Vox Daily

Do you have any idea of what is in store for you this year?

If you let go of the past, the present day and days to come hold innumerable blessings...

Want to know more?

Over the weekend, I heard a message that is quite fitting as well as embraceable for 2008, not just for me, but for all of us.

This year should be a year of great expectations and something completely new.

That being said, when you think of the word "new", what comes to mind?

If your notion of something "new" translates to "slightly improved", like a splashier label on a product or enhanced flavoring of your favorite rice from Uncle Ben's, what I'm going to say will surprise you and may just knock your socks off.

At North Park Community Church in London, ON Pastor Terry Sanderson spoke about the biblical definition of the word "new" and what it means to have something truly new become part of your life.

Referencing the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, 43:19, Pastor Terry challenged his congregation to become early adopters, that is, people who catch on and adapt quickly, and become an expectant people rather than retrospective.

The main message is to forget the former things and do not dwell on the past, even if it is a glorious past (you know, the "glory days" or "glory years" we all have), so that God can do bigger and better things in our lives than were done previously.

The words given to the Jewish people thousands of years ago ring true today.

Here are some tips that encapsulate the message and will help you to make 2008 a year of expectancy:

1. Don't become a victim of a negative past
2. Don't become a nostalgic prisoner of a positive past
3. Don't live by memories - live with expectancy
4. God is doing a new work, not just a slightly improved work
a) There may still be troubles or deserts in your life - they won't go away but you'll overcome them with grace
b) There is always the promise of His presence
c) There may be a dying to self in order to welcome the new and better things in store
d) There is the challenge to start walking and give it your all

In Christ, all things are made new, and as we leave the Christmas season behind us with all the presents, the food, large family gatherings and decorations, we take with us the promise of abundant blessings and divine workings in our lives that will surpass the glory days we know so well - if only we learn to let go and expect more from an unlimited, loving and powerful God.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes from all of us at Voices.com,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/ooyoo

Wondered where the voice over industry is sitting at present?

Read this 12 page review by the Chief Executive Officer of Voices.com, David Ciccarelli.

State of the Voice Over Industry

Introduction

At the beginning of each new year, Voices.com presents a comprehensive overview of industry statistics that directly affect voice actors, including updates on broadcast television, radio, podcasting, video games, audiobooks, and other mediums and applications. Current trends are reported on and are diligently sourced for accuracy.

How to use this information

When reading this document, bear in mind that the need for voice over is directly related to the current status of each medium or application. For instance, you’ll note that because MP3 player, satellite radio, and cellular phone sales are up, the demand for voice acting in podcasts, radio advertisements, audiobooks and more will naturally increase as a result of the success of the respective technologies. The key players in the industry are outlined below for your convenience to identify the unique roles that are played within voice over as a profession.

Happy New Year!

Stephanie

Does your brain hurt?

Feeling overwhelmed?

Check out 3 solutions that will help you to start 2008 off right here on VOX Daily.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

Nearing the end of 2007, if you're like me, you probably feel like you've got way too much on your plate and have a desperate sense of needing to clear some space in the old gray matter.

Here are three ideas you can try to help reorder your life and organize your business.

1. Do a Brain Dump

What's a brain dump? You're going to love this... quick, get a piece of paper and a pen. Don't be tempted to type it into a document because it's not as empowering as physically writing it down.

OK, a brain dump is an exercise where you literally unload or "dump" all of the monkeys that have been accumulating on your back by identifying them and committing them to paper on an ultimate "To Do" list. Once you see those activities in need of completion or names of people you have been meaning to address, you'll find that your mind and your conscience are alleviated quite a bit.

The key to success with the brain dump is to actually take on those items and make it your mission to check off every single item on your list. Of course, once you've done so, you'll find that there are always new bits of clutter in your brain, so it is wise to conduct a brain dump exercise once a month or as often as required.

You may even find that you will need to have separate dump lists for home, work and specific projects you might be working on.

2. Prioritize

When I say prioritize, I really mean to prioritize! Take into account what is most important to you and be sure that those priorities take precedence over all of your other tasks.

For instance, if it's your family, make family #1.

To paraphrase a tried, tested and true quote, no one ever lay on their deathbed wishing that they worked more.

Your home life and work life, particularly if you work from home, may be dangerously intertwined. Take the time now to separate those two and make priority lists for both parts of your life. It's hard working on your own from home and it takes an incredible amount of discipline to do so effectively. It's even harder to know when to leave work at "work" and resume domestic duties or obligations when you are surrounded by your business.

Maybe the goal is to create a further separation physically between work and home. Think about it. It doesn't mean necessarily mean that you have to move out and get an office, but maybe you'd like to take a crack at turning the basement into a studio or make better use of a vacant room in your home.

3. Set Goals

Do you know what you want to accomplish in 2008?

Are you happy just doing what you've always been doing?

Sit yourself down and dream big. Think about where you'd like to see yourself in five years and identify bite-sized chunk goals to meet those objectives to fulfill your longterm vision.

Your goals could be business related or personal. Make two lists if you need to.

When you're thinking about business goals, consider the following areas:

- Public Relations Goals
- Educational Goals
- Sales Goals
- Marketing Goals
- Networking Goals
- Social Goals
- Business Development Goals
- Financial Goals
- Technical Goals
- Artistic Goals

Although many, those ten categories as listed above are all components of running a successful business.

You need to concern yourself with raising the bar on all fronts as an entrepreneur.

Focus on the areas you most need to improve upon and run with them. If you need outside help, ask for it. Don't be afraid to ask for consultation or pursue professional services to get you where you need to be.

Setting goals gives you a direction and purpose. Once you have set your goals, work toward achieving them consistently. Consistency is key, so make sure that you have set a regiment in place that you are going to follow.

If you have any tips that you'd like to add, feel free to comment with you ideas!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Photo: Jon Fravel on Flickr.com

At the end of 2007, we've had some time to reflect on what some of the most significant stories and happenings of this year were for the voice over industry through the eyes of Voices.com.

If you're new to voice acting or to the site, read up on some of the stories that changed, brightened and elevated the state of voice acting in the year 2007 so that you can enter 2008 with a sense of where we've come from and discover insights on the direction the industry is headed.

Well, onto the list!

What happened over the course of 2007 in the world of freelance professional voice acting?

10. Voice Coaches Advanced Marketing Expo

David Bourgeois and the staff at Voice Coaches in Schenectady, NY held their first voice over conference featuring guest lecturers, celebrity actor and voice artist, Evan Farmer, and New York super agent Billy Serow from Abrams Artists Agency. A meet and greet the night before was followed by a full day of learning from some of the industry's best concluding with a panel of experts participating in a Q&A session.

9. The Simpsons Sound Alike Challenge

Voice over artists sent in their best Simpsons character voice impressions with finalists in award categories honoring the best Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Bart Simpson, and Krusty the Clown impressions as well as a ceremonial tribute podcast featuring dozens of fabulous Simpsons character voice impressions including Mayor Quimby, Chief Wiggum, Barney, Moe, Apu, Mister Burns, Ned Flanders, Milhouse, Ralph Wiggum, and many more. Judged by the public, winners were announced live via The Simpsons Tribute Podcast on VOX Talk.

8. 60 Second Pitch Contest

Entrepreneurs in the field of voice over shone as they pitched their voice acting businesses and distilled their company, offering and what set them apart from other voice actors. Out of the 60 Second Pitch finalists, three pitches stood out in particular given their originality, creativity, and persuasiveness. Winners for 2007 included Jason McCoy, Vicki Amorose, and Troy Lund.

7. The Voicey Awards

The first ever annual Voicey Awards Show aired just prior to the Oscars in February via the VOX Talk podcast feed available through Apple iTunes. Nominees in categories including Best Male Voice, Best Female Voice, Best New Voice, Best Personal Branding and Lifetime Achievement received recognition for their work and dedication to the voice over industry over the past year. Revered industry judges for the 1st Annual Voicey Awards were Nancy Wolfson, Rodney Saulsberry and Marc Graue.

6. Voices.com wins CRM Market Elite Award

CRM Magazine awarded Voices.com with the prestigious CRM Market Award. Chosen from dozens of worthy companies for its excellence in customer relationship management and customer service, the team at Voices.com rose above the competition and enjoyed coverage from CNN.com as well as other news outlets.

5. VOX Talk Podcast

The VOX Talk Podcast, started in the bitter cold month of January 2007, is now the longest-running variety podcast for voice actors and those who are in the pursuit of a voice over career. VOX Talk celebrates the successes of voice actors and gives people an opportunity to participate as correspondents. The core team includes Stephanie and David Ciccarelli, Adam Fox, Julie Williams, voice imaging artist Matt Williams (no relation), with honorable mentions to Colin Campbell, Elie Hirschman, Betty in Boca, Darbi Worley, Kristi Stewart, Bob Green, Bob Souer, Bettye Zoller, David Boyll, Pat Fraley, and Jesse Springer for his interview series with Joe Cipriano.

4. VOICE 2007 in Las Vegas, NV

Celebrity voice actors, personalities, instructors and voice actors descended on the Vegas sands in the first-ever Voice Over International Creative Experience hosted by Frank Frederick, James R. Alburger and Penny Abshire. Extensive news and editorial coverage of the event was provided by Voices.com, featuring comprehensive reviews and summaries of all lectures as well as events attended including coverage of Bob Bergen's One Man Show, an evening with Don LaFontaine and a tribute for the late Lenny Weinrib graced by the presence of daughter and voice actress, Linda Weinrib. A team of AFTRA representatives from Los Angeles were also in attendance.

3. The Transformers Movie

Children of the Eighties Unite! CGI (computer generated imagery) Transformers came to the silver screen larger than life walking side by side with human actors in the summer blockbuster, The Transformers Movie, directed by Michael Bay. Fans were greeted by some familiar voices of the original cast including Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime among others drawing more awareness to the art of voice acting. Canadian comedian and voice actor Bryan Cox made his voice over cinematic debut in the film.

2. Voice Over Times Online Industry News Magazine

December 2007 saw the launch of Voice Over Times, an online news website providing feature stories about celebrity voice actors and working voice over professionals, product reviews, tutorials and opinion articles. The leader in online voice acting news and press release distribution, Voice Over Times is the driving force propelling the public relations of the voice over industry. Covering voice acting in all aspects, this website helps people to find the news and stories that they need to hear about now and connects them with media contacts who can make their stories happen.

1. Voice Over Experts Podcast

In June of 2007, the art of voice acting took a new educational turn in the form of a weekly podcast produced by the team at Voices.com, showcasing lectures recorded by various voice over coaches and industry experts in North America and the United Kingdom. The podcast makes voice over education accessible to all on the Voice Over Experts website and through the Apple iTunes podcast directory, available for free subscription. Perfect for new and seasoned voice actors, each episode invites talent to discover and experience growth by learning about new concepts, or for the established set, a different spin on acquired knowledge to keep in top form.

Any comments?

Looking forward to hearing from you and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2008 to you all!

Best wishes,

Stephanie, David, Carol, Laurynda, Erica and Lin

Photo: greenplasticdave on Flickr.com

My good friend audio'connell (Peter O'Connell) is never one to fall by the wayside.

The creative super brain behind voxmarketising has gone on a mission to save American ears. What's he up to? Read on to find out.

You might have heard about the choice that the NBC brass made with regard to replacing the long standing voice over recording voiced by Howard Reig for the Nightly News.

I happened to hear the voice over for the first time myself just yesterday on a YouTube video which I've included here for anyone who has yet to hear it featuring the voice of Michael Douglas.

At any rate, while thousands of miffed people are racking their brains on what to do about the voice over, Peter K. O'Connell has come up with a possible solution.

Peter, who was rather disappointed with the new voice over for NBC's Nightly News (but loves Michael Douglas' work otherwise), is holding a contest, albeit an unofficial one, to find the next voice of NBC's supper hour news program.

Do you have what it takes to be the announcer for NBC?

Jeffrey Kafer has given the new NBC announcer auditions some PR on his blog with a link to the fake NBC auditions received thus far.

Jeff writes:

"Voice actor Peter O’Connell is most unhappy with Michael Douglas’s announcing of the NBC Nightly News. So he’s put the call out for other voice talent to “audition” for the part. Nevermind the fact that NBC isn’t looking for a replacement, this is a fun exercise that a good number of us have participated in."

Here's a link to listen the NBC announcer auditions thus far submitted. They're quite impressive!

Why not throw your hat in the ring?

Stephanie

Want to know how the leading voice actor on the "Recently Hired" list at Voices.com gets her gigs?

Discover how you can achieve your goals and be recognized (as well as featured on the Voices.com home page) simply by using SurePay to invoice your clients.

SurePay has been around for about six months now as a payment option for voice over services at Voices.com.

Over the past several months, I've noticed quite a few of the same names popping up on the Recently Hired list, particularly that of Janice Downes, a voice actress who has been hired (as of this minute - Dec. 21, 2007 at 2:07 p.m. EST) exactly 31 times using SurePay to invoice and and accept payment from her clients.

Upon some discussion in the office with Laurynda, we came to the conclusion that there must be a story here! I'm pleased to present you with an interview fresh off the press with Janice Downes who has kindly agreed to share some of her "secret sauce" with the readers of VOX Daily and voice actors everywhere.

Stephanie: What convinced you to try SurePay?

Janice Downes: I started using Sure Pay automatically when clients would select me as their talent. There wasn't really any convincing since it's already set up through Voices.com.

Stephanie: Can you briefly describe your first experience using SurePay?

Janice Downes: The first job that paid using Sure Pay was through an audition I answered. He selected me as the talent, I accepted the invitation, he put the payment in escrow, which opened up the portal for me to submit my audio file through. Once he downloaded and accepted the file, the money was released to me, and that was it.

Stephanie: When you use SurePay, do you usually persuade your clients to use it or do they initiate the process?

Janice Downes: Most of my clients who use Sure Pay do so as part of the audition process, so I don't have to convince them to use it. They initiate it.

Stephanie: How do your clients respond to SurePay?

Janice Downes: Most clients don't even mention it. I've noticed clients who are new to Voices.com usually need a little help with how it works, and often ask what to do next, after they have selected their voice. I'll usually have to walk them through all of the steps the first time. Some "get it" automatically, and others need a little more help, so I sometimes have to send them a reminder e-mail for them to make sure to do the next step to keep the process moving along. After they've used it once, they know what to expect.

Stephanie: Since you've been awarded jobs through SurePay over 30 times in the last six months, I wanted to learn more about why you choose to use SurePay and how it benefits you. Please share some information detailing what you enjoy about SurePay as well as how valuable of a tool it is for you.

Janice Downes: The main reason I like using Sure Pay is that it gives me the opportunity to be rated by my clients and ranked by Voices.com. For me, getting my name & voice out where prospective clients will have the chance to see and hear me first when they come to the site is the most valuable marketing tool I have in this business. When you're competing with ten thousand other amazingly talented people who all do the same thing you do, it's crucial. Any time one of my clients chooses to use Sure Pay, it gives me the opportunity to be back at the top of the "Recently Hired" list on the home page, and ultimately, earn my way to the top of the "Client Favorites". The more jobs you get, the more credible you become to other prospective clients, and in turn the more opportunities you have for future jobs.

Stephanie: Can you tell me a little bit about the jobs you have been awarded through SurePay? Are they mainly jobs you have auditioned for (public jobs) or are they mainly private job leads that only you have received?

Janice Downes: Most of my Sure Pay jobs have been public audition jobs. Honestly, most of my private jobs prefer to be invoiced or pay me directly through PayPal, to avoid the escrow fee. In those cases, I always wish they would use the Sure Pay, but would rather give up my opportunity to be ranked (even though it's VERY valuable to me) than to lose the possibility of earning a long-term client.

Stephanie: Have there been a variety of job types you've performed where billing with SurePay is concerned, or are the types of jobs / applications of the voice over roughly the same?

Janice Downes: Most of my Sure Pay clients have been Telephone System Greetings, Radio & TV Commercials & Imaging, and Corporate Narration. I've had clients use Sure Pay for just about every category, but if I had to say one over the other, I guess those would be at the top.

Stephanie: Do you find the process to be intuitive? Is there anything you would add / remove to make yours or your client's SurePay experience better?

Janice Downes: It was intuitive for me to use the first time, but since I don't see it from the client's end, I can't say how intuitive it is for them. Considering I do get many questions from new clients, I would say they need basic walk through of what to expect in a 1, 2, 3 format.

I think some of them need to have it spelled out that they have to:

1) choose the talent, then I get an invitation to accept. If I accept,
2) they deposit the money into escrow which opens up the portal for me to upload their audio, they get a notification that the audio is there, and not only do they need to
3) download it, they have to
4) click on "I Accept" in order to release the payment to me.

Sometimes clients get stuck somewhere around making the payment and clicking on "I Accept". It would be great if that were more clear upfront so I didn't have to sometimes go back and have to remind them to click on Accept so I can get paid.

Stephanie: Thank you for that suggestion. We're working on it :)

Have you referred using SurePay to your own set of clients outside of Voices.com? Have they found it to be useful when outsourcing for talent for projects requiring different voice types?

Janice Downes: I have suggested it a few times, but most clients would prefer to be invoiced than pay the escrow fee.

Stephanie: Have any of your clients ever had difficulty agreeing to using SurePay because of the escrow fee? If so, how did you overcome that issue?

Janice Downes: Never difficulty, but always an option. Most of my repeat clients do prefer to be invoiced, or pay me directly through PayPal to avoid escrow after our first job using Sure Pay. Since I have to pay a fee to PayPal either way, I would always rather use Sure Pay. It's a lot easier for me to just do it all through Voices.com with Sure Pay, plus it's one more chance to be ranked. But, as valuable as that is for me, it is more valuable for me to keep my clients happy, so I always go with whatever payment option works best for them.

~~

If you'd like, you can learn more about what SurePay can do for you by reading this tutorial.

Best,

Stephanie

Think you know everything about marketing your voice acting services on the internet?

Even if you do, there's always more to learn!

Read Carol Mroz's article on what you need to know about doing business on the web as a freelance voice actor.

Okay, so you decided you want to use the internet to promote your voice, and you need to know just about every aspect of internet marketing.

There are a number of ways to learn.

One way is by trial and error, although that method has a more lasting effect on your knowledge base, it’s not the most effective.

If you are just starting in the voice over business, there are some ways to ease your way into the internet, and painlessly learn the ropes.

First, we are assuming that you have not had voice training, or if you have, it’s very limited.

Aside from continually training your voice, here is how to get started.

Step One

Create a profile Voices.com. Fill in as much voice over related information in your profile as possible.

Step Two

Download the ‘Getting Started Guide’ at Voices.com. This will help you to learn more about the voice over business and why you will want a completed profile at Voices.com.

Step Three

Build a quality home studio. For a detailed list of equipment, go to our FAQ section and search for ‘Home Studio’.

http://www.voices.com/faq.html

Step Four

Record your voice samples and upload them to your Voices.com site.

Step Five

Assuming that you have the appropriate training and equipment, it would seem that this would be all you need to do get work through Voices.com. There is still more involved than just auditioning.

The internet is a very different marketplace than what most people are accustomed to.
mar·ket·place    –noun

1. an open area in a town where a market is held.

2. the commercial world; the realm of business, trade, and economics.

3. any sphere considered as a place where ideas, thoughts, artistic creations, etc., compete for recognition.

Marketplaces are very busy, crowded and loud. Each of the vendors is trying to get the attention of all the people walking by. If you don’t make enough noise to be heard over the din, the shoppers are not aware of you or what you are selling.

For the seasoned professional

The seasoned professional (one who has been in the business full time for 5 years or more) would like to think that their experience, talent and equipment are all that is required for self promotion on the internet.

Up to this point, they have always used the same commercial demo, had their agent present it to potential clients and then they’ve been called for work. Alternatively, they’ve had their own website professionally designed and built and all they really need to do is direct potential clients there to listen to their commercial demo.

Conventional demos and methods don’t always work on the internet.

These are designed for in person or networking connections. That’s why agents use them and require a percentage of your earnings for getting you the connections.

Voices.com is your alternative marketing method.

The key to becoming a successful in voice over work online is based on two specific actions.

First, knowing how to perform as a voice over artist and deliver a professional recording.

Second, is much more difficult, but can make or break your success marketing yourself on the internet.

Simply knowing where to ‘fish’.

a·nal·o·gy    –noun

1. a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based

2. a form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect, on the basis of the known similarity between the things in other respects.

There are plenty of voice over professionals out there who have the mechanics down pat. They can act, mimic, write, sing, record, edit and produce with the best of them. But only a small percentage of them can be considered successful in marketing their voice on the internet.

Most companies can provide statistics that show 20% of the people are responsible for 80% of the results of that organization. Those same percentages hold true for voice actors marketing themselves on the internet. It is 20% of the professionals that earn 80% of the work.

This isn’t designed to discourage you, just to let you know there is a reason that many very talented, hard working professionals with a TON of experience aren’t getting work using the internet.

In fishing the successful fisherman knows where the fish are located at any particular time of day. Fish will move from place to place and back again with the tide and current. This is a learned skill and those who use this skill are able to regularly catch substantial numbers of fish. Just wetting a line in any body of water doesn’t work.

Submitting auditions through Voices.com is only a small part of marketing yourself on the internet.

Use your profile at Voices.com to showcase everything you have to offer. Continually update it and try to look at it as if you were a client with a VERY short deadline. Clients don’t have a lot of time to read blocks of text on your profile, but lists are simple and to the point. It has to tell them what they want to know within a few minutes of them landing on your website.

Your demos should also be short and sweet, regardless of whether they are auditions or uploaded to website. Clients will listen to 10-15 seconds TOPS and more ONLY if they are interested. Using tags will help them to find you and know what they are about to hear.

If you have a personal website, submit it to our link exchange program.

http://www.voices.com/directory/add_url.php?c=

Best wishes,

Carol

©iStockphoto.com/Michael Braun

Have you heard of Second Life or SL?

If you haven't yet, this interview is one that you're going to love.

Voicedude Reinoir shows you the ropes of voice acting in Second Life in this Voices.com exclusive!

Voicedude Reinoir (known in the voice acting biz as Ari Ross) and I had a chat about his "Second Life" web presence and how SL is treating him so far.

Stephanie: How did you discover Second Life and what inspired you to open up a voice over shop there?

Ari Ross: I had auditioned for and then booked a job voicing a three-part piece for American Express called "Open for Business" (which highlights successes with small business). One of the 3 videos I did can be seen here: http://www.openforum.com/thread.jspa?threadID=300000870

I then was hired to do multiple voices for the Second Life CSI:NY game. I voice one of the main characters -- detective Jared Washington - as well as several ancillary characters. I am happy to say that I have been used in four "episodes" (games) so far.

After doing the first CSI: NY gig I was given a link by the client with which I could download the program and go inworld to see/hear the work…. Since then I have been an SL resident!

Stephanie: Wow! What has the community reaction at Second Life been like to Vox Humana? How long has Vox Humana been open? Do you have a stage name there?

Ari Ross: Well, I'll start with the last question and let you know that I am known in SL as "Voicedude Reinoir." Yup.. there is that extra "i" in Renoir there -- we get to choose our first name but must select from a list of mostly odd and/or fun last names… I guess Reinoir caught my eye -- to tell you the truth, I really thought I would only be inworld for like 15 minutes (to just see the voice work and leave) … little did I know that I'd be becoming a resident, buying land and a house and setting up shop!

I have only had "Vox Humana" open for a couple weeks now and actually had only completed putting up all the voice demos like 48 hours ago (as of this interview)! (One can set up an object to be clicked on and play a sound.)

Suffice it to say, there have only been a handful of residents who have been by the shop but reactions have been basically positive. In fact my shop was brought to the attention of one of the main people at Linden Lab (the company which runs Second Life) and he praised it highly and put it in his daily blog. I also have had a couple people who found it in a search and liked it as well. It's really just the beginning at this point -- ask me again in 2 or 3 months and I'll have a better report to give you.

Stephanie: I gather that Second Life has it's own brand of currency. Can you tell me a little bit about working with Linden dollars? How easy is it for you to trade that hard-earned Second Life cash into US dollars?

Ari Ross: Linden dollars are actual currency and can be exchanged for USD (Approx. 260 Lindens to one USD as of this writing) but to be honest, I haven't tried exchanging back to dollars yet. I do know that there is a "Lindex" which is the Linden currency exchange where people buy and sell Lindens in the way that folks buy and sell foreign (Real Life) currencies!

I am myself familiar with using USD to get my virtual hands on some L$ for use in SL:-)

One uses PayPal to buy L$ which can be used to by land, furniture, plants/landscaping, clothes (yes, clothes!), pay residents to build you something, etc.

Stephanie: Are you able to deliver your audio through SL as well, or do you basically use Vox Humana as the first point of contact and then do business as usual off the SL site?

Ari Ross: I intend to use it more as a point of first contact than anything else. Indeed, I have done some good work already for Second Life (via the AMEX and CSI: NY jobs) but those jobs were obtained in the real world for SL.

Aside from having fun meeting new people from all over the world and enjoying the amazing artwork in … and that IS Second Life (almost everything you see in SL is created by the residents -- except for the sky, sun, stars, water and ground).

I will attempt to potentially add to my RL (Real Life) client base possibly making first points of contact inworld and then doing the usual drill for the actual voice job -- emails, phone calls, FTP or ISDN, recording, auditioning etc.

As for delivery of audio, you can only upload 10 second clips and only in WAV format; 44,100 16 bit (no MP3s for some reason). You can choose how you want them to convert it - A bit rate of either: 32, 64, 96 or 128 kbps. There are also sometimes long delays, glitches, etc. Alas, it is still a growing technology.

You could if you had to upload an audition or job by doing so in 10 second bits, but that would of course be kinda silly when the usual options are at hand (email, FTP, ISDN etc).

Stephanie: At the time of this interview, I know of very few people who use Second Life and fewer still who market their voice talent on it. How effective is Second Life as a vehicle to promote your voice?

Ari Ross: As I say, it is all very, very new to me so only time will tell…

Stephanie: Did you design your Second Life storefront? I've seen a picture of it, and I must say it looks pretty spiffy!

Ari Ross: That is one cool thing about SL - a frustrated (or not so frustrated) designer can do artistic stuff he or she may not get around to doing in RL; I got the basic building as a shell and designed the voice demo rooms and storefront myself.

Stephanie: How did you acquire the land your store is on? I heard that you have to buy virtual real estate.

Ari Ross: While checking out the CSI:NY "sim" (region/area) I met a resident who showed me around his house in "Krung Thep: Thai Island Paradise." I fell in love with the surrounding area and purchased some land in the neighborhood!

Land is purchased in lot sizes starting at 512 m² [square meters] and in increments of 512 m² such as 1024, 2048, etc). Some people by whole regions and indeed, even a whole "sim" (I am one of dozens of residents with a plot of land on my home sim of "Krung Thep")

Land is not expensive in real world terms if you just get a couple thousand m², but there usually is a monthly "tier" which can add up depending on your lot size. If you buy a whole region ("sim" -- 16 acre -- 65,536 m²) however, it can get quite expensive indeed - I just saw a number of ads for full 16 acre sims going for between $300 and $6500 US dollars(!) Then there are the monthly tier fees on top of that.

The more expensive ones are generally in I think higher traffic areas of "the Grid" (the world) with therefore better business opportunities.

Stephanie: How do you interact with prospective customers on Second Life? Is there a way for you to advertise or talk to customers while on the website?

Ari Ross: There are billboards you can rent to advertise a shop, etc.

As for communicating, there is both IM-ing and more recently, voice chat. I would not be in SL if it wasn't for voice chat as hey, that's what I do! Also because I rather have a free flow of communication rather than waiting for all that typing -- especially if I want to do business.

I have "notecards" (one can read, keep or discard a notecard which is a dropdown text tablet with information on it) in every one of my signs around the shop which lead one to a special website I now have set up for SL promotion (no RL names, numbers, addresses, etc.) www.Slvoiceovers.com

People can also IM me via my profile; which are sent to me as emails when I am not inworld.

Stephanie: Would you say that you're the first voice actor pioneer to stake a claim in Second Life?

Ari Ross: No, there are others so I am not alone. There is one girl who even created a full recording studio with a booth, microphone, etc (!)

Stephanie: If you had any advice to share with other voice actors about how to use the site, what would you say?

Ari Ross: I'd say that if you were so inclined to at least check it out and see what it is, download the program (from secondlife.com) and fly around (yes, we can fly inworld!) and see what's there.

A strong word of advice… SL can be addictive (really) and so the watchword here is indeed discipline. There many, many lands to travel to (BTW you teleport from anywhere on the grid to anywhere else in seconds) and in, people to meet, things to buy and create and so forth so it goes without saying that it can be very easily VERY time consuming.

With strong personal guidelines set? …. It can open up whole new worlds!

I honestly don't know if it will or would end up being a viable promotion tool for my V/O work… but it's kinda cool trying it out and seein' where it might lead…

Ari Ross
www.isdnvoices.com
In SL: Voicedude Reinoir
www.Slvoiceovers.com

~~

Have you had a Second Life experience? Leave a comment!

Photo © Voicedude Reinoir

Listen to the CBC?

Whether on CBC Radio One, Sirius 137 or online at cbc.ca, be sure to catch Nora Young's show "Spark" at 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST on January 2nd, 2008 to hear some interesting technological New Year's Resolutions!

You might be surprised who you hear from...

I'm writing this the day before strategically so that you'll receive this with enough time to catch the CBC Radio One show "Spark" at 11:30 a.m. EST on January 2nd 2008 (date fixed - thanks Dan!).

With the New Year coming fast and furious, the crew at Spark decided to throw together a contest wherein 20 people would be selected to win a funky Spark bag if their technology New Year's resolutions struck the fancy of their team.

I happened to be in my car at the time and as soon as I heard Nora Young say to go to the Spark blog, I nearly dropped everything I was doing (parked the car first, of course) and ran to my lap top to leave my 2008 New Year's resolutions on the Spark blog as a comment. The resolutions had to be about technology, and being surrounded by it every day, the list was an easy one for me to compile.

The good news is that out of over 60 responses, mine was one of the 20 chosen to win a Spark bag!

Since my resolutions were just what they were looking for, I was asked to leave a voice message reciting my resolutions on their phone system to air on the show for this week.

Here's the broadcast schedule for Spark:

CBC Radio One:
Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. (12:00 NT)
Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. (4:30 NT)

Sirius 137:
Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sirius Satellite 137.
Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sirius Satellite 137.

If you miss the show (it could happen), I believe there is also podcast that you can subscribe to in iTunes and catch the show after it's been published through their podcast feed.

I'll be listening in and can't wait to hear the other resolutions that were submitted in the New Year!

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. As you might know, there is another New Year's resolutions contest going on in the voice over world. Check out Voice-Overs.com/Forum/ for details.

Photo © CBC

Have the heavens graced your city with white fluffy stuff or have you had a dumping that's set records?

While you get your measuring stick out, come chill out at VOX Daily.

In Canada, we get a lot of snow.

Usually there are a few "snow days" that kids have each winter, the rare ice storm, and random blizzards that bring the town to a grinding halt.

Now, saying that Canadians get a lot of snow could be perceived as an understatement.

Just on Sunday this past weekend, there was a celestial dumping as such has never been seen in recent years. We had quite the time driving down the street to our home and required assistance when getting in our driveway. It took several minutes of effort but we made it through thanks to a wonderful neighbour and a trio of iron wills.

I now have a new appreciation for the terms "pedal to the metal" and "burning rubber".

I'm sure the Americans who live to the north have a better idea of what I'm talking about because you probably got the walloping too.

This week's natural shenanigans aside, have you ever found that the winter season brings added challenges to your voice acting business?

By virtue of your profession, the cold can do things to your voice or you could catch the flu from a well meaning friend or family member - that can wreak havoc all right, but what about the actual extremities?

For the majority of you who work from home, perhaps the weather itself hasn't presented any issues, that is, perhaps to your health. Nowhere to go, no one to see, you're golden all wrapped up warmly in your home recording studio drinking cocoa (or a coffee / tea / water for you diehards)...

But, what about your studio and equipment?

Phone lines, Internet connections, frozen stuff and important deliveries that need to be sent through the post?

Having to shovel the driveway for your spouse and knocking the wind out of yourself when you need to record?

Just throwing some possibilities out there to think about. Maybe one of those has happened to you?

I'm looking for stories about how winter affects voice over artists - do you have one to share?

Looking forward to reading yours (hot chocolate in hand of course).

Best,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Andrey Stenkin

Heard the scoop yet?

Voices.com has launched a news website for the voice acting community. It gives you your own platform to spread the word about your latest news.

An industry trade magazine for voice acting? It's about time, baby!

Yes, the cat is out of the bag!

Working busy as beavers over the past week, Voice Over Times is now ready for you to pop over and enjoy.

While VOX Daily gives you updates on a daily basis regarding one topic per day, Voice Over Times is updated multiple times throughout the day with the latest and most timely news coverage in the voice over world.

We've always been fans of getting the stories of voice actors out to the public and now with the recent launch of the site, our team will be able to do that for you at a faster rate and with more links pointing directly to you and your website.

What happens at Voice Over Times?

Voice Over Times is an online news website providing feature stories, product reviews, tutorials and opinion articles.

The leader in online voice acting news and press release distribution, Voice Over Times is the driving force propelling the public relations of the voice over industry. Covering voice over in all aspects, this website will help you find the news and stories that you need to hear about now and connect you with media contacts who make your story happen.

Here’s how you can use Voice Over Times

For Journalists, Bloggers and Members of the Press:

Gloss over the website to learn of news as it happens in the voice over community. You’ll discover hidden gems as well as high profile voice acting stories to cover in your publication. Subscribe via email for immediate alerts.

For Voice Actors, Managers, and Agents:

Keep up to date by subscribing to the Voice Over Times website via email and add your story to the mix. The website is updated multiple times throughout the day, so make Voice Over Times your first stop when getting the word out about your latest news.

Simply send us an email with your news tip, press release or article.

For Fans and the Public:

Consume the most diverse source of voice acting news, including topics such as breaking news, celebrity voice actors, opinion pieces, product reviews, and tutorials. Subscribe via email and be sure to leave comments on stories that move you.

Voice Over Times is the easiest way to distribute your news and get it out to the people and places that matter.

Submitting your story won’t break the bank, in fact, it’s free. Get headline news coverage from an industry powerhouse and see the results.

We want to share your voice with the world and it will be heard when you work with us.

For Advertisers

There are opportunities for advertisers on the Voice Over Times website.

Learn more about how to advertise on Voice Over Times now or email Lin Parkin at info@voiceovertimes.com to express your interest.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

P.S. There is also a blog roll at Voice Over Times. If you write a blog that covers voice over and voice acting, let Lin know (include your blog URL) and she'll add you to the list.

Everyone's done it.

You sit in the chair at the dentist's office, reclined, lights in your eyes... you get the picture.

I found myself there just yesterday and thought I'd use my time more effectively, so instead of just sitting there, I obtained some answers to questions you've probably thought of asking but never have.

Thursday afternoon I had a visit to my dentist's office. It's a great place to go (I've been lucky to have not ever had a cavity) and instead of mumbling incoherently as is the norm, I seized precious moments to ask my dental hygienist several questions that have always been up in the air for me.

The first question was about the suction tube that is used to get rid of saliva and any blood in your mouth during the delicate cleaning process.

Did you know that you aren't supposed to close your mouth over the suction tube to speed up the gathering of mouth fluids? Apparently, you're intended to sit still and let your dental hygienist navigate the suction tube.

Why?

Those tubes are only cleaned once per day and are used on everyone else who sits in the chair to get a cleaning. Although the tube is only cleaned once per day, you can rest assured that the nozzles at the end are disposable and a new nozzle is applied to the hose for each patient.

So are other little end pieces, thank goodness. Also, for your peace of mind, the metal instruments are thoroughly washed and sterilized between visits.

Back to the tube.

Some hygienists encourage you to or condone helping the suctioning along, but from what I heard, they shouldn't. It may seem more convenient to you to get the saliva out faster, but it could be more detrimental than savvy.

The scoop is that even though the fluids are being sucked out, there is the potential that some of the bacteria from previous visitors (or your own mouth) may come back up and make you sick. It depends on the kind of apparatus they are using (whether or not there is a slit or hole in it) as to if this would occur.

Makes you want to book your appointment for the crack of dawn, doesn't it?!

Another question I had was do dental hygienists prefer their clients to have their eyes open or shut during the cleaning process. According to my hygienist, Melissa, she said that it was really up to each individual patient as to what they did while in the chair. She had no preference herself.

If you're grossed out, the end is near - just bear with me for one more tip.

Flossing is very important. We all know that this is the case, but putting that into action is sometimes an annoying or painful experience.

How many of you have been reprimanded because you don't floss enough?

Don't be shy, 'cause I know I have!

If you don't floss, consider that over time your gums will deteriorate and you may get all kinds of infections, infections that could be avoided by removing the tartar, plaque and bacteria hiding in there. I think I heard somewhere that flossing would also help prevent heart disease. There's an excellent reason right there.

It's of particular importance that pregnant women floss. Although your gums will be more tender, it is of vital import to floss daily for you and your baby.

I learned a lot yesterday at my dentist's office and knew that what I found out would benefit somebody if not just myself which is why I decided to share this obscure yet significant information. I hope Melissa didn't feel like she was being interrogated!

This is the stuff you don't hear or talk about. That whole tube thing was a mystery to me until I asked.

As I'm writing for an audience of people who use their voice to make a living, I thought this topic, although a bit squeamish, would prove useful.

For more reasons why you should take care, read David Houston's article about Cleaning the Instrument.

Proper oral hygiene is a priority for you as your livelihood depends on it, and it goes without saying, your health as well.

Brush, floss and prosper!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Carmen Martínez

Who would have thought that the cute, cuddly personalities dreamed up by Walt Disney and the folks at Warner Bros. would one day be summoned to a court of law in Naples, Italy?

All it takes is one entrepreneurial Chinese gentleman who dabbles in counterfeiting with a penchant for cartoon characters to order these household names overseas to bear witness in a case that I had to Google for myself to see if it was true!

VoiceOverTimes.com reported today that a court in Naples, Italy has called Mickey Mouse, Tweety Bird, Donald Duck and his girlfriend Daisy in a summons.

They were called as part of a trial of a Chinese man accused of counterfeiting products created by Disney and Warner Bros.

The court summons cites ‘Titty, Paperino, Paperina, Topolino’ - the Italian names for the characters - as damaged parties in the trial.

Instead of naming only the companies and their legal representatives, clerks also wrote in the witness list the names of the cartoons that decorated the toys and gadgets the man had allegedly reproduced.

‘Unfortunately they cannot show up, as they are residents of Disneyland,’ said Fiorenza Sorotto, vice president of Disney Company Italia.

‘It certainly pleased us that the characters were considered real, because that’s what we try to do.’

The Naples court will have to rewrite the summons, although this will probably delay the trial, said Disney lawyer Cristina Ravelli.

‘Let’s hope the characters will not be prosecuted for failing to appear,’ she said.

~~

Now, how's that one for the books?

Bob Bergen, someone who voices Porky Pig and Tweety Bird for Warner Bros., sent me a humorous MP3 of his take of what might happen if Tweety actually got to testify at the stand.

Want to hear it?

Tune in to VOX Talk episode 51, coming out this week! To get the show as soon as it airs, subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or at the VOX Talk podcast website.

Looking forward to hearing about what you think of all this!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Image © Warner Bros.

Don LaFontaine, the king of the movie trailers, recently sent a message out to his friends with some updates concerning his health.

I was chatting with Don moments ago (it's past midnight here on the east coast) and since writing this email, he has been steadily improving and hopes to be back to work by the end of the week or the beginning of the next.

In order to provide you with the true story and an accurate account of what happened before the news gets into the hands of the media, Don and I agreed to share his letter with you here on VOX Daily first.

Message from Don:

In the interest of full disclosure, I thought I'd let you know why I have been "off the grid" for a while. To my colleagues in the business, and the public at large, it could serve as a cautionary tale, and save them from some discomfort in the future.

Last Wednesday, November 18th, I went to Cedars Sinai Hospital for a minor surgery, an outpatient procedure, which meant that I was to be discharged from the hospital after a couple of hours in recovery.

It didn't quite work out that way.

When I was wheeled down to the recovery area, my wife immediately noticed that my face was swollen. Very quickly thereafter, I blew up like the Stay Puft marshmallow man.

What had happened was this-- (and here the causes differ, depending on if you're talking to my surgeon or to me)--

My version: During the procedure, my left lung was nicked.

My surgeon's version; After the procedure, while in recovery, I must have coughed, and coughed hard enough to blow a small hole in my lung.

Whichever is true, the end result was the same--Pneumothorax, the presence of air or gas in the pleural cavity, the result of a collapsed lung. The natural by-product of Pneumothorax is a nasty little condition known as Subcutaneous Emphysema, which describes the result of the air from the collapsed lung, having nowhere to go but under the skin, blowing the victim up like a balloon. My face and chest grew to alarming proportions. My eyes were swollen shut. I felt like I was strangling (I wasn't. I was being fed oxygen, and my air to blood ratio was very high.)

For about an hour, I was the center of attention, as a chest tube was inserted through my upper ribs to release some of the pressure. In addition, about a half dozen small catheters were stuck under my skin to help drain off the air. Any thought of my going home that day was quickly abandoned. After I stabilized, I was taken to a room in the hospital ward.

At Cedars, as it is at most hospitals, patients on the ward are attended to by one nurse and one assistant, both of whom are also assigned to five or more other patients. The end result of this is service is usually slow. Getting a pain pill or something to help you sleep can take up to an hour. Because of this, my family doctor suggested that we hire a private "sitter" to stay with me--just in case. As it turns out, it was a good call, because about 7 PM that night, I re-expanded--this time worse than before. Because of the anesthesia, my mouth was dry, and now it went positively Saharan. It felt like my throat was filled with sharp little rocks, and nothing would relieve it. It took about three hours to re- stabilize me, and I wound up back in post-op ICU.

That's were I spent Thursday, the 29th, and Friday, the 30th. I was scheduled to be released the following morning, Saturday. I was packed, dressed and literally two minutes from stepping out of my room when I felt myself blowing up again. This third Pneumothorax doomed me to an extension of my stay at Cedars. I was moved from the ICU back to the ward, where I spent the next three days.

During the night of the 30th, my chest tube came out, but it didn't seem to alarm any of my team of four doctors and one nurse/practitioner who visited me each morning. I told them that I thought there was something left over from the chest tube, but I was assured that it wasn't the case--even though nobody had bothered to look under the dressing to make sure.

The miscommunications multiplied.

A nurse told me that I was scheduled for an additional surgical procedure for the morning of Monday, the 3rd, and had written orders that would have withheld any food after midnight on Sunday. Fortunately, my beautiful wife, who holds a nursing degree, was checking up on everything every step of the way, and she kept everybody on the same page as much as possible.

I was finally allowed to go home on Tuesday, the 4th. As a result of the Subcutaneous Emphysema, pockets of air still remain around my vocal cords, and I sound pretty much like a demented Munchkin. I am told that this condition can take weeks to clear up, so I won't be doing any recording for the immediate future.

I will, however, make a complete recovery, and that's the good news.

Last night Nita changed the dressing over my chest tube incision, and sure enough, there was a little blue box attached to my skin. This required an additional trip to the surgeon's office today to have it removed.

All of this is not to garner sympathy for poor little me, but to illustrate the potential problems that can be encountered in situations like this. I don't know if anything could have been done to prevent the Pneumothorax, but a good deal of the other problems could have been avoided with proper communication-- between doctor and patient, doctor and nursing staff and nursing staff and patient.

If anything speaks for the practice of getting a second opinion and making sure you discuss everything with your doctor, this does.

Also, I wanted to get this complete and accurate account of what has transpired on the record before the rumor mill has me gasping my life away in an iron lung somewhere. Aside from being limited for the near future to singing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road", I am planning on being a general annoyance until 2030 or so, when I will retire to the poolside of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Vegas.

I am assuming that many of you will feel the need to respond to this letter, but resist the temptation if you can. My mailbox is already backed up horribly after a week of inattention.

In other news, my appearance on FrankTV can be found on youtube, and my interview with Dave Navarro on ManiaTV can be found at:

Don LaFontaine How Did You Get Into this Episode
Don LaFontaine Leave a Voicemail Episode

Also, Nita's "LifeStories" CD is selling through her website, NitaWhitaker.com at a special holiday price. Makes a great gift.

Finally--from my family to yours, we wish you the happiest of Holiday Seasons. God bless, and have a wonderful New Year.

Don

~~

If you would like to wish Don well please leave him a comment here on VOX Daily

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Image © Don LaFontaine

Caryn Clark recently did some voice over work that you may have seen on television... thanks to technology and an OK from her client, the video Caryn did the voice over for is now up on YouTube!

Come check it out here at VOX Daily and let me know if you've voiced videos found on YouTube as well.

Here's the work Caryn Clark did for one of her clients.

Take a look-see.

Have you done any voice over work for a video that has been posted to YouTube?

Leave a comment and tell us all about it!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Curious to know which audio books made Audibles Best Audiobooks of 2007 list?

Check the titles out here!

As Audible said last week, it's been an amazing year for long-awaited novels from big-name authors, however, did those big names make the best on the audio book list as well as in print?

Here's a link to the top audio books from Audible for 2007.

The categories are as follows:

Best of 2007: Bios and Memoirs
Best of 2007: Business
Best of 2007: Classics
Best of 2007: Fiction
Best of 2007: History
Best of 2007: Kids and Young Adults
Best of 2007: Mysteries and Thrillers
Best of 2007: Nonfiction
Best of 2007: Religion and Spirituality
Best of 2007: Romance
Best of 2007: Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Best of 2007: Self-Development
Chris Picks His Favorites
Corey Picks His Favorites
Diana Picks Her Favorites
Steve Picks His Favorites

Check them out and let me know if you've listened to any of them or if you have different ideas of what should be on the lists!

Cheers,

Stephanie