Ever find that your voice just isn't up for the challenge? Are you exhausted vocally or unable to speak without pain?

As a person who uses their voice every day as part of their profession or occupation, it's easy to get run down and suffer from periodic or sporadic vocal inconveniences such as laryngitis, bronchitis and the like.

What happens when your voice is not able to emulate what's on your demo because of a temporary health issue?

Many voice actors and singers face that reality every now and then. Find out how resting your voice may be the ticket to getting back to your regular self.

Vocal Rest

When I was a student at university in the music faculty, vocal rest was second to none for protecting your voice and or encouraging healing for a voice in peril. If you were sick, you simply didn't sing and knew not to push it. This notion also extends to any stressful vocal behaviours such as yelling, coughing hard, forceful throat clearing, crying, talking on the phone, or screaming.

Sometimes, vocal rest can mean not uttering a word.

Instead of taxing the vocal apparatus even further or irritating the vocal folds unnecessarily, it is advised to take two and wait out an illness before trying to replicate what you are able to do when you're healthy.

The same goes for voice actors and professionals who rely upon their voice to make a living. There is something to be said for prudence, and when it comes to your health, you can't be too careful... don't be afraid to go to your doctor to get checked out if you are concerned.

Resting The Voice is Also Good For Other Recovery Schedules

Vocal rest is not just prescribed for those with the common cold or overuse of the voice, but also as part of other recovery programs such as heart surgery, for instance.

Just recently, a young Canadian soprano and fan favourite, Measha Brueggergosman, was hospitalized for emergency heart surgery after suffering a tear in her aorta. The procedure went well and she is now taking time off to recover. Part of her getting healthy regime includes not singing for one month, presumably so as not to place strain on her heart.

When you speak or sing, more than just your vocal apparatus is involved. You've got all sorts of muscles working together in your chest, particularly breathing mechanisms and diaphragmatic support, that when used during a time of recovery, can hinder the process greatly, even possibly cause undue painful.

Have You Ever Needed Time for Vocal Rest?

I'm interested to learn if you make it a regular practice to take vocal rest when necessary and what you do to pass the time productively while not voicing.

Looking forward to hearing your stories,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/geotrac

When you first get started in voice overs, what sort of things should you be spending your money on (and in what order) when building your business?

I was asked a question similar to this at the Voice Coaches Marketing Expo on the expert panel, and due to the panel's immense popularity, I'm going to be including the five most interesting and applicable nuggets of information shared that day from industry panelists representing various branches of voice over.

Yesterday, we talked about how proficient a voice talent should be when working with audio, and today we'll talk about which areas you'll need to invest your money in business wise and when it's appropriate to do so.

What should you invest in first when getting your voice over business off the ground? Find out!

Voice Over Businesses Are Businesses Too!

Sometimes it's easy for people entering the voice over industry to treat voice over like a hobby or as a creative outlet. When they're getting started, they see it as fun, challenging and perhaps, instantly rewarding (sacks of cash, right?) having unrealistic expectations for this hobby, not realizing that it's a business like anything else.

With this frame of mind, spending money may not be on the top of the list, although it is a necessity if you want to reach your goals. Having a business costs money! You'll need to invest in a number of things, it's just a question of what those things are and in which order you'll need to get them.

In my opinion, here's the most logical order of items you'll need as a professional voice talent and in which order you need to invest your money:

1. Education
2. Home Recording Studio
3. Promoting Your Voice

1. Education

If you are in business you need to be investing in your business. I would say the first place you should be spending your money is on your education. There's always more to learn, and if you're just entering the business, you've got a whole lot of learning to do!

When I say education, I mean it in the universal sense, encompassing anything you might need to learn about in business, voice acting and technology. As a voice talent working from home and running your own business, you'll need training in all three of those categories to succeed.

Places you can turn to for educational resources:

๏ Voice Over Experts Podcast
๏ VOX Daily Blog
๏ Voices.com's Getting Started in Voice Overs Guide
๏ Voices.com Voice Coaches Network
๏ Harlan Hogan's Coaches List
๏ VoiceOverXtra's Workshop Calendar

Some of the resources I've mentioned above are free to consume, however, note that if you are studying with a voice acting teacher privately, ordering books, or attending a workshop, there are expenses involved. Most workshops cost hundreds of dollars for a day or two at a studio with a teacher. These prices vary.

To find the right teacher for you, listen to podcasts or read blogs. Ask people for references to teachers they have studied with who have made a positive difference in their lives and careers. Teachers can help you work toward planning and recording your voice over demo.

2. Build Your Home Recording Studio

Before you do anything else invest a healthy amount of money into your studio, because if you don't have a studio at home, you really stand no chance of competing with everyone else who is equipped with a home recording studio.

If you have a home studio, you are positioned to record on the fly and you won't have to check in with a studio to see what their availability is. In the long run, you'll be saving time and money by having your own studio. This is also one of the best and most convenient ways to develop your audio engineering skills.

Ideas for where you can get studio equipment:

๏ Used equipment on eBay
๏ From other voice over professionals or recording engineers
๏ zZounds

3. Promoting Your Voice

Once you have the first two taken care of (Education and Home Recording Studio) and are prepared to confidently enter the ring, this is when promoting your business becomes a top priority.

Having a web presence and a subscription to an online voice over marketplace are appropriate steps that can be taken to draw more opportunities to yourself.

Auditioning daily for work yields more benefits than just potentially being hired... auditioning helps to keep you vocally fit, in practice, and serves up diverse copy to interpret that you won't find anywhere else.

Summary

If you aren't focused on building your business, don't have a studio in your home, haven't studied and don't know how to act, you're at a great disadvantage and are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Does that makes sense?

Educate, build your home studio, get some experience and then sign up for a membership at a voice over marketplace.

Any Thoughts on This?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Amanda Rohde

As a voice over talent with a home recording studio, how much should you concern yourself with learning more about (or becoming proficient at) mixing, editing, adding sound effects, and music?

Is it of vital importance that you learn all you can about audio engineering?

Hear some expert advice from David Goldberg of Edge Studio.

How Much of an Audio Engineer Do You Need to Be?

Warren Garling of Voice Coaches moderated the expert panel discussion at the 3rd Annual Voice Coaches Marketing Expo. He directed the question of how proficient a voice talent should be in the arts of audio engineering to David Goldberg, owner of Edge Studio in New York City.

David replied, "That's a great question and it really depends on the type of voice over you are pursuing. So, if you are pursuing, for example, audiobooks, the average unabridged audio book is I think 9.5 hours long. And as Dan spoke earlier from Full Cast Audio, it can take four hours to complete one hour of audio. It takes that long because you have lots of retakes, and you make mouth clicks and pops and you have to go back and start things over again. All that means is that when you go back it, you have 36 hours of recording to clean up, 36 hours of editing. If you are not proficient, it's going to suck. The more proficient you become the more money you make per hour, so again in audiobooks, you are paid by the completed hour of audio. So if you're paid, for example, $100 per completed hour, if it takes you four hours to complete that audio including editing or ten hours, you are at a much better advantage if you can do it in four hours.

"With respect to adding music and sound effects: It's a wonderful service if you can be a one-stop-shop for your clients, but adding music and sound effects is very difficult. We've been doing it for 21 years and we're still learning, we really are. Stephanie said you have to continue learning. I believe that if you offer a service to clients, and you don't do it very well, you'll really hurt your relationship with your client, so go to Voice Coaches (people in attendance were all graduates of the Voice Coaches program). David Bourgeois and Jenny (Marcotte) have a wonderful studio and hook up with them, let them do the music and sound effects for you, and maybe do a little markup on the thing, but be a one-stop-shop for your customers."

You Don't Need To Be Ben Burtt, But it Helps To Be Skilled

In a nutshell, David suggested that if you are good at editing audio, you will be able to work faster and smarter. Incorporating and or mixing in different production elements will give you a leg up on other voice talent and will also enable you to offer your clients a one-stop-shopping experience.

Any Comments?

If you have any tips or advice you'd like to share about audio engineering from the perspective of a voice over talent, please leave a comment and join the conversation. If you're an audio engineer, you're also welcome to chime in with your thoughts!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Chris Schmidt

Have you ever volunteered as a reader in a school or library?

Maybe you've always wanted to do so but haven't researched the opportunities available to you.

Hear about Elaine Victoria Grey's experience as a "Celebrity Reader" in the school system and how volunteering her gifts as a narrator and artist impacted children and inspired her in her career.

Reflections on Being a Celebrity Reader

By Elaine Victoria Grey

An opportunity to become a "Celebrity Reader" was presented to me a number of years ago, when an elementary school teacher, (coincidentally her name was Norma Ciccarelli), requested that I read to her fourth-fifth grade class. It was a pleasure for me to accept the offer.

The event took place during Celebrity Read-a-thon Week, at the Hosmer School, Watertown, MA, which became an annual event that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Mrs. Ciccarelli would allow me to pick books that I would like to read to her class, and she would also make suggestions and give me a selection of books to choose from that were prize winners. Most of the times I would pick from the books she suggested, and I always selected two books for the big day.

For those of you who are looking for books now, there is a site called Scholastic.com, where some award winning books are listed. For instance there is the Caldecott and the Newbury Medal award collection.

The Caldecott Medal award winner, "The Trumpet Swan" by E.B. White is a favorite of mine and the children loved it because it had wonderful illustrations. Note: Randolf Caldecott was a 18th century illustrator.

The favorite books are not only ones that are well written, but ones that are well illustrated. This was important, because as I read to the children, I would turn the pages toward them so they could see the vivid images of the story.

Because I am an artist, I would also ask Mrs. Ciccarelli to have drawing paper and markers and or crayons on each students desk so I could ask them to draw what they were feeling as I was reading to them.

I got great feedback from the school, the children and the parents and got invited back each year. The children would always ask me lots of questions about my career as an artist, and they would readily answer questions that I would ask of them.

Where did my inspiration come from? My inspiration can be found in the face of each child, and the knowledge that I could share something special with them that they may always remember, and that might make that little difference in their lives.

I believe we need to give back to our communities, and that we should share the gifts that we have received with future generations.

When I was a child, I used to go to the library every week to "hear a women read to me. She would read from Grimm's Fairy Tales." I will never forget her. She gave me my first taste of Literature, and then reading became such an important part of my life.

The greatest gift I received from reading to those fourth graders is the feeling that I had when I saw the satisfaction on their faces and knew that I touched their imagination in a very special way.

Some of the children would give me one of their sketches to keep as a remembrance. The rest of the sketches would get pinned up on the board. Usually, there was always one or two children who would never pick up the marker to draw and their paper would remain as white as snow, until towards the end of the reading I would look up and see them drawing. It was a wonderful reward.

And lastly, I would receive a Celebrity Reader Certificate along with a framed note of thanks from the children with all of their signatures. How cool!

Do you want to read to children at schools?

My advice is not to wait any longer. Get involved.

Elaine Victoria Grey

ELAINE VICTORIA GREY IS A CELEBRATED BOSTON ARTIST, whose accomplishments include a one-person exhibit entitled "Innovations" at Harvard University's Baker Library and copyright renderings of historic sites in Boston.

Did you enjoy Elaine's story?

Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Jani Bryson

Learn how to take care of your voice, engage in a vocal warmup, speak clearly and become more confident behind the microphone.

Discover how you can improve your voice over technique and achieve a personal best with regard to vocal performance.

Your audience will thank you!

PodCamp London

Yesterday, I presented at PodCamp London and am eager to share the contents of my session with you!

The topic was "Content is King But Voice is Queen".

During my session, those in attendance heard an abbreviated, but substantial, version of what I have blogged about in today's article.

My audience was a group of podcasters, however, I think you'll find a great deal of value in this as voice over professionals or public speakers.

Content is King...

When you're trying to reach an audience, the most important aspect of your presentation is your content.

As a podcaster, you have the responsibility to:

- Research topics
- Create quality content
- Be prepared

...but Voice is Queen

Why would I say that voice is queen? Why not audio production skills or something else?

- Your voice communicates the message
- Makes creative choices when interpreting copy
- Voices connect with people on a deep, human level

These Pipes Were Made for Talkin'

- The human voice has been used for thousands of years to communicate
- It's the most effective way of engaging another person
- When talking, realize that it's not all talk, it's social engagement

Know And Love Your Voice

By now, I'm sure you've realized just how singularly important it is to keep your voice safe, after all, without it, podcasting would be incredibly difficult. How many of you take care of your voice, I mean, really treat it well? Like most things, before you can meet its needs, you need to have a relationship and understanding of how your voice works and how you can protect your asset.

Caring For The Voice

Your voice is so delicate. It's not something you can turn on or off by flicking a switch. It's also not something that you can carry in a bag or download on the Internet. Simply put, your voice is with you at all times and cannot be put on hold or paused whenever it's convenient to do so.

When caring for your voice, you need to be aware of just how sensitive your instrument is and also realize that it is just that, an instrument. Coming from a musical background, I grew up abiding by a number of guidelines set in place to protect my voice. In university, the first week of school, we were handed an extensive package that described in great detail what to avoid doing to save our instruments from harm.

Getting sick aside, any number of external elements could affect the well being of your voice and its performance, including what you eat, drink, breathe in and so on.

Don't Abuse Your Voice

Yelling, screaming, whispering, crying and even talking extensively on the phone can all wear your voice down. You might have been surprised by the telephone citation, but believe me, it's a culprit and is very tiring, drying and can be taxing on your voice.

Some of those things may appear to be obvious to you because they directly involve the use of your voice. Now consider this. Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcoholic or caffeinated beverages, and inhaling second-hand smoke can also injure your voice.

Avoid these at all costs before a recording and stick to water as the beverage of choice.

Also be mindful to not wear perfume or cologne before you warm up your voice and record. If you must wear something, make it a light, neutral scent. Remember, no one can smell you through your podcast.

Be Realistic

Know your range and respect its natural boundaries.

If you know that your vocal range is limited to an octave or so, don't push harder to reach low, growly pitches or strain to speak too high, either. Do not force yourself because you'll not only sound bad but it will also hurt your voice.

Your natural speaking voice sits in your comfort zone, also known as your tessitura. Tessitura is an Italian word that refers to a singer's comfortable range that presents its best sounding texture or timbre.

Bearing this in mind, your voice has limits and you'll need to respect them otherwise you will grow tired quickly and find that your voice is under performing, even in pain.

Protecting Your Voice From Sickness

Protect your voice from environmental factors / sick people!

I went to see my doctor just yesterday for an ear/nose/throat issue and in passing, he mentioned that he has seen more people lately who are sick with a cold than he did throughout the entire winter. For whatever reason, there's something going around, and because of what we know about how important our voice is, we've got to do even more to protect ourselves from getting sick.

Being sick when you record changes the quality of your voice, its range and also may injure you. When you're sick, it's best to let your voice rest and save recording for another day.

Some Tips For Keeping Healthy:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly
2. Make as little contact as possible with those who are sick
3. Take your vitamins, remain hydrated, get lots of sleep and eat healthy foods

Warming Up Your Voice

- Stay hydrated
- Start with gentle warmups like humming
- Engage your articulators and resonators - do tongue twisters

Don't Forget To Breathe!

- Breathing and support is fundamentally important
- Supporting from your diaphragm helps you to project
- Phrase well by speaking on the breath

When we were little babies, breathing was so natural. Over time, you lose your ability to breathe properly and fall into some bad habits. When you are singing, speaking in public or acting, you need access to as much supported breath as possible and that may mean that you need to relearn how to breathe deeply, sustain the breath and use it to buoy your phrases.

For a moment, I want you to stop thinking about everything and concentrate only on breathing. Feel the air as you inhale as it fills your lungs, and gently exhale and release. If you can, please stand for this to get the full effect. Put your hand on your stomach now as you breathe. When you breathe in, your ribcage should expand as your lungs fill with air. When you breathe out, let the air leave you slowly on a hiss.

Panting like a dog can help you to establish proper breathing technique in its earliest stages. Try it. You can't help but inhale and exhale properly when you are panting. Pant quickly at first to get the rhythm and then slow it down so that you can dissect your breathing technique. When you breath in, your stomach should expand. When you breath out, or exhale, your stomach should return to its normal state.

What Did You Say?

Seldom do you misinterpret what a professional actors says or miss words due to poor diction on a CBC radio program, however, when it comes to podcasting, not everyone is a trained professional and aware of how they pronounce words, intone or deliver their speech.

I once had a teacher at my choir school who would ask people to come in literally off the street to see if they could understand what our class was singing. If someone who was hearing the piece for the first time could repeat back exactly what we were singing, we knew that our diction was spot on. If they had difficulty, we had to place more emphasis on spitting our consonants out.

Sometimes it helps to have another person listen to your recordings before you publish them and be that second set of ears for you.

- Be conscious of how you sound
- Watch your diction
- Project your voice and do not mumble

Your Voice Speaks Volumes About You

- Your voice and how you use it defines you
- How you use your voice will directly impact your audience
- People expect to hear quality content and pleasant voices

Podcasting is an audio medium and the most important tool that you have to communicate your message is your voice. If you are recording podcasts for pleasure and are not trying to make a business of it, people will not be as judgmental, however, if the podcast is for a corporation or organization, there is the expectation that the voice over be of professional caliber.

Final Tips:

- Drink lots of water!
- Respect your voice
- Maintain good health
- Speak in your comfort zone
- Prepare for success

Download The Presentation At Slideshare.net

If you'd like to download a PDF copy of my presentation, visit this link:

"Content is King But Voice is Queen" from PodCamp London by Stephanie Ciccarelli

At some point in the near future, the actual recording of the presentation will also be available to enjoy. Thanks to those of you who attended in person and via the web on Saturday streaming live!

Thank you also for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post!

Cheers,

Stephanie

What happens when you've been studying for years and it seems as though your newly acquired education is contradicting or not in sync with what you've learned (and paid good money for) in the past?

A conversation sparked in the Working Voice Actors Group on LinkedIn has inspired this post.

What do you think?

A Difference of Opinion

Conflict is never a pretty thing.

Inevitably, we all encounter conflict, and while not always a physical thing, conflict can be a matter of contrasting ideas, techniques or philosophies.

Even if you are studying with some of the best in the business, should you study with more than one of those people, you're likely to encounter a butting of heads or difference of opinion as each of those teachers has their own perspective, experiences and methods.

When you are paying for lessons, seminars or workshops, you might find that you are being taught a number of things, wonderful things, but all the same, potentially conflicting information.

What do you do in such an instance? Do you take only what you want from certain instruction? Have you stopped studying with other teachers altogether to avoid this?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

Have you ever noticed that there isn't an amateur tradition for those aspiring to be professional voice over talent?

My friend Pat Fraley has some thoughts to share, as have I, in hopes that this article opens up discussion for how we might establish an amateur tradition for our industry that we can be proud of.

We'd love to hear your thoughts too, so be sure to read the entire article before commenting with your ideas. Thanks!

Why Voice Over Needs an Amateur Tradition

Submitted by Pat Fraley

When you think about it, most all performance genres except voice over, have an amateur tradition. Voice Over was brought into existence with an implied collaborator: Voice Over What?

This presents a problem: Where and how does the voice over hopeful get training and experience prior to losing their "amateur standing?"

Work out groups are one of the few ways I know of where performers may practice voice over, or voice performance with like-minded performers.

Another way is to come up with amusing fake spots, jingles, narrations, sketches, etc., and share them with the voice over community. I've done this my entire career.

Recently I recorded a brief lesson and posted on my free lesson page (here's a link to the lesson)

http://patfraley.com/Free/FreeLessons.html

It is called VO for Free. In it I give examples of doing free stuff. I was pleasantly surprised to receive several brief recordings from colleagues who do the same thing.

I think it would be wonderful to have a site somewhere, which would post our "amateur efforts."

Pat Fraley

~~

Amateur Tradition in Voice Over? Some Objection Handling, if you Please!

I asked for some opinions on the topic of amateur tradition for voice over on Facebook and received a response from one person who shared some valid concerns about how this may be received.

Her fear was that by identifying an amateur tradition, it may present an even larger gap between aspiring talent and professionals, opening another can of worms that may result in further disdain voiced by certain voice talent in forums and berating of talent whom they may regard as "beneath" them and unsuited to compete with established professionals.

While it is true that there are some people who feel it necessary to tear others down, we need to remember that there is a far greater number of people who work toward building others up. Thank you to those of you who stand among the encouraging lot.

If there is one thing that we should be able to agree upon (corrupt examples, in sport for instance, aside), the difference between an amateur and a professional is that the amateur is not or has never been paid for their efforts in a given discipline or art whereas a professional has received payment or is paid for their services.

Once you have performed and been paid for your services, you are no longer technically by definition, an amateur. Depending on how much of your income you derive from the art, you become a semi-pro or a pro.

To make another distinction:

Just because someone is an amateur, that doesn't mean that they are any less talented than some of the people who provide services professionally, in fact there are instances where an amateur may be more talented than a given professional.

Good Examples of Ways to Gain Experience in Voice Over

I've covered this before but it never hurts to say it again.

There are sites such as LibriVox.org that give people the opportunity to record audiobooks and upload them to the public for free consumption. You can also volunteer at libraries to read to children or narrate for the blind. You can learn more about similar opportunities by reading this article about building your voice acting portfolio through volunteer work.

An Opportunity to Start Something Amazing

I believe that amateurs should be nurtured and that there should always be a constant stream of people who want to become involved in voice acting. We want our industry to grow, mature, and be comprised of people who are properly trained in the art and business who have a deep respect for what they do. Oftentimes, achieving that kind of reverence and eventual willingness to give back to community stems from a person's experience in the amateur tradition.

That being said, amateurs need to be mentored. There is a great deal of mentoring going on already that you rarely hear about and this article has given us another opportunity to explore making mentors available to those who are seeking guidance.

When I was talking with James Herron, he agreed that it would be a great idea to offer some kind of service that matches up mentors with novice voice over talent, a formidable way to connect those who wish to mentor with those desiring it.

Would this kind of opportunity interest you?

I would like to explore offering such a program for the voice over community through Voices.com.

Please keep subscribed to VOX Daily for more information. If you have any feedback or ideas for how we could do this, you are welcome to comment here or email me directly at stephanie@voices.com

Any Thoughts?

You are welcome to comment and share what you think. I know this was a long, perhaps complicated article, but as I discovered this afternoon through many, many conversations, this is a complicated topic!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Tracy Whiteside

Have you read Randy Thomas and Peter Rofé's book Voice For Hire?

I had the chance to really dig into this latest book about voice over, and believe you me, it's different from many I've read to date!

Set up with a foreword by the late Don LaFontaine, Thomas and Rofé's Voice For Hire (Published September 2008) hits a grand slam, knocking the ball right out of the park, serving as a formidable resource that will help the determined open the door to voice over success and stay in the room once they get there.

Learn more now.

Voice For Hire

Right from the opening pages, Voice For Hire sets the stage for how competitive and fulfilling a career in voice acting can be, and according to the great, late Don LaFontaine, proves itself a competent ally to the voice over artist and a practical guide on how to navigate the minefield that is professional voice overs.

Written over the course of six years by Randy Thomas and Peter Rofé, this 176 page book is unique whereby it invites you into the professional lives of not one but two successful voice artists, their complementary yet unique backgrounds, and spoon feeds fascinating, conversational real world expertise by the bowl full to the reader, a style that has the pleasant effect of making Voice For Hire instantly digestible in addition to an excellent means to live vicariously through the experiences of its authors.

Covering everything about voice over including its niches, how to dissect and interpret copy, audio recording technology, and the business both online and off, Voice For Hire truly shines in the areas of commercials, promos and live announce. Character voice acting also was richly addressed for animation and video games. Guest experts, with their names prefixed by "Voice For Hire" provide insights and useful tips to apply to their field of study, including Barry Zate, Patrick Fraley, Mike Pollock, Randy West, Ken Levine, Joe Cipriano, Brian Lee, and commentary from the "Voice Whisperer", Marice Tobias.

Tips for auditioning are also included from talent such as Don LaFontaine, Mark Avery, Billy Vera, Michael Sheehy, Jennifer Hale and featured anecdotes from numerous others.

Since this is merely a review and I can't give too much information away, I will now share more of what I personally gleaned in other ways through Randy and Peter's book.

Get To Know Randy and Peter

I have known both Peter and Randy for a couple of years, and having read their book and listened to the accompanying CD (66 minutes long), I was pleased to discover more about them, their careers and how partnering on this project has enriched their own lives and teaching methods.

For those of you unfamiliar with Randy Thomas, she is the first woman to ever announced at the Oscars (Randy's announced a record 7 times), the Emmys, and the Tonys, paving the way for other female announcers in the fields of live announce and promos. Randy is the voice of some of the biggest broadcast networks for radio and television, is the voice of Hooked On Phonics, and also has achieved prominence announcing for the TV program Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, dubbed as the most recognized female announcer in America.

Peter Rofé, as I quickly learned, is an amazing character voice artist on top of the astounding commercial voice artist and teacher I already knew he was. This became apparent on the CD (which I must say, differed greatly from the book which was a welcome surprise!) and seemed more "off the cuff" with the professionalism of being produced in a polished workshop environment. I love how Peter takes his background in musical theatre and applies it directly to finding the musicality in a read.

Why Should You Read Voice For Hire?

If there is one reason you should read Voice For Hire, it should be to learn the nitty gritty information that only years of experience can teach you. You know those questions you wanted to ask in a classroom setting but didn't because you were afraid of looking dumb? Voice For Hire is full of little tidbits that answer those questions without even posing the question, just letting you discover the information on your own in a matter of fact way. You'll find that important fragments of information are served to you on a silver platter, which is always appreciated.

Also, if you're at all interested in making a go of promos or live announce, this book is a must read.

You can find out more about the book at VoiceForHireBook.net.

Have You Read Voice For Hire?

Please comment with your thoughts or messages for Randy Thomas and Peter Rofé!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

If you had 30 seconds to ask anything about how to record voiceovers at home or on the road, what would your single most important question be?

My friend Harlan Hogan, author of "Voice Actor's Guide to Recording at Home... And On the Road", along with his co-author, Jeffrey P. Fisher, are conducting an online survey to learn more about what voice artists want to know regarding recording voice overs (whether at home or on the road) with the top questions answered via a live teleseminar, TBA, facilitated by Dan O'Day.

Want to get in on the call?

Learn more now!

Here's What To Do

If you've been waiting to read Harlan's book or have read it and have follow up questions that you'd like to ask, make sure that you register for the call now and submit your question for Harlan and Jeffrey.

Here's the link where you can do just that:

Register for Harlan Hogan's FREE teleseminar and ask your question now.

Enjoy!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

What happens if you don't believe in your own voice?

Will anyone else?

Find out what a couple of industry professionals have said about this here on VOX Daily.

What Happens If You Don't Believe In Your Own Voice?

Moments ago, I received a contribution to the VOX Talk podcast from a mystery announcer (you'll have to wait until the show comes out!) that poses these questions:

1. Are there other voice talents who don't believe in their own voices while at the mic?
2. Could the fact that I have doubts mean that others will not believe what I'm saying?

I replied that yes, there are people who do not feel comfortable in front of the mic in the early stages of their career, and also, if you don't believe in yourself, it will certainly be harder to convince anyone else to do so.

Devote Yourself to the Service of the Words

One of the greatest voice over talents and my friend, the late Don LaFontaine, once said:

"If you are going to be successful, you have to have veracity and honesty - if you can fake that, you've got it made. Your heart needs to be fully behind what you read. Devote yourself to the service of words and you're halfway there."

When asked what the other half was, he would simply say, "Wait until I die". With his passing in 2008, you can now take his advice in full and run with it.

The bit about faking it was said slightly as a joke, and as you see when you read on, Don encourages you to put your heart completely in the service of the words to be convincing and truly authentic.

Sometimes it's hard to take the first step on your own and guidance is appreciated if not a necessity. If you haven't read Rodney Saulsberry's Step Up to the Mic, I strongly recommend that you do. Rodney's words will lift you up and help you to recognize your potential as a voice over artist, even if you've been around the block and have a healthy client list.

Once you believe in yourself, you've got to become empowered and self-motivated. For a quick dose of advice in this direction, be sure to listen to Nancy Wolfson's podcast on Voice Over Experts called "I Am Enough".

While you're inspired, here are 5 more excellent podcasts that will help you to navigate these waters as you prepare to believe in yourself, find your voice and get work:

Marc Cashman's Finding the Music in Copy
Cynthia Songé's Debating the Signature Voice
Gary Terzza's 5 Tips for Getting Voice Over Work
Pat Fraley's The Almighty Playback
Joan Baker and Rudy Gaskin's The Myth of Rejection

Those are just 5 out of 75 podcasts available to you for free through the Voice Over Experts podcast series that at Voices.com. Listen to Voice Over Experts and VOX Talk (58 episodes thus far) in our podcasting center.

Do You Believe In Your Own Voice?

If so, I'd love it if you could share how you came to believe in yourself. If not, you're welcome to include your thoughts as a comment and find encouragement through the experiences of others.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Claus Mikosch

When you are auditioning online, it's nice to see some kind of artistic direction as to what type of voice and delivery style is required, but what happens when that information is not as specific as it could be?

Find out how you can turn what seems to be a lack of information into your own personal creative platform in this helpful article at VOX Daily.

Details, Details!

When clients post jobs at Voices.com, they receive additional guidance from the job posting form and are shown through examples how to describe and communicate their needs to potential applicants in order to get the best responses possible.

One tip is particular to artistic direction including an example using adjectives, giving the client an opportunity to outline their requirements on a deeper, more creative level.

While having that kind of information can be useful, it isn't always provided, in which case you'll need to rely on your instincts, experience and ability to self-direct given the script provided and the demographic it is reaching.

What Can You Do? Look For Clues!

Consider the following:

1. Who is meant to hear this message?
2. What does it mean?
3. Why is it relevant to the people hearing the message?
4. Who would the person on the receiving end want to hear from?
5. How can I best communicate the message?

After you've done a very quick analysis of what you see, you're ready to record and audition with more than just an educated guess, proving that a little thought goes a long way.

Keep in mind that not everyone who uses the site knows exactly what they are looking for and are usually open to hearing all kinds of voices and interpretations. If the customer had a preference or knew what kind of voice and attributes they wanted to cast ahead of time, they would have indicated that in their script.

Do you have any tips to share about interpretation and self-direction?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/blackred

Looking for more clients who want to purchase your voice over services?

Philip Banks, a voice over talent based in Scotland, is always entertaining, consummately witty and perfectly blunt.

How do you get your demo in front of potential customers while being respectful and staying on good terms?

Today's guest blogger answers these questions and more for your reading pleasure.

Prospecting - Dig A Little Deeper!

By Philip Banks

"Philip, how did you get started?" asked Jim. I told him and assumed that what I believed to be obvious would be obvious to him. Oh how wrong was I.

"Get a list of people and telephone them to ask if they use the services of freelance Voice Overs."

Sound OK?

I thought so, except Jim simply got a list of local businesses and called them. WRONG. Before you make the call you need to be 90% certain that the person you are calling is going to answer yes to the question.

The trick, if there is a trick, is to spend more time digging for prospects than calling people.

Right, let's start project 100. You need 100 names and telephone numbers.

What do you want to do? For whom would you like to work? Are you able to do long form audio like elearning?

OK, type "elearning production" into a search engine. Visit the websites and look around, it will take time.

Is there any evidence to support your theory that this company uses voices?

Prove to yourself that they may find a use for you - PROVE do not guess. In the Contacts or "About Us" section is there a name, something like, Joe Smith Head of production or Audio Producer? DIG DIG DIG.

The more you do this the more your investigative instincts improve. From every search you need a company, telephone number and contact name.

Unless you have no alternative DO NOT EMAIL - YOU MUST TELEPHONE.

"Hello my name's Philip Banks and I'm calling to ask if you ever use freelance voice overs"

If you've done your homework you will get a yes. If not offered a name, ask for one, the one you already know and ask if you can speak to them for a moment.

"Hello my name's Philip Banks and I'm calling to ask if you ever use freelance voice overs"

Assuming the answer is yes.

"Would it be OK for me to send you a demo? (before they say anything) You're allowed to say no by the way"

In 18 years I have had one person say no to me.

"That's great, I'll send you one today. Thanks very much"

If you are asked for a link to demos on a web site do that instead of a demo CD.

Here is the BIGGIE - NEVER EVER EVER ASK FOR FEEDBACK

If you are tempted to ask for feedback:

NEVER EVER EVER ASK FOR FEEDBACK.

To be certain you have fully understood - NEVER EVER EVER ASK FOR FEEDBACK!

You are looking for work not a critique.

Prospecting is the key. No selling required. If you have been thorough in your search for names and numbers and your demos are good enough you will get work.

An Example of Successful Prospecting

As a way of finishing this piece here's the story of a job I managed to secure over ten years ago.

I read in a newspaper that Pilots and crew of a new helicopter were going to be trained using CBT, Computer based training. On noting the name of the company I saw they were about 5 miles from me. I visited the office armed with an audio cassette.

"If you have any projects that require a professional voice please get in touch".

Note that I didn't tell them what I knew.

As it turned out the CBT was going to be 45 hours with 38 hours of speech content. Over an 18 month period that one job earned me around $25,000.

Any specific questions about prospecting, feel free to ask.

Want a demo evaluation? Pay Nancy Wolfson to give you one as it'll be money well spent.

Yours sincerely,

Philip Banks

~~

Perspective

I can identify with what Philip is saying coming from the perspective of a client who does hire voice over talent and purchases stock photos for this blog.

Not only am I not necessarily expecting to give a critique, I have little or no time to do so.

Yesterday afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised by a nice phone call from Philip to further discuss the article and we spoke at length on the subject.

While speaking, it was acknowledged that for whatever reason, something has developed in this industry where voice talent, in addition to desiring demo feedback from their own prospective clients offline, also have expectations to receive feedback from clients they are auditioning for online, for instance wanting to know details such as if a demo has been listened to, what the client thought of the performance and also why they were not chosen for the part.

You may see some parallels drawn here to the article Philip wrote.

Both Philip and I agreed that the client's feedback regarding an audition or a demo submitted, regardless of how you first got their attention, is a cheque in the mail or a payment made for your services.

To give you an example, while I may not remember to provide a rating or submit a comment on an image I purchased, the very fact that I did purchase the image is a vote of confidence for that photographer or artist. This vote of confidence and proof of purchase shows up under how many times their image has been downloaded, adding my decision to invest in their works to the silent testimonies of others.

Similarly, if you are hired for work, you have a client list or testimonials. If you've been hired through Voices.com using SurePay, you have another means to display feedback from your clients available to you that serves the same purpose.

Any Comments on Prospecting?

Looking forward to hearing what you think.

Best wishes from your friends on either side of the pond,

Philip Banks and Stephanie Ciccarelli

In this final chapter of the series "Vital Signs", I have two fabulously talented educators with me here on VOX Daily sharing their thoughts on how those of you who come from radio can free yourself from broadcast radio bondage.

What I'm saying may come as a surprise to many people but just because you come from radio doesn't mean that you're by virtue of that fact already a voice actor or that voice acting will come easily to you.

This article will explain how voice acting and radio differ and will help those who come from radio lose their "radioness", ditching the sing-songy sound that some women carry over from broadcast and also the announcery baggage that men bring to the table when they enter the business of voice over.

Radio is Not Voice Over... Weird But True!

This idea has been floating around in my head for a number of years and now seems to be the appropriate time to explore it.

When deciding how to present this, I wanted to give you the perspectives of two voice over teachers, their thoughts, and also share how people from radio who enter voice over (this is a very large number of people) can make it in the voice acting business without sounding like they're still behind the mic at the radio station which is a very different style of speaking than that of what is expected of a voice over actor.

Elaine Clark

Voice One
Author of "There's Money Where Your Mouth Is"

Voice actors and Radio personalities have one thing in common: a microphone.

Other than that, the businesses are completely different.

Here are the differences:

1. For DJs, personality and vocal quality are the stars of the show. With voice actors, the client information is the star and the actor's voice and acting skills support that key information.

2. DJs spend a lot of air time ad libbing. Voice actors ad lib a little, but primarily read from a script and have to learn how to make those words sound natural and real.

3. When a voice actor records a commercial, the spot is read many times and often cut together to mine the most impact out of the copy. Radio personalities rarely read a commercial more than once; they either read it live or record it down and dirty at the end of the day to satisfy an obligation.

For a radio personality to break into the freelance voice-over world, they have to leave their DJ job at the door and learn how to step back from the starring position, relax the "pipes," let the words motivate the listener to take action, and sound REAL. It takes practice, but it can be done.

Elaine Clark
Voice One
San Francisco, CA

Marc Cashman

The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques
Ask The Voice Cat

As a voice acting instructor and coach, I encounter a lot of people, mostly men, occasionally women, who've been in Radio for some time and want to transition into full-time voice acting. And they seem to have one thing in common--the dreaded "Radio Voice," which, when agents hear their V-O demos, run screaming out of their office.

The Dreaded "Radio Voice"

What accounts for this aural phenomenon? Well, a few things.

Many radio DJs, announcers or personalities wear headphones while they're on the air, and have basically fallen in love with the purring, resonant sounds of their own voice.

Most have been inculcated by their program director to deliver station-written and produced copy in the same style that they talk on the air, because that's what the advertiser wants and is paying for. And many Radio people have listened to their predecessors for years, and have consciously or unconsciously emulated them.

Radio people do have, however, a lot of skill-sets that many people in the voice-over world don't appreciate.

They have excellent eye-brain-mouth coordination, i.e., they're able to lift words off a page effortlessly, without stumbling over any words, rarely omitting or adding any, and giving them a ton of energy. They're also able to speak very fast, with outstanding articulation, and an amazing ability to "shoe-horn" seventy seconds of copy into a sixty-second spot.

They have wonderful cold-reading ability, since most of them come from the "rip and read" school of "this just in" on-air announcing.

On-air personalities are able to ad-lib extremely well, particularly in testimonials, giving advertisers a lot of bang for their buck. But most incredibly of all, they're able to do all these things live, with thousands, hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of people listening to them. That's a hell of a lot of pressure on a person, something that most professional voice actors rarely, if ever, encounter. We've got an audience of maybe a dozen people maximum hanging on our every word.

I explain to my students that the aforementioned skills are vital to a professional voice actor, and, truth be told, many of the Radio people I work with trying to transition into voice acting are able to find their niche.

I also remind my students that not everyone is cut out to be an actor. I know a lot of voiceover people doing a ton of non-acting work: announcing, corporate narration, e-Learning and instructional modules, phone-on-hold systems, pre-recorded announcements, etc., and are making quite a nice living. Heck, someone who comes into the studio for fifteen minutes to record a legal tag for a campaign can make more money than the actors, because the legal tag is tacked onto all the radio and TV spots!

But what can a Radio person do to not sound like a Radio person?

The main reason some Radio people have a challenging time transitioning into voice acting is because they haven't been trained or taught how to act.

So first, take voice acting classes. Learn how to speak conversationally, talking to just one person, not the multitudes. You can even take acting classes, to learn how to set a mood or attitude and find the emotional hook.

Second, don't audition with your headphones on. Unless you're doing a phone-patch and need to hear the director from a remote location, or you're in a three-way trialogue with other performers who are in a separate room, don't listen to yourself in your phones--you'll just perpetuate that Radio mind-set of style over substance.

And third, concentrate on delivering copy in the same way you talk to people (or pets) you love--your siblings, your kids, your spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend, your parents--just not the way you talk to your audience. Because believability comes in talking to just one person, preferably someone you know who fits the target audience you're talking to.

As long as you're truly sincere and invested in what you're talking about, chances are you'll eventually lose the dreaded "Radio Voice."

Marc Cashman
The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques
Los Angeles, CA

Transitioning From Radio To Voice Over

Moving from radio to voice over isn't easy as you've read but it is achievable! Many of our great teachers today help talent to make the transition and encounter it quite often in their voice over studios.

If you'd like to make the leap and need some help doing so, feel free to contact either Elaine, Marc or reach out to any of the voice over experts that we refer at Voices.com through the Voice Over Experts podcast.

Have You Made The Switch From Radio To Voice Acting? How Was It For You?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Andrey Tsidvintsev

Do You Get Work as a Result of Education?

Have you experienced success studying with a voice over coach or by applying something you learned at a workshop, from listening in on a teleseminar or a podcast?

Share your insight as a comment.

Good Teachers' Students Work

The mark of a good teacher is that they are able to help you succeed in your professional life as well as meet your personal artistic and technical goals.

In other words, a teacher's proudest achievement should be that their students find work through the application of their instruction and guidance.

This is a crowning glory for teachers whose students do succeed and find consistent work.

Zoiks!

Recently, I received a message asking if workshops and classes are worth it and if people are actually getting any real work in the industry from the classes that are advertised here on our blog as well as on other voice over blogs and news sites.

After some consideration, I decided that the answer would sound a lot better coming from peers than anyone else.

Success is Relative

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

As with anything in life, success is relative to the amount of time, dedication and effort that is invested, including voice over.

If a voice talent (or anyone for that matter) isn't willing to put in 110% effort, then no teacher, no matter their qualifications or rave reviews, will be able to help in this regard because it all comes down to action on the part of the student by means of creating or taking advantage of opportunities presented to them.

Can You Refer a Voice Over Coach Whose Instruction Has Helped You?

Please leave a comment that shares your experience and provide the name of the coach(es) as well as their geographic location.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Sven Hoppe

VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor, published in 2002, takes you on Harlan Hogan's journey from the mischievous to the magnificent, complete with colorful anecdotes, real life experiences and insightful "been there done that" takeaways that you can apply to your career found throughout this unique education, the tales and the techniques of a voice-over actor.

Your daily challenge is to make the words that are penned by a stranger your own.

Are you up for it?

Read more about this great book here on VOX Daily.

VO : Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor

Recently, I read one of the most entertaining books I have picked up in a long time, regardless of genres, and it happened to be a book about voice overs, written by Chicago-based voice actor, Harlan Hogan.

Harlan Hogan takes you on his personal journey ("Tales") interspersed with applicable lessons in didactic sections ("Techniques") woven in true storytelling style relevant to the tale that precedes them.

Aside from the fact that the book was full of interesting facts, quotations and VO fundamentals, Harlan's writing style really took center stage, sharing his life experiences with humor, candor and wit.

Spinning Words Into Gold

Harlan's tales are mischievous and he uses self-deprecating humor, an extensive vocabulary, and tangible imagery to set the stage for your reading pleasure. Throughout the book, Harlan's no frills honesty serves as a good tonic that keeps him grounded while still enabling this lovable rogue to tell his tales, dozens of embraceable vignettes that make you believe you are there, like a fly on the wall, but only better because his narrative is interactive and involves the reader just as if you were there.

Guidance From Someone Who Has Been There

Harlan's like a best friend who has all the experience in voice over and will give it to you freely so that you can excel, showing you how a career in voice over can begin, make progress and succeed using his own story.

When you read this book, you'll learn from someone who has been there, got the t-shirt and wants to help you on your way with no holds barred. Harlan gives you the inspiration and the tools with examples liberally provided regarding real world experiences on the job.

Each section begins with a well chosen quote from a familiar celebrity in the arts or from the advertising world. The Tales and Techniques are consumable in bite-sized chunks that will entertain and instill valuable information with memories and content that you'll be able to relate to if you took a similar path to voice over.

Tales and Techniques are color coded (tales on regular white paper, technique sections have gray printed paper) so that you can flip through to read particular sections, whether just the tales or just the techniques, however it is beneficial to read the book in sequence to get the most out of Harlan's journey and expertise.

The 4 Ts

You may have heard of having a "skill set". Harlan Hogan calls his voice-over skill set the 4 Ts, which are:

Training
- background and education; not just in acting or voice acting but in business, broadcasting and advertising too.

Techniques
- skill set in front of the microphone; interpreting copy, reading it in time, and taking direction.

Tools
- everything from your voice demo and self-promotion to the performing unions and your agent.

Talent
- hard to define and impossible to create - it's the fuel that drives the engine but without the other Ts, it's only raw ability - and unshaped and unrefined.

Each of the chapters in the book highlight how-tos and resources that will guide you through the 4 Ts.

Baby Steps, Baby Steps, Baby Steps...

Harlan Hogan shows you all the pitfalls so that you can avoid them and is a master of context.

Harlan lays it out not to discourage anyone as the business will do that on its own but he cautions that there is no magic bullet.

Training, experience, talent and hard work can't be replaced. Don't buy into the notion that it's any other way. Hear it from someone who has been in the trenches and start your own journey armed with Harlan's tips and suggestions today.

Have You Read VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor?

Leave a comment with your review!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

What's the biggest challenge for voice actors in today's industry?

It's not getting work... it's self-direction!

Find out more about how you make each performance a dynamite one here at VOX Daily.

Working As a Voice Actor From Home (Alone)!

Before the phenomenon and boom of the professional-grade home recording studio, people in this profession used to go to studios to do auditions and also went to recording studios to complete work they were hired to voice.

Recording at the studio was:

1. Far less of a technical process for the voice actor
2. More social and interactive than being alone at home
3. An environment where voice actors were coached and directed while performing

Evolution

The role of the voice actor has changed dramatically over the years, mainly because recording technology has become more economical and easier to use.

Since then you've been required to take on additional roles and responsibilities such as becoming an engineer, business person, manager, you name it.

What else do you need to do now that you're working from home?

Self-direct!

Voice ACTING

Most voice talent think that they are just delivering a message, but the truth of the matter is that you're acting, just as an actor would on stage or in film with the key difference that you are reliant entirely your voice to communicate subtleties, objectives and context.

When you read a script, you need to prepare yourself for a role, and not just deliver a regurgitation of what is written on the page.

This applies to all applications of voice over, not just animation or commercials; every job that you take on is another role you will perform, even work that you may perceive to be corporate including telephone system voice overs, podcasts or business presentations.

Back to Basics - Understanding Your Role

Who

Decide who your character is and give them a life history. What makes them tick, what do they like, and what kind of person are they? Is your character an influential person?

If you're really keen, write a character sketch, including physical attributes and personality traits. By setting the stage for your character and developing a persona for them, you'll be able to slide into the role and create a more authentic, organic performance.

What

What is your character trying to say? Whose attention are they trying to get? What makes their message important and worth listening to?

If you can distill what the main objective of your character is in relation to the people they are trying to reach or persuade, you'll have more purpose and authority behind your words.

Why

Why should people listen to your character? Why does your character need to share their message?

You really need to get inside the head of your intended audience for this one. Make them care about you and help them to grab hold to your cause by way of artfully communicating the message.

Where

Where is your character when delivering their lines?

You might not think it's all that important, but for context's sake, you need to know where your character is while they are delivering their message. It will affect your read and also make it easier for you to create an ambience if you are using sound effects or a music bed.

How

How is your character relevant to the people they are speaking to? How is your character motivated?

Remember that character sketch you created earlier? Go back to that now, identify the target market / audience for the message and then piece together how your character relates to the audience they are speaking to. What would inspire your character to speak to this audience in particular? How much do they have invested in successfully delivering the message to those people and what is the desired outcome?

Making Art and Having Fun

Now that you've formed your character, know why they are speaking and to whom they are speaking, you're ready to start experimenting with the copy and make meaningful art.

By giving each line a few different kinds of reads and feeling out the copy, you'll be able to direct yourself with greater confidence and achieve the kind of performances you might get when directed by another person.

As many great voice actors have said, it's all about the process and having fun while you're at it.

Series of Three

Using the Series of Three (courtesy Pat Fraley) is an excellent way to self-direct. Essentially, you prepare 3 takes when auditioning or delivering lines for your character when working at home.

The first is your primary interpretation (A), the second is different from the first (B), and the third is mix between takes one and two (C).

Most directors will end up casting your third take, in other words, your C role.

You could think of this as the Goldilocks method: Too hot, too cold, just right.

To add my thoughts to that, you could easily make your C role how you interpret the copy for any voice over job, not just character voice work. You'll certainly notice a difference in how you perform and I'm sure your clients will, too.

How Do You Self-Direct When Recording Voice Overs?

Looking forward to hearing about any tricks or special things you do to help you deliver your best performances!

Leave a comment :)

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Rhienna Cutler

Today I'm pleased to present a good friend of mine, Marc Cashman, and some wonderful words he jotted down for you as a companion to this week's episode (#62) of Voice Over Experts.

Some of you may have heard Marc lecture a few weeks ago in Los Angeles, and for those of you who did, you know that Marc Cashman is a wonderful teacher and excellent orator.

To hear Marc's podcast (and previous podcasts), be sure to subscribe to the Voice Over Experts podcast to receive it when it becomes available.

Here's a taste of what you'll hear. Enjoy!

Giving Depth to Words

By Marc Cashman

I’ve been struck many times, while listening to Radio or TV commercials, various forms of narration or in the classes I teach, how many voice actors deliver their words with awesome articulation and precise projection, but detached delivery. They’re quite adept at lifting the words off the page effortlessly, but fail to take the opportunity to color words or phrases with the appropriate attitude or emotion. They sometimes forget to use their acting abilities to give depth to the words they speak.

In voice acting, all our emotions and attitudes come through our voice.

People can’t see our eyes or our body language like they can on stage or in film. The slightest nuance in the tone of our voice can convey myriad feelings; non-verbal utterances can convey even more. But there are so many places in copy where we can really give the words the depth they need by feeling the words we’re saying and putting emotionality into them.

An example that came up in one of my classes occurred when we were working on a spot for a regional hospital, and one word that kept popping up was “hope.”

Ask yourself: what does hope sound like?

When you say the word just by itself, out of context, you tend to naturally say it on a down note. Hope. One word, spoken with a period after it. But think about what hope means. Hope means to cherish a desire with anticipation, to wish for something, with some amount of expectation. It could be something you long for that’s realistic or unrealistic. It’s an attitude or feeling that could be attainable. And in the context of a hospital, and the feelings it evokes in potentially life-threatening situations, it’s a word with a very powerful meaning.

So in this context, hope is a word we need to lift, and the attitude is a positive one. When we say this word, we need to have hope in our heart in order to have hope in our voice. Because people can hear if we’re being sincere when we say this word or any word, for that matter. Of course, we could say “hope” in a sarcastic way, a mean way, a forlorn or hopeless way. But in a spot or narration for a hospital, we have to infuse the word “hope” with a positive attitude, with compassion and complete sincerity.

On the other end of the spectrum, I hear the word “pain” a lot in copy, and I hear it thrown away. But this is another opportunity to infuse a word with emotion. When you’re talking about pain, and you’re a sympathetic or empathetic person, when you say the word “pain” you should be wincing a bit. A listener can hear it in your voice.

And here’s a perfect example of how the sound of one word can provoke an emotional response:

How many times have you called someone you know, and just by the tone of one word they use to answer the phone—hello—you can tell if something’s amiss. It will provoke you to either say, “Hi, how’re ya doin’?” or “Are you okay?” So if one word can get that kind of response, just think of how thousands of your other spoken words and phrases are perceived.

The Sky is the Limit

There are innumerable words that you can color and give depth to whenever you come across them. These words are loaded with attitudes and emotions. Don’t throw away the opportunity to infuse these words with the appropriate color, feeling and attitude.

When you say the word “excitement” or “exciting,” deliver it with an exclamation point! (An exclamation point is the only punctuation mark I know that literally connotes an emotion—excitement!) When you talk about how a particular client cares, “care” should be delivered with concern and compassion. Whether they’re nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs, don’t throw these words away!

For voice actors, words are easy to say and lift off the page effortlessly, but the listener needs to hear some thought and feeling behind those words. When you really start thinking about them, words are easy to bring to life when you say them with the appropriate feeling or attitude.

Here are just a few examples:

Friendly, elegant, patriotic, confident, sultry, scary, stiff, sensual, helpful, funny, concern, evil, tiring, appetizing, sad, cautionary, breathless, wacky, tough, delicious, carefree, perky, nervous, stuffy, mellow, heroic, magical, cute, bored, sly, exciting.

In my classes, I have my students say these (and many other) words with their accompanying meaning (and sound), and also have them say them with their opposite meaning (and sound). It’s funny to say “friendly” in an angry tone. It’s funny to say “confident” in a wimpy way! And when you do this exercise, it becomes clear that, as voice actors, when we speak, we’re painting a picture for the listener, compensating for the fact that they can’t literally see us saying what we’re saying.

Making it Work

A lot of the copy you get as a voice actor will not be chock-a-block with words and phrases that you’ll be able to get behind emotionally. There’s no emotional hook in “2.9% APR financing for 60 months on all vehicles in stock.”

But the next time you do get some copy to perform that has any kind of emotional words or phrases or theme, sit with those words for a minute. Feel the emotion behind the copy. Think about how you would feel, how someone you loved (or something, like a pet) would feel, and then deliver it with a newfound depth of feeling.

I guarantee you that you’ll start performing two-dimensional words on a page in three dimensions.

Marc Cashman © 2008

Any comments? Add your thoughts below!

Best wishes,

Marc and Stephanie

This week, Lisa Rice is the featured lecturer on Voice Over Experts and I'd love to share her unique episode with you today on VOX Daily.

The topic Lisa chose to present is something that will help you with day to day business operations when working with your clients.

As Lisa says, there is something extremely satisfying about a job well done.

Links from today's show:

Lisa Rice Productions
Lisa Rice on Voices.com

Your Instructor this week:

Voice Over Talent Lisa Rice

Lisa Rice is an experienced communications professional. She landed her first radio job as a disc jockey at eighteen. Then, an announcer/producer stint with Trans World Radio took her to Guam. After graduating college with a degree in Communications, she began producing, writing, and directing. Her one-on-one interviews have extended from the White House and Capitol Hill to Nashville.

Other experience includes on-camera work, print modeling, sales, marketing, and motivational speaking.

Voice work has been Lisa's passion since she first discovered the thrill of recording - when the red button is on, so is she! Her voice-over work includes customers and organizations from a wide range of business and corporate levels as well as advertising and marketing agencies, radio and television stations, non-profit groups and ministries. While voice work has been a mainstay, her production experience helps meet the expectations that accompany results-oriented, deadline-driven production work - she knows that your time is as valuable as your project.

What do you think of Lisa's episode? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

P.S. If you want to hear more of these expert podcasts, visit the Voice Over Experts website to listen and subscribe for free through iTunes.

Want to pick up a new English dialect for your voice over business?

Check out IDEA, which stands for International Dialects of English Archive, featuring audio samples of dialects for theatre and film artists.

International Dialects of English Archive

The International Dialects of English Archive, IDEA, was created in 1997 as a repository of primary source recordings for actors and other artists in the performing arts. Its home is the Department of Theatre and Film at the University Of Kansas, in Lawrence, KS, USA; while associate editors form a global network.

All recordings are in English, are of native speakers, and you will find both English language dialects and English spoken in the accents of other languages. The recordings are downloadable and playable for both PC and Macintosh computers.

Listen to and Research English Dialect Recordings From:

๏ Africa
๏ Asia
๏ Australia-Oceania
๏ Caribbean
๏ Central America
๏ Europe
๏ Middle-East
๏ North America
๏ South America
๏ Special Collections

These are further broken down into regional accents.

Usage

It is free to listen to and download these audio samples for personal use, however, there are certain restrictions on the usage of the files for other purposes as IDEA holds the copyright to the recordings and text files.

Also, stage and film producers take note:

It is fully expected that actors, writers, directors and others will make use of the archive for research in film and stage productions, though it is requested, as a courtesy, that such use of the archive be acknowledged in the play bill of a theatre production, or in the closing credits of a television or feature film as follows:

SPECIAL THANKS TO IDEA (International Dialects of English Archive)

Have you found IDEA to be useful to you?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Are you going to any conferences this year?

We're right smack dab in the middle of conference season (NAB just wrapped up in Las Vegas) and there are a couple of conferences coming up in the voice over industry.

While there are conferences out there, it's up to you to decide whether or not they are worth every penny.

Worth Every Penny?

Yesterday, I received a timely email asking what my thoughts were about conference fees for attending events held within our industry.

Measuring Value

The price of conference tickets should be equal to the perceived value of what you are going to receive.

From a business point of view, investing several hundred dollars, even for a day, to be in the same room as industry leaders and people you wouldn't be able to meet with otherwise, network, and learn first-hand from experts renowned in their specialty fields is worth the price of admission.

Attending a conference should also recharge your batteries and inspire you for a long period of time once you've gone home. That alone could be priceless for someone who needs a little pick me up.

These aren't guidelines for just conferences centered around voice acting but any conference in general.

Justifying Costs

As an aside, it costs money to put a conference on, and part of the fee you pay to attend goes toward costs associated with the venue, food, speakers and any materials that are being provided to you.

It isn't uncommon for a conference to cost $500 or more to attend. Generally conferences that cost several hundred dollars also provide food and drink throughout the day.

Conferences Coming Up

There are a couple of voice acting conferences coming up this year, including one in less than two weeks time in Schenectady, NY called the "Voice Coaches Advanced Marketing Expo and Conference", a one-day event jam packed with a variety of speakers specific to advanced marketing for voice actors on and off the Internet.

Last year, David and I spoke at Voice Coaches and can relay that the crew at VoiceCoaches.com puts on a dynamite expo that is catered (always a plus!) and really hits on critical material for professionals. We can't wait to return this year.

A Perfect Mix of Business and Networking

The one-day event was substantial yet manageable and those traveling from out of town didn't have to spend a lot of money on hotels.

Attendees are given a great experience and receive top advice from a variety of experts with plenty of time for Q&A and mingling. The presenters and panelists are treated very well which in turn inspires their performances and really gives the people what they came for.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

I can't speak highly enough of the people at Voice Coaches and think you would enjoy yourself and learn some things you might not have known before.

For instance, this year David and I are lecturing on How to Get the Most out of Voices.com and Internet Marketing which is always an exciting topic and in a constant state of flux.

Other speakers include Rodney Saulsberry, Billy Serow, Evan Farmer, David Bourgeois and more.

Pick Brains, Digest Information, Have Fun!

While the main purpose of going to a conference is to learn it is also important to realize that it's also about face time. There is nothing like being in a room with other people who share a common vision, are passionate about what they do and seek excellence.

Want More Info?

To learn more about the Voice Coaches Advanced Marketing Expo and Conference to be held on May 3rd, 2008 in Schenectady, NY, click here or call 1-866-887-2834 ext. 100.

Hope to see you in Schenectady!

Have You Been to Any Conferences?

Share your experiences as comments!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

P.S. If you know you are coming to Voice Coaches, please leave a comment below so that we can meet up!

©iStockphoto.com/Dmitriy Shironosov

Feeling gross, yucky, icky or have no voice at all?

There's something going around again and an email request prompted me to write some tips for soothing a sore throat.

Try these 12 tips at home -- they work!

1. Do not talk

Really, don't talk. It sounds impossible but if you have the support of those around you and they are open to reading notes you jot down or playing charades, you can do it.

2. Do not talk on the phone

The phone is one of those wonderful technologies that can literally rip the voice right out of you. If you are feeling sick or even if you are not, it's a good idea to spend minimal time on the telephone as people often speak in more exaggerated tones and volume levels to compensate for the fact that you cannot express yourself visually.

3. Do not irritate your voice by yelling, crying, screaming or nagging

This may be an easy one for you if you lead a relatively tranquil existence or if you live alone. However, if you have kids, clam up and don't use your voice if you're mad and want to yell. Find another positive way to express what you are feeling -- don't take it out on your own voice -- that's counterproductive!

4. If you are coughing don't force it or you may lose your voice

Laryngitis!

Enough said. I had this awful affliction late last week and couldn't speak for a few days. It's nasty, it's inconvenient and it is nearly the worst thing that can happen to you if you depend upon your voice to make a living. As one of my chums related, Laryngitis is the kiss of death for voice actors, and I can see why it's true! I hope you don't get it -- follow the tips on this list and you'll have some ideas on how to stave it off.

5. Drink plenty of fluids

Keep the juice, water and milk coming! Your body is made up a hefty percentage of water and you need to maintain those fluids in order to get better and keep your vocal folds moist. Milk doesn't just build strong bones and teeth, it has hidden benefits such as adding another thin layer of coating to ease the pain. While you're at it, you might want to eat some yogurt or pudding ;) Consider Ginger Ale as another remedy in your arsenal.

6. Stay Hydrated

This may sound the same as the previous suggestion but it's not exactly the same. Earlier I encouraged you to drink plenty of fluids, but plenty is a relative term ;) Being hydrated means that you are constantly replacing fluids that are leaving you throughout the day. Don't just drink with each meal, drink in between meals and whenever you feel you need it.

A good rule might be to have a glass of something moisturizing once an hour when your throat feels like this. Your illness has a way of stripping the moisture away faster than would normally happen if you were well. Drinking more will also prevent headaches and migraines.

7. Have a cup of something warm that is non-drying

Do you like drinking tea? If you do, it's a great time to get your herbal teas out of the cupboard and find the one that is most suited to driving away infection and soreness. Lemon, chamomile, and ginger are three great choices. Honey is a nice sweetener that won't create more fuss.

8. Don't eat anything scratchy, gritty or spicy

It goes without saying but if you're eating something gritty, coarse or spicy, your throat is not going to thank you. Stay away from foods that mettle with your efforts to get back on the path to good health.

9. Boil some water and breathe in the steam

Give yourself the spa treatment and inhale some beautifully condensed H20! If you have a water mister or humidifier turn that baby on full tilt and take it all in.

10. Get plenty of rest

Resting doesn't necessarily mean lights out but it does mean refraining from activities you don't need to participate in until you get well. Take some time to be quiet, sit still and see what happens.

11. Keep warm

Keeping your neck area warm is a good idea. If you have a heating bag, scarf or sweater, put it on. A massage wouldn't hurt either, would it? Gently massage your neck and pamper it a bit by allowing your voice do do absolutely nothing.

12. Sleep

Snuggle up, get toasty warm and call it a night early to get those optimum hours of rest before midnight. If you go to bed for 9 p.m. or even 10 p.m. you'll feel the difference.

Bonus #1: If you need to clear your throat, do not cough, simply swallow. This is a good habit to develop when you are healthy too, especially if you are in a recording session and either can't cough or prefer not to.

Bonus #2: STAY OFF THE PHONE! It's one of the best things you can do for your voice. The less you talk, the more time your voice has to heal and help your body to combat whatever it is that is making you sick.

Do you have a tip you would like to share?

Leave a comment!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Przemyslaw Rzeszutko

To wrap up our week of online resources, tools, services and hidden gems we've put together an exhaustive list of industry-specific resources that we hope you'll enjoy.

Groups and Message Boards

• Voice Acting Hub
• Voice Acting Alliance Facebook Group
• Voice Acting Alliance
• VO-BB
• Voice-overs.com Forum
• Yahoo! Voiceovers Group

News

• Voice Over Times
• Hollywood Reporter
• VoiceOverXtra

Blogs

• 100% Organic Podcast
• A Voice Above the Crowd
• audio'connell
• BigBry's Weblog
• Bob Souer
• Bobbin's Blog
• Brian Haymond
• Dave Courvoisier
• Do That Voice!
• Doc Phillips
• Has The Voice
• Hip Chick Voice Blog
• Jeffrey Kafer
• Kara Edwards
• Liz de Nesnera
• Lou Zucaro
• MCM Voices
• Purrs 'n Roars
• Rognog Blog
• Voice Over Studio
• Wayne Henderson

Podcasts

• 10+ Podcasting Resources, Tools and Services
• Voice Over Experts
• Vox Talk
• Voice Overs On Demand
• voxmarketising
• Avi Melman's Cartoon Podcast

Books

• Definitive Guide to Voice Over Success on the Internet (Stephanie Ciccarelli)
• The Art of Voice Acting, Third Edition (James Alburger)
• The Voice Actor's Guide to Home Recording (Harlan Hogan)
• Secrets of Voice-Over Success (Joan Baker)
• Voice-Overs, A Practical Guide (Bernard Shaw)
• How to Make a Million Dollars with Your Voice (Gary Owens, Jeff Lenburg)
• Talking Funny for Money (Pamela Lewis)
• Step Up to the Mic (Rodney Saulsberry)
• VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor (Harlan Hogan)
• You Can Bank on Your Voice (Rodney Saulsberry)
• Making Money in Voice-Overs: Winning Strategies to a Successful Career in Commercials, Cartoons and Radio (Terri Apple)
• Voiceovers (with CD): Techniques and Tactics for Success (Janet Wilcox)
• Greatest Cartoon Voice Tricks Ever Smuggled Out of Hollywood: Audio CD (Pat Fraley)
• Word of Mouth: A Guide to Commercial Voice-over Excellence, 3rd Edition, Completely Revised and Updated (Susan Blu, Molly Ann Mullin and Cynthia Songe)
• Proven Voice-Over Techniques (Julie Williams)

Training and Coaches

• Bernard Shaw
• Bettye Zoller
• Bob Bergen
• Connie Terwilliger
• Cynthia Songe
• David Bourgeois
• Debbie Munro
• Deborah Sale Butler
• Elaine Clark
• Ellie Devers
• Frank Frederick
• Joan Baker
• Johnna Gottlieb
• Julie Williams
• Marc Cashman
• Marc Graue
• Pat Fraley
• Penny Abshire
• Peter Rofe
• Rodney Saulsberry
• Sunday Muse
• Voice Coaches Network
• Voice Over Coaches

Business, Advertising and Marketing Resources

• 100+ eBusiness Resources for Voice Over Talent
• 80+ Online Marketing Resources
• Internet Marketing Plan for Voice Actors
• Ultimate Business Plan for Voice Actors
• Creating a Visual Identity for Your Voices.com Website
• Branding 101 for Voice Talent
• Running Metrics : Are You Returning Profit to Yourself?
• Report on the Voice Over Industry 2007

Rates

• Voice Over Rates
• Download the Voice Over Rate Sheet PDF
• SAG Rates PDF
• AFTRA Rates
• Non Union Rates in Canada

Unions and Industry Affiliations

• SAG
• An overview and the history of SAG
• AFTRA
• An overview and the history of AFTRA
• ACTRA
• An overview and the history of ACTRA
• EQUITY
• An overview and the history of EQUITY

Have a Link of Your Own?

Add your favorite links below.

Looking for a voice over coach?

We have recently developed a network that connects voice acting instructors with students seeking voice over training.

Check out more information here at VOX Daily!

Voice Coaches Network Vision

Building relationships and facilitating connections is one of our specialties at Voices.com.

After years of nurturing and developing relationships with the top voice over instructors in North America and abroad, we thought it was time to standardize and publicly announce the amazing opportunities available to voice over trainers, calling this new initiative the "Voices.com Voice Coaches Network".

Over the past four years, we have collaborated with voice over coaches in many ways, all of which are symbiotic and directly benefit the voice over industry at large.

You've likely seen this in action first hand as a reader of VOX Daily, Ask the Voice Cat, Master VO or as a listener to the podcasts Voice Over Experts and VOX Talk.

We're pleased to offer an interactive directory of teachers who provide voice over training across the US, Canada and Great Britain... and beyond!

Want to know a bit more about the actual voice coaches network?

As part of the Voices.com Voice Coaches Network, instructors are given free publicity and the opportunity to educate on a pro bono basis via the Voice Over Experts podcast.

Voice trainers can also have their articles and upcoming workshops posted on the VOX Daily blog as well as special mentions on Voice Over Times, the online news source for the voice over industry.

An Overview of Benefits Free for Coaches Include:

- Promotion through the Voice Over Experts Podcast
- Your own Voice Coaches Profile
- Press Release Writing and Distribution
- Have your articles published on the VOX Daily Blog
- Coverage on Voice Over Times
- Join the Affiliate Program
- Receive exclusive opportunities through Voices.com (book reviews, participate in Voices.com sponsored events, and more)

Public Service

The Voice Coaches Network is a public service provided by Voices.com to help promote the importance of voice acting education and evangelize the art of voice acting while teaching people how to navigate the new world of voice overs online. Through these extraordinary efforts, Voices.com propels the future of voice acting, proactively engaging the community and shaping the industry for years to come.

Labor of Love

The Voice Coaches Network is a labor of love, both on the part of the instructors and our company.

Giving back to the community is very important. Everyone involved in this project realizes the impact they are having and are proud to be part of this outstanding initiative in educational excellence.

Want to join the Voices.com Voice Coaches Network?

By partnering with Voices.com, you'll enjoy unparalleled publicity through blogs, podcasts, press releases and feature articles, all the goal of helping you attract students as well as support you by giving you access to tools and resources.

Simply Click here to Complete the Form

Do you know a voice over coach who should be part of the Voices.com Voice Coaches Network? Invite them to join by sending them to this article here on VOX Daily.

If you are a voice over coach, thank you for your interest and I look forward to working with you.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

The sound you make is just part of the process.

Have you spent any time thinking about breathing?

Hear from singing teacher Paul Kiesgen about the basics of breathing and discover 3 terms you should be familiar with as a vocal artist.

Over the years, I was a frequent visitor to the infamous Music Library at UWO and gobbled up every morsel I could find on topics that interested me as a singer, including periodicals and journals with regard to vocal education and vocal health.

One of my favorite journals when I was in university was called the Journal of Singing.

Today, I'd like to share some knowledge from an article I read by Paul Kiesgen with you that spells out the basics of breathing. While it may not be written for voice actors, it is directly applicable as the same instrument (the human voice) is the subject of the matter with an emphasis on proper breathing.

Paul Kiesgen holds B.Mus and M.Mus degrees from Northwestern University School of Music. He is Professor of Voice at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. In addition to studio voice, he teaches courses in vocal pedagogy for master of music and doctor of music students. He served as chairman of the voice department from 2001 to 2004 and his students have sung in major venues throughout the world.

According to Paul, the study of breath management has two purposes:

1. We must find and maintain the appropriate breath pressure to make the best possible tone on each pitch and for each volume.
2. We must recognize that control of the muscles of the breath has an indirect effect on the throat and thus influences the kind of tone we produce there.

I'm sure you've had your fair share of long form narration projects or cram-it-in commercial sessions that have demanded calculated phrasing on your part to achieve a successful take.

It takes more than just a great voice to swing through those!

What's needed is some serious jet fuel to carry you through each phrase and that fuel is your breath support. Once you are anchored to a solid foundation, you'll have the resources necessary to propel your phrasing and maintain tonality and composure.

There are 3 in particular that you should know about:

1. Support
2. Diaphragm
3. Intercostal Muscles

Thanks to the power of the Internet, I found Paul Kiesgen's website and am thrilled to be able to refer to you on to his full article. Just click on "Publication" when you get there to read his articles.

Best,

Stephanie

Been searching for a voice acting class that will help to propel your career in the real world of voice acting?

"Voiceover: Beyond the Booth”, formerly called "The Business of Voiceover" is now open for enrollment at NYU for Spring 2008. The first class begins Wednesday, February 13th at 6:45 p.m. and runs through May 7th.

Learn more here at VOX Daily.

I know that there are many of you who subscribe to VOX Daily and live in and around New York City. This article is for you!

One of my friends, Johnna Gottlieb, is teaching a fabulous course at NYU and she told me all about it recently on the phone. The class starts in a couple of weeks and she still has some room left for more students, including a spot for you if you're interested.

Something special about this course is that Johnna has a number of high profile guests who visit her class including top agents, voice-over talent, casting directors and notable producers whom she has connected with along the way.

If you register, you'll also have the opportunity to address any questions you might have to key people who have been there and keep a close pulse on the action. You'll also get the chance to read voice-over copy for industry professionals and receive an insider's perspective and feedback about your skill level.

The individual attention and guidance you'll be privy to from people of great esteem in voice acting is amazing value hard to come by elsewhere.

The course is offered as a part of the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies, taught by a leading professional in the voice-over field with almost 2 decades of experience as both a top voice-over agent and a voice-over industry consultant who has started and cultivated the careers of some of the most prominent voice-over artists working today.

Beyond the Booth Guests have included:

The Legendary Don LaFontaine – Voice of over 5000 Movie Trailers
Rodd Houston – Voice of Verizon Wireless
Joan Baker – Author “Secrets of Voice-over Success”
Bill Graves – Voice of ABC’s Nightline and Primetime
Tim Champeaux –Voice of Jenny Craig, Today Show Concert Series
Jim Kozloff - Director of Talent and Business Development at VH-1
Stewart F. Wilson Turner – Co-Creator of voicebank.net
Voiceover Agents from Don Buchwald & Associates, Abrams Artists, Paradigm and Innovative Artists
Producers from Miramax Films, ESPN, BET, HBO, NBC Sports

Click to register for Voiceover: Beyond the Booth.

For more information, you can contact Johnna Gottlieb by phone at (718) 768-3511 or visit her website www.jogoco.com.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

With the field of voice acting growing at an accelerated pace, there are no shortage of "getting started" questions circulating the web.

In effort to help answer some of those questions, we've compiled an article with links to some of the best free resources for beginner voice actors and those who are seriously considering a look at studying voice over.

I read on one of my favorite blogs that sometimes it's OK to repeat yourself.

Today, I'll take the opportunity to do just that and share a variety of links that are immediately useful, encouraging and completely self-serve - all of these fantastic resources are available to you at your own convenience online.

My advice to anyone considering a career in voice acting is to start your research by visiting links listed on this voice actor's resource list before trying to contact a professional voice actor with questions about how to start a voice over business.

The amazing part is that the vast majority of these spectacular voice acting career-oriented resources are free for you to use and listen to with the exception of a few eBooks that are available for purchase as is noted below.

Take a look and if you see something you like click through the link associated with the resource you are interested in.

All of the blogs and podcasts are free to subscribe to. Keep in the loop, expand your voice acting education and prosper with these handy resources from Voices.com.

BLOGS

VOX Daily
Author: Stephanie Ciccarelli
A daily dose of voice acting news, articles, tutorials, interviews, intelligent conversation and business ideas.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, talent agent, voice over coach, casting director, journalist, audio producer, musician, public speaker, student, or member of the entertainment industry.
Subscribe >>

Casting Voices
Author: Erica Bontje / Stephanie Ciccarelli
Pick up tips on how to pick the perfect voice for your project and read about the latest in voice casting news from Hollywood and around the world.
Read this blog if you are: A talent agent, casting director, advertising agency, small business, manager, voice actor, student, or journalist.
Subscribe >>

Ask the Voice Cat
Author: Marc Cashman
Q&A with a professional voice over coach and commercial voice over talent.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, singer, student, teacher, voice over coach, actor, musician, or a talent agent.
Subscribe >>

Master VO
Author: Dan Lenard
Demystifying the home recording studio, one question at a time. Q&A with a professional voice talent and audio production coach.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, an audio engineer, student, radio personality, setting up a home recording studio, podcaster, or hobby engineer.
Subscribe >>

The Biz
Author: David Ciccarelli
Get the inside scoop from the CEO of Voices.com and learn more about the business of the business, including marketing strategies, how you can use technology, and more.
Read this blog if you are: An entrepreneur, small business owner, web designer, tech enthusiast, CEO, audio engineer, or a decision maker in the advertising or entertainment industry.
Subscribe >>

INDUSTRY TRADE MAGAZINE

Voice Over Times

Author: Voices.com Staff and a Variety of Contributors

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.

Subscribe to Voice Over Times for Free >>

PODCASTS

VOX Talk
Host: Stephanie Ciccarelli
The #1 voice acting entertainment podcast covering voice acting news, business tips, technology, and an assortment of voice actor contributions. This show is produced weekly.
Listen to this podcast if you are: A voice actor, talent agent, voice over coach, student, audio producer, actor, theatre major, musician, podcaster.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

Voice Over Experts
Host: Julie-Ann Dean
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.

Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

VIDEOS

Tutorials
Learn how to use the Voices.com website to your advantage with interactive videos that entertain as well as educate.
Watch these videos if you are: Voice actor, person hiring voice actors, or a customer of Voices.com.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

Commercials

What if Life Had a Soundtrack? Find out in our series of commercials for the web featuring two great actors and hear a variety of narration styles as they hear a soundtrack narrate their lives, turning the mundane into the interesting.

Watch these videos if you are: A voice actor, casting director, agent, someone hiring voice actors, or a fan of videos.

Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

DOCUMENTS

Official Voices.com User Guide
Find out everything you've ever wanted to know about how to use the Voices.com web service from both the perspective of a person hiring voice actors (client) and that of a voice actor.
Read this document if you are: A customer of Voices.com, whether a client or voice actor member.

Download the PDF now! >>

Getting Started in Voice Overs
Quickly learn the basics of what it takes to make it in the voice over industry with this attractive and useful guide.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, actor, musician, changing careers, student or voice professional.
Download the PDF now! >>

Blueprint for Voice Acting Success
Discover how easy it is to succeed as a career voice actor. Learn more about managing and promoting your business online using the Voices.com website.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, voice talent, public speaker, voice talent agent, or student.

Download the PDF now! >>

Voice Over in the Google Era
Google can help you in some major ways when it comes to running your business and being found online. This document will teach you the basics of Google, list Google properties that you can use, and demonstrate how you can make waves with search engine optimization.
Read this document if you:
Download the PDF now! >>

Small Business Podcasting Kit
Want to learn how to podcast? Download this free kit on how to bring your podcast from concept to completion.
Read this document if you are: Starting a podcast, are interested in podcasting, are a podcaster, voice actor, student, or an advertising agency.

Download the PDF now! >>

Voice Over Rate Sheet
Wonder how much a non-union voice over goes for? Download this sheet to find out the general cost of commercials, narration, telephone voice overs, and more.
Read this document if you: Hiring voice actors or are in need of a reference sheet for quoting clients.
Download the PDF now! >>

The Definitive Guide to Voice Over Success
Getting started in voice overs has never been easier with Voices.com's best selling eBook, The Definitive Guide to Voice Over Success. Learn how to build your brand, web presence, and record professionally from home.
Read this document if you are: Getting started in voice overs, are a voice actor, student, professional voice actor, or audio producer.

Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

The Voice Over Script Collection
50 original scripts including telephone, commercials, promos, station IDs, narration and more. Use these scripts to practice from and change the fictitious names of products or companies to suit your needs. Perfect for rehearsal and material to record a voice over demo.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, voice over talent, public speaker, teacher, voice over instructor, advertising agency or student.
Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

Commercial Scripts for Radio and Television Ads
50 original royalty-free scripts to be used for television and radio advertisements covering a variety of industries. Comes with artistic direction as well as voice casting suggestions.
Read this document if you are: Producing a commercial for radio, television, podcast, or web broadcast.

Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

Frequently Asked Questions
Search the Solutions Database that holds over 500 answers to common questions about the industry and how Voices.com works.
Visit the FAQs:
Visit the FAQs now >>

Did you find this list to be helpful? Feel free to leave a comment or email me with any feedback and or suggestions (stephanie@voices.com).

Best wishes,

Stephanie

The audiobook industry is worth billions of dollars with an ever-increasing number of titles being recorded.

Have you thought about recording your voice for audiobooks or narrating other projects?

Read this interview featuring a voice actress who has used LibriVox to help her do just that.

One of the ways voice acting has hit the mainstream is through the recording of audiobooks. There is an amazing amount of opportunity and this sector of the industry is just bursting at the seams.

For those of you who are interested in becoming narrators for audiobooks, there is a wonderful resource and community that will foster your growth in that area called LibriVox. You might recognize that name because I've mentioned LibriVox before in previous VOX Daily articles.

A little while ago, I was in contact with Jodi Krangle, a vocalist and voice actress who has found LibriVox to be hugely helpful where attaining further demo material is concerned, particularly for narration voice over work.

Having read books on to tape for the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) back in the mid-90's, Jodi finds that this is very close to the work she encountered before.

Since becoming an active member of the LibriVox community, Jodi has also learned more about what kind of narration projects she prefers. Instead of recording full-out audiobook narration, she focuses her attention on projects that are less than an hour to record such as short stories, trailers, and teasers.

LibriVox is a good place to start experimenting and testing your limits. Good to know!

Jodi also shared that narrating pieces through LibriVox is fantastic practice because a of the volume of narration work coming her way specifically in the areas of book trailers or reading snippets of books in to MP3 format as teasers for the authors.

"I find doing projects at LibriVox to be a low pressure way to practice. It's a lot like the auditions at Voices.com in that way although I actually end up with a final product I can *promote* (because I realize promoting auditions for others is a faux pas). Every audition is an opportunity to practice - not only with my voice, but with my home studio equipment."

To learn more about how you can get involved, check out their website at LibriVox.org.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

This week, I had the privilege to sit in on a high school broadcasting course at Clarke Road Secondary School in London, ON.

Under the tutelage of Brent Bissell, veteran radio broadcaster turned inspiring mentor of young minds, these teens are exploring careers in creative fields such as broadcast for television, radio, sound editing and film.

When I first asked Brent Bissell if I could come to visit his high school "Broadcasting Communications" class at Clarke Road Secondary School, I knew that I was very much looking forward to being there, but I can tell you with all sincerity that I had no idea just how excited the students were to have me come in to see them.

The moment I walked in, I was treated to a guided tour of the communications classrooms and was privy to the school's daily broadcast, fed live each day to various rooms in the building including the cafeteria and for those sitting in wait at the guidance counselor's office.

I'd never been so "behind the scenes" before and it was intriguing to see how the green screens worked when graphics were added to give the appearance of a professional network studio during the televised broadcast. I also got to watch the students, who were all responsible for different things, operate the teleprompter, cameras, and even be news anchors behind the desk.

Technology being used in the classroom includes an assortment of editing tools such as Adobe Audition for audio, a Shure microphone modeled in the 50s style, a dynamic microphone for the radio announcer, linear and non-linear editing capabilities, and my favorite, the Shure 819 boundary microphone that was used to pick up the voices of the news anchors during the Clarke Road televised daily broadcast which lays flat on the table and picks up the presenters effortlessly. Brent, or Mr. Bissell as he was called in class by his students, revealed that the surface that the mic rests on, in this case, the table, acts as a diaphragm.

On this particular day I was visiting with the senior students in the eleventh grade. The class this semester consists of 18 extremely bright, motivated and charismatic students.

It was obvious that over the last four months of class, they knew exactly what to do, when to do it, and were comfortable with their roles in full knowledge that during a live broadcast, they were all reliant upon each other to work as a team in order to achieve a successful program.

Throughout the taping, Brent was able to give me a play-by-play of the station operations which I greatly appreciated.

Brent Bissell, a name you might remember from his years on FM96 in London, ON, has a zest for education mapped in his DNA. As Broadcaster of the Year from Fanshawe College's Broadcasting program, Brent went on to spend 16 years in Radio and TV as an announcer and journalist. Following his years in broadcast, Brent took on his calling to become a teacher and has been teaching at his current post at Clarke Road for two years, instituting one of the best high school broadcast and communications classes in the city.

It was under his direction that a daily broadcast schedule was added to the curriculum, a decision that has helped to propel the destinies of several students who have since decided to seek post-secondary education at institutions the likes of Fanshawe College's Broadcast program, Conestoga, audio recording at OIART, and the Toronto Film School.

Many students in Brent's class this semester are taking co-ops at local television and radio stations such as Rogers Television in London and radio station CJBK.

As Brent still maintains connections with FM96, a number of students have had the opportunity to record liners, promos and commercials for the radio station that called for teenage voices. One commercial we discussed was for a local store called Bud Gowan Formal Wear, a store famous for its tuxedo rentals.

Voice over does factor in quite a bit in this course. The students edit video and are also able to record their own voice overs using Adobe Audition employing the use of a dynamic Behringer C1 microphone.

Today, I received a couple of emails from the students (I asked them to write so that we could keep in touch) and here's a sampling for you.

"Thank you so much for coming in! It was very inspiring to see that you have become so successful in the business that I hope to make it in. I have made an account on voices.com, and I finally have a demo up now!"

"Thank you for coming into our class, I found it very interesting and I am looking forward to taking advantage of this opportunity."

I'd love to go back in and see the students to talk to them about voice acting. According to Brent, the class was intrigued by my visit and already more of them are signing up for Guest memberships so that they can learn more and grow in what may become their voice over career.

Today, they watched the "Five Men in a Limo" video on YouTube featuring Don LaFontaine, Nick Tate, John Leader, Mark Elliott and Al Chalk, and learned more about voices, from which I'm told was sparked by their interest in our meeting yesterday.

How exciting!

The future of voice acting is now and it's happening in high school classrooms across the continent guided by teachers with a passion for communications and mission to help raise up tomorrow's talent today.

Any comments?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Ryan Burke

Like to mix business with pleasure?

More and more voice acting study opportunities are offering edutainment or travel as components of their workshops.

What's your ideal destination for a voice acting workshop?

Voice acting workshops, at one point not so long ago, were confined to a local recording studio or hotel conference center.

Within the past several years many voice acting coaches have been offering a different sort of experience wherein the actual workshop participation is just one aspect of the package.

Some of these events now include social activities and travel to studios nestled in the mountains of Utah by the lake shore, a stone's throw from a beach on the coast of Hawaii and even on cruise lines sailing up the Pacific coastline.

A voice over workshop, for those who haven't attended one, is an opportunity to learn a new skill, technique, or side of the voice acting business that is usually offered over a weekend by instructors of voice over.

You could think of it as ongoing education (which it is) and a chance to realize talent that is just waiting to be explored.

Many veterans attend these workshops annually as part of their professional development, confirming that these educational events are not just for aspiring voice actors trying to make it in the biz, but for anyone who wants to challenge themselves and learn something new in an industry that is changing every day.

Going to a voice acting workshop is educational, good for your brain, helpful to your voice and as a very satisfactory fringe benefit, exceptionally fun!

That being said, is there anywhere you'd like to see some sort of voice over workshop / event take place?

Leave your ideal location here as a comment on the blog.

Thank you,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Eliza Snow

Voice over coach Debbie Munro submitted this quiz to me to share with you here on VOX Daily.

I think it's a great exercise for any of you who might be wondering about your career or would like to get more voice over work.

Take the quiz and let us know how you did!

Note from Debbie:

We’ve all experienced the frustration of feeling like we’re doing everything we can but just can’t seem to get the work.

We audition, maybe even get a callback, but then somebody else gets the part. Whether you’re auditioning every day or just weekly in your local city, you know there’s competition out there, but you’re sure you were right for the part. Something is wrong.

You’re not alone.

Awareness of the voiceover business is catching on and the competition is growing. The era of the “Golden Throat” is gone. Knowledge of trends and techniques is essential to success. The most successful talents in this business are the ones who keep training. There are more voicers every day, but there is also more work available every day.

It’s not impossible.

Try taking this simple self assessment test. Your answers to these questions may help you to narrow down the reasons that you’re not getting all the work you think you should.

Answer these 10 questions honestly, recording as your score for each answer the number appearing in parentheses () at the end of your selection:

1. How much training have you had?

1 course or workshop (1); 2 to 4 (2); 5 or more, or relevant university degree (3); No training at all, I’m a natural (0).

2. How much have you invested in your voiceover business?

$100 to $500 or less (1); $600 to $1,500 (2); Over $1,500.00 (3); Less than $100 (0).

3. How long is your demo?

1:00 to 1:30 (3); 1:30-2:00 (2); Under 1:00 or over 2:00 (1); I don’t have a demo (0).

4. What kind of equipment do you have?

Pro Studio (3); USB mic and computer (2); Computer mic and computer (1); I do not have my own equipment (0).

5. Do you have an agent?

Yes (3); No (2); Why do I need an agent? (0).

6. How many cities do you have agencies in?

1 (1); 2 (2); 3 or more (3); Didn’t know that was possible (0).

7. Are you a union member?

Yes (2); No (1); Why would I join a union? (0).

8. How often do you audition?

Once a day or more (3); A few times a week (2); A few times each month (1); Occasionally or Rarely (0).

9. Where do you get most of your work from?

Self marketing and promotion (3); Agent (2); Other resources (1); Work will come to me (0).

10. Do you look for work outside of the typical resources?

Yes–I talk about voiceover to any potential client (3); No – that’s up to my agent and the sites that I’m on (2); I don’t need to promote (0).

Now, add your scores from each of the 10 questions together and let’s see how you did.

If you scored:

0 to 10 – You haven’t done enough yet to get the work you’re seeking. Keep training and developing until you can score 20 or more. Those who are landing this work NEVER stop looking and are constantly educating themselves to keep up with the trends, even while they’re working. Remember, “Those who do the work get the work.”

11 to 20 – You’re heading down the right path. You are taking some of the necessary steps that you need to take to become a full time professional voice talent. You still need to get your score up over 20. What can you do to change your numbers? More marketing. Don’t rely solely on your agent. Keep educating yourself. Always tell everyone what you do. Everyone you meet is a potential client or referral source.

20 to 30 – You are doing the right things to make it in this industry. You are probably landing some work if your score is this high. Perhaps it’s not the amount of work you were hoping for, but if you keep at this and have the talent, it will come. It can be discouraging, but know that you’re doing the right things. Patience and perseverance are the keys for you. Keep your score up in this range and good things should follow. If you’re the right voice, you’ll get the job. Stay with it - they have to hear you before they can hire you!

That’s it.

Keep your scores high and your drive strong. Competition is just a test to see how much you really want it!

We hope this quiz helps to motivate you to move forward and keep up the good work. Voicing may be the most fun you can have while working, but it’s still work!

All our best,

Chanti Studios
Deb Munro – Director / info@debsvoice.com

Kara Edwards often shares interesting tidbits on her blog, including all the voices in her head as well as those of others external to her own cranium.

Nancy Wolfson recently gave permission to Kara to share some of her proprietary coaching info on her blog and has also given me the go ahead to share this wisdom with you here on VOX Daily.

When Nancy Wolfson says something, it's always with careful mastery and her teachings offer immediate benefits.

Here's a page out of Nancy's play book for you. Please leave a comment at the end of this article if you found Nancy's advice useful!

RUNNING METRICS

Every company is obliged, first and foremost, to return profit and value to shareholders.

Are you returning profit to yourself?

It is wise to run the year-end metrics of your business to define and evaluate profits, losses, investments, and returns.

Evaluate the time and money and energies you expend and in what areas against the returns, having a look at what created value for you and what did not.

Do not limit the concept of "value" only to tangible dollar income.

A few examples of non-monetary positive value:

- improved skills - they are like upgraded machinery in your factory.
- an improved demo (or your first one!) is like stocking your shelves with better inventory.
- perhaps you met people in your business pursuits who opened doorways to auditions or perhaps you met a friend who created publicity for you.

How much of one's day is spent on the boards versus pursuing skills, pursuing work, actually doing jobs?

How much of one's sweat goes into jobs in one piece of your business's pie chart and not another...

Sometimes we realize we've spent lots of energy gossiping and commiserating when that time could have been more positively spent making valuable business connections.

Has the marketing been more busywork than targeted?

Is what is being marketed up to top competition standards deserving of that energy and worth risking that "first impression"?

I'm excited to support those who work hard about working smart in '08 and beyond!

Nancy Wolfson

~~

Did you find this article useful? Leave a comment for Nancy now!

Best,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Peter Finnie

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 started on your New Year's Resolutions yet?

A few minutes of sitting down to distill your goals for the coming year in your voice over business could mean hundreds of dollars in prizes for you!

Want to know more?

Voiceover New Year's Resolutions Contest

2008 not only brings with it the hopes and excitement of a new year, it also announces the dawning of a new chapter in the voice over coaching careers of both Marc Cashman and Julie Williams.

Marc Cashman of Cashman Commercials (Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques) and Julie Williams of Voice-Overs.com are both offering telecoaching services to voice talent starting in January of 2008.

To celebrate this leap into unchartered territory, Marc and Julie have invited the crew at Voices.com to team up with them and sponsor a contest that would award the best set of voice over New Year's resolutions.

What's up for grabs?

Both Marc and Julie have donated 1 (one) hour of telecoaching and Voices.com has donated a 1-year Premium membership as well as a couple of ebooks including the Ultimate Business Plan for Voice Actors, the Internet Marketing Plan for Voice Actors and public relations services to spread the word about your win. Julie has also included a copy of her Proven Voice-Over Techniques CD.

When you tally all of the prizes, you're looking at the potential of winning one serious prize pack for jotting down and submitting your New Year's Resolutions for your voice over business and voice acting career.

How do you enter the contest?

Simply go to the voice acting forum at Voice-Overs.com and add your resolutions to the list by December 24th, 2007. Winners will be announced via VOX Daily, VOX Talk, and the VoiceOver Insider.

What to do?

Submit a short paragraph telling the judges about your New Year's Resolutions for your voiceover career. Entries should be 100-200 words. They should be detailed. Creativity is encouraged. Must be a member in good standing of the forum at www.voice-overs.com. (Any VO industry pro is welcome, free to join)
Deadline: Dec 24th. Winner announced on January 1, 2008 on the VOX Daily blog, in the January issue of The VoiceOver Insider, and on the forum at Voice-Overs.Com.

OK, so what are you waiting for?

Go make those resolutions and submit them on the Voice-Overs.com forum to qualify.

Best,

Stephanie

One of the best in the business of voice over education has decided to kick it up a notch!

Marc Cashman of The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques and pundit on Ask the Voice Cat is now teaching private voice lessons via telephone and through email coaching.

After years of teaching V-O classes in L.A., and after many requests, Marc Cashman is launching his One-on-One Voice Coaching!

I hail this as a great opportunity for all voice actors regardless of their level experience. I've known Marc for years now and am beyond ecstatic that you now have the opportunity to learn so much from him without having to attend his classes in person.

If you're someone who lives in an area where there isn't a voice over coach to be found or anyone in neighboring cities, Marc has a couple of services available to you now that only require a basic home studio set-up and a desire to study with an award-winning L.A. producer, director and voice actor.

Here are the two services as described by Marc Cashman:

1) Telephone Coaching

This would be a one-hour session where I would direct you over the phone. I’d send you three scripts in advance, schedule a time (I’d call you wherever you are) and would “put you through your paces,” so to speak. In this scenario, you’d be getting immediate feedback, performing a number of takes of each script until you’ve “nailed” it. My in-class students can attest to the fact that my feedback and direction is very focused, specific and constructive. It would be nice if you could record everything—the session and my feedback (if you have a decent phone-patch connection—ISDN not necessary). But the critical thing you’d need is a decent phone connection, so that I could clearly hear your articulation. You can also use a headset or a portable/cell phone.

The cost: $100/hr.

2) Email Coaching

This would be for those of you who would like my feedback and constructive direction when you have the time. I would email you scripts for you to record when you can. I’d get back to you in a timely manner (usually with 24-48 hours) with very specific comments on your performance. If you hit a “home run,” I’ll tell you so. If you need to re-do it, I’ll tell you why and what you need to do in subsequent takes; you’d have up to three attempts for each script. This scenario is great for those of you who have deadlines and last-minute demands from their clients. It would take as long as it takes—depending on our schedules, holidays, illness, vacations, emergencies, whatever.

The cost: $300 for 5 scripts, $500 for ten scripts.

Marc Cashman’s One-on-One Voice Coaching will give you the tools you need to:

• Analyze any script in minutes
• Direct yourself effectively
• Determine appropriate delivery in any copy
• Perform consistently on each and every "take" and much, much more.

As mentioned earlier on in this article, the One-on-One private coaching services are for anyone with a home studio set-up. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out.

If you’re interested in either of these services, call Marc at (661) 222-9300 or email him at cashcomm@earthlink.net.

Best,

Stephanie

Are your auditions up to snuff?

Marc Cashman holds nothing back as he tells it like it is in his newest Voice Over Experts episode "Auditioning In Your Home Studio".

Learn how to avoid mediocrity, senseless rejection and prevent being perceived as an idiot by listening to this how-to podcast, hot off the RSS.

As I was mentioning earlier, this podcast by Marc Cashman is a must listen to and even if you think you don't need the pointers, is a hilarious piece to consume.

Some of you may know Marc as the Voice Cat on the blog Ask the Voice Cat. This podcast has a written component on his blog.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and I'm positive that Marc would too!

Looking forward to your comments,

Stephanie

Looking for an uplifting, empowering and nourishing book to read?

Rodney Saulsberry's "Step Up to the Mic" is a book all about stepping up to life's challenges from the perspective of a voice actor.

Learn more at VOX Daily.

Why Read "Step Up to the Mic" by Rodney Saulsberry?

If you need a pat on the back or encouragement, Rodney Saulsberry's new book Step Up to the Mic gives loving spoonfuls of it that will inspire and remind you of just how valuable you are and what you have to contribute to those you come in contact with.

Successfully navigating the hills and valleys of everyday life, both home and professional, is integral to leading a meaningful and directed existence.

That being said, Rodney has pinpointed what you need to do to acquire success, and in his generous way throughout the pages, Rodney reveals that success is easily achieved by having a positive attitude.

When should you read this book?

When you are feeling challenged, in need of inspiration, in need of affirmation, when you're questioning your career choice, if you need advice, and especially when you are feeling sorry for yourself.

You can also read it in times of happiness and prosperity.

Step Up to the Mic, while motivational, is also a good reference tool full of social and studio etiquette, reminding us that it isn't just about "you", but about the other people you work with.

Now, you don't have to wait to have a pity party to go out and buy this book - the advice and concepts discussed are relevant at any and all times in your career.

"Step Up to the Mic" is one of those books that you'll want to keep handy in your bedside table, at the office or in the car for both business and personal consumption.

In Step Up to the Mic, you'll discover what to do to succeed and why taking the high road with your peers and those with whom you work will yield regular employment and opportunities from unexpected people and places.

Rodney encourages you to embrace positive thinking, set priorities, and count your blessings. Providing examples and real life situations, Rodney demonstrates how to nurture relationships - both with yourself and others.

The 135 page book (including the Glossary and final words), also gives you "Ten tips to ignite your voice-over career" and a bevy of tips you won't find anywhere else.

The many exercises, specifically, the illuminating "Random Questions", a voice-over quiz / survey is good for setting goals and self-assessment is a must for any voice actor, regardless of level or experience.

Words of wisdom from the pros, including greats such as Don LaFontaine (King of the Movie Trailers), Nancy Cartwright (Voice of Bart Simpson), and Rob Paulsen (best known as Pinky on Pinky and the Brain) to name a few, are liberally sprinkled near the end of the book, sharing their thoughts on how positive thinking has impacted their lives and careers.

Lastly, Rodney has included a glossary, defining terms used through the course of the book to reinforce and solidify words of empowerment.

Are you ready to "Step Up to the Mic?"

If so, please add a comment with your thoughts! I'd especially love to hear from people who have read this book.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Join Nancy and Anna on November 14th at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific for Acting for Advertising Part 3.

Ad Copy, Annouceriness, how you can benefit from the WGA strike, pointers from DLF - It's amazing just how much can be packed into 70 minutes... want to learn more?

This is not a sequel.

Nancy and Anna sent me word of their Advertising teleseminar and I'm pleased to present it to you for consideration.

Each of these Teleseminars reveals a chapter from Nancy's core curriculum, provides you with useful Q and A from your peers, plus more marketing and business tips that you can put to use immediately.

You'll also get to experience "behind the velvet rope of the agency / casting scene" advice not available anywhere else. As a former agent, Nancy has the inside track on getting hired in VO and knows what people in the casting chair really want to hear.

What Do You Get?

70 minute lecture, 20 min Q and A... that's right, even more time for Q and A than before, so bring your questions and notebooks!

Just $39 gets you on the call.

Nancy and Anna recommend that you load up Skype. They have lowered their cost (used to be $49) because they don't want money to be a deterrent to you joining the call.

Here are just a few of the topics to be covered:

Align / Escalate / Solve

This is the most common skeletal pattern you need to come to expect in ad copy.

Announceriness

You don't need another lecture on what it means, or even yet another coach's opinion on how not to be that way. Instead, Nancy and Anna will drill down to the studs on WHY you're still being too announcery even when you know you shouldn't be.

Pointers from The Don

What the great Don LaFontaine taught Anna when he guest starred on her new TV series a few weeks ago.

The WGA Strike

How it benefits secondary market talent and how to jump on the opportunities.

~~

Sound like a way that you might want to spend your Wednesday evening?

If so, pop by the BreakIntoVoiceOver.com website and register to reserve your spot on the call.

The date and time again is November 14th at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific.

Best,

Stephanie

Live in and around New Hartford and want to get into voice acting?

Try out this introductory class "Getting Paid to Talk" on November 5th, 2007 taught by our friends at VoiceCoaches.com.

Remember reading about the team from Voice Coaches?

I just caught wind of a voice acting course being taught by John from Voice Coaches via the Community News for Oneida County on UticaOD.com. “Getting Paid to Talk” is an adult education class taught by the voice acting professionals from Voice Coaches, an industry leader in voice acting training.

The class lasts two and a half hours, a non-credit course, during which students will learn what it takes to become a professional voice actor including the basics of getting started, all the way through working in the studio, recording a demo, and landing jobs.

Class attendees will have an opportunity to record a mock commercial under the direction of a producer. The class is taught by instructor John Gallogly, Senior Creative Director for Voice Coaches.

Want to know more? Details Please!:

What: Introduction to Voice Acting Class "Getting Paid to Talk"
Instructor: VoiceCoaches.com Senior Creative Director, John Gallogly
When: Monday November 5, 2007 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: BOCES Consortium of Continuing Education on Middle Settlement Road, New Hartford
Contact: For information or to register, call 315-793-8696

If you get to the lecture, be sure to let us know what you thought by leaving a comment here on the blog!

Best,

Stephanie

Image © VoiceCoaches.com

Many moons ago, we did a round up voice actors who write blogs relating to voice over and since then, there have been many more blogs added to the community!

Just how are these people starting blogs and why is it important?

Find out!

What is a blog?

A blog is an online journal produced by an individual, publishing stories or news bits to share with their audience on a regular basis. Some people blog daily, weekly, or whenever the spirit moves them. Blogs give people an outlet to comment on the world around them and are usually themed. For instance, you are reading a voice acting blog right now. VOX Daily is written with voice actors, audio producers and fans of voice actors in mind.

Why do people blog?

Some blog because they want to share knowledge with others, spread a message, or connect with their community and or fan base. Others blog for business reasons while others mix both business and pleasure, similar to what you experience here at VOX Daily.

How can you get started as a blogger?

Getting started in blogging is very easy, in fact, you can do it within several minutes.

All you need to do is go to a website such as Blogger.com to sign-up and secure your own blog and domain name hosted on the service provider's website. Many web services give you the option to have a free account whereas others charge for the use of their blogging software or for additional perks.

Is it hard to blog?

Blogging itself isn't difficult, however, maintaining the will to do so on regular basis is the most challenging part of any blogger's career. Some days you won't feel much like writing, and that's fine. Something you can do is have emergency articles waiting as drafts that you can readily publish if you're short on inspiration or are too busy to start from scratch.

Why should I blog?

There are many different reasons why it behooves (benefits) you to blog. We've discussed reasons and many benefits of blogging before, and now, there are even more blogging benefits since then! In a nutshell, you'll receive benefits relating to community, search engine results, expertise, and personal wellbeing.

Why else is it important to blog?

Blogging as a voice actor gives you opportunities that you may never have otherwise. What a wonderful way to broaden your horizons! For example, you can reach out to others, position yourself as an authority, and develop more content that hungry search engine bots just gobble up. You'll also find that you can make a difference by using your blog as a vehicle to inform, entertain and document happenings as a citizen blogger.

If you have been thinking about starting a blog, you're already on the right track! As with anything that takes dedication, you have to genuinely want to do it in order to be successful and receive enjoyment from your efforts.

Would any of you be interested in learning how to blog? If this sounds like an activity you'd enjoy, let me know by leaving a comment on this article and I'll put something together as a guide.

Also, if you have any specific questions, I invite you to send them to me so that I can incorporate answers to your questions in the guide to make sure we've covered as many areas as we can. You can email your questions to me here: stephanie@voices.com.

Cheers,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Alex Kalmbach

When it comes to studio sessions and voice actors, recording engineers and studio owners have seen it all.

How should voice actors behave themselves in a studio session?

Find out what Marc Graue has to say about it in his Voice Over Experts episode "Studio Etiquette", sure to both entertain and help prevent messing up in the future. Listen to the MP3 episode here at VOX Daily.

If you've ever wondered how to behave at a recording studio, especially it's your first studio session, this is the podcast you need to listen to. After all, no one likes being embarrassed, and thanks to Marc Graue, you needn't find yourself in those sorts of situations in a studio setting.

Listen to this episode and add your thoughts as comments here on this article.

Download Marc Graue's Studio Etiquette Episode of Voice Over Experts

What do you think?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Steven Miric

Today may be Saturday, but all of our VOX Daily email subscribers will receive this on Sunday...

How very apropos :)

Allow me introduce to you Sunday Muse, a voice actor and children's cartoon voice over coach based in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

This morning (Saturday), I received an email from a coach in Toronto, Sunday Muse.

Who is Sunday Muse?

Sunday Muses is a children's voice acting coach who teaches workshops for kids aged 8-12 for cartoon voice acting on Sundays.

Sunday Muse (yes, that IS her real name) has a strong voice acting, film, television and theatre background. Her youthful appearance is helpful for working with kids and one listen to her 10 years of voice over experience as presented in her voice over demo and animation voice acting work on TV leaves no doubt to her talent and energetic performance.

What voice acting work has Sunday Muse done?

Sunday’s voice can be heard on tons of cartoons including: “Yam Roll” as Minamiko/March Entertainment, “Jane and the Dragon”/ Nelvana, Undergrads, Time Warp Trio/Soup2nuts, Cheer Bear/Care Bear Movies/Nelvana, Totally Spies, 6Teen, Peep, Jo-Jo’s Circus, Mona the Vampire, DiGata Warriors, Rolie Polie Olie/Nelvana, Wumpas World, Roboroach, Pecola, the Click, Angela Anaconda, Cyberchase, Harry & his Bucket of Dinosaurs, Erky Perky, Odd Job Jack, Carl Squared, The Wumblers, Future is Wild and many more.

Sunday also coaches kids for a variety of popular cartoons including "Super Why!" airing this fall by the creators of the ever popular children's educational series, "Blues Clues".

When and where are the children's cartoon voice acting workshops?

Sunday's workshops run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sundays and cost $195 (plus GST) per child to participate - this includes studio time. Kids will go home with a CD of their work from the class and also insider tips and hints to help them nail their next audition.

Sunday's next workshop runs on Sunday September 23rd at Clare Burt Studio located at 211 Yonge Street, 3rd Floor, and there are still some spaces available. She's noted that they tend to fill up quickly, so start talking about this at the dinner table now :)

If your child has always had a flair for the dramatic or is interested in using their voice to create characters like the ones they hear on their favourite TV programs, attending a workshop with Sunday may just be the ticket and get them on the road to stardom.

Here's how you can get a hold of Sunday:

Phone: 416-536-6071
Website: SundayMuse.com
Email: sundaymuse @ hotmail.com

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Image © SundayMuse.com

Have you met Johnna Gottlieb?

If you haven't, she's pals with Joan Baker, teaches a VO class at New York University and is going to be on Voice Over Experts this September!

Find out more about Johnna and her class that runs this Autumn.

I'm very excited to introduce you to one of our newest Voice Over Experts, Johnna Gottlieb of Johnna Gottlieb Consulting in New York.

I just caught wind that Johnna's NYU class “The Business of Voiceover” is now open for enrollment for the Fall 2007 semester. The first class begins Wednesday, September 26th at 6:45 p.m. and runs through December 4th.

Are you serious about finding out what it takes to make it in the voiceover business?

Johnna confides that this is the course to take. Her network of contacts includes top agents, voiceover talent, casting directors and producers who come to her classes as special guests, presenting you with an opportunity to get your questions answered by the people who "make this industry tick". In addition, you will have the chance to read voiceover copy for these industry professionals and get feedback about your skill level.

Guests have included:

The Legendary Don LaFontaine – Voice of over 5000 Movie Trailers
Rodd Houston – Voice of Verizon Wireless, Subway, VH-1, NBA on CBS
Joan Baker – Author “Secrets of Voiceover Success”
Bill Graves – Voice of ABC’s Nightline and Primetime
Tim Champeaux - Voice of Jenny Craig, Today Show Concert Series
Jim Kozloff - Director of Talent and Business Development at VH-1
Stewart F. Wilson Turner – Co-Creator of voicebank.net
Voiceover Agents from Don Buchwald & Associates, Abrams Artists, Paradigm and Innovative Artists
Producers from Miramax Films, ESPN, BET, HBO, NBC Sports

These people have a firm grasp on what it takes to become a successful, working voice over actor.

Click on these links to learn more about Johnna Gottlieb and the class at NYU.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

This Fall, why not treat yourself to some voice over training over the phone in movie trailers and promos?

You don't have to be in New York or Los Angeles to take advantage of this teleclass series brought to you by A1 voice talent, Rodney Saulsberry.

Learn more about how you can Spice up your September now.

One of the most thrilling career achievements for the voice over actor is to become the promo voice for a TV or cable station (or network) and to break into the lucrative world of movie trailers. Finding training for this specialty used to be difficult, but not any more!

Rodney Saulsberry is offering instruction to 12 participants on a first come basis, taught over a teleconference phone line. Dial in from the comfort of your home or office; it's that easy.

Your call-in information and class workbook will be sent when your registration is confirmed.

Class details:

Six Weeks on Thursdays
Dates: September 20 - October 25, 2007
Time: 8-9 p.m. Eastern Time / 5-6 p.m. Pacific Time

Tuition: $695 paid in advance at time of registration.

Now, for some highlights!

* Direction from a seasoned pro on how to read promos and trailer copy.

* Marketing strategies aimed at securing work in the promo and trailer arena.

* Comprehensive industry contact lists of promo and trailer production companies.

* Vocal exercises designed exclusively for promo and trailer voice-over workouts.

* Instructions on how to produce your promo and trailer demo.

* You get to read and keep the original broadcast copy from hit movies and hit television shows.

* Learn trailer breathing and microphone techniques.

For more information about Rodney, you can visit his website or listen to Rodney's Voice Over Experts podcast episode.

Best,

Stephanie

In the spirit of wrapping up the summer with some voice acting classes as we turn away from August running for September, here's another one you don't want to miss...

Sacramento, watch out, a Whirlwind of Voice Over in the form of Julie Williams is due to hit on September 16th!

Half of the infamous Voice Over Whirlwind Weekend duo, Julie Williams, will be presenting her Proven Voice-Over Techniques workshop in Sacramento, California this September.

Julie will be covering tips on how to use your voice professionally, coloring words, and also touch on marketing your talent in the business of voice over.

Learn more about previous experiences from a Voices.com review session on Julie Williams' Proven Voice-Over Techniques.

To register, go to Julie's website.

Best,

Stephanie

Were you on the call for the first lecture from Nancy and Anna on Acting for Advertising?

If not, be sure to jump in on the highly anticipated sequel tonight!

We covered this on VOX Talk (episode 42) last week, but I wanted to remind everyone that tonight, August 29th, Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino will be lecturing on Acting for Advertising, part II of their series on the subject.

The cost to participate on the call is $39 and the value you receive is amazing. I’ve been privileged to sit in on some of their teleseminars and recommend that you do too!

The class starts at 9 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. PST and lasts for 75 minutes. There is a 15 minute period of Q&A that follows the class, so stay on the line to get answers to your burning questions.

Also, Voices.com will be sponsoring this teleseminar, donating one copy of The Ultimate Business Plan for Voice Actors to be given to one fortunate voice actor attending the teleseminar - another great reason to join in the class :)

For more information and to register, go to BreakIntoVoiceOver.com.

Best,

Stephanie

If you're in Dallas or planning to be for September 15-16, 2007, it is worth your while to consider attending a voice over workshop instructed by Bettye Zoller, a weekend she promises to be exceptional and requested by popular demand.

Learn more about the workshop agenda, socialization and food that comes with the weekend!

As of today's date, (Monday August 27) there are six spaces left in September 15-16. Enrolling is easy and you can do so by telephone, email, or at Bettye's website using MasterCard or VISA. If mailing check or Money Order, ask Bettye for instructions first. There's even pick you up at your hotel if you are from out of town, so no rental car is needed.

If you enroll for the weekend, you'll attend two seminars: The Business of Voiceovers and Voice Acting Techniques for Today, catered to meet your needs on an individual basis, whether an amateur or professional voice actor.

Here's a note from Bettye about the conference agenda:

Saturday begins with continental breakfast... fruit, juices, delicious gourmet rolls and pastries, milk, hot coffee and more. Get acquainted and meet your colleagues who are also interested in or are performing voiceovers! The morning session consists of information on our business... where the jobs are and how to get them... the Internet revolution and how our business has radically changed, working with broadcast agents in many cities without ever leaving home, advertising yourself to those who hire voices, developing loyal, repeat clients, how to get the most money for your services, what vo talents are charging today, and a discussion of unions (AFTRA and SAG). After a group lunch in a nearby restaurant, we'll start the afternoon highlighting hands-on copyreading while you are coached and directed by Bettye Zoller and Surprise Guests!

You will announce solo and group copy pieces, learning more about voice attitudes and all kinds of voice acting techniques that will set you apart from others because of your higher skill levels! We'll work on believability, sincerity, character development, voice focus, vocal variety, and much more. We'll also work on helping you identify your SPECIAL UNIQUE VOICE ATTRIBUTES. You'll leave with an amazing handout packet and assigned work for the evening to prepare for tomorrow's workshop!

On Sunday we start at noon with buffet brunch items and all day beverages and coffee. The day will consist of more business information and more voice acting instruction too plus you'll be showing us your homework assignments. You'll have plenty of time to ask questions and get personal attention to your needs. The day will end about 4:30 p.m. You will be provided with more handouts to take with you to work on on your own for continuous improvement after our workshop has ended.

If you'd like to learn more, contact Bettye at her website.

Stephanie

P.S. Listen to Bettye's lecture on Voice Over Experts about crafting your Elevator Speech.

What do you look for in a workshop?

We've compiled a brief survey that will give you the opportunity to make your voice heard! Let us know your opinions on what you prefer, what you're looking for, and also just how important food and socialization is at these events!

Want a workshop to come to your neck of the woods? Participate in the Voice Acting Workshops Survey Now.

For over a year, we've been providing details about voice over and voice acting workshops across Canada and the US, creating schedules of what's going on where and linking to the websites of the voice over coaches mentioned in those articles.

Now, I'd like to ask you some questions about how we can make this information more complete and better accessible to you online.

Let me say in advance that your participation in this survey is greatly appreciated.

The answers you provide will assist our network of voice over coaches and experts in planning their workshops as well as help us to better promote voice acting workshops here at Voices.com.

With the information you provide, we'll be able to present more opportunities catered to your professional development goals.

Thank you!

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/bubaone

Have you experienced Voice Over Experts yet?

If you haven't, here's a quick intro to the podcast and a taste of what you can expect from the Voice Over Experts Podcast at Voices.com.

Catch episode 08 with Deborah Sale Butler here and find links to other episodes as well.

This is definitely a podcast you should be subscribed too!

Links from today's show:

Deborah Sale Butler
Deborah Sale Butler Voices.com Website
Listen to more episodes of Voice Over Experts

Your Instructor this week:

Voice Over Expert Deborah Sale Butler

Deborah Sale Butler has been a voice-actor and a voice/speech/dialect coach for over 20 years. She has taught voice and speech at The Pittsburgh Playhouse School, The Second City Training Center in Chicago, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (LA) and The Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Hollywood. She has coached students from around the country and around the world in speech and accent reduction and now coaches privately through her own company, ACT WITH YOUR VOICE in Los Angeles. She coaches actors in person or over the phone on a per-project or ongoing basis. Her approach is to teach students to become aware of their own speech in order to express their inner voice.

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

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

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

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

To wrap up our week on education, today you'll get a comprehensive list of everything on the website that can help you succeed in voice overs!

From blogs, podcasts, videos, free downloads, and educational packages, whatever you're looking for is right here in this article with handy links to get right to the source.

BLOGS

VOX Daily
Author: Stephanie Ciccarelli
A daily dose of voice acting news, articles, tutorials, interviews, intelligent conversation and business ideas.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, talent agent, voice over coach, casting director, journalist, audio producer, musician, public speaker, student, or member of the entertainment industry.
Subscribe >>

Casting Voices
Author: Erica Bontje / Stephanie Ciccarelli
Pick up tips on how to pick the perfect voice for your project and read about the latest in voice casting news from Hollywood and around the world.
Read this blog if you are: A talent agent, casting director, advertising agency, small business, manager, voice actor, student, or journalist.
Subscribe >>

Ask the Voice Cat
Author: Marc Cashman
Q&A with a professional voice over coach and commercial voice over talent.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, singer, student, teacher, voice over coach, actor, musician, or a talent agent.
Subscribe >>

Master VO
Author: Dan Lenard
Demystifying the home recording studio, one question at a time. Q&A with a professional voice talent and audio production coach.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, an audio engineer, student, radio personality, setting up a home recording studio, podcaster, or hobby engineer.
Subscribe >>

The Biz
Author: David Ciccarelli
Get the inside scoop from the CEO of Voices.com and learn more about the business of the business, including marketing strategies, how you can use technology, and more.
Read this blog if you are: An entrepreneur, small business owner, web designer, tech enthusiast, CEO, audio engineer, or a decision maker in the advertising or entertainment industry.
Subscribe >>

PODCASTS

VOX Talk
Host: Stephanie Ciccarelli
The #1 voice acting entertainment podcast covering voice acting news, business tips, technology, and an assortment of voice actor contributions. This show is produced weekly.
Listen to this podcast if you are: A voice actor, talent agent, voice over coach, student, audio producer, actor, theatre major, musician, podcaster.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

Voice Over Experts
Host: Julie-Ann Dean
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.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

VIDEOS

Tutorials
Learn how to use the Voices.com website to your advantage with interactive videos that entertain as well as educate.
Watch these videos if you are: Voice actor, person hiring voice actors, or a customer of Voices.com.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

Commercials
What if Life Had a Soundtrack? Find out in our series of commercials for the web featuring two great actors and hear a variety of narration styles as they hear a soundtrack narrate their lives, turning the mundane into the interesting.
Watch these videos if you are: A voice actor, casting director, agent, someone hiring voice actors, or a fan of videos.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

DOCUMENTS

Official Voices.com User Guide
Find out everything you've ever wanted to know about how to use the Voices.com web service from both the perspective of a person hiring voice actors (client) and that of a voice actor.
Read this document if you are: A customer of Voices.com, whether a client or voice actor member.
Download the PDF now! >>

Getting Started in Voice Overs
Quickly learn the basics of what it takes to make it in the voice over industry with this attractive and useful guide.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, actor, musician, changing careers, student or voice professional.
Download the PDF now! >>

Blueprint for Voice Acting Success
Discover how easy it is to succeed as a career voice actor. Learn more about managing and promoting your business online using the Voices.com website.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, voice talent, public speaker, voice talent agent, or student.
Download the PDF now! >>

Voice Over in the Google Era
Google can help you in some major ways when it comes to running your business and being found online. This document will teach you the basics of Google, list Google properties that you can use, and demonstrate how you can make waves with search engine optimization.
Read this document if you:
Download the PDF now! >>

Small Business Podcasting Kit
Want to learn how to podcast? Download this free kit on how to bring your podcast from concept to completion.
Read this document if you are: Starting a podcast, are interested in podcasting, are a podcaster, voice actor, student, or an advertising agency.
Download the PDF now! >>

Voice Over Rate Sheet
Wonder how much a non-union voice over goes for? Download this sheet to find out the general cost of commercials, narration, telephone voice overs, and more.
Read this document if you: Hiring voice actors or are in need of a reference sheet for quoting clients.
Download the PDF now! >>

The Definitive Guide to Voice Over Success
Getting started in voice overs has never been easier with Voices.com's best selling eBook, The Definitive Guide to Voice Over Success. Learn how to build your brand, web presence, and record professionally from home.
Read this document if you are: Getting started in voice overs, are a voice actor, student, professional voice actor, or audio producer.
Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

The Voice Over Script Collection
50 original scripts including telephone, commercials, promos, station IDs, narration and more. Use these scripts to practice from and change the fictitious names of products or companies to suit your needs. Perfect for rehearsal and material to record a voice over demo.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, voice over talent, public speaker, teacher, voice over instructor, advertising agency or student.
Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

Commercial Scripts for Radio and Television Ads
50 original royalty-free scripts to be used for television and radio advertisements covering a variety of industries. Comes with artistic direction as well as voice casting suggestions.
Read this document if you are: Producing a commercial for radio, television, podcast, or web broadcast.
Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

Frequently Asked Questions
Search the Solutions Database that holds over 500 answers to common questions about the industry and how Voices.com works.
Visit the FAQs:
Visit the FAQs now >>

If you found this list useful, please leave a comment!

Thanks,

Stephanie

P.S. Happy Canada Day (July 1st!)

Do you want to learn the basics of recording from home quickly with the minimum amount of time and expense?

Check out this review on Pat Fraley's book / CD combo, "The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording" to learn the rudiments of producing professional audio at home on your PC or Mac.

A little while ago, I received a very generous gift package from Pat Fraley with all of his published learning materials for review here on VOX Daily.

I thought it would be excellent timing to start our reviews off with one of Pat's Gypsy Guides, specifically the Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording, very apropos for what we've been talking about of late regarding audio production and professional home recording.

First, let me tell you a bit about Pat Fraley.

Pat is an extraordinary teacher based in Los Angeles, CA who is a sought after teacher of character, dialects, and audiobook voice over, and a performer who works in Hollywood providing his voice for animation and ADR (automatic dialog replacement).

Over his illustrious career, Pat Fraley has created over 4,000 character voices, placing him among the top ten performers of all time to be cast in animation. Pat also provides voice matching services for actor Tim Allen on movies such as Toy Story II and Wild Hogs to mention just a couple.

Teaching at events, workshops, conferences and seminars across the US, Pat's unique character voice curriculum is the only one accredited at the university level. He has taught voice over for 34 years, is a member of The Voice and Speech Trainers of America, and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Professional Acting from Cornell University.

What's more is that Pat also creates wonderful developmental products for purchase that get you going at prices you can afford.

One of Pat's sayings is that "Experience is not the best teacher, it's the slowest".

Having met Pat personally in Las Vegas at VOICE 2007, my first impression of him live correlated with how he presents himself online; a master voice actor and educator whose passion is to help people reach their full potential both in the training studio and in the real world of voice over work.

He is a professional that fully believes that as a teacher, one of his chief responsibilities is to expedite the learning process by sharing his experiences and he also plays an active role in getting work and setting up opportunities for his students, taking the classroom into the marketplace.

Now that you have a picture of who Pat is and his philosophies on education, let's get into the review.

Review of The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording

In The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording, Pat addresses:

• How to buy the least expensive professional-quality recording equipment
• How to set up the equipment
• Tips on recording and editing your own audio tracks
• How to convert your audition tracks to MP3 files
• How to upload and email MP3 files to agents, casting houses and producers
• How to direct yourself in the privacy of your own home
• How and where to set up a recording space in your home or garage
• Tips on how to record audiobooks

As I said before, Pat is a fan of brevity and likes to make your experiences learning this vital information as quick and humorous as possible.

The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording comes with a workbook (37 pages of text with a number of pictures) and a companion CD which Pat co-hosts with his partner and recent Audie Award nominee, Hillary Huber.

You'll be delighted to hear that the CD is very entertaining, has great chemistry between the hosts, and is very insightful. The CD runs for about 57 minutes.

The Guide is made with voice actors in mind who haven't yet tackled setting up their own home recording studio.

At the onset, Pat revealed the immediate benefits of Home Recording which I will detail below:

1. Facility of recording auditions at home
2. Convenience
3. Inexpensive compared to former days
4. You can get yourself work without leaving home or paying for studio time elsewhere

One of the most impressive aspects of the CD was how interactive it was. Since Pat and Hillary were communicating directly with each other and their listener, all of the recording jargon / terminology was demonstrated on the recording so that you could hear the difference between say a condenser microphone and a dynamic microphone.

Another goal of this book was to help you find the best possible recording equipment for the least amount of cost. As Pat says, "Sound is about sound, not looks".

Pat dispels the myth that more expensive or elaborate is better and personally guides you through a tour of several different microphones, clearly showing that the most expensive doesn't necessarily sound best when compared to similar microphones that run at cheaper prices on the market.

At the back of the book, Pat includes links to websites where you can locate the items mentioned in the book and on the CD.

If you purchase the products that are listed in Pat and Hillary's grocery list of items, the tally comes in under US$350 to setup your entire home recording studio as a beginner starting out.

In summary, Pat's The Gypsy's Guide to Home Recording teaches more than just the how-tos of setting up and using a home studio. He also prepares you to direct yourself with several tools including text analysis (helps you to deliver lines and grasp the concept or purpose of the copy), an interesting interview with a prominent sound booth director on what makes the difference between an audition that gets work and one that hinders it, where to find free sound effects and how to interpret copy.

If you'd like to buy a copy of "The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording", you can visit Pat's VO Store here:

Pat Fraley VO Store

Have any of you already listened to the CD and read this book?

If so, please leave a comment with your remarks.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Just learning the business of how to set up your home recording studio?

Do you need some assistance learning how to use the software or equipment?

Consider acquiring an education in audio production and audio engineering and find out where people with the proverbial "golden ears" go to school.

We've spent a lot of time on the artistic and promotional development of your business over the last while, so there's no better time to take a look at fine tuning the technical side of your voice over business.

What am I talking about?

Audio production, of course!

Just like how there are training sessions, classes and online courses for voice acting, there are formal schools to learn the art and science of audio production.

One such institution is OIART, the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology, located here in London, ON Canada.

OIART offers a one year intensive program that is renowned as the best in the country for producing professional audio engineering graduates.

At OIART, the staff immerses their students in the art and science of music production and sound recording technologies, nurturing their passion for audio while truly preparing them to meet the demands of the audio production industry. OIART helps students become recording engineers and their grads are among the most employable in this exciting industry.

Another school that you may have heard of is Full Sail's Recording Arts Associate Degree Program based in Orlando, FL.

Full Sail offers an intensive audio education that covers every facet of music and audio production – from tracking and overdubs to mixing and mastering – in a college environment unlike any other. Full Sail's professional recording studios allow you to record artists using the same microphones, mixing boards, and digital audio workstations used in studios all over the world.

Those are just two examples of educational institutes where you can become an audio engineer and gain a greater appreciation for audio production.

Another link I'd like to share with you is to the Audio Engineering Society (AES).

Are any of you graduates of these schools or similar audio education institutions?

Leave a comment!

Cheers,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/tyndyra

Would an aspiring singer perform in a recital before taking any lessons?

Would an entrepreneur go to a banker asking for money without a business plan?

Would an agent want to receive a demo CD from a voice actor who doesn't have any training?

Find out which baby steps will get you to where you want to go in the world of voice acting.

What is the likelihood that a parent would hand the keys to the car to their teenage child before instructing them on how to drive?

If you've ever been in a car with someone who doesn't know the first thing about gearshifts, how to steer, indicate, or parallel park, you know just how difficult it is to achieve the desired objective when the person at the wheel has little to no experience driving a car.

The same could be said for cutting an audition or voice over demo without any training or direction.

In Bob Bergen's lecture this week on Voice Over Experts, Bob made it clear right off the bat that he doesn't produce voice over demos for students until they have studied and are ready to do so.

Acquiring knowledge and skill is a primary goal. Application of those skills is the next step and shouldn't be rushed.

In essence, investing resources into making a demo prematurely would be a waste of time, money and also it is important to note that the performance would be shy of where it could be without the application of specific techniques and a polished performance.

Also, I'd add that the initial results may be somewhat disappointing, so it would be best to hold off on making a demo that you promote to agents until you are ready to make that next step.

To reiterate another tip Bob gave, it is hard for agents or producers to go beyond that first impression, so you'd better make it good.

Some sound advice, wouldn't you agree?

7 Steps to Take Before Making a Voice Over Demo

So, baby steps you can take to make sure that you are ready are:

• Invest in regular vocal training with a professional voice over coach
• Practice
• Have confidence
• Set achievable goals
• Have realistic expectations of yourself
• Listen to demos of established voice actors on Voices.com
• Take advantage of every free resource you can

There are many elements of interpretation and performance that when combined create the presence you are aiming to achieve in order to make a killer demo.

For starters, you can go back and listen to other episodes of Voice Over Experts to pick up some quick tips and techniques including how to color your words and find the music in copy.

On Friday, I'll be releasing a review that I wrote on Pat Fraley's "The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording" that will hit on a very important aspect of production and performance where auditions are concerned.

Be sure to read that one :)

See you on Thursday with some Tech Talk,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/bulent ince

Need help finding a coach to study with?

Perhaps the question really is who should YOU study with...

Pick up some tips on how to find the best voice over coach for you at VOX Daily.

Your voice is your instrument and is also the main component of your business.

That being said, it is crucial that you find the right teacher for you to study with as the decision made will directly impact the outcome of your goals.

For the purposes of this article, I am going to assume that you are a working professional or are on the brink of starting out as a novice voice actor who wants to study with a teacher to aid in the preparation of recording a voice over demo.

While a great deal of your success is reliant upon your actions and level of dedication a significant amount of weight is held where private study with a teacher of voice over is concerned.

We've all had teachers along the way, whether in public school or through private lessons, who have had left an imprint on our perspectives, goals, and potentially the directions taken in our lives.

Teachers have the ability to inspire or to deter depending on how you interpret their methodology, or bedside manner if you will.

This is why you need to select the best fit for you as a student of voice over to succeed.

For every person, there is most definitely an instructor who can open you up, develop, and refine your skills - the challenge is finding these individuals and having the ambition and humility to become a student of voice over.

Depending on your needs and aspirations, you will discover that certain coaches will make a better fit for you than others, particularly if you are working within a niche of voice over. The narrower your niche, the fewer qualified coaches there will be that meet your needs.

What do I mean by that?

Let's say you are specifically interested in studying with a teacher of audiobook narration.

Now let's add a few variables:

This teacher also needs to have at least 20 years experience, lives within a two to three hour drive of your home, and is a voice acting specialist in the field of audiobooks.

That's not even hitting on personality, teaching style, or educational facility.

To be certain you will have your own set of criteria that will need to be met that may be completely different from the example I've used above.

More options are opened up to you if you are interested in studying over the phone, Internet, or through reading books, so keep those avenues in mind if you cannot locate someone within a 200 mile radius of your home.

After you've settled on what your criteria is for studying with someone, it's time to start doing some research.

My advice is to ask your colleagues about their experiences with a particular coach (one with whom they study with on a regular basis) and get the inside scoop from them on why they love studying with the teacher they are with.

They'll have specific reasons why they chose and continue to work with the coach they are presently studying with.

Don't just ask one of their students - ask several.

Each person will have their own unique reasons for studying with that coach and you may also find that students in a given studio share similar thoughts on why studying with them has improved their performance.

What to look for in a voice over coach?

• Honesty and Integrity
• A Genuine Interest in You
• Positive Referrals from Past and Current Students
• Recognized by their Peers
• Education and Degrees
• Practical Experience
• National or International Credits for Voice Work
• Awards Won
• Community Involvement
• Good Business Ethics

One of the ways that the team at Voices.com is assisting you to find voice over coaches is by offering the Voice Over Experts Podcast.

Each week, you'll have the opportunity to freely sample the teaching style and expertise of a different voice over expert, helping you to learn more about the instructor before making a commitment to study with them.

Every coach has provided a bio for you to review and we've linked to their websites directly from the Voice Over Experts website making it easy for you to peruse a variety of voice over experts and acquire more information.

Here's a link to check out the Voice Over Experts website and podcast:

Voice Over Experts Website

Do any of you have a coach that you'd like to refer?

If so, please leave a comment identifying which coach you are referring and also let us know why you study with them.

Cheers,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Lisa Thornberg

Voice Over Experts is the #1 Educational Voice Acting Podcast that features voice over coaches from the US, Canada and abroad.

Want to get on the roster at Voice Over Experts?

Here's how!

Do you teach people how to do voice overs or how to become voice actors?

If you are a voice over coach and haven't added your name to the list of Voice Over Experts at Voices.com as of yet, here's an invitation for you to do so!

Voice Over Experts is the #1 Educational Voice Over Podcast showcasing the best in the business.

Contributing to Voice Over Experts is easy and you can do it often.

Each episode that you'd contribute would be about 5 minutes long, giving you enough time to cover a technique or concept and advertise your website and contact details at the end providing a way for interested people to contact you.

We'll also promote your episode(s) in many ways, one of which being a press release announcing your participation and lecture distributed through our online media channels and to freelance journalists.

How do you get started?

Please email me a brief bio that we can use for your press release. We will be using that bio and photo too (or image) on the Voice Over Experts website to provide listeners with biographical information and links to your website.

With regard to the lectures:

Each lecture (episode) you contribute should be 5 minutes in length, give or take, and be emailed to me as an MP3 file at 192kbps.

I'm happy to share that we've just released our third episode today. So far, students around the globe have had the privilege to study with Voice Over Experts Marc Cashman, Julie Williams, and most recently, Bob Bergen.

Over 20 voice over coaches are on board and we'd love to have you as a member on our expert panel.

If you haven't heard the podcast yet, click through the link below so that you can get a feel for the length and type of content:

Listen to Voice Over Experts

As Voice Over Experts is a weekly podcast, I am going to make sure that there is a good rotation of coaches and material to keep versatility and diversity flowing for the audience. This will also ensure that lectures that are similar in nature are not grouped too closely together, giving you the coverage you deserve and better feature your areas of expertise.

Sound good?

To sum up, here are the details:

1. Please send an updated bio and head shot or logo (.jpg or .gif is fine, I'll crop on this end) for press releases and articles promoting your lectures

2. Each lecture you present should be 5 minutes (or slightly longer), recorded as an MP3 at 192kbps and emailed to stephanie@voices.com

If you have additional questions that I can answer or suggestions, please let me know via reply email.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

Want to make your own podcast?

Follow this recipe, being sure to account for all of the ingredients ahead of time.

If there is anything that most podcasters will tell you, it pays to be prepared!

Learn how to make your own podcast at VOX Daily with our Small Business Podcasting Kit.

We spent some time and methodically broke down the steps necessary to build a framework around your podcast production.

These tools below will help you to lay the foundation of your podcast.

1. PLAN YOUR PODCAST

With anything, including a podcast, it truly benefits you to be prepared. Whether you are in podcasting for leisure or business you will need a plan.

Planning topics to discuss, possible guest interviews, and the duration of your show in advance will go a long way when producing a professional sounding podcast. Since you'll be recording your podcast in an almost live fashion, you will have the flexibility of going back and re-editing sections before committing your show as "podcast-ready".

Before you started, you'll need:

* A web publishing tool ( Try Blogger, TypePad, WordPress or MoveableType )
* A file hosting service ( Try LibSyn for free, AudioBlogger is also a good choice )
* Recording software ( Try Audacity for Window-based PCs or Garageband on Mac - both are free )
* Microphone ( Try a good headset microphone or better yet the Marshall Electronics MXL 006 Condenser USB Microphone for only $129

Identifying The Theme of Your Podcast - The Nucleus of Your Podcast

Developing your podcast description is a necessary step in the branding process. When you are brainstorming your podcast description, make sure that it explains the purpose of your show and accentuates the theme of your podcast. This description should be no more than two to three sentences in length.

Selecting a Name - Personify Your Podcast

When selecting a name, be sure that the name of your podcast reflects the content that you are recording. For example, if your subject matter is about travel, your podcast name should be branded to complement your show. To illustrate, a podcast about travel might be called Globetrotter, Passport Podcast, The Travel Guide, and so on. Make sure that the name you choose is also available as a domain name online. Try to make your name unique but easily understood and recognizable.

Acquiring a Domain Name and Blog Name

Once you have picked a name for your podcast, purchase the domain name for your podcast. This is extremely important because interested listeners and inquisitive searchers will be able to find your podcast in Search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN and others. As a reward for consistently branding your podcast, search results will display your website and podcast accordingly.

2. WRITE A SCRIPT

So, you've got the voice or at least a voice in mind for your podcast. What's missing? A script or your game plan! Take a look at a typical outline that will help you to plan out the duration and distribution of content throughout your podcast.

Sample Show Outline

- Show intro monologue (who you are, what you're going to talk about): 30-60 seconds
- Intro music jingle (repeat for each show so listeners identify the jingle with your show): 30-60 seconds
- Topic 1: 3 minutes
- Topic 2: 3 minutes
- Interlude (music or break): 30 seconds
- Topic 3: 3 minutes
- Topic 4: 3 minutes
- Closing remarks (thank audience for listening, thank guests, talk about the next show briefly): 2 minutes
- Closing music jingle (suggest same as Intro music jingle): 2 minutes

3. SET-UP RECORDING EQUIPMENT

Now, in with the hardware! Experimenting with recording your podcast can be done with your existing computer, some free software and online tools. Experimental is the key word here, as you do get what you pay for.

Bear in mind that this set-up won't give you or your audience a good indication of your vocal quality and may reflect poorly on your business. Yikes! For this reason, I'd strongly recommend investing a modest amount ( less than $500.00 ) in some basic recording equipment, specifically a microphone and a book about audio recording.

4. RECORD YOUR PODCAST

Recording a Long-Distance Interview

For interview-style podcasts, you can record using Skype to record or plan to record via a conference call with free services such as FreeConference.com. Both services allow multiple people to participate on a call.

Recording an In-Person Interview

For those of you who intend to record on-site interviews, I'd recommend visiting the location of the interview ahead of time to become familiar with your surroundings. Scope out the best place to setup shop and minimize any extraneous or background noise (unless that's the atmosphere you are trying to create).

Recording One-Person Shows

If you are hosting the podcast and are speaking directly to your audience, life becomes a lot easier because you are in control of where you record, how you record, and the material you present. Simply have your show outline ready, plug in your microphone, set-up your recording software and hit record. Be sure to record in a quiet environment and let anyone present in the office ( or house ) know that you are not to be disturbed until the recording is finished.

5. EDIT, MIX AND EXPORT YOUR PODCAST EPISODE

Room Tone - Natural sound temperature

A location’s room tone is its auditory fingerprint. These are non-specific sounds generated by the natural acoustics of the room.

Editing may also be required when sounds overlap. If they occur while you or another individual in your podcast are speaking your editing can be more challenging. To preserve the original performance, try to find another take of the word(s) in question (the one you want to replace) and edit or splice the word in to replace the unusable take.

Automatic Dialog Replacement - Replacing unusable lines with pre-recorded audio

Automatic Dialog Replacement or ADR, is simply re-recording specific lines that could not be salvaged in the edit. The sound and performance of the lines must be matched to the original performance. For a successful re-take, attempt to create the original take by recording in the same tone of voice, through the same microphone.

Production Techniques - Mixing in your show intro, imaging, and musical transitions

Remember when you wrote your podcasting script? Now is the time to mix in your show intro, the section that announces the name of your podcast and the episode number. It is most effective if this is the voice of an announcer, distinct from your own. Try fading your background music in when a new segment beings. Lower the volume level of the music when you are speaking so that your listeners can hear every work you say. At the end of the segment, fade your background music out. Use musical transitions between the various segments of your podcast. These musical transitions are known as bumpers, stages or sweepers.

Your finished podcast should flow seamlessly from one sentence to the next. If your editing has caused abrupt interruptions, or simply doesn’t make sense (not a good thing), then perhaps you should reconsider your editing style or seek help from a professional to fine tune your production and achieve a "podcast-ready" podcast.

Key points about mixing

In this section you balanced the volume levels of the voice-over(s), music and sound effects. You are now ready to export your podcast recording into an MP3.

6. UPLOAD YOUR EPISODE TO A WEB HOSTING PROVIDER

Next, you'll need to upload your MP3 file to a web hosting service. By doing so, you'll be making the audio available for download by anyone with Internet access. Sounds great, doesn't it?

The easiest solution is to host your MP3 at a podcasting hosting service, such as LibSyn.com or AudioBlog.com. These are wonderful web services that will not only store the MP3 file of your podcast, but also provide you with some statistics including number of downloads.

If you currently have a web host, for example, the company that is already hosting your website, you can just as easily work with this set-up. You may need your webmaster to assist you with configuring this part, however in short, you'll need to create a new directory on the server called "podcasts" and upload the MP3 file to that directory using FTP, short for File Transfer Protocol, which is the standard means of adding new files to a website.

At the end of this step, you should have your first episode uploaded to a web hosting provider.

7. CREATE YOUR PODCAST EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES

This is where your web publishing tool comes into place. For simplicity, we'll use Blogger as the example. In essence, you'll be creating a "New Entry" just like you would when posting an article on your blog.

How does it differ then from a regular blog post?

You'll be including a media player and code in the file path from your server where the MP3 is hosted.

Tips for a Podcast Episode Entry:

Give your podcast a title
Number your episode
Add a short description for your episode
Add a hyperlink to the MP3
Add tags to help search engines identify the contents of your podcast episode

Once you’re done creating the episode, click “Publish” and you’ll see your post on the Internet.

8. BURN YOUR PODCAST FEED

FeedBurner is an excellent service that manages your RSS feed for you. What exactly is RSS? RSS, commonly referred to as Really Simple Syndication, is a subscription mechanism that enables you to receive new content as it becomes available, either downloaded to your PC or media player. RSS files are used to summarize the contents of the audio programs.

At FeedBurner, you add your blogs RSS feed ( i.e. http://yourdomain.com/yourpodcastnamehere/index.xml ) and burn that URL into FeedBurner, which makes your podcast available for subscription using any feed reader such as Google Reader, FireFox Feed Reader, Bloglines or hundreds of others.

This feed is also used to submit to iTunes, so it's best to use FeedBurner to make the next step. If you do, the marketing and promotion of your podcast, a whole lot easier.

9. ADDING YOUR PODCAST TO iTunes AND OTHER PODCAST DIRECTORIES

iTunes - How to submit your podcast to iTunes

1. Open the iTunes program.
2. Sign-in to the iTunes Music Store. You may need to create an account if you don't have already one.
3. Within the Music Store, there is a section called "Podcasts" on the left hand side menu bar. Click on "Podcasts".
4. Click on "Submit a Podcast" on the left hand side menu bar.
5. Enter in your podcast feed URL.
6. Follow the simple on-screen instructions provided.

There are also a few dozen great podcast directories that we've listed below.

AllPodcasts
Website: http://www.allpodcasts.com/
Submit here: http://www.allpodcasts.com/Update.aspx

Blinkx Podcast and Video Directory
Website: http://www.blinkx.tv/
Submit here: http://www.blinkx.tv/beta/PodcastSubmit/

BlogExplosion Podcast Directory
Website: http://www.blogexplosion.com/podcast/
Submit here: http://www.blogexplosion.com/members/podcast_main.php

BlogUniverse Podcast Directory
Website: http://www.bloguniverse.com/radlinks/

Digital Podcast
Website: http://www.digitalpodcast.com/
Submit here: http://www.digitalpodcast.com/add_anywhere.php?cat=1

GetAPodcast.com
Website: http://www.getapodcast.com/addfeed.aspx

Gigadial
Website: http://www.gigadial.net/

IdiotVox
Website: http://www.idiotvox.com/
Submit here: http://www.idiotvox.com/index.php?spid=7

Internet Archive
Website: http://www.archive.org

Odeo
Website: http://www.odeo.com/
Submit here: http://odeo.com/create/import-feed

Ourmedia
Website: http://ourmedia.org
Submit here: http://ourmedia.org/publish

Open Media Network
Website: http://www.omn.org/
Submit here: http://www.omn.org/submitfeeds.htm

Penguin Radio
Website: http://www.penguinradio.com/podcasting/#version

Plazoo
Website: http://www.plazoo.com/
Submit here: http://www.plazoo.com/en/addrss.asp

Pocketcasting
Website: http://www.pocketcasting.com/
Submit here: http://directory.pocketcasting.com/

Podcast.net
Website: http://www.podcast.net/
Submit here: http://www.podcast.net/addpod.cgi

Podcast Alley
Website: http://www.podcastalley.com/index.php
Submit here: http://www.podcastalley.com/add_a_podcast.php

Podcast Bunker
Website: http://www.podcastbunker.com/
Submit here: http://www.podcastbunker.com/Podcast/

PodcastDirectory
Website: http://www.podcastdirectory.com
Submit here: http://www.podcastdirectory.com/add/

PodcastHost
Submit here: http://podcasthost.com

Podcast Pickle
Website: http://www.podcastpickle.com/?p=home
Submit here: http://www.podcastpickle.com/actions/addCast.php

Podcast Ready
Website: http://www.podcastready.com/
Submit here: http://www.podcastready.com/

Podcasting News
Website: http://www.podcastingnews.com/
Submit here: http://www.podcastingnews.com/

Podcasting Station
Website: http://www.podcasting-station.com/index.php
Submit here: http://www.podcasting-station.com/submitrss.php

PodcastShuffle
Website: http://www.podcastshuffle.com/
Submit here: http://www.podcastshuffle.com/submitpodcast.cfm

Podcast Tools
Website: http://www.podcasting-tools.com/
Submit here: http://www.podcasting-tools.com/submit-podcasts.htm

PodCatch
Website: http://www.podcatch.com/
Ping URL here: http://www.podcatch.com/howToPing

Podfeed
Website: http://www.podfeed.net/
Submit here: http://www.podfeed.net/add_podcast.asp

Podfeeder
Website: http://www.podfeeder.com/
Submit here: http://www.podfeeder.com/add/

Potkast
Website: http://www.potkast.com

Podscope
Website: http://www.podscope.com/
Submit here: http://www.podscope.com/submiturl.php

Podsites.com
Website: http://podsites.com/index.cfm
Submit here: http://podsites.com/submit.cfm

PublicRadioFan
Website: http://www.publicradiofan.com/podcasts.html

RSS Network
Website: http://www.rss-network.com/index.php
Submit here: http://www.rss-network.com/submitrss.php

SingingFish
Website: http://search.singingfish.com/sfw/home.jsp
Submit here: http://search.singingfish.com/sfw/submit.html

Spanish Directory
Website: http://www.podcastellano.com/directorio-de-podcasts

Spain Podcast Directory
Website: http://www.podcast-es.org/index.php/Directorio

Syndic8 Podcasts
Website: http://www.syndic8.com/podcasts/

Get reviewed at Podcast411
Website: https://sourceforge.net/projects/opda/

Once you've got your podcast listed in all the top podcast directories, remember there are millions of people on social media websites who may be interested in your new podcast. We covered Social Media websites last week, so be sure to circle back if you missed those posts.

BONUS

Time for a Check-Up

Now that you've released your podcasts and are gaining an audience, give yourself the opportunity to measure and evaluate your success, thereby taking your podcast to the next level and expanding your audience.

Evaluation

There are a number of key areas that you'll want to evaluate. Here's a list to help you get started.

- Number of Subscribers Vs. Number of Listeners
- Website Hits
- Feedback
- Promotional Efforts
- Web Presence
- Elements of your Podcast

ACTION PLAN

Now that you fully understand the process and psychology behind creating and promoting a podcast, you are ready to go!

If you'd like to download a copy of the Small Business Podcasting Kit, you can do so here!

Let us know about your success by leaving a comment.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Looking for advice from the best in the business of voice acting?

A brand new podcast christened “Voice Over Experts” has just entered into the world of podcasting, offering a unique perspective on the art of voice acting and the business of voice overs from a variety of acclaimed instructors hailing from North America and abroad.

Becoming a voice actor or getting into voice overs is one of the hottest entrepreneurial careers at present, much in part to the boom of celebrity voice acting in animated films and video games along with the attention paid to actors from Hollywood who narrate films, documentaries and of course, provide their vocal talent for broadcast television commercials.

Bearing this in mind, we took the initiative to provide aspiring voice actors with a podcast that shares industry secrets, tips on technique, and candid advice about voice acting and performing as a voice over talent in the age of New Media.

As you'll hear from more than a few dozen people in the industry, there has never been a better time to get into voice acting, and with the arrival of the Voice Over Experts podcast, getting started as a voice actor and honing your craft has become even easier and more exciting than ever before.

Our first episode is already out featuring Marc Cashman of Cashman Commercials lecturing on "Finding the Music in Copy".

I'm also pleased to announce the lineup for the next couple of weeks!

This week, Julie Williams of Voice-Overs.com will be lecturing on "Coloring Words" complete with exercises you can try and next week, Bob Bergen of Porky Pig fame will be lecturing on "How to Make a Commercial Demo".

This is the podcast to subscribe to if you are thinking about getting into voice acting - it's also a podcast you should be listening to if you are an established pro or someone who has been in the biz for a short time.

The nuggets of wisdom presented to you by our team of Voice Over Experts on a weekly basis is free for you to subscribe and listen to.

There are currently 16 voice over coaches from across North America who are participating on the show! That in itself is an education... imagine getting to learn from the best in the business with varied lectures, perspectives and insights from the comfort of your own home and at your own pace.

This podcast is a goldmine of information that you should take advantage of, whether you're contemplating a career in the field, are training already, or are working as a professional voice actor.

To learn more about Voice Over Experts, go to the Voices.com Podcast Center.

Happy learning!

Stephanie

What is Digg?

Why are there so many Diggs on a given article at Voices.com?

Find out how you can leverage the power of Digg and help the most relevant content get to the top of the charts!

You may have noticed that once you finish reading an article at VOX Daily or any number of the blogs in the Voices.com Blog Network you are given the opportunity to comment on what you have read.

As far as blogs go, being able to share your thoughts by commenting is a standard practice and probably the most universal way that readers let their favorite bloggers know that they appreciated a story or tip.

Did you know that there are other ways to give support or acknowledge the value of an article?

This week, we'll be looking more at Social Media and several of the tools you can use to ensure that content you think is useful or amazing can be recognized as such and found by others who have similar interests.

Say for instance you liked the article you read on CNN.com about several of your voice acting colleagues and Voices.com.

If you look at your options just above the comment box, you'll notice that there are a number of links, one of which says "Digg This!"

What's a Digg?

A Digg is a digital vote of confidence and public display of an article or resources popularity. At Digg.com, the more Diggs you have, the more popular your and relevant your article.

By the power invested in Social Media, your vote, or in the founders of Digg, Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht lingo, your "Digg" has influence, and with the strength of a large number of Diggs from other people, the article that you Dugg (Dugg is the past tense of Digg) can raise its profile significantly on the Digg.com website, giving it more publicity and spreading the word about the news item, resource, or popular article, resulting in more people finding it, Digging it and propelling your story to the top or coveted home page elevation on Digg.com.

What does all of that mean?

The original article that was Dugg (a Dugg item is something that you chose to Digg), and by association its author, is promoted to new heights and audiences, gaining the author an enormous amount of free web traffic and notoriety in the Digg community.

Getting on the Digg home page is just as good in some circles as getting on a national late night show or headline news.

The Digg community decides what gets its due, praising interesting and relevant content with Diggs. As these Diggs accumulate, the profile of the article and Digger rises significantly.

In a nutshell, that is the power of Digg.

So, now that you are familiar with Digg and the concept of Digging articles that you like or find useful, it's time to talk about how you can go about acquiring an account to Digg articles and show your enthusiasm for the content you appreciate!

Here are some simple instructions:

1. Go to Digg.com
2. Click "Join Digg" in the top right hand corner of the page
3. Fill out your registration information (this is FREE)
4. Agree to the Terms and Conditions (read them first and then agree)
5. Submit your application for a Digg account

After that, you should be all set.

You may have noticed that throughout the article, I've been capitalizing the words Digg and Dugg. This was done merely to introduce you to the new verbiage that you will encounter.

Just as Google is a verb now, so is Digg!

OK, once you have created your account at Digg, you are a free agent and can either submit new stories to Digg (Digg this story), Digg stories at Digg.com that interest you, or Digg stories submitted by other people at the Digg website or directly from their blogs.

Here's what the good folks at Digg have to say about why you should register:

Why Register?

* Become part of the editorial process by digging and burying stories.
* Submit new stories you find on the web.
* Follow what your friends are digging, submitting, and commenting.
* Keep a history of everything you digg.
* Customize the topics you want to follow.
* Get sneak previews of beta features.

Join the fun and exert your influence!

Sign-up at Digg.com for your free membership account and get Digging!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

We're pleased to announce our new relationship with WebEx and are excited about what that bridge we've built means for you!

Starting this coming week, you'll be able to enjoy world class webinars from your friends at Voices.com.

Want to know more?

As you may have heard, we're really excited about our new digs at WebEx, voices.webex.com.

Each week, we'll be conducting webinars to help you maximize your membership as well as learn industry secrets along the way from the experts at Voices.com.

Want to know when the next webinar is?

Check out this link and click on "Upcoming" to see what's going on:

Voices.com Webinar Schedule

Here's a screen shot of what you will be seeing when you register:

You can register for any of our webinars by visiting the link I provided above. It's a simple process and ensures that you will have a seat on the call.

Laurynda Vineyard will be hosting the webinar "Blueprint to Voice Acting Success" next Tuesday and Erica Bontje will be hosting a webinar for clients entitled "How to Find Voice Actors Online".

If you'd like to register for either or both (depending on if you are a talent and a client), go to this address:

Voices.WebEx.com

Later on, I'll be doing some webinars too, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on those when they occur.

So, what are you waiting for?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

David and Stephanie Ciccarelli presented on the topic of Voice Over in the Google Era.

With so many ways to promote your voice using the monolithic conglomerate that is Google, there's no stopping the voice over industry online!

Discover ways that you can improve and increase your presence on the Internet as a voice over talent regardless of your location.

David Bourgeois invited us to come to the Voice Coaches Advanced Marketing Expo to lecture on the topic of Internet marketing and search, so we brought our Voice Over in the Google Era presentation down for the ride.

David gave the background on Voices.com, an overview of the industry ,and we co-presented on search engine optimization and various Google properties that you can use to market your talents online.

So, just what is the demand for audio production and language services?

The voice over market was worth over $8.8 billion worldwide in 2005!

That's right, a substantial amount of money was spent on language services and voice recording with $12.3 billion spent on language services and voice recording projected for 2010.

The ways of the past are no barrier to success for savvy voice over entrepreneurs of the new Google Era. Google has brought more to our fingertips than any other web portal on the Internet, corralling relevant websites and taming the Wild West of the World Wide Web.

Google is not just a search engine, it is an advertising company that makes billions of dollars a year through one of its programs, Google AdWords.

Essentially, the Google AdWords program is an advertising platform where buyers of advertising who are featured on the main Google search can bid on keywords to attract new business on a pay-per-click basis. These ads are also called "Sponsored Links".

Google AdWords was one of the properties we talked about in addition to Google Web Search, Google Image Search, Google News Search, Google Video, Google Blog Search, Google Directory (DMOZ), Google AdSense, and Google Analytics.

Now that I've mentioned some of the properties and services available to you as a Google visitor and customer, that leaves one last question...

How can you make Google work for you?

Remember to:

• Submit to the Google Directory
• Start a Blog
• Build Links to your Website
• Advertise your Services
• Track your Progress
• Create a Press Release

The audience at Voice Coaches was privy to a significant amount of added-value information that is not included in the PDF, like the scoop on Link Love among other things :)

At our next opportunity we'll present you with the details that are not included here in this article.

If you missed this lecture in person and would like more information about Google and their various web properties, you can download the PDF document Voice Over in the Google Era to get a more detailed account of what we were talking about.

Keep your eye on the VOX Daily blog and subscribe via email if you haven't already!

Best,

Stephanie and David

Does your demo have a case of the uglies?

Join the graphic design experts Dan Dinsmore and Phil Montelone from Overit Media as they give tips on how "putting on the makeup" for your Demo CD and branding materials.

What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design is a form of visual communication that combines words and imagery to convey a message.

Graphic design is everywhere. It's on stationary, booklets, business cards, carpets, paint, street signs, and more! Every design that you encounter starts with an illustrator or artist.

A design evokes emotion out of people, therefore, you want to portray yourself properly.

But you might be wondering, "What does design have to do with my voice?"

The answer: You are in a field where presentation is everything.

Here are some tips on how to make your demo packaging great and not have your CD end up as a coaster on somebody's desk or be confused with a piece of rubble.

Good Designs

- Make sure that your demo art is clean and professional
- Present potential clients or agents with nice packaging that they will share with others
- Get a pro to brand your image
- If you are comfortable, use a professional head shot on the inside sleeve of your CD
- Head shots should only be used if you are pursuing on-camera work as well as voice over
- If you are only performing as a voice over artist, do not include a photo of yourself

Bad Designs

- Placing a printed label on a blank CD
- Unprofessional designs (no clarity, inappropriate image, unflattering head shots, etc.)
- Leaving your name or contact information off of the marketing material
- Including irrelevant images or references
- People judge books by their covers and they'll judge your voice by your CD package

In the end, it all comes down to presentation.

You could be the greatest voice actor of our time, but if your CD or branding package is sub-par or questionable, it will end up in the garbage bin faster than you can say Jiminy Cricket.

Does any of this information resonate with you? What are your dos and don'ts for branding your professional image?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

Image © OveritMedia.com

We're at the Voice Coaches Advanced Marketing Expo just outside of Albany, NY.

Learn more about this fantastic organization of progressive and caring instructors through the VOX Daily blog!

I'm blogging live today from the Voice Coaches Advanced Marketing Expo being held in Colonie, NY at the Hilton near the Albany International Airport.

Last night, David Bourgeois and his team of excellent experts kicked off the evening with some good times, great food and intriguing conversation.

I'll be blogging about each presentation throughout the day. What a great opportunity!

See you over the course of the day,

Stephanie

Image © VoiceCoaches.com

Live in or around Toronto and want some voice over training from a real pro?

Guess what? We're bringing Debbie all the way from Beautiful British Columbia to Toronto, Ontario!

To register for Mic & Me in Toronto on June 9th and 10th, 2007, simply click the "Register Now" button to get started on the road to learning from and working with top Canadian voice over coach Debbie Munro!

See you there :)

Over the weekend (June 9 - 10, 2007), Debbie will be teaching a two-day Voice Workout workshop catered to all levels.

The Voice Workout gets students behind the microphone using professional equipment, taking direction from one of the top instructors in North America.

Using her knowledge and passion for the industry, Deb Munro will direct participants through their scripts, pushing them more than thought possible, regardless of a students level. Debbie will also share tips on how to help develop strong professionals and introduce practical tools to use over and over.

Staying on top with the current trends is easy when you are in the know with Debbie Munro!

Details:

To sign up on a per day basis, the cost is CDN$212.00 and the fee for both days is CDN$375.00. Prices will go up after June 4th, 2007 to $250 on a per day basis and $424 for the weekend, respectively.

Lunch is provided by Ryerson for $12 per day.

The Mic & Me Workshop will take place at Ryerson University’s International Living Learning Centre in Toronto, ON Canada on Saturday June 9th and Sunday June 10th, 2007. Classes run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

Here's a Google Map to Ryerson University for those of you outside of Toronto (Front entrance is on Jarvis and the back entrance is on Gould):

Best,

Stephanie

The new Official Voices.com User Guide is now ready for download!

With anything new, it helps to have a play book or guiding light - here's yours for Voices.com :)

Get your copy of the PDF User Guide here at VOX Daily.

With anything new, there will be changes, a chance to learn and more opportunities to succeed.

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been working hard on preparing an excellent User Guide for you to help navigate through and use the new Voices.com to your full benefit and advantage.

Complete with pictures and a feature chapter on SurePay, this PDF is a must read for anyone who uses the Voices.com web service.

Although it may say "A Beginners Guide to Getting Started at Voices.com", this means everybody!

We are all new to these changes and feature additions, so please note that everyone who use Voices.com, regardless of talent level or experience, are all "beginners" in this sense.

Download your copy here.

Cheers,

Stephanie & The Voices.com Team

Are you a Canadian voice over talent in Ontario?

Have you been looking for a workshop to attend that you didn't have to travel to the USA for?

Voices.com is bringing top voice over coach Debbie Munro and her Mic & Me Workshop series to Toronto this June! Learn more about this awesome opportunity here at VOX Daily.

We're teaming up with top Canadian voice over coach Debbie Munro to present Debbie’s Mic & Me Workshop, a two-day intensive voice over education that covers vocal technique and the business of voice over itself.

Over the weekend (June 9 - 10, 2007), Debbie will be teaching a two-day Voice Workout catered to all levels.

The Voice Workout gets students behind the microphone using professional equipment, taking direction from one of the top instructors in North America.

Using her knowledge and passion for the industry, Deb Munro will direct participants through their scripts, pushing them more than thought possible, regardless of a students level. Debbie will also share tips on how to help develop strong professionals and introduce practical tools to use over and over.

Staying on top with the current trends is easy when you are in the know with Debbie Munro!

So, when and where is this all happening and how much does it cost?

There are options to either attend on a per day basis or to register for both days of the Mic & Me Workshops in Toronto.

To sign up on a per day basis, the cost is CDN$212.00 and the fee for both days is CDN$375.00. Prices will go up after June 4th, 2007 to $250 on a per day basis and $424 for the weekend, respectively.

The Mic & Me Workshop will take place at Ryerson University’s International Living Learning Centre in Toronto, ON Canada on Saturday June 9th and Sunday June 10th, 2007.

To learn more or register for the workshop(s), contact Voices.com by calling 519-488-5575 or emailing stephanie@voices.com. PayPal payments are accepted (before I had said VISA and Mastercard, but that's just through PayPal - edited May 24).

Register For the Mic & Me Workshop in Toronto

Debbie is taking about 12 students per day, so these spots will fill up soon!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Here's a Google Map to Ryerson University for those of you outside of Toronto (Front entrance is on Jarvis and the back entrance is on Gould):

Best,

Stephanie

Photo © Debbie Munro

Want to expand your voice acting abilities?

Try reading a book by Dr. Seuss!

It's not just child's play, it's good for your voice acting career.

Discover what a good old fashioned dose of Dr. Seuss could do for you!

Where can you find free, accessible, entertaining and challenging copy to read to help you develop voice acting skills integral to your success and vocal conditioning?

At your local library, of course!

After years of reading books and of also reading stories to children, I've found that books by the late American author Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodor "Ted" Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), are by far the most energizing and useful publications where exercising your vocal and acting techniques are concerned.

Last week, we featured a video by Rodney Saulsberry teaching you how to incorporate tongue twisters into your warm up routine.

This week, I'm trumpeting the works of Dr. Seuss, the benefits of reading his materials aloud and also provide you with some titles to look for either at the library or in your home collection.

All of Dr. Seuss' books embody challenging vocal tasks that take preparation, skill and stamina. They may look cute, but these kiddie books pack a powerful punch!

OK, so maybe you're not yet sold on the whole Dr. Seuss will improve my career thing, but that was just Act I. Drawing the curtain again, welcome to Act II :)

Dr. Seuss was a smart guy who liked creating endearing characters, new words, rhyming passages and instilled didactic, cautionary techniques in his storytelling. It is these attributes and qualities of his books that have kept them on shelves and in print decades after their first go round at Random House in New York.

I mentioned that this fellow was a smart cookie, but just how smart? Although he wasn't a real doctor, there's no questioning his genius!

Dr. Seuss planned each page carefully as a vocal exercise that involves every inch of your mental power, acting ability, and vocal prowess.

Here are some of the benefits of a Dr. Seuss Workout:

• Better articulation
• Breath Control
• Phrasing and Timing
• Characterization
• Develops Sight Reading / Cold Reading Skills
• Interpretation

Another benefit I didn't mention is that if you are reading these to your kids or children in your care, they will enjoy your storytelling and you will also enjoy the pleasure of having an appreciative audience to test your voice acting techniques out on.

If you're looking for some Dr. Seuss books to help you develop particular skills mentioned above, I recommend the following:

Rhyming, Phrasing, Voice Acting: Hop On Pop, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Phrasing, Breath Control, Articulation: Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat In The Hat (50th Anniversary this year!)

Characterization, Stamina, Emotional Variance: The Lorax, How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Do you have a favorite Dr. Seuss book that you return to again and again? Is there one that you like to practice with?

Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

P.S. "The Lorax" is an environmental cautionary tale. Just to let you know, if you're doing a cold read (sight-read) of this book when performing for kids, you may wish to substitute words such as "stupid" with "silly" and "shut up" with "be quiet" - I'm always careful with what I recommend and wanted to be sure that you either read it ahead of time or sub those in during your first run-through :)

Image © Seussville.com / Doctor Seuss

Looking for ways to improve your voice acting or voice over demo?

At VOX Daily, we've compiled some of the most applicable and interesting tips from industry professionals on the Hot Seat Panel at VOICE 2007, sharing them with you to learn from and prosper by!

Check some of these tips organized by category. I'm sure at least one of the nuggets of wisdom presented will be of use to you.

When getting started or as a pro testing the waters in a new niche of voice over, it is always wise to have a few pairs of ears listen to your demo to give you their perspective.

For instance, a couple of Mondays ago, Nancy Wolfson offered four demo critiques in her Acting for Advertising teleseminar with Anna Vocino at the end of the class, dishing up great advice with her agent ears. Those fortunate to have their demos reviewed were encouraged and given some constructive feedback to help improve their demos.

One gentleman was even told that Nancy would change his demo at all. What a compliment!

At any rate, the art of critiquing demos is industry wide and a portion of the closing day of VOICE 2007 focused on just that.

I took some notes that I hope will be useful to you, generic though they may be. Take these tips into consideration when listening to your own demo or the voice over demos of others. They might just help you out in same way :)

Here we go, random tips from the panel as noted as per the "Hot Seat" at VOICE 2007:

Variety

• Have variety!
• Have variety in tempo (speed, pacing)
• Variety is in the emotion and attitude – focus on those aspects
• If you have a radio background, be sure to change up the pace and sound
• Don’t have “too long” spots or too “similar spots”
• Lots of different attitudes and emotion – no one trick ponies
• Something really good at the beginning and then something funny – anything you can do to get a producer to listen more than once is good – if they like it, they will pass it along to others

Interpretation

• Have a sense of conversation
• Don’t be “on the edge of reading”
• Try not to have negativity in your demo
• Communicate and tell the story - Subtleties can change the tone and open communication very quickly
• If you can’t picture yourself making money doing a certain voice, don’t put it in your demo
• Get control over your voice and make sure that variety is in the mix
• Leave the announcer voice out of it
• VO actors are not salespeople but persuasive and effective communicators
• Don’t be all things to all people – your demo should highlight your talents and not what the producer wants

Money Voice

• Use your money voice first (signature voice), don’t “save” it until the end
• First :06 – money voice sets up the flow - You have to win in the first :06
• Different agents have different ideas and will very often ask you to rearrange your demo to help them better market what they consider to be your money voice

Commercial Voice Over Demos

• Don’t put two character voices in a row in a commercial demo
• Strong comedic punch needs to be followed by something that’s unimportant so that people can laugh through it
• If there is a movie trailer, leave it out of your commercial demo – trailers are promos
• Conversation evokes emotion

Production

• Aim for solid production value and diversity of sound
• Don’t have a long intro
• Have something good enough at the start to get a listeners attention
• Leave at least :02 between tracks if you have multiple tracks
• Personal reads are best without sound effects, dry voice is nice sometimes
• Any expletive / deleted bit should or could be placed at the end or could act as a second intro
• Have as many tracks as you want in your demo, but send people what THEY want (i.e. if people want to hear narration, send them narration!)
• Spend lots of time sequencing the demo
• Production should complement the voice (on all speakers)
• So long as the people who are receiving a compilation demo know that it’s not specific to a given style, it’s OK, however, it is very good to be specific
• There is still value associated with having a CD with your voice over demos on them that you can send to clients or agents, so be sure to have a number of promotional CDs available for those who request them

It takes a lot of courage to throw your hat in the ring to be a demo critique done, but it is worthwhile and will help you in the long run if conducted by a professional instructor, demo producer or trusted peer.

Have you found any of these tips useful?

If you have a tip that you'd like to share, please leave a comment and we'll keep the conversation going!

Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. Read the sister post inspired by David Bourgeois' comment!

©iStockphoto.com/Peter Finnie

Here's a fun post to get your articulators and your mental facilities going!

Rodney Saulsberry has posted an awesome vocal exercise video on YouTube.com chock full of tongue twisters that are sure to challenge even the most expert annunciator.

Are you game?

Take the test here at VOX Daily!

There is nothing quite like listening to Rodney Saulsberry do vocal warm ups on YouTube!

Watch this and learn from one of the masters:

If you could get through some of those more difficult tongue twisters, leave a comment!

Also, let us know which one was your favorite. I personally got a kick out of the "crooked cookies cakes and pies" tongue twister.

Cheers!

Stephanie

Ever wanted to start a blog?

Have a unique perspective and ideas that you want to share with the world?

Find out how you too can use this innovative medium to reach the masses and attract business.

What's a blog?

Technically, you're reading one right now. I am making my thoughts available to you here on something called a blog.

Blogs can be used for different purposes and can even be named. This blog is called "VOX Daily". You are reading VOX Daily on your computer screen right now.

I wanted to chat a little bit about the importance of blogs and how you can make the most of this technology to help you promote your voice over services.

Starting a blog isn't difficult, but maintaining one is.

There are days when even an avid blogger finds themselves tired or drained of intelligent conversation, however, if you plan ahead and keep some posts tucked away for a rainy day, you'll always have enough to write about.

Getting back to basics, there are several free blogging software platforms that you can use to publish your ideas and articles on.

Here are three platforms to consider:

TypePad
WordPress
Blogger

Now you know where you can register to create a free blog, so let's skip ahead to the benefits of blogging for you.

1. Expand your Reach
2. Rank Higher in the Search Engines
3. Share your Knowledge and Build Community
4. Be Perceived as an Authority
5. Creative outlet for those who like to write

Those are just 5 ways that blogging can be a useful part of your marketing mix.

Blogging contributes to your success and the success of others if approached in the right way with quality content.

But, just how important are blogs anyway?

Google and the other search giants seem to think blogs are immensely fruitful!

Blogs, when updated regularly, provide new content to the search engines, and search engines love new content. They eat it up in fact, and then reward you with more visitors and potential business opportunities, so be sure to update regularly and write insightful posts that are interesting and inspired.

To rank higher in Google, MSN, and Yahoo!, it is wise to start a blog and host it on your website.

Another helpful tip is to get to know other bloggers and make a habit of commenting on blogs within the voice industry and outside of it, linking back to your blog. This will generate more links to your website as well as increase the visibility of your brand and invite others to discover more about you and what you have to say.

I have many friends that I met through blogging, including Bob Souer, Donna Papacosta, Leesa Barnes, and several others.

Connecting with other bloggers is very important. Just as your readers need to feel like they are part of a community, you as a blogger need to feel like you are nourished and fed by a community of people who also blog.

Blogging presents the blogger with a unique role within society.

As the character Peter Parker's (Spiderman - the 3rd one is now out!) Uncle Ben once said:

"With great power comes great responsibility."

The same rings true for anyone in a position to influence others, even bloggers.

It's amazing just how much your words can affect someone, so be careful with what you write and always leave the door open for conversation, and above all, always be genuine.

At the risk of quoting another fictional character (Polonius from Hamlet, perhaps...!), I'll stop here.

Many posts about blogging don't focus nearly enough on the power and responsibility that a blogger possesses when they have an audience.

I hope this post has been different and in the very least and has inspired you to either become a blogger or continue blogging with a newfound passion.

Looking forward to hearing from you! If you're a blogger, regardless of industry, we'd love to hear from you.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/jallfree

Ever wondered what advertisers really expect of your voice over talents?

Want an insider's view on the topic?

Join Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino on Monday May 7, 2007 for another stellar Break Into Voice Over teleseminar, sponsored by Voices.com.

What does it take to really make it in the voice over business?

Through their interactive teleseminars, Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino serve up the truth about what voice talents in the new world of voice over need to equip themselves with, both as artists and businesspeople.

Their next teleseminar is on May 7, 2007 at 9 p.m. EST (6 p.m. PST) “Acting For Advertising”, created specifically for voice over talents, also known as “The Only Way To $ell”, will teach participants how to acquire the necessary techniques that advertisers require voice talent to bring to the microphone.

This will be the first time ever in a teleseminar that Nancy Wolfson will share two key chapters from her private curriculum.

Exciting stuff!

Four randomly drawn participants who have submitted a demo will also be treated to Nancy’s “Agent Ears”, receiving a review of their voice over demo with constructive criticism and contagious enthusiastic encouragement.

Many of your peers at Voices.com agree that time and money invested with Nancy and Anna is well worth every penny. For only $49, you'll be learning the ins and outs of what it takes to sell a product with your voice and much more.

This particular teleseminar is 90 minutes in length and includes a question and answer period as well as demo reviews for four lucky participants. All you need to do is send your demo after you've registered for the teleseminar to Nancy via email to qualify.

So, the next time someone asks you what you're up to on Monday night, you'll be able to say that you're on a call with Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino among a number of your colleagues getting some of the best VO education in the biz!

To register, go to BreakIntoVoiceOver.com.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Not all audio engineers have the vocal gifts to be voice over talent and not all voice over talent have the technical knowledge and experience to be audio engineers.

But, when you do get the desired combination of technical skill and artistic competence, something special happens...

Just how important is it to possess a mixture of the qualifications described above as a professional voice over talent working online?

What’s the difference between audio engineers and voice over talents?

Remember: People who advertise for voice talent often do not realize the recording studio requirements of a project. If inexperienced, the person hiring the talent thinks solely of “a person to voice this job.”

That’s why talents and prospective clients need to be better informed on this subject!

Learn more from one of the industry’s most highly regarded voice over instructors, the award-winning International voiceover performer and renowned voiceover coach, professional audio producer engineer and recording studio owner, Bettye Zoller!

Bettye sent me an email recently (I’ve asked her permission to publish excerpts from the original here) and she brings up a crucial topic that needs more attention in voice over circles.

The question Bettye asks is:

“How do you know you’re really an audio engineer? How do you know you’re capable of producing a job you audition for on our site? After all, you should strive for client satisfaction! It will be a disaster for everyone concerned if you accept a voice job you’re incapable of producing and recording correctly!"

I can appreciate where Bettye is coming from for a couple of reasons:

1. I have a Bachelors Degree in Musical Arts from UWO (instrument is voice).
2. David is an Honours Graduate from OIART (Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology), a school he lectures at annually.

I know from recording the VOX Talk Podcast that there is a big difference between being able to speak eloquently and purposefully into a microphone and actually being the person responsible for the recording, editing, mixing and mastering of a finished product, performing all of the technical tasks associated with audio production.

We’re fortunate that we have an excellent pairing of abilities and skills that allow us to serve and entertain you through our company podcast. Our talents are best put to use as a team. Don’t leave me to figure out Garageband or ProTools!

I’m grateful that David fully governs that aspect of VOX Talk and I can simply manage the creative with regard to writing and hosting the show.

Now, let’s delve more into the story at hand.

Here’s a sampling of Bettye’s Soapbox:

It is obvious to me that too many newcomers and beginners to the Voiceover Business are uninformed, or not adequately informed or trained or skilled about the intricacies and the expertise levels required to put equipment on one's laptop or cranky old home PC who suddenly become a "recording studio and a professional audio engineer." They're not! They may have rudimentary equipment to record voice, but that's not being a professional audio engineer... far from it!

We engineers are experts at what we do with many, many years of experience. There is a big difference! Often, one must record with various types of audio files.

Do you know what those are and why one would use them for particular projects?

Often, a particular medium such as website work or telephone messaging or corporate training projects or audio book recording takes very, very intricate audio engineering; it can't be done by a novice on a laptop!

I have students in my workshops and friends in the biz who tell me problems with recording, the simple things, such as "how do I buy a microphone" or "why can't I get my volume level up when I record on my laptop?" Ask them to use MULAW files or convert tapes to CDs, edit intricate materials, do the audio engineering on an e-learning corporate project of two or more hours' duration, or an audio book of 3000 pages and they're lost. They have a recording program installed and not the foggiest idea of how to really be a professional audio engineer.

In fact, there are many beginners in voiceover who really shouldn't be tackling intricate voice jobs. Not yet at any rate, however, they bid on the jobs and bring down the price. Oh, oh that's another subject...

A co-problem with this situation of everybody in the world being an "audio engineer" all of a sudden is the online VO sites, who do not distinguish between a "voiceover talent... a person who, good or bad, experienced or not, is capable of reading copy with various degrees of proficiency" and a proficient audio engineer who knows how to perform complex engineering tasks.

Just because a person can read a sheet of copy does not mean that person is an audio engineer with experience for certain types of projects, yet no distinction is made on these types of web sites.

I have been doing a great deal of thinking about this current situation. The industry needs to distinguish levels.

Here's how (well at least, it's a start):

1. Who is an audio engineer with major experience, a professional audio studio owner?

2. Who is a voiceover talent but a person relatively unskilled as an audio engineer?

3. Who Is a novice… a BEGINNING voice talent…and who is a seasoned pro?

Many of the jobs listed on these sites require quite advanced audio engineering, yet, the job posts go to people who are not possibly capable of engineering them.

A disaster looms, as I see it... and it should be rectified.

And I'm tired of us audio engineers with long careers now being "lumped in with" the newbies who don't have our knowledge, our expertise, and who have not poured into their studios the vast amounts of money over time that we pros have invested in our recording studios!

Let's fix this!

There should be levels, for example (open to feedback and alteration):

Categories:

1. A voice talent with no personal studio at all but who has access to a studio and someone to help who is an experienced engineer (they’ll expect to be paid for services!).

2. A voice talent who is a beginner at both voiceovers and at audio engineering with limited experience. These people should not be bidding on VO jobs that require advanced audio engineer skills.

3. An audio engineer with limited experience as a voice talent but who can obtain voiceover talents for clients.

4. A voiceover talent who also is a professional audio engineer with a professional audio studio and clients who rely on him or her to engineer complex projects. Someone who has many years of experience in both areas and is capable of voicing and engineering complex and difficult jobs for major clients.

Bettye

~~

Wow, that’s a lot to think about.

Something that may be of comfort to many of you is that Voices.com does have a section where you can detail your recording studio equipment and note your level of proficiency.

While there are many pros out there who are probably dancing in the streets that this issue has been publicly addressed by Bettye Zoller and Voices.com, there are many of you out there who need to reevaluate your studio setup and abilities behind the scenes when producing voice over recordings and finished works for clients.

There is support out there and it isn’t difficult to find. Take the Master VO Blog, for instance.

Dan Lenard, also known to many grasshoppers by the persona Master VO, provides comical and useful solutions to a variety of technical ailments from how to build a proper home recording studio to the actual execution and techniques used to create topnotch audio productions.

Another resource available to you is the VOX Talk Podcast (subscribe for free!), the Tech Talk segment, specifically. At present, two very savvy and inspired gentlemen, Adam Fox and Colin Campbell, contribute to the segment with tips, advice, and suggestions on how to make the most out of your studio and get the best sound possible out of your recordings.

Something I love (and many others appreciate too) about these two men is that they have extremely different perspectives and a diverse means of expressing their content.

Colin Campbell of AffordableAnnouncer.com gives candid advice that you are not going to find anywhere else about equipment and software, also responding to fan mail with a wry, down-to-earth, straightforward delivery.

Adam Fox provides a unique interactive component, answering your PodMail (emails sent to Adam regarding the podcast) while focusing more on elements of production, including music and personal experiences in the field such as his “Humble Beginnings” segment, asking you to send in pictures of your first home recording studio setups to host online at DefiantDigital.com.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to how you can use your gifts and that you know and respect your limitations.

If you have amazing vocal talent but need some TLC in the technical area of your business, don’t hesitate to seek help from a colleague or recording engineer. Take a course if you can.

If you are a super star recording engineer, but are not as vocally blessed, you can take lessons too and find out what you can improve upon and identify where you shine.

We all need to remember that this is a business, not a hobby. Everything you do as a voice over professional demands 150% of your dedication, skill, and talent. Not only do your clients expect this of you, so does the industry as a whole.

Any comments?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,

Stephanie and Bettye

©iStockphoto.com/Shuyan Liu

Getting started in voice overs?

Not sure how to get experience or build a portfolio of voice over work?

There are many practical and rewarding ways to go about gaining experience and prospective clients.

Discover some here at Voices.com!

Ever wondered how you could go about building up your voice over portfolio in a safe and noble manner?

Consider volunteering!

When I had a few moments, I got thinking about ways that you could create a respectable voice over portfolio without undercutting for work, or worse, giving your voice overs away for free to people who could pay for the service you provided but had chosen to take advantage of you instead.

Many beginner voice talent find themselves in a bit of a quandary. They can't get an agent because they haven't received any work, and they need an agent (or so some may think) in order to get the work in the first place!

It's the age old question: What came first? The Chicken or the Egg?

I've always subscribed to the philosophy that the chicken came first. If not, how would the egg have survived?

There are many dangers out there for aspiring talent just waiting to take advantage of them. When you think in terms of being the chicken as opposed to the egg, you are given a variety of choices and the ability to pick the best solution for you to carry you through the longterm when building a voice over career.

We often say and reiterate frequently that voice over is not an easy business or a cakewalk. It's a business first of all and one that demands vocal talent as well as technical skills in order to succeed as a work from home or independent studio operation.

One of the best ways to gain experience in both the voice over and recording process (that is of no cost to you) is to volunteer and learn from others who can mentor you.

Here are some ideas to gain experience in specific voice over niches:

1. Narration and Audio Books

If you'd like to try your hand at recording for audio books or narration pieces, consider starting with some public domain material available at Project Gutenberg. This database contains tens of thousands of works that are in the public domain that you can practice with or record that are royalty-free and no cost to you to download.

Another resource available to you in this field is to join the community at LibriVox.org. I happen to have met the founder, Hugh McGuire, at PodCamp in Toronto.

Essentially, this is a community of people who are dedicated to producing audio books that are in the public domain. These audio books are accessible for people to download. The service acts as a creative outlet for many, community, and a means for amateur voice talent to record audio books and receive reviews from others on the website.

2. Children's Books and Voice Acting

Volunteer at local libraries, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and so on. Oftentimes, these organizations are more than thrilled to accept your offer to volunteer and you have the opportunity to make a direct impact on individual people or a group of people.

This is also an excellent way to get comfortable with reading aloud and developing characters. Your audience will let you know how you are doing and you may find yourself feeding off of them, becoming a better storyteller and voice actor for it.

3. Character Voices and Animation Voice Overs

Join a small voice acting or theatre group that performs radio and or audio drama. There are several groups that you can be a part of online if you are looking for international communities and others that are locally based.

Elie Hirschman is a member of Darker Projects, a community of voice talent from around the world who produce audio dramas. Elie has mentioned this group before in his Biz segments on the VOX Talk podcast.

Dave Johnson runs a voice acting group in San Diego called the Amateur Voice Acting Group.

You can build a credit list through roles that you have performed and count it as voice acting experience.

4. PSAs and Commercials

To try your hand at this kind of work, you could volunteer at non profit organizations or charities. You could look at this volunteering as a form of community service or as a donation or gift.

A great example of some serious VO donating was shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck. Voice talents including Peter O'Connell lent their voices in PSAs created for the American Red Cross to help spread the message and encourage financial donations to help facilitate rescue and rebuilding efforts.

5. Technical Skills

If you need to hone your technical recording and editing skills, see if you can arrange to be mentored for a brief time by a professional audio engineer or voice over professional who is a proficient audio engineer.

A few hours in their presence, watching, learning and applying what you've discovered, coupled with study in online forums or books will greatly help you to develop your audio editing skills. Internships or volunteering on a regular basis at actual recording facilities is also a good idea if you have the time and opportunity to do so.

Volunteering your time and talent, although still providing a service without charge, is quite different from giving your voice away for free.

When you volunteer, you do it on your own terms and for the good of others, receiving more than you gave in return. Referrals (or treasures) will be more likely to spring for you professionally from the seeds that you had sown when volunteering your time and talent.

Best,

Stephanie

Want to be a video game voice actor?

Learn the biz of video game voice acting and secrets on how to keep Gamers happy with your performance by reading this wonderful article about DB Cooper's VOICE 2007 lecture "Infinite Ammo".

Get ready to rock!

On Friday afternoon, the delightful DB Cooper presented on video game voice overs. Her lecture was entitled "Infinite Ammo".

I'm happy to share some excerpts from this highly entertaining and illuminating presentation.

DB revealed that the place of voice acting in video games is evolving because the entire process of audio in video games is evolving.

As game design advanced, so did the place of audio. It became more sophisticated. For example, the music in Final Fantasy 7 was phenomenal.

In the infancy of video game voice overs, some of the voice acting was absolutely atrocious. Don't believe me?

Visit AudioAtrocities.com.

Infinite Ammo means...

That the importance of audio in gaming and voice over needs to be taken seriously.

Games begin their lives under a great deal of negotiation: disk space, bandwidth, budget and so forth. At present, only 20% of an entire budget is allotted for audio (this includes music and VO).

At this time, DB cued a cut scene for us to watch on the projector.

A Cut Scene is a brief movie that plays within the game that moves the plot ahead.

Everything sounds the same. Voice acting gets squeezed as the game is produced. Since the majority of video games are produced in Asia, the English versions need to be dubbed (or localized), including all of the dialog, street signs, and so on.

Fact: Everything in audio is rushed regarding the implementation of the creative into video games.

Question: "Is music a rush job too?" (sent in an email from DB to a composer friend)

Answer from pro composer: "No time to write, really, I have to do all the music for kids games ASAP with a tight deadline."

The gaming industry needs to realize that audio is important, and to the North American market, is almost more so than the visuals that the creators take such pride in at their studios in Asia.

Another Fact: All too often, the script is not even heard aloud until the day of the professional recording.

Imagine not having anyone read a script aloud after it has been localized from another language. Scary territory!

Video game dialog management is not fun. Video game voice acting "communications" is about how to save the most paper or make file naming consistent, not focusing on proper sentence structure and the seamless flow of dialog.

Oftentimes, the only requirement of the audio directors is to “just make it work”. Quite the task if you ask me!

Ideally, the audio director should be familiar with the script, understand the flow of the scenes he or she is directing, and will have a distinct idea of the best way lines will work in a scene. Unfortunately, there are times where the audio director doesn’t see the script much earlier than the actors do.

Audio directors are always brought into the game very late. After all, it would be absolutely senseless to make the audio director a part of the development team, would it not?

So, we've briefly covered the development of video games and where audio fits into the equation.

Now, let's talk about the art form of video game voice acting itself.

Less is More

When performing VO for video games, less is more.

Vocal acting for interactives (simulation-style teaching programs, video games, and Interactive tutorials) requires being LESS larger-than-life than most VO work. You need very little to convey a lot.

Cartoon voice acting is to video game voice acting as stage acting is to film acting.

Gamers really care about the critical quality of voice overs. If they don’t like the voice overs, they chat about it all over the web. There are websites and forums dedicated to ripping apart voice actors in video games - I mentioned one of them earlier in this post.

Here's a quote from DB Cooper on the subject:

"Gamers spend a great deal of time in the intimate company of the characters in a game, and can get very wrapped up in their characters’ lives, and the emotional bonds can be terrific. I enjoyed over 200 hours with Final Fantasy X, a game whose story had me in tears several times. Final Fantasy XII took nearly 160 hours to go through ONCE . In fact, I just finished the game a couple of weeks ago-- and it came out November. Believe me, if a game is well written, a gamer has a great deal invested in the protagonists. And Gamers really care about the critical quality of the acting. If it’s not up to snuff, trust me--the VO gets skewered across the globe via game message boards and chat groups."

How do we avoid this scenario?

Firstly, you should avoid “indicating”.

Indicating is a term used to describe the presentation of an emotion. In many cases, it's what you think it "looks like", especially when demonstrating the emotion on-camera or in person.

In the case of voice actors, what we think is what it "sounds like". It's playing the symptoms, not the cause.

“Breathing as acting” doesn’t sit well with anyone. If your character has been exerting himself, then coming into a conversation with authentic panting is fine for the first line or two, but no one wants to hear huffing and puffing throughout dialog, whether from physical exertion or emotion. . . it’s just too transparent an attempt.

Do you have a favorite television character or character from comic book or piece of literature? If you do, you are most likely attached to the main characters, or protagonists.

To give you an idea of how this concept translates to video game characters, the people who play the games, or Gamers as they are called, are very attached to their protagonists.

Gamers can smell bad voice acting techniques a mile away. As DB said, breathing as acting doesn’t work under any circumstances. Nobody wants to hear fake voices. People, particularly Gamers, prefer authenticity.

Exertion Sounds (Directly from DB's notes)

Exertion vocalizations are the HARDEST PART according to the voice directors.

Does your character handle weapons?

Practice with weights that match your weapon. Swing a 20 pound dumbbell to see what kind of effort a broadsword would require. Learn, if you can, when it is like to shoot a gun. Have you taken a martial arts class? What does it feel like to throw a punch, or to be hit? You need to be able to honestly “fight” because so many games include battles of one kind or another.

I know during the filming of Marathon man, Sir Lawrence Olivier supposedly chided Dustin Hoffman for staying up all night so that his character would look exhausted, saying “WHY NOT TRY ACTING”?

I say, why not try authenticity? Do some physical preparation.

~~

Now, some thoughts on Microphone technique

• Film actors are better at video game microphone technique and Additional Dialogue Replacement (ADR)
• To be a voice actor for video games, you have to be able to scream.
• Use the most imagination for the tiniest of lines. This will determine if your voice is loved or annoying.
• Exertion audio is the hardest to do but the most important and numerous of voice over lines in video games
• If you are familiar with martial arts, gun shooting or fighting, it will help you to prepare for a role.
• If you’re going for a role in an ongoing game series, research the games that came before your game.

Circling back to screaming, keep these facts in mind:

This is not an easy feat, or pleasant for that matter. Screaming uses the same muscles that you use when you throw up. You should back away from the microphone when called to do this.

Hot tip: Learn about the characters and the recurring roles if you're auditioning for a series. Gamers expect you to respect the characters and plot as well as the history of the series.

DB related, "You may wonder why there aren’t rehearsals for such a complex dramatic form."

When she began her research, she asked audio directors about rehearsals and the consistent answer was “There are none.” It’s all about cost constraint.

This is why being familiar with games is such a valuable asset.

This is also why you need to be ready to "act on a dime”.

When making a video game voice acting demo, Include instructions for how to play the game. This will show that you understand the game as well as researched it thoroughly.

Quick vocab lesson: A side is a script that only has one character in it.

To wrap up, Audio directors need VAs (voice actors) to do two things:

1. Give them a line reading
2. Improvise / ad lib

Don't know what line reading is?

A "line reading" is where you repeat a line exactly the way the director reads it TO YOU. It's like being a parrot.

Sometimes, the directors have a very specific way they want a line said, and they just need it in the character's voice. It's the opposite of improv.

Pat Fraley’s "series of three" combos are valuable because sometimes you’re unsure of what’s going on in a scene or if you don’t know your proximity to the other characters.

• Best, Contrast, Best
• Goldilocks (too hot, too cold, just right)
• Like the person you’re speaking to, don’t like, are very close to.

It’s a great way to give the director a bouquet of line choices and hone your skills as a video game voice actor.

Wow! We've finished covering all of the lectures from VOICE 2007.

What do you think of DB Cooper's lecture? Has it helped you in any way?

Leave a comment for DB here on the blog :)

Best,

Stephanie

Looking for a Character workout?

MJ Lallo brought the house down with her comedic personality and unique character voice acting techniques.

Learn some tips on how to make the most of your character voice acting career from a pro's point of view.

MJ Lallo's lecture on the Friday was all about putting technique into practice!

I'd like to focus in on several topics that MJ covered, including the Animation Advisor's organization, why it is so very important that you hire talented people to provide character voice acting services, and some techniques for you to try.

Animation Advisors

Animation Advisors is an organization MJ is involved with.

A part of what the Animation Advisors do is provide people with the steps they need to take to produce their animation project. They also strongly suggest that room for good voice talents is included in the budget.

You will save when you hire talented people

If you don’t hire talented people and hire other less talented people for less money (or for free), you will pay exponentially more in studio fees because the person you hired doesn’t know how to act!

Avenues for Work in Character Voices for Animation

Singing

Be sure that you can sing in different characters. Sometimes people hire actors who can’t sing (this happens more often that you would think) and they need to find a voice for those parts.

Being able to sing in character is a specialty skill - not everyone can do it.

Location

You don’t have to be in Los Angeles to get character work

Women Need to Step Up and Write!

Women need to start writing and producing more parts for other women’s voices. That's how the roles for women in animation voice overs will increase over time.

When creating a character, remember these points:

• Think like an animator
• Always think over the top in animation
• Nothing politically incorrect in animation

Idea: Explore all of the voices you have that stem from different parts of your body.

• Talk out one side of your mouth and then the other side
• Under bite
• Buck Teeth

You need to develop a vocal range in all of your characters and an arc in each character. The challenge after you’ve created that voice is that you then have to act.

Something to remember is that anytime you are not using your regular voice, you are doing a character voice over, even if it is a commercial.

Most importantly, try to relate to the people you are working with or talking to and your best performances will come through!

If you enjoyed MJ's lecture, please leave a comment on the blog!

Stephanie

Has it been your dream to see your name on the credits of an audio book at Barnes & Noble or on Audible.com?

Have storytelling skills burning a hole in your pocket?

Bettye Zoller presented a fabulous lecture on the business of audio books and how you can find your voice in the 2nd largest growing sector of the entertainment business.

Bettye Zoller opened her lecture by sharing some objection handling regarding the number of voice talent out there in the market:

"There are not too many voice talents out there. Don’t let it discourage you. The only thing that is keeping you from success is you!"

Bettye first fell in love with recording when she was called upon to sing jingles in Dallas, TX. One session singing jingles made her more money than she had ever seen at once and more than a month’s paycheck. Upon realizing her potential in the field of jingle singing and voice over, she changed career paths and followed her dream.

Since that fateful day in Dallas, Bettye Zoller has enjoyed 34 tremendous years in the business, ranging from voice overs, jingles, roles as creative director and audio engineer.

Although you can have a specialty niche that you prefer to work in, Bettye cautioned that you can’t just do audio books or narration; you need to do anything that will make you money (commercials, telephone systems, and so on).

Early on in the presentation, a harsh reality was explained:

"Voice over people are just a piece of meat - the end of the food chain."

You could hear a pin drop after that one, folks.

Don't believe the statement? This is how Bettye supported it:

"Someone thinks they want to do something. Then they have to create the thing. It gets created, a client may get the final say, and then finally you get the thing planned and the last thing on the food chain is who is going to record the voice over."

Some tips:

It isn’t how good you are, however, in the casting director’s mind, it's often 'does this person fit the role'?

Advice: Leave your ego at the door. Don’t get disheartened if you are not chosen for a particular job, just move on.

Now, onto audio books specifically!

Sales of audio books are the 2nd largest growing sector of the entertainment business.

According to the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), talent are being hired more and more for audio book jobs than ever before.

An exciting aspect of the audio book craze is that print and audio are now done simultaneously instead of a book having been written and then a voice narration added to it once the publication has proven its worth on the market.

By virtue of this shift in consumer demand, you can do any kind of project in the world from poetry, non-fiction, to fiction to children’s books and everything in between.

Now, don't pigeonhole narration into just the audio book category. If you do that, you'll be limited in your choices and income streams!

Audio narration is also corporate work, educational work for the government, the military, schools (educational videos), medical narration, and so on.

Significant observation: With narration, you are not selling, you are telling. That’s there difference.

When you record for a fiction project, you may be voice acting as well as narrating.

As a narrator, it is your responsibility to become a personality and embody certain traits that your audience wants and needs to hear.

As a narrator, you want to talk like someone another person would appreciate hearing from. In order to achieve this goal, it is of the utmost importance to show personality in your voice. Be a friend who teaches.

Before you start recording, always ask producers what they want you to deliver in a more dramatic way. Pay close attention to the mood that they want you to project. Narration requires more finesse and nuances.

Take all of the direction you can before you are nose to nose with a microphone - you may be reading for a seven hour project.

Don’t go to a session without being prepared!

Let's look at documentary and film narration.

A little known fact is that most of the time you will be narrating videos or films before the film is even shot.

The director may request that you record several varying reads at different speeds so that they have a few interpretations to pick from in order to include the narrative that best complements the finished film.

Curious to know which narrators are getting the jobs?

Browse books and find out who narrators are in shows, look them up on the Internet to hear more samples. Don’t listen to stars, try to listen to unknowns who were cast solely upon their talent.

Pick out the color words in a narrative. Color words can also be described as adjectives. The color words paint the picture you want to convey in a lyrical and beautiful manner.

Bettye took some time to draw names to read a variety of narratives, including Voices.com's very own Carol Mroz! It was a treat to watch and learn from Bettye observing her in action as a teacher.

There were several entertaining performances with lots of nuance and character voicing. Some of the reads really pushed people creatively and psychologically and everyone who was called upon rose to the occasion with style.

As we came to learn, narration isn't just about storytelling, it's also about being able to stretch out of your comfort zone with your voice. This may include character voice acting, gender roles, and voice ages.

Be able to vary voice acting ages in increments of 5 years. If you are older, young yourself up.

Memorable quote from Bettye:

"Doing voice overs is never having to say you’re sorry!"

Producers would rather you just start again than apologize and begin in the middle of a sentence, hence the never having to say you're sorry (if you feel compelled, save it for the end of your session!).

So, just how do you get through a narration for an audio book recording successfully?

• Vary the speeds and inflections used in straight narratives
• If voicing a multi-role script, be sure keep the narrator voice consistent and have distinct character voices
• Don't leave too much space in between character lines for continuity
• Understand what you are reading and now what is going on in the script

Ask yourself: Can you do a continuum of ages, feelings, interpretations?

If you can, this is what sets you apart from the announcer... in other words, your voice acting skills.

Q&A with Bettye

Q: If you have kids, does reading the bedtimes stories at night help?
A: Yes, reading literature to children will help. If you don’t have kids or other relatives, volunteer at the library to read.

Q. What is an average Audio Book Narration Demo length?
A: They are longer than regular demos. Want cuts that are from 30 - 45 long and a variety of genres, non-fiction, kids story, medical, bodice, violent one, poetry, etc. Usually about 4 - 5 minutes long. Some are longer, however, it’s up to you. Be sure to do characters. Don’t put anything on that demo that you wouldn’t want a leading NY publisher to hear. Make sure it’s good!

Never do anything that isn’t in the script without asking.

Q: Any advantage of benefit to joining the Audio Publishing Association to break in?
A: Yes.

Q: How do you give character zest over a long period of time?
A: Vary pacing, tone of voice, put as much interest in it as you can.

Q: When recording multiple characters on digital, do people ever record many characters at home to practice before heading into a session for the real takes?
A: Yes, some people do.

Quote from Bettye: "The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask."

If this lecture presentation or summary has helped or inspired you, please leave a comment!

Best,

Stephanie

A member of the Canadian contingent that came to VOICE 2007 in Las Vegas, Debbie Munro has some insight to share with you!

Find out what one of Canada's top VO coaches thought of the VOICE conference.

As Deb says, "We discovered that we’re still in the baby steps of something huge about to burst."

I met Debbie Munro in person for the first time in Las Vegas.

She flew in from British Columbia and we came roaring on a jet plane from Ontario...

Funny meeting in the US, eh?

To give you some background on Debbie, she is currently represented by Deborah Harry Talent and has been teaching across Canada for the past 5 years as a voice instructor/acting coach.

All patriotic lingo aside, I'd like to publish this note I received from Deb today about what she took from the experience at VOICE 2007 and also some insight regarding the future of the industry itself:

After spending a week at the first of it’s kind Voice Over Convention in Las Vegas (VOICE 2007) it is my duty to tell you to get on board soon if you want to make into the world of Voice Over.

We discovered that we’re still in the baby steps of something huge about to burst.

Even Celebrities have taken an interest in next years event and each US union (including interest from ACTRA) has climbed on board to recognize the growth and opportunity in this generous and exciting craft of Voice Over.

This event was much bigger than we anticipated and it was my honor to represent Canada at this prestigious, historical and life changing event.

If you’ve been told that there is no work available in Voice Over, let us prove different.

Allow us to show you the opportunity available outside of your local market and in the comfort of your own home. We are teaching you the skills necessary to advance in this wonderful craft but also the equipment and means to begin your own home studio business.

It takes a lot of work to get there, but starting now puts you in the veterans circle.

We predict BIG things to come in voice over due to technology and instructors/talent spreading the word and spreading the work.

This is a rare industry full of happy, excited, generous and talented individuals who leave their egos at the door.

All our best,

Debbie Munro & The Mic & Me Team!

Been looking for an opportunity to study with Rodney Saulsberry?

Have we got the perfect solutions for you!

Check out Rodney's teleclasses and on location workshops, starting as early as two weeks from now. Reserve your spot now!

I had the immense joy of meeting Rodney and getting to know him better at VOICE 2007.

You can read more about the Rodney Saulsberry VOICE 2007 Lecture on VOX Daily.

Before leaving for the conference, Rodney has sent me this earlier in the month to let you know about different classes he is offering this Spring and Summer.

You are welcome to read more about the courses below or visit Rodney Saulsberry's website to select the class that fits your schedule and needs.

You can take a teleclass and study from the comfort of your home or you can book a trip to sunny California and join Rodney in one of his commercial voiceover workshops.

Class: Promo and Trailer Teleclass (six weeks)
Dates: Thursdays, April 19 through May 24
Time: 8-9 p.m. Eastern Time / 5-6 p.m. Pacific Time

Class: Commercial Intensive Teleclass
Dates:Thursdays, June 7 through June 21
Time: 8-9 p.m. Eastern Time / 5-6 p.m. Pacific Time

Class: Voice-Over Workshop - One Day Only
When: Saturday July 14, 2007
Duration: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
Where: Los Angeles, California. Studio location TBA.

Class: Voice-Over Workshop - One Day Only
When: Saturday August 11, 2007
Duration: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
Where: Los Angeles, California. Studio location TBA.

For more information and to sign up, go to Rodney's website, http://www.rodneysaulsberry.com.

Let me know how your experiences are if you attend or participate in the teleclasses!

Best,

Stephanie

New to the Art of Negotiation?

Are you in for a treat!

Let master negotiator Gregory Best show you the ropes on how to negotiate and use your negotiation skills to your advantage in the business of voice over.

Day three greeted VOICE 2007 with the smiling face of Gregory Best and his toolkit for negotiating success in voice over business endeavors.

To start off, Gregory said that all small business owners and voice talent need to negotiate and a lot of negotiators are actors.

The clarification was also made that voice talent are small business owners, a very important fact to remember.

That's right, you are in business for yourself!

Negotiation can occur anywhere, including at home, in business and or at work, daily transactions, and even voice acting.

Simple Definition of Negotiation:

Negotiation is the process of overcoming obstacles in order to reach an agreement.

That being said, the primary obstacle is the distance between both parties. Each party has different goals, desires and needs to be considered when negotiating.

As you may have already discovered, the art of negotiation is present in nearly every aspect of business from setting a fee to agreeing upon services to be rendered.

3 Core Elements of Negotiation

1. Information is Everything

We need the right information to understand what the job entails, how your voice will be used, and so on. Get all the information you can to quote appropriately. Remember, get as much information as you give.

2. Time is Precious

Time is something that we need. You have deadlines. Deadlines force decisions.

For example, I will be getting paid by X date, or, we’ll look at a product by X date. While you can often set your own personal deadlines for projects, you need to respect the fact that other people you may be working with have deadlines to meet, too. Try to negotiate deadlines with others to make them work for you.

3. You Have the Power

We all have power. Most of what you see in the world is perceived power. People only have the power that you give someone and vice versa. It’s what you have and you need to use it effectively for yourself.

Telephone is one of the riskiest forms of negotiation. You are not in person, info flows too quickly, skip key points, math errors, no visual feedback (e.g. body language), time frame is limited to the length of the call.

* Use time to your advantage - preparation is the key of negotiating. Do research when time allows, always be prepared. Don’t be pressured by a perceived deadline.

In the end, it’s about wants and needs. Use the time you have to your advantage.

What makes a good negotiation?

Strive for negotiations where both parties are satisfied. You have to come to something that everyone can live with, not necessarily both smiling about it. You both have to have your needs satisfied. If it comes across as unbalanced or unfair, you won’t work together again.

What kind of a negotiator can make something like this happen?

PROFILE OF A GOOD NEGOTIATOR

Has the “negotiation mindset” or “negotiation consciousness”

• Attitude of those who make deals
• Everything is negotiable
• Assertive is stating what he or she wants and challenges everything

There's a difference between being a servant and aggressive when negotiating - be a servant.

AIMS HIGHER

• Value your services
• Respect yourself - you are you - no one else is you
• You can always come down but you have to aim high enough in order to come out with what you want
• Eliminate negative self-talk - be positive
• Self-doubt limits our ability to be assertive
• Learn to say no

REALLY LISTENS

• The best negotiators are good listeners
• Listen to the other side
• Don’t be thinking of your counter point

ASKS QUESTIONS

• Good negotiators, like detectives, ask questions
• Better understand the other side’s position
• Learn as much as you can - write down your checklist to better understand your position and don’t leave anything out

HAS HIGH ASPIRATIONS

• Top salespeople genuinely believe in the value of what they are selling
• Your expectation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy

IS PATIENT

• Most patient person is in the driver’s seat
• Being patient will force the other side to give in as their anxiety rises
• Flexibility - be able to change or shift gears

FOCUSES ON SATISFACTION

• Looks at situations from the other side’s perspective
• Realizes that everyone looks at the world differently
• How does the other person perceive the situation?

IS WILLING TO TAKE RISKS

• Reasonable risks based upon reliable information
• Have a plan of action if it doesn’t work out

IS A PROBLEM SOLVER

• Looks for mutually acceptable solutions - don’t take things personally, it’s only a game
• Doesn’t get sidetracked by personal issues when negotiating

SOMETIMES WALKS AWAY

• Always has an option
• Doesn’t mean you won’t return
• Avoid the “new car fever” mindset

The Negotiating Game

• Make it a game
• Don’t let it become personal
• Keep to the subject of the negotiation
• It’s not about personalities

Style Supercedes Substance!

Let's look at Who You are. Who you are is your reputation:

Develop Positive Attributes

• active listening
• warmth and sensitivity
• patience
• sharing of feelings and consideration of others
• integrity and ethics

You will run into all sorts of people when you are negotiating, and for these different people, you will need to adopt unique styles to negotiate with in order to come away with a mutually acceptable agreement.

For instance, there are the tough guys, the nice guys, the nitpickers, the procrastinators and many others. Gregory goes into quite a bit of detail on how to handle each of these personality types in the VOICE 2007 workbook.

To conclude, you need to have strategies in place BEFORE you go to the bargaining table.

Your game plan may vary, but always know what it is and be confident. Know what it is you want out of a negotiation and what you can compromise on.

One very simple but overlooked rule: If you don’t ask, you won’t get.

Remember to be patient, check your personality outside of the deal at the door, and never accept the first offer. Also, don't be the one to make the first concession, either. Concessions should never move slowly.

Have you learned a thing or two from this lecture recap?

If so, please leave a comment for Gregory to let him know what you think!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Copyright Gregory Best, 2007

Just what is the psychology of voice over?

Something to do with left brain and right brain...?

To find out, check out James Alburger and Penny Abshire's lecture presented at VOICE 2007!

So, just what does psychology have to do with voice over?

James and Penny pointed out early on in their lecture that as a voice talent, you are responsible for delivering a specific message to a specific audience.

When you're in front of your microphone, you are responsible for communicating, motivating, informing, educating, inspiring, and last but not least, selling.

Most importantly, throughout this entire process, it is still important to remember that you are performing!

When you record a voice over or message, the intent is to connect emotionally with your audience and build trust. You are creating an "illusion of reality" in the minds of your listeners through the use of compelling characters in interesting relationships.

OK, so that's what you need to do as a performer and professional voice talent. But, what does that have to do with the big psychological picture?

Penny and James spent some time on how your brain works and why this is relevant to your success as a voice talent.

You have two ways of thinking:

• Judgmental Thinking
• Critical Thinking

Judgmental Thinking is not conducive to succeeding in voice over. It's all about talking down to yourself - that doesn't ever help now, does it?

Critical Thinking helps you to identify the areas you may need to improve upon and then move ahead to become a better voice over professional.

I won't get into too much detail (there was a lot here folks and I recommend that you look into the DVD of the conference or books by James Alburger), but for homework, I'll assign you to look up the terms Broca and Wernicke. These are areas of your brain and both play significant roles in how you produce speech and interpret auditory information.

These gems also help to block unnecessary info and prevent sensory overload.

Now, on to the idea of Left Brain and Right Brain.

If you are a typical Left Brain thinker, you are driven by logical and linear thinking; you're likely very good at math and word problems, fixing things and navigating around.

If you're a Right Brain thinker (I know I can relate to this one), you are potentially a performer, more creative and also less linear regarding thought patterns. So, even if your grandfather was a mathematical genius, but your right hemisphere of your brain is dominant, those traits may just pass you by!

As a voice talent, you need to use both sides of your brain to fully succeed in your endeavors. Both hemispheres of your brain need to work together.

Don't sacrifice one for the other or it will certainly show in your performance. You need to find an ideal balance between the two that you are comfortable with as a professional in the field of voice over.

Some key points to take away when performing:

• Add drama whenever it is appropriate
• Find emotional hooks in the script
• Stay in the moment of the story you are telling
• See and understand the big picture of the story
• Listen and respond
• Discover the subtext of the story
• Keep spontaneity in your reads

Actress Shirley MacLaine was once asked by James Lipton how she defined acting, to which she replied "It's all about listening and forgetting who you are."

Some key points to internalize for Effective Communicating:

• Interrupt - Get their attention
• Engage - Keep them listening
• Educate - Give them the info they need to know
• Offer - Give the listener an opportunity to take action

As mentioned above, there were many interesting aspects of James and Penny's presentation that I have chosen not to reveal here.

To learn more about these techniques and the Seven Core Elements of Voice Over in James' book The Art of Voice Acting.

Best,

Stephanie

Disclaimer: Several key points and topics in this post were drawn from excerpts from "The Art of Voice Acting" as published in the VOICE 2007 workbook. Copyright James R. Alburger - all rights reserved.

Just how many tricks did Pat Fraley smuggle out of Hollywood?

These tricks will astound you!

Learn from one of the masters in this hilarious post.

Pat Fraley delivers pure Edutainment!

After the morning break, the room was prepared for Pat Fraley's grand entrance (of which he was entirely oblivious), complete with everyone wearing Pat Fraley's signature black sunglasses as pictured on his website.

As Pat entered to the theme music from Mission Impossible, he was greeted by hundreds of supporters wearing sunglasses and a standing ovation. I later found out from talking to Pat and DB Cooper that the sunglasses were Frank Frederick and James Alburger's idea (also, DB thought it would be great, too) and that he was touched and blown away by the experience.

Now, to declare some of those smuggled tricks!

Pat began his presentation with a live demo which was incredible to behold. The number of voices that came out of his mouth in a mere minute and a half or so was immense.

A very quick revelation to start off with: Pat says that experience is not the best teacher, it's the slowest teacher. His job as a teacher is to expedite a student's journey.

A teacher's job is to also get their students work. Helping students make it in the industry not only improves their circumstances and boosts morale, it also drives referrals to teachers who have schooled successful alumni.

Here are three of the many tricks Pat talked about at VOICE 2007 (Pat has a product that he sells where you can get them all for a very good price, so consider these a teaser!):

A smuggled trick: Smile and you won’t pop p’s!

Another trick: Need to sound 'hurt'? Do this:

Make really believable exertion sounds. These occur after an act of violence or a fall. When you are creating these sounds, stress the vowels and use consonants to propel and separate unique exertion sounds.

Another way to make a more authentic exertion sound is to mildly give yourself the Heimlich maneuver to get a forced sound.

Now, here is one really Shameless trick.

Let's say you are called upon to audition for a character role online.

Pat suggested that you could pre-record your audition - Slate your name - ruffle the paper and read the character name as if you’ve never seen it before. This tactic makes people believe that you are very good at cold reads.

On the flip side, the danger is that they also may think that you’re not prepared for the audition.

Hot Tip: If you think it will be dangerous, it will likely be good! Working outside of the box is not a safe place to be, but you’ve got to risk it. This tactic truly depends on the copy you are reading. Make your own judgment.

Oh, couldn't help myself! Here are three bonus tricks:

Bonus #1: Slating Your Name in Style

Consider having a British voice talent slate your name at the beginning of your demo or audition.

Bonus #2: Series of 3

Have you ever heard of an ABC role?

Essentially, you prepare 3 takes when auditioning. The first is your primary interpretation (A), the second is different from the first (B), and the third is mix between takes one and two (C).

Most directors will end up casting your third take, in other words, your C role.

You could think of this as the Goldilocks method: Too hot, too cold, just right.

Bonus #3: Stupid Character Voices

When called upon to be a stupid, dolt, or brainless person in a voice over, make the interpretation sound naive, not stupid. It will become more charming, engaging and acceptable (non-offensive to others).

So, there you have it.

If you'd like to smuggle some tricks via Pat's CD (60 tricks, vocal skills and techniques), you can purchase it at his website PatFraley.com.

Julie Williams also gave a wonderful review of "Greatest Cartoon Voice Tricks Ever Smuggled Out of Hollywood" in VOX Talk episode #17 that includes other tricks not mentioned here (but presented at the conference) including Mel Blanc's "Baby in a Hankie", Nancy Cartwright's (Bart Simpson) "Little Man in a Can" and "Speaking Fake French" among others.

If you enjoyed Pat's presentation, please leave a comment!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Need a website tuneup?

Chris Wagner's lecture on voice over on the World Wide Web will give you several ideas on how to renovate your online real estate.

Read, take notes, and apply!

Discover some of the hottest website secrets unleashed at VOICE 2007.

Chris Wagner was the first to lecture on the second day of the VOICE Conference (Thursday March 29, 2007).

A veteran of the computer industry, Chris works for Sun Microsystems and is currently a voice actor and the owner of WBCDesign. Chris carved a niche for himself in the business of voice acting online, 30 years in the making.

Chris began his lecture by sharing the results of a search he conducted on Google recently for the term "voice actor", a search query which yielded over 350,000 results.

In 1994, there were only 3000 websites on the Internet. To give you an idea of how far we've come in this the Information age digitally, this past month alone (March 2007), there are over 110 Million websites online.

By anyone's calculations, that's quite a number of websites to think about let alone rank above.

This lecture was engineered to help you build a proper web presence and reach your target audience. The first step is to know who you are targeting and what your message is.

A simple website design is better. When you complicate things, people get confused and it is easier to stray from your main objective which is converting traffic into customers.

Try to keep the number of clicks on your own personal website to a minimum. Saving people from having to click may earn you their business by keeping them focused on the task at hand while evaluating your website and voice over offerings.

According to Chris, you should AVOID:

• Sites more than 1 page long
• Information that doesn't correlate with your main message
• Automatic audio that cannot be turned off (install a mute or stop option)
• Multiple font types
• A hit or visitor counter
• Linking to unrelated websites
• Linking to your competition
• Poorly written text (copy)
• Reliance on search engines for all business
• Copyrighted material that you don't have permission to use
• Offensive materials that slander other businesses

Now, here's a list of things you SHOULD have on your website.

Website Elements

• Contact Information
• Voice Over Demos (current demos)
• Testimonials
• Links
• Professional Headshot
• Biographical Information (2 paragraphs)
• Credits and Work History

Delivery Options

• Email audio files
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
• Secure client login to FTP

Website Improvement Ideas

Keep in mind that you are never really ever "finished" working on or improving your website. Here are some great tips to build into your website maintenance and promotion regime.

• Follow a review schedule
• Make a list of changes / improvements
• Keep time sensitive material up to date
• Check your website on a regular basis
• Submit your website to major search engines
• Focus on Keywords
• Use domain name as part of your email address
• Do link exchanges with Voices.com and other marketplaces

Potpourri (A Hodgepodge of great ideas for you)

• Use web filters to stop spam!
• Make use of ID3 tag templates in recording software for demos to tag your audio
• Send a newsletter to clients that ties back to your website
• 1074 by 678 is standard for pixel size
• Place tracking software on your website (Google Analytics)

Lastly, your website should reflect your unique personality. After all, you are really selling you and your voice over services.

I hope you've enjoyed this article - it was one of my favorite lectures.

Looking forward to your comments,

Laurynda

You don't have to serenade your clients beneath their balcony literally, but it doesn't hurt to send them some good old fashioned "Love Notes".

Frank Frederick's lecture on the subject of getting your customers to love you was a hit with those who have a way with words.

Branding all the way along, you'll thoroughly enjoy this post for the sheer loveliness of it! Grab a tic tac and get ready for some Love Notes with Frank Frederick, The Voice.

To carry us through to the end of day one, Frank Frederick lectured on the topic of "How to Create a Brand that Your Clients Will Love".

Firstly, Frank started at the beginning (a very good place to start, you'll concur) and asked everyone if they knew what a brand was.

Do you know what a brand is?

Examples of some familiar brands include Coca-Cola, Ford, Disney, and Google. Another way to come up with familiar brands is to play word association games and ask questions like "What's your favorite car?", "What's the first company you think of when you hear the word computer", and so on.

Now that's fine and dandy for established corporate brands that have been around for generations, but what about your brand? What is your brand?

The real truth about the brand is that a brand embodies aspects of your personal identity... A brand identifies who you are, what you can do and what you do for other people.

To use an example, Frank Frederick brands himself as "The Voice". Some of your colleagues in the room have already branded themselves as "The Voice of Choice", "Puma Voice", and "The Voice Inside Your Head" among other brands.

After a few minutes, we participated in an exercise that examined the obvious, relative and subliminal messages that are simultaneously conveyed when a brand name is uttered.

Now, just how do you achieve brand awareness for your brand amongst your customers and target market?

You have to write them Love Notes in your customer services that you provide and the customer experience. If you brand with Love Notes, your customers will "absolutely love you".

There are three facets of creating a brand:

• Seductiveness
• Familiarity
• Mysteriousness

Every brand has a back story, something that confirms where they've come from and how the company got to where they are today.

Hot Tip: When you are developing your brand, you’ve got to have a back story in order to draw people into your community.

In the middle of the lecture, we were asked to break into small groups (essentially the 8 or so people who sat at our tables) and create our own brand based upon nothing other than the fact that we were to brand our table.

The creative juices were obviously flowing for many of the groups and I think there was also a lot of hunger in the room (edging in on 5 p.m. at the time).

A large percentage of the groups included a reference to food or beverages in their pitch, a couple even stating that they were a smorgasbord of voices or a vocal buffet. Another group played on the VO5 Hot Oil brand while others focused more on their universality, touting that they were voices for the world, from many lands, and so on. Several groups incorporated humor as tools to persuade and engage which were quite effective as well.

Something I'd like to point out (this was only a brief 6 minute exercise) is that if you do not have a solid company image or identity, it is incredibly challenging to come up with something definitive particularly if you have several different visions and little more in common than the industry in which you work and sitting together at a conference.

Those who stepped up to the creative plate found a way around that obstacle and really made a go of giving their table an impressive brand that people would potentially do business with.

To close the lecture, it was time for some crazy questions!

How Branded is your Brand?

The perception of a brand is called brand identity - a front of mind awareness. Create an identity that makes people listen. The most valuable real estate available to you as an advertiser are the minds of other people, specifically your potential or current customers.

Branding is the Heart of Marketing

Fact: Over 98% of people will do business with the first company that they think of.

That's quite a percentage there. Now, as Frank Frederick suggested, we need to do some critical thinking as to why certain brands are stronger than others.

"Why are they the market leader in that company?", Frank asked. The answers he received varied, but they all drew similar conclusions.

Successful and powerful brands speak to your emotions, deliver on a promise, and create an image. It may not sound like rocket science, but this area is not for the faint of heart.

From my own experience and those of the Voices.com team, branding takes a great deal of passion, charisma and guts in addition to creativity and know-how. To reiterate, branding to this degree is not just something you do, it is truly a way that you live.

How can you create an identity to make your customers love you?

• Listen to what your customers are saying about you
• Use familiarity to draw them in
• Incorporate seductiveness, or as Austin Powers would say, "Your mojo, baby".

Finally, Frank had this advice to share:

"Thrive on the intensity of passion: when you believe in yourself you make others believe in you too."

If you have some Love Notes to share with Frank, please leave them here for him on the blog as comments!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Disclaimer: Several key points and topics in this post, though interpreted and expanded upon, can be found in the VOICE 2007 workbook. Copyright Legend Corporation, Park City, UT - all rights reserved.

What kind of instrument do you have?

When it comes to voice quality and professional range, you need to know how to work that instrument of yours.

Find out what pro voice talent and coach Connie Terwilliger has to say on the matter!

When you're trying to figure out what kind of a voice you have, it's a good idea to start with something familiar to compare your instrument to.

Connie asked the question "What kind of piano do you have?"

For instance, your voice could be likened to a Steinway, a Young Chang, or a generic department store keyboard depending on the quality, tone, and physicality of your voice.

During the lunch hour, participants were given a homework assignment to listen carefully to their voices and note elements about their instrument that they hadn't thought of before. Many people realized that although they thought they had a neutral accent, others told them that they had a distinct regional accent.

Connie then delved into how accents can limit or expand your career options:

If you have a neutral voice, there will be more work out there for you whereas if you have a regional accent, the work will be limited to a particular niche or casting requirement.

Mid range voices that are resonant with no discernible accent usually get the jobs. The accent most associated with this type of quality is the Midwestern US accent.

Accents like a Southern accent or New England accent are more limited with regard to demand... although that is the case, there a lots of people out there who live in areas of the country that have distinct local accents. What do they do?

The answer to this quandary is to figuratively adopt another brain!

If you have a strong accent or personality that takes you away from what is expected, employ another person's brain when you work on projects that require a neutral accent so that you can perform better and more accurately when recording a straight read.

For those of you just getting started in the industry, it will be hard for those of you who have the most common voice types. Lots of people have your accent and by virtue of that fact, may sound the same.

What you'll need to do is find something special that sets your voice apart that allows you to market yourself in the best way.

The VO Reality of Today

• Lots of work today through online marketplaces and voice over websites
• More competition correlates with more opportunities
• You need to critically analyze your competition
• Figure out their voice demo strategies and you’ll learn how to improve yours.

What makes something the way it is?

Know Your Competition

Overall sound: Are their demos professionally recorded using a good clean microphone? Are they using different microphones? Is there a subtle sameness throughout the recording?

Tip: In your recording session, see if the producer can change the microphones halfway through the session or EQ the microphones a bit to sound like a different microphone.

Listen carefully: Do you hear pops, mouth noises, unusual sound? Tinny? No acoustics? What is it that makes a voice recording sound professional?

Flow of the demo: Does it move along quickly and hold your attention?

While we're on the subject, some voice over demos are way too long and often redundant. If the producer has to shut you off (or stop your demo while it is playing) they likely are thinking that your demo is:

1. Too long.
2. The same kind of thing (not versatile / is redundant).
3. Not what they’re hearing in their head as they’re casting for a job.
4. Great! They will often say “I love that voice” and set your demo aside.

What do you really want?

A seamless, quick, and interesting voice over demo that leaves them wanting more at the end.

One way to achieve this is to add dashes of variety throughout your demo. Variety manifests itself in pacing, diverse attitudes, reads, copy, music, and sound effects.

Caveat about going to a demo mill:

They have their favorite music, sound effects and copy and every demo sounds the same. You have to be your own producer, do the self-evaluation and know what’s good. Look for variety in subject matter and in product. Variety in pacing, mix it up, show them what you can do. In point of view, you don’t want all the same kind of spots (first person, second, third). Add variety in all production elements.

Back to the core of the article :) What else should you be analyzing?

Acting skills: Top notch, mediocre, painful? Pick material that’s right for you. It's good to experiment and practice reading copy. Play your voice over demo, then play it back again and analyze all over again.

Give a lot of thought to the scripts. Use scripts that you can work with to highlight your voice and style.

What else do you need to succeed in this business? Understand the business and where the opportunities lies.

Marketing

• Don’t record a demo before you’ve got a business and marketing plan in place.
• Networking is different from sales. Effective networking leads to sales. Use schmoozing skills.
• Be able to understand and evaluate opportunities.

Point of interest: Union talent may be perceived as more professional by people who have been working with union talent. Something to consider when running a voice over business.

Something else you'll need to do to remain competitive is to keep yourself and your tools updated; have a marketing budget in mind to help you reach your target audience.

Business Sense and Ability

When you run a business, there are many aspects to consider as an entrepreneur. If you've been with an agent for as long as you can remember and are just striking out on your own, pay close attention to the following elements.

• Negotiation: What to charge. The cost of doing business, tools, marketing, value of time, how long it takes you to work and so on.
• Bookkeeping: Need to have some bookkeeping skills.
• Collection: Following up and making sure that you get paid.

Professional Tools:

• A great demo
• A web presence / place to park your demo
• A real domain name and corporate email address.
• Recording capability

When you go out to build your home studio, start by listening to and comparing microphones, setup an acoustically treated room, get a clean sound card, and purchase pro recording software. It's wise to learn how use the equipment before you invest too much in equipment.

Perk: Have some technical skills before you get into the VO biz.

Final question that you'll need to ask yourself...

DO YOU HAVE THE TIME TO DEVOTE TO THIS ENTIRE PROCESS?

Do you have the time to gain a true idea of the costs, time, and the expertise required for starting a career, for maintaining it, and so on?

Part and parcel of a voice over career is maintaining it, operating it, and keeping up with new opportunities, whether related to performance or new technologies.

When you are auditioning, take a critical look at your work and the process:

Is it right for you? Can you actually do it and does the client want what you are going to send?

Use your self-evaluation techniques to be sure that you are auditioning for the right projects.

Recording the project: Make sure that your self-evaluation techniques are in check while directing yourself. Objectively listen. Continue to self-evaluate as you progress in your career.

What else can you do to help your career continue to flourish?

• Create new demos and update old demos
• Re-evaluate your niche
• Test new niches

Connie asked at the end "Do you have what it takes?

Being in the VO business requires skills in the following areas:

• Talent
• Business
• Marketing
• Technology

And those are just the business side of things!

If you are curious about more areas to develop in your career, you can also read Rodney Saulsberry's lecture about stepping up to the mic and overcoming obstacles in your voice over career.

Your comments are welcome!

If you attended Connie's lectures, please leave her a note here to let her know what you thought of her presentation.

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. I've published this post about Connie Terwilliger's presentations at VOICE 2007. Please note that much of this material was taken directly from her copyrighted materials in the Conference Workbook. Please contact her (connie @ voiceover-talent.com) before reprinting this content.

Curious about the Art of Science and Self-Evaluation where voice over is concerned?

Looking for a formula for success as a professional voice over talent?

Connie Terwilliger may just have the answers you're looking for!

Read about Connie's lecture from VOICE 2007 to conduct your own self-assessment of where you stand in the world of voice overs.

After the break on Tuesday morning, Connie Terwilliger took the mic and gave a very informative lecture on the different stages people go through when becoming voice over talent as well as equipping her audience with the tools necessary to define where they stood as voice talent.

Connie's lecture was entitled: The Art of Science and Self-Evaluation

There are four basic phases that people go through as they mature in the 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 person is actively working in the business and can pay their bills in voice over or a very closely related area.

Of those who participated in Connie's poll to see how many people belonged to each phase, a quick show of hands revealed the following:

Wanna-be - 6
Newbie - 40
Part-time - 40
Full time - 30

The exciting aspect of voice over is that everyone has the ability to learn from each other because everyone is unique and has different backgrounds.

In order to discover where your niche is in the business, research the industry and options available; essentially, explore what it out there and how you can apply your skill sets.

For instance, you may find that you are a fabulous writer or can create or put music together with words. These skills are relevant and in some cases, necessary components of working in voice overs.

Connie insists that you explore the industry!

Be sure to ask yourself some questions. Start off with these:

• What do you sound like?
• What is your true natural sound?
• What are you doing?
• What can you do with your voice?

Evaluate your potential. You should be constantly evaluating your choices, decisions, and route of your voice over career.

Finally, figure out all those things and find where you fit in the industry. You really need to know where you fit in order to find success initially before you can branch out.

Now for the big question:

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

• Talent: Is your voice in demand or does it need a bit of work? Find your signature sound. What’s your money voice? Big money takes something unique and special that grabs people by the ear. It's a combination of your body and acting know how.

• Business: You need to know that you can actually run an office and get invoices sent out. Follow up, due diligence, customer relationship management (CRM).

• Marketing: Marketing is a major part of voice over career. Market yourself by following up, meeting new contacts, and advertising your services.

• Technology: In today's world, technology places a large role in how voice talent do business. Research hardware and software but also know your limitations.

The formula for success is simple: Find the people who want to buy what you have to sell.

If you want to take the bull by the horns, follow these suggestions:

• Make demos that showcase that ability and then get it into the hands of the people who have the money.
• Listen to what you hear on the air, websites, anything that has voice over. Think about the many different ways that people are hiring voice over people to voice things for them.
• Some jobs will pay top dollar, some won’t. Some will challenge you and some are boring. There are some fun things in the industry but a lot of it could be dry, however, it pays very well.
• Suffer through names, addresses, etc. to do other fun projects
• Know the voices that are out there and what they are actually doing
• Where are people making money - who might have the money to pay for this spot?

Connie ended the lecture with an easy listening exercise:

• Listen for what the voice type is
• Identify the attitude of the character speaking
• Discern the product being sold
• Interpret the meaning of the words and not the words themselves

Ex.

Voice type: Urban, youthful, etc.
Attitudes: REAL PERSON - Hip, sexy, tough, warm, motherly, everything in between.
Product being sold: Target demographic, regional? Radio and TV?
Interpretation: Figure out what required voice over style is along with nuances and coloration of the words.

I've published another post about Connie Terwilliger's presentations at VOICE 2007. Please note that much of this material was taken directly from her copyrighted materials in the Conference Workbook. Please contact her (connie @ voiceover-talent.com) before reprinting this content.

Click here to learn about the second lecture.

Cheers,

Stephanie