Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for VO Community

Bi-Linguage

May 18, 2012 By 1 Comment

Having grown up in white-bread middle-America in the 50′s, I never imagined a future for this country that accepted anything else but English. I won’t mince my words: I think it weakens our country to be bi-lingual.  That sounds odd coming from me.  I’m the son of a Swiss Immigrant, whose native tongue was French, and my mother spoke German in her Iowa farmland school and church through sixth grade.

But back then it wasn’t cool to speak anything else but English.  The elegant French pronunciation of my last name — Americanized — was:  Kor-vuh-seer’.  My father almost NEVER spoke French around the house.  He wanted to be an “American”…and that meant speaking English.

That sentiment is apparently gone, now.

Having said that…and getting back to reality…there seems to be no turning back. And besides, the arrogant attitude in America of the 60′s. 70′s and 80′s where the education system only gave lip service to learning foreign languages has hurt us all on the world stage.

So now, it seems cool to be able to hang out your voice-over shingle with the words: “BILINGUAL” or “Spanish AND English VO”.  I’d be jealous, but I’m having enough trouble enough accomplishing English.  So is it likely in my late-50′s that I’d be able to master a 2nd or 3rd language?  I’ve always been great with pronunciations (you might be surprised how many broadcasters are NOT), but believably delivering copy in two languages seems daunting.  There are so many Spanish dialects…French lilts…British acccents…American twangs.  Where would I start?

IF you’re a bi-lingual voice actor, I’m interested to know how you market yourself…whether it doubles your exposure, your opportunity, your income.  Is it twice the headache?  Do you have two rate-cards?

Please participate in my brief survey posted in the Voice-Over Friends FaceBook Group.

Or…feel free to react to THIS blog article in the comment section below.  I’d like to know your thoughts.

CourVO

Filed Under: BiLingual, New Paradigms, Trending Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Certificreditation

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Forget Keynesian Economics, I’ve discovered TimeSuckian Certificreditational Standards.

Ever since the newly-formed World-Voices Organization proferred it’s suggested Rules for Best Practice for Voice-Actors, Coaches, and producers…the emails and phone calls have been pouring in.

The response has been 98% positive, constructive, and contributory.  Incisive, probing questions are being asked.  A healthy debate is ongoing.  Early documents are being re-written.  Fundamental philosophical tenets are being challenged and weighed.

WHITHER CERTIFICATION?

But wait a minute… isn’t it true that certification really only passes those who are good at mastering the certification test?  You get what you measure for.  The real issue of A subjective appraisal system is not system’s subjectivity but the lack of trust between talent and client.

Why, then, is the interest level in World-Voices.org so off-the-charts?  Could it be that voice actors are suffering an identify crisis, and still yearn for the legitimacy that comes with certified teachers, accountants, welders, nurses, social workers, and truck drivers?

An example:  I’ve always been painfully aware that any list of accredited professions does NOT include Journalism, and now those who call themselves professional journalists find themselves having to constantly defend, define, and deflect questions about their standards.  Are Bloggers journalists?  Is Julian Assange (WikiLeaks) a journalist?  Do I qualify for claiming the title journalist after 30 years in broadcast TV news?  I’ve never taken a journalism course in my life, and graduated with a degree in something totally different.  Yes, I think journalism could use Certificreditation.

Here’s a link to an organization offering to certify you in Social Media!  Who set THEM up as experts?

ADVANTAGES OF CERTIFICATION

I’ve found the following list useful.  I gleaned it from Credentialing Talk.

THE VALUE OF CERTIFICATION:

For the sponsoring organization:
Standardized practice and/or standards within an industry
Advances the specialty/field and increases cooperation between organizations in the same discipline
Provides means to establish and enforce an ethical code
Provides a means for an industry to self-regulate

For the certificants:
Recognition by a third party
Credibility
Enhances professional reputation
Personal accomplishment
Supports continued professional development
Demonstrates a high level of commitment to the field of practice
Demonstrates a certain level of knowledge and skill
Increases opportunities for career advancement and/or increased earnings
Increases and/or validates skills and knowledge
Meets employer or governmental requirements

For employers:
Improved customer satisfaction
Increased safety (in applicable industries)
Increased competence level of employees
Used in making employment decisions
Provides professional development opportunities for employees
Ongoing enhancement of knowledge and skills
Increased confidence in employees abilities
Demonstrates employers commitment to competence
Provides compliance with industry regulation or government requirements

For the public:
Helps in identifying qualified service providers
Increases confidence in service providers
Disciplinary process to follow in case of complaints
Makes you think, eh?

If nothing else, all this talk of certifying the voice-over industry indicates a certain sophistication and maturation of our business.  The talent unions (now just one union) failed to ever set much of a standard for voice actors, and yes, the marketplace certainly applies the rules of natural selection to those who enter, but can all this really be a bad thing?

CourVO

Filed Under: VO Community Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Voices.com App

May 4, 2012 By 2 Comments

One of THE most visible online voice over subscription services is about to launch its own smartphone app.

Voices.com‘s David Ciccarelli is known for his  business and technology acumen, and VO industry watchers had long suspected the P2P service would launch an app soon.

The mobile phone — or smartphone — is quickly becoming the go-to device for modern connected citizens who turn to it for news, social media, texting, video, pictures, recording voice, and, yes, finding clients.  So this is a move that makes great business sense.

You can see a Preview of the Voices.com iPhone app here.

The app is due out for release Monday, May 7th.

You can also download the Voices.com iPhone app user guide, now available before Monday’s release.

The Voices.com app is certainly not the first app of this kind to hit the market that promises to match talent with voice-seekers.
On my short list of similar apps:
TalentPlease   (my blog about Talent Please)
Rehearsal2      (my blog about Rehearsal)
Artist Grrowth (my blog about Artist Growth)
Doddle              (my blog about Doddle)

And I’d be nuts not to mention that I developed my own CourVO iPhone and Android app last October.  You can find it here: IPHONE and ANDROID.

The CourVO app offers all my great blog info on-the-go for your smartphone.

CourVO

Filed Under: VO Community Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Social Media Leads to VO Jobs

May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In June, Terry Daniel, Trish Basanyi and I will be presenting on this very topic at VOICE2012 . That’s not all we’ll be talking about, of course, but that’s what everyone wants to know.  “How do you work Twitter or FaceBook so that it leads to jobs?”

‘Get that question all the time.

I understand the quandary.  It’s not a direct relationship.  You can’t see the car up ahead.  It’s through the tunnel or around the curve.

Basically, the thinking goes like this:

The Social Network connection leads to a conversation.
The conversation engenders familiarity.
The familiarity opens up a relationship.
The relationship breeds trust over time.
The trust prompts a job opportunity.

It needs to be this way for it to be legitimate.  And the job opportunity means you’ve done your homework, and you are ready to make the most of the opportunity when it arises.  This is when you “close the sale” so to speak.  But by then, you’re in the relationship, and both you and the other party are a known quantity, and there’s little stress or discomfort, so it’s not a hard close like a life insurance salesman on an awkward first-time call to your house.  It’s more like the friend you’ve had over for dinner, and “Oh, by the way…you do voice work, right?…well, there’s something we need you for in our shop…”

The author of the blog DUCT TAPE MARKETING, John Jantsch, wrote an excellent article on this recently.

His flow goes like this:  Know, Like, Trust, Try, Buy, Repeat and Refer.

Read more about it in his blog:  The Incredibly Logical Way to Manage Customer Relationships.

He makes a lot of sense.

You coming to VOICE2012?  ‘Hope so!

CourVO

 

Filed Under: Marketing, Relationships, Social Media/Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yin and Yang

April 30, 2012 By 7 Comments

Old v. New
Past v. Future
Done  v. Disruptor
Known v. Unknown
Static v. Change

Call it what you will, things are not staying the same in VO-land.  Depending on your current status, your acceptance of change, and your view to the future, you may agree or disagree.

Of this, there is no doubt:  the thousands of people who live and work in a milieu of voice acting reflect the population at large — particularly in the present cultural climate  — they are diverse and polarized.

COMPARED TO:

Give me a moment to make an analogy to a related industry I know something about.

Traditional news media (newspapers, radio, TV) are grappling with a sea change.  The reactions run the gamut:
1) Stick your head in the sand and hope it goes away.
2) Fire a lot of news staff.
3) Hang on till your last reader/listener/viewer dies, then close the doors.
4) Sense which direction the wind is blowing and try something new.
5) Over-commit to the latest trend.
6) Run two operations simultaneously with the same people and pay.

The only thing that’s constant is change.

The voice over industry is part of the same change because we depend on those media for our work, but other factors are at work here:
A) Technological developments enabling freelance excellence
B) The loss of influence of talent agencies, and legacy studios.
C) The lagging of union accommodation to change.
D) Community sharing enabled by social networking.
E) A global marketplace, and with it a shifting rate structure.
F) A growing awareness of the strength of the individual as an independent.

Where to now?

Yes, the SAG-AFTRA merger is part of this paradigm shift.  To see these two very entrenched institutions move out of their comfort zone is not only encouraging, it’s strong evidence of my argument.  What will be their direction?  How will they handle the malcontents?  Will they adapt?…be more agile?…listen to their constituents?

Witness the effect FaceBook, and LinkedIn, Source-Connect, FaffCon, Bodalgo, the iPad, and even Voice Bunny are having on the marketplace and the VO community.

I hear and respect established, seasoned professionals in LA and NY who would argue that like ISDN…talent agents, top studios, and long-established procedures are nowhere near gone.  The big dollars go with tried-and-true formulas.  Yup…and Disney never though computers would replace a human artist at the drawing board.

It doesn’t happen overnight.  You see subtle shifts…from cassettes to DVD’s to mp3′s.  Radio didn’t go away when TV hit the stage, but boy did it change!

In the midst of these factors, World-Voices.org pops up its head and says: We think we have something new and worthwhile to bring to this community of voice actors…something that’s needed…and overdue.

So far I’ve heard from almost 200 people who agree, and two who don’t.  If a this were a Nielsen diary…some station just ran away with killer ratings!  I’m biased, and in some ways myopic.  I hear from those who are like me, and thus support those things I tend to support.

But when I hear from total strangers or people I never met from the Phillipines (!)…from voice actors who have even opposed me on certain issues, and now step up to offer attaboys…I start to believe we’re really onto something.

Whadya think?  World-Voices Organization doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but it wants to be part of the solution.

CourVO

P.S.  See and vote on the new WOVO Logos at http://world-voices.org/logos

 

Filed Under: World-Voice Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Note About Thank You Notes

April 27, 2012 By 4 Comments

This blog is to remind me to say thank you.

Actually, I love to say thank you, especially to my clients…and I do it often.  But I’ve never sent a physical thank you note to a client in my life.

That’s gotta change.

I figure there’s one rule:  Keep it simple and sincere.  No ulterior motives. No biz card included. No upsell implied.

It might not even hurt to include a small gift, like a Starbucks card…but no branding elements.

What to say?  Well, there are a lot of thoughts about that, and below is a list of some of the best suggestions I’ve been able to find on the subject.  Glean what you can, but remember, the best approach is simple and sincere…no ulterior motives.  Thank you is thank you.

How To Write a Thank You Note

Crafting Thank You Notes

Writing a Personal Thank You Note

Thank You Note Samples

Sending Thank You Notes

CourVO

Filed Under: Business-end-of-things, Thanks Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

World-Voices Organization Launches

April 26, 2012 By 26 Comments

For those of you who were unsure what the fallout from SaVoa would mean to your accreditation, we have some official announcements to make:

1) World-Voices.org is now incorporated, chartered, officers chosen, and a website up and running.
2) Non-profit status is practically completed, as are the proposed by-laws.
3) Our unique tierd-structure of membership is being brainstormed, and we seek your input.
4) We’re dropping the word “accreditation” and will be using “certification” instead.
5)  We’ve already sunk hundreds of our own dollars into these moves, and I think that means we’re serious.

Some Voice-Actors didn’t give a hoot abSout SaVoa, and while we respect that point-of-view, we ask only that you come with an open mind to what we have to offer with our new concept for a true GUILD of voice over professionals.  Members helping members raise the standard of competency within the profession.

Our founders are Dustin Ebaugh, Dan Lenard, Chris Mezzolesta, Robert Sciglimpaglia, Andy Bowyer, “Kat” Keesling, and myself.   All are SaVoa ex-patriates.  With certain obstacles out of our way, we’ve been able to organize, conceptualize, implement, and carry-out an amazing array of technical, foundational, and legal collaborations in just a matter of days.

Below is our official News Release. It’s important to read — if, for nothing else — to see our official pithy-sounding verbatim quotes!  :)

Please note the web address, and the email addresses for sending us ideas, comments, criticisms, or other notes.

We’ll have much more to tell you in the coming days.

CourVO

__________________________________________

For immediate release:  Wednesday April 25, 2012

 World-Voices Organization Is Founded.
Freelance Voice Artists To Have Their Own Industry Association.

 Las Vegas, NV.   World-Voices – a member-driven and member-controlled organization — will set standards of professional quality and skill to produce recorded audio in a home environment for the expanding commercial market. It will also serve as a guild to train voice artists on how to attain those standards.

Advancing technological changes in digital audio recording, and the ability to produce that audio in a home based setting, is prompting rapid growth to the voice-over business.  With the growth of this new cottage industry, the Founders of a new VO association and guild representing freelance voice artists who work out of their homes announce the opening of World Voices Organization.  (World-Voices.org)

Founding President, Dustin Ebaugh says “…It was time to create a certification organization for the members, run by the members and existing to serve only the members.”

Mr. Ebaugh and the other founders — five other respected members of the world -wide community of home based voice over artists — filed their not-for-profit incorporation documents today in Nevada.  A website presence is imminent, and invitations will go out in public notices for people to join.

The newly established World-Voices Organization will also actively work to promote certified members to potential voice seekers through its website and in an aggressive marketing campaign.  Materials explaining a proposed structure will be posted on the website.

Founding Executive Vice President, Dave Courvoisier says “All of us organizing members have well-worn experience in another group that failed to value the deep well of member resources.  We plan to use that strength in collaboration, and we’re excited about helping others.”

“The home-based voice over industry has grown exponentially in the last 5 years.” says Founder Dan Lenard, VP of Technical Standards. “And its not just commercials on radio and TV.  Businesses use of the Internet for advertising and promotion via their websites, a changing audiobook publishing industry, and the rapidly expanding use of computer E-Learning material via the Internet also has created a demand for talented voice artists.  Voice artists who can cost effectively create the audio at home for this are in great demand.”

CONTACT:

[email protected]

Dustin Ebaugh, President [email protected]

Dave Courvoisier, Executive Vice President [email protected]

Dan Lenard, Vice President of Technical Standards [email protected]

Chris Mezzolesta, Vice President of Membership [email protected]

Kathleen Keesling, Secretary/Treasurer [email protected]

Andy Bowyer, Founding Member [email protected]

Legal Counsel:  Robert Sciglimpaglia  [email protected]

Filed Under: World-Voice Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Finding Your Oasis

April 22, 2012 By 8 Comments

This picture is from the heart of Nevada.

Yeah, Nevada…home of endless desert, the Nuclear Test Site, craggy brown mountains, and hot hot Summers.

But the oases are there if you look for them.

Today, I’m in Boise, Idaho.  I drove the length of Nevada and into Idaho on Saturday, and stopped along the way to get pictures like this.

I drive because driving fills my soul.  It’s cathartic…and as the miles roll by, they become my moving mental oasis.

In Boise, I dedicate my time twice a year to meetings as a member of a board of directors for a non-profit organization.

It’s one of about 4 boards of directors I’m on.  I don’t do it because I enjoy tedious meetings, and financial reports.  I do it because it’s worthy work, and I am fulfilled by contributing.

Recently I removed myself from a board of directors.  I thought the work was worthy, the vision clear, and the results contributory.  I thought I was helping to create an oasis for peers to build their reputation.  Instead it began to tear away at my reputation.  The oasis became a quicksand quagmire.  Drinkable water there became tainted.

Luckily, I’m not alone.  We never really are.

Comrades have joined me arm-in-arm to create — not find — but construct, a new oasis.  We’re determined.  We have big, level-headed, altruistic plans.  In intense collaboration, the foundation is quickly being laid, and fresh water is flowing in…abundant and clean-tasting.

____________

In my driving wanderlust, I enjoy the serendipity of discovering the surprise oasis.

How much greater the joy of an oasis designed through steadfast relationship and shared with honorable intentions.

CourVO

Filed Under: World-Voice Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Accredited by SaVoa?

April 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Then please contact me.

or Dan Lenard, or Rob Sciglimpaglia, or Dustin Ebaugh, or Chris Mezzolesta, or Andy Bowyer, or Rowell Gormon…..for news that you will want to know about.

If you are a member of SaVoaPro.org, please search your email for a notice.

If you are a member of the SaVoa FaceBook group, you might check there for the same notice.

My cell:  702-610-6288

My email:  [email protected]

 

CourVO

 

 

Filed Under: Professional Organizations, SaVoa Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Laying Down the Law

April 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

More than a week ago, I asked people on my Voice-Over Friends FaceBook group to participate in a survey.  This is decidedly not scientific, or as they say in statistics:  the study has no power or significance.  But as a case study, it reveals a trend in this decidedly biased VO population on the FB group.

31 people participated in revealing how much of their income comes from Voice-over work or some “other” source.

Here are the results:

(click to enlarge)

 

Most of us probably wish we were in the most populous group, but the fact is that many working voice actors supplement their family income and pay their expenses with income from another line of work…sometimes (as in my case) a career chosen much earlier.

Robert Sciglimpaglia is one of those.  A practicing attorney, it’s clear Robert’s passion lies in acting.  He scored big earlier this year, appearing in a Super Bowl ad.  He has earned respect in the voice-over community by freely offering his expertise where and when it’s needed.  He gets to the point in a way anyone can understand.

Robert Sciglimpaglia

Now he’s published a legal guide for voice actors through John Florian’s VoiceOverXtra.com site.  ‘Voice Over Legal’ is not boring or overly lengthy, but lays out the facts on any number of topics that help the VO establish their business soundly.

Chapter headings include:

Business Structure
Liability Issues
Contracts
Intellectual Property Issues
Agents and Managers
Unions
Insurance
Taxes

Read about the book, hear what other VO experts say about it, see the video, and click to buy the book here: http://www.voiceoverlegal.com/.

You can also read the PRESS RELEASE – VOICE OVER LEGAL ON SALE 4-17-12, which fleshes out more information on the book.

Congratulations, Rob!  You make us all better!

CourVO

Filed Under: Kudo's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
Next Page »