Freelance | Dave Courvoisier's Blog

Quick 2012 Business Survey

December 28, 2011 By CourVO Leave a Comment

This week, I’m entertaining relatives, enjoying all my daughters being home, and NOT working my TV job.

What I’m clearly seeing, though, is that the freelance VO job is a juggernaut that CANNOT be relegated to “back-burner” status — even (and especially) during the holidays.

I promised some days ago to post some thoughts about planning now for your upcoming successes in the new year, and came across this simple and brilliant survey that touches on a lot of the things we should all be thinking about. TechRepublic.com: What’s Your Outlook for 2012?

In addition, Tom Dheere is sharing some excellent (and specifically some VO) thoughts about preparing for 2012 on VoiceOverXtra…a wonderful follow-up to my post on the same site about tidying up a few things for 2011.

Also, if you have a couple more minutes, you might want to check out:

FreelanceFolder.com More Client Leads

Edelman Digital: Social Business Planning in 2012

Strategic Business Consulting: Business Planning Advice for 2012

CourVO

Filed Under: Business-end-of-things, Freelance Tagged With: 2012, business, business planning, Goals, looking ahead, VO, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, voices

StrongArming Stress

September 21, 2011 By CourVO 2 Comments

So funny that I got such a supportive response to yesterday’s blog about Caring for your Cords. By the end of the day Tuesday, I was coming down with a sore throat. Ack! (self-fulfilling prophecy?)

On top of that, I had a full load at the TV station, a ton of work to do in my VO studio, I’m trying to develop yet another cutting-edge resource on Social Media that is a total time-suck, I’m preparing for a flight Saturday to the Midwest, and I’ve got a new puppy peeing on the carpet everywhere!

STRESS!!!

Unbelievably one of my favorite freelance websites had just the solution: Freelance Folder.

In her excellent article: FREELANCING STRESS 3.0, Author Laura Spencer lays out today’s big stress generators, and provides 11 helpful links for understanding stress, dealing with stress, and not letting it defeat you — specifically for freelance VO’s like you.

Take a moment to read, and then….take a deep breath and tell yourself it’s gonna be alright!

CourVO

Filed Under: Advice, Freelance, Published Articles, Web Resources Tagged With: Freelance, freelancing, stress, VO, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover

Triple Appeal

August 26, 2010 By CourVO 2 Comments

Thanks to Twitter, I found out Peter O’Connell likes my idea of naming September National VoiceOver Month (hey, maybe we can get a legitimate movement going here!)…but more than that, I found on Twitter the same job listed on THREE different freelancer websites.

Don’t believe me?

Click: HERE. HERE. HERE.

…and yes, I think there’s still time to submit.

Who says you can’t find VO job leads in Social Media?

CourVO

Filed Under: Freelance Tagged With: Freelance, voice, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice over actor, voice over artist, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover talent

Do Lower Rates Mean More Clients?

June 16, 2010 By CourVO 2 Comments

Lately I’m identifying more with the title “freelancer” than voice-actor. As a business model, it’s probably a more honest and realistic approach. Most every other freelancer — be they web authors, CAD Designers, or still photographers – have to tackle the same challenges of running their own business.

As such, I love the website: FREELANCE FOLDER. The site has consistently great suggestions for handling generic freelance business issues.

So, to be clear, the above title comes from a blog article written by freelance author Laura Spencer. I hope she won’t mind that I send you there to read it. All the credit goes to her. I’m just the conduit. But please read it…this issue ALWAYS seems to garner attention among voice actors.

While I’m at it, let me lend a shameless plug for my LinkedIn VoiceOver group covering this very issue: SETTING VOICEOVER RATES. In no time, about 100 people have joined this group.

CourVO

Filed Under: Freelance Tagged With: Freelance, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover talent

A Question of Conscience

July 27, 2009 By CourVO Leave a Comment

cashman Marc Cashman distributed an e-mail late Monday that contains a response by an un-named friend in the VO biz to a growing concern about pricing, buyouts, expectations, and general questions about the worth of our work. Marc is an accomplished voice actor, and coach, and runs one of the most respected audio studios in the LA area. I don’t think he’d capriciously send this out.

Here’s Mar’c intro:

“I thought I’d share a letter from veteran voice actor and respected colleague who shall remain anonymous. Feel free to pass this on to your colleagues as well.”

His colleague’s written response is below the fold. I think there’s excellent food-for-thought for all of us in his words, whether we agree or not.

CourVO

New Freelance Job Site

March 11, 2009 By CourVO Leave a Comment

‘Just got a referral to a job-seeking / job-offering site.

It’s called VOIS, (Virtual Outsourcing Is Social) and is pronounced like “voice”. I don’t really see a category for voice-actors here, but there’s a smattering of jobs like that, so maybe eventually they’ll add that specialty.

You may have other talents that are represented here among their offerings, so it might be worth a look-see. Signing up is free, and at this site, you’d be a “seller” of services.

I know voice-actors who’ve gotten leads to good-paying, consistent clients from sites like this.

(2-19-11…this site appears to be down)

CourVO