When you make your living talking, you’re bound to run into words you’ve never seen before. And then there are those words you just learned how to say, not realizing that most people don’t even say it the way you do.

Of course, that second group of words will bring nothing but endless surprises when you see people react and you wonder what’s going on. [Read more…] about Jacked Up: When in doubt, ask or look it up!

N-D-who? Non Disclosure Agreements were in the news a year ago with the stories about the fall of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

NDA’s are common in VO. You may be asked to sign one before starting in on a project. The NDA can prohibit ANY conversation, emails or writings, photos, and other disclosures about a project. The NDA may apply only to social media—no posts, no selfies, no way, no how, and forever.

[Read more…] about Jacked Up: N D A

So there you are, struggling to figure out a place to record, a place to set up your first studio!

Try this: keep it simple. If you have a carpeted walk-in closet, golden! Is it full of clothes? PERFECT. Leave them there. Don’t empty the closet! [Read more…] about Jacked Up: Simple is best

Free tips.

The internet is awash in information. Some of it is great, some of it is, well, flushable.

But among all the noise there are some gems. And there’s a host of free information for voiceover that can augment your VO education. [Read more…] about Jacked Up: Free Stuff

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Wikipedia says this proverb came either from Joseph P. Kennedy (President Kennedy’s father) or the Notre Dame coach, Knute Rockne. It’s all about standing tough, manning up, and all that GI Joe kind of thinking. [Read more…] about Jacked Up: Breaths, clicks, and OCD: When NOT to DIY (Do It Yourself)

A voiceover career is primarily a creative enterprise. You get to walk into a small room, talk to a microphone like it’s your best friend, record that sound, maybe edit it (and other audio engineering tasks), become a master of your computer, the internet and social media, market yourself online and at conferences, have a “so what do you do?” elevator speech…all sorts of cool stuff, right?
[Read more…] about OK, It’s a Business. So Now What?

One of the things about VO is that nobody’s experience (AKA “the journey”) is quite the same as anybody else’s. Two people can sign up at the same pay-to-play site, for example, put up essentially similar demos, and do everything like each other, and one will succeed and the other won’t book anything.

Each voice resonates with each client in a unique way, often having more to do with the client’s current situation than the talent’s. That said, the trick in VO is figuring what piece of the advice you get from a given voice actor actually makes sense for you.
[Read more…] about Jacked Up: Advice on Advice

A question came up in a recent audiobook class about pseudonyms, and whether you need them in other areas of voiceover.

The short answer is no. You generally don’t need a pseudonym for elearning or commercials.
[Read more…] about Jacked Up: What’s in a Name?

When my two sons were in high school, I had a rule: Tell me where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Call me BEFORE you’re late.

In any business, clients can’t read the minds of those they hire. But they do judge behavior. If you’re friendly, easy to work with, knowledgeable, and reliable, then repeat business is in the cards. [Read more…] about Jacked Up: Deliver on Your Promises by Communicating

Mistakes

Most of us can’t remember what it was like when as babies, we learned to walk. In fact, research has found we can’t remember much about life before age 3. That’s probably a good thing.

There’s a lot of hard-knocks learning going on in those years. Wobble a step or two and crash. Reach for something shiny. Crash. Oops, my pants! Reboot. Nap. Ouch, my new teeth! I want to eat NOW!!!

So, welcome to the baby-step time for your VO career. Read two lines, muff a word, crash. Grab the mic, ooops, sorry. Cough into the mic, deafen the engineer and sicken your colleagues—oops, sorry. [Read more…] about Jacked up: Talk and Tips