Marketing in the Voice Over Business

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• Digital Interactive Gaming Developers DIG Voices.com

  London, Ontario is known officially as The Forest City, but in recent years, its reputation has expanded to include digital interactive media and gaming! This year marked the second Digital Interactive Gaming Conference in our city and I had... London, Ontario is known officially as The Forest City, but in recent years, its reputation has expanded to include digital interactive media and gaming! This year marked the second Digital Interactive Gaming Conference in our city and I had the opportunity to attend a few events on Tuesday that were absolutely fabulous and telling. Hanging out some of the crème de la crème on the Canadian video game development scene from all across the country. Find out more about the Canadian gaming industry and how the voice over community is reaching out to game developers. London's Digital Interactive Gaming Conference Over 700 people made their way through the doors of the Digital Interactive Gaming Conference in London, ON Canada earlier this week, consisting of students, industry professionals, media personalities, and video game royalty. During the evening portion of Tuesday's schedule, a lovely dinner was enjoyed along with a brief speech from London mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best and a keynote address from Victor Lucas, co-host of The Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run. If you follow me on Twitter I was twittering throughout dinner as you may have observed. For those of you interested in hearing what others had to say about DIG on Twitter, check out all of the tweets with the hash tag #dig09. Game Developers Love a Good Time Following the dinner there was a special VIP party where more networking occurred. This party gave me an opportunity to meet with game developers in a position to hire voice over talent and to learn more about what they were looking for when casting, hiring, and working with video game voice talent. Voices.com, for many game developers, is the answer to their voice casting dreams! They love how easy it is to post their requirements and quickly get customized responses from voice over talent who are both interested and capable. I spoke with companies that included startups, developers for online games on social networks such as Facebook, and larger game development houses who have contracts with big time video game publishers. Everyone agreed that there is amazing potential for voice over in games and also saw room for more engagement and collaboration between our two communities. Perhaps next year, we'll be able to be part of the fun! It would be an absolute honour to be the first to bring audio and voice acting into the limelight at DIG London... there is so much to talk about and to share! For your interest, I've included an informational paragraph below about the Digital Interactive Gaming Conference. Enjoy :) About DIG London DIG London is an annual conference and is the information hub for the digital interactive gaming industry in Ontario. This annual conference connects London Ontario's digital gaming cluster with industry and talent across North America. London is home to world-renowned game development studios, outsourcing studios, and educational institutions. DIG London promotes and supports the continued growth of this dynamic industry. Best wishes, Stephanie

• Voiceworx in Toronto Creates Great Performances With Heart

  Founded in 1996, Mike Kirby's Voiceworx has served students of voice over for 13 years, and has introduced Canadian talent to the wonderful world of voice over, including Shakespearean actors who have performed at The Stratford Festival, broadcast professionals, and... Founded in 1996, Mike Kirby's Voiceworx has served students of voice over for 13 years, and has introduced Canadian talent to the wonderful world of voice over, including Shakespearean actors who have performed at The Stratford Festival, broadcast professionals, and aspiring voice artists. Based in Toronto, Canada, Voiceworx focuses on helping people to find the part of themselves that will blossom in the booth. It didn't take long for me to see that the very core of Voiceworx is HEART. Jessica, Erica, and I had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of Voiceworx sessions at their Weekend Warrior Workshop in October and had an amazing time! Learn more about this fabulous training company for voice over artists in our own backyard. What is Voice Over Work? Mike Kirby relates that it's all about the message and how the voice artist personally feels about the message being said. Voice over work is all about acting. In addition, the voice must also create the pictures and images using only words... a challenge and a half for most! Understanding that voice work is very intimate, voice artists face the unique challenge of speaking to an audience of one even though it may be promoted to an audience of millions. The message will mean something different depending on who your audience is. Once you know who you are speaking to, the interpretation will become clear. Some of Voiceworx's philosophies are: 1. Each voice artist has a personal vocal signature that is unique to the artist. 2. Voice artists further develop the art of communication to become great storytellers. 3. Your voice is a reflection of who you are, and that voice needs to come from your heart, not your head. Libby (Elizabeth) Lennie, whose session we were able to stay for in its entirety, was absolutely amazing. Libby shared a number of tips and strategies for voice artists to employ. We stayed for lunch with Mike and Libby and were also able to stay for a portion of animation voice actor Julie Lemieux's workshop on character voices. The Voiceworx Experience Something I noticed right away is that students were sent into the booth early into the first workshop session. While spending time on verbal instruction and discussion is significant during a workshop, time in the booth is crucially important when you are training with an instructor Exercises were both didactic and practical. Some of the reads the students were asked to perform as warm ups before reading the copy were tidbits of educational, testimonial, and anecdotal gems relevant to the voice over industry that taught you a lesson and enriched the workshop experience. Riding on emotion was also emphasized when rehearsing copy. The simple gesture of placing your hand on your heart to feel its energy grounds you and can positively affect your performance. By living in the heart of the message, and not working toward a result, your interpretation will be freer and sound less contrived. Another recurring theme was making the message meaningful to you, the voice artist. You have to be able to make it part of you, to visualize it, and to be fully supportive of what you are saying. If something doesn't mean anything to you personally, how can you compel people to receive your message, trust you, and then act on your recommendations? Central to voice acting, and the Voiceworx company, is the relationship between the voice artist and their audience, whether the audience is the intended audience or the audience that you as a voice talent feel most comfortable communicating to when delivering your message. Voiceworx brought out the best in all of the students who participated and you could see potential blooming in the booth. It was both a privilege and a pleasure to be present during the workshops. About Voiceworx Mike Kirby's Voiceworx is a training and production facility for performers who wish to pursue a career in commercial voice-over work. With 30 years of acting and commercial voice-over experience, and 12 CLIO Awards for advertising excellence to his credit, Mike Kirby has developed a unique method of work which he and his associates are happy to share with you. Participants can expect top quality in-studio instruction in radio and television commercial voice-over, documentary and corporate video narration, cartoon voice, character multi-voice, and studio protocol, in a state-of-the-art recording studio environment. Class size is kept to a minimum and Performers receive valuable in studio personal instruction behind the microphone. All materials are supplied and personal voice work is recorded to CD for home review, complete with instructor's comments. All Voiceworx instructors are professional performers, directors and producers who make their living in the performing arts. Training Opportunities for Voice Talent If you're looking for voice over training in Toronto, Voiceworx is superb and offers a number of opportunities for coaching, including a book and CD companion for those who want to start their voice over training from the comfort of their own home. You can learn more about Voiceworx here: http://www.voiceworx.com A big thank you to Mike and his team for inviting us and for their hospitality! Best wishes, Stephanie

• Want to be a Spanish Voice Over Artist? Genaro Liriano Tells You How!

  There are many professions in our society that require you to be licensed, including teaching in the school system, practicing law, medicine, and even a license to drive a motor vehicle. But what about a license to do voice overs?... There are many professions in our society that require you to be licensed, including teaching in the school system, practicing law, medicine, and even a license to drive a motor vehicle. But what about a license to do voice overs? Unheard of, right? Get this: In many Latin American and South American countries, you have to be licensed to speak on the radio, to do live announcing, and voice over! Voice over artist Genaro Liriano, formerly of the Dominican Republic, now resides in Canada and is a member of Voices.com. Genaro shared some very interesting information with me that will amaze and perhaps surprise you about the process one goes through to become a licensed voice for hire in Central and South America. Becoming a Spanish Voice Over Talent in Central and South America Last weekend at our Voices.com mixer in Toronto I connected with Genaro Liriano and got to hear his story. I'm excited that Genaro is also translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish speaking readers because it is a tale that needs to be heard in both languages. Genaro Liriano has a license to speak! Everyone who has their voice aired publicly, whether via broadcast, public address, live announcing, or voice over needs to be an approved speaker of neutral Spanish. What's even more interesting is that each country has their own requirements for licensing to keep the Latin Spanish being heard by the populous distinctly neutral in accent with a standard dialect. The journey to become a licensed VO in the Dominican Republic is as follows: 1. An individual must complete a 3-year degree in broadcasting. For your reference, there are usually about 2,200 people in a graduating class. 2. These people must then complete a written exam of which 80-90% of them will fail. 3. Those who pass the exam are then given an oral exam with a panel of well known broadcasters, each with different areas of expertise, testing the candidate's ability to read in various styles live. Imagine having Barbara Walters, Larry King, and the late Peter Jennings all in one room testing you, holding your destiny in their hands! 4. If you pass the oral exam, you receive your certificate and a license to work on-air and off-air. This license is granted by the Radio and telecommunication commission of the Dominican Republic. Suffice to say, becoming a licensed speaker is not easy, and those who do have a license are fortunate to say the least. Interesting Fact: If you were to produce an ad campaign that were to air in multiple countries that required the recording to be voiced by a licensed individual, you may need to hire more than one talent for the job. For instance, if you had someone from the Dominican Republic voicing for an ad in the DR, but you were going to air your advertisement in another country, or several countries that also required a licensed speaker, you may need to hire one licensed speaker per country you are airing your commercial in! That could get expensive quickly depending on the reach of the campaign, however, this is how business is done to preserve the language and how it is being heard by the public. What If People Needed to be Licensed To Do Voice Over in Other Places? Imagine if you had to be licensed in the US to do voice over, or in Canada, or in other European countries? Perhaps that is already the case in some nations but we just haven't heard about it. How do you feel about the concept of licensing with regard to announcing on-air and off? Looking forward to hearing from you! Best wishes, Stephanie Photo courtesy Genaro Liriano

• Quieres ser un artista de doblaje de voz o Locutor? Genaro Liriano le dice como!

  En Nuestra sociedad existen varias profesiones que le requieren al profesional que tenga su apropiada licencia para ejercer su oficio, incluyendo enseñando en el sistema educativo, ejerciendo las leyes, medicina, y hasta licencia para poder conducir un vehiculo. Pero, se... En Nuestra sociedad existen varias profesiones que le requieren al profesional que tenga su apropiada licencia para ejercer su oficio, incluyendo enseñando en el sistema educativo, ejerciendo las leyes, medicina, y hasta licencia para poder conducir un vehiculo. Pero, se imaginan una licencia para hacer doblaje de voz? Nunca lo habías escuchado, verdad? Miren esto: En varios países Latino Americanos y Sudamericanos, usted necesita tener una licencia para hablar por la radio, para hace eventos en vivo y para hacer doblaje de voz! El artista de voz Genaro Liriano, oriundo de la Republica Dominicana, quien ahora reside en Canadá y es miembro de Voices.com. Genaro compartió con migo informaciones acerca del proceso que alguien tiene que seguir para poder tener una licencia y poder ejercer el trabajo de locutor y doblaje de voz en America central y Sudamérica, se encontraran estos detalles muy interesante que talvez les van a sorprender y fascinar. Convertirse en un talento de Voz Hispano en America Central y en Sudamérica El pasado fin de semanas en nuestro Voices.com mixer en Toronto, yo me conecte con Genaro Liriano y tuve la oportunidad de escuchar su historia. Estoy contenta porque Genaro también traducirá este artículo al español para nuestra audiencia de habla Hispana porque es una historia que necesita ser escuchada en los dos idiomas. Genaro Liriano tiene una licencia para Hablar! Cada quien que tenga su voz al aire publico, ya sea através de una transmisión, discurso en publico, anunciar en vivo o doblaje de voz, necesita estar aprobado de hablar un Español neutro. Lo que es aun más interesante es que cada País tiene sus propios requerimientos de licencia para mantener el Español Latino neutral y sea escuchado por las masas populares libre de acentos. La trayectoria a seguir para obtener una licencia de locutor es la siguiente: 1. Una persona debe terminar un diplomado de 3 años en Locución. Para su referencia hay aproximadamente 2,200 personas en una graduación. 2. Estas personas tienen que tomar un examen escrito preparado por la comisión nacional de radio y telecomunicación de los cuales un 80 a un 90% no lo pasan. 3. Aquellos quienes pasan el examen escrito son invitados a un panel de Locutores y famosos del País, cada cual representando su área de experiencia, estas personas examinan a los candidatos pidiéndoosle que lean que diferente estilo. Imagínense tener a Bárbara Walters, Larry King y a Peter Jennings, todos en el mismo lugar impartiendo el examen y llevando tu destino en sus manos. 4. Si pasas el examen oral, recibiese un certificado y un Carnet que te acredita como locutor y puedes trabajar on-air y off-air. Suficiente para decir que para tener una licencia para hablar no es tan fácil y esos que tienen la licencia son afortunados para decir lo mínimo. Puntos Interesantes: Si usted fuera a producir una campaña de anuncios que tendrían que ser transmitidos en varios países y la voz tendría que hacerse con una persona con licencia, usted tendría que emplear a más de un talento para hacer este trabajo. Por ejemplo, si usted tiene ha alguien de la Republica Dominicana haciendo la voz para el anuncio en la R.D., pero ha usted le gustaría promocionar su anuncio en otro país o países que también requieren que los locutores tengan sus licencias usted tendría que emplear un locutor por país! Eso podría ser muy costoso dependiendo en tipo de campaña, pero, esto se hace para preservar la lengua y como sea escuchado por el publico. Que si personas de otros países necesiten tener licencia para hacer doblaje de voz en otros lugares? Imagínense si usted tendría que tener una licencia para poder hacer doblaje de voz en Estados Unidos, o en Canadá, o en países Europeos? Talvez, ya ese sea el caso en algunas naciones pero nosotros nunca habíamos escuchado acerca de esto. Como usted se siente acerca del concepto de licencias para poder anuncia on-air y off-air? Espero escuchar de ustedes. Saludos, Stephanie ©iStockphoto.com/Alexander Hübert

• No More Work Agreements! It's Just Become Even Easier to Book Jobs at Voices.com

  Whenever we make changes to the site, we discuss them here on VOX Daily as well as via regular newsletters to our members. This change in particular simplifies the process for closing the deal on a voice over job! What's... Whenever we make changes to the site, we discuss them here on VOX Daily as well as via regular newsletters to our members. This change in particular simplifies the process for closing the deal on a voice over job! What's new? You will no longer have to upload a Work Agreement when negotiating with clients at Voices.com. At first glance you might wonder how removing one step could have such a significant impact, but believe you me, this slight change will make a world of difference. Read this post to learn more and to see how seamless the process has become! 1. Audition Submitted What you see above is the page you land on when you have submitted your audition to a client at Voices.com. This confirms that the client received your audition and that it is in their account for review. At this point, you are poised to receive an offer from a client at Voices.com. 2. Finalizing Business Terms Just like it sounds, you're finalizing the terms of your business agreement! Make sure that you input your fee and are satisfied with the amount. You'll see your fee, the SurePay fee, and the fee as the client sees it. Clients are fully aware that the total presented to them includes both your professional fee and also the SurePay escrow fee. As mentioned in a recent interview and in various surveys and case studies, clients prefer to complete their projects via Voices.com by taking advantage of our SurePay service which protects both you and your client. 3. Thank You for Finalizing Terms This page is shown to you when you have completed the step to finalize terms. 4. Payment Terms Accepted When your client accepts your payment terms, the next step is for the client to make their deposit via Voices.com. Once they have made their deposit you'll be prompted to upload the files. 5. Upload Files When you upload your files the client is notified by email and directed to listen to them. Once they have listened and are happy with what they hear, the next step is to approve the files. 6. Files Approved When the files are approved, Voices.com is granted permission to release the funds to the you, the voice talent. Payments are made bi-monthly on the 1st and 15th of each month (should the 1st or 15th fall on a weekend or holiday, your payment will be sent on the following business day). Within your Voices.com account, be sure to specify how you would like to be paid. Voices.com pays you on behalf of your client via PayPal or Check. Has This Made Things Easier For You? Whenever we make changes such as this, it is with your best interest at heart. I hope you find this to be an improvement that makes using Voices.com even easier than before :) Best wishes, Stephanie ©iStockphoto.com/Wallenrock