February 2010 Archives
- Mine: http://tinyurl.com/KarenCommins-Facebook RT @VoicesDotCom Attn: Voice Talents! Create a FAN PAGE on Facebook to help brand yourself!
- Did you know that you can quickly check a charity's status on the IRS.gov site? http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96136,00.html
- Haiti needs 200,000 tents before the rainy season begins in March. @DrewCommins & I bought 1. You can help at: http://www.ahomeinhaiti.org/
- Jeff, best wishes for success! RT @JeffreyKafer SpringBrookAudio.com is now live & accepting audiobook submissions! http://bit.ly/9blqrk
- @CourVO AWESOME demo, Dave! It's so YOU! I've been through @NancyWolfson's #voiceover curriculum & celebrate with you in this achievement!
- @SimVan @GroverGardner @TaviaGilbert @KatyKellgren @AnderGriff Congrats on your 2010 Audies nominations!
- When I hold to values/am honest, money comes to me RT @Lizden Love this! RT @joblessmuse Honesty in Everyday Life http://tinyurl.com/yfz2anx
- RT @PublishersWkly Nominations for 2010 Audies, for best spoken word recordings, have just been announced by the APA. http://bit.ly/9LR2jB
- @DrewCommins I'm glad to see that the walk to the Apple Store took longer than the repair. Now you have time to check out Tiffanys! :)
- Also don't tweet or post your travel plans online! RT @TripAdvisor New video monitoring system lets you keep tabs on home http://bit.ly/afx
- Awesome list that applies to marketing your #voiceover biz! RT @toddschnick Latest: 99 Ways To Be An Intrepid Marketer http://is.gd/8iR4s
- Does the movie "Julie and Julia" seem like it's about cooking or writing? I saw 5 things applicable to voiceover: http://tinyurl.com/yg37dkt
- RT @mburkey Inside the audiobook studio: See the magic of audiobook editing in Robert Nichol AudioProductions video: http://bit.ly/9kKR0D
- @HokusBloke You're thinking of ACT!. Just like in audiobook narration, the exclamation point makes all the difference. :)
- ACT is base of the word ATTRACTION. Act on your ideas and bring good to life! RT @AnthonyVO Fruition with low "tuition" http://post.ly/MqOQ
- RT @tjkeenan #Voiceover Tip ala @cesarmillan Never use any tool if you are tense, anxious, angry, or frustrated~(ME: including a microphone)
- Did you see Animal Planet's "Puppy Bowl"? Here's a nice story about its announcer Utah voice talent Jeff Bordner: http://tinyurl.com/yfjst94
Bonjour! You may think the movie Julie and Julia is only about Julia Child, Julie Powell, Paris, and cooking. While those are reasons enough to watch this excellent and highly enjoyable movie, you may be surprised to learn that the movie also contains 5 lessons that will benefit voiceover artists:
1) Neither Julia Child nor Julie Powell became cooks and writers simply to make money. Both answered an inner calling and pursued their passions. Both women also had additional income to support them when they started their endeavors.
Many people enter the voice-over industry under the mistaken belief that it is an easy way to make money. They view voice-over like a part-time job at a fast food restaurant, where they have no start-up or ongoing costs and need no particular skills in order to make money. Anyone could come in off the street, fill out an application, and begin work.
As I've written numerous times, voice-over is a business. I wouldn't say it follows the 80/20 rule; it's more like the 95/5 rule -- 95% of your time is spent in activities to develop and enhance your delivery and interpretation skills, market your services, and build client relationships that will enable you to obtain the 5% of the jobs where you actually work as a voice talent.
2) Julie didn't give up her day job. I know this item seems like take two of the same script. However, I added this tip to remind you that there's no shame in having a day job. It can actually enable you to pursue your voiceover dreams.
3) When Julie compared herself to her friends, she felt small, insignificant, and depressed. I know of no quicker way to feel bad than to start comparing myself to other people. The cure for these spiraling negative thoughts is to take charge of your thoughts and words, which should inspire you to take positive action.
Whether you show the finished product to anyone or make any money from it is irrelevant. The point is to feed your passion and exercise your creativity on a regular basis. The more you do what you want to do and enjoy it, the more you become the person you want to be. Also, I've had a couple of occasions where I created something for my own enjoyment and skill practice. I loved the process and ended up using the finished piece as a demo from which I landed new clients.
To me, it means that the energy you put out in the world will come back to you in ways you didn't imagine -- and be better than you could ever dream possible!
5) Julie and Julie exemplify Thoreau's famous quote. Henry David Thoreau wrote this gem, which is as true now as it was in his time:
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams
and endeavors to live the life he has imagined,
he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.
May all your voiceover endeavors bring you joie de vivre!
- @AnthonyVO It's not unusual for me to hear applause, but only because this box is in my #voiceover studio :) http://tinyurl.com/yf822qr
- If you woke up, it's already a good day! :) RT @SuchAVoice Gotta be grateful for those sunny days even if it is only 20*F! Not bad, not bad.
- AWESOME advice! RT @RonLevineVO RT @DavidHoustonVO "Never chase the money. Chase excellence, and make the money chase you." - Pat Fraley
- @btzol I saw Toddlers and Tiaras; what a trainwreck! Parents push the kid to be in pageants, & kid HATES it. Expect huge therapy bills later
- @KeyAudio How cool! One of my dreams is to be the #voiceover for a toy, ideally one with a HUGE movie tie-in so every kid has to have it! :)
- When I see new followers, I look at their tweets. If all tweets came from API, it looks like a spambot to me, so I block that "person".
- 2nd Grammy award honoring #voiceover: 2) Buck Howdy won in Best Spoken Word Album For Children for "Aaaaah! Spooky, Scary Stories & Songs"
- 2 Grammy awards honoring #voiceover work/spoken word are already over: 1) Michael J. Fox won in Best Spoken Word for "Always Looking Up"
- Nice story about Worcester, MA #voiceover talent Mandy Nelson, voice of @Travelocity's phone system: http://www.wbjournal.com/news45560.html
- @mikeschubert My sure cure for hiccups is to hold your breath and swallow 15 times. It's easiest if you drink something to make you swallow.
- .@Mikedriehorst & @EdHunter Thx for RTs on the job hunter story. I pitched a podcast idea to 2 people at the same org. A reply would be nice
- 7am on a Sunday and already have done a #voiceover audition that included a creative sound effect. I can't say no when the muse speaks! #fb
- Wish I could use it after pitches to clients! RT @wheresspot When they don't email you back, pretend they did! Genius http://j.mp/8S2wgh NYT
- You GO girl! Many listen 2 you RT @taviagilbert got news the Phoenix is listing me in 2/10 issue as 1 of Portland's Most Influential People
- Do you know of any low-cost/free software that creates closed captioning? Mac video created in iMovie, exported to iTunes, converted to WMV
- Answered a LinkedIn ? with details about my idea to use the iPad when recording scripts in my #voiceover studio : http://tinyurl.com/yc4pdrf
- It's true! I thought the same thing but still am going to get one RT @kelseyads Women mostly not impressed by iPad name http://bit.ly/ajQ3gZ
- Best description I've seen! RT @margheritakrug Fabulous! RT @ChrisRooney: So the #iPad is basically Hagrid's iPhone
- @JeffBriggsVoice I've never been one to get too excited about OS upgrades; they often break something else. If it's working, don't fix it!
- @mitzpa Going paperless in my studio with an iPad is a green-earth thing, right? :) Only green part of this idea is my $$$ going to Apple!
- Of course, @DrewCommins & I already have 2 of almost every Apple product +2 Kindles. I really don't want to want another gadget! (but I do)
- iPad may be ideal addition to my #voiceover studio. I finally could go paperless on scripts & not need 2nd monitor. Rationalization to buy?
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Female Voice Talent - Janet Ault on Julie and Julia cook up 5 voiceover tips: I like the
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