Lee

Hi everyone,

Just had a great weekend watching videos, gaining inspiration, and getting to know a lot of great people during the One Voice Conference. It was a blast. There was so much to learn (and still learn, since they’ve been gracious enough to save the seminars to watch, if you haven’t done so), my head grew 2 sizes larger.

My twitter feed grew due to the amount of new friends made; the beauty about that website is how it can do some actual good–learning new things from other fellow VO artists, getting a completely new perspective, it can be incredible, as opposed to the fountain of dreck that it can be.

Part of the inspiration led me to re-format the website a little, so take a look, give some feedback, let me know if it’s great, if it stinks, or if you really don’t care. I’m open to any criticism. Or praise.

But wow. It was quite the weekend. The conference via the internet was wild, I can only imagine what it’d be like in person!

There will be future changes to the website, trying make the site more pleasing and more “on brand” with who I am. Hopefully, with that, more work!

It’s the end of July, so technically, we’ve passed mid-summer. So, the title is a lie. I apologize.

It’s been an interesting summer, for sure. We’ve all been dealing with whatever COVID related issues have been thrown at us, whether it’s work, school, personal, it’s a hydra that has a limitless amount of heads, at this point. As of this writing, I see the Florida Marlins baseball team has 8 teammates afflicted. Incredible. Not seeing how an NFL season is going to work.

Anyhow, since we’ve turned the corner on the next half of the year, it’s a good time to do a look back at the first half of this year. From all metrics, it’s been pretty successful. Any time you’re able to jump ship from a job you’ve held essentially for 10 years to your dream job is likely to be measured a success. And, judging by the amount of work, it’s a success by that metric as well.

What I’m looking forward to: More VO work; so far, it’s been pretty decent, but looking to get more of it, for sure. Still searching for an agent, but that’s something that’s going to take time, So, by this time next year, I’m hoping I can say that I have plenty to do, an agent that’s helping me get the work, and maybe a little bigger booth.

Ok everyone, stay healthy, and I’ll chat with you next time.

Since it’s been a busy summer (thankfully), the booth time has been pretty consistent. Since that’s the case, the voice has been under constant use. During the winter, the treatment here is usually taking breaks often, drinking tea constantly, and some Greuthers lozenges. During the summer…the tea isn’t as great an answer, since the booth is hot, meaning you’re hot, and drinking hot tea just makes you feel like you’re in a sweatbox. I’m not a fan of iced tea, either, so that’s not going to help. Lukewarm tea has been the answer. Not great, but I’m not paid to sound like Tom Waits, which will be the case if I keep this pace up without taking care of things.

Awaiting a portable XLR mic adapter soon. Love my gadgets. This will be handy in the post-corona world, if having to spend any time in hotels and needing to get work done is the case. Looking forward to it. Allows me to record onto my Ipad with my normal mics.

Thankfully, one thing that doesn’t really bother me when the voice is in less than perfect condition, but needs to get done are pickups. These are where I’ve made errors, and am nicely told to fix them. It’s less taxing on the voice, and, if you’re decent enough, you don’t have too many to correct. Tooting my own horn, I worked on a 3 hour book, and only had 3 errors, all in the first 5 minutes. Pretty proud of myself for that one.

In a good mood. Bournemouth just beat Leicester City 4-1. It’s a good day.

Hi everyone.

It’s been a hot July, with temps here in the Eau Claire area over 90 just about everyday. Not a big deal if you live in the greater Phoenix area, but here, mixed with the humidity…blecchh.

Thankfully, the booth is pretty decent at staying cool without having to sacrifice anything in the name of sound. The beauty of this line of work is, if you’re recording from home, dress code is what you make it. I make it a t-shirt and shorts this time of year.

It’s been pretty busy as of late, the commercial/medical/e-learning demos have been sent out (and still are being sent) across the globe, and plenty of audiobook work has been coming in. Varied, too. Non-fiction and fiction. It’s always nice to switch between both. One session, I’m talking about approaching mathematics to students, then in the next, I’m a sci-fi mercenary.

Someone who has taken a lot of interest in the VO biz is my daughter, who says she’s now a “student” of mine. She’s pretty talented, and has her own books that’s she’s already narrated. She keeps me sharp.

So that’s what’s been going on around here lately. Hope everyone is staying cool, healthy and listening to their favorite audiobook.

L

After leaving a company I’ve spent over 10 years with, taking the plunge into the VO world was a risk, but one that I knew would pay off. The tradeoff? A normal work schedule no longer exists. The VO world is unforgiving, time is of the essence, and if you miss out on an audition; or are late to the party, too bad. Especially in the P2P world, where everyone is gunning for the same dollar.

If there’s a lull in the auditions, then time to work on the website. Then the blog. Then you realize you need to make sure people know you exist, so you need to advertise. Facebook had some free ad credits, which was of some help. Knowing where to focus your ads is the trick, though.

That’s where the rest of your free time (if you have any) is used up…research. Learn from the others that are better at this (for now, right?) as to how you’re going to become a better VO artist and a better businessperson. I’m lucky that I was able to meet and work with some great people in this biz, like Michael Kinsey (a BIG help, the 4047 mic did and still does wonders for me), J. Michael Collins (his coaching alone, not to mention the forthcoming demos is worth every cent), Val Kelly from MAVO (the one Zoom social I attended was a lot of fun and gave some good insight), among others. There’s no end to the learning, since the industry keeps changing. COVID has made a big difference in how things work in VO now, keeping people home and giving those with a home studio an advantage. I lucked out there. The downside is not being able to network with everyone in person. Eventually.

Ok, I’ve gone on long enough. Hope everyone is staying healthy, and here’s to the upcoming MLS and Premiere League re-opening. Hopefully, Bournemouth beats the drop. #GoLoons