NYC Countdown

2ndannual75 Look, I don’t wanna get ahead of myself, but in about 48 hours, I’m gonna climb onto a big bird and fly to the Big Apple.  The next two days at work will seem extra loooong.

The 2nd Annual NY VoiceOver Mixer is this Saturday night, and that means so many of my virtual friends will become real people…I mean, I’ll finally get a chance for some face time with those who are heretofore lines in an e-mail, or voices on a phone.

That kind of relationship tells you a lot about someone, but sooner or later, ya gotta “seal the deal”.  In other words, there’s nothing like a real meet-up in physical space.

So who reading this is planning to attend?  How will I find you? 

The official RSVP list says some 220 will be there.  Can you imagine THAT many people who TALK for a living, all talking at the same time in the same room?  Too cool!

My guess is, if you aren’t already signed-up, it’s not too late. So join in if there’s a chance at all!

To me, the networking, and the relationships are what this is all about..  I’m having too much fun even thinking about it.  My cup runneth over.

CourVO

Big 2nd Annual VO NY Mixer

mixer  VO friend Erik Sheppard called today to remind me that I need to come to the next big fun-time voiceover mixer in NYC, December 5th.

While I’m busy checking Orbitz and Travelocity, why don’t you mosey on over to THIS site and take a look at the details.

Apparently at the last party, the bar ran out of Schnapps (I keed, I keed).

One of my goals from now on is to start getting some real face-time with all my virtual VO friends.  This may be the perfect kick-off of that dream.

Thanks Erik!

CourVO

Knight at the Peppermill

peppermillAmong the Las Vegas Strip’s tall resorts, you could easily miss The Peppermill.  In any other town, the Peppermill would stick out with it’s bright pink and purple neon highlights.  But stuck between the Riviera and the Encore, Peppermill is sort of an anomoly.

Yet, on the day after its 37th anniversary, I met Ron Knight there for lunch. ‘Fitting, I think,  that I’d meet such a venerable voice-actor in such a lasting establishment.

Ron and I actually had almost simultaneous roots in broadcasting.  I preceded him by only one year in attending the KIIS Broadcasting Workshop in Los Angeles in the 70′s.  We both had inauspicious beginnings in small-market radio, but after that, our paths diverged for decades in different vectors of the industry.

I singularly pursued the TV news broadcasting end of things and Ron…well, Ron made waves in many-a-pond/lake/sea.  The voice of Nickleodean, and Disney to name a few… musician, entertainer, voice-actor, audio-engineer, casting agent, Voice Coach, entrepreneur, producer…I’m sure I’ve left out something.

And then our paths converge at the Peppermill.  I for one, wanted to absorb all I could of theronknight2 conversation.  Ron seemed obliging.  …and did I mention opinionated?  Ron has strong feelings about unions, and agents, and well…most things…not the least of which is how the business has changed over the years.

Our time was fleeting, mostly because I concurred with Ron on almost everything, especially the efficacy of a certain online pay-to-play site that has numbers after the word ‘Voice’.

Ron seems drawn to the Vegas market for reasons many find familiar.  It’s a town of acceptance, opportunity, and rugged individualistic entrepreneurship.  I hope I see a lot more of him here, and that our relationship will bear fruit in many ways.

Thanks, Ron, for taking the time to break some bread and sharing so much with me!

CourVO

DLF Party live on VU

See the goings-on at the SAG Foundation party hosted by Joe Cipriano on behalf of Don la Fontaine.

HERE.

Oh, you need to be a member of VoiceOver Universe.

CourVO

VOICE2010 Presenter!

VOICE2010-ButtonBox-180X150 Another great reason to make it to the June 2010 conflagration of voice artists in Los Angeles: VoiceOver champ Terry Daniel and I will be presenting on the topic of making Social Networking.work for your VO business.

OK, well, maybe that’s a reason NOT to come.

Nah…Terry’s great, and we’re just a couple of geeks who’ve found some ways to make Twitter and FaceBook work in our favor.

HERE’s the link to the official VOICE2010 site, where sign-ups and early registration are now open.

CourVO

‘Latest on Cip’s Party for DLF

lafontaine(Everybody-wants-to-be) Joe Cipriano writes to update progress on the party he’s hosting for the late great Don LaFontaine on behalf of the SAG Foundation.

Click “read the rest of this entry” below to see the full report, and click HERE to go to the original invite.

If this wasn’t on a weekday night, I would SO be there.  Maybe you CAN be!

CourVO

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Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab

joeJoe Cipriano writes to invite:

SAG Foundation
is holding a Garden Party Fundraiser to benefit the initiation of a voice-over lab addition to the SAG Actors Center in Hollywood in the name of the guy who started it all:  Don LaFontaine.

Click HERE to see the invite and more details.

CourVO

VoiceLympics Getting Closer

voicelympicsThis looks like one helluva party on water…I wish like heck I coulda pulled it off to be along for the ride.  Maybe YOU still can.

I’m re-printing all of Deb Munro‘s latest e-mail with all the last-minute announcements of VoiceLympics, plus her ADHD schedule of upcoming coaching sessions, and more…below.

If I’m lucky, I may be able to catch up to the cruise wrap-up party in LA.

BTW, HERE is the official VoiceLympics website.

CourVO

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CourVO on Free Teleseminar this Saturday

voiceacting academy2Friends James Alburger and Penny Abshire asked, and I said “Yes!”

Their popular series of free teleseminars with people in the VO business continues this weekend, and I’ll be in the hot seat.

Apparently they think people will actually want to hear what I have to say. :)  From what I understand, they’ll mostly be asking the questions, but there will be opportunities for callers to interact as well.

The topic is how to “diversify” your portfolio of skills to enhance or supplement your VO work.

Click HERE to see the official announcement.

C ya on the phone!

CourVO

NAB Excursion

Nab When the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention is in Vegas, things just happen.  People show up.  Old friendships are rekindled.  People you don't even remember come up to you and want to know how your kids are.

I kid.  (no actually that DID happen Monday)

At any rate, I spend the better part of Monday morning browsing the exhibit show floor, and also did an interview in preparation for a story on NewMediaMinutes.com.

Here's a quick (and I mean quick) tour of part of the Main Hall show floor (shot with my FLIP video cam).

Inevitably, whenever I show up at at the registration booth, I seem to run into Joe Klein.  I knew Joe was coming, but the fact that twice, now, I've literally bumped into him in the registration line is more than a coincidence, although I'm not sure what it really IS.

I first met Joe at VOICE 2008.  He was a presenter there, and when we met, I found out he lives within driving distance in Arizona.  That means he can be in Vegas for this or that convention without too much hassle.  I met up with him, and in short order, James Alburger.  James is the mastermind behind the VOICE 2007 and 2008 conferences, writes the definitive book about Voice Acting (which you will find listed on my blog sidebar), and along with his sidekick, Penny Abshire, holds voice coaching classes around the country.

Even though I spent several hours with Joe today, I'm ashamed to say I did not get one pic of the two of us together.  MeandMarvin

I do have these pics, though:

The first is me and Marvin Caesar, the Pres/CEO of Aphex Systems.  What a nice guy!  What a great product!  Joe got me hooked on the Aphex 230 Master Voice Channel, and the Aphex HeadPod 454.  I'm a believer in just about ANYTHING that comes out of Aphex.  We stood there talking, and low 'n' behold, up walks Andy Morrison of Buzzy's Recording Studio on Melrose in Los Angeles

JamesAndyMe That's James on the left, Andy in the middle, and, well…you know.

Buzzy's Recording Studio is where I attended Pat Fraley's amazing AudioBook workshop weekend.

You really have to visit Buzzy's Website to see the prestigious and historic relevance of the place (Mel Blanc!).

By 1pm I was done, and my dogs were tired.  Luckily, the TV station where I work (KLAS-TV) is only about 3 blocks from the Las Vegas Convention Center.  By the time I got there, I could actually begin my full workday!  Yay!  (Silly me, I'd absolutely forgotten about a public appearance I was supposed to make that day…'got another one Tuesday, though.)

NAB has certainly lost a little bit of the pizzazz from years past.  Just about everywhere you could pick up fragments of conversation that went something like:  "..yeah, so-and-so couldn't make it this year…you know:  the budget!"

While the broadcasting industry is iin a slow and steady decline, the vendors on the show floor seemed plenty busy.  Many of them are adapting to the realities of New Media, and digital online venues.  These days, it's either adapt and change, or perish.

CourVO