His latest survey on the “state of the union” for voice-acting is out, and it’s called 12 Trends for 2012.

If you’re a VOICES.com subscriber, you may have already received your email link to this study.

Puh-leeze take the time to read this.  It may be THE MOST important data you will review this year.  The conclusions Ciccarelli reaches are nothing short of seminal and brilliant.  Yes, it is somewhat of a commercial for Voices.com, but there’s plenty of meat (or soy, if you’re a vegetarian) here for anyone to chew on beyond the Voices.com references.

Here’s the link again:  12 Trends for 2012.

Click.

Read.

CourVO

First:

The winners of the VOAToday week-2 question are chosen, and they are Arlene Cook and Connie Awtrey.  See the awesome prizes they win, and read a snippet from their answer to the question: WHAT IS YOUR MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR SECURING NEW CLIENTS?.  We had almost 50 answers to the week-2 question.

There is still plenty of time to participate for week-3 and be eligible for some nifty winnings.  The question is: BRIEFLY, WHAT OVERRIDING CONCEPT RULES THE SETTING OF YOUR RATES?

Thanks to all of you who have participated…please read the answers already posted…lots of collective wisdom.

Two:

My SaVoa buddy, and voice-over talent par excellence — Andy Bowyer — has written a great blog based on his recent experience narrating an audiobook for ACX.  People, this is a worthy read, well worth the time.  Andy is a good writer, and has some valuable insights on this long-format labor-of-love.  “THE BRILLIANCE IS IN THE SIMPLICITY”.

THREE:

David Rosenthal, the Internet Voice Coach founder, and veteran voice and on-camera actor, is offering a series of workshops and classes on voice-acting through Studio NPG and the New Performance Group.  This is mostly a Bay-area based course, but there may well be a way to participate by distance, or acquire a DVD later?  David?  Here’s the link to find out all the info.

FOUR:

A warning.  I’ve been getting a series of emails that I think are a total scam.  Here’s the one I got Thursday:
Hello,
I’ve added you to my auufkb group at Yahoo! Groups, a free, 
easy-to-use service. Yahoo! Groups makes it easy to send and receive
group messages, coordinate events, share photos and files, and more.

Description of the group:
————————————————————————
nya178k20k2j 

Complete your Yahoo! Groups account:
———————————————————————-
Your email address has been added to the email list of a Yahoo! Group.
To gain access to all of your group’s web features (previous messages,
photos, files, calendar, etc.) and easier control of your message
delivery options, we highly recommend that you complete your account
by connecting your email address to a Yahoo account. It is easy and free.
Please visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com/convacct?email=courvo%40courvo.com&list=auufkb

Important information about the auufkb group
————————————————————————
* To send a message to the members of this group, send an email to:
  auufkb@yahoogroups.com 

* To leave the group, you can unsubscribe by replying to this message,
  or by sending an email to:
  auufkb-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com 

Regards,

Moderator, auufkb 

Report abuse:
————————————————————————
Because Yahoo! Groups values your privacy, it is a violation of our 
service rules for moderators to add subscribers to a group against
their wishes. If you feel this has happened, please notify us:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/forms/abuse.html 

You may also change your email preferences to prevent group owners from
adding you to their groups. To do so, please go here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/s?tag=83Vd-zOemoaHFaWeCtqmpVVi1rWfUNSjwIv8Bgser9CdKsI7ZXx41_QyP8g36zri1RuUvo8xvm8Ytmg

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Apparently you can be added to a Yahoo Group, and not even have the choice!  Luckily, the above message is generated by Yahoo in response to someone adding you to a group.

Notice the name of the group is gibberish, and there is no stated purpose of the group.  I’m not sure what the advantage is here, but I don’t like this intrusion, and don’t want any part of it.

Here’s what you should do with this:

1)  Don’t just let it languish…you are now part of a group that you know nothing about.
2)  Follow the directions to unsubscribe.
3)  Report the group to Yahoo.

That’s it!

Have a great weekend!

CourVO

Imagine the pride that friend and fellow Voice-Actor Bob Souer must feel, then, with two of his offspring choosing work in the area of voice-overs!

We don’t want to overstate the connection.  Both Karen and Eric Souer have earned a reputation in the business through their own hard work.  But if you were going to seek a mentor, an internship, or an apprentice-ship in voiceovers, what better laboratory to learn the ropes, than the studios of Bob Souer?!

While there’s a little over-lapping in their services, both Eric and Karen have their own areas of expertise.  So much so, that even Bob can’t keep ‘em totally busy any more, and that’s why you should know that Eric and Karen could be a useful resource for your own VO business.

Bob says: “They are independent in terms of their own businesses and even the specific things they do.”

What exactly DO they do?  I decided to go to the source.  Below, you’ll see specific answers to pointed questions about their work from Eric and Karen themselves.

I love seeing enterprising young people like this doing well as protegés, yes…but also as independent business-people in their own right!

Thanks Karen and Eric…best of luck!

CourVO

KAREN SOUER:

1. How did you arrive at being a free-lance virtual assistant?

It was an outgrowth of helping my Dad with his business. My brother Eric did work for Dad before me, and helped Dan Nachtrab with a great deal of editing, and I realized that there was a niche here that had plenty of room for me also.

 2. What are the specific tasks you’re most asked to do for voice talent as a virtual assistant?

Really, two things, the first being what my Dad calls ‘script directing’. Quoting from my about.me page: “As you voice your scripts, I silently read along with you while you voice, so that when you miss something or make a mistake, I can let you know right away. This frees you to concentrate on perfecting your performance, and saves editing time since mistakes simply have to be snipped away, rather than new lines recorded, voicing matched and new parts worked in.”

The second would be the unusual tasks, basically, someone will have a time consuming task that I can do, anything from extensive Google searches, importing and organizing email contacts, data entry, summarizing a lengthy script, and out into the realms of possibility.

3. What would you list of services include?

I have a nice list at: http://about.me/KarenSouer

4. What tasks do you enjoy doing the most?

I enjoy the script directing, and the unusual tasks are always a fun challenge.

5.  What tasks are you best at?

I would say I’m good at both of the above. I read and understand pretty quickly, so I can usually catch mistakes fast.

 6.  What tasks do you feel you’re best trained for?

Well the only thing I do that I’ve actually been trained for is editing. My Dad was a great help there with his politely worded corrections.

 7.  How has your father influenced your experience-level in this field? (sorry, had to ask?)

My dad is the cause of my experience level in this field. I’ve been in and around his business literally all my life (There’s a baby picture of me in diapers with headphones on in front of a mic.) and his generosity in employing me has given me the foundation upon which to build a business.

8.  Are you willing to direct talent during a session by phone-patch?

Well, in the traditional sense, direction would mean giving them ideas for types of reads and such, and I don’t really feel qualified there. I would be concerned that I would be an additional layer for possible misinterpretation between them and the client. I generally see myself as an assistant, not a director. (For the theatre minded, I was an Assistant Stage Manager for a long time.)

9.  How do you help voice talent with their marketing needs?

I really wish I had more of a background here! That’s one I get asked for a lot, and an area where I have no experience. The only thing I can offer is my opinion on whether something looks ‘good’ or not.

10. Do you have a stated rate-sheet for your service?…or how do you bill?

My first step is assessing the size of a project. If it’s a small thing, I go $25 for 1-2 hours work, and work up from there. If it’s something really long term, like I did for the wonderful John Florian, I can keep a timesheet, and work on an hourly rate.

11. What’s the best way for people to contact you?

Grippy73@gmail.com Email me and I can give you my phone number for further conversation and contact.

12. What services do you hope to offer in the future?

I would love to get more familiar with business and marketing as to be able to offer some services there, or at least to point people in the right direction. I do believe, however, in the virtue of specializing in a few things, rather than being mediocre at many, so I don’t want to branch out too far.

ERIC SOUER:

1.  At what age did you begin editing for your father?

It was the summer of 2006, I was 16 and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with myself when I graduated in two years.  My Dad was involved in an audiobook project and asked me if I would be willing to help him out with it.  I did and worked on a few other projects for him until I graduated.  After graduation I still didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I kept working for my Dad and that eventually grew into working for other people as well.

2.  What type of projects have your worked on so far?…describe a few of them.

I work exclusively with long form audio projects, so E-learning, corporate narration and audiobooks.  For my Dad I’ve edited nearly a dozen audiobooks and numerous E-learning projects.  For freelance clients I’ve done a few audiobooks and worked on a year and a half long E-learning course.

3. What software program do you use to edit sound files?

I do all of my editing in Sony Sound Forge.  I have edited some in the past in Pro Tools, but I haven’t needed to use it in a while, and as such am not set up to use Pro Tools right now.

4.  How do you receive and send files over the internet?

Whatever works best for my client.  In the past it was all done via FTP, but lately I’ve been using Dropbox for everything.

5.  Do you apply effects (gates, de-essers, equalizers, etc.) if the talent wants/needs that in the final edit?

It depends on what the client needs.  My Dad has me process the files he sends me, but I have had projects where I received the processed audio to edit.

6.  What are your rates for the various types of voice-work?  Do you charge differently for the long-format narrations (audiobooks, e-learning) than you do for commercials or promos?

Rates can be a tricky thing.  My preferred way to charge a rate is as a flat percentage of what my client (the voice actor) is making.  Roughly 20-30%, but I’m pretty flexible when it comes to rates.  It also depends some on the length of the project.

7.  What is the best way for people to contact you?

The best way to contact me is by email:  eric@bobsouer.com

8.  Do you include any guarantees of turnaround time in your arrangements with voice-talent, or negotiate that on a per-job basis?

It’s negotiated on a per-job basis.  It all depends on what kind of deadline my client has.

Play it to ten different people, and you’ll get 10 different opinions.

But somewhere in that mix, something will ring true, and confirm a sneaking suspicion in your own mind that he/she is right.  Or maybe there’s enough in all 10 opinions that you’ll want to start over….or realize that you’re ready to send it — just like it is.

That’s the wonder of letting ears besides yours hear your work.  They find things to which your ears are deaf.  Those extra ears — and the opinions attached to them — also help you see things you didn’t think of before.

Great, Dave…but my friends are getting REAL tired of me bothering them every time I have a new recording I want them to hear!  Where can I go to get fresh, free, educated and seasoned opinoins about my stuff?

Edge Studio’s FeedBack Forum

The folks at Edge have been refining this portion of their service for a few months, now, and it’s impressive.

Submit your demo, audition, practice recordings, or even paid jobs with a copy of the script.  The file uploads and resides on the Edge site according to any number of categories, or searchable parameters.  The script is visible.  Then, anyone can stop by, play the file, listen, and comment on what they hear.

The cool thing here, is that quite a few people are stopping by, and giving great feedback.

All the comments are threaded, and anyone can see what earlier visitors have contributed.

It’s the kind of thing you need, often when you most need it.

You can also search for any entries by the same categories, even by script genre.. Everything’s dated, names are included, and everybody’s civil.

Listening to these offerings either tends to make you feel like you’re ahead of the crowd, or you need lots of work, or anything in between.  It’s a great barometer of what’s out there, especially those who are posting the work that they got paid for…THAT’S what clients are buying!

As I said, it’s free, but does require you registering with the site.  Trading your contact info for a service like this — I think — is a pretty darn good deal.

Give it a whirl….what’ve you got to lose?

CourVO

Have you ever before in the history of VO seen so much information flying around?!  …and people wonder why I’m such a big apostle for Social Media!

I’m about to launch into a list of helpful info / great sites / reminders / notices… that if you haven’t seen you SHOULD see…so forgive me if you so “in-the-know” that I’ve wasted your time.  :)

No matter what you think of Voice123, I think you’d have to admit that their “Community Development Guru” — Steven Lowell — does a pretty darn good job of putting a human face on the company.  The guy is all over social media, the forums, and almost always offers some pretty good insights on the business.  Now, he’s compiled all that knowledge into a wonderful online resource called  The VoiceOver Guide.  Frankly, I think this is chock-full of stuff almost anyone…at any level of voice acting can use.  And…OK…he added this blog to his list of VO resources…so there’s your disclaimer.  Nice going Steven!

The latest Blue Microphones newsletter is out, and it’s always nice to see what this innovative company is up to.  Including their Blueberry…with a transformer-balanced Class A discrete amplifier circuit and hand-selected diaphragm capsule.  Yeah, I’m not sure what that means either.  You’ll have to read the Blue Microphone newsletter and follow the links to understand.

Fellow Social Media addict and VO friend Terry Daniel pointed out a site on the web that gives instructions for adding the Google +1 button to your site.  This is much like the FaceBook “like” button, and can only increase your influence on the web if you’re hoping to be noticed.  Thanks, Terry!

Speaking of Terry Daniel…VoiceOverXtra is hosting Terry, Trish Basanyi and your truly in a trifecta of Social Media-learning webinars starting next week.  Terry is first, covering that 800 lb. Gorilla of social networking:  FaceBook.  Trish will share VO job-finding secrets she’s perfected on Twitter, and I’ll be bringing up the rear a few days later with info on LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Blogging, and I’ll have a live interview with VU founder Zurek.  If you haven’t seen our whiz-bang artwork…well, here it is:   

Clicking on that snazzy picture will whisk you away to the info/sign-up page.  It’s time to mark your spot…the webinars begin next Wednesday the 17th, then Thursday the 18th, and finally the 24th.

Brandon Drury over at the Recording Review always posts useful information that voice-over artists can use too.  I say that, ’cause his site is designed mostly for musicians and souond engineers, but don’t let that throw you.  Voice Overs is always the lost stepsister of this industry, so just look past the misdirected references to “guitars” and “singing” and take advantage of articles like: Home Studio Diffusion 201: What You Need To Know.  See all the articles mentioned in this month’s newsletter on the Recording Review homepage.

I’d better get going, now, and work on my webinar materials for the 24th… but there’s more…much more out there on the internet…keep your eyes open…and let me know if I’m missin’ something big!

CourVO

It doesn’t matter if that resource is another blog.  NOT to tell you about two new great blogging resources for VO information would be totally disingenuous of me…and besides they’re both friends.

Make a plan to visit these two blogs every day (just like you do  mine, right?)

DEREK CHAPPEL’S VOICE OF YOUR BUSINESS BLOG
Derek is an attorney, but he’d rather be voicing.  He’s actually been blogging for quite some time, but lately he’s been on a seriously consistent roll, and has been posting some great stuff.  Be sure to visit.

RICK LANCE’S AMERICANA BLOG

I first ran into Rick Lance in person at VOICE2010.  He is The Voice Of Americana.  Now his blog is off and runnin’.  I’m sure he’s gonna have plenty of good stuff to say.  Stop by and learn.  Then comment!

CourVO

Sometimes you really just have to ASK for those referrals.  Most of the time, your client, friend or colleagues is only to happy to do that for you, much as you would for them.  Can I write one for you?

Some VO’s swear by the quoted testimonials they glean from clients.  I must confess I have not tried this, but I see it a lot voice acting websites.

I do a lot of referring on this blog.  Most of the time, it’s to great articles I find on the topics of voice over, social media, technological advances, and equipment (among others).  In fact, I ever have a category called “referrals”, and the articles are an encyclopedia of great links I’ve found over the years.

CURATING

At the risk of beating the drum too much, I want to once again mention the VO aggregator site I’m “curating” with VO Fran McClellan called “Scoop.it”.  That word “curating” is one that’s much bandied about in the world of journalism and social media in recent months.  Here’s a great article on what that means when it comes to being in charge of content as it washes over us in internet waves.

The Scoop.it site I’m curating is turning up stuff I’d never seen before, and believe me I go searching for VO stuff all day every day for my blog.  In that sense, the Scoop.it algorithm for seeking information about voice over (according to the keywords I’ve chosen) is very thorough.  My job as  the “curator” of all that stuff is to weed through it and make sure to choose those entries that truly deserve to be content on the site.

Here are a few of the headlines I’ve found recently:
Top Voice Over Agency: Voice Over LA- How ToGet Into The Voice Over
Children & Kid Voice Talent – 7 Directing Tipsto Get the Most Out …
How to Build a Character For Voice Actors – oora.info
Voice Over Coaching Courses – Do They Help Discovering Work and …
Voiceover techniques for professional results
Carrying out Voice Overs is Effortless Cash Wrong! | 3dsmod.net
Voice Acting Advice » Acting Advice Online – Free acting advice and acting tips
Voice Over Jobs – How to Start a Voice Over Career: Work Jobs at Home | Work At Home Jobs – Easy Work At Home Video Tutorials
Voice Actors Needed! ~UPDATED~
Do You Have An Alpha Voice?
Finding The Appropriate Voiceover Talent For Your Script | Watch …

I’m not saying I’ve read all these articles…but a lot of them.  And I’m not claiming all of them are appropriate for all levels of the profession.  Admittedly, I’m casting a wide net…but it’s incredible the amount of information out there, meaning more and more services like this will find a valuable place on the net for people hoping to quickly review the available trends in their field.

Check it out when you have a chance, and be sure to subscribe while you’re there.  I guarantee you’ll find something to click on that you’ll find interesting.  The page is issued in a traditional “front page” style that’s easy to scroll through.

SCOOP.IT/VOICEOVER is the site.

Thanks for visiting.

CourVO

I love Jim Kipping‘s mention of a useful method for employing Skype in your studio.  “…my biggest gigs have always been through my ISDN setup at the house. Still are, but I am doing so many more SKYPE sessions where my production rig is routed through the Skype GUI, where they are getting broadcast quality audio of me on their end to direct, but I’m rolling on my end. THEN not even posting it on FTP, but dropping it in the chat window for immediate download…”
Love it!…Thanks, Jim!  (and thanks to Terry Daniel who administers the Voice-Over Pros FB Group where I found this tip)

______________

Nick Ivanov has been a great addition to my Voice-Over Friends FaceBook Group page.  Nick runs Graffitti Studios in Sophia, Bulgaria, and recently posted some great articles about setting VO Rates.
Setting VO Rates, Part I
Setting VO Rates, Part II

______________

My friend Karen Commins is a very smart cookie, and a good audiobook narrator. What she writes in her blog, I eat with a spoon. One of her latest offerings is:  1o Ways to Get Work in AudioBook Narration.  Worth the time to see her suggestions if you want to pursue this niche in VO.

______________

Don’t worry if you missed last night’s excellent session on VoiceOverXtra on the Basics of ProTools with George Whittam.  You’re probably waaay ahead of the crowd, and will most benefit from the next session on Thursday about ProTools for advanced users. At $39 for George Whittam…they’re practically giving it away!

______________

Growing your Voice-Over Business is as easy as 1-2-3 according to the author Bill DeWees, who has a natural, easy-to-watch style in this YouTube video.  Good stuff, Bill!

______________

I’m a big believer in the power of LinkedIn as a way to build my VO business, but it’s a more serious social network than Twitter or FaceBook, and there are some pretty important (but not hard) basic rules.  Chris Tompkins covers it well in his quick-read: “5 LinkedIn Must Haves“  I really like suggestion #2…You must join groups.  Why don’t you go over to my Setting VoiceOver Rates LinkedIn group right now and ask to join!  (I administer a private version of this group, too:  Voice-Over Rates – Private)

______________

Mel Allen has written a wonderful summary of headphone use on Your Audio Pro. Luckily, I’m using two of the “cans” he recommends in this exhaustive look at quality/affordable headphones.

______________

Maxine Dunn‘s newsletter is a goldmine, and her latest issue has a must-read article on revamping your website called: Does Your #1 Marketing Tool Need a MakeOver?

______________

Speaking of newsletters, Melanie Haynes just published her first one, and it’s modest, but this pro will have plenty to say in coming weeks that you’ll want to hear, so why don’t you support her first effort by going on over to News From Melanie, and sign up to get her newsletter.

______________

If you want to really learn dialects, and can be in San Fran from June 4-6, Doug Honorof is conducting a chance-in-a-million weekend workshop that just might give you an added dimension to your work.  See details on VU:  Dialects with Doug Honorof.

______________

The author of CloudDrive — Jerry Wang — liked my blog on CloudDrive enough that he wrote to tell me of another product you might like if you’re investigating storage solutions in the cloud.  He writes:  “…Google Docs offers 1 GB of free storage, and you can extend it up to 16 TB at a fairly cheap rate: $5 USD for 20 GB per year. However, the lack of folder uploading support really prevents Google Docs from becoming a practical online storage solution. If you want to backup a folder, you need to manually create all the subfolders and upload files to the corresponding subfolders one by one. It is tedious and terrible! GDocsDrive can greatly simplify the uploading/backup process by enabling drag and drop folder uploading. All that is needed is to drag the files/folders which you want to backup and drop them into the GDocsDrive window. With folder uploading enabled, GDocsDrive allows people to fully utilize the cheap and reliable storage offered by Google..."

He goes on to say: "...we have a new upgrade for CloudDrive, named GDocsDrive, which is a client app for Google Docs. We would very much appreciate it if you would review/introduce it on your website again. Here are some information about GDocsDrive: Website: http://www.gdocsdrive.com GDocsDrive is a desktop client for Google Docs with a folder uploading enhancement. With GDocsDrive, you can backup thousands of files or folders to your Google Docs account with just a drag and drop, which makes your Google Docs a cloud storage drive (GDrive). Additionally, GDocsDrive covers most of the features of web- based Google Docs, so you can manipulate your Google Docs files from your desktop."

I’ve installed GDocsDrive and it’s pretty slick.  You gt a 14-day trial, then the full one-time ownership fee is $19.

______________

Finally, my good VO friend John Pruden highly recommends Alkolol when he feels his throat getting a little raw.  He says he mixes it with equal parts water and mouthwash. Yeah…I’d never heard of Alkolol either, but John says it’s an old reliable and effective product that you have to ask for from the pharmacist, even though it’s not prescription.  Here’s the Alkolol product website.  Thanks, John!

CourVO

___

Think your clients aren’t seeking your services on their smartphones?  Think again!  Chris Tompkins of Go! Media International (and other sources) are seeing a trend.  People want information about your business, and they want it now.  What’s in their hand?  Their phone!  See Tomkins’ 5 Facts You Should Know about Your Customers Trying to Find You on Their Phones.

___

David Carleton often sends out a Street Smart Consulting Newsletter with marketing tips on how to grow your business.  I find some good new ideas, and some helpful reminders in his emails.  I’m including it here in a .zip file that opens into a flip-page document you can see in your browser.  Just extract the .zip file, then click on the .htm file of the three files that result from the zip file.  Click here to download the zip file—-> SocialMediaMarketing

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Running in lockstep with the VO business, musicians too are learning the utility of the iPad to their work.  Some of the things they’re doing can be/should be adopted as methods, apps, and techniques we can use for portable voice over recording.  Emusician.com posts an article with many great observations about the iPad’s capabilities for recording.  It’s a loooong article, but worth it if you’re into the potential of this new recording tool.  FOUR PROS SPEAK CANDIDLY ABOUT THE DAWN OF ‘TABLET MUSIC’

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Great content never goes out of style.  Author Is In The House is a great blog written by Jerry Dollar.  He’s a freelance writer, and the cool thing about his blog is that you see how good he is as a writer in just reading his observations about things. In doing so, he’s “demo’ing” his material, and you’re auditioning him.  See his stuff often enough, and when you need a good writer sometime…you might just call him.  Good marketing!

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The Levy Production Group in Las Vegas is high-profile.  They do some of the big gigs for clients coming into town, and their production facility is tops.  My TV contract prevents me from doing any commercial work in Vegas, so let me just pass on to you the latest Levy Production Group Newsletter.  All the contact info is at the bottom.  A new lead for you!

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I’m a little late with this, but if you missed it…Voices.com and Edge Studio are joining forces in a unique relationship that could certainly benefit you if you’re a Voices.com subscriber.  Check out the details at the VoiceOver Times.  Two quality organizations finding mutual reasons to help each other and you.

CourVO