Musings – Page 13 – Connie Terwilliger

Sometimes it’s good not to have real work to do

I didn’t have any paying gigs today. I did get a couple of bookings for next week. I deleted a bunch of auditions from Voice123 and Voices.com that just weren’t right for me. I spent some time at my mom’s trouble shooting an Internet purchase and doing some gardening. But that left lots of time for webinars!

The morning webinar was being put on by Peachtree – somewhat “selly,” but I think I got some inspiration and motivation for ways to maximize the effectiveness of social media/networking for professional associations. In this case MCA-I – Media Communications Association-International.

We have a LinkedIn page, several pages on Facebook (the international office and a couple of chapter pages), Plaxo, a Twitter account and we also had something on MediaPost, but that venue is […]

Connie Terwilliger2018-02-06T06:48:56+00:00August 6th, 2009|Categories: Musings|

Gah! August Already!?

Yikes! Where did the year go? Most of us are probably wondering the same thing as we move into back-to-school time.

And what did we accomplish so far in 2009 so far? Is everyone on track? Do we know what track we are on? Do we know which track we want to be/should be on?

I use Outlook and have set up Categories so that I can make notes in my Calendar about how I am spending my time. Recording is Green, Marketing is Gold, Training is Yellow, Business is Blue, Volunteer work is a lighter Green and Personal stuff is Orange…that sort of thing. The Orange is winning by leaps and bounds since April when my mom moved out here from New York State.

But it’s not all mom time. Some of it is morning coffee time with my friends. Some of it is exercise time. Some of it is theater time – and lately a […]

Connie Terwilliger2018-02-06T06:48:57+00:00August 3rd, 2009|Categories: Business, Musings|Tags: business decision, career, voiceover|

Working on another role play for eLearning

It is interesting to see how work evolves and how people hear you. When I started in the business, I did primarily corporate narration and straight commercials with a lot of “sell.” Now, in the past few years, a large percentage of my work has turned to more role playing than straight narration.

eLearning characters make up a big part of that – being cast in multiple roles within programs – ranging from some nebulous African accent, to redneck homophobe, to tough Boss Lady. I have had more than one casting as Tough Boss Lady – working on one right now which sort of prompted this post. But I have also been cast as “soft young Asian woman learning to speak her mind at work.” So I while I do a good tough boss lady, please don’t pigeon-hole me there.

A lot of my radio and TV spot work has also been as a real person, […]

Connie Terwilliger2018-02-06T06:48:57+00:00July 23rd, 2009|Categories: Musings|Tags: acting, casting decision, e-learning, eLearning, radio spot, real person, TV spot, voice acting|

It’s not even 8AM and the AC is blasting…

We’ve been having a heat wave here in San Diego. And most of us in older homes do not have central AC. I do have a tiny old airconditioner that I had someone build into the wall of my studio during the initial rennovation. It manages to cool things down a bit. But of course when it is on, it is impossible to record anything….projects or auditions.

It is also difficult to get to – I have to climb on the counter to reach the knob – which leaves bruises on my upper shins. So I’ve been so reluctant to climb up there that I’ve been letting the projects and auditions pile up a bit – then scrambling up to turn it off.

Amazing how fast the temperature rises! So, during this heat wave, I am wearing natural fibers – as little of them as I can get away with – no […]

Connie Terwilliger2009-07-22T07:44:20+00:00July 22nd, 2009|Categories: Musings|Tags: heatwave, Recording, studio|

Sight Readers Give Good Voice(overs)

Let’s get this out in the open. All good stage, film and TV actors do not make good voice talent – and vice versa. If you are used to having your script days ahead of time, with hours or even days of rehearsal with a director, you may not be able to get into the VO vibe.

Using a studio session as an example…let’s say a session is scheduled for 9 AM. You get to the studio at 8:55 (or earlier). Someone asks if you want coffee. You’re thinking “A script would be nice.” Someone hands you the copy around 9:15. (Traffic was bad?) If you are lucky, they may spend a minute filling you in on what they feel you should do with the copy before hustling you into the booth.

At 9:17 you enter your padded room, adjust your headsets. Look for a pencil with a sharp point (or pull […]

Connie Terwilliger2018-02-06T06:48:58+00:00July 17th, 2009|Categories: Musings|Tags: sight read, sight reader, studio session, talent, voiceover|

A Day in the Life of a VO Talent

At coffee – the BlackBerry rings – it is an agent from the other side of the country. “Got a job for you today if you are available. Don’t know what the pay is or anything much about the job, but they have to have it on the net tomorrow.” I ask if it is ISDN (yes, it will be) and assure her that I can carve out some time today to do the session.

Walking back from coffee – the BlackBerry rings – it is the agent from the other side of the country. “OK, how’s 2pm? It is about a 10 minute corporate piece for a hospital. How’s $800?’ 2pm is fine and $800 is fine.

Back home and in the studio, I start working on my In Box – it needs attention – sorting email, following up on auditions, confirming upcoming work and reviewing the scripts. Some prep work […]

Connie Terwilliger2018-02-06T06:48:58+00:00July 10th, 2009|Categories: Musings|Tags: career, voiceover|