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Archives for March 2017

Using Linkedin for Voice Over

March 20, 2017 by MaryMorgan

The internet is a treacherous playground, but it’s also fantastic and an absolute necessity for any business in general. And not only that, Voice Over work is more plentiful than ever because of ads, interactive games, industrials, web series, and so much more being broadcast online. It’s the perfect time to take advantage of pursuing VO work. You’ll most definitely need to make friends, build relationships and research, research, as well as research some more. By that I mean finding ways to connect with people if they don’t want to connect online (there are quite a few), so you’ll have to explore other ways to approach them without making them feel uneasy.

Now please understand that I make no guarantees whatsoever at having expertise in social media. I’m still learning the best ways to try and build connections. This means whatever worked for me may not work for you. So again, research, research and research some more. By the way, having an open mind wouldn’t hurt because EVERYONE has opinions and while you may not share them, it’s best not to antagonize others. It can backfire severely and never be forgotten. In the end, you’ll have to be the judge of what feels right for you.

Do you have profiles on Twitter? Facebook? Linkedin? Do you have a personal website? If yes, great. I’ll share some tips below on how to use them to your advantage. If not, I strongly advise that you create profiles for all the above. Social media is exhausting to keep up with and sometimes it REALLY sucks. But this is the age we live in. If you’re not keeping up with the times, you won’t get far.

So for this week’s post let’s start with Linkedin:

This is one of my favorites because I make it all about business. I strongly advise that you do the same. Warning: there’s a TON of research involved. Don’t use it as you would Facebook. I’m also picky with who can see my connections, because there are people out there who will use you for your contacts. And before you join any groups or connect with industry specialists, make sure your profile is as super-professional as possible. I recommend a good headshot for your profile pic and not something silly or the photo of a celebrity who isn’t you. My page isn’t perfect, but I have an honest picture of myself, some referrals, endorsements, links to other social media sites, and of course a website with links to my demos.

When your page looks good, find groups that interest you and try joining them. If you want to be in music join music-related groups and try connecting with musicians, composers, audio engineers, jingle producers, lyricists, etc. If you want to be in film then join film-and acting-related groups and then try connecting with producers, casting directors, production crew, screenwriters, etc. If you want to work in video games then find video game groups that focus on your area of interest (audio, programming, development, design, artwork, etc.), then try connecting with coders, designers, producers, creative directors, HR recruitment staff, and more. Now in voice over you have a plethora of choices when it comes to groups and even more choices with whom to try and connect with: audiobook companies/producers, animation companies/directors/producers, video game companies/directors/audio designers/sound designers/audio engineers, advertising agencies/creative directors, and yes there’s still more. Also, don’t limit yourself to one city, state, country or continent.

Voice Over is universal, so take advantage of opportunities to search for all the above at locations across the globe. Start with big cities. If you’re in Texas the cities would be Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and El Paso. If you’re in Louisiana then search New Orleans, Shreveport, Baton Rouge. If you’re in California (Lucky you!) then search the mother of all cities for entertainment: Los Angeles. Then search San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego.

Or if you’re wanting to focus on certain markets then you must research where the jobs are plentiful. For instance you’re based in the USA and want to focus on commercials, fortunately they’re everywhere, but think of places like New York City, Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Portland, Atlanta and so on. For audio books, the Audio Publishers Association is in New York, but audio book publishers are located on the East and West coasts. For narrations, primarily the East coast. For video games, the major cities would be Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, New York City and in Canada (Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto.) For animation, it’s most definitely Los Angeles, but also look in Atlanta, New York City, Austin and elsewhere. Thanks to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and more networks on the way, original animated series and animated movies will be on the rise.

But don’t forget to search other countries. I’ve worked with clients in Slovenia, Russia, and other locations. I have friends who have worked with clients in India, Ireland, South Africa, Dubai and beyond. Important note: dollar values will be different everywhere. Be prepared to negotiate.

After you’ve connected with someone, send a brief message saying “Thank You”, but personalize it so that you don’t end up looking like someone sending the same note to everybody. By personalizing, look at the person’s page, who they’ve worked with, their experience and then compliment them on their skills. Then end by saying something like, “Please keep in touch”, your name and a link to your website. DO NOT ask for a job. The goal is to connect and build relationships, not to beg. These are human beings with emotions like everyone else in the world, please be respectful of them.

On the subject of groups, you have more than a plethora of choices. Some will accept you, and some may not. As always, try not to take it as an insult. Give it time for people to get to know you on social media or in person at a workshop or convention.

Here are some general VO groups to join:
Voice Over Professionals
Global Online Voice-Over / Dubbing Artistes, Studios, Agencies
Voiceover Casting Directors and Agents
All Star Voices
International Voiceover Bank
Radio, Television Broadcast and Voice-over Professionals
Voice Over Talent Needed: VoiceoverTV.net
Social Media for Voice Actors
Voiceover Gigs
Voiceover Marketing Strategists
World-Voices Organizations

E-Learning:
eLearning Voice Over Group

Animation:
Animation Army
Animation, Media and Entertainment
Characters Engage
Character Voice Actors

Video Games:
People in Games
Game Audio

Gamevoices:
Video Game Voice Acting

There are many more groups. You could even type in animation, video games, e-learning, audiobooks, narration, promos or such when looking for groups to join. See what you find!

Filed Under: Voice Over Tagged With: audiobooks, commercials, groups, Knowledge, Learning, Linkedin, marketing, narrations, networking, presentation, profile, social media, Video Games, VO, Voice Acting, voice actor, voice actress, Voice Over, voice over career, voice over talent, voice over websites

What if you get sick or have a sore throat?

March 12, 2017 by MaryMorgan

Okay, first I apologize for not posting in a long time. I spent the last two months researching what kind of recording booth I wanted with StudioBricks. This kind of investment takes a long, long time because you want all the details in place: modifications, measurements, additional equipment, weighing the pros and cons, getting every bit of free advice you can gather, and more. This booth is the biggest investment I’ve ever made, everything HAS to be just right. If anyone wants to ask questions or read a possible future blog post about what I did to ensure that Studiobricks was the best decision please comment or message me.

A week after calling the manufacturer, and paying the deposit I got sick.

It’s going to happen. It always does.

As I typed this I was lying in bed with a massive sinus infection. It literally and I DO mean literally happens every year, always in March. Allergy season, eek!
And because I was coughing up junk every 45 minutes while my body adjusted to antibiotics (thank Heavens for after hours clinics!!!), I couldn’t record anything for three days. This meant missing auditions, lots of them. Who doesn’t hate missing auditions? But like I said, getting sick is going to happen. We’re human, not flawless.

While I lay coughing till my throat became numb, I realized this would make a good blog post about what to do when sick. Rest is essential, we all know that, but so is keeping your health in check you’re your mind stimulated. These are ideas, not solutions. I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on TV.

Health
Water, water, water. The doctor is sooooo right. Increase those fluids! No soft drinks, no alcohol (big no!!!), no milk, and no Gatorade, they don’t count. Juice is ok, but try to get natural without added sugars. Or if you have a juicer, raw juice from oranges and lemons.

Avoid dairy products, they make allergies worse. You can google it if you don’t believe me.

Soups are your best friend during those sick days. I know, I know, it’s not enjoyable as pizza or crispy fries or other comfort foods but you need to get well first. And avoid the creamy soups (clam chowder, potato soup, broccoli cheese, etc.). Stick with broths or vegetables. Hot is best for helping to drain the sinuses.

Stay clean
Wash your hands and shower with warm or hot water. I often don’t want to leave my bed but a hot shower does so much. I can breathe in the steam which can clear my nostrils. The hot water also numbs my achy limbs. If you’re sensitive to hot water than try a warm shower, or soak in a warm bath with Epsom salts which you can buy almost anywhere.

Advice from VO talent:
A number of colleagues shared the following info below when it comes to caring for a sore throat. Those that are bold are the ones I tried.

Gargling with hot water and salt. Don’t swallow! (Multiple VO talent swear by this and it worked for me too)
Boil fresh ginger (not powdered) with some tablespoons of honey and drink 4 times a day.
Buy a neti pot and keep it by your bed.
Chloraseptic spray
Throat coat products
Hot tea with lemon and honey
Homemade grapefruit juice

Mix 2 tablespoons of honey, the juice of one lemon and a cup of hot water before better (It helped me a good deal)

Honey and apple cider vinegar
Sage tea

Buy a humidifier (I got one)
Ginseng tea
Fish oil
Turmeric capsules
Garlic capsules

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with water every day (I tried this earlier. Not easy to swallow, but an hour later I felt soooo much better!)

And…. rest, rest, more rest and vocal rest.

When in doubt, ask your doctor!

When you start to feel better but can’t bring yourself to get in your studio to record just yet, what do you do to keep up with VO? Well there’s Twitter, Facebook, Google, Instagram and blogs on every topic from A to Z. But if you want to keep up with VO here are some great blogs and video series to check out:

VO Buzz Weekly (Interviews with top VO talent, top VO agents, top VO producers and much more!) – http://www.vobuzzweekly.com/

Whittam’s World (Awesome info on VO and recording technology)- http://www.edgestudiotechnology.com/whittam-s-world.html

Paul Strikwerda VO Blog (A GREAT source of information)- http://www.nethervoice.com 

Global Voice Academy (Classes, workshops, webinars, news) – http://www.globalvoiceacademy.com/

After a few days hopefully you’ll feel better, but take it easy for another day or two. Afterwards, take vitamin C, do some yoga or light exercise, vocal warm-ups and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER stop drinking water.

If you have ideas or thoughts to share regarding what works for you, please do so!

Filed Under: Voice Over Tagged With: Advice, allergy season, Breathing, coughing, getting sick, health, ideas, ill, repairing vocal damage., sick, solutions, sore throat, Vocal Health, Voice Over

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