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Warning: Blatant Plug

January 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If I didn’t have so much faith in John Florian and VoiceOverXtra webinars…
If I didn’t know Bettye Zoller like I do…

….I wouldn’t waste your time with this brief announcement.

In fact it’s ME…I’m the biggest questions mark in Monday, January 9th’s Webinar on VoiceOverXtra entitled A New You in the New Year.  ;-}

Between the veteran wisdom of Zoller, and my quirky mix of Social Media exploration, you will get — if nothing else — in that hour-and-a-half teleseminarm– a wonderful stir-fry of brainstorming that will have you rethinking some old ideas for your VO business, and maybe even inspire you with some new ones.

Bettye will present from her vast knowledge of marketing, agency-representation, coaching, and foreign, as well as long-format opportunities.

Then I’ll present with a number of new Social Media trends and techniques, some recent technological advances, and even a couple of predictions for developments in the new year.

For the rest of the 90-minute session (and maybe even over a little)…we’ll field questions.  Anything’s fair game.

Because of my evening schedule as a news anchor, we’re getting started at 1pm PST / 4pm EST.  The cost is $44, and you’ll get a complete copy of the entire session when you’re done.

I’ve put a lot of research into the elements I’m presenting, and I think you will walk away with tangible strategies.

Thanks, and ‘hope to see you there on Monday, the 9th.

CourVO


Clipped from: archive.constantcontact.com (share this clip)

 

Filed Under: Teleseminar, Webinar Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

At the risk…

August 23, 2011 By 2 Comments

…of threatening the limits of your patience, let me just beat the drum ONE. MORE. TIME for Wednesday’s 3rd & final portion of the “Super Socials” series of webinars hosted by VoiceOverXtra.

Before you slide that mouse up to click on your next website, let me just offer up a quick “teaser” tidbit of info — a tiny taste of a morsel of information to show you what you will be hearing for AN ENTIRE HOUR during the webinar loosely titled:  “Everything Else” in Social Media…meaning: NOT FaceBook or Twitter.

There’s other social media besides FaceBook and Twitter???!!!  Ho-Boy…is there!  Ever hear of LinkedIn?  YouTube?  Google Plus?  Skype?  Blogging?

OK…TWO tidbits:

TIDBIT #1  How to post your demos on your LinkedIn profile.  LinkedIn is much stronger than FaceBook or Twitter in many ways.  I’ll show you a few.

TIDBIT #2 Why Google Plus is better than Skype for video conferencing.  This is Google’s 3rd atttempt at a successful Social Networking platform, and it’s got Mark Zuckerburg looking over his shoulder.  I’ll tell you why.

HONORABLE MENTION TIDBIT  Many of you already use Skype for an easy phone-patch.  I’ll be going over that, but I’ll also show you how to set-up Skype with your own phone number, so people on a land-line or cell phone can call you on Skype.  The other party does not need to have Skype.

Like I said…there’s much more…pluse we’ll be interviewing the founder and sustainer of VoiceOverUniverse (VU) “Zurek” right off the top of the hour…

Again, here’s the link to sign-up.  It’s Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 Noon PST / 3pm EST.

C ya there!

CourVO

Filed Under: Webinar Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Expert vs. Student

August 22, 2011 By 6 Comments

Which one are you?

Oh, you’re an expert?…you know absolutely everything there was, is, and will be about your specialty!  Wow!

  • You could write the definitive textbook, and speak off-the-cuff at virtually any venue on the subject for which you’re an expert?
  • Furthermore:  you obviously feel comfortable with people calling you an expert.  (BTW,  I’m treating the word “guru” synomously, here).
  • You unabashedly accept speaking engagements, paychecks, and invitations to do teleseminars, webinars, and write books in your area of expertise.

I’m being sarcastic and cynical here to make a point.

Later this week, I’ll be contributing my part to a 3-part webinar on the value of social media for voice actors.  I am no expert.  I doubt there are ANY experts in social media, although many like to say they are, in promotional materials.

I more like to think I’m a STUDENT of social media.  It teaches me.  In fact, to my way of thinking there is one immutable word that stands between expert and student.

HUMILITY.

Sometimes I like to think I’m an expert, and then I get blindsided, T-boned, or undercut by someone or something from out in left field that shows me how little I really DO know.  Ever had that happen?  Uh-huh.  ‘Thought so.

So if you are so wonderful that you’ve actually paid money to hear what Terry Daniel, Trish Basanyi and Dave Courvoisier have to say about what they THINK they know about Social Media…then it is my responsibility to do all in my power to tell you all that social media has TAUGHT me.

But expert?  Huh-uh.  Student.

CourVO

More info on the webinar at VoiceOverXtra

 

Filed Under: Ruminations, Webinar Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Next Up….

August 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Terry & Trish in better times

‘Hope you were able to catch Terry Daniel‘s webinar on FaceBook for VO’s last night on VoiceOverXtra’s “Super Socials” series.

Tonite, Trish Basanyi takes the stage, and she’ll be sharing some great tips for finding work using Twitter.

Then, next Wednesday, I’ll be bringing up the rear, talking about YouTube, LinkedIn, Google +, Blogging, and I’ll be interviewing Zurek live.  He’s the founder/sustainer of the highly popular Voice Over online community VU, or VoiceOverUniverse.

There’s still all the time in the world to sign-up, and if you are a SaVoa member, please tell John Florian at the VoiceOverXtra site, and you’re eligible for some SaVoa promotional materials as an extra incentive.

Click here to see all the details of the 3-part “Super Socials” webinar series.

I, for one, am so lookingn forwrard to Trish’s webinar tonite.  Not only does she have more Twitter followers than any VO I know, but she knows how to make hay out of her contacts.  If you’re like a lot of people, and Twitter has you scratching your head, then this webinar is for you.

CourVO

 

 

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Face-to-Face

August 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

For the forseeable future, FaceBook is the 800 lb. Gorilla of Social Media.

Even the most cantankerous naysayer has to pay homage to Mark Zukerberg’s creation if they want to keep up with trends…and keeping up with trends could mean the difference between an enterprising, innovative voice acting business or one that feels a little more “left behind” with passing time.

For this reason, VoiceOverXtra‘s 3-part “Super Socials” webinar series puts FaceBook right out front.  Furthermore, this topic gets treatment from the guy who bends FaceBook to his will:  Terry Daniel.

Terry may not have ALL the answers, but he’s so doggone good at covering the essentials, the ever-changing rules, and the savvy VO uses of FaceBook, that you’ll wonder why you don’t spend more time there (like Terry does!).

Monday, Trish Basanyi (who will oversee Part II on Twitter, Thursday, August 18th), Terry, I, and John Florian (VoiceOverXtra’s founder) had a skull session to go over the final “Super Socials” details.  I got a glance at Terry’s presentation and I gotta tell you, it’s a doozie!  You’ll find out how and why to set up a FaceBook business page, how to post your demo’s on FaceBook, and he’ll share a long list of absolute “do’s” and “don’t's” of FaceBook etiquette.  And that’s just for starters!

Each of our sessions run an hour-long with an additional half-hour of Q & A.  If the questions run long and involved, we might even go over that!

Terry will show you how to make FaceBook work in favor of your VO business.   We hope you’ll consider signing up for the entire 3-part webinar…or any one part.

See the “Super Socials” sign-up and information page here.

CourVO

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

A Dab of EWABS

March 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Appropriately, I was busy gutting my own home studio when the second EWABS  show aired Sunday on U-Stream.  I’d just decided my converted walk-in closet had too many add-on, jury-rigged tweaks for even ME to bear, so I took everything out….threw away a bunch of stuff, dusted, vacuumed, re-wired, repositioned, and 7 hours later, I had…like…a new studio!

But apparently because of my absence, the show exceeded all expectations, and with the expert duo of George Whittam and Dan Lenard, that’s saying a lot!

For some reason, only the 2nd-half of East West Audio Body Shop is available on U-Stream… but it’s a half-hour of goldedn Q & A by the EWABS Ewoks…be sure to take a listen.

Or if you want to revisit the inaugural EWABS show from the 20th…it’s in segments…just type in EWABS on the U-Stream home-page, and you’ll see all the pertinent links.

My previous blog articles on EWABS:

http://www.courvo.biz/2011/03/the-ewoks-of-ewabs.html

http://www.courvo.biz/2011/03/ewabs-launch-success.html

CourVO

 

Filed Under: Home studio, Webinar Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

EWABS Launch Success

March 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

My congratulations to Dan Lenard and Georg Whittam for successfully launching their first EWABS live show.

EWABS stands for East West Audio Body Shop.  For more on the basics of this new show, valuable links, and something about the  founders, see my blog The Ewoks of EWABS.

The guys weathered several blank-outs of the signal, but if you can look beyond some inaugural glitches, the show, the concept, the experts, and the give ‘n’ take was all above expectations…and expectations were high, so that’s saying a lot.  George surmounted considerable technical challenges to get both guys on live on U-Stream at the same time…but that’s what George does.

In typical mobile style, I began watching the show on my iPhone4 UStream app while I was out for Sunday walk, and finished-up when I got home, watching on my desktop PC.

To see a replay of the show, go to EWABS on U-Stream.

Nice going George and Dan…everyone wants to see you succeed in the future with more shows of this quality.

CourVO

 

Filed Under: Technology, Web/Tech, Webinar Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Niche is the New Nebulous

October 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Is it “Neesh” or “Nitch”?

‘Doesn’t matter.  Niche is so chic or kitschy that it’s become cheeky.

What I’m trying to say is “niche” no longer has meaning.  EVERYTHING = niche, so going by the algebraic law of equality, then, NICHE = everything.

NIETZSCHE

You don’t have to be a postmodern existentialist to know there are so many niche’s in voice over, that it’s almost immaterial to have to say it!  VO is  ”everything nebulous niche”.  Each commercial, each promo, each website narration IS ITS OWN NICHE.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a big difference between reading an audiobook and doing an affiliate promo, but that doesn’t mean it’s not all VO.  Voice Over is ALL OF THAT and more.

It’s like telling someone from Italy that you’re from a small city about 50 miles South of Chicago called Kankakee.  ”Oh, you’re from the USA?”  ”Uh…yeah…”
It’s just easier to say “…I do voice overs.”  Then if someone REALLY wants to know…you can dig deeper.

ITCHING TO NICHE

And believe me, you should dig deeper…finding your niche will lead to more bookings for your VO business…the kind of bread ‘n’ butter jobs that keeps you flush while you work at de-throning Ashton Smith atop the kingdom of network promos.  ;)

I say all that to mention an upcoming webinar on VoiceOverXtra Monday.  John Florian —  the VoiceOverXtra jack-of-all-trades — will be hosting Bettye Zoller for a session called:  “BRANCHING OUT TO NICHE MARKETS”.

I spent some time on the phone with Bettye Saturday.  She’s a bright person, with loads of practical experience, and she loves to tell it in her matter-of-fact way.  The price of the webinar is minimal.  The advice you get will more than compensate you for your expense.

Then you can go nibble away at your quiche…or is it niche?

CourVO

Filed Under: Webinar Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Glowing Global

March 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If China gets to make EVERYTHING…maybe all that’s left for us to do is VoiceOver.

The global marketplace is glowing, and why not?  English is emerging as the language of commerce around the world.  To market a product with a wide audience, at some point, you’re gonna want to put a proper English-speaking voice along with the product/service.

Giving the Brits their due for a piece of the pie, that leaves North America as the source of an authentic English sound.

No one preaches this marketplace more than Bettye Zoller.  She’s been working this angle for years…maybe longer than anyone else.

In preparation for an upcoming Webinar on VoiceOverXtra.com, called “Foreign Job Sources for VO”, Bettye told me: “…for this webinar, I had to do serious research and even get help from foreign sources who gave me more input. It is the hardest research on a topic I’ve done for a long time and I hope as many people as possible will tune in…”

The Webinar is April 5th, the price is modest, and you get a download of the session when you’re done.

Click HERE for more details.

BTW, there’s a preview article of Bettye’s webinar on VoiceOverXtra, HERE.

CourVO

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Bettye on Business

November 12, 2009 By 1 Comment

bettye Sometimes we get so wrapped-up in the auditioning, and the marketing…keeping up with technology and making cold calls that we forget voice acting MUST be run like a business.

Sure we need to brush up on talent skills, but do you have a business plan?  How do you track your financial progress?  What’s your next goal?

Bettye Zoller is an ace talent, and well-recognized voice coach, but lately she’s got an axe to grind about keeping a good business sense about your BUSINESS of voiceovers.

See “below-the-fold” for some answers to a few questions I posed to Bettye about that, but even more so…saunter on over to THIS site, and sign up for a live webinar featuring Bettye next Thursday, November 19th.  voiceoverxtra

The webinar is being expertly organized by John Florian’s VoiceOverXtra online resource.  If you know Bettye at all, you know she doesn’t mince her words…and always speaks from a wealth of experience in a very frank and engaging manner.  You will learn a lot!

HERE is a link to a FaceBook page with info too.

CourVO

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Filed Under: Advice, Business-end-of-things, Coaching, Webinar Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,