Dave Courvoisier's Blog

Archive for the ‘People’ Category

Even that title doesn’t do it justice.  But what would?

The passions of politics are SO polarized these days that no one can say or do ANYTHING.

Here’s the story.  I take no sides.

”A voice-over actor — best known for telling viewers they can save 15 percent or more on car insurance — says he lost his gig doing Geico commercials after leaving a voicemail with a group that organizes Tea Party events to ask how many of its employees are “mentally retarded.”

Los Angeles actor D.C. Douglas in a press release said he was dropped from the upcoming Geico “Shocking News” campaign after leaving a message with the press shop at FreedomWorks, a Washington-based organization led by former Republican leader Dick Armey that has been at the forefront of the Tea Party movement.” (Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/04/21/geico-voice-over-actor-fired-after-calling-tea-party-group-mentally-retarded/#ixzz0loTVRVmb)

See  more links here:

http://mystateline.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=155395
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/21/geico-fires-dc-douglas-vo_n_546038.html
http://www.prweb.com/releases/freedomworks/geico/prweb3906104.htm

Even though, he took it down, see DC Douglas’s original blog here:
http://goo.gl/TrOb

My only take:

I subscribe to the notion that there is no such thing as bad PR.  If you want to get noticed, you can do so with positive OR negative press.

The notoriety here goes to Geico, FreedomWorks, DC Douglas, and VoiceOver talent in general.  All are getting unbelievable press over this thing.

CourVO

After a long day trolling the exhibit aisles at NAB (Nat’l Assoc of Broadcasters) in Las Vegas, George Whittam shows up at my TV station promptly as my 5 o’clock evening newscast begins.  Great!

He’s got with him a sharkfin-shaped, zippered nylon carry-bag, and I KNOW it’s the Harlan Hogan Porta-Booth Pro.  George confirms that, yes, he’d seen Harlan the day before at the convention, and Harlan insisted George take it for a test spin at home in his studio.

Determined to hold my focus for the rest of the half-hour’s newscast, I then gave George the nickel tour of the CBS affiliated station, and we settled into the news conference room where CNN had provided pizza for the news staff (not sure why).  There, I video’d George in an impromptu set-up of the Porta-Booth Pro.

It’s simple, intuitive, and obviously well-designed and made of quality materials.  When assembled, it shows an integrity of construction, and some nice little features that make it a cinch for an on-the-road voice actor.

Watch the video of George below (roughly 4:30), and pay special attention to a nice “insider” tip for your traveling voice talent types.

George Whittam Demos Porta-Booth Pro from Dave Courvoisier on Vimeo.

By the way, George spent the day at NAB talking to various vendors about the possibility of getting their participation in the Don LaFontaine Voice Over Lab at the SAG Actors Center.  Most, he said, had good interest in being a prt.

George plans to bring the Porta-Booth Pro to VOICE2010 for anyone to take a look.

Freelance VoiceOver talent have strong opinions, ‘specially when somebody does ‘em wrong… jus’ like any other well-meaning businessperson would.

Lately, some notables in our industry have been making it clear how THEY feel about certain personages who (it would appear) are disingenuous about the way they represent their wares.

Two Examples, one about coaching, the second about clients

___________________________________

#1 BEEF

When respected names like Harlan Hogan and Dan O’Day come on THIS strong, they must certainly feel adamant and assured in their comments

Start HERE to read the criticism…you’ll have to click some links to find the actually beginning of the thread, but it’s all clear when you click the above link to Dan O’Day’s blog.

Go do that, then come back.

OK, whadya think?  Here’s my one comment:  If you’re going to smack someone THAT hard, why not just name names.  I think most of us all know who she is, so just….call her out.  Anything less seems dissumulative given the intensity of the cynicism.

#2 BEEF

Double-Dutch Blogger and International Voice Talent Paul Strikwerda takes a salacious shot at one of his clients…and most would agree, rightly so.

See his diatribe HERE.

How does one see through the subterfuge and read another human being through virtual liaisons to tell if they’re honest or not.  Hmmmm, sounds like the worthy topic of a future blog!

CourVO

There are stories and then there are stories.  Here’s why the personal story is the only good story:

Story 1:  The Las Vegas unemployment rate topped 13% last month.  This is a true story, one that appeared as an item on many news products in Las Vegas.  It is accurate, timely, and indicative of the times.  It’s says very little, though, in and of itself.

Story 2:  Jeremy hasn’t been able to find a job in his field as an ironworker for 6 months in Las Vegas.  He’s foreclosing on his mortgage, changing plans to send his daughter to college, and his wife has had to go to work for the first time in their lives.  This is also a true story, accurate, timely and indicative.  Yet, Jeremy’s story and many other individual stories of loss in this recession touches a nerve with anyone who has a heart.  It’s personal.  Many feel Jeremy’s pain.

ONE PERSON, ONE STORY
There are over 2,000 foster children in Clark County, NV…the county where Las Vegas is located.  You can report that tragic fact, but it’s almost impossible to get your head around it.  That’s why every week, I choose one child or one sibling set, and profile their unique personality, face, and needs on the Wednesday’s Child program.  THAT connects with people who hear the story.  Not 2,000.

You put focus on a story that deserves attention by profiling ONE who is affected, and forcing each single viewer to FEEL that one person’s pain.

All GOOD stories are personal.

GOODBYE TRADITIONAL MEDIA, HELLO NEW MEDIA
You could say that the whole approach of Newspapers, Radio and TV in the first place (one-to-many distribution) is like Story #1.  The only thing that saves it are the personalities involved, who are trained to perform as if they are speaking one-on-one to their friend.  That, and the fact that each radio player, TV set, and newspaper is yours and yours alone to own, hold, hear, and see.  That makes it also seem personal.

But the days of one-to-many stories are waning and will continue to diminish.

This is why Social Media: Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, and yes, even email are booming.  It’s a one-to-one paradigm.  It’s personal.  It’s a good story BECAUSE it’s personal.

Sure, you can send a message to your 17,000 Twitter followers in a shotgun approach, but when this follower or that follower responds individually, there’s a tug on your conscience to respond.  It’s personal.

PEOPLE ARE SMART (and fed up)
Billboards, TV ads, classified ads, $1-million SuperBowl ads, and magazines are suffering. People tune out mass ads, they unfollow obvious Twitter spam, and dodge marketing scams.  People are smarter.  They see through it.

This is why the new gestalt surrounding successful Twitter connections is based on a good story that’s personal.  You don’t even get to first base until you’re sincere, genuine, personal.

And forget Twitter for a second.  FaceBook is even more wildly popular than Twitter if you believe growth estimates.  Why?  FaceBook is a picture, and a profile, and favorite movies, and your birthday, and photos, and music and books…and on and on and on about who YOU are.  It’s personal, and it’s a good story BECAUSE it’s personal.

THE VALUE FOR VOICE ACTORS
Is all this good?  Yeah.  I think so.  It’s a direct result of cultural change following technological advancement (just like TV was a radical change for its time).  That brought masses of people into a common experience.  But it wasn’t really personal.

Now, like never before, you have a chance to get personal.  All the avenues are there.  Social Media is creating opportunities like never before to make a personal connection with someone who is in a position to make something happen for your career.

Not getting enough work as a voice actor?  Seeking an agent?  Needing more connections to juicy jobs, leads, and studios?  Get personal. MAKE it personal.

When you think about the jobs you ARE getting, or HAVE gotten, there was a personal connection somewhere along the line.

All good stories are personal. 

Yours is. 

Use it.

CourVO

Our favorite Middle-Eastern VO Blogger and voice-actor  — Mahmoud Taji – is relocating his blog to new servers, giving it a face-lift, and offering a handy scam alert section where VO artists can go and submit the names of casting agencies that might have ripped them off in the past.

Check it out.  Taj has proven himself over time to be an enterprising, savvy, and over-all stand-up guy in our business, who strives for what’s right.

Thanks for letting us know about the changes, Taj!

Click HERE or on his new logo above to go to the revamped page.

CourVO

Lunch with friends at a VERY busy Katz’s diner on Houston.

More food than I can possibly eat.

CourVO

Ah, the month all procrastinators hate!  This is it, after all…no more putting off IFF you want to get it done this year (serious procrastinators cheerily look to 2010 with no shame or guilt).

So here’s a short checklist of things you may want to consider for your voice-acting business before New Year’s rolls around:

1-Get out all those invoices to delinquent accounts with maybe a few strong words about how you’ve been patient enough, thankyou.

2-While you’re at it, be sure to pay-off OTHER freelancers (SEO gurus, writers, graphic artists, etc.) the money you owe THEM.

3-Download all of 2009’s financial records from your bank into your accounting software.

4-Revisit whatever 2009 New Year’s resolution list you had, and try to squeeze-in at least one more undone item.

4-Back-up your hard drive’s documents, sound-files, and pictures…in short, any personally-generated files that you can’t just reinstall from the original disks. (You should be doing this every week, actually)

6-Now that you’ve got almost a year’s worth of data behind you, run a Google Analytics check on the traffic to your website or blog.  It’s a treasure-trove.

7-Fire off an email-or-two to your favorite client, thanking them for their steadfastness and help in 2009, and reminding them you stand ready to help them with their projects for 2010.

8-Plan now for whatever coaching, conferences, or business seminars you need to attend in other cities or states.  (Seriously consider VOICE2010…it’ll be the best!)

9-Pay any State dues, fees, or what-have-you to keep your business license up-to-date.

10-Start thinking about a serious 2010 News Year’s Resolution list for your business.  Be honest.  Aim high.  Write down anything that comes to mind.

BONUS ITEM: Pick at least one person – a mentor or supporter – who made a difference in being there for you when you were in a valley of VO, and tell them how much you cherish their friendship and ask them what you can do for them.

CourVO

When do you become an “expert”?

That word makes me uncomfortable.

That’s why, when I started my teleseminar Saturday morning  (Leveraging Social Media for Your VoiceOver Business) on behalf of the VoiceOverDirectory, I began by saying I’m a fan of Social Media, I enjoy Social Networking, I’m familiar and comfortable with New Media…I’m drawn to its potential…but “expert”?  Nah!

Social Media is too new, and so ever-changing for anyone to be able truly be an “expert”…at least by my definition, which I’m conveniently not stating here.

My talk was more about trends, indicators…mapping out a few directives that seem to be working FOR NOW…and why voice actors really shouldn’t ignore the opportunities afforded by New Media for furthering their brand, their personality…the relationships that may lead to enriching their personal lives, and advancing their business.

Amazingly, I talked almost non-stop about that for almost a half-hour, and still felt there was much left unsaid.

I’m a geek at heart, which means I’m a genetically hard-wired metal detector, perking up when a wayward  fragment of social media metal shows up on my radar.  But I know (that’s right, keep telling yourself, Dave) that Social Media is only one of the tools in my job-searching toolbox.  It just happens to be the one that captures my fancy (hey!…I found a gold doubloon!).

Maybe I’m on to something.  Maybe not.  Maybe it’ll bring me more VO jobs…or not.  Or maybe — just maybe — all this flailing around may lead me into an unexpected career vector that has little to do with voice-acting.  All I know is along the way I’m learning a ton, and meeting some of the savviest people on the planet.

Below is about a 2:30 excerpt of my teleseminar.  I recorded the whole thing on a trusty Logitech webcam…and the audio you hear is from the onboard Logitech mic (not the greatest).  On this segment I blatantly break a number of my own rules, stated so smugly on my new website: OnCamTips.com. But, there may be some value in watching this anyway: a segment on the rationale for voice actors to consider authoring a blog of their own.

I have no idea how many listened in, but quite a few responded afterward to say they’d like the resource material I promised to make available if they’d just send their e-mail address to me.  I think they were just being polite…;-}

BTW, write me at CourVO@CourVO.com, and I’ll put you on the mailing list for that resource material, too.

My thanks to Mark Davidson and Austin Alexander of VoiceOverDirectory for asking me to speak, and arranging this teleseminar so professionally. 

Also my gratitude to a couple of voice-actors who are social media VO giants in my eyes:  Trish Basanyi (@Trishsvoice) and Terry Daniel (@TDaniel39).

CourVO

Art Hadley has put together a rather nice idea of an Amazon Store of VO equipment.

This is not a comprehensive collection by far, but certainly grasps the essence of tools that any VO would need to set up a good private studio.

The VoiceOver General Store is HERE.

CourVO

These collections are priceless.  This time, though, I barely recognize half the names.  That is most certainly a reflection of my working knowledge of Hollywood and TV commercials, though, and nothing else.

Click HERE for the list on Paste Magazine.

And…this note that for the next few days I’m taking my annual, lone-driver trip out West…since I’m already here, and I don’t have to drive to get there…just drive IN it.

I’ll be hoppin’ in the ole 2004 Chevy SSR (with brand new tires, shocks, and alignment), destination Boise, Idaho.  That means driving the entire length of Nevada on 2-lane roads, and wouldn’t you know it…there’s a huge rain storm predicted.  IN NEVADA!

Actually, that’s OK….sunny and clear comes 320 days/year in NV.  Clouds, rain, even snowtopped mountains, should make for some beautiful shots that you rarely see out here.

Of course, I’ve got my iPhone and laptop, so I won’t be far from posting stuff, once I find a good wi-fi.

Finally, I’m burying this next link here, ‘cause it just seems so…no other way to say it….egotistical.  But maybe I’m just getting caught up in semantics. 

I’ve got my own FaceBook fan page now, not published by the director of my fan club (there is none)…it was posted by ME.  This is the thing to do now, I guess….(or should I say everyone else seems to be doing it, so naturally – me being a lemming – I have to do it). 

That’s right, I posted my OWN fan page, and (get ready for it)…I’m asking if you’ll visit, and become a “friend”.  HERE is the link.  Disclaimer: No real or implied advantage comes from becoming a fan of the Voice Overs by CourVO fan page!

CourVO