For a while I got too far away from how I can share and serve what I know to help people interested in what voice-over ("VO") is all about, my experiences, what's worked and not worked for me and give opportunities to teach performance and recording techniques and skills behind the microphone. I did this for a few years when I lived in the Detroit area, coaching students towards their first commercial demo production, bringing in top LA/NY and Chicago Talent/Teachers for VO training events (Pat Fraley, Sherri Berger) and co-teaching character voice and looping classes with Pamela Lewis (Author, Talking Funny For Money, and long-time New York VO performer and loop group talent.)
Life happened. My family and I moved from the Detroit area to the Dayton, Ohio area 9 years ago. The move from a smaller performer's union market (SAG-AFTRA/AEA) to an almost non-existent performer's market was tough. My closest union based opportunities were 1 to 1 1/2 hours away in Columbus or Cincinnati, as were advertising agencies and recording studios. I did try and continue teaching voice-over, creating my Spring Into Voice-Over workbook as a companion to a 1-day introduction to VO. The workbook has insights to all areas in voice-over to work, as well as beginning acting, vocal and microphone technique. I found Rephraze Studio in Dayton, which caters mostly to musicians, but worked wonderfully for my students to be able to record in a professional studio with an engineer. I also managed to book some voice-over commercial and corporate narration jobs; Nationwide, Huntington Bank, Battelle, Ohio State Lottery.
I reached out to Sonic Arts recording studio in Cincinnati, went to lunch with the owner and brainstormed with his manager about bringing void-over training there. That never happened, but when I was contacted by Bad Robot productions about looping some ADR for the film Super 8, I was able to use the studio without going to LA. Los Angeles Actress/Inspirational Coach Wendy Braun says, "This or something better," as her mantra when faced with auditions and meetings, meaning believing in getting the job she's going for, or that a better opportunity will come from the audition/interview if not chosen. I felt that with my Sonic Arts relationship.
Sonic Arts closed. Voice-Over jobs in Ohio continued going more and more to non-union performers (as of last week when talking to 2 Ohio talent agents, I was told about 80% of all voice-over castings that come through are non-union, including Ohio Lottery.) I was sent an audition opportunity from my New York agent narrating audiobooks directly for Audible, and received the 1st of three 9-week contracts, each with a list of around 20 books to try and complete in that time for a very generous flat fee, one of which paid for my Whisper Room sound proof booth and state of the art recording software and equipment (a big much-needed for the work step-up and out of my walk-in closet! "This, or something better!") So, audiobook narrating, along with raising my son and being a full-time volunteer when opportunities presented themselves at his school, became my full-time focus. Teaching was put on the back burner.
I took a stab at my first attempt to create content and take record videos of myself narrating in my Whisper Room from my Spring Into Voice-Over workbook, and posted them on my You Tube channel, offering the mini-videos as free lessons. The videos are still posted and I'm working on how to make more free lessons, specifically focusing on audiobook narrating, as well as adding audiobook and more into my workbook, which I hope to publish and narrate. I was inspired revising my workbook for the class I'm teaching now. Lots of revisions as lots has changed in 9 years, mostly having to do with digital media and where audiobooks have risen, along with commercials, to be the top performance and money making voice-over genre.
Teaching has gotten me to revisit my own education and training, and I'm constantly researching, taking webinars, reading (I am a huge proponent of training no matter what level of success achieved in any business or career) so I can be current with what I share to those interested in learning what I know and have experienced. Because, let's face it, my experiences are just that - my experiences. From my perspective. Not lore. Not set a path set in stone to follow verbatim. Just ideas and suggestions for what I've learned from teachers or on the job experiences over several years, coupled with some life learning and lessons too, I'm sharing to help or inspire others. We all need more of this in the world. People co-opping their life and work experiences, failures and successes to help and inspire others.
So, life continue happening. My son in a couple weeks will be heading towards high school this fall. I have more time to expand into what I enjoy creating and sharing, which is easier now more than ever through the Internet and digital media opportunities to create content. I ask myself all the time, "What can I do?" "How can I be better?" "How may I serve?" Teaching is a huge part of that. I try to be a good teacher and inspire. I think the best teachers are ones for whom teaching is a calling, a passion. I'm not going to lie and say that's me. My calling and passion, I believe, has always been in performing. But through that calling I also believe I can experience more by sharing my passion and knowledge with those wanting to learn. It's a win-win.
Thank you for your audience.
Narrating at Brilliance Audio
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