A VOICE Above The Crowd

Plugs for a day job and the environment

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:16:13 -0500

Al Gore typifies my motto of “things happen for a reason.” I like Al Gore, and I voted for him in the hotly-contested 2000 Presidential election. While millions of Americans were immensely disappointed and even angered that he didn’t win the election, we can see that it was better for him personally that he didn’t become the 43rd President of the United States. If Gore had become President, he would not have had the time or energy to lead the crusade for the environment. In 2007, Gore has achieved rock star status. First, he won an Academy Award for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and now, Gore is the co-recipient of the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. You don’t have to agree with his assessments about the environment or his politics to be impressed by his monumental achievements. So what do Al Gore and his push to save the environment have to do with you as a voice-over talent?

Working with a portable studio

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:25:26 -0500

If it's possible, I love traveling as much or even more than my voice-over work. In the past, I haven't taken equipment with me on my trips. Since the beginning of this year, I have changed my equipment so that I can voice auditions and projects on the road. I now have a Macbook Pro laptop with Pro Tools LE running with a Mbox Pro mic interface. To facilitate the usual work here in my stunning soundproof studio, I just bought a Tranzport wireless workstation control, which will allow me to control and edit Pro Tools from within my booth while leaving the computer and other equipment outside the booth. A while back, I had read Harlan Hogan's excellent article about creating a portable booth. I couldn't find the Reisenthel Home Box pictured in Harlan's article at my local Container Store or at that company's web site. However, I did find and order the box from Amazon. The company shipped it out immediately. It arrived this week, so I haven't tried using it as a portable booth. I do have a lot of Auralex foam left over from the days when my recording booth was in a walk-in closet. I had planned to leave my Neumann TLM 103 mic here in my recording booth and take my CAD condenser mic on road trips. The CAD mic is too heavy, and I'm now looking for a smaller, lighter mic to use in my portable configuration. I also have decided to sell my Telos Zephyr ISDN codec. I really don't have much occasion to use it since I mostly work in long-form narrations and audiobooks. If you're looking to buy an industry-standard ISDN unit, let me know soon! Otherwise, I will post the unit for sale on eBay. Speaking of travel, I need to travel away from home right now in search of brunch!

Has your ship come in?

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:13:20 -0500

Anyone who knows me or who has read this page on my web site knows that I love Barry Manilow. You may have heard his name lately because he is promoting a marvelous new album. One reason behind his longevity in the music business and his millions of fans is that Barry is constantly involved in some new venture, and he isn't afraid to let people know about it. I was thrilled to speak with Barry over the phone for a couple of minutes when he visited a local radio show as part of his continuing promotional efforts. While I could barely speak in my excitement, Barry's words are true and clear. When the host told Barry "you don't stop," Barry replied with words to inspire any creative person and especially this voice talent. Rodney Saulsberry, a voice talent known for his work in commercials and movie trailers, agrees with Manilow. Saulsberry wrote in his fantastic book You Can Bank on Your Voice: Your Guide to a Successful Career in Voice-Overs: The voice-over business is a high-stakes, competitive industry,
and there is no time to be modest when it comes to letting
potential clients know you are the person for their next project. Many people seem to be more passive about ensuring their career success. I have heard many voice actors and others using the expression "when my ship comes in", meaning that your luck, opportunities and hopefully your fortune have just become more positive. I read a story once about the origin of that phrase. In the time of world exploration hundreds of years ago, a ship coming in to the harbor was a big deal. The monarchs and wealthy patrons who financed the explorers did so with the knowledge that the ship might sail away and never return. If the ship did return, it might be damaged. At the very least, the explorer might return with nothing more than a bad case of sunburn and stinky clothes to show for the adventure. However, the financiers of these operations would continue to send out ships, hoping that one would return with the motherload of treasure. The point of the story is applicable to voice-over talent or anyone in business for themselves:

If you want your ship to come in,
you have to keep sending the ships out.

Some of your ships will never return. Some will return carrying letters like the one I quoted in a previous entry. A glorious few will sail in with a new client on board! Like Barry Manilow and Rodney Saulsberry, I send out as many query and promotional ships as possible in as many directions as possible. You can be sure that when my ships come in, I'm not at the airport, but sitting in my stunning soundproof studio and ready to get to work!

Your voice isn't right for us

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:04:00 -0500

After another summer of sweltering heat and daily smog alerts, I especially enjoyed the weather today here in Atlanta. It's one of those glorious pre-fall days with postcard-blue skies. I say "pre-fall" because the temperatures are still in the 80s, but the late date on the calendar gives me hope that the crisp air of fall is soon on the way. I was in the car earlier this afternoon when I heard a radio spot that sounded very familiar. I admit that I always feel a flush of pleasure when I unexpectedly hear my voice on the airwaves. Today, though, it was someone else's voice presenting copy that I also had prepared in a recent audition. Since I obviously was not selected for that job, I listened closely to discern what the producer might have been thinking during the casting process. A voice-over actor will audition far more than she will be hired. I don't think about auditions unless I am selected for the job or have one of those lucky times like today when I hear the voice talent in the produced spot. In those cases, I like to analyze the coloration and stress on words and compare the broadcast spot with the audition that I submitted. One time, I heard a man's voice on TV reading copy the same copy I had used. It's easy to understand the differences between my read and a man's version! It's not so easy to distinguish between my performance and that of another female. Today, I thought the reads between my audition and the produced spot were very similar. We were closely matched with our phrasing. She stressed one word that I didn't stress in my audition. Maybe that stress was her idea, or maybe she did it due to direction. The last line was changed, so I don't know whether the writer modified it or the talent perhaps ad-libbed it in her audition. In either case, I did think it was a better ending line. The biggest difference I noticed was one I heard with her very first word -- the difference of tonal quality. Her voice was a higher pitch than mine. C'est la vie. Another talent being chosen for that job or any job doesn't take anything away from me or cause me any negative feelings.

Talk like a pirate

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:26:08 -0500

Avast ye maties! I'm sure ye'd be knowin' that this be a special day! Aaarrggh, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day, like it be every time the September sun rises on the nineteenth day. Another lass and I were discussing this auspicious occasion yesterday, and we wondered why you never see any female pirates in the movies. She advised me that peg legs throw of your balance when you're wearing stiletto heels. I added that stilettos wouldn't be very safe when walking on wooden planks. Also, women tend to pursue more hygienic habits and environments than men. Of course, there's that whole "women considered property through the ages" thing...but I digress. I have a theory that one reason that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were so incredibly successful -- besides the action-filled storylines, brilliant acting, magnificent scenery, compelling musical score and dentistry appropriate to the time period -- is because of the perfect casting. Geoffrey Rush not only looked the part of the pirate, but you have to agree that his pirate talk made ye shiver in yer timbers! Johnny Depp, meanwhile, belied the pirate stereotype and spoke in a completely unexpected manner. I think a lot of men enjoy creating pirate voices that sound like Geoffrey Rush. If the man is a voice-over actor, he might be tempted to put that pirate voice on his commercial demo. It's the same for women imitating Margaret Hamilton as the infamous Wicked Witch of the West. We all want to show our range, and some part of us likes to play the villain. It may be fun to talk like a pirate or a witch, but don't put those voices on your commercial demo if you want to get booked.

Being true to the writer's words

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:05:24 -0500

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say,
but what we are unable to say.
-- Anaïs Nin
I have taken numerous voice-over classes in my career. In almost all of them, the teacher has encouraged me and other students to improvise with commercial copy. A common thought is that an ad-lib enhances one's ability to stand out in an audition because you gave a read that was not expected. On the flip side, I would never ad-lib when performing an audiobook. The narrator must serve the author's purpose and point of view, reading every word exactly as it is written. I have recently changed my views on ad-libs in commercial auditions. I am now studying with my awesome coach Nancy Wolfson. In doing a copy read with her the other day, Nancy stopped me immediately when I changed the copy on a TV spot. She explained that thinking of the other line was fine because it gave me the right mindset for the copy. However, I should never say the ad-lib. On the same day or one close to it, I read the Doll Cannot Fly blog entry on the same topic. The blog is written by Tara Zucker, co-owner of Post Haste Media; her husband Rick Sanchez is one of my new connections made through networking. Tara implores voice talent to perform the words AS THEY ARE WRITTEN. When I stop and think about it, I wonder why one niche in voice-over would demand such accuracy with the words, while another market would be lax and encourage you to change the writer's words. Once you read Tara's compelling entry, you may think twice before you change a word of commercial copy in an audition. Once you have the job, changes to copy may be appropriate if you have a good relationship with the client. My clients appreciate my collaboration, and I have suggested word changes to commercial and narration scripts. In the case of commercials, I have helped rewrite scripts for better timing. In both commercial and narrative scripts, I have proposed changes to clarify meaning. It is obvious to me now that the only time to make suggestions is after you have the job and not when you are auditioning for it.

Henry Aaron and Barry Bonds teach voice-over actors

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:26:16 -0500

Henry Aaron is a class act. I don't make that comment because he is one of the most beloved sports figures of all time or because he is a fellow Atlantan. I just saw the news replay of his speech last night as he congratulated Barry Bonds for surpassing him as the all-time baseball homerun champion. I'm reprinting it below in case you haven't seen or heard it. I would like to offer my congratulations to Barry Bonds on becoming baseball's career home run leader.
It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination. Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball,
and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years.
I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historic achievement. My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record
will inspire others to chase their own dreams. You might think that Barry Bonds's tremendous accomplishment or Hank Aaron's scoreboard address would have nothing to do with voice-over. However, I see a parallel between these sports heroes and my voice-over career.

No one can promote my business better than me

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:21:25 -0500

Over the past several years, I have checked with several local colleges -- especially those with pro audio curriculums -- to see if I could take a course in audio engineering as a non-degree student. I have a Masters degree in computer information systems, so I'm really don't want to spend a lot of time and money to pursue another degree! I therefore was quite excited to discover a 4-week course in Pro Tools offered this month by the Art Institute of Atlanta. This class couldn't occur at a better time for me. I recently switched my voice-over studio configuration from a PC with Cool Edit software to a Macbook Pro with Pro Tools LE. Earlier this year, I hired a recording engineer to help me streamline my processes. After I bought this computer, he gave me a crash course in using Pro Tools, but I have much to learn about the program. The first class was held this past Saturday. I am the only voice talent in the group. Most of the students are singer/songwriters, which is understandable when you consider that Atlanta is a thriving music city and home to a Grammy chapter and numerous Grammy winners. One of my fellow students said he was in a band that had been signed by a minor label. He was wearing the t-shirt for a very famous band. I asked him why he wasn't wearing a shirt to promote his own band. His answer surprised me.

Paying attention to James Allen and Harry Potter

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:32:36 -0500

When I hear the same thing in quick succession from 2 or more people who aren't related to each other and have no vested interest in the comments, I feel the Universe is giving me a sign to pay attention! Such was the case this week with the classic motivational book As A Man Thinketh by James Allen, originally published in 1902. I don't remember, but I think this work was referenced in The Secret. Since I am vitally interested in the power of our thoughts and words to create our reality, I recently downloaded the free audiobook of this work available from LearnOutLoud.com. I began listening to it on 13 July. Ten minutes after I started listening, I decided I had heard enough. The audiobook narrator included at least 3 stumbled words, several lipsmacks and an uninteresting method of delivery. With the availability of low-cost and free audio editing software, I am incredulous that someone would choose to leave the stumbles and extraneous noises in an audiobook, even one offered for free. An audiobook is a thing of permanence. I would like to think that people would seek out my audiobooks 100 years from now, just as I was seeking out Allen's book. I was showing my new business cards to a friend of mine this afternoon. She said she had a book that she wanted me to see. She and I have had many great discussions about the extreme power of our thoughts, and the book was on that subject. Which book do you think she recommended? Yep, that's right -- As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. Although I had abandoned the free audiobook, the Universe was telling me to give the book another try! I told my friend that I would get the book tonight. However, I wasn't the only person who made a special trip to the book store. The store was crowded with people waiting for midnight, when the last Harry Potter book goes on sale. Someone who has been living under a rock or totally new to the country might think that tonight was Halloween, given the number of young people dressed in costume at the mall. Of course, they were flocking to the book store. They were not looking for a title associated with the Law of Attraction to help them live their lives to the best potential. No, all of those young people and their parents were at the book store to buy the final installment about the boy who lived! I am not still at the store, waiting to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I will, however, buy the audiobook version consisting of 17 CDs sometime over the weekend. (I doubt that I will be wearing a costume when I buy it, though!) I encourage anyone interested in performing audiobooks to listen to Jim Dale's masterful narration of any book in this series. You can download the previous 6 books and thousands of other audiobooks on iTunes. I would imagine that this final book will be loaded on ITunes in the near future. Also note the high level of production quality in one of these books. The series is so popular that the audiobook is published simultaneously with the hardback edition. Jim Dale didn't even have the opportunity to read the entire book before entering the recording studio. He read the book in segments of 100 pages. For a fascinating article about Jim Dale and his role as narrator of the Harry Potter series, you will want to read this feature story published 17 July in the New York Times. Success leaves tracks,
and you can gain valuable insight about the preparations for audiobook narration, as well as the production, by paying attention to Dale's comments.

The 60-second elevator speech contest

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 08:29:29 -0500

I frequently state in my blog that voice-over is a business, yet people write things to me that indicate that they either are ignoring or don't know about the business aspects of being a voice-over talent. Just last week, someone sent me an e-mail stating that I believe I have a talent and I would love the freedom and independence that your job provides. You could do lots of things if you wanted to be free and independent. However, most of those things require some actual work to make them happen. Becoming a voice-over talent is no different. It requires you to continuously work at improving your abilities and gaining publicity for your business. Speaking of independence, yesterday (4 July) was our Independence Day here in the United States. Since the day is one of the major US holidays, many people decided to declare their independence from work all week. As a business owner, though, I always feel the need to do something each day to further my goals, even when those days fall on weekends, holidays and vacation. I'm not saying I spend hours working on those off-days, but I usually do something, however small and insignificant it might be. Sometimes I may read a chapter in a marketing book. I might write down people to contact on the next business day. I often will do a quick audition or send an e-mail response to someone. I write entries for my blog. I may write or record a podcast script. (I'm perfecting ideas for 2 different types of shows and am deciding how to present them.) Yesterday was no different. While it was a holiday, I took an action that wasn't even on my mind at the beginning of the day. I wrote a 60-second pitch. What is a 60-second pitch? Why did I write mine yesterday? The answer to both questions is at the Voices.com web site. As usual, Stephanie Ciccarelli has done a brilliant job of explaining the concept of the 60-second pitch -- also known as your "elevator speech" -- and why it's needed by every voice talent. Furthermore, starting tomorrow, Voices.com is sponsoring a contest for the best 60-second pitch among voice talent! The contest is open to all voice talent. After reading about the prizes, I am eager to win! I wrote my pitch yesterday and will record it today or tomorrow after refining it. By the way, to further emphasize the point about voice-over being a business, I also encourage you to read Stephanie's excellent and detailed blog entries relating to the business, especially about a business plan and business cards. So you see, even in a slow week you can do something that will pay big dividends in your voice-over career later on. Even if you don't win the contest, you will have a succinct speech ready to describe your voice-over business when you are next in a networking situation.

Words and pictures from APAC and BookExpo

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:21:49 -0500

We're finally replacing the windows in the kitchen so that all the windows in the house will be triple-pane. With the installer banging on the side of my house right now, it seems like a good time to post my pictures and news from my recent trip to New York for the Audio Publishers Association conference and BookExpo. The Doubletree Guest Suites Time Square is my favorite hotel in New York. I was pleased to get a BookExpo rate and thrilled with my incredible view of Times Square from the 16th floor.

My view of Times Square

On my free day in the Big Apple (Wed., 30 May), I walked around and boosted the local economy as much as possible. Since Drew was unable to make the trip with me, I bought some presents for him. I first stopped at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.

The big APPLE in the Big Apple

I bought a Remote Radio for Drew to use with his iPod. He is delighted that he now can listen to FM radio while riding his motorcycle. I'm sure that Apple Store will be packed tomorrow with the first sale date of the iPhone. I'm going to get one....but not tomorrow! Love was in the air in New York, but it was also on the ground. Somewhere on my walk, I came upon a sculpture of the Love logo associated with the 1970 film Love Story. In a web search, I learned that the sculpture was created by Robert Indiana and located on the corner of 6th Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan. Just like I give a different read when voicing scripts, I look for the unusual shot when taking pictures.

Love in New York

The Audio Publishers Association conference was held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Thursday, 31 May. I like to attend sessions aimed at both audiobook publishers and their narrators, especially since I am planning to start my own audiobook production company. This year, I went to the sessions on alternatives to CDs, technology and a narrators' panel.

A plan to break into voice-over

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 10:46:35 -0500

Earlier this week, as often occurs, I received more e-mails from people wishing to break into voice-over. I endeavor to respond personally to everyone who writes to me, but I rarely get an acknowledgement. I don't know whether the information I provided was helpful. I don't know if they received my reply since I send it from a different e-mail address than is shown on my web site. Sometimes I think people can't be bothered to say thank you to people who help them along the way. I'm honest and sometimes blunt; I tell people what they need to know, which may not be what they wanted to hear. One of the e-mails this week was from a person who wrote lines typical of so many messages that I receive: my entire life I've been told that I should do something with my voice....I can also emulate just about any language, dialect, or style in a very short amount of time. I'm getting more and more curious about doing voice over work. The person wondered if I would be interested in working with him. While I'm flattered when people ask me this question, I don't teach or hire others to work with me. I'm a voice talent who is actvely marketing myself. Occasionally, I need to recommend a fellow voice artist for a role to work with me or as a contact for a job that I need to pass on. However, I have a short list of talent in that category. At this time, I do not mentor anyone
outside of any help they may receive from my blog entries and the Advice and Links section on my web site. Since voice-over is a business, you need to have a business plan consisting of education, demo, marketing, MORE marketing, gigs, on-going education and maybe an agent....in that order. I hope that people are using this blog as part of their education, so I refer newcomers to these particular posts: Voice-over books on my bookshelf A Voice Actor's Business Address Won't Be on Easy Street No such thing as a free lunch or demo critique

How well do you follow instructions?

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 23:16:08 -0500

I have been traveling recently and have been unable to update my blog for several weeks. One of my trips was to New York to attend the Audio Publishers Association conference and BookExpo. Since audiobooks and narrations are the main focus of my voice-over work, going to New York was mission-critical! I really enjoyed seeing many colleagues again, as well as meeting new audio and print publishers with whom I might develop a working relationship. I already am planning to attend the same events next year in Los Angeles. It’s a law of nature that things happen in threes. That law was proven again on

Wednesday 30 May as I prepared to leave for New York.

How to lose friends and irritate people

Mon, 21 May 2007 10:55:55 -0500

I was talking with a friend today. This friend Don has advanced degrees in multiple disciplines, yet he continues to attend grad school to earn more degrees. Barbara Sher, author of the life-changing book I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was, would say my friend is a scanner because he has varied interests and doesn't settle on one thing for too long. I also would say that Don doesn't want to commit to one thing. I'm convinced that he attends grad school so that he can postpone the inevitable time when he must finally make a choice of how he wants his life to proceed. Today's conversation got around to my voice-over business. As I talked about recent successes and my plans for the future, Don said, as he has said more than once over the years, "maybe I should look into doing voice-overs." I tell anyone who asks me that they should explore any serious interest in voice-over work, sheep herding, Italian cooking or whatever. You don't want to get to the end of your life and wonder "how would my life have been if I had done that?". As I have done in previous conversations, I recommended that Don start by reading books on my recommended list of voice-over books and taking some classes. He asked how I would feel if he took a voice-over class and hit it big. Don is not someone in the incredible ** 81% ** of the Gen Y crowd (18-25 year-olds) who seems to expect fame and wealth as their birthright. Quite simply, Don is yet another person who thinks that making money in voice-over is an easy thing that can be done by anyone. Since he had a few spare hours in his schedule, Don was ready to sign up for the fortune and glory awaiting him as a voice-over actor. I don't think he will actually follow through with any action. After all, he is the same person who could never be bothered to even listen to my demos. Our discussion today reminded me how Don acted when I created my first demo. When you decide to go after your goals, your friends and family will change their attitudes about you. In many cases, that change won't be a positive one.

The Secret to getting up the hill

Fri, 11 May 2007 14:43:00 -0500

I've been working and traveling so much lately that I have neglected to update my blog. Happy anniversary to me! I've been writing blog entries for a year and hope that you have found some useful tidbits in them to help you live the life of your dreams, especially your dreams of a thriving voice-over career. I recently bought the DVD and book of the best-selling work The Secret. I do believe in the Law of Attraction and attempt to live my life according to its principles. I have read many books on the topic and find something meaningful in each one. Since some of my writing on this blog relates to ideas and processes described in The Secret, I decided to add a category for The Secret to make those types of posts more readily identifiable. My knowledge and application of the Law of Attraction are sort of like learning to use your microphone and editing program. At first, you don't know how to do it. Once you get comfortable with the principles, you practice and continue to learn. Even when you're competent or even at authority level, you still want to learn and apply more so that you will always improve. I was on a cruise recently and had an epiphany. Drew and I were seated around some loud, obnoxious people. We looked at each other and said, as we have said in many similar past circumstances, "We must be magnets for this type of behavior." I realized at that moment that we were indeed MAGNETS! By constantly saying and reinforcing the idea that we would be seated next to rude, noisy people, it's like raising our hands to the Universe and saying "bring 'em on!" I now say that I am a magnet for peace and quiet, with respectful people around me. :) Hurricane-ravaged Grenada was one of the islands we visited. While the country has rebuilt much destroyed in hurricanes of recent years, nature's damage was still very evident. Roofs were missing from the 3 churches that we saw. Some building still looked ramshackle and uninhabitable. Looking around and seeing the people scrambling for every dollar made me once again feel extreme gratitude for the bountiful blessings in my life. However, my spriritual side was not the only part of me that had a boost in knowledge during the trip. I also noticed something that could apply to my voice-over career. Drew and I were about to cross a street in a narrow intersection at the top of the steep hill near the old fort. He started to walk, but I stopped him. A car was zooming up the hill, and the driver wasn't going to stop.