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COACH VOAT Totals

November 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It just seemed appropriate that I would FINALLY crunch some numbers on the Voice Over Awareness Today (VOAT) contributions from September, on this, our national election day.

Many of you participated, and if you haven’t perused all the meaty answers from the four weeks of shared knowledge, maybe now would be a good time:  http://www.voatoday.com.

In the final week of voting, I asked “Who Would You Recommend as an Acting/Voice-Acting Coach and/or a Demo Producer?  I was truly interested in hearing the responses, because it might expand my horizon of possible future training,  and that’s a good thing.

So below is a rough tally of the names and frequency of mentions for each of the responses.  Please go to the Wk 4 actual responses to see the full answers and explanations.  Some people offered some contact information as well.  These are golden referrals from your peers, and while any one given coach may not be as beneficial for one VO as it is for another… this is a short list that may prove very workable when you’re making your next training decision.

The number preceding some names reflects the number of times they were mentioned.  I’ve added links where I could find them, and made geographic reference where possible.  I’ve also made a notation of their specialty.  Some respondents listed several names, and I’ve included them all (i.e. some respondents voted more than once).  Some, like Pat Fraley, are great coaches at almost anything VO, but Pat was mentioned specifically several times for audiobook coaching.

COACHES/PRODUCERS

Wren Ross  (wren@wrenross.com)

9 Elley-Ray Hennessey  (Toronto)(coach)

8  Nancy Wolfson  (LA) (coach, producer)

Allison Moffett

Deb Munro (British Columbia)  (coach)

4  James Alburger & Penny Abshire (VoiceActingAcademy)  (San Diego)  ( coach, producer)

John Kirby (LA) (coach)

David Guzzone (Edge Studio) (coach)

2 Anne GanGuzza (Orange Co, CA)

3 Marc Cashman (LA)

Bob Bergen  (coach, esp. animatin)

Marice Tobias  (coach, producer)

Marc Graue (for Demos mostly)

2 Richard Horvitz (LA) (acting coach, animations)

2 Tim Keenan (Orange Co. CA) (demos)

3 Melissa Moats (Las Vegas) (coach, demos)

Hunter Phoenix (VoiceOverGym) Bellingham, WA

http://voicecoaches.com/

3 Pat Fraley (LA) (mostly audiobooks) (coach, producer)

Gene Holtzer (NYC)

Joan Baker (NYC)

David Goldberg (Edge Studio) (coach, producer)

Elaine Clark (coach)

2 Paul Ruben (coach, audiobooks)

Joyce Castenallos (oach, producer – promotions)

Steve Vallance (animation)

MJ Lallo (coach, producer) animation)

Chuck Duran (demos)

Ron Allan (Columbus, OH)

Dave DeAndrea (Oregon) demos

Let me know if any corrections, please.

CourVO

Filed Under: Coaching, VOAT Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Final VOAT Week!!

September 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Wow!…and to think I almost didn’t do VOAToday.com this year!  (well, I thought about it for a few minutes, anyway)

Today marks the end of the 4th and final week of September, and the last of the active Q & A on the site.

The response has greatly exceeded my hopes and dreams…Thanks to the hundreds of respondents over the 4-weeks of questions!

This final week was a big unknown, and it turned out to be one of the best turn-outs all month!

To be eligible for this week’s prize package, please submit your answers before  noon PST Friday 9-28-12.  I will be attending a funeral during the noon hour Friday, and as such, will be late in posting and notifying the winners and the sponsors this week. Your patience appreciated!

Next week, I’ll be summarizing and analyzing the answers from the month.

In the meantime, all the responses from all the weeks will remain on the site, and the site will remain active for the rest of the year.

Thanks, everyone!

CourVO

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VOAToday Finale!

September 23, 2012 By 1 Comment

Where did September go?

I was worried that 4 weeks of the VOAToday event would drag on, but my feeling is, the length was about right.  What was your impression?

Nearly 150 respondents in the first 3 weeks of questions and answers have graced the pages of the VOAToday.com site with plenty of insights, ideas, inspiration, and advice.  Some have contributed every week.   There have been long, meaty answers, and consice short answers.

I hope if you have offered an answer to one of the questions, you’ve been blessed even more in return with the collective wisdom of everyone else’s response.

The 4th and final question is meant to be a true resource for our business:

Who would you recommend as an Acting/Voice-Acting coach and/or a Demo Producer?

It is my hope that you will speak from personal experience when you offer a suggestion.  This is not a popularity contest, it’s meant to be an earnest list of qualified coaches, trainers, and producers.

Why?  ‘Cause I see lots of complaining about this coach or that service being rip-offs…a place that promises when you walk into their  weekend workshop as a newbie…you’ll walk away with a completed demo, ready to go and make buckets of cash as a VO Pro.  Ack!

Please don’t use the VOAToday forum this week to complain about anyone.  Only positive comments please.   As administrator for the site, I will not approve any comments that slam or besmirch someone’s reputation…regardless of your experience.  If a service or a coach  is bad, then I suppose their LACK of mention or absence in the list will speak for itself.

In particular, local or regional resources are welcome.  Many of us know the names of nationally-acclaimed voice coaches.  Perhaps a coach in your metro area can benefit some other voice actor in your neighborhood.

Here’s a look at the prize package for the final week of VOAToday.com 2012:

 

WEEK FOUR PRIZES

 

1st PLACE
  • VoiceOverEssential.com’s 3rd-Generation Porta-Booth Pro
  • Free 1-hour consult with Home Studio Master Dan Lenard
  • Your choice: one of three Edge Studio classes

 

2nd PLACE
  • EWABS: Alesis iODock for iPad
  • Free World Voices organization membership
  • EWABS Producer Katherine Curriden 2-hour PR/Marketing consult  ($300)

 

3rd PLACE
  • $50 Sweetwater Gift Certificate: Dallas Voice Acting Meet Up Group
  •   Voice Actor Hat from VoiceOverXtra
  • Deb  Munro’s “Creating Voices at Home” Workshop ($150) from VoiceOvverXtra

Thanks!

CourVO

Filed Under: VOAT Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

VOAToday, Week-3 Winners Announced!

September 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This was a tough, unsexy question for Week-3.  ‘Hard to post a picture with it.

It involved talking about the guts of running a business, and that’s where lots of us fall short…so this week may actually have the most value for us in real terms.

Almost 40 people, though, participated, and the answers were all golden…a peak inside creative solutions to daily issues.

Winners are chosen randomly using a random number generator from a total population this week of 37 respondents.
Thanks everyone for your awesome input!

1st Place
Rowell Gormon

  • One year’s free membership to Bodalgo
  • An EWABS club membership ($750)
  • VoiceOverEssentials.com: Adjustable Boom stop

2nd Place
Genevieve Baer

  • Your choice: one of three Edge Studio classes
  • Your Choice, one of three VoiceOverXtra  webinar recordings
  • EWABS:  a CLEAR SPOT 4G WiMax WiFi Modem ($100)

3rd Place
Debbie Irwin

  • EWABS Producer Katherine Curriden 2-hour PR/Marketing consult ($300)
  • VoiceOverXtra: PaperBack Edition of “VoiceOver Legal” by Robert Sciglimpaglia
  • Future Bettye Zoller Webinar on VoiceOverXtra of winner’s choice

Special Prize Winner This Week Only
Jeanne Fishman

1/2-off Registration for FaffCon5-Charlotte
and guaranteed entry

Filed Under: VOAT

Week-3 VOAToday.com Drawing to a Close

September 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In less than 18 hours, the 3rd week of VOAToday Question and Answers will finish up.

The random drawing will take place at noon Pacific Time, Friday, September 21, 2012, and the results posted soon afterwards…here, and on the VOAToday site.  If you slip in under the deadline, you’re good to go for the drawing.

In case you haven’t had a chance to read through some of the answers to this week’s question about preferred solutions for CRM, including database, tracking clients, invoicing, and bookkeeping…you should really take a few minutes to read. These answers from VO pros are real gold in an area that can be challenging for your business plan.  I think you’ll find a spectrum of excellent answers that may expand your realm of possibilities.

I hope you’ll take some time to add to the conversation if you haven’t already…the prize package is deep and wide for this week, and you stand as good a chance as any to win in the randomized drawing tomorrow!  See VOAT’s sponsors here.

CourVO

Filed Under: VOAT Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Special Added Bonus in VOAToday.com Week-3

September 17, 2012 By 1 Comment

We’re only half-way through our September event: Voice Over Awareness Today (VOAToday.com)

More than 120 of you have participated, shared, and contributed in your answers so far this month, and a tasty sample of great prizes has been donated and awarded.  (see last week’s winners)

This week, we’re on to a new topic, and  perhaps the most cerebral question yet:

What is your preferred method/software/tool for keeping track of work, clients, invoicing, follow-up, etc (Customer Relationship Management)?

Also, aside from some knockout donations from sponsors this week, a surprise addition for this week’s prize package – a generous donation from the organizers of voice acting’s only UNconference:  FaffCon.

WEEK THREE

Just added:  ½-cost off October 2012 FaffCon Registration
Guaranteed admission!!!
One Winner only – special drawing this week only

 

WEEK THREE PRIZES

 

1st PLACE
  • One year’s free membership to Bodalgo
  • An EWABS club membership ($750)
  • VoiceOverEssentials.com: Adjustable Boom stop

 

2nd PLACE
  • Your choice: one of three Edge Studio classes
  • Your Choice, one of three VoiceOverXtra  webinar recordings
  • EWABS:  a CLEAR SPOT 4G WiMax WiFi Modem ($100)

 

3rd PLACE
  • EWABS Producer Katherine Curriden 2-hour PR/Marketing consult ($300)
  • VoiceOverXtra: PaperBack Edition of “VoiceOver Legal” by Robert Sciglimpaglia
  • Future Bettye Zoller Webinar on VoiceOverXtra of winner’s choice

I hope you’ll stop by and share some wisdom and experience.

Also, be sure to scroll through the last two weeks’ posts…lots to learn from your peers!

CourVO

 

 

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Last Call: VOAT, Week-2

September 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

About 50 voice actors have participated in this week’s VOAToday.com question: Away from your home studio, what is the minimum of equipment you take with you in case a recording/audition is needed?

Some have given long answers, some short…others provided a picture along with their “VOAT”.

Regardless, this is the essence of VOAToday: the free sharing of information — not necessarily giving away any trade secrets — but providing a snapshot of the industry right now; an industry that can be shrouded in individualism and isolation by nature.

I’ll be choosing winners from the prize package (seen below) at precisely noon Friday, September 14, 2012 PST.  I’ll post those winning names here and on the VOAToday.com site.  Note:  this week, there are actually TWO 1st-place prize winners, male and female.

BTW, the above picture is Doug de Nance shown with his portable booth.  Thanks for the shot, Doug!

CourVO

WEEK TWO

 

WEEK TWO PRIZES

 

1st PLACE
  • VOICE 123 STANDARD MEMBERSHIP
    (MALE AND FEMALE)
  • Your Choice, one of three VoiceOverXtra  webinar recordings
    (male & female)

 

2nd PLACE
  • Your choice of a James Alburger/Penny Abshire session on marketing, performance, or home studio ($200 value)
  • EWABS:  an Ultrapod II portable tripod with mic-mounting adapter ($30)

 3rd PLACE
  • Your choice: one of three Edge Studio classes
  • Free World Voices organization membership
  • Deb Munro’s Voice Over Biz Handbook ($43) from VoiceOverXtra
Filed Under: VOAT Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Minimum Monday

September 9, 2012 By 2 Comments

Week two of VOAToday hits the matrix today.

This week’s question:  Away from your home studio, what is the minimum of equipment you take with you in case a recording/audition is needed?

Again, with this question — as with Week-1 — you’re invited to add whatever explanation you want, and throw in a picture if you’d like.

Don’t forget to go back and check on the site from time to time to see what others have posted.  Week-1′s entries were awesome!   You can comment on anyone’s post to keep the thread going, including ones from last week.

Merely by answering the question, you become eligible for a random drawing for a whole new set of prizes.  The drawing is made from the entries that are on the site as of Noon, Friday, Sept 14, 2012 Pacific Standard Time.

Also, click on the “Earlier Weeks” menu link at the top of the page to see all of the answers to last year’s questions.  Some great resources there!

Here is a look at this week’s prizes…a double grand-prize for 1st-place this week!

WEEK TWO

 

WEEK TWO PRIZES

 

1st PLACE
  • VOICE 123 STANDARD MEMBERSHIP
    (MALE AND FEMALE)
  • Your Choice, one of three VoiceOverXtra  webinar recordings
    (male & female)

 

2nd PLACE
  • Your choice of a James Alburger/Penny Abshire session on marketing, performance, or home studio ($200 value)
  • EWABS:  an Ultrapod II portable tripod with mic-mounting adapter ($30)

 3rd PLACE
  • Your choice: one of three Edge Studio classes
  • Free World Voices organization membership
  • Deb Munro’s Voice Over Biz Handbook ($43) from VoiceOverXtra

Thanks for participating!

CourVO

 

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Freefer Friday

September 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Why people think Social Media is a lost cause I don’t understand.  I get that it’s a time-suck if you don’t watch it, but if you’re an info junkie like me, there’s no better place to SPEND your time.

Below are links to three sites from posts to my Voice-Over Friends FaceBook Page.  If you’re a voice actor and on FaceBook, but not yet in this group, please write me at courvo@courvo.com and I’ll add you to the group.  SO MUCH good stuff is shared there.

Cliff Zellman posts the following link as an example of the stereotypical misinformation about our business to watch out for:
HOW TO FIND VOICE OVER JOBS (first tip — and a wrong one — “record a demo”)

Amazon has a new HD Kindle out with ‘Whispersync for voice that keeps your Audiobooks synced with your Book Books‘.
Thanks to Benita Ellena for that tip.

And my Social Media brother-from-another-mother — Terry Daniel — wrote a short blog that is long on wisdom if you’re in a quiet stretch.
If the Mic Isn’t Rockin’, Start Walkin’!

Also, this will be a busy Friday for me…the culmination of VOAToday’s first week.  1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place winners will be chosen at noon PST, and posted shortly thereafter on this site, AND on the VOAToday.com site.

Finally, I’m throwing in ANOTHER prize for next week…a half-price registration for FaffCon in October in Charlotte.  I can’t go, and I’d hate to see it go to waste!

Check back here later for more news this Friday, and get ready for next week’s VOAToday question, along with more boffo prizes.

CourVO

Filed Under: Social Media/Networking, VOAT Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Studio Ingenuity

September 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

This week, scores of voice-actors are sharing with the world a picture and a brief narrative of their home recording studio on the VOAToday.com site.

I’m amazed at the practicality, ingenuity, and creativity each person has applied to their physical space, their budget, and their needs.  You can view them all on the site.

The picture above personifies what many would probably hope to have in their home.  Cliff Zellman of the Dallas Voice Acting Meet Up group — and a seasoned audio engineer in his own right — put together the configuration you see above.

Cliff writes of the equipment included:
ProTools 192 HDIII,
Digi 002 Rack
Groovetube GT-66 microphone, Sennheiser MD 421
Avalon737sp Channel strip,
Mackie 1202VLZ mixer,
Telos Zephyr
KRKV6 Powered Monitors,
DXB 166-A Stereo Compressor
Mac Pro 2,
iMac 5,
Toshiba laptop
Gold and red lava lamp
2.5 TB (total) Glyph drives
Presonus Comp16 / EQ3B

I LOVE my home studio. It fits me perfectly and sounds great!

Wow!  Awesome!…and so are the other entries you can peruse on VOAToday.com.  Just….if you visit to see how everyone else is doing it…why not post a pic and description of your own studio?  However humble it is, there may be some element that helps out another voice actor with something that’s been a stumbling block to a great-sounding studio.

Let me mention too, that we’re getting dangerously close to the deadline for choosing a prize for participating in this week’s Question. This Friday 9-7-12 at noon Pacific time, I’ll be randomly choosing three names for the three prize packages. and all they did was send in a pic, and say a little bit about their studio.

Here’s this week’s prize package:

WEEK ONE

 

1st PLACE
  • VOICES.COM PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP
  • Your choice: one of three Edge Studio classes
  • EWABS: A FocusRite VBM virtual reference Monitoring Box ($80 value)

 

2nd PLACE
  • $50 Sweetwater Gift Certificate from Dallas Voice Acting Meet Up Group
  • Free World Voices organization membership

 

3rd PLACE
  • Free pass to a future VoiceOverXtra webinar of the winner’s choice
  • Voice Actor Hat from VoiceOverXtra
  • Deb Munro’s Voice Over Biz Handbook ($43)

Next week, an all new Question, another great package of prizes, and another chance to help out someone in this business who may benefit from your wisdom and experience.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes out of your day to contribute.

Thanks to all who have done so already!

CourVO

 

 

 

 

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