Business. The word alone used to send icy shivers down my spine. But, to be a professional artist, as in be able to write “artist” or “musician” or “dancer” or “actor” on your annual tax forms (aka more money coming in than going out) you must understand your talent or product IS your business. Perhaps it was my childhood, growing up lean, but I’ve always had a healthy respect for money and when I began cashing checks, I thought of my voice work/acting as my business. But when ...
Tag Archive for: professional
Breaking into the entertainment industry whether voiceover and acting or music and producing is not a clear-cut path. It’s not like medical school or studying for the bar. The road is circuitous and different for everyone. Like the traditional professions, it does take an investment of time and money and a coach or mentor that offers good advice. Good counsel. When I was asked to be part of TheDreamCounsel.co I jumped at the chance. I’ve been in the entertainment industry and specific...
The online world cracked opened immense possibilities for working with industry pros in a non-geographic specific way. It’s also made it difficult to sift through the ocean of dust to find your diamonds. That’s what makes voiceover.biz so special. Looking for a quick, easy way how to find awesome, vetted voiceover talent? You’ll love it. Voiceover.Biz is the directory arm of WoVO. No, not the Volcano people, the non-profit freelance voice over actors’ association, World-Voices...
An educational eLearning client recently asked me for referrals for sound studios builders. They’ve decided to build a place for their professors to record. This got me, the professional voice actor thinking… Both of my university aged daughters have complained about monotone, boring, bad narration in the online courses they have taken which were narrated by their profs. Why is this happening? Why would a prof risk everything they have worked so hard to achieve and turn it into ...
Just like this Porifera named Bob, children are like sponges. Sometimes we forget how quickly and how much they pick up and next thing we know, they’re repeating words we may not think they should incorporate into their vocabularies just yet. They absorb more information than we realize, and their education doesn’t stop when the school bell rings. And of course, they are extremely comfortable with electronic environments. This plus the fact that schools are overcrowded and underfunded...
For eLearning voice over actors new to the increasing ‘virtual office’ and ‘home studio’ reality of this industry, just how technical our job has become may shock you at first. But if you want to make it in this industry, put on your techie hat. Not only will you have to invest in professional sound equipment and software, you also have to know how to use it for optimal performance. No need to panic though, you don’t have to have a degree in audio engineering, but you ...
3 Tips on How to Do Commercial Voice Overs for Beginners So you want to become a professional voice over actor. Maybe everyone says you have a great voice, or you have a talent for imitating foreign accents or famous stars. Whatever your reason for heading down this path, here are some things to know before launching your career as a commercial voice artist. #1: Commercial Voice Over Acting is Real Acting Don’t assume that since commercial voice over acting doesn’t call for...
18 Months with My VO Peer Mentoring & Accountability Group I can’t wait for every Wednesday at 8 p.m. I marinate and soak in a total a love fest, complete with slobbery cyber kisses and virtual hugs and goofy grins, chatting with 5 other voiceover artists for an hour. Our mentoring and accountability (M&A) group is our regular check in to revel in each other’s success, mete out advice if we have any to offer and gently, but firmly hold each other accountable to complete or report in ...
Voiceover Trends, the Conversational Read Want to be timely? Want to be heard? Ask your male or female voice over actor to make it conversational. A recent voice industry trend report says the most sought after type of narration read now and for the foreseeable future is flawed, imperfect, and sounds a lot like your best friend. It’s erratic. The words come in fits and starts, punctuated by fast flows of phrase and occasional plodding pieces of prose placed here and there for emphasis. A conve...
Optimal Voice Care: A Dozen Do’s & Don’ts There are tips & guides and Do’s and Don’ts for the optimal care of pretty much everything in your life. You’ve got a trainer to keep your body in shape and a financial planner to keep your finances in check. Your primary tool for emotive expression to the world is your voice, and you use it every day. So, how can you keep it from getting hoarse at a concert or a game; or cracking it or losing steam during a presentation or spee...
