Voices.com - Voice Over Blog

New Vox Daily Blog, Ready for You!

2006-06-23T14:14:00.001-04:00

Greetings,

We have some exciting news to share with you!

As of today, our blog is now hosted on Voices.com!!!!

This is the last post I'll be making on our Blogger blog.

Let me tell you, we've started some great relationships here and will continue to build our community at Voices.com.

The new blog is in many ways bigger and better.

For instance, you'll be able to read articles organized in categories and have a keyword search tool available to you to find topics that are of the utmost interest to you :)

It is also easier to comment on the new blog, so if you ever hesitated on this blog to share your opinion because of technical issues, you'll be able to post your thoughts as freely as they flow.

To continue reading and participating, click here.

You are going to love it!

Cheers,

Stephanie, David, Carol and Laurynda

P.S. All of the posts from this blog have been moved to Vox Daily, along with the comments for each respective post. It's easier to leave comments at Vox Daily too!

Audio Book Narration, Voice Actor Interview with Janis Panizza

2006-06-21T10:31:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

Yesterday, I interviewed Janis Panizza, who recently launched her new website and recorded an audio book entitled The Dark Twin, written by Marion Campbell.

Campbell's novel, a Celtic tale set in 500 B.C., is comparable to a primitive version of Tristan and Isolde, a breathtaking story of love, irony, and tragedy which is regarded (thanks in part to the recent film starring James Franco, Sophia Myles, and Rufus Sewell) as a precursor to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

When corresponding with Janis, I asked her a few questions about why she decided to record this particular book, her experiences while recording, and if there were any challenges along the way. I'm pleased to present her experiences to you in her own words.

Janis Panizza: The book by Marion Campbell is amazing, to begin with. I first heard of it in college through a friend who had been in the Edinbugh Arts Festival, had stayed in the Campbell's castle while there, and brought the book back with him.

I contracted the rights to record it and potentially her other titles. The Campbell clan has lived in their castle for over 200 years where the book was written. She claims to have 'caught' the story, as it flew by her, so fitting with the mystic atmosphere of the story, with references back to Celtic times.

This was my first audiobook. I recorded it in Mexico. I was coached by the street musicians and studios to bring out the full depth of feeling in the story. They helped bring out the qualities in my voice, expressive and ethereal, that express the story. I recorded many times 'til I got what I wanted.

The result is something that I believe is a new classic that will stand the test of time. I am told that the audio book has surpassed the original, bringing it to a new level.

When I finished, I returned to the states, where I registered Aire Craft Audio as a business with the intent to record more audiobooks and present online. I'm looking for retail distributors right now for a CD/DVD version.

There's a huge curiosity about this subject now. People need something besides 'stuff' in their lives, and are drawn to spiritual themes. This one is interwoven with historic adventure and romance.

To read the authors personal notes about the book, click here.

Best,

Stephanie

Cover Art courtesy of Janis Panizza

Trade Links with Voices.com!

2006-06-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

We are inviting you to trade links with us!

Why should you trade links with Voices.com?

Your website will rank higher (link popularity)
You'll be linked from the most trafficked voice industry website
You'll save the voice industry, one link at a time

Why do we say "You'll save the voice industry"? Well, the answer is two-fold and chock full of benefits.

Firstly, linking to us will recognize Voices.com as the undisputed authority in the voice industry, enabling us to educate more clients for you, leading to more job opportunities as a direct result!

The second half to this equation is: the more links there are to Voices.com, the higher our website will rank in the search engine results, bringing more clients to post jobs and contact you directly for work. These clients will also be educated and eager to work with you on professional terms.

Increased visibility and relevancy is key to educating clients, and with your help, there will be no question about where they will go to get their voice work recorded.

To exchange links with Voices.com, click here.

With your support, the possibilities for the voice industry are endless.

To mutual success!

Stephanie and the Voices.com Team

Still Nice Folks in Voiceovers

2006-06-20T10:21:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

This morning, we received an email from Dave Christi directing us to a great post he made on his blog.

To quote him, “Hey! Voiceover people are NICE PEOPLE”.

What he says is true. Working with you is a joy and a privilege.

Take care,

Stephanie, David, Carol and Laurynda

Unlimited Auditions - Period.

2006-06-19T11:36:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

I've been hearing some interesting things through the grapevine, and I thought I'd share some good news with those of you concerned about 'limited auditions' with other services:

We (Voices.com) DO NOT limit your ability to audition.

That concept is counterproductive, not to mention undemocratic. It would rob you of the opportunities that you deserve as a member of our service. It would also rob clients of the opportunity to hear you, potentially the perfect voice for their project, which could in essence, rob them of their signature company voice (that being you).

As you have experienced with us, our company provides more than just job leads. Our customer service is #1 in the industry and we believe in people, not numbers.

Your membership fee at our site (no hidden fees!) includes prompt, cheerful and helpful customer service, additional opportunities to be featured, community involvement, superior tools to market your voice and to be clear, the ability to apply for jobs that match your preferences (and also meet your moral and financial standards - a no compromise, win-win!)

Something that we take great comfort in is the fact that InteractiveVoices (soon to be Voices.com) has always been transparent in our business operations. We place more emphasis on our relationships with our customers than on sealing the deal. Trust is a key ingredient to help develop healthy and mutually successful business relationships.

We're a member of the Better Business Bureau and the TechAlliance, along with a number of other reputable organizations. We run our company based upon Christian morals and are not afraid to stand up for what we believe in.

We are not about numbers or 'audition credits' - those things will pass away.

What we're excited about is investing in people and giving you opportunities to grow, participate, and succeed.

All of us are a team, a community, and stand united upon the rock. We are Voices.com.

Sincerely,

Stephanie

Words of Wisdom: Choosing a Business Partner

2006-06-16T17:27:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

When it comes to choosing a business partner, it's very similar to getting married.

This week, we were interviewed by Sean Wise, the Managing Director of Wise Mentor Capital, a national venture capital consultancy focusing on bridging the gap between entrepreneurs and capital, and a columnist for the Globe and Mail in Toronto.

Sean asked us if we could share our thoughts with him about choosing a business co-founder and how it relates to marriage (David Ciccarelli and I are married to each other).

We shared the following:

"A co-founder needs to be a good communicator, a person with whom you have synergy, and a friend. A healthy business partnership is comparable to a marriage, built on a solid foundation of trust, respect, and understanding. When two complementary business people come together to form a company, guided by the same vision and values, they are at the very heart of their corporate family, and nurture the business as parents would their children."

Here's a link to a fabulous article that may help you in your quest, complete with pearls of wisdom from Sean Wise.

Marriages between voice actors and audio engineers are quite frequent, and it's not uncommon to hear of voice actors marrying other voice actors!

If you are among that number and are business partners with your spouse, please leave a comment.

Cheers,

Stephanie Ciccarelli

No Hidden Fees at InteractiveVoices!!!

2006-06-16T10:46:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

It's the middle of June... It's hotter outside, the days are getting longer, and voice-over jobs are abundantly flowing at InteractiveVoices!

Need something to Spice Up your Summer?

We'd like to extend this special offer to you - it's good until the end of June (that's Friday June 30th, 2006).

Here's the offer:

Upgrade as a Premium or Preferred member by June 30, 2006 and receive:

A three (3) month extension on your membership
Two (2) additional Featured Talent Categories
The recently updated 150 page “Definitive Guide to Voice-Over Success”

How does that sound to you?

If you have any questions or prefer to speak in person, you can give us a call toll-free at 1-888-359-3472.

If it's easier for you, login to your account and upgrade your InteractiveVoices membership online.

To be absolutely clear... There are NO HIDDEN FEES!

There's no better time to join the winning team of professional voice actors at InteractiveVoices!

We're looking forward to serving you.

Best wishes,

Stephanie, David, Carol and Laurynda :)

P.S. If you upgrade TODAY (June 16th), we'll include a copy of the Voice Over Script Collection with your package, free of charge!

The Important Role of Orators

2006-06-15T16:53:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

If you've ever been to an awards ceremony, a convocation, or a symposium, you've likely heard orators, that is, live announcers at events.

Yesterday, I had one such privilege participating in the 286th Convocation at the University of Western Ontario, graduating with a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree from the Don Wright Faculty of Music. The faculties of Engineering and Graduate Studies were also present.

The keynote speaker was Don Smith, founder of EllisDon, one of the most successful building firms in the world. He was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws for contributions made to his community of London and also to the world, giving us wonderful gathering places including the Skydome in Toronto, now the Rogers Centre, to name one.

One orator who stands out is Theodore (Ted) Baerg, a baritone and voice instructor at the Don Wright Faculty of Music. It was actually Ted Baerg who was on my audition jury with Dr. Alvin Reimer several years ago.

Needless to say, having someone of Theodore Baerg's calibre announcing your name in front of thousands of people is a real treat. Professor Richard Semmens (Music History) and Professor Baerg (Performance) both confirmed the pronunciation of Ciccarelli (in Canada, the "C"s are pronounced like the letter "S" - same pronunciation as former NHL hockey player Dino Ciccarelli's name) and also ensured that every graduates name from the Faculty of Music, no matter how difficult to pronounce, was given its proper due with elegant diction.

I was surprised with a handshake from the President of UWO, Dr. Paul Davenport, enroute to the conferring of my degree by Dr. John Doerksen, which was indeed something special and memorable.

I wanted to be sure to get a blog post out to you yesterday before I graduated, and thought that this (today's post) would be a good opportunity to talk about orators and also share a bit more about who I am with you.

Many voice actors start in the field of music and musical theatre. It is in the performing arts that the passion for what you do is realized and developed.

If you can relate to that statement, leave a comment and mention the schools you attended.

Cheers,

Stephanie Ciccarelli, Bachelor of Musical Arts

Photograph courtesy of David Ciccarelli, portrait of Stephanie with her mother, Brenda.

Voice Acting: Physical Disabilities are No Obstacle

2006-06-14T10:37:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

Yesterday I read an inspirational article at onMilwaukee.com about an actor named Robert David Hall.

Currently, Robert is best known for his work as the coroner, Dr. Albert Robbins, on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", but in the past, it was his voice we all knew best as a voice actor on the cartoon series, "GI Joe" along with a host of radio commercials and cartoon voice-over work.

In 1978, he was involved in an automobile accident, suffering the weight of an 18-wheel truck, crushing his car and resulting in the loss of both his legs. He now has two prosthetic legs.

Robert David Hall did not let his physical disability ruin his dreams.

“Just because I’m a person with a disability, that shouldn’t limit me,” he says.

To read the full article, click here.

Have you overcome physical disabilities as a voice actor?

Leave a comment on the blog!

Stephanie

Do you Charge for Revisions?

2006-06-13T13:43:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

If you've been in the business for a while, you are probably familiar with revisions.

A revision, when pertaining to voice-overs, is an alteration made to an existing recording, whether it be slight or significant.

Usually, ongoing revisions are made to recordings that are meant for long-term use, such as telephone systems, but revisions can also be made to ensure customer satisfaction when recording commercials or work that will not need revision in the future.

The request for changes or revisions is inevitable when you are working with organizations for long periods of time, particularly if you have recorded their telephone system.

Clients of yours may return to you months after the original recording and need an extension changed, a new greeting, an employees name added to the list, or updated on-hold messaging. After all, you are the voice of their company and they need you (and your signature voice) to grow with the company.

Some talent do revisions as value-added services while others charge for each subsequent revision. It would be interesting to know your philosophy on this.

Do you charge for revisions or provide bonus revisions for loyal customers?

Have your say and leave a comment on the blog :)

Looking forward to this conversation!

Stephanie

Summer Internships: Voice-overs in Delhi

2006-06-12T13:20:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

The Hindustan Times had an interesting article about what their trendy teens are up to this summer.

Instead of working 'summer' jobs, many college students are pursuing internships in career fields, including voice-overs as an initiative by Delhi University colleges to help students gain hands on experience called add-on courses.

“Internships are part of our add-on courses like journalism. Students of other short-term courses like advertising and banking also visit advertising agencies and banks to see people in action,” said Meera Ramchandran, principal, Gargi College.

“The students may or may not get stipend for these internships but they do get experience in these organisations,” she said. “Most of our students do summer jobs such as voice-overs and editing.

Well, there you have it!

Do you know of other 'add-on' educational summer internship programs for broadcast and voice-overs like the opportunities mentioned in India?

Have you participated in a voice-over internship or do you coordinate one?

Leave a comment on the blog!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Celebrity Voices Ltd Partners with Talking Time Keeper

2006-06-12T10:37:00.000-04:00

Celebrity Voices Ltd Partners with Talking Time Keeper

Stuart Smith, celebrity voice impressionist, has recently partnered with Talking Time Keepers to provide celebrity voices for their software program.

InteractiveVoices Press, June 12, 2006 - Toronto, Canada - Are You Talking To Me! Many people know those are the words of the great Robert De Niro. Now these words are quite literally talking to you, on your PC.

Celebrity Voices Ltd, a company based in London, UK has teamed up with Talking Time Keeper, a great software program that tells you the time and much more. Imagine having Robert De Niro as your timekeeper, Simon Cowell of American Idol fame, or even Ozzy.

These are all of course impressions from the director of Celebrity Voices, Stuart Smith.

Stuart says “We are delighted to have found such a wonderful simple piece of software that enables customers to use our wide range of voices.” Stuart, the voice behind the Talking Parking Meters goes on to add “The software is already very popular with over 160,000 downloads and we hope our voices add something a little different to an already popular product.”

What Is Talking Time Keeper?

Mark Judge the owner of Talking Time Keeper explains “TTK is a program encompassing a wide range of useful time and date related features. As the name suggests, TTK also has the ability to use built in real life sampled voices, both male and female to tell you the time and/or date, either at the click of a button, or at specified intervals.

"Of course you can use Celebrity Voices as the Time Keeper, imagine Ozzy telling you the time in his very own way. TTK is not lacking in the visual department either, with its beautiful state-of-the-art animated interface. You also have the option of downloading extra skins for TTK's interface, or even build your own.”

For more information on the two products please visit the websites for further details. Stuart Smith the owner of Celebrity Voices who also performs all of the voices can be contacted on the below numbers.

Contact: Stuart Smith
Tel: 0870 8034061 Mob 07875 485635
Email: press (at) celebrityvoices.co.uk
URL: www.celebrityvoices.co.uk
URL: www.talkingtimekeeper.com

Browser Compatibility Testing - We Need Your Help

2006-06-10T20:31:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned a few times already, we'll be launching the new Voices.com website in the coming months.

We thought this would be the ideal time to freshen up the look and feel of the website, but more importantly ensure that the site adheres to W3C Standards. This means that Voices.com will display well on any Internet browser, even on old-school Netscape browers, text-based browsers, screen readers and text-readers for those who are sight impaired.

Over the past week, David has been developing a new graphical interface for the new homepage as well as numerous other pages that will govern the overall look and feel of Voices.com

The current Interactive Voices homepage in Apple's Safari browser

The new Voices.com homepage

It would wonderful to have some initial feedback. Please leave a comment with your computer type, browser application ( Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape, Safari etc...) , screen size (600x800) and if you think everything looks good to you.

Here's an example: Mac, Firefox 1.5, 1280x720 - Thumbs up here in Toronto!

Your observations, suggestions and other comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Stephanie

Watermarks in Custom Demos

2006-06-09T16:46:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

This week, I thought it would be apropos to write about watermarks and why you as voice talents may use them in your custom demos for clients.

A "watermark" is basically a sound logo or sound effect used to protect your work. These can be used at the beginning, throughout or at the end of a demo.

Some talent employ different techniques when protecting their work, including:

Watermarks
Script Alterations
Strategically Placed Sound Effects

The concept of watermarking is a grey area for many people, including clients looking to hire voice actors.

I wrote an article in the client blog earlier this week introducing demo protection techniques, explaining what they are, why they are used, and positive ways that they can embrace these as professional precautions instead of annoying blips and alterations to their script.

Click here to read the demo protection article on the Client Blog.

You can download watermarks and sound logos at InteractiveVoices to help protect your work.

Click here to download watermarks and sound logos (you'll find music too!).

Always here to help :)

Have a great weekend,

Stephanie

Oakfields College Voice-over Artistry Programme

2006-06-08T12:16:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

Business is all about relationships, and relationships are all about people.

I was fortunate to meet Nicole Finney, one of the founders of Oakfields College, based in Pretoria, South Africa. Oakfields offers students a range of diplomas and certificates including TV and Radio Presenting and Voice-over Artistry.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce Oakfields College to you and share more about their academic institution.

Oakfields College programmes provide students with the skills needed to become professional presenters and focus on building confidence, understanding the dynamics of dialogue and acquiring techniques for conducting themselves professionally in a business situation.

All courses are run by practicing voice-over artists with extensive hands-on experience both in South Africa and abroad.

The extremely practical and hands-on programme content has been designed by Mariette Engelin of CVT Academy. Mariette is renowned in the South African broadcasting industry.

“Practice, practice and more practice” is Mariette’s motto. The students are given a thorough grounding in the essentials of radio & TV presenting, voice-overs for advertisements or videos as well as public speaking & speechcraft.”

Students are introduced to the techniques that experienced and professional voice-over artists continuously use, rely on and are well trained in. Among the various techniques covered in this course are presenting live in front of a camera and recording in studios for advertisements and or audio visuals.

As you have read, Oakfields College is a great place for students to pursue both professional and personal excellence.

Thank you for reading!

Cheers,

Stephanie

"Angels" Sing His Praise and Perform Voice-overs

2006-06-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

The gift of gab often goes along with the gift of song, as is evident in the An-Jo Angels choral sextet based in Lockport, New York.

I found this story at the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, an article written by Bill Wolcott. It was especially appealing to me as a music minister and cantor.

The Angels are comprised of six women, four of whom sing at St. Anthony’s and St. Joseph’s Masses, using their talents to serve others with their voices both through song at church and through broadcast commercial jingles and voice-overs.

The Angels are Michelle Farina and her daughter, Melissa Brown; Betty Jackson and her daughter, Emily Kearns; Paula Venne and Jean Morse.

According to the story in the Lockport Journal, the Rev. Joseph Rogliano, their former pastor, encouraged the formation of the Lockport group four years ago and christened the choir from the twinned Catholic parishes with its name, “Angels.” Each of the ladies sing solo as cantors three weekends and get together for Masses on the last weekend of the month.

The Angels have recorded a CD with the proceeds supporting the two churches. The Angels are also being considered a possibility to sign on with composer Vince Ambrosetti’s record company.

The Angels are accompanied by piano player Ken Kaufman, who is the Buffalo Sabres organist and also Michelle Farina’s husband. Kaufman and Farina are the musical directors. Kaufman has written hundreds of jingles, including “Tops never stops.”

The Angels sing mostly contemporary Christian, sacred music, well-known Catholic hymns and some secular music.

“We like to be liturgically correct and go along with the liturgy of week,” said Farina, who coordinates the songs with the priest each week. “Father Joe helped us get us going.”

As for recent jingle and voice-over work:

Current commercials include Brown doing, “Who do you love?” for Brian Michael Jewelers; Kearns is the voice for “Valu has everything you need.” Farina sings for the Kidney Car and Venne for Kenny Carpets.

“It’s so much fun. We really love it,” Farina said. “It’s a very talented group of girls. We enjoy each other socially. It’s a wonderful bond. We are so in tune with each other. It’s a natural thing for us.”

As mentioned above, the ladies all sing as cantors at their respective parishes. Cantors lead the music and serve the congregation though song, including hymns, singing the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and all sung parts of the Mass. “We have incredible parishioners who sing with us. We’re not there to perform, we’re there to invite,” Venne said.

The Angels rehearse their pieces twice a month, and more frequently if required. They are going to tour in August and sing with Ambrosetti in Valley Forge, Pa. Ambrosetti is a song writer who travels all over the world for Catholic ministry.

The Angels also sang at the Hurricane Katrina concert at the Palace Theatre and helped raised $22,000.

Way to go, ladies (and gentleman)!

Are you involved in your church or place of worship as a reader or a musician sharing your vocal gifts?

Leave a comment :)

Best wishes,

Stephanie

What's Hot in Black Hills & the South Dakota Badlands? Gregory Boeder Knows!

2006-06-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

If you're looking details on what's going on in Black Hills and the South Dakota Badlands, you need go no further than listen in to one of Gregory Boeder's live remote recordings!

I had the opportunity to catch up with Gregory Boeder via email about his live voice-overs and love of South Dakota. If I were going to the states to visit, my next trip would be to the roving reporters stomping grounds, head down to the Black Hills and maybe dig me up a dinosaur in the Badlands.

Gregory is a freelance audio reporter with a background in broadcast radio, able to deliver audio and imagery to stations covering events and happenings in Black Hills and the Badlands.

He prides himself as being a field reporter, and is happy to work with radio stations and other companies seeking content.

Although you'd think he always lived in South Dakota, truth be known that he moved out here:

"I fell in love with the Black Hills when my family first came here on vacation when I was 11 years old....and when I moved here 12 years ago.....it felt like home even before I unpacked my rental truck!"

As his love affair with the state grew, so did his passion to spread the word about his adopted home to people near and far, often leading to memorable summer vacations.

Here's just a snippet of Gregory's reporting style:

These hills are so rich in history. Many don't know that this is the center of the universe for most Native American cultures and are considered to be so sacred to them, that before the mid-late 1800's natives would only enter the Black Hills to pray, sometimes for days at a time.

It's a very spiritual place, as some say, and has a healing effect on many of those who come here. Hot Springs is a popular destination in the southern hills.

With winding roads through the 100 square miles of Ponderosa Pines here, it's a pleasure to explore... Whether you're on a two wheeler motorcycle or mountain bike, or a fully loaded RV!

The Black Hills actually pre-date the Rocky Mountains and are home to many active geological digs, including The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, which was featured on The Discovery Channel's "Raising The Mammoth." Remember "Sue" the T-Rex that was discovered here and sent to a museum in Chicago after being auctioned at Sotheby's?

I have digital photography equipment so for those who can accomodate, I could sent pics of where we are too. Plus I always travel with my partner "Bear" who is a wolfdog I rescued when he was only 1 year old.

Remember "TWO SOCKS" from the Kevin Costner movie "Dances With Wolves"? That was shot out here. Also, the Ford Motor Company maintains a ranch of free roaming mustangs here which is a huge attraction as well.

Another attraction that comes to mind is Bear Country, a unique drive-thru wildlife park that features over 100 bears roaming free along with wolves and wild cats.

There's a Reptile Gardens next door, which has many 'up close and personal' shows that teach us about everything from crocs and alligators to eagles and falcons in their 'birds of prey show.' They are also the ONLY private establishment in the world to house the ultra rare Komodo Dragons!

There's even an 1880 Train that takes you on the original railroad from Hill City to Keystone....and dozens of little 'bed & breakfast' type homes scattered throughout the hills.

It's hard to imagine a better place to plan a vacation, no matter where you're from, or what your cultural background is.

The weather right now is perfect, but we always experience a few surprises, even in the summertime. I remember once going on the short 40 minute drive through the awesome Spearfish Canyon and experiencing everything from sunshine to rain and thundershowers to a small snow shower - all in the middle of summer. And fall here is incredible too!

We are one of the most popular destinations for Summer travelers. Mt Rushmore will have a HUGE fireworks display on the 4th of July!
Also, families can visit the Crazy Horse Memorial which is BIGGER than Mt Rushmore with several blasts celebrated all year long, and the annual Sturgis Bike Rally in August which draws in about 1,000,000 people from all over the world to a town of about 5,000 the rest of the year.

This huge event runs ten days starting Aug 4th and features many top headliner bands at several venues every night!

Gregory will be sending in reports over the summer from the Black Hills and the South Dakota Badlands, so keep your eye out!

Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. If you are a freelance roving reporter, whether audio or audio / video (a podcast would be great), email me and we'll ensure that your voice and news is heard on the blog!

World Cup Fever: Germany 2006

2006-06-05T13:35:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

A whiff of patriotism may have zoomed by your nose, particularly if you are a fan of Soccer, or as most of the world refers to it, the game of Football.

World Cup 2006 is being hosted in Germany this year, but in truth, the World Cup affects people all over the world regardless of language, nationality, and location.

Because football is one of the uniting global passions, I thought it would be a great idea to give you the opportunity to let us know which countries you are from and the teams you are supporting.

I am extremely excited to get to know more of you, hearing from our International as well as North American readers.

Brian Noe referred me to a podcast / blog that one of his friends is involved with.

Click here to read the blog (contributed to by six American soccer bloggers) and listen to the podcast.

In the spirit of the World Cup, leave a comment on the blog and mention the country you are from!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

P.S. If you are announcing at any of these games, whether it be live on the field or giving the news updates, I'd love to hear from you too. Comment on the blog and if applicable, share the stations that your matches will be covered on.

Ron Harper Voices Support for Voices!

2006-06-02T10:50:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

The great buzz adventure has begun!

One of the first talent to show blogging support was Ron Harper, a talented voice-over professional and a phenomenal person to work with.

I'd like to share a bit more with you about Ron Harper, but in his own words :)

"My Mom was on a radio quiz show when she was pregnant with me, so I guess that was my first exposure to radio. We moved around a lot when I was growing up, but landed for the most part in Texas. I played around with tape recorders and wrote stories from about the age of ten, and now I'm doing the same thing for a living...although the tape recorders have been replaced by computers."

Ron is also the Creative Services Director for Cumulus Cincinnati, and has a daily syndicated feature "BeatleBreak" on about seven stations around the country.

Thank you Ron for your support!

Stephanie

Bob Souer says "A Change, the Good Kind, Is Coming"

2006-06-02T10:39:00.000-04:00

Greetings to you on this lovely Friday!

Bob Souer, whom I have mentioned on the blog before (re: covering Utah voice talent article), has just shown us some more support via his Boblog, twice!

Bob writes radio announcements; some of which are even a little clever at times. Bob is someone who can bring the message and the story that is wonderfully and uniquely yours, to life.

Voices.com is quickly on it's way to being a household word, and we encourage you to start spreading the news to your friends and family!

Thanks Bob, we really appreciate it :)

Best wishes,

Stephanie

On Location Radio: An Encounter of the Broadcast Kind

2006-06-01T17:10:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

This afternoon, I happened to cross paths with a few on location radio personalities in our fair city of London, Ontario Canada.

What tipped me off that they were from the world of radio? Well, their promotional vehicles, of course!

I met Diann from Energy 103.1 FM (FreshFM) and Ryan from London's Best Rock, FM 96 live on location at the Dream of a Lifetime Home on Redtail Trail.

Diann's cruiser was a Mercedes Benz SMART Car (nice to see that FreshFM is being sustainable). Diann will be cruising around London and the surrounding area throughout the summer in the SMART car, broadcasting live from events.

Ryan was driving the Subway Subs London Kia Sportage. Ryan too will be broadcasting on location throughout the lazy, hazy (and humid) days of summer at various hot spots in London and area.

There was another station there, but the personality was in their car doing a voice-over when I caught up with Ryan and Diann. Maybe next time!

Of course, I took the opportunity to ask if they recorded voice-overs.

Upon affirmative replies, I gave them each a business card and promptly shared information about our future name change, Voices.com which was received with a mixture of awe and excitement.

Our conversations were brief due to on location voice-overs being recorded live from their cruisers, but it was a pleasure to meet radio personalities in person and be able to share what we do with them.

At that point, I realized that they hadn't heard of us before I introduced myself. What's kind of interesting is that most people in broadcast don't know that online marketplaces and services such as ours exist!

A few months ago, I met Todd from A-Channel in London, and he didn't know about us, or about the concept for that matter, either.

"We've got to do something about this!" I thought. Well, you know me, always thinking up something to do :) I'll hit on that in a future post.

Back to the program:

Are you an on location reporter for a radio station?

Leave a comment and a shout out to your audience!

Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. While you're at it, tell a few of your colleagues about Voices.com :)

Michael Turnbull, Wins Great Voice Company's Voiceover Actor of the Year!

2006-05-31T10:10:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

I recently touched base with this years winner of the Great Voice Company's Voiceover Actor of the Year, Michael Turnbull.

I've known Michael now for a couple of years, even though he resides in Juno Beach and we're (Voices.com) up here in London, Canada. The beauty of the Internet :)

Michael discovered his vocal talents after an early retirement at the age of 52 and was eager to start working for himself, embarking on a new career in voice-overs.

He has been studying the art of voice acting since 2003, and commenced his vocal education at The Great Voice Company with Susan Berkley.

The Great Voice Company, located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, is a voiceover academy founded by Susan Berkley in 1987. Susan's institute focuses on helping public speakers improve their vocal presentations and also trains voice actors.

As a part of Michael's prize, he received a monetary award, some gift certificates to audio stores to purchase equipment and five training sessions.

An article was written about Michael by a community newspaper based out of Fort Pierce, Florida called Hometown News following his award. If you have a couple of minutes, I invite you to read the feature article.

To read the article, click on this link.

Congratulations Michael!

All the best,

Stephanie

Changing our Name to Voices.com!

2006-05-30T11:15:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

Last week, I alluded to the fact that something exciting was going to happen, and now that the long weekend has passed, it's time to start spreading the word.

InteractiveVoices is changing our name. We're going to be Voices.com!

In the spirit of this future change, let's take a look at our past:

Established in 2004 as a voice-over marketplace (InteractiveVoices.com), our roots run deep in the audio recording business, originally founded as a recording and production studio in the year 2000.

A combination of industry expertise, marketing, and education has nurtured and secured the foundation of Voices.com.

I thought I'd share our mission statement with you as noted on the Voices.com website.

As the largest database of voices online, Voices.com sets out to achieve the following:

1. Make it easy to find voices regardless of language, location, and voice type.

2. Give everyone who uses their voice professionally the ability to be found and heard online.

3. Create a living database of every voice type and language in the world.

4. Be the definitive news source for reporters, journalists and bloggers.

5. Provide talent career guidance and the tools to conduct business online.

You will all be pleased to know that many aspects of the current service you receive will remain the same, including our management team, mailing address, and toll-free telephone number.

We will soon have a different name, and to put it bluntly, a much better name!

What's changed so far?

Here's one:

The new logo, as you can see, is strikingly similar to the current InteractiveVoices logo.

In addition to a new name, Voices.com will receive an updated look and feel, which will prove comfortable and familiar to you. Several new features are in the works at Voices.com, many of which were requested by you, our customers.

Early feedback from the business community has been contagiously positive, generating buzz from all angles and spreading like wild fire.

Why are we changing our name?

Company CEO, David Ciccarelli says, "Voices.com is a name that encompasses the entire industry, dropping the interactive media connotation, opening more doors to our customers. Voices.com is short, obvious, descriptive, and memorable.”

I couldn't have said it better myself :)

If you want to help spread the word, blog about this and or link to the new Voices.com website.

The official launch is September 2006.

Cheers!

Stephanie

Mel Blanc: Man of a Thousand Voices

2006-05-30T09:53:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

If Mel Blanc were still with us today, he'd be 98 years old :)

Mel Blanc was and continues to be one of the most influential character voice actors inspiring voice actors everywhere.

Mel found his niche as a character voice actor and was a glistening gem in the Hollywood Golden Age of animated cartoons.

Working with Warner Brothers, starting out in 1936, Mel voiced infamous characters such as Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and many others.

His natural voice was that of Sylvester the cat but without the lispy spray for the Hanna Barbera studios during his career with their company in the 1960s. Who could forget the line "Suffering Succotash"?!

Did you know that Mel was the voice of Barney Rubble on the Flintstones and Mr. Spacely on The Jetsons, too?

If you'd like to read a really great mini biography about Mel Blanc and his creative achievements, click on this link.

You'll find out tidbits about his life and learn interesting trivia about Mel Blanc, including the ironic fact that he was allergic to raw carrots!

"That's All Folks!"

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Melvin Jerome Blanc (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989)

P.S. Do you have a favorite Mel Blanc character voice? Leave a comment!

Saving the Voice-over Industry: Will you Help?

2006-05-29T14:10:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

Do you know the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" I sat down and thought about it and found the statement and the concept to be absolute silliness.

You can always improve upon something, whether it be an outlook on life, a voice-over demo, or business practices.

After a bit of pondering, I was inspired to write about the health and future prosperity of the voice-over trade, particularly online.

Finding voices has become simplified for businesses to a formidable degree, and posting voice-over jobs has streamlined the voice seeking process even further.

That being said, it is just as easy for people to undermine noble processes established to protect both business clients and professional voice actors.

Did you know that there are websites out there that are just trying to make a quick buck off of you?

It's probably not a shock to some of you, as you may have visited sites that seem to 'run themselves' and do not disclose contact information about the company and support team.

These leech-like sites bubble up from time to time, are found out, and with some muscle are extinguished by the voice-over community.

As a company that is working night and day to preserve a thriving and healthy voice-over marketplace, with an emphasis on properly serving and educating clients while equipping talent with business tools, resources and personalized support, I felt like I needed to say something about this issue!

This brainstorm also gave me a greater respect for the unions and all that they do to ensure that voice actor rights are protected, their fundamental needs met, and their work acknowledged.

My thoughts are these:

If talent thoroughly researched online companies, including the management team and access to genuine and useful human support, they would not waste their time on faceless, nameless voice-over sites whose only aim is to profit from your career and mislead clients, telling them that they will get voice-overs for the cheapest prices anywhere... Obviously, they do not intend to help you succeed.

The likelihood of getting burned by someone trying to cash in on your voice would be diminished or even eliminated if a little research is pursued.

How would this goal be reached?

It's simple. Talent would stop joining such listing sites and others who are already registered would have their details or profiles removed.

What would happen?

Those sites would fold due to lack of funding, participation, and traffic. Respect for our industry would be restored on several significant fronts once this is achieved.

How long would this take?

Everything takes time, especially something of these proportions. Education is key and actions speak louder than words. This needs to be a worldwide effort.

Who is responsible for this?

It needs to start with you, the voice talents and voice actors. Voice talent need to become aware of shady business operations and not fall prey to them.

Some voice professionals also need to realize their worth and charge appropriate rates for their work, not let websites that have no stake in their livelihoods dictate their fees.

Some Criteria to Look for when Evaluating a Web Service:

Can you contact the owners or support staff by phone?
Are there names on the site that you can reference if you need assistance?
Is there a company section or history of the company that you can check?
Is there a mission statement? What are they up to?
Do you feel comfortable being associated with the website?
Is there any evidence of effort being put in by the owners to help you find work?
Do all of the features of the website work? i.e. Does your demo play when clicked on?
Are there testimonials on the site from people that you can contact directly?
Does the site look thrown together, is the grammar poor, are there any spelling mistakes?

InteractiveVoices has always listened to your feedback, implemented changes and features that were requested, and continues to be exclusively dedicated to the voice-over industry and those whom we have the privilege to serve.

In other words, we're here for the long haul and are looking forward to ushering in a new era of voice-overs with you.

Will you join the fight? Stand up for the voice-over industry with us!

Cheers,

Stephanie