Blog
When it comes to holiday advertising voiceover for moms, there’s nothing more important than building trust. With women influencing up to 80% of consumer spending, (OK, read that again – women influence EIGHTY PERCENT of consumer spending! Woah.) it’s not just critical, but a necessity that every single interaction foster as much trust as possible. […]
As a female VoiceOver actor, integrity of sound is everything to me, and I invest accordingly to ensure that I can provide my clients with the best quality sound. Recently, I was invited to be a guest on Edge Studio‘s Home Studio Show & Tell. Lemme tell you, it was a blast. My voiceover colleague, […]
Would you agree? Businesses should have the right equipment to do the job, and do the job right. If you’re exploring aspects of how to hire voiceover talent, you’re in the right place. It’s expected that if you are offering a professional product/service, you can provide it quickly and easily, and it should be representative […]
Opportunity Cost: [noun] Economics – the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen. That’s an important definition to remember, especially when it comes to voiceover actors. Across the board, advertisers are cutting budgets. According to Gartner’s Annual CMO Spend Survey, the average marketing budget for 2024 is down 15% at […]
They say, “Go the extra mile.” To you, it might be the “extra mile,” but to your customer, it’s their expectation. You don’t get to decide what their expectation is, they do. They’re the customer. You are the provider. We recently had a three day holiday weekend in the United States. Saturday morning, two clients […]
Do you get the jitters when you’re working on a big, important project? I do. And I’ve been doing vo nearly 20 years. I think we all do, to some extent, right? Maybe it’s not “nerves” but just being conscientious? Actually, I get a little bit of whatever this feeling is, with ANY project, no […]
This week, I had the pleasure of attending a gathering to watch local Florida Primary results come in, to celebrate the winners of a hard-fought primary campaign. No matter your political preference, we are so fortunate to live in a country where we can exercise our vote for platforms we believe in. Until a couple […]
Thank you to SWFL Fresh Press and Eric Raddatz for a fun interview! If you’re curious about voiceover, how vos obtain work, who our favorite voices are, and what our REAL dream job is… listen! Click this sentence to link to podcast.
I didn’t want to use any form of digital marketing, and especially direct marketing. AT ALL. Dug my heels in, and said, “Nope, not for me.” Then, I changed my mind. Marc Scott invited me to be a guest on his podcast for VOPreneur, to chat about my resistance to a certain marketing strategy, and […]
LinkedIn is by far my favorite social media platform. I used to HATE it. Avoided it. Didn’t log in for months and months. Maybe only checked in twice a year. What didn’t I like? 🛑 To start, I didn’t like the posts. They were impersonal. They were typically giving me bullet points about various business […]
Recently, I had an interview with CanvasRebel, where they asked, “Let’s talk about the first dollar you made as a creative. What can you share with us about how it happened?” You can read all about how I made that first dollar, and how I was subsequently fired hours later, by clicking here. I also […]
As a voice over talent, there are a number of tools you can use to help you maximize your business. I recently started using VoiceOverView, and let me tell you, it’s AMAZING! I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated about having to enter each audition and job for tracking, but honestly, it takes seconds to […]
What’s next? This month, I celebrate a 17 year career in voiceover (19 years including years spent pursuing/studying, if we’re being entirely accurate). Where does time go? 17 years ago this month, I quit my career in marketing/writing and started in vo full time. Though, I wasn’t making enough money to really sustain myself. That […]
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, […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Chats and Chirps Newsletter Hello there! Welcome to Issue One of the Chats and Chirps Newsletter! I’ve been putting off creating a newsletter for years, because I feel like our inboxes are full enough already. That said, I decided to create a newsletter that will provide USEFUL information, so you will appreciate the content and […]
Earlier this year, I was watching a MasterClass with Amy Poehler about improvisation and how it relates to living life. One of the rules of improv is, “Yes, and…” When your improv partner makes a statement, the way for you to add to the story to move it along is to say YES, and then […]
Props. Props to you! Props for you! Prepositions for your props! Ok, ok, I clearly haven’t had enough coffee yet. ☕ I wanted to chat about using props in your auditions. Yep, props in voice over auditions! While I was auditioning yesterday, there was one that called for someone who was sort of a subject […]
If you were anywhere on social media this past holiday season, you were probably pummeled with ads for #MasterClass. I’d always been intrigued by MasterClass but I just wasn’t sure I’d use it. After seeing ad after ad on #Facebook with #MarthaStewart in hair rollers, drinking her green juice, and letting us know she “… […]
Last night, as I sat at my desk writing holiday cards, I was a little bummed I couldn’t send cards to everyone of my clients, and, I wasn’t sending a gift to every single one of them. I mean, I’ve certainly been thinking, for months actually, about what I could purchase that I could send […]
It’s awards season! Within the voice over world, there seems to sometimes be a bit of controversy about awards, specifically various voice over awards platforms. I say, you do you. If you enjoy being acknowledged for the work you’ve done, then go for it! Enter that awards competition, and let that light shine!! Receiving a […]
In a previous post, I wrote about a connection I’d made on LinkedIn, who contacted me to voice a project for him. A few days later, I received an email from a colleague of his. Client #1 referred new Client #2 to me! I was so grateful. Earning someone’s trust is what business is all […]
It works! What am I talking about? Ok, so we’re on LinkedIn (and social media in general )for a specific purpose, right? To see how we can help others given our talents we use in our careers. We’re here to connect, get to know each other to build a relationship, and hopefully, be of assistance […]
Last week, I walked into my husband’s man cave to find him completely enthralled while watching this video about Sam Witwer voicing Darth Maul. Clancy Brown being in the video was a happy bonus, as that’s one of my husband’s all time favorite actors and voice actors. He was all like, “This is so cool…” […]
Not all businesses advertise on radio or TV, especially local businesses. They might not create web videos, or need promotional voice over work on podcasts. These types of marketing/advertising can be costly, and it can often take time to see the ROI. BUT THERE IS ONE THING ALL BUSINESSES HAVE and should use to portray […]
You might have heard the phrase, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” In the practice of investing, this means don’t invest all of your money into a single stock/mutual fund/etc. Why? Because if that investment tanks, you’re going to lose all of your money. Of course, the opposite is true, as well. If […]
Lately, when I send emails to my clients, I end it by inviting them to have a Zoom Coffee with me! Tim Underwood of AudioTango said HECK YES, I’D LOVE TO (because that’s the kind of wonderful, happy, enthusiastic guy he is!). Last week, we caught up over a latte/coffee. Tim and I have been […]
Turns out, I’m a collector. Of coffee mugs. And Christmas ornaments. My mug collection is really growing. I was shopping last week and found this little gem. Toward the end of my shopping trip, I circled back to the aisle I found it on and started to put it back on the shelf bc I […]
This will be the shortest blog post ever. 🙂 Relationships matter. Be sure you treat your relationships, business and more personal, in a way that let’s the other side know, THEY matter. Start with, “I appreciate you.” I will end an email with those very words, because, I do appreciate the people in my life, […]
There are tons of coaches, programs, workshops, and the like out there. Some are great, and some are not so great. Recently, Anthony Reece started VO Radio Online. It’s just that – an online radio station that plays really cool music, and every 10 minutes or so, there are voice over “features” that are about […]
What makes you feel legit in your career? Today, I sent a text to my husband and said… “Making money like this makes me feel legit.” I’m gonna be real. Today was a good money day. As a freelance voice talent, reality is, unless you’re a promo or radio/tv affiliate voice talent who is contracted […]
Woohoo!! It’s the end of the first quarter!! While I make a point to regularly review my goals and strategies to achieve those goals, the end of a quarter is a good time to LOOK HARD at these action items, and re-group (whew, that was a lot of corporate jargon in one sentence!). When I […]
Today, I’ve been reminded of two almost opposite things. It’s reassuring and a confidence builder to have experience, yet, there’s ALWAYS more to learn. Seek out ways to grow in your knowledge, and appreciate other perspectives. I attended two events today, and left each feeling a different way. After the first event, I was thinking […]
My colleague @nethervoice posted this a couple of weeks ago. “If you’re the BEST, no one expects you the to be the CHEAPEST. If you’re the CHEAPEST, no one will ever believe you’re the BEST.” It resonated with a lot of people, as he stated later it was one of his most successful social media […]
Are you ready?? Yep, here it is! Hot Tip #3 in my series of evaluating your business and finding big and small ways to make improvements and advances in your business. Join and become active in organizations related to your business. Ok, you’re probably thinking, well, that’s obvious. Maybe it is. But, I am ashamed […]
Another hot tip for you! Are you ready???? Last month, I explained I was evaluating my business, to determine what I do well, and maybe not so well. I promised I would share tips with everyone, in hope that what I learn can help you, too! Ok, here’s the hot tip. Note your accomplishments. Woah. […]
Birthdays certainly cause me to reflect, these days. I have been doing voice over for SEVENTEEN years. That’s a long time to do any one career. I love doing voice over and am so very lucky to have it as a career, but holy cow, we freelance folks wear ALL the hats of a business […]
Click here to watch a VO Quick Tip! I’m a hot mess in this video, as you’ll see, but the tip is valid! Oh, and when you get to my IG account to watch the video, be sure to follow me!
I get inquiries from aspiring voice actors often. I’ve had two just in the past 24 hours, matter of fact. I’m always happy to help, particularly those who have a certain eagerness about them, and an understanding that this isn’t a game. I think back to when I was getting started (which was SEVENTEEN YEARS […]
You hear it time and time again these days. What is your “Why?” When I hear that, I usually end up like a deer in headlights, because I can’t wrap my head around anything that seems important enough to be a “Why.” Meh. What does it mean? It means, why do you do what you […]
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote and posted Work From Home Strategies – Part 1. This post is a continuation of tips and tricks I’ve learned over the 23 years I’ve been working from home. – Take Vacations – When you’re working from home, it’s really easy to just bypass taking a little R&R time […]
While many people have only just recently started working from home, with the advent of the pandemic, I have been working from home since 1999. You guys. That’s a long time. Almost 23 years!!! Granted, when I started working from home, I was working a corporate marketing job for a company in NYC. The WFH […]
If you own a business, you know it’s important to understand your brand, and represent it in a way that’s relatable to your consumer. As voice actors, our branding is often a little more challenging to nail down and represent. We often try to be all things to our consumer. You need a hardcore announcer? […]
Take it from me. You don’t want to get hacked. Ask me how I know. :/ A couple of weeks ago, my Facebook account was hacked. I watched it happen, before my very eyes. I noticed I had two new friends, and the notification said they had accepted my friend request. Only, I hadn’t sent […]
Voice actors use demos to show their range, which encompasses tone and types of reads they can perform. Because we’re voice actors, these demos have historically been audio demos in the format of an mp3 file. Well, ok, it’s not ALWAYS been an mp3. Before the mp3, there we CDs, and before that, there were […]
It’s my career and a job, but to others, being a voice actor is fascinating. You know what I think is fascinating? Making your dreams come true. Every once in a while, I am asked to speak to groups about being a voice actor and/or my life experience. In the past couple of months, I […]
Hehe… see what I did there? Happy New Year, y’all!! Most people see the new year as a fresh start. I know I do. I was looking back in my social media “memories” and read that in 2011, I had THREE PAGES OF RESOLUTIONS!! Holy cow. I mean, I know those were years with some […]
Earlier this month, I did a thing. After 15+ years, I disconnected my ISDN lines. It’s the end of an era. After posting a video of my home studio on the Book o’ Face a few weeks ago, someone noticed my Telos Zephyr XStream on a bookshelf in the video, and was surprised to learn […]
As I was going through the most recent re-design of my web site this year, I decided I wanted to phase out the actual character of a “chick” that’s been a staple in my branding for 14+ years. To me, she just looked a little haggard, I guess. And I didn’t think she really represented […]