casting director, specifically a voice over casting director, is someone who has an ear for picking the best candidate for a particular job. It is the responsibility of the casting director to "cast" the right person in a role for a client who usually has little interest, ability, or lacks the confidence to "pick" the right voice to represent their company, project, or brand. The casting director wants to get the best possible performance out of an auditioning talent. It is their goal, in fact, to make a voice actor feel at ease because they need to evaluate all of their options in the best light to pick the most appropriate voice for their client's campaign or project. A casting director charges a fee to the client for their time and expertise.

Unions

A union is a governing body that regulates terms of employment for their customers. Unions may take action on the behalf of their clients in cases where agreements are breached. A voice actor pays union dues or fees to be affiliated with a union in order to receive particular services, benefits, or opportunities exclusive to the union. While some unions have an open door policy allowing anyone to join so long as they meet membership fee requirements, there are other unions that are "invitation only" or other criteria. Being part of the union is not mandatory and there are more non-union voice actors in the world than there are unionized voice actors.

Voice Over Marketplaces

A voice over marketplace is a location, typically based online, where voice actors can feature their voices and audition for job opportunities to acquire voice over work. As the term "marketplace" implies, portals that perform this function connect buyers and sellers, for the purposes of this article, buyers and sellers of voice over services. Voice over marketplaces serve both the buyer and seller, and in some instances, facilitate communications and or transactions between the two. As a voice over marketplace consolidates both talent and job opportunities, it is an integral part of any voice actors marketing efforts as well as the most convenient and effective source for clients to find voice actors and buy their services.

Clients Who Purchase Voice Overs

Clients who purchase voice over services can be from any industry, country, and speak a variety of languages. Since the need for audio production is universal as well as the need for voice overs, the global market of clients creates an enormous demand for voice actors who provide quality voice over recordings to represent their company, organization, or event. Clients hire voice over talent to record for television, radio, podcasts, video games, audio books, film, animation, telephone, corporate presentations, and other purposes.

Stick with us this week as we take a closer look at each of these designations, their crucial roles within the voice over industry, and also how each affects other parts of the whole.

Best,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Olga Telnova

Remember when we opened the 60 Second Pitch contest and asked you who you are, what you do and how you can serve others through your business?

It's time to meet the voice talents who made it to the finals and hear their stories.

Time is ticking, so listen in as we count down to the official awards podcast to be released on Friday, July 27th, 2007.

We're in the homestretch for the 60 Second Pitch Contest here at Voices.com!

You can listen to the finalists here (listed in alphabetical order by first name) and then hit the "back" button to come back and comment on what you heard sharing your thoughts on who you feel deserves a place on the podium!

Listen to the 60 Second Pitch Finalists from 2007 here.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Don't forget to add a comment here on VOX Daily with your ideas and predictions.

Best wishes to all involved :)

Stephanie, David and the Voices.com Team

Today, we had a wonderful afternoon reviewing Julie Williams' CD "Proven Voice-Over Techniques" at Voices.com with several voice actors.

For our first "live" hosted event, I'd say it went pretty well!

Hear more about it here on VOX Daily.

Earlier this afternoon we hosted six fabulous local voice actors at a review session for Julie Williams' "Proven Voice-Over Techniques" workshop CD, with some talent joining us from as far as Kitchener and Waterloo.

We started with some meet and greet activities and Voices.com team member Carol Mroz led an icebreaker so that we could all get to know each other better. Of course, when you combine pizza, caffeinated beverages, and voice actors, the ice nearly breaks itself :)

You may be thinking "My goodness, those voice actors consumed dairy products and caffeine!"! Generally, this is a no-no for most people who use their voice to make a living, but today, the mic wasn't on and it was all about learning, meeting new people, and having a great deal of fun while doing it.

Who was there?

Vince Londini, Randy White, Michele Dyck, Pete Newman, Jorge Mendoza, and Bob Purssglove were there with several members of the Voices.com team including Laurynda Vineyard, Erica Bontje, Carol Mroz and myself.

Here's a picture I took later on, but since we're on the topic of who was there, I'll insert it just below. We were on the phone with Julie Williams at this point, listening intently as she told us a story and shared more tips about voice over marketing.

Voice actors in attendance represented a wide variety of niches within the biz including radio personalities, narrators, Spanish voice talent, commercial and telephony voice over talent, creating a wonderful mix of people who were very much at ease and able to relate to each other.

In between tracks, we'd take breaks to discuss the material presented which often segued into other conversations about technology, marketing and how to use your voice.

During one of these instances, the question of "Should I invest in an ISDN line or Source-Connect" came up, one that is being asked quite a bit more these days with the new (and less expensive) technology on the market.

It was conversations like these with banter or "talking shop" that really helped to unite our band of guests and believe me, we could have talked all day! I'm sure you've experienced similar things if you have visited with a group of people with like interests in the same field.

One aspect of Julie's CD was about promotion and production of voice over demos. Everyone found these insights very useful and also appreciated the "Coloring Words" segment to help them really give life to the copy that they read.

Toward the end of the workshop, we drew for a prize pack courtesy of Julie for her "How to Make Money in Voice-Overs Even if You Don't Live in New York or L.A.". Bob Purssglove was the fortunate recipient and was able to thank Julie personally on the phone when we dialed in to speak with her around 3 p.m. It was lunch time where Julie was in California, and although she was very busy, was able to chat and answer any and all questions that people had about the techniques and marketing ideas discussed on the CD.

One of the greatest takeaways (aside from a reviewers copy of the CD and chocolates!) for everyone there was the new sense of community that they now felt within their own locale. It was fun for us too as we got to put faces to the voices and really get to "talk" to our customers in person and one on one.

I took a brief survey following the review and by all accounts there is quite a demand for more of these review parties and or events!

That's great news as there is nothing that we love more than connecting with you and being part of the voice over community.

I want to publicly acknowledge my team members, Carol, Erica and Laurynda for helping out and making this event truly memorable for everyone in attendance. I also want to thank David preparing all the goody bags, picking out awesome colors for the helium balloons and ensuring that the workshop ran smoothly from a technical perspective.

Of course, we are indebted to Julie Williams, one of the most genuine and kindhearted people in voice over. Without Julie's desire to host a workshop, send free CDs, a prize pack and her token voice-over chocolates, this event would not have been possible.

For those of you who couldn't make it, there will be similar events in the future, not to worry! We can easily put on events like this here in London and are also open to traveling a bit to reach more of you who are unable to attend at our headquarters here in the 519.

Any requests for a Voices.com workshop in your city?

Add a comment and leave the location you'd like to see a Voices.com workshop hosted in. Maybe we'll make it out to your neck of the woods!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

What's coming up this Summer at Voices.com?

Here's a preview of what you can expect from the team to improve your experience and make Voices.com even more fun to use.

Usability

• Scripts attached to job postings
• Private Leads created directly from your Voices.com website
• Previous & Next links make navigating the Leads at Voices.com much easier
• Print This Page is now formatted specifically for printers, with no graphics, large clear fonts while still including and all the relevant details for each job posting.

Feedback Ratings & Reviews

We’ve updated the Feedback system so that only those people who've hired you can rate you.

What are the benefits of a feedback system based solely upon financial transactions?

• All ratings and reviews are associated with a business transaction between a voice actor and a client who worked together at Voices.com
• Recognizes people who work professionally and consistently
• Quickly identifies voice actors who are hired frequently for their talent and abilities
• Acknowledges that work is procured and completed at Voices.com
• Signifies the professionalism of a voice actor and dedication to pursuing their craft online

We will only be including transactions processed through SurePay in this metric because those are truly the only transactions that we can track and espouse as work that we have concrete proof of that has been completed at Voices.com.

Recently Hired to replace Top Rated

To coincide with the much-improved Feedback system, we’ll be showcasing those voice talent who have recently completed work at Voices.com on the home page under the new Recently Hired list.

How will the Recently Hired list work?

Each time a job is awarded to a voice talent through Voices.com, a transaction ID is created. When the work is done, the client clicks “Yes, I Accept” to signify their satisfaction. This action will place the talents name on the top of the “Recently Hired” list.

It should be noted that each talent’s name can only appear once, however you’ll get ‘bumped’ to the top of the list with each new job you complete.

Why have a Recently Hired list?

First of all, we want to recognize and celebrate your successes. It’s our way of giving you a public ‘congratulations’ for a job well done.

Secondly, the Recently Hired list will keep us accountable for ensuring that jobs posted a Voices.com get completed by Voices.com members. We measure our success by your success.

All right, let’s move onto more exciting developments.

Security

Voices.com is bank-level secure. We use the industry standard Versign 128-bit SSL certificate to encrypt the storage and transmission of data on our servers.

You’ll notice one improvement in particular is the installation of an SSL certificate. Without getting too technical, SSL certificates encrypt sensitive information on our servers, as well as the transmission of data such as passwords, account information and credit card information.

Voices.com is the only voice-over website to offer this level of security.

Education

Voice Actor's Resources List sums up all the resources available to you.

Here are just a few that you can take advantage of!

Voice Over Experts podcast

The #1 educational podcast featuring renowned voice over coaches from US, Canada and abroad. Join us each week for pearls of wisdom and tricks of the trade to improve your voice over career. This show is produced weekly. Listen to this podcast if you are: A voice actor, actor, public speaker, voice over coach, student, producer, instructor, voice talent agent, or a casting director.

Webinars

Blueprint to Voice Acting Success
• Discover how to maximize your voice talent account and learn how to attract clients to your Voices.com website as well as audition tips and more.
• Participate in the next webinar if you are: A voice actor, voice talent, member of Voices.com.
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David, Stephanie, Laurynda, Carol and Erica
The Voices.com Team

Can you tell if it's not an Aussie?

Tim Stackpool was kind to share some information on the Australian English dialect as well as some humourous video clips from YouTube.com that demonstrates what happens when a native speaker is not hired for the job!

Learn a whole bunch of interesting facts and watch some funny videos courtesy of Tim Stackpool, Australian voice talent.

A few months ago, I was in touch with Tim Stackpool, a voice talent living in Australia, chatting about what makes the Australian English dialect different from other accented English dialects.

This is what he shared with me:

The Australian Accent.

As with most countries in the world, there is no single form of the Australian Accent. In basic terms, academics who study language recognize three main types of the Aussie accent, being Broad, General and Cultivated.

An example of the broad accent would be that spoken by the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. The population that live in rural Australian often speak with an extreme version of this Broad accent, characterized by very little opening of the mouth when speaking.

This is colloquially described as “not letting the flies in”.

Movie star Paul Hogan could originally be described at having a broad accent, although his exposure to other international accents has now turned his regular speaking voice towards being General. Due to the obvious characterization of the Broad accent, it is the one most likely to be mimicked by non-Australian actors attempting the accent. It’s derived from cockney English, transported to Australia with convicts from the late 1700’s, but little of the cockney twang remains today.

The General Accent is the most easy to understand, but can be the most difficult to master.

Of all non-Australian actors, those from New Zealand and surprisingly South Africa appear to master this accent the best. Spoken mainly in cities (with variations across the country) it often includes affectations from other countries, due to the high level of cultural assimilation in Australian cities. Of the variation between capital cities, most surround the emphasis on syllables and vowels. For example, the town ”Newcastle” could be pronounced either as “New-Carrs-ell” or “New-Cass-ell” depending on the speaker’s native town. The General accent is also commonly used by TV and radio journalists.

The Cultured accent can easily be mistaken for an educated British accent.

Most Australian’s can achieve this accent by ‘rounding the vowels’ and concentrating on speaking ‘properly’. It’s the native voice of actors such as Geoffrey Rush and Sam Neill, although it is an acquired accent for Sam as he originally hails from New Zealand. Many Australian actors find work in the UK using this accent to play native British speakers. This Aussie author has been mistaken for a Brit in the UK itself when using this accent.

It’s difficult to phonetically describe or teach the Australian accent without one-on-one tuition and exercises.

The teacher needs to identify the underlying accent of the non-speaker and then tailor a phonetic guide specifically for the student. This is not required in all cases of course, as some actors do have a ‘knack’ for accents. Listening, repetition, recording and listening again is another way of mastering the accent. This is the next best thing to immersion, which would require the actor to live among the native speakers for a longer period of time.

Speakers from North America usually nail the Aussie accent after taking the journey via a New Zealand accent. The New Zealand accent is similar, but with some significant vowel alterations, which an Australian can spot a mile off.

As a brief example, a New Zealander would say “thes” instead of “this” and “eccent” instead of “accent”.

Generally, only Australians will identify a phony Australian accent. Non-Australian speakers can usually be convinced of the accent, unless they have spent some time Down Under. Your best Steve Irwin impersonation might work in most territories around the world, but for any Australian or New Zealand market work, a native speaker is a must.

A recent popular TV campaign in Australia for orange juice made a point of this.

Ronn Moss from the Bold and the Beautiful is seen in the commercial dressed as a traditional Aussie horseman, touting the worst Australian accent ever.

The tag on the commercial says “You can tell when it’s not Aussie”. You can see the commercial here and learn more about what Ronn Moss thinks of his accent here.

Here are the two videos if you'd prefer to watch them here on VOX Daily:

You Can Tell When It's Not an Aussie

David Tench Show

Of course, using the Internet, a native Australian voice has never been easier to source. Many Australian voice-artists do significant International work at 24 hours notice from their own home studio.

Now, that ‘fair-dinkum’ Aussie voice for your kangaroo steak restaurant commercial is now dead-simple to source, mate.

Tim Stackpool
TimStackpool.com

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Der Sprecher, also known as Christian Büsen about his mother tongue, German.

Curious to know more?

Gain an interesting perspective on what makes working in voice over different in Deutscheland in comparison to North America and other European countries at VOX Daily.

Stephanie: What role on the world stage does German play in the world of voice over? Is your language in demand in places other than where you are from?

Christian: What an interesting question. I had to consult Wikipedia to discover that German is spoken in Namibia for example. German is one of 3 languages in Belgium, is spoken in Switzerland, Austria, parts of France, Luxembourg, Italy, and in Germany :-)

There are German speaking minorities in many countries - partly because of emigration during World War II. There are about 100 Million native speakers worldwide. The German language plays a big role in the world of voice over, as Germany is an export nation and has economic relationships with many countries.

Stephanie: What makes the German language special?

Christian: Some people say, German sounds a bit harsh. It can, as there are more hard consonants compared to Italian or French. But the variety (about 300.000 to 500.000 words) and the rhythm, supported by these consonants of the language are unique. The culture of German language is immense, and many famous writers are to be found in Germany. If you listen to a poem written by Rainer Maria Rilke, you will find it sounds like music.

Stephanie: What is the North American market like for your language or dialect. Have you found much success with North American clients? What kind of jobs are you most hired for by North American companies?

Christian: I work a lot for North American clients. When starting my business, I never thought that it could become that much. I first did my marketing in Germany only and was quite astonished what happened when I submitted in international voiceover marketplaces. Most of the jobs are corporate videos for companies who act worldwide. Seldom a radio play where English with German accent is required e.g. is among the jobs.

Stephanie: When you invoice a client who is not from your native land, what currency do you quote in?

Christian: Sometimes in EURO, sometimes in USD. I always use the Yahoo! Currency Converter. As North Americans mostly pay with PayPal via credit card, I have to pay 4 percent of each transaction.

Stephanie: Do you enjoy greater success marketing your voice online or offline to clients? What are the major differences where your efforts are concerned?

Christian: Definitely online. In the beginning I sent CDs to the customers, now this is done even in Germany by internet. My homepage http://www.dersprecher.com is the source for clients from Germany, the talent databases are important for International business. But I also like to go to a studio and work together with other people.

This is the disadvantage of all the online business:

You may have a nice email conversation with you clients, but you have never met and talked about your children or grandma or pet while drinking a cup of coffee during a break. There are too many clients that I don't even get to talk with on the phone and have no impression of their voice, look, behaviour or who they really are. On the other hand it is exciting for me to work with people from other cultures and I try to imagine how their working situations are.

Stephanie: How would you describe your experience finding work online?

Christian: I couldn't do my work without it. I don't have any agent (except myself :-) ) and really enjoy doing all the promotional work by myself. Some people help with SEO questions. A few weeks ago I started an English version of my website because of the growing International demand. I don't really have to knock on doors anymore. My online presence works by itself and I have many returning clients. New German clients find my website due to a good ranking in Search engines (that was hard and tedious work) while International clients find my site by Google (German voice talent) or via marketplaces.

Stephanie: Do you have the ability to speak more than one language? If so, is this a great advantage for you?

Christian: Well, some English, which is absolutely essential for all International communication. Once I worked for a studio in Bombay, and this guy phoned me a lot and talked about details of the project. The English accent was hard for me, in fact I didn't understand a word and he didn't understand me either. But it was fun and somehow the project was finished with flying colours.

Stephanie: Are you ever asked to mimic styles of English recordings by International clients?

Christian: Yes, I often get a link to the American recording as a reference.

This is funny: The VO style in France or USA is very different. The German audience is more used to understatement and the foreign VO style would be rated as overdone by the German listener if I were to copy the style. I always talk to the client about that and try to find a balance between the original and my recording. By the way, I always upload a linear voice recording and one with a multiband compression to my server, so the client can choose what he likes more.

Stephanie: How does the voice over business differ in Germany when compared to North America from the perspective of a voice talent?

Christian: The VO market in USA is much bigger. So many books about making money with your voice... we don't have that in Germany. Talking to and cooperating with International voice talents is something I enjoy very much. By the way, the only male German native speaker I work together with from time to time is based in the States.

Stephanie: That's very interesting! While we're on the subject, what is the difference between a native speaker of your language and someone who is a descendant of a native speaker living abroad?

Christian: I can't really judge about this. I am sure the dialect will change with the time. I only moved from Northern to South Germany and when speaking privately, the melody of sentences became different (and some words also). I can only say, that even in Germany the dialects are very different. If you bring two Germans together from different areas who speak a dialect only (which may happen in the countryside) they won't be able to communicate.

One example: "It is all because of the boy" in standard German would be "Das ist alles wegen dem Jungen" and in the Swabian dialect it is: Des isch ois wäggn däm kloa and "Dat is wengdem Lütten" where I was born. As you can see, they are totally different words.

Stephanie: How do you market yourself to North Americans? What do you have to give them as a native speaker of your language that no one else can?

Christian: Longer formats as corporate videos, educational texts or audio books are the field where I feel comfortable. Many of the texts have a commercial character, but I very rarely do radio commercials. To stress the right words for me is the base for understanding the text. If I don´t get the context, I ask the client. Also I can offer an absolutely dialect free German, as I studied speech communication at the State University of Performing Arts Stuttgart, where we were trained well in phonetics. Often I get translations that are very bad. In this case I talk to the client to find a better solution. This makes me aware of the fact that German is a very sensitive language. One word, which might not even be wrong, can change the whole meaning. The projects where I am in good contact with the client to get the best solution are also much more satisfying for me as a voice talent.

Learn more about Christian Büsen by visiting his websites:

Christian Büsen German Native Voice
Christian Büsen

Does globalisation play a role in the spread of languages?

Both Doris Lauerwald and Armin Hierstetter of Germany can see the connection.

From the land of Neumann microphones and Black Forest Cake, learn about the impact globalisation is having on this glottal and very distinct Germanic language of German.

Germany, known for The Brothers Grimm, storybook castles, chocolate, Bach, Beethoven and the Boys, and the Rhine is one of our focal points this week as we learn more about the languages spoken in the global marketplace and the native speakers who give companies a voice through various applications using audio.

When chatting with German voice talents Doris Lauerwald and Armin Hierstetter this week, I learned a great deal about just how global the voice over marketplace is and how profound a recording can be to help bridge relationships and strengthen ties between nations and corporations.

Doris remarked, "I think in terms of globalisation every language plays it's own special role. Germany, for example, is well known for different products, and as we're being interviewed on a blog that reflects the voice business: Who doesn't know Neumann Microphones? ;-)"

Along the vein of International relations, Armin offered, "Surprisingly, I get about as many job offers from outside Germany as from German based companies. It's mainly foreign businesses that need presentations for potential partners and clients in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and International Enterprises that have training videos, for example, that they produce for their staff all over the world, including Germany, of course. Recently, I recorded a documentary for the Ministry of a state in India that wanted to strengthen their efforts with a German speaking country."

When it comes to learning the German language, it is a tad more difficult to learn than a Romance language, as is the case with most Germanic languages. English falls into this category too, so you can imagine what it must be like for people coming from other backgrounds to have to learn how to speak a language that we very much take for granted.

Aside from others recognizing that German is a language that one needs to work at, Armin suggested, that even the German say it is difficult. In fact, there is a saying that goes like this:

"Deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache" which means that German is a pretty difficult language. Perhaps that's why there are fewer operas written in German than in Italian, French and Spanish!

The linguistic barrier presented is by far the language's biggest weakness, Armin admits.

There are less people speaking German compared to English and therefore there is less need for German voice overs. One benefit though, and I'm sure he was smiling as he wrote this, is that there's not as much competition. Armin confides, "Just look at the numbers of German voice over talents on Voices.com compared to German websites."

Upon asking the question of how North America treats German voice over talent, Doris identified globalisation as key to the success of voice actors from Germany in the global marketplace.

She answered, "Yes, and again I've to mention globalisation and companies spreading into foreign markets. Many companies are acting and recruiting on an International base, and e-learning projects, for example, are produced in many languages. These provide International voice talents with a lot of work, especially on websites likes Voices.com, as you've found a way to bring talents and talent seekers together - thinking globally and acting locally."

Armin, concurring, shared that the bulk of the work for International voice over talents is in business presentations targeted at potential new clients in North America and of course training videos. Sometimes, there are English commercials that allow for an International accent which Armin quotes for from time to time. As German and English are very close to each other in both root and form, it's definitely a benefit for a German voice over talent to be able to do voice overs in English as well.

That being said, like most native speakers of a language, Doris Lauerwald confirms that there's a large difference in the pronunciation of words and how they are interpreted.

"I sometimes hear productions with non-native German voice talents, and from my experiences with German clients and customers I can say, that nobody is willing to listen to a non-native speaker for too long when it comes to serious business presentations or e-learning. It is strenuous to hear the talent 'trying to sound native' to native German ears. Sorry to say, but I think we all should do what we are educated for. I think it might be strenuous to American talents to read my English scripts after a while ;-) That's why don't sell myself as a native American talent either."

Armin concurs, referring to those born of native speakers abroad, "Compared to a native speaker and a non native speaker, the descendant would probably end up somewhere in the middle. Some jobs actually ask for an audible colour of that kind but it's fairly rare. A few weeks ago I was asked to do some quotes for a US documentary about Martin Luther where I had to do the voice over in English but with a German accent. So far, this was a one timer."

The US Dollar is again a favorite for quoting International clients followed thereafter by the Euro for European clients as is to be expected.

While invoicing is one thing, marketing is quite a bird of another feather, whether online or offline.

Doris relates that as an actress and voice talent who started her career as a child, living in the "media-city Unterföhring", a city where many of Germany's largest television stations are located, she has gathered a substantial amount of offline clients over the years, however, the Internet and its possibilities have always fascinated her and Doris sees using the Internet as a good way to gain more contacts and make impressions on the International market.

Armin shared, "In my case clearly online is the winner. That's because I mainly use portals like Voices.com for this purpose. Also, with the demand of quick turn around, it's the most efficient way."

To elaborate, most of Armin's jobs come through portals like Voices.com.

The interesting thing in Armin's opinion is that to the best of his knowledge, there are no voice over portals like Voices.com in Germany with a focus on German voice over talents. He acknowledges that there are many studios that have their own talents of choice who are listed free of charge, but he feels these appeal to top shelf clients coming through agencies, producers and so on. The good thing about portals like Voices.com and others of this kind is that these attract a wider range of voice seekers.

Both Armin and Doris have the ability to speak languages in addition to German.

Doris is able to record in English with a slight accent. In Germany, she is the corporate voice of several different telecommunication providers who regularly hire Doris to record for their on-hold and phone greetings, IVR and advertising in native German and English with a slight accent. She has also done some Spanish language courses, able to speak very basic Spanish.

Armin's English skills are pretty much above average and from time to time he does quote for jobs where the client allows for non-native speakers. But then, Armin shares, there are many talents out there with an International accent, so there are fewer jobs where he hits the "jackpot".

When it comes to a little something extra for hiring her specifically, Doris is quick to volunteer her experience and passion as something that differentiates her from other German voice actresses. She loves giving a special note on every project and aims to be authentic in what she is doing. A self-professed "studio nerd", Doris loves delivering pristine sound. Her professional recording studio consists of a soundproof sound booth, Neumann U87 microphone among other state-of-the-art technologies.

"I receive positive feedback about my recording quality from around the globe very often - and I love to work with talents that provide high quality recordings myself when I'm hiring them as a producer."

Last but not least, Doris' clients appreciate her versatility. Many clients love to get the whole "package" and need Doris' voiceover services as well as her audio production services, even songwriting skills, session singing and royalty-free music - they love getting the package from one person.

Armin says, aside from his voice that makes him unique, it's his "Singing and composition makes me stand out a bit. Well, at least that's what I thought ... ;) But hey, I just started about two years ago. There is still plenty to learn."

To discover more about Doris Lauerwald and Armin Hierstetter, visit their websites:

Doris Lauerwald
Doris Lauerwald

Armin Hierstetter

Mother Russia... Opulence... Rasputin...

What do you think of when you hear a Russian accent or the Russian language?

Find out more about this beautiful language in our interview with Natasha Votyakova, native Russian voice talent.

When you think of Russia, images are evoked of caviar, furs, books by Tolstoy, Faberge Eggs, tennis player Anna Kournikova, the Romanov Dynasty, and Doctor Zhivago.

While chatting with Russian voice talent Natasha Votyakova, Natasha pointed out not only is Russian culture and history a part of mainstream knowledge, the Russian language is also very widely spread across the world.

According to Natasha, who happens to speak both Russian and Ukrainian, there are Russian and Ukrainian diasporas in Canada, the US, Israel, and Australia to name just four. This further implies that the Russian language is quite popular with International clients from those countries as well as other nations.

In particular, Natasha has found that the numerous jobs she has voiced for North American clients vary quite a bit, including voice work for telephone IVRs, broadcast television and radio commercials, to corporate presentations and educational recordings.

Again, the US Dollar comes out as the currency of choice when billing clients outside of Russia. I wonder if this is the case with all freelance artists globally?

Natasha also shared that her efforts to find work online are amplified by her presence at Voices.com and manages her own network of contacts around the world.

By using a neutral accent, Natasha is able to provide clear voice overs that can be used anywhere in the world where Russian or Ukrainian is required. There is a vast difference between native speakers and those who pick the language up in other ways, noted mostly in the heaviness of the accent.

To learn more about Natasha Votyakova, visit her website:

Natasha Votyakova

If you are seeing patterns here, you're not alone!

So far, nearly every voice talent featured on the blog this week has agreed upon these five things:

1. Always bill in US Dollars when working with clients outside of your homeland
2. Having a neutral accent is far better than a regional dialect to be hired more universally
3. It is very important for clients to hire native speakers for jobs in foreign languages
4. Marketing efforts are rewarded more so online than through offline efforts
5. The majority of International voice talents do not have US talent agency representation

Next up, we have a feature on German voice talents, so stay glued (or subscribed) to VOX Daily!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

What's the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin?

As a talent represented by an agency, Liow Shi Suen has a different story to tell than many we've heard this week.

Learn about how Liow Shi Suen acquires Cantonese voice over work and the role her agent plays securing it.

In our previous article, we talked about the prevalent role of Mandarin Chinese in business and the booming Chinese economy.

To take a look at the other side of the coin, I've invited Liow Shi Suen, a Cantonese voice talent, to share her thoughts and feelings regarding her native dialect Cantonese, a derivative of Canton.

Stephanie: What role on the world stage does the language you speak play in the world of voice over? Is your language in demand in places other than where you are from?

Liow Shi Suen: I am master of one language and one dialect. English having become the lingua franca of the universe, the call for Cantonese in the global market is small. There is however “quite a large” population of Cantonese speakers, ranging from Guangzhou (formerly Canton) through Malaysia, Singapore and in Chinatowns throughout the world. The Chinese would prefer to speak their own dialect wherever they are.

Some say Cantonese is a ‘money dialect’ , because in Asia or I should say in any part of the world, as long as there are Chinese, most of them love to watch Hong Kong TV programmes. Therefore Cantonese, a lively dialect, still comes out with many new terms for the entertainment and business worlds, which even influences the Mandarin vocabulary, not to mention the dialect also affects people’s daily life. Mandarin, however, plays a main role as there are at least 1.3 billion of people feel comfortable in listening to it.

Stephanie: What makes the Cantonese unique?

Liow Shi Suen: As with all language ours is particular to our native land, our upbringing and ancestry. For a Cantonese speaker, there is no way to get our thoughts across better than in the language of our race.

Stephanie: What is the North American market like for your language or dialect? Have you found much success with North American clients? What kind of jobs are you most hired for by North American companies?

Liow Shi Suen: I operate in the S.E.Asian market, as such have little to do with North America. Should I be asked to do a recoding for a client there, I will go to my agent Speakeasy Singapore, who will make all the necessary arrangements for the recording.

Stephanie: When you invoice a client who is not from your native land, what currency do you quote in?

Liow Shi Suen: Usually the currency of their country, depending on the exchange rate and the strength of their unit.

Stephanie: Do you enjoy greater success marketing your voice online or offline to clients? What are the major differences where your efforts are concerned?

Liow Shi Suen: Marketing my voice is in the hands of my agent, who market me both online and offline. Online seems to bring more enquiries than actual work. The agency gets better success from direct contact.

Stephanie: How would you describe your experience finding work online?

Liow Shi Suen: Irregular would best describe it, Cantonese as mentioned not being in great demand here.

Stephanie: Do you have the ability to speak more than one language? If so, is this a great advantage for you?

Liow Shi Suen: I speak Mandarin and Cantonese, which obviously doubles my chances.

Stephanie: Do you have a North American agent? If so, how much work do you receive through their efforts?

Liow Shi Suen: I have no agent in North America. Should one contact me here, I would be happy to deal with them.

Stephanie: What is the difference between a native speaker of your language and someone who is a descendant of a native speaker living abroad?

Liow Shi Suen: Their accent would be the primary difference. Being a native speaker living in my homeland I am in constant contact with the language, use it on a daily basis and remain fluent. Someone living abroad cannot help but absorb some of the tonal characteristics of the land in which they reside.

Stephanie: Well noted. Sometimes when people move or pass their mother tongue onto their children after they have emigrated, it may not be exactly the same or in tune with what is going on where they originally came from dialect wise. How important is it that a native speaker is hired for a job as opposed to someone who grew up in a bilingual home in North America speaking a mixture English and your native language?

Liow Shi Suen: One would think it should be very important, but if someone’s voice is selected, one hopes it will pass through the appropriate vetting prior to being selected. If a native is living in a bilingual home it by no means indicates inability to speak the language correctly. Constant use of the language is very important. Likewise, a North American for instance, speaking Cantonese would most of the time be identified as not being Cantonese. This being due to physiognomy as well as tonality.

Stephanie: How do you market yourself to North Americans? What do you have to give them as a native speaker of your language that no one else can?

Liow Shi Suen: As mentioned I have no actual marketing in North America. And as a native speaker, I give native delivery .i.e. no reason for client concern.

To learn more about Liow Shi Suen, visit her website:

Liow Shi Suen Cantonese Voice Talent

Which language is about to make a major impact on how business is done?

If you've been hiding under a rock and have just emerged, it's Chinese!

找到中国声音演员, 播音员, 解说员在 Voices.com

(Updated with Wuzhi Lu interview on January 22, 2009)

China Rising is the name of a documentary released within the last couple of years, indicating that China, in both trade and voice, is becoming a super power on the world stage, a power that will have the attention of the entire world thrust upon them as they host the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

China, while an economic power, is also a linguistic power with millions of people around the world learning how to speak Mandarin and Cantonese in order to keep up with the fast paced growth being experienced overseas and in International trade.

Mandarin is quickly becoming the language of business and any businessperson who learns how to speak it is at an advantage to be certain.

As the role of the Chinese language, spoken by billions, becomes more prominent cross the ocean and more Chinese citizens emigrate to North America, the need for Chinese language skills and Chinese voice over will increase significantly.

Here's an interview with Wuzhi Lu, a native speaker of Mandarin.

VOX: Thanks for joining me here, Wuzhi. I was wondering, where were you born and is your language (dialect) in demand in places other than where you are from?

WUZHI LU: Hi Stephanie, it is nice to be here. I was born in Harbin, China, and I am a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese.  Mandarin Chinese is the number one language in the world in terms of the number of people who are native speakers. Chinese is in high demand by companies worldwide who are eager to break into the China/Chinese market as well as market to immigrants and/or Chinese speakers born outside Asia. There are over 1.3 billion potential consumers in China alone. I regularly record projects for clients in six out of the seven continents, so I would say, yes, it is very much in demand.

VOX: What makes your dialect of Chinese unique? Can you speak in more than one dialect fluently?

WUZHI: For voiceovers, there are two main dialects of Chinese a typical client would need, Mandarin and Cantonese.  By far, Mandarin is spoken by more people and is used to target China, Taiwan, Singapore, and some other parts of S.E. Asia as well as all overseas Mandarin markets.

What makes my Mandarin unique is that I am "1A certified" which is the highest level of accent-free Mandarin possible. I am an award-winning National TV broadcaster and in order to be hired for National TV, an accent-free certification is required. Accent-free Mandarin ensures that all words are pronounced properly and that all Mandarin speakers understand it. Accent-free Mandarin only comes from professional training. All National TV and radio stations in China, Taiwan, Singapore and other Mandarin speaking countries will only use certified accent-free Mandarin speakers. I am purely accent-free and do not speak any other dialects. Speaking in dialects/accents will affect the level of quality in accent-free Mandarin.

VOX: What is the North American market like for your language or dialect? Have you found much success with North American clients? What kind of jobs are you most hired for by North American companies?

WUZHI: Chinese is in great demand in North America and I have been fortunate to have a long and fruitful career with here and abroad. I have been hired for all types of projects from TV and radio commercials and corporate videos to phone systems, feature films, cartoon characters and much more. Two highlights of my voice career were recording in the world-renowned Carnegie Hall and also having my voice featured in a TV spot on one of the big screens in Times Square in NYC.

VOX: When you invoice a client who is not from your native land, what currency do you quote in?

WUZHI: The currencies I typically quote and invoice in are US dollars and Euros.  It will depend on the client, project and if one is weak at the time of quoting.

VOX: Do you enjoy greater success marketing your voice online or offline to clients? What are the major differences where your efforts are concerned?
 
WUZHI: I have found great success in both online and offline marketing.  I have the advantage of being based in both the U.S. and China. This means I can easily travel to major markets on the East Coast like Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC and am willing to travel to not-so-close recording locations. In addition, I record in a broadcast quality studio in both countries for clients that do not require on-site recordings.

Major differences between the two marketing strategies are the cost of marketing, number of people the marketing can reach and the speed in which responses and bookings are received.

VOX: How would you describe your experience finding work online?

WUZHI: I have had good experience finding work online. It is easy to connect with clients from any country in the world. Voice recording and audio and video production is my full-time career now and bookings from online are one key to my success.

VOX: Do you have a North American agent? If so, how much work do you receive through their efforts?

WUZHI: A North American agent is one of my avenues of booking jobs, but word of mouth and repeat clients are by far my greatest blessings.

VOX: What is the difference between a native speaker of your language and someone who is a descendant of a native speaker living abroad?

WUZHI: As with most languages, a descendant of a native speaker living abroad often is not immersed in the language enough to become truly a native speaker. Also, once people leave their native country, the languages often change and morph into a dialect mixed with languages of the people in the new place. Like English, the language is always evolving and new words and phrases are added all the time. I split my time between the US and China, because I feel it is crucial to spend time immersed in China to keep up my high degree of accent-free Mandarin as well as keep up with the evolving language. This better serves my clients.

VOX: How important is it that a native speaker is hired for a job as opposed to someone who grew up in a bilingual home in North America speaking a mixture of English and your native language?

WUZHI: For many years, companies in North America and around the world have been in a race to grab the Chinese market, so Chinese is a highly sought after language.  Often companies will hire untrained and accented native speakers and even non-native speakers, in hopes of distributing their company information.  To the native Chinese, such a company is judged as unprofessional and lacking awareness and cultural sensitivity.

For Chinese native speakers from Asia it is easy to tell if a person was born overseas or has lived overseas for sometime with little or no visits back home. It is also easy to tell where someone is born by the 'accent' they speak. From what I am told this is similar in many languages.  In addition to their 'funny accent' and mispronunciations or incorrect use of words, overseas Chinese often cannot keep up with the changing words and lingo that develops quite rapidly these days.

VOX: How do you market yourself to North Americans? What do you have to give them as a native speaker of your language that no one else can?

WUZHI: I feel the best way to market myself is to educate the clients. Recording with a fluent Chinese speaker is not enough. To give a company the best professional image possible, it is crucial to record with a trained accent-free Mandarin voice person. For voiceovers, you do not want a voice person's 'dialect or accent' to get in the way of the message.

What I can also give to my clients is 17 years of experience in voiceovers, broadcasting and translation. Most recently, it was a great honor to provide services during the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing. I also hold degrees in both broadcasting and journalism.

~~

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Ever wondered who that voice on the Air Canada Jazz flights in French is?

Why, it's French Canadian native speaker André Clermont of Quebec of course!

Learn more about André Clermont, professional voice over talent specializing in both Canadian English and Québécois French.

Stephanie: What role on the world stage does the language you speak play in the world of voice over? Is your language in demand in places other than where you are from?

André: French is the 11th language in the world and is spoken in more than 60 countries by 79,572,000 native speakers according to The Summer Institute for Linguistics (SIL) Ethnologue Survey (1999). Also, the International Organization of Francophonie has 51 member states and governments. Of these, 28 countries have French as an official language. French is the only language other than English spoken on five continents. French and English are the only two global languages.

French, along with English, is the official working language of:

• The United Nations
• UNESCO
• NATO
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
• The International Labor Bureau
• The International Olympic Committee
• The 31-member Council of Europe
• The European Community
• The Universal Postal Union
• The International Red Cross
• Union of International Associations (UIA)

French is the dominant working language at:

• The European Court of Justice
• The European Tribunal of First Instance
• The European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg
• The Press Room at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium

With these figures, it is easy to realize the potential of speaking this language!

Stephanie: What makes French a special language?

André: French has always been associated with love, culture, arts, fashion and bien sûr! haute-cuisine. It is always a sign of refined and educated tastes.

Stephanie: Do clients look favorably upon your language skills here in North America?

André: Actually, I have not really invested time or efforts in my quest to get contracts YET! But again, French is in demand in any big company such as Coca-Cola, IBM, any airline etc. I will keep you posted with my results.

Stephanie: How do you market your voice?

André: Well I was able to get my first contract with Air Canada Jazz and I was not even online with Voices.com. It was through a “talent show” within the company where we had to perform a series of interviews over the phone. From there with Voices.com, I am sure that it will be easier to get contracts.

Stephanie: Do you have the ability to speak more than one language? If so, is this a great advantage for you?

André: I do speak English as most people do. I do not really think that it is an advantage unless someone is looking for a French speaking man with an accent. But we never know!

Stephanie: What is the difference between a native speaker of your language and someone who is a descendant of a native speaker living abroad?

André: Living in Quebec City, I usually speak more like a Québécois with my friends and relatives. However, I can adapt my level of language to accommodate any French speaking individual. In fact, when working, I speak the international French, like the one seen on TV like Radio-Canada. So It all depends! There is a wide variety of accents in any language. The English spoken in New York is not the same as in Texas or England. The same applies to French. So depending on what "color" the client is looking for, one cannot say that a native speaker is better than another person with a different accent.

Stephanie: What do you have to give them as a native speaker of your language that no one else can?

André: The fact that my voice has already been playing on Air Canada Jazz planes operating more than 800 flights a day and carrying 800 million passengers a year is a GREAT business card and demo! Also, I would have to say that my accent, being international, could be used anywhere from AT&T to American Airlines! The fact that it is neither French from France nor Québécois makes it best of both worlds or should I say all worlds! I really have this clear kind of French pronunciation which makes it easier for people to hear and understand each word.

To learn more about André Clermont, visit his website:

André Clermont French Voice Talent

As we continue our lingual tour around the world and learn about some of the Romance languages, French would be the obvious choice to detail next, non?

But of course, ou, mais naturellement!

Joignez-nous comme nous entendons des acteurs de voix, annonceurs, voix de bas de page de film, narrateurs, et beaucoup plus français chez VOX quotidien, votre source pour des nouvelles temporaires de voix.

When you think of the French or French as a language, images of elegance, couture, Amelie and Ratatouille (!) may pop into your head.

French is not only the language of love, it's also a very useful and universal language that has found its way into many lands, whether through conquest or substantial settling by French immigrants and émigré to the New World as is the case with speakers in North America representing French Canadians, Acadians, and Cajuns.

The American state of Louisiana was originally named by the explorer La Salle for Louis XIV, the Sun King himself, after all.

Today, we're privileged to share some interesting facts about the French language with you courtesy of French voice over talent Liz de Nesnera of the US and Andre Clermont, featured in the article following this one, of Canada.

When speaking with Liz de Nesnera about the role of French in the voice over marketplace, I was amazed by the sheer number of countries that have adopted the French language as their primary or secondary national language.

Liz revealed that besides being spoke in France and Canada, French is also spoken in Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Monaco, as well as many African countries including Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal with many others to numerous to name here. She concluded that given the number of French speakers world-wide, the opportunities for Voice-Over are growing abundantly.

Liz, although a native French speaker, was born and raised in New York City to European parents. At the de Nesnera home, European French was spoken to preserve their heritage and she was not allowed to speak English in her home. The linguistic life of Liz was nurtured further academically through her attendance at a French high school called the Lycée Français de New York in New York City, Fordham University in the Bronx and the Institut d'Etude Politiques de Paris in Paris, France.

Unique aspects that Liz pointed out about French are that it's a beautiful language that is still spoken around the world and is also evolving.

Liz remarked "Whenever I go back to France, I'm amazed at how the language has grown and changed. Words are created and change meaning much faster it seems in French than in many other languages. It's this fluidity that I think makes it wonderful!"

As we had mentioned before in our Spanish articles, there are a few languages that round out the top spoken languages in the US. French happens to be one of them.

Liz said that French is becoming the "third language" after English and Spanish and that she has seen a definite increase in the amount of jobs requesting French as the language of choice, including more complex options for corporate telephony (IVR or Message on Hold) or narrations geared toward French speakers.

French has always been a major market as far as voice over goes with Canada being an officially bilingual country, speaking both English and French. Liz has personally witnessed an increase in the number of bilingual jobs, asking for both English and French for any given project.

Bearing that in mind, Canada has proved to be a boon for Liz's particular language skill sets. As a speaker of a "neutral" form of French, that is to say that she has no discernible accent in either English of French, Canadian companies have hired Liz to record bi-lingual English/French jobs for them. It gives the companies a continuity in their "sound" to have the same voice in both English and French without having to compromise and not have native speakers in one of those recordings.

Recently for an American client, Liz voiced an English job for a French company that had French words peppered throughout, and the client was really pleased that she could pronounce the French words correctly while voicing the English narration without an accent. The result? The client was particularly pleased with how smoothly everything flowed.

As mentioned earlier, Liz was born an American to European parents who moved to the US from France. I asked Liz how important it was that a speaker be native, what it means to be a native speaker, her own upbringing in mind as an example.

"The first thing is that you have to look at is HOW the person was taught the language from a young age. As a personal example, even though I was brought up in the US, I was not ALLOWED to speak English at home. French was my first language, and it was the family language. Once you walked in the door of our house, French was what you spoke.

So if a child was brought up speaking that language correctly, and did NOT, as you said, "speak a mixture of English and the native language" then that language can remain pure. If the person maintained connections with the "mother-land" (I have close family in France), if the child was taught to read and write in that language (I attended French speaking schools) and maintained a cultural connection, then I believe that in terms of VO, the person taught to speak the language outside of their "Native" land can provide just as correct a read as a "mother-land-based" talent.

By the way, the official speech-pathology definition of a "native" language is the language that you spoke at home as a child. As opposed to the "primary" language that you speak on a daily basis now. Yes, the tone may be a bit different, but depending on the market, that tone or lack there of, may be just what the client is looking for."

To go a bit further with the topic of native speaking, in the US there is "Broadcast English." It's a neutral form of the American English dialect. Anyone who wants to be a voice talent on the US market, must be able to voice in that particular style. Whether they are from California, Texas, North Carolina, Maine or New York, the US market prefers Broadcast English.

THAT SAID: If a client is looking for a very specific dialect, that's fine, too. A Texas accent might work for a local radio commercial running in Dallas, but it's not desired by the majority of the market.

Liz relates that the same goes for French. "The accent in Paris is not the same as the accent in Marseilles or Quebec or Brussels, Geneva or Algiers. However, having an almost "generic" accent that can allow the client's message to be understood by everyone is, in essence, what we in Voice-Over are here to provide."

When quoting for projects Liz quotes in US Dollars and usually asks for payment via PayPal. As a courtesy, Liz will usually provide an estimate as to what the cost will be in the currency of the country her client resides in.

A handy tool Liz uses is the online Universal Currency Converter which gives them a good idea of the cost. Of course, currencies fluctuate with the markets, so if you are using this as a gauge, be sure to check in daily.

When I asked Liz about her marketing efforts online and off, she has found both methods to bring her success. When marketing offline, the majority of her work comes through referrals via word of mouth. Personal recommendations come from studios, engineers, and even other voice over talent with whom she has worked.

Liz is also a member of several associations: the local Rotary Club in Pompton Lakes, MCA-I and attends networking events whenever she can.

While the "personal touch" works for Liz, she admits to being an Internet Junkie as well, always looking for more voice over opportunities.

The difference between online and offline marketing?

Liz says that you can spot differences in the way that prospective customers are approached. Making a personal connection in important to Liz which bodes well for either form of marketing, stating that both methods can work but you need to find what works best for your personality.

"Marketing is an aspect to this business that many newer voice talents are afraid of... get over it! You need to look at marketing as making connections. Talking to anyone and telling them that you're a voice talent? THAT'S marketing!" Liz commented.

In addition to networking in person and referrals, Liz markets herself through Voices.com, her own website HireLiz.com, and via daily Internet research.

Her bilingual world, while useful professionally as a voice over talent, is also fulfilling and applicable regarding other aspects of Liz's personal life, providing her with another outlook on the world and a wider lens to see through. Consumption of the French news via satellite gives Liz an additional perspective on global affairs and communicating with relatives who live in France is first nature to her. Liz is "eternally grateful" that her parents passed on their native language to her.

Liz de Nesnera offers "Voice Tracks Voiced Right" in English & French!

To learn more about Liz, visit her websites:

Liz de Nesnera
HireLiz.com

As part of this worldly voices week, I'm pleased to present you with this interview I conducted with Jorge Velasco, a Spanish male voice actor based in Bogotá, Colombia.

Meet Jorge Velasco, one of the Spanish voices in your neighborhood at Voices.com!

Stephanie: What role on the world stage does the language you speak play in the world of voice over? Is your language in demand in places other than where you are from?

Jorge: Spanish is the second most spoken language in a number countries and is the official language in more than 20 countries. I understand that the US is the 4th most populated country regarding people of Hispanic heritage with a population of 35 million Hispanics, and by 2010, the US will place 2nd for the highest Hispanic population… so there is a great demand!

Stephanie: What makes the language you speak unique?

Jorge: Spanish is unique mostly because it’s the official language in countries from different continents, but also because the Spanish language has a great variety of accents and dialects. For example, there is European Spanish and Latin American Spanish as well as accents like Argentinean, Mexican, Venezuelan, Chilean, and Cuban or neutral Spanish like the Spanish spoken in Colombia for example.

Stephanie: What is the difference between a native speaker of your language and someone who is a descendant of a native speaker living abroad?

Sometimes when people move or pass their mother tongue onto their children after they have emigrated, it may not be exactly the same or in tune with what is going on where they originally came from dialect wise. How important is it that a native speaker is hired for a job as opposed to someone who grew up in a bilingual home in North America speaking a mixture English and your native language?

Jorge: Even though I’m a US citizen, I have lived most of my life in Colombia (South America), so I consider myself a native Spanish voice talent. I have produced voice over work for North and South America. I’m also a producer and sometimes I hire other Spanish talents. Because of my experience I can conclude that a native Spanish voice talent has a cleaner and neutral Spanish accent, which makes it easier to help the client express their original English idea in a more “Latino” way. We must remember that it’s not only about translation; it’s about sending the message in a way that makes the listener feel that they are being communicated to by someone from the same culture.

Stephanie: How do you market yourself to North Americans? What do you have to give them as a native speaker of your language that no one else can?

Jorge: I think of myself not as a Spanish voice talent, but as a company with an integral service that works practically the same way like it was in North America. The rest is up to your demos. If you are talented, your demos will show it no matter where you are or what language you speak!

Stephanie: What is the North American market like for your language or dialect. Have you found much success with North American clients? What kind of jobs are you most hired for by North American companies?

Jorge: North America’s Hispanic market is huge, and as I said before, it’s growing fast. When I spend enough time looking for jobs with North American clients, I am rewarded. I usually get hired for corporate videos, PBX prompts, e-learning courses, documentaries, and on occasion for local or regional radio / TV spots.

Stephanie: When you invoice a client who is not from your native land, what currency do you quote in?

Jorge: Always in US dollars and via PayPal. However, I give my clients the option to pay by Moneybookers (by the way, it is cheaper than PayPal) or by ACH transfer to my US bank account.

Stephanie: Do you enjoy greater success marketing your voice online or offline to clients? What are the major differences where your efforts are concerned?

Jorge: I know that I must promote my voice offline too because that’s how I get most of my jobs, but I feel that there are more available tools to do it online rather than offline. You just have to learn how to use them. When you promote your services offline, you must knock on several doors before getting jobs. When you do it online, you wear yourself out less by knocking on “virtual doors”, and even better: You can create your own “online doors” so others will come and knock to hire you!

Stephanie: How would you describe your experience finding work online?

Jorge: It’s been a good experience! In fact some colleagues asked me to help them marketing their voices. However, I always tell them that if they sit down and wait for lots of jobs relying solely on their website, they will lose time and money. You have to work hard at online marketing so when you haven't any time to answer leads (like it happens to me sometimes), you can follow up with private leads and quote requests by email. I promote my services through voice over marketplaces, lead services, voice banks, and my own website (which I’m redesigning right now), JorgeVelasco.com or http://www.spanishvoiceovertalent.com. I have some skills in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which I try to apply constantly on my websites. By the way, my site at Voices.com, SpanishVoice.Voices.com gives me good search engine exposure.

Stephanie: Do you have the ability to speak more than one language? If so, is this a great advantage for you?

Jorge: I do speak English with a very slight Hispanic accent. This has helped me to work on several bilingual projects, and sometimes, I provide the client with the additional benefit of English to Spanish translation… more $ :o) If a Spanish Voice Over Talent wants to break into North America’s Hispanic market and be in touch with producers or voice seekers, speaking and writing English will be a must, at least at an intermediate level.

Stephanie: Do you have a North American agent?

Jorge: No, I don’t have a North American Agent right now. If I want to compete with Spanish Voice Talents from North America, I must do it almost as if I live there. That’s why I'll soon have my own ISDN line and Source-Connect offerings. Following that I will look for an agent in the US. That being said, I am accept offers ;)

To learn more about Jorge Velasco, visit his websites:

Jorge Velasco
Jorge Velasco Website

Welcome to the Voices.com Voices of the World Week on VOX Daily!

In today's article, we're featuring anunciadores españoles, agentes de la voz, narradores, talento comercial de la voz, y voces de la historieta; las mejores voces del mundo que hablan Español!

In other words, we'll discover more about the Spanish language, how Spanish voice talent fare in North American markets, the differences between European Spanish (Castilian or Castellano) and Latin American Spanish and much more!

Ensámblenos como damos la bienvenida a nuestros amigos españoles en el diario de la VOZ!

It's no secret that the Spanish market is booming in the United States, particularly the Hispanic market.

After several generations of people from Latin America and South America establishing roots as American citizens in the southern states and the west coast of the US predominantly, the time has come for society to recognize the rich contributions, cultural and otherwise, that our Spanish speaking brothers and sisters have introduced to North Americans, including the beautiful Romance language of Spanish.

To give you a brief history on the two principal dialects of Spanish where we are concerned, the European Spanish comes from Spain and exhibits a different pronunciation altogether from the more familiar Latin American Spanish of soft C's that sound like S's we have come to know through songs like Feliz Navidad and the like.

The Spanish spoken here in North America is by most accounts the most universally spoken because of its effortless glides and genteel delivery not to mention the exposure it has enjoyed in the Americas. This is the gentle Spanish of Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, soap operas from Mexico, and the crooning of singers such as Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.

When I asked Simone Fojgiel, a native Spanish speaker and voice talent member at Voices.com, about the role that Spanish plays on the world stage in the world of voice over, she revealed the following:

"Just consider that Spanish is spoken by almost 400 million people natively. It is the fourth most spoken language by total number of speakers, including native and non-native Spanish speakers, which in total is approximately 500 million. The expansion of Spanish is frankly impressive. It is also the second most widely spoken language in the US. Not to mention its beauty and richness! I believe that since globalization has gained more power in our daily life, Spanish is playing a major role in every field you can imagine, spread by the mass and alternative media every single day.

I believe that Spanish is nowadays one of the 3 leading languages in the field of voice over, from a global perspective. Particularly, recent studies in the United States say that the number of Spanish-dominant and bilingual Hispanics in America will increase by 45% over the next 20 years. Considering these amazing numbers, plus the fact that there are more Hispanics living in the US than the entire population of Canada, which is 32.5 million, brings an excellent projection to our profession in America. In fact, I think it's an outstanding, unstoppable phenomenon.

The demand for Spanish talents is increasing everyday especially in the US, but also in other markets like Europe and Asia, although with other specifications. For instance, in Europe companies look for Castilian (Castellano) accented talents, because the influence that comes from Spain is real in their market. In America, in most of the cases, Latin American. Mexican or Neutral Spanish are the most requested accents for obvious reasons."

As Simone says, Spanish is a very complex language to learn because of various vocabulary, grammatical, syntax and semantic rules and conjugations. It has a word for every feeling. From my own experience, all you need to do is watch a Spanish opera or program on television to see the practically endless flow of passion that emanates from each word with purpose and gusto.

Simone also shared that although the language is beautiful and looks effortless, Spanish has a two-gender system and about fifty conjugated forms per verb, revealing "I don't blame those who postpone taking Spanish courses every year!!!"

Another interesting fact is that although there are two main Spanish dialect distinctions, even Latin American Spanish has its own stream of sub-dialects. You can find obvious differences between certain accents, for instance Cuban compared to Argentinian/Uruguayan. They both are Spanish, but the accent and even the way verbs are conjugated is absolutely different.

Case in point is the difference between a native speaker of a Spanish dialect and the lingual abilities of someone who is a descendant of a native speaker living abroad.

As we know and some of you may have witnessed personally, when people move to other regions or pass their mother tongue onto their children after they have emigrated, the purity of the dialect may not be exactly the same or in tune with what is going on where they originally came from.

In Simone's opinion, there are major differences in a native speakers' facility and that of someone who has been taught out of context or has adopted a mixed version of English and Spanish, often referred to as Spanglish (remember that Adam Sandler / Téa Leoni movie?).

Simone also insists that companies should be aware that fact when they plan to work with a Spanish Voice Talent.

She can think of dozens of examples that feature several companies who trust in Spanish speaking employees to translate the original script from English. It is perceived that having an employee with a Spanish heritage doing the legwork of translation will save some money or simplify the process. What an employer doesn't realize is that by relying on a non-native speaker to produce a respectable translation into the language specified is a big mistake, one that could potentially risk their reputation as well as waste resources.

"Someone who was born in the US and has parents who were born in Latin America, or who came to this country at an early age and was born in South America, isn't likely to speak a 100% pure Spanish, or use the right conjugation of verbs. There will be a lack of richness in vocabulary, too. And "Spanglish" will be evident in the way many words (i.e. technical) will be translated. I don't know how other talents manage themselves when a script that's full of grammatical errors comes to their hands. Do they tell the company what's happening? I do, and show my concern. Companies who hire Spanish voice talents need to be very, very aware of these situations. American people trust in others, because in this country your word represents your honour. But they need to know that not everyone has the same ethics. So I suggest them to work with a well educated Translator and Voice Talent, in order to get the results they expect. No matter the target you want to reach within the Hispanic Community. Spanish voice talents should be native, and translators too. Always."

As a native speaker of Spanish, Simone is able to market herself as a professional in the field of Spanish voice over with over 16 years of experience in the media as a native Spanish Voice Talent, Audio Imaging Producer, Creative Copywriter and Translator/Proofreader.

When promoting her talent to North Americans, she makes sure to promote her fast turnaround service as she is working full-time as a voice talent and is exclusively dedicated to this job all day long. It is possible to get a script translated and recorded in minutes, she says.

Simone likens herself to small agency where you can either design a radio campaign, do the copy, translate it, have the voice recorded and then have the entire spot produced with the highest standards for a reasonable price, studio fees included - a process that wouldn't take longer than 3 hours!

Her impressive client list is also a fabulous marketing tool when introducing herself to new clients as references of her work.

Some of these clients include: Microsoft, IBM, Home Depot, McDonald's, Siemens, Liz Claiborne, Donna Karan, Cingular, Verizon, Sylvan, Allstate, Alltel, L'Oréal, Wella, Visa, Mastercard, Comcast, Frito Lay, Phillip Morris, Ballantine’s, Gillette, Maybelline, Firestone, Arizona Amber Alerts, The South Florida 511 Traffic and Transit Information Service (SEFL), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and so on.

Simone's resume coupled with acclaimed versatility is what makes her a very competitive professional in the market. Her versatility is the defining talent that she likes to show to the world and to herself each day.

Simone Fojgiel, a native of Uruguay (a country whose population is barely 3 million), moved to the US from South America to pursue more opportunities as a Spanish voice talent and is proud of being a native Spanish speaker who works as a voice over professional in the North American market.

When asked about her success in the North American marketplace and Uruguay, Simone shared the following:

"The economical situation in Uruguay has aggravated in the past 10 years, and in 2002 we faced the worst financial crisis in our history. This affected, of course, the entire media business. I worked for 13 years at Oceano FM, one of the most important local FM's as a DJ, Music Programmer, Creative Copywriter and Main Female Corporate Voice. Besides, I worked for advertising agencies as a Voice Talent, but due to the crisis budgets were driven lower and lower. Therefore, these companies booked talents who were desperate for money, or were dishonest with other colleagues affiliated to the same union, impeding others to compete openly.

I even founded the only official union of voice talents in Uruguay and, perceiving this situation, I decided to quit my membership. I also quit at the station after realizing that I was stuck in the same place for a long time, and that I had a whole new world ready to conquer. That's how I decided to study Neutral Spanish and Audio Techniques, and built my home studio. That happened 3 years ago.

Today, ninety percent of my clientele is located in Canada and the United States, and most of my voice over work is related to Training Videos for big companies like Home Depot, DVD Tutorials for Microsoft, E-Learning projects for IBM, FedEx, online video presentations for medical and technological products as well. Another important area of my voicework has to do with IVR systems and On Hold Messaging. I'm both the Spanish Voice Talent and the English/Spanish Translator for many corporations who developed a particular market with phone surveys, for example. Some of these companies are Phillip Morris, Liz Claiborne, Sylvan, Comcast, Arby's, McDonald's, Alltel, and Carmax."

It would seem that the US Dollar is the currency of the world!

Upon asking which currency voice actors bill in when a customer is not from their land of origin, the resounding answer nearly always includes the US Dollar as one of the currencies if not the only currency.

While America may be the currency of choice, the world is truly a voice actor's oyster when it comes to the freedoms promoting your talent online presents. Simone has found the much of her success is related to her online marketing efforts as opposed to more traditional methods offline.

The first order of business was to build a home recording studio and create a professional website. She considers her website to be an "indispensable tool" for introducing herself as a voice actor and to display her talents for prospective clients.

Another aspect of Simone's online promotion is Google and on several voice banks. In fact, Voices.com was the first place where Simone decided to promote her voice over services.

"When I first began to sell my services online, I also contacted hundreds of companies by e-mail, creating a nice mailing format and producing a general demo so they could appreciate my experience and quality of service. Fortunately, I had a lot of luck because many of those companies are still my clients, and I work for them on a weekly basis. Uruguay is a country where your talent is envied or underestimated, no matter what your profession. All these factors get automatically projected in the way others treat you. I mention this because when you send your resume or even your demo and if they disregard you for that specific job, they don't keep your info for a possible contact in the future. This doesn't happen here (in North America) at all. After one or two years, I've been contacted by many people who kept my audio demo and brief resume in their files, and even worked for them in amazing projects. For someone who comes from Uruguay, that is almost a miracle. Promoting yourself online is the best and cheapest tool you can use, only if you know how to."

Simone Fojgiel's experience finding work online has afforded her many freedoms, particularly working from her home in the US.

She officially moved to the States a year ago and has since lived in Milwaukee, WI. Speaking of her home state, Simone intimated:

"As you can imagine, the probability of finding voice over work in Spanish here and in person is null compared to markets like Florida, California or NYC. So at this particular stage I exclusively depend on finding work online. Many companies have found me through my website, or lead services... and I found hundreds of them online, too! My experience was exciting from the very beginning. By that time I was living in Montevideo and working from home, and couldn't believe that my clients, who were on the other side of the world, paid for my work at the time agreed, no matter our distance. When you come from a narrow minded culture like mine, and you clearly know you want to cross that gap no matter what, Internet, your talent and beliefs get you to the right place and time to move on. At least, that's what happened to me."

Not just a speaker of Spanish and English, Simone is trilingual, adding Hebrew to the mix of languages offered to her clients. She recognizes that her polyglot capabilities are an advantage because she is able to accommodate projects with certain accents and meet the expectations of her clients.

At present, Simone does not have an agent in North America, but she is definitely open to a conversation on the subject with someone who can promote her voice and Spanish language services in the major US markets of Spanish voice over in California, NYC and Miami.

To learn more about Simone Fojgiel, visit her websites:

Simone Fojgiel Spanish Voice Actor

Simone Fojgiel - Una Voz Español

Best,

Stephanie

Need a place to find excellent royalty-free scripts to practice from and an awesome how-to book for voice overs?

If you're a Premium or Preferred member at Voices.com, you need not look any further than your new library of resources, accessible to you absolutely free!

So, you may have heard that we've started giving away our eBooks and voice over scripts for free... well, if you are a subscriber to the Premium or Preferred memberships at Voices.com, that's absolutely correct!

As a part of some recent improvements to our website, the Voices.com team is giving you 3 Bonus eBooks, valued at $89.95. You can find these in the Help Section and click on User Guides.

The exciting news is that we'll be adding more free resources for our subscribers over time. Being a member of Voices.com just gets better and better!

We hope you enjoy reading them and we'd love to hear your success stories too.

Best wishes,

Stephanie, David, Carol, Laurynda and Erica

When someone asks you why you are a voice actor, what do you include on your list of reasons?

We've compiled a Top Ten List of cool things that voice actors can do that make working for yourself day in and day out very attractive from more than just a performance point of view.

If you're a voice acting entrepreneur and skilled audio engineer, you probably already know what some of these are.

What's on the other side of the green door? A wealth of benefits! Come on in :)

All week long, we've been talking about how your family affects your career and vice versa.

To wrap up our Family Week, I'd like to propose ten things that are truly unique to your career choice that offer benefits unheard of in many professions.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is your Top Ten List!

As a voice actor you can:

1. Make your own recording schedule and business hours
2. Be selective with the jobs that you take on
3. Set your own rates
4. Work from home
5. Have more time to spend with loved ones
6. Document the voices of your kids as they grow on MP3s
7. Record audio interviews with relatives and friends as a keepsake or gift
8. Give voice to a really cool family answering machine message
9. Acquire an entrepreneurial freedom many aspire to
10. Involve family members in projects that call for multiple voices and nurture their talent

I'm sure that this list resonates with the majority of you reading the article and now I'd like to extend an invitation to you to add to this list by suggesting something that may have been omitted or by leaving your own Top Ten list as a comment.

Why do you love your career?

Add your list or reasons by commenting :)

Best wishes,

Stephanie

P.S. If you want to join the Voices.com "families" on Facebook or MySpace, add us as your friend or join The Voice Acting Hub!

©iStockphoto.com/Marisa Allegra Williams

Bob Souer is one busy voice talent and family man, a family man who also involves his entire family in his voice over business!

How does Bob do it and what are the rewards?

Find out in this interview with Bob Souer on VOX Daily.

Stephanie: How many members of your family are involved with your business?

Bob: My wife Cinda and I have four children, one girl (Karen) followed by three boys (in order of age: Eric, David and Brian). At one time or another, everyone except our youngest, Brian, has helped in some of the money-making activities of our business. And I've had Brian in my studio a few times. He's looking forward to a time when he gets to help, too.

Stephanie: Do any of your children exhibit an interest in becoming voice talent?

Bob: All of our children have expressed some interest at various times in the past. At present, our oldest son, Eric, is working with me this summer. He and I are working together on a large audiobook project in which he is helping with some of the initial audio editing. Also, Eric recently had the opportunity to book his first paying voiceover job, for a radio station in Oregon. The production manager there (Dave Christi) needed a male teen voice for one of his commercials and posted a request on the VO-BB. There were a few responses, but thankfully mine was first and I was delighted with the work Eric did.

In fact, if you'd like to hear our father and son recording session (with me off mic, directing and reading the other part), you'll find an mp3 of the session here:

Bob and Eric Souer Recording Session

Also, our daughter, Karen, has done several voiceovers for me in years past. In fact, one that both she and Cinda worked on was a national radio commercial for Thomas Nelson Publishers. You can hear a piece of that (with all of us sounding a whole lot) younger here:

Karen, Cinda and Bob Souer

Stephanie: What kind of an impact has working from your home recording studio had on your family? Has it made things more convenient as a parent?

Bob: I suppose this is something of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I'm able to make recordings (including many of them just for fun or for school projects and so forth) that most Dad's couldn't do; but on the other hand there are plenty of times when I would dearly love to be able to be out in the yard throwing the ball around with my boys, but I have to get something done because there's a deadline looming.

Stephanie: You've mentioned that you are training your oldest son Eric right now and that he helps you a lot in the studio. Does Eric have aspirations to start his own studio in the future?

Bob: At this point with Eric still in high school (he'll be a senior next year) it's still way too early to carve anything into stone, but a big part of the reason that he's working with me this summer is to help him decide if he would like to join me in my business before or perhaps during and after he attends college. If that is the direction he goes, I'll eventually change the name of my company from Bob Souer Productions to just Souer Productions. (I've already registered that URL, just in case.)

Stephanie: Bob, how important is it to you that your family, particularly your wife, support you in your career as a professional voice talent? Can you give any examples where they have been key to your success?

Bob: Cinda has been a great support to me. The single greatest role that she plays is serving as my script watchdog when I'm doing long-form recording projects like audiobooks and podcasts. Inevitably, I make mistakes while reading and over the last number of years we've become an amazing team where she'll only need to say one or two words to help me see what I missed, or read wrong, or whatever. It saves so much time not having to do pick-ups on those mistakes later. Cinda and Eric both help me also with a daily radio program we produce for a church in Pittsburgh, PA. The program is called The Journey. The church has a page devoted to the program on their site (http://www.biblechapel.org/radioministry.htm). Between them, Cinda and Eric listen back to each program and provide notes on each sermon that the church uses to help listeners identify which specific broadcast they heard when they call or write in about the program.

Stephanie: Have you ever recorded a family recording session where everyone was involved with the recording?

Bob: The commercial segment above with Karen, Cinda and me is the one example I can think of with three of us working together. The commercial that Eric did for the station in Oregon has both of our voices, because I'm the announcer for all of that client's spots. You can hear the whole produced commercial here.

The other thing that comes to mind, though it's not a voiceover project as such is that years ago I used to offer cassette duplication services as part of my business. We would get these large jobs and after all of the tapes were dubbed, we'd create an assembly line on the kitchen table with tapes, labels, cassette jewel boxes and cartons for the finished product. Then Cinda and I and our kids would all pitch in together to get everything ready for shipment.

Stephanie: What is your favorite voice over project that you have worked on with a member or members of your family?

Bob: A few years ago, Cinda and I (and a good friend who lives in Pittsburgh, Darren Eliker) recorded an audio drama for a wonderful story called How Silently, How Silently; a beautiful story for Christmas written by the late author Joseph Bayly. We ran the audio on the radio station where I worked there (WORD-FM) and then arranged with the publishing company some years later to broadcast that recording nationally after I went to work for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association on a program called Decision Today.

Stephanie: How do your kids explain what you do for your job as a professional voice over talent?

Bob: I don't think it comes up in conversation all that much, honestly.

Stephanie: If you could work on any audio project with your family, what would it be?

Bob: I can't think of a specific audio project, though my wife is a very gifted actress and with my other children showing some promise in that regard, I think it might be fun to eventually work on some audiobook recordings where we all take part in creating some of the voices. But, the thing I would love most is for all of us to work together as part of a growing business that could continue to provide not only for Cinda and me, but for my children in years to come as well.

Stephanie: What brings you the most joy when working with your children at the studio?

Bob: There are very few things I love more than encouraging those with talent to develop and grow. And the greatest joy of all is helping my kids see that they too have special talents and abilities and to encourage them to pursue those things they love to do with great passion.

Thank you to Bob for taking part in Family Week!

If you would like to leave a comment, please do so :)

Best,

Stephanie

When you perform as a voice actor, you use all sorts of muscle groups, your diaphragm and a host of other parts of your body to phonate (or produce sound). That activity in itself is enough to tire out any voice actor let alone a pregnant one!

Our article from earlier today with Bonnie Gillespie about taking kids to auditions provides a nice segue to this maternal piece.

How do people work as voice actors while pregnant? Find out here on VOX Daily.

As a voice actor, you know just how important your body is to the success of your business. Your body is your instrument! The same can be said for singers as the apparatus used to create musical sound vocally is virtually identical to how a voice actor projects their voice when recording a script.

But, what happens when you throw pregnancy into the equation?

For many women, pregnancy takes over their lives in mental and physical ways, making the everyday aspects of life a little bit harder, a tad less convenient, and physically tiring.

Although pregnancy in general affects women (and the people they live with) in different ways, it is by no means an obstacle to being able to work as a professional voice actor, especially one who works from the comfort of their own home recording studio.

Two of the wonderful things about being a pregnant voice actor is that pregnancy only mildly (if at all) affects your vocal performance and your physical condition is irrelevant if you are off-camera. That is just one of the beauties of this profession.

At the time of writing this article I myself happen to be expecting and feel confident that the research conducted is thorough and proven. After a few of these journeys, you find ways to accommodate your pregnant self and can continue working by slightly adjusting your technique. My background is singing, trained classically with a Music degree from the University of Western Ontario.

Speaking from experience, these are just some things that you'll want to be aware when using your voice as a voice actor while pregnant.

You may experience:

- A slight change in your vocal range, usually a minute lowering of your natural speaking voice
- Shortness of breath or less "room" to breathe so wear loose clothing when recording; watch your breath support
- Difficulty maintaining posture due to a change in your body's center of gravity
- Morning sickness that can do damage to your throat and vocal folds (vomit is acidic, forceful, and somewhat violent)
- Consuming required dairy products in high volumes may coat your throat so schedule those consumptions after you've recorded
- Caffeine issues; stay away from caffeine to help your voice but also keep in mind that it doesn't help a pregnant body and cramping may ensue which is bad in general but even worse in the middle of a session
- Sciatica may develop as you move into your second and third trimesters limiting your ability to stand or walk so you'll need to position your equipment at an appropriate height to prevent unnecessary pain and discomfort
- The need to eat and drink more will add to your frequent stops to the washroom so be sure to pace yourself and break up your sessions into manageable chunks
- Fatigue... This is normal and don't fight it - it's hard to fake a lively voice when you are falling asleep at the mic - schedule your recording sessions wisely
- Absentmindedness! Be sure to read and reread scripts to make confirm that you are on the same page (pardon the pun) as what you are performing

I think it's safe to say that an overwhelming number of you reading this article have been pregnant at some time, perhaps even now, and can relate to what I have written here.

If you are pregnant or remember what it was like to be pregnant while working as a voice actor, please leave a comment and share your experiences, tips and encouraging words.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Kirill Zdorov

Is taking your kids to agency auditions a faux pas?

Find out more from casting director Bonnie Gillespie as we share an excerpt from her column on Showfax.com!

To continue our Family Week, let's take a look at kids and your career.

Not too long ago, Bonnie Gillespie wrote an article in response to a question received on her column at Showfax.com for the Actors Voice, Q&A style.

Essentially, an expectant mother who was moving to LA was wondering if it was proper etiquette to take young children to auditions, and if so, was it a good idea to leave them in the waiting room while the audition took place with a caregiver.

If you're a mom (or dad - bless you!) and have pondered this very question, you'll want to read Bonnie's answer to the question about kids and auditions.

Here's part of Bonnie's response:

As for auditions I'm holding, I might not even know that babies are along for the ride much of the time, since many actors--like those you've observed in Chicago--choose to leave their young ones in the waiting room with friends or other family members they have brought along. I would imagine that session runners might have a less-tolerant stance on this sort of thing, simply because of the overcrowding involved, when you show up with an entourage. But the handful of actors who have brought babies into my audition rooms with them have either done just fine or had their focus so completely split that their auditions were blown from the beginning. Of course, I'm just one CD in a city of 600 of us. And I cast SAG Indie feature films. So, what about the other CDs who are casting studio features, TV shows, commercials, theatre, industrials, voiceovers, and so on? Well, for a sense of what the general vibe might be about kids joining their parents at auditions, I decided to check in with a few working actor parents (some whose kids are also actors, others whose are not) and Anne Henry of BizParentz.com for their advice on this issue. Huge thanks to Robert Clendenin, Eitan Loewenstein, James Runcorn, Anna Vocino, and the amazing BizParentz.com for giving us a sense of what's going on in casting offices all over Los Angeles.

To continue reading the article in its full context, visit this link at Showfax.com.

I was excited to read that Anna Vocino was mentioned in this article too! I am always amazed by the sacrifices and indomitable spirit that parents have in this industry when it comes to balancing work with home.

If you've had an experience similar to the one described above or found this article helpful, please leave a comment.

Cheers,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Kativ

Keeping things all in the family, we thought we'd invite members of the Voices.com family who can make it to London on July 21st, 2007 for a very special review opportunity of voice over coach Julie Williams "Proven Voice-Over Techniques" CD.

To learn more about this event, keep reading!

If you are from London, ON Canada and the surrounding area and are a member of Voices.com, we'd be honoured to have you at the UWO Research Park this coming July 21st, 2007 between 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for our review of Julie Williams' "Proven Voice-Over Techniques".

You may know Julie from hearing her on VOX Talk and Julie's lectures on Voice Over Experts as well as through various articles here on VOX Daily.

Julie has been a member of the Voices.com family of voice over talents for several years and we are privileged to present you with the opportunity to review her newest release of Proven Voice-Over Techniques!

This review session is limited to 15 participants. To reserve your spot, email me ( stephanie@voices.com ) or leave a comment here on the blog.

More information will be given to those who register for this educational event at Voices.com :)

Best wishes,

Stephanie

To kick off our Family Week here at VOX Daily, I'd like to start with this gem of a story that features husband and wife collaboration.

Recently, Bobbin Beam and her husband Pete completed the building of Bobbin's home recording booth.

To learn more about the process of building a booth in your own home and find about how Bobbin and Pete successfully completed the booth on their own, read this interview with the one and only, voice actress Bobbin Beam!

Stephanie: What inspired you and your husband to build the booth in your home?

Bobbin: My studio is located in the family office, which means that nobody but me could be there while recording. I preferred everybody out of the house while working. No TVs, no music blasting, no doors closing, no highly energetic 16 year old singing, playing piano, guitar, etc. You get the idea. I also had practically zero desk space, as my equipment took up most of it.

There were other issues, too:

There are airplanes, helicopters, the occasional loud Harleys that roar down the street, the trash truck pick ups on Mondays, next door neighbors mowing lawns, AC and Heater vents, even computer fans create relentless acoustic intrusions into my sensitive mic. All of these noises intruded upon many "takes", slowed the recording process and I felt it was time to step up to the plate and have a sound booth. I looked at several pre-made ones on the Internet, and then Pete found do it yourself sound booth plans for the DAWBOOTH. We ran the costing numbers and it was a no brainer. The DAWBOX could also be disassembled to be moved, if needed. Pete was willing to help. Without his support and "heavy-lifting", it couldn't have happened.

I also now have not only a nice isolation booth, but I now have my separate computer desk, located next to the booth and my original work station back, where I can also edit if I so desire. What I find myself doing a lot is recording in the booth and doing longer edits from my external work station, when I want. It can get a bit closed in - hanging inside the booth for too long a time. This works very well for me.

Stephanie: How did you divvy up the construction? Were you both responsible for gathering the materials and also assembling the booth?

Bobbin: My husband (of 33 years), Pete really did most of the materials purchasing, hauling, fabrication, and foam and carpet installation. I'd caulk, paint, and helped lift and move the pieces from the garage into the office. I also assisted with logistics such as placement of shelving, lighting, wall holes, vent fan, and I handled purchasing my needed mic boom, extension headphone, computer monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse, and assorted USB cables. And a bar stool, of course, for those longer narrations.

Stephanie: How many hours in total did you two spend together working on the booth?

Bobbin: About 28 hours, including trips to Home Depot, Guitar Center, and Fry's Electronics.

Stephanie: What are the dimensions of your booth? Is that a standard size for a home recording studio booth?

Bobbin: Dimensions are 4' x 4' x 86". Some booths I looked at are definitely larger, but this size seemed the best fit for me, and for the space in our family office.

Stephanie: Is building a booth a trying experience similar to how painting or putting wallpaper up is or was it more of a bonding experience?

Bobbin: It wasn't drudgery like wallpaper. It was exciting to put it together from scratch, and it was going to help my business. Definitely a bonding, supportive experience.

Stephanie: I know you have this on your blog, but could you please share the cost breakdown for your booth?

Bobbin: Materials cost $1,113.00 USD. The custom extras including a Mic upgrade was not included in this cost.

Stephanie: Did you do anything special with the decor of the booth to make it more like "home"?

Bobbin: I added some family photos.

Stephanie: What role does Pete play in your career?

Bobbin: My husband has always been supportive of my career. He's been my business partner, and for the last 33 years we're a unit, from my radio career days to my ad agency, to our sign and graphic design business, and throughout it all- to my freelance on camera and voice over talent work.

Stephanie: What is your favorite memory from building the booth with your husband?

Bobbin: Moving day for sure. That was the day it all became real. After about 6 hours of hauling the component parts in from the garage, assembling, fine tuning adjustments, wiring it and setting it up, then turning everything on... and it WORKED! It was immensely exciting and satisfying.

Stephanie: Is there any advice you would like to give to people who want to build their own booth?

Bobbin: Yes, If you end up using DAWBOX 2.0, make sure you contact Justin and obtain the corrected materials list.

Stephanie: Thanks for being a part of the Family Week on VOX Daily Bobbin!

New link to their 4x4x7, 4x6x7, and 6x6x7 plans for the DAWBOOTH courtesy of Justin Lynch, CEO of DAWBOX.

~~

Check out some pictures of Bobbin and Pete's project!

Old Studio set up "Before"

Wood in and on the wagon

Construction in progress

Setting up shop in the office - exterior

Finished interior

Final interior

Is your voice acting business something to cheer about?

What makes you different and why should people work with you?

Define yourself through a 60 Second Pitch and also qualify to win one of three prizes at Voices.com!

Ever been out with other people and had to explain what it is that you do for a living?

It can be hard to come up with something concise and witty to say about your role in the voice industry when asked at a party, mixer, or BBQ.

As we've come to understand, many of you are quite hesitant to share your profession with others for a variety of reasons, mainly because it isn't a typical profession that people are familiar with much less understand from a technical point of view.

Our goal is to help you define three basic elements that will go a long way when making first impressions with other people, prospective clients or business partners.

Those three elements are:

1. Who you are
2. What you do
3. Why people should be working with you

Although those elements may seem rudimentary we've witnessed a variety of people struggle in various fields of business time and time again with these simple aspects of explaining who they are and how they can serve other people with their gifts.

The 60 Second Pitch contest is a vehicle for you to come up with a brief and exciting way to define your business as a professional voice actor, audio producer, instructor, or agent in the field of voice over.

While there will be prizes for a select number of participants, the real purpose of this activity is to invigorate your image of your business, exercise your mind and stretch your creative juices so that you can present people, regardless of their knowledge of our industry, with a concrete, interesting and valuable definition of your offerings and your business.

I want to encourage all of you to write a pitch if not to enter the contest to simply have on hand at networking events and other social gatherings.

There will be a special webinar on Monday July 9th that you can register for to learn more about how to craft your pitch.

You can also use outtakes of your pitch to market yourself on your website, via email or on YouTube... really, the possibilities are endless, you just need to define your business and services for the world.

At present, there's $4000.00 worth of prizes, and whether you enter the contest or not, you'll still come out a winner if you can define your business through a 60 Second Pitch.

So, here are the details:

Contest start date: Today
Prizes: Cool stuff from Voices.com
Deadline for entries: July 20th, 2007
Where to send your MP3: 60secondpitch@voices.com
Winners Announced: July 27th, 2007 via the VOX Talk Podcast
Register for the Webinar: 60 Second Pitch Webinar on Monday July 9th, 2 p.m. EDT
Learn more: Watch the video below or go to the 60 Second Pitch website at Voices.com

If you'd like to help spread the word, you are more than welcome to blog about this contest and use the imagery with the stop clock.

Also, if you'd like to add anything to sweeten the pot as a sponsor, just send me an email to stephanie@voices.com and we'll talk.

Looking forward to receiving your pitch!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Want to make more connections?

Interested in increasing your bottom line?

In order to do that, you need to become your own #1 Fan...

Find out how at VOX Daily!

What does it mean to be your own #1 fan?

Someone has to do it, and the best person to fill that important role is you. You know your business better than anyone else and you also know how you want to be presented, marketed to clients, and spoken of.

One of the best ways to spread the word about you and your services is by taking the bull by the horns and doing your own public relations work.

Here are 6 Ways to Become your own #1 Fan:

1. Send out a monthly email newsletter to your clients
2. Start writing a blog about your business
3. Produce and promote your own podcast
4. Write and distribute your company press releases
5. Consider giving your clients branded postcards, pens or fridge magnets
5. Keep your website current and feature your most recent work
6. Be sure to follow up with customers for feedback and keep yourself on their radar

In this day and age, very few people have the desire to go searching out information for themselves regarding other people and their businesses, and in realizing this you'll find that it is crucial that you be the one pounding the pavement as it were to get their attention.

If you can get people to subscribe to receive your communications, whether they be newsletters, blogs or podcasts, you have successfully crossed a threshold (in some cases an impregnable wall!) and are now happily on the road of permission marketing.

Don't be afraid to call or email past clients to see how they are doing, send holiday cards, or thank you notes. All of those goes a long way and give you another chance to remind the recipient of those communications of your brand and what you can do for them.

You may even be surprised at how glad some of your clients may be to have heard from you!

This wasn't mentioned in our list for campaigning, however I believe it is a great option for you to pursue.

If you have news that you want to share about a recent achievement, nomination or voice acting role, you can submit it as a Story Idea to VOX Daily. There is no better venue to share your success stories than here on VOX Daily and the links to your website don't hurt either :)

So, if anything, I hope I've been able to convey the concept that you need to be your biggest fan and have inspired you to start marketing your business at the grassroots level.

Work begets work and press begets press.

I welcome your comments!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Stefan Klein

Do people trust you when they visit your website?

Need some ideas to get you going?

Discover 10 ways to help increase, improve and showcase your credibility as a professional voice actor here on VOX Daily during Small Business Week.

Having credibility is one of the most important contributing factors to being successful in your career and in life.

That being said, we've brainstormed 10 ways that you can build and promote your credibility as a voice actor to keep and attract business.

Here's our list!

• Testimonials from clients
• Endorsements from other voice actors or industry professionals
• Affiliation with credible organizations such as the Better Business Bureau, your local Ad Club, etc.
• Website Security badges and full contact information
• Years of professional voice acting experience
• Training and education
• A media coverage archive for your business
• Logos of prestigious companies you've worked for
• A client list featuring 10 to 15 of your best and most recent work projects (update regularly)
• Email signatures that include projects you are working on or "I'm currently the voice of..."

Those are just 10 ways that you can build credibility online and through your marketing materials.

Have any of you tried the signature idea? What have your experiences been?

Happy Independence Day!

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Andrew Williams

There are many parallels between brick and mortar businesses and their online counterparts.

Today, we'll explore the components of a typical voice acting business and identify the key areas you should be focusing on to make the most of your Online Storefront!

Did you know that your website is your online storefront?

Just as people who walk by physical stores on the street can see what's going on at a place of business, visitors to your website also have the ability to browse your merchandise and become familiar with your personal branding.

You may be wondering how your website functions as a digital store...

Consider the following:

• Audio demos are samples of your product
• Graphics and or photographs are your visual marketing materials
• The URL (website address) is your "location"
• Any studio equipment you use and file delivery methods are production and shipping tools
• How you actually record, edit, mix and deliver your files embodies your business operations
• Your site navigation is like the layout of a physical store
• If you have a site map, it helps to direct people to what they are looking for like a map in a department store
• Showcasing testimonials, affiliations and experience in easily accessible areas of your website builds credibility and instills trust with a customer

Also, having your contact information present enables people to do business with you. Detailing information about yourself, even though you aren't actually in the presence of a prospective customer, gives a good first impression of your personality, qualifications and services.

Rather than just thinking your Profile is an online resume, kick it up a notch and view your website as an online storefront, truly, the place where business gets done.

If you're a member at Voices.com, you already have a customizable storefront complete with a variety of color themes and templates that you can use to really make your brand come alive on the web.

Do you consider your website to be your online storefront; a place where business gets done?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Knud Nielsen

Have you given your voice acting business any thought lately?

This week, we're focusing on how you can grow your business and get ahead in the voice over industry, one building block at a time.

Introducing the Voices.com Voice Actors Small Business Week, starting off with a Business Plan, no less!

For everything in life, you need a plan, right?

The same can be said for business. Every business, whether a startup or a full fledged, profitable organization needs a business plan. In order to know where you are going, you have to know where you came from and what came before you.

In this article, we'll explore the key elements of a winning business plan.

Executive Summary

An Executive Summary is a one or two page summary of your entire business plan. It's often easiest to write your Executive Summary after you've finalized all the details within the plan itself.

Business Description

In your Business Description, you'll need to include and define various aspects of your service offerings, an overview of the voice over and or audio production industry, the history of your field and any current happenings, your personal goals and objectives, elements that add to your success and the ownership of your company. This section is the backbone of your Business Plan and will set the stage for the information included in the rest of the plan.

Products and Services

Everyone has a product or service that they are offering to a prospective client. In your case, it is a voice over recording, music production, or even copy writing services. You should be able to describe what it is that you are selling as well as identify what makes your product or service unique and how you make it all happen in the studio.

Sales and Marketing

This section is very important. It gives you a window into the voice over industry itself, what's going on as a whole, the state of the market, how much the general cost is of audio production, how business is acquired, and also affords you an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other competitors in the marketplace, for example, other voice actors who specialize in services that you provide.

Operations

Many of you operate a one person company. This purpose of this section is to help you outline the more administrative side of your business, including how you operate, where your office is located, your staff or assistant if applicable, equipment, overhead and other expenses, legal relationships, your network of suppliers, and credit policies.

Management Team

If you have a few advisers or people who help you to manage your business, this is where you acknowledge their involvement and the capacity by which they contribute to your overall success. Also, if there is a hierarchy of positions within your company, you would detail that hierarchy and the relevancy of each relationship.

Development

This is where you can dream a bit. Not everything in this section is based upon pure fact like the information you would have provided above in the other sections of your Business Plan. Project into the future and think big. Development is a necessary part of business to remain competitive, so be sure to spend a significant amount of time when writing this part of your plan.

Financial Summary

Now, back to reality for a time! You'll need to provide a record of your financial dealings, investments if any, and how you came to the position you are in today. With some flexibility, you can project how your company will be operating and assess your financial status, including how things balance out at the end of each month, the overall financial health of your business and your cash flow.

Now that we've taken a look at the makeup of a Business Plan, we can keep building from here on in to bring us to other exciting elements of nurturing and growing your business.

Stay with us all week as we discover more small business strategies and opportunities at VOX Daily. If you haven't yet subscribed to VOX Daily, you can do so by entering in your email in the orange subscribe box in the menu to the right of this text. You will need to scroll up a bit, but you'll get there!

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Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. Has anyone actually written their own Business Plan? How did you find the process?

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