Evolve or Die…

Yes – it’s true – we must evolve or we will go out of business. I’ve used that phrase before (Evolve or Die) when discussing the changes that the performer’s unions need to make in order to survive, but it is also the premise of today’s Voice Over Today electronic newsletter published by Edge Studio. 

TO SUBSCRIBE: send a blank email to:  VoiceOverToday-on@edgestudio.com

They highlighted four areas that will cause you to lose clients. This is a message every voice talent (beginner or pro) should think about. Most of the folks I know do think about these Four Points, but it never hurts to have a reminder. So see below for the article – written by Edge Studio. 

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**Vocal Delivery: ARE YOU NO LONGER TRAINING?

Story: A while ago, one of our clients hired a student we had just trained to narrate a large series of videos.  They loved his voice. Recently we hired him back to […]

2018-02-06T06:48:55+00:00September 30th, 2009|Categories: Business, Marketing, Teaching, Technology|Tags: , , , , , |

Amateurs vs Professionals

The Internet voiceover community is ablaze with controversy these days. Perhaps it is the business climate fanning the flames, but there has been a lot of talk about professionals versus amateurs. Who should be allowed to play in the sand box? Should there be separate sand boxes?

Check out Paul Strikwerda’s Double Dutch blog this week. He reposted it on LinkedIn as well, so be sure to follow the threads in both places. Very interesting. I love the way Paul writes in general, but this post included references to classical symphonies -a subject near to my heart because my brother is a world-class Horn Player with (according to Paul’s sources) the world’s 6th best orchestra.

http://nethervoice.com/nethervoice/2009/09/23/should-amateurs-be-ousted-from-voice-over-sites/

http://www.linkedin.com/newsArticle?viewDiscussion=&articleID=71289844&gid=137057

2018-02-06T06:48:55+00:00September 25th, 2009|Categories: Business|Tags: , , , |

What!? Friday!? Again!? Already!?

OK, so it was a short week, but it came in with a bang and kept on going.

Some nice gigs with regular clients – even a couple through my local agent. Lots of auditions – through Voice123 (quite a flurry there), and various agents and other places I’m listed across the country. A direct contact through Voice123. An ISDN session scheduled for Monday with no audition – sweet!

And there was the fleeting potential of a gig with a new client who found me on the net. He was looking for a backstage live announcer for a large corporate meeting coming up in January of 2010. Love those jobs. Nothing like live to keep your brain active and your energy up. Three days – in town. Cool.

But, wait – the end of January? Hmm, I have been booked the past three years at the end of January on ANOTHER backstage live announce job. Was […]

2018-02-06T06:48:55+00:00September 11th, 2009|Categories: Auditioning, Business|Tags: , , , , , |

An actual holiday!

No voiceover work this weekend! I have projects I can do – but no looming deadlines, so I was able to actually not record this weekend. No juicy auditions on any of the P2P sites, so seriously, I didn’t have to chill down the studio at all for 3 whole days.

Did I use the time wisely? Well, I guess that depends on your point of view. I took down the screens from the front windows. Hosed them down. Vacuumed and then scrubbed the window sills. Went to the gym a couple of times. Longs brisk walks. Laundry. And a daily trip over to a friend’s house to feed and play with her cat.

Picked about 50 pounds of figs and prepared them a couple of ways for a pool party. First I sliced the nice ripe ones in about 1/4 inch slices and drizzled them with Balsamic. Ah, yummy. Then I […]

2018-02-06T06:48:55+00:00September 7th, 2009|Categories: Business|Tags: , , , |

To Do More Coaching?

As many of you know, in addition to being a full-time voiceover talent, I teach a Voice Acting Class at San Diego City College – one class in the Fall and one in the Spring – usually in the day from 9:30 to noon. Given my regular voice work, it has been getting harder and harder to carve out the time to actually get to the class.

This semester the class is in the evening and I am noticing a couple of things.

  • The students seem more attentive
  • Homework is complete and has been turned in on time
  • And I am able to make it to class without flying out the door at the last second (OK, I did that once this week.)

It is still early, but I am looking forward to the rest of the semester – and then seriously comparing it to the Spring class which will be in the daytime again.

But the […]

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