Dave Courvoisier's Blog

Archive for the ‘Jus’ So You Know’ Category

More Twitter plunder. 

Alltop.  All the top news….get it?

The newsman in me appreciates aggregation news sites like this.  I believe this one was started by internet gadabout Guy Kawasaki.

Google news is good too, but not this good.  It's arranged into pages built around oodles of Alltop subjects.

Click HERE for the Alltop AUDIO page.  Lotsa great stuff.  Honestly.

CourVO

Fellow voice-actor Heather Costa shows up in an online article from the Flint, Michigan Journal stemming from a 2-hour voice over class she visited at an area High School. 

Click HERE.

Cool Heather!

CourVO

Six-and-a-half weeks till the end of the year.

Ouch! 

Being a procrastinator of a high order of the Melchizedek priesthood, those words STING.

But have you ever heard the admonition that if you publicly declare your intentions, the fear of the embarrassment, then, of not achieving said ballyhoo'd goals is motivation for actually DOING them?

Herewith, then, my list Voice-Acting goals before January 1st, 2009.

1)  Notify all clients who have outstanding invoices for work done before Dec 5th that I'd like to collect before the end of the year.

2)  Write and send at least two more newsletters.

3)  Send out at least 30 new auditions in answer to leads from online sites, agents, referrals, or cold-calls.

4)  Approach at least 10 audiobook publishers for the possibility of sending them a demo.

5)  Check on all my buds at the VO-BB daily.

6)  Write at least one or two blogs daily (duh!).

7)  Take at least one more class or phone session with a voice coach.

8)  Begin my bookkeeping for next year's tax deadline (that's BEGIN…'cause nah, I haven't done anything with that yet).

9)  Write at least one more article for RainRecording.

10) Do a retrospective of my 2008 voice-acting New Year's resolutions.

THAT'S IT!

Now, keep in mind, that's just my voice-acting agenda…my personal agenda is off the charts, 'cause for the first year in many, the Courvo's are having all the families come HERE for a Vegas Christmas, instead of us all traveling to see them….so no…no pressure for preparations HERE.

So….what're you up to?

CourvO

Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows I reference my favorite places often, but no virtual site enjoys the number of listed links like the VO-BB (there I go again!).

Sure, there are other communities of voice-actors on the web (something us denizens of the VO-BB joke about from time-to-time:  "There's another forum?!!"), and not to take away from them, but none seem to capture the personal and supportive nature of the VO-BB.

I stumbled onto the VO-BB when I was first cutting my teeth in the business of voice-acting…that was almost three years ago, and it had been up and running a year or more already. 

Board Czar DB Cooper remembers how the board got started:

I remember writing rather frantically with Connie Terwilliger 4 years ago about the sudden disappearance of the Voiceover Cyberstation .

"It had been the de facto go-to VO board from the late 90's to November of 2004, when it suddenly vanished from the intarwebz.

Panic ensued among the denizens. Because I knew a thing or two about phpBB message boards, I thought I'd throw one together to tide us over the few days we'd need to wait until Sam Torres got the Cyberstation up again. Time was of the essence, since I didn't want everyone to drift into the Land of Yahoo or Google, so I thought of the easiest name I could— VO dash BB: the Voice Over Bulletin Board.

(VOBB.com was owned by some Turkish bunch at the time (who may well be the dopes who hacked us), it now belongs to Verot Oaks Building Blocks, makers of mortarless concrete block building materials.)

A few of the folks from the Cyberstation signed on. Frank Frederick showed up right away, Bill Ballenberg, Rowell Gorman, Maiku Rhys,Mike Cain, Edo, Bill Elder."

All who are regulars at VO-BB can attest to the wealth of knowledge shared there.  Perusing the archives alone can answer just about every possible question you could have in this business. 

But we all know the true value is in the relationships formed at the VO-BB…many of which have resulted in real-life meet-ups (such as a recent rendezvous in Salt Lake City for the marriage of one of the VO-BB's most cherished wits).

The VO-BB is an oasis for most of us.  When the world is closing in, when the schedule gets too hectic, when you just need a laugh or a kind word, or when helping someone ELSE is your key to getting out of your OWN head…the VO-BB is there.

Not been? 

Go.  It's free.  DB is accepting of almost any and everyone as long as you behave (two hard and fast rules:  No PC vs Mac wars, and no talk of politics). You won't regret it!

(member since Feb, '06)

CourVO

One year ago today, I joined the blogosphere.  Lord knows how many inane words I've published since then, or how many potential readers I've turned away!

In my first blog, I gave thanks for the many people who helped me launch my dream in Voice Acting.  I'm just as indebted to them today as I was then…maybe even more so.

Today, though, I have an even greater debt of gratitude to give for those of YOU who have patronized me when I was wordy, came back despite my eclectic sense of humor, and even commented when you were so moved.

I'M GRATEFUL TO YOU…!!!

Let me give special thanks to my VO-BB brethren and sistren who encouraged me to enter the world of blogging, and probably gave me more than my fair share of visitors when I was still unproven.  I'd like to give a special word of appreciation on top of that to Bob Souer and Jeffrey Kafer for taking the time to explain to me the potential joys of blogging.

Yes, I'll admit I entered the blogosphere largely as a marketing ploy, and it's met those expectations, but you know what???…I've really found SO MUCH MORE in these daily missives. 

I've curried an even greater circle of wonderful friends.  I've also found that I have a "voice" through the printed word.  I've learned more about valuable writing techniques in one year of blogging than I ever did in 30 years of schlogging through TV news scripts.

OK, here I go again, waxing eloquent…but I've…sniff…kinda…ah…gotten a little emotional here.  After all, this is not rocket surgery.  It's just words…on a blog…on the internet…in the ether.  NOT!!!

Many thanks to you for helping me by visiting and honoring me with your comments, encouragement, and responses. 

Chocolates for everyone!!

CourVO

A moment of silence please.

The undisputed king of voice-overs — Don LaFontaine — has passed.

————————-
Voiceover Master DON LaFONTAINE died Monday afternoon
9/1/08 at 2:10 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 68.
  Don’s agent, Vanessa Gilbert, tells Entertainment Tonight that he
passed away following complications from Pneumothorax, the presence of air or
gas in the pleural cavity, the result of a collapsed lung.  The official
cause of death has not yet been released.  
Over the past 25 years,
LaFontaine cemented his position as the "King of Voice-overs."
  Aside from being the preeminent voice in the movie trailer
industry…Don  has also been the voice of Entertainment Tonight and The
Insider, CBS, NBC ABC, Fox and UPN, in addition to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon
Network.  By conservative estimates, he has voiced hundreds of thousands
of television and radio spots, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac,
Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, Coke, and many other corporate sponsors. He
recently parodied himself on a series of national television commercials for
Geico. At last count, he has worked on nearly 5000 films, including
appearances as the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild and Academy
Awards. Based on contracts signed, he has the distinction of being perhaps the
single busiest actor in the history of SAG.
Don was an active supporter of
AFTRA & SAG, giving of his time, opening his home, lending his experience
& stature to the AFTRA Promo Announcers Caucus,  as well as
generously giving his advice & help to his fellow voice-over artists, in
addition to the many causes & friends he helped over the years.
Don is
survived by his wife Singer/Actress Nita Whitaker, and three children,
Christine, Skye and Elyse.

———————————-

Don had been a cigarette smoker, and even though he gave it up 20 years ago, always admonished his friends and acquaintances to quit.  Part of the complications which eventually took his life, stemmed from issues left-over from his smoking days.  This is not a moral lesson.  Don himself was adamant in his non-smoking message to anyone who cared to listen.

CourVO

Love 'em, hate 'em… niche forums serve a great purpose to all sorts of different people for many reasons. 

Veteran studio whiz/coach/voice-actor/training expert Michale Minetree reminds me that he's launched a VO forum that is just dying for YOUR input.

Click HERE for the link.

Other forums:  The Voice-Over Bulletin Board VO-BB (my perennial fave)

And Julie William's Voice-Over.com forum.

CourVO

Marc Cashman was one of the more prolific contributors to the recent VOICE 2008 event.  The guy was everywhere!

It's really no different than his presence in the world of VO, esp. in LA.  Producer, writer, director, casting agent, voice artist, and voice coach, Cashman brings a world of experience to the table.

Read below the fold to see his response to requests for more access to the information he churns out of his studio.

CourVO

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Paul Pape appeared twice in the VOICE 2008 event…he's an ADR whiz, and veteran of most all forms of Voice Acting.  He's also a close and long-time friend of Don LaFontaine.  Below is his latest update on Don LaFontaine….followed by a thankyou letter from Don's wife, Nita.

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Don LaFontaine is in a bad way.  I picked up the following e-mail from the Yahoo VO forum group, and it apparently was generated originally at VoiceOverUniverse:

I have received email from George Whittman and Beau Weaver regarding Don LaFontaine's health. They've both received letters from Don's wife, Nita... Don is NOT doing well at all.

The letter reads...

Dear friends and family,

I need you help and I'm reaching out to all of you. My wonderful husband is in critical condition at Cedar Sinai hospital; a blood clot is lodged in his lung and he is fighting for his life. This happened on Saturday after I'd taken him in for shortness of breath on Friday. He was doing very well and I left him talking and being funny on Friday evening. Without all the details, I got a call on Saturday morning as I was heading there to visit. There has been some lovely improvement yesterday but he is very sick right now. We need your concentrated prayers! Have your churches synagogues, temples send out prayers for Don's healing and wellness. Light a candle, chant, whatever you do to send that loving energy and light to him, I would appreciate. And save a little for the girls and me. We have had small miracles already and if we all shout up to God collectively, I know how powerful that can be. He is fighting and we all are fighting with him. He is strong and is a warrior so I thank you in advance for your prayers, good wishes and kindness on behalf of my family.

With a hopeful heart,

Nita and family

I don't think this is a hoax.  Let's send him all our positive prayers and energy.

CourVO