June 14th, 2011 Business/Marketing › Doug ›
A studio owner (we’ll call him Rick) for whom I’ve done bit of voice over work called me the other day with what seemed like a common question. He wanted to know if I would be willing to audition for a gig. See, his client was considering voiceover talent for their next campaign, and Rick wanted to be sure that I wouldn’t be “offended” if he threw my hat in the ring.
“Offended?” I asked, “Are you crazy? I’d love to audition for you.” That’s when Rick explained that I’d be auditioning for a gig I already had.
Oh.
It seems that his indecisive client (and mine), while happy with the voiceover work that I’d done, wanted to hear some more voices to make sure that I was the best fit for them.
Read more…
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Tags: VO, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, Voiceover Talent, Voiceovers
May 25th, 2011 Video › Doug ›
When a project is this much fun to work on, I can’t wait to share it with you. And this one was a blast for a couple of reasons: First of all, I’m a big fan of Planet Nutshell’s work. Their explanatory videos make topics that can often be confusing or intimidating into clear, easy-to-understand concepts. They call it “funderstanding.” Brilliant.
One of the reasons their videos work so well is that Nutshell’s founder, Josh, holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Making tricky concepts easy to digest ain’t easy. Another key to their success is that their animator/illustrator, Trevor, has had his work featured on PBS Kids, Noggin and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, among other networks. Quite the résumé.
Plus, as the video explains, Dropbox is a surprisingly useful service that makes the Internet (along with your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad) a much friendlier and more productive place.
From the Planet Nutshell web site:
With 25 million users, Dropbox is officially a sensation. It’s a simple, powerful way to have your stuff on any computer, anywhere. It’s the promise of cloud computing delivered, and we at Planet Nutshell absolutely love it and depend on it.
This Nutshell, which explains the top new features of Dropbox for iOS, is our little love letter to Dropbox.
I’m proud to have been a part of this project. What have you worked on lately that you can’t wait to share?
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Tags: Dropbox, iOS, iPad, iPad2, iPhone, Planet Nutshell, voice over, voice over talent, voice talent, voiceover, Voiceover Talent
May 10th, 2011 Equipment › Doug ›
Too Many Old Voice Over Scripts
Tired of wasting reams of paper and having just made the move to turn UNnouncer Central into a paperless environment by adding an iPad 2 to the mix, I’ve been on the hunt for a hands-free way to mount the iPad in my voiceover booth. As it turns out, there are lot of options for the original iPad. From the minimalist PadFoot,
The Padfoot iPad Stand
(just over 4 inches long and weighing in at only 10 grams), to the iKlip Universal Microphone Stand Adapter for iPad (beware: “Universal” refers to mic stands, not to iPads…it won’t fit an iPad 2) and the Griffin Mic Stand Mount for iPad, there are plenty of options for the orignal iPad. Finding one for the iPad 2 took a bit more searching. Read more…
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Tags: iPad, iPad 2, VO, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice over talent, voice talent, voiceover, Voiceover Talent, Voiceovers
April 30th, 2011 Business/Marketing, Published Articles, Voiceover Community › Doug ›
Part 1 of this post gave you some background regarding voice over Mastermind Groups and how they can be helpful for voiceover talent. Now we’ll get down to the nuts and bolts:
Getting Started
How many members will your group have? Four to eight seems to be the most common size. With too many members, meetings take too long. And with too few members, the resources just aren’t there.
When, where, and how often will meetings be held? How long will your group work together?
You might agree to monthly meetings for the next 6-12 months, and then reevaluate.
Set the Stage
It’s a good idea to set some ground rules at the very beginning. For example:
- Personal criticisms are not allowed
- Everyone must be willing to provide positive support, encouragement, accountability, and non-judgmental commitment to each member’s success
- Mutual respect is essential
- All meetings are confidential, and anything said during a meeting will not leave the group.
- Be an active listener
- Always be open for feedback and support, and be accountable to the group’s purpose and ground rules
- Share, suggest and encourage, but do not criticize Read more…
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Tags: Mastermind, Networking, VO, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, Voiceover Talent, Voiceovers
April 29th, 2011 Voiceover Community › dougtur ›
As I write this, a soft breeze is rustling the palm fronds, and a small pod of dolphins repeatedly breaks the surface of Blackwater Sound with their dorsal fins. The solitude of this beautiful spot on the bay side of Key Largo has become a favorite weekend escape for my family and me.
At the end of a week filled with the realities of daily life ¬– bills, taxes, car repairs, chaperoning the kid’s field trip and trouble-shooting the hum in my left studio monitor – sitting on this dock, watching the day go by and reeling in the occasional mangrove snapper is just what I need to prepare for the week ahead.
Solitude can be good. Solitude can be great. But when it comes to a business that involves as much networking as voiceovers, solitude can be very isolating. Read more…
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Tags: Mastermind, Networking, VO, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, Voiceover Talent, Voiceovers
