Caryn Clark

Marc Scott’s Voice Over Marketing Playbook

July 10, 2024 by Caryn Clark

Things you need to know.

1. I am ridiculously protective of my brand, and who I associate my brand and myself with.
2. When Marc Scott of VOpreneur ® asked for a testimonial about his Voice Over Marketing Playbook, I didn’t hesitate.
3. I have a marketing background, and yet, there are so many ideas, tips and know how in Playbook that I have found beyond useful.
4. Because I have more guidance and a plan, I’m totally jazzed to market every day. I even dream about it and what my plan of attack will be! I know, it’s weird and crazy, but true.
5. If you’re on the fence about Playbook, I get it. I was too. For years. Just read my review below. Feel free to contact me with any questions. Then buy it. (By the way, Marc only offers Playbook a couple of times a year.) https://www.vopreneur.com/a/2147532506/ap2Go2ih

Here is my review:

A few years ago, I had a free consult with Marc to discuss Playbook, to see what it was all about before purchasing. After that chat, I decided, “Nope, that method is not for me.” I had several objections that just couldn’t be overcome – I didn’t want to bother people by contacting them regularly, I didn’t think I needed a CRM, and I felt that I’d rather audition on pay to plays vs direct market because, after all, pay to plays are what helped build my business 15+ years ago.

Fast forward, and, here I am, a Playbook subscriber. I couldn’t be happier about it! The pay to play landscape has definitely changed, so my strategy needed to change. Upon realizing that, over the past couple of years, I’ve made some wonderful connections by direct marketing. I’ve found I really enjoy networking and learning about people! I purchased Playbook in order to sharpen and learn about how to improve my direct marketing, and I can attest, it’s worth every penny. If you’re hesitant to purchase, don’t be. I was the toughest person to convince, and, I can tell you, it’s worth it.

What Does a Recording Studio Look Like?

July 10, 2024 by Caryn Clark

What does a recording studio look like? 🎤🎧

Well, they come in all shapes and sizes, of course! Closets, vocal booths, rooms… you name it. I started in a closet, then moved on to treating a room.

I’ve had MANY a studio, and have built them all myself (with help and advice from friends, of course). Personally, I’m not a big fan of a vocal booth. I’ve used them, and the sound is not always as perfect as you might think.

Here’s a little tour of my studio. 📹 I prefer the luxury of an entire room with gorgeous natural sunlight ☀️beaming in. (Keep in mind I started this video in the hallway and didn’t close the door behind me so you hear the doggies, garage door, echo, you name it!)

We just had new floors installed this weekend. Along with new flooring, a lot of cleaning and organizing happened, and a little walk down memory lane is included in my tour. 🤗 A nice reminder of just a couple of the cool projects I’ve had the opportunity to help with over the years.

Lol 😂 my husband greeting our dogs at the end.

I am a bit of an “audio purist,” as I like to call it. I only use my mic (Sennheiser 416), a Universal Audio Volt interface, and ProTools. I do have RX tools, and I use Voice De-Noise every so often, but that’s it. No fancy filtering, compression, etc for this gal!

If you need help with building out your recording studio, or just have some questions, I know a few people you can consult with! Schedule an appointment with me here.

recordingstudio narrator videoproduction audioproduction voiceover hannahmontana hasbro toycommercial

Overcome the “I Don’t Wanna” Brat!

June 19, 2024 by Caryn Clark

This is me. Kicking myself.

Why?

Because I should’ve started using a CRM (CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and a CRM is a tool/database that helps you keep track of your customers and potential customers) a long time ago.

I was a brat, and “diiiidddddnnnn’t wwwwaaaannnnnaaaa!!!”

I remember having a consult with Marc Scott, oh, about three years ago, I guess, and literally said to him, “Yeah, that’s not for me.”

At the time, I was killing it on the pay to play voice casting web sites. Plus, the thought of cold emailing people made me cringe.

It still does. I do not want to be that annoying vo talent.

But, the pay to play voice casting web sites are not working very well for many talent these days. (PS: If you are a creativedirector and cast voiceover via a casting web site, I’d recommend you look at other avenues, b/c they’re not doing talent any favors, just taking loads of our money. I’m hoping that tide will turn, but until then…)

I’m in the initial baby steps of using a CRM, just sending emails right now to select people. It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be. The key is creating emails that aren’t the same as what everyone else would send… be unique! I like to take the honest approach, myself.

I sent 20 emails the other day, and received one reply that there might be a job for me next week.

That’s success right there!

So glad I’m doing this!

Get on it. Put the brat in timeout and do what you gotta do to build your business. Everyone’s doing it, why shouldn’t you?

#marketing #CRM #videoproduction #advertising #commercialproduction #voiceover

Making Connections on LinkedIn

June 17, 2024 by Caryn Clark

Welp. You caught me. 👩‍💻

Mmmmhmmmmm… I see you checking out my profile, too. 🤓

Yep, I’m calling it all out here. All the things we want to say about LinkedIn profile views, but are afraid.

Ready for it? 😬

Reaching out to people is scary. Our minds come up with all these notions of “they’re not gonna want me to bother them,” or “they’re busy,” or “they are a really big deal, and I’m just small potatoes… they’re not going to want to connect with me.”

Stop that. Put all of that out of your pretty little head. Or, at least try to. I still experience it every day. Yes, it’s about meaningful connections, but it’s also just connecting.

I’m always looking for ways to help people – not just with voice over. I like to open doors for people and connect them. For example, if I connect with a freelancer who is looking for work, I try to connect them to people I know who recruit, are in that industry, or re-post opportunities often. 🚪 🙋‍♀️

So, if I checked out your profile, but didn’t send you a connection request, it was me being shy or having that inner convo with myself that said, “Eh, they aren’t going to see a value in my connection and I don’t wanna piss them off.” 😏 So when you come to check out my profile, please, connect with me if you think I can help you. I am here for the connections! 👋

Oh, and don’t worry about sending me a note with your connection request. We’re limited on those now, so the expectation of an intro note has gone out the window. We can just message each other after we make our connection. 🤗

I’ve made some really wonderful connections on LinkedIn. Once messaging starts to happen, you find that people are generally very kind, friendly, and want to network.

I mean, that’s why we’re on social media, afterall.

Now, go make some connections!

connect network voiceover marketing #socialmedia #linkedin

Don’t Hate on the Fry

March 12, 2024 by Caryn Clark

In a world where we encourage people to BE WHO YOU ARE…

I find it curious when people are offended vocal fry. Posts are scattered about social media among my voiceover colleagues about how they “hate” vocal fry. I see them at least once a week.

Why are people hatin’ on the fry?

It seems they’re most annoyed by the likes of the Kardashians. Now, I don’t pay attention to the Kardashians (but I have watched/listened to understand vocal fry). And yes, sometimes, it’s a bit much.

I’ve also watched videos of speech professionals and linguists explaining the phenomenon of vocal fry and how it’s caused by a lack of breath/air support to cause the vocal folds to bang together in a different way. Click here to watch a video about the scientific explanation (and lol the speech pathologist literally has vocal fry without even trying).

She explains there is actually THERAPY for this.

Honestly, I don’t really notice it as a pervasively annoying trait.

Maybe that’s because I come by it naturally. Keep in mind, I have years upon years of vocal training, both speaking and singing.

I think people need to consider that perhaps it’s genetic and/or caused by a medical condition.

I am hypothyroid (Hashimoto’s Disease), which causes hoarseness. I’ve had this for nearly 25 years. Also, my father had a very gravelly voice, so genetically, this is likely a factor. Combine the two, plus maybe other factors like aging, and voila, I have a gravelly voice aka vocal fry as my natural speaking voice. I don’t completely drop words at the end of sentences, as some examples have shown as a lack of breath support. I can smooth out the ends of my sentences, but I have to consciously adjust my voice accordingly. It really just depends on what I’m voicing. Sometimes, depending on the word, phrasing, tone… it’s not possible.

It has nothing to do with my socioeconomic background (grew up about at poverty level), or my generation (I’m Gen X). I haven’t done any research, but I would guess it has to do with my body and vocal cord construction, hypothyroidism, and genetics.

With that all said to provoke thought, I’m off to do an audition that calls for a memorable voice with a distinct quality like vocal fry or gravelly voice.

Be who you are, y’all.

A Few Cold Remedies

February 12, 2024 by Caryn Clark

Being that it’s mid-winter, I thought I’d share some of my tried and true remedies to battle the nasty bacteria that goes ’round. As a voice actor, being sick is a really bad thing. It makes it hard to audition, much less work, when you don’t sound like yourself.

Here are a few ideas for prevention and recovery, in case you find yourself with the sniffles, sore throat, and the like.

Sinus rinse bottle/Neti Pot – I know it sounds gross, but it is magical, once you get used to it. If you use regularly (like I should) you will avoid loads of illness. Don’t use tap water though – you must used distilled water. Click here to see the NeilMed Sinus Rinse Kit I use.

Hand Sanitizer – I’m a hand sanitizer nut. I especially love this one because it smells so good – I get compliments on it all the time! It’s by the people who make those lovely candles. I’ve used both scents, but I’m partial to the Champagne scent. My husband even likes to use it, too! Clicky click to the Lafco Hand Sanitizer.

Throat Coat Tea – caffeine free, delicious, and with Slippery Elm, this is a great find even if you don’t use your voice all day. Get yourself some Throat Coat Tea!

Vitamin C and Zinc – find them and take them, regularly. Be forewarned, don’t take Zinc on an empty stomach. Not only will you have a cold, but you’ll be nauseous, too. No one needs that.

I hope you’ve found these suggestions useful and helpful! Let’s keep those germy germs away!!