Voicey Awards open for nominations, Melissa Disney in "The Chase", Mike Cooper Narrates "Dinosaur Secrets" on History, Sanjo Ogunseye in The Biz, and Allen Ellis poses a question in the VOX Box.

Download Podcast Episode 60 »

Links from today's show

Voicey Awards Website
Melissa Disney Feature
VoteForTheCat.com
Mike Cooper
Dinosaur Secrets on TheHistoryChannel.co.uk
Dinosaur Secrets Facebook Group
Sanjo Ogunseye
Allen Ellis
Sample Proposal Template
Voices.com Help Section

Transcript of VOX Talk Episode 60

Hello there and welcome to VOX Talk, I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli.

Making voice over headlines this week are Melissa Disney and Mike Cooper, but first, some very exciting news!

The 3rd Annual Voicey awards are now open for nominations! Winners will be announced via the VOX Talk podcast on March 19th, 2009 for a special Voicey Awards podcast. If you're interested in nominating a voice actor for an award, or nominating yourself, go to voiceyawards.com for more information. The deadline for nominations is February 28th, 2009.

Are you ready for the Super Bowl? Melissa Disney, the singing voice of Snow White and also one of the most successful female movie trailer voices, is featured in a commercial that has made it into the top 5 of the Doritos Super Bowl commercial contest. The commercial with the most votes will be aired on Super Bowl Sunday. Can you help Melissa and her team? Be sure to vote for "The Chase" and visit voteforthecat.com for more details.

In closing, Mike Cooper, a voice actor in the United Kingdom, has recently provided narration for "Dinosaur Secrets", a series airing Wednesdays at 9 right now on the History Channel in the UK. History is on Sky Channel 529 and Virgin Channel 234, with the HD version on Sky 545. To support Mike and his work, be sure to watch the show on television and also join the Dinosaur Secrets Facebook group online.

For links to this story and others mentioned, visit the VOX Talk show notes.

THE BIZ

If you're a reader of the VOX Daily blog, you may recall an article that I wrote about what to do if there is little to no artistic direction in a voiceover auditioning script. Here to the rescue is our friend Sanjo Ogunseye with his take.

PLAY SANJO'S PIECE

Thank you Sanjo! It's always a pleasure to hear from our listeners and thank you for sharing.

VOX BOX

Joining me in the VOX Box today is Allen Ellis, and he asks:

PLAY ALLEN'S QUESTION

Thank you for your question, Allen. The proposal is often one of the first things a customer will see when reviewing an online audition. The most important elements of any audition for a client when evaluating responses is the audio, price and how you're presenting your services.

A good proposal is brief, polite and direct. You'll want to be sure that you address the client by their first name and state your interest in their project. Also, recording a short custom demo from their script is a great way to make a good first impression and demonstrate how you would serve as the voice of their project.

To view some examples of proposals, check out the link in the VOX Talk show notes or visit the Voices.com Help section and browse the Frequently Asked Questions knowledge base.

Here we are at the end of our sixtieth podcast! I wanted to ask you what you thought of this episode and VOX Talk in general? Be sure to share your thoughts, questions or ideas on the VOX Talk blog or record them and email me at Stephanie at Voices.com and I'll air your feedback on our next show.

Thank you for listening and for staying subscribed. If you haven't yet subscribed, you can find the VOX Talk podcast in the iTunes podcast directory or enter in your email address at the VOX Talk blog to receive the podcast directly to your inbox!

I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli. Thank you again for joining me and we'll see you next time.

Opportunities for voice over product reviews, Rodney Saulsberry's new CD and giveaway, Bettye Zoller Dallas workshops, Bobbin Beam in the Biz, Ian Stuart in the VOX Box.

Download Podcast Episode 59 »

Links from today's show

Opportunity for publicity / voice over product reviews
Rodney Saulsberry's Better Than Before
Rodney's CD Giveaway - Enter by January 17, 2009
Bettye Zoller Workshops
Bobbin Beam
Ian Stuart

Transcript of VOX Talk Episode 59

Hello there and welcome to VOX Talk, I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli.

Making voice over headlines this week are Rodney Saulsberry and Bettye Zoller, but first, let me tell you about a new way that you can get your voice over work more publicity.

For two weeks running, commercial products that include voice over have been reviewed in a new column on the VOX Daily blog, providing background on the product, how voice over is used, a review of the voice over itself and a brief biography of the voice over talent. Reviewed so far have been a Curious George Read-along book and CD narrated by Don Wescott and the Pixar Cars Shake N'Go King talking toy voiced by NASCAR's best-loved racer of all-time the King, Richard Petty.

All kinds of items are being showcased, for instance, audiobooks, talking toys, documentaries, video games and much more. Although appreciated but not solicited, sample products for review may be mailed to the Voices.com offices and upon their published review, will be donated on behalf of the voice over artist to a local charity or organization that can best make use of the donation.

For more information, click on the link in the VOX Talk show notes or visit blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/reviews

Do you need some inspiration to help pull you through? Rodney Saulsberry has just released a new CD called "Better Than Before", complete with 7 motivational and inspirational songs written with the voice over community in mind, drawing from his books You Can Bank on Your Voice and Step Up to the Mic. To learn more about this CD, visit RodneySaulsberry.com, and if you're listening to this podcast before January 17th, 2009, be sure to comment for a chance to win a copy!

In closing, Bettye Zoller is holding two voice over workshops called "The Business of Voiceovers" and "Narration Techniques" in Dallas, Texas on the weekend of January 24th and 25th, 2009.

For more information or to enroll, go to voicesvoices.com.

Today in the Biz, Bobbin Beam joins us in her sequel to What's Never Out of Style.

Thank you for that, Bobbin!

If you're a new listener to the podcast, you can hear Part I of Bobbin's feature in episode 57.

VOX BOX

Joining me in the VOX Box today is Ian Stuart, a voice over professional in the United Kingdom. Ian has a couple of questions to ask you, so have a listen now and see if you can answer them:

PLAY IAN'S FILE

What do you think? To join in the conversation that's already going on, you'll want to visit the VOX Daily blog as linked from today's show notes.

While we have another minute or so, I wanted to ask you what you thought of this episode? Be sure to share your thoughts, questions or ideas on the VOX Talk blog or record them and email me at Stephanie at Voices.com and I'll air your feedback on our next show.

Thank you for listening and for staying subscribed. If you haven't yet subscribed, you can find the VOX Talk podcast in the iTunes podcast directory or enter in your email address at the VOX Talk blog to receive the podcast directly to your inbox!

I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli. Thank you again for joining me and we'll see you next time.

Unofficial Announcer contest for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Hillary Huber Announces Live at the People's Choice Awards, Marc Cashman named one of AudioFile Magazine's top voices of 2008 and what to do when artistic direction is lacking in audition scripts.

Download Podcast Episode 58 »

Links from today's show

Unofficial Announcer Contest for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Interview with Hillary Huber, People's Choice Awards Announcer
Marc Cashman

Transcript of VOX Talk Episode 58

Welcome to VOX Talk, I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli. In this edition of the program, we'll hear about the goings on of some movers and shakers and also talk shop.

Making voice over headlines this week are Marc Cashman and Hillary Huber but first, if the end of the holiday season has got you down, it may time to clown around a bit and throw your hat in the ring for a chance to win the title of unofficial announcer for Jimmy Fallon's new late night show.

The brains behind the unofficial contest to unseat Michael Douglas as the voice of the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, has developed a similar contest to unofficially become the voice of Jimmy Fallon's new late night show on NBC this spring.

Organized by Peter O'Connell through his voxmarketising blog, voice talent are invited to record a brief intro under a music bed and jockey for a position on the list of nominees. The deadline for entries is Friday January 9th, 2009 at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

For more information, visit Peter's blog at audioconnell.com or click through the link in the VOX Talk show notes.

Want some glitz and glamour? Voice Actress Hillary Huber was interviewed on Voice Over Times about her recent announcing job at The People's Choice Awards, held on January 7, 2009 at the Shrine Auditorium. Hillary dishes about clothing, what it's like behind the scenes, microphones and more. To read the interview in full, visit voice over times dot com.

To conclude, Marc Cashman has been named as one of AudioFile Magazine's top voices of 2008. Marc caught their ears with his skillful interpretation of nonfiction for audio on diverse topics ranging from evolution (YOUR INNER FISH) to a very modern affliction, TRAFFIC of which he narrates the unabridged version.

For more information about Marc Cashman, head over to his website cashmancommercials.com

Today in the Biz, I'm going to talk about how you can make more than just an educated guess when auditioning for jobs that provide you with little to no artistic direction.

You may have noticed that there are some people who list more details than others, and have likely observed that there are a number of people, usually first time job posters, whose goal is primarily to find someone to record their voice over.

Sounds pretty basic, doesn't it?

If someone is used to working with professional voice over talent, or has particular requirements or preferences, they will give you more than enough information to work with, and while voice talent see artistic direction as a must, it is wise to look at the other end of the spectrum and realize that the information provided is relative to the person posting the job and what their goals are.

So, instead of thinking that a person whose voice over job lacks in detail is robbing you of your rights, consider this:

People who are not fully convinced of what they want are actually gifting you with the opportunity to project yourself as their voice, welcoming voice samples that demonstrate a variety of interpretations of their script, not just their own narrow perspective of what they think you ought to sound like to get the job.

When you find yourself in these situations, what you'll need to do is use your instincts and draw upon the clues in the job posting.

You know, ask yourself who the message is meant to be heard by, what it means, why it is relevant to the people it's reaching and how you could best communicate that message to them. In other words, do some sleuthing so that you can make informed creative decisions while reading the copy that will help you to self-direct, an important skill that sets beginners apart from truly gifted professionals.

All it takes is a quick analysis to make a world of difference. Will you be the right person for the job? You'll never know if you don't try!

I'm opening the floor up to you: Do you have any tips to share about interpretation and self-direction?

If so, be sure to visit the VOX Daily blog and share your thoughts or record them and email me at Stephanie at Voices.com and I'll air them on our next show.

Thank you for listening. If you haven't yet subscribed, you can find the VOX Talk podcast in the iTunes podcast directory or enter in your email address at the VOX Talk blog to receive the podcast directly to your inbox!

I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli. Thank you again for joining me and we'll see you next time.