Entries Tagged as 'National Voice Over Month'

“Voice Over Awareness Today” starts today

What was started by Dave Courvoisier two years ago as National Voice Over Awareness Month has grown into VOAT (pronounced “vote”).

VOAToday reminds me that I want to put another Buffalo Niagara or Western New York Voice-Over Meetup together this month. We shouldn’t need an excuse to do it but if VOAT provides one, well, that’s good enough for me. National Voice Over Awareness Month spurred me to put one together in 2010 so we’re about due.

Here’s the formal announcement from Dave:
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NEWS Release

Voice Over Awareness Today Returns For 2012
VOAT builds on the success of 2011’s innovations

LAS VEGAS, NV, Sept 1, 2012: Voice actor, Blogger, TV News Anchor, and Social Media advocate Dave Courvoisier announces a September promotion to help build an informational database that benefits voice actors everywhere, while encouraging a sense of community and providing a fun program offering valuable prizes.

By lending a “VOAT” to a specially-designed website, voice-actors can contribute to a shared informational resource based on their answers to weekly questions. Doing so automatically puts their name in the running for some handsome weekly prizes specifically designed for voice actors.

VOAT in 2012 — building on last year’s success — plays off the ‘VOTE’ homonym by asking voice actors globally to ‘VOAT’ on 4 different issues impacting voice actors…one for each week of the month. The ‘VOAT’ consists of an answer to a “question of the week”. ‘VOATing’ in this manner allows the website visitor to be eligible for specific voiceover-targeted prizes provided by well-respected voiceover equipment, service, and client-seeking providers.

As an example, the question being asked of visitors to the site during the first week of September will be:
What does your recording studio look like? Provide a picture and a brief description, history, or special features of which you’re proud.

People responding, are required only to provide their name, and an answer (email is required to be eligible for the prize). No data is collected on the visitors for marketing purposes. The site also allows respondents to upload a picture or soundfile to accompany their comment if they wish.

“All the responses will be listed in a thread-like format for all to see on the website, creating a collective knowledge-base that will benefit the entire community of voiceover artists,” adds Courvoisier, “each week a new question, new comments, a new set of prizes, and a new winner.”

Prizes for the month-long event are generous.

High-profile businesses readily recognized by voice actors everywhere are contributing substantive prizes, including for instance, a free year’s premium annual membership to Voices.com, an annual subscription to Voice123.com for both male and female, a choice of demo or consulting services from Edge Studio in NYC. In addition, John Florian of VoiceOverXtra, is offering a free pass to an upcoming webinar, and Cliff Zellman, Founder and Organizer of the Dallas Voice Acting Meet Up Group (DVA) is contributing gift certificates from an online equipment site. EWABS’ George Whittam & Dan Lenard, and the Voice Acting Academy are also contributing. This is not a complete listing of prizes. We’re also pleased to announce that Harlan Hogan’s Voice Over Essentials.com is donating a new 3rd generation Porta-Booth Pro audio studio…just now being released!

Sponsors include: Voices.com, Voice123.com, Bodalgo, World-Voices Organization, Harlan Hogan’s Voice Over Essentials.com, VoiceOverXtra.com, The Dallas Voice Acting Meet Up Group (DVA), Bettye Zoller, The Voice Acting Academy, EWABS, and Edge Studio, Julie Williams, Deb Munro, and Bob Bergen.

“Voice actors are an extremely supportive, encouraging and giving people. Many of them have enabled and sustained my VO career, and this is an attempt to celebrate the generous nature of the business, while helping to inform and create a community of like-minded peers,” adds Courvoisier.

The site will become “live” on Labor Day, Monday, September 3, 2012.

http://www.VOAToday.com

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN:
“In 2010, the NVOAM (National Voice Over Appreciation Month) event struck a chord with voice actors everywhere who agreed it was time to celebrate the profession of voice acting,” notes Dave Courvoisier. “With very little foreknowledge, hundreds of voice artists around the world responded with enthusiasm to the month-long ‘appreciation’. A central website (http://www.nationalvoiceovermonth.com) collected the support of voice talent, showcased a series of collaborative Public Service Announcements, and kept a running and busy calendar of voiceover happenings in September.” The VOAToday event is a direct result of this early foray into online VO community-building.
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a great night to mix it up with voiceovers

When I decided to help organize a Western New York Voiceover Meet-up as part of National Voice Over Month, I truly had visions of me sitting alone in a bar for two hours having been blown off – you know, like in the old days! 😉

But the evening turned out much better than that with over twenty people coming out with about a week’s notice. Some folks I knew and some folks I didn’t but much like the Toronto Voices of Vision Mixer, our voice over industry breeds instant familiarity.

What a treat it was for me to entertain my good friend Bob Souer in my hometown after all the years of me coming to see him. Still one of the finest people I know.

And that really was the point of it for me – not just to socially connect with people I already knew in this industry but also to meet and visit with folks that I haven’t yet met or spent time with…the world’s a big place and I know there are lots of people I can still learn from as long as I take the time to meet them.

Voice Talent Peter K O'Connell with Voice Actor and Voice Acting Coach Pat Fraley

My thanks to everyone for showing up but especially my friend and teacher Pat Fraley who has taught me a lot over the years – not the least of which is kindness goes a long way in this world; Pat has it in spades.

Here are just a few of the other folks who joined us Saturday at JJ’s.

Voice Talents Matt Young, Norman Daniels, Chris Greene and Shanda Gardner Fry

Voice Talents Bob Feurdaliso, Justin Feurdaliso, Mike Dugan and Mike's wife Linda

Voice Talents Jack LoCastro, Norman Daniels, Margo Davis, Toni Silveri and Bob Souer

blog post #700

As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!

No…wait.

As God as my witness, I had no idea that starting a blog all those years ago would result in 700 posts.

I like to write but that’s not the challenge; the challenge is if people will like to read.

Many of you do, catching this blog via subscribing to Voxmarketising through RSS or reading links on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. The comments, retweets and repostings really make me happy. Not egotistically happy but really because someone took the time to read about my thoughts on voice over, marketing or advertising and thought they were worthwhile enough to share with others.

That kind of endorsement and support cannot be quantified.

So whether you like the logo posts, or the Fauxditions, or the videos or the Faffcon stuff or more recently the National Voice Over Month stuff, I keep writing about those type of things and more going forward. None of that stuff existed when I started.

God only knows what lies ahead for this blog in the future. Boy, I hope its all good stuff!

Thank you.

agents who celebrate national voice over month win!

Voice Over Agents for Male Voice Talent Peter K. O'Connell

I’ve been fairly fortunate in my voice over career to have partners in my voiceover business.

They are my voice over agents who represent me and hundreds like me to thousands of potential clients for each new voice over project that comes out.

I speak to all my agents fairly regularly and I think most even know my name (kidding! – just agent humor). They do know my name, my voice talent and I am fortunate to have gotten business from and made money for these valued partners.

Now, as we begin September’s National Voice Over Appreciation Month (or National Voice Over Month, as I prefer to call it so I don’t have to type as much) I thought I would mention how I think Voice Over Agents can benefit from this month long celebration. Maybe these tips might work for your agents too.

Something to Write About
The challenge in promoting talent within an agency is with so many people represented, it’s tough most times to just promote one individual talent to a full data base of clients. The other talents get a bit perturbed if they are not the “chosen one”.

That’s where National Voice Over Month comes in…sending out a direct mail piece (letter, postcard or even email blast) to your database of prospects and clients about the National Voice Over Appreciation Month celebration that directs readers to your list of talents is a great and simple way to drum up business.

Something to Talk About
Often times, when outbound calling (aka “dialing for dollars”), agents fish for something to talk to a potential or even regular client about. Once a job is over, an agent has to search for the next hit. That can be just as difficult and awkward as it sounds but its part of the skill set agents bring to the table – that ability to keep the conversation going.

Should they do the direct mail piece our to prospects and clients – what would normally be a cold to lukewarm call immediately becomes a warm call – the agent has something to talk to the client about.

“Did you see our announcement about National Voice Over Month? Yeah, it’s a kinda silly celebration but it got me to thinking about some of our voice talents who just completed some really cool projects. I’m really excited for you to hear them.”

That conversation could go somewhere or nowhere but at the very least, the agent got in front of the prospect at least one time if not two times in one month’s time and kept the dialogue going.

That’s what sales is all about. My team is good at that – I hope yours is too.

My thanks to all my agents who work on my behalf:

NEW YORK: All Coast Talent – Toni Silveri > 716.836.4339

NEW YORK: Voice Talent Productions – Erik Sheppard > 631.332.9550

CALIFORNIA & ARIZONA: Dani’s Agency – Dani Green > 602.263.1918

ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN: Lori Lins, Ltd. – Maureen Troy > 414.282.3500

TEXAS: Pastorini-Bosby Talent – Jenny Bosby > 713.266.4488

WASHINGTON & COLORADO: Big Fish Voice Co. – Elynne Dale > 303.778.6708

OHIO, KENTUCKY & INDIANA: Heyman Talent – Thomas McClure > 614.291.8200

GEORGIA: RSH Management – Richard Hutchison > 404.261.7824

GEORGIA: Voice Scouts – Becky Wilmes > 877.351.1060

TENNESSEE, LOUISIANA & ALABAMA: Dan Agency Inc. – Stephanie Beck Williams > 615.591.7064

september is national voice over month
(please retweet, Facebook Favorite or otherwise promote the heck outta this)

September is National Voice Over Month

Not to be too dramatic about it, but it’s about damn time.

Almost every group, organization and/or species has a week or month named in honor of them. Often times it sounds like a joke when you hear some of their names and so too may the impression here now for some, but it’s not.

My friend and fellow Voice Over Talent Dave Courvoisier kinda mentioned the idea in passing when he noticed in his blog about a week or so ago how many voice over activities were taking place in the month of September (more than usual, it seemed).

For example: Amy Snively’s Faffcon is taking place in Portland, Oregon on September 11 & 12th. Joan Baker’s New York City-based “That’s Voiceover” LINK is taking place on September 22nd. These events in addition to the usual voice over seminar suspects like Pat Fraley’s regional seminar in Buffalo, NY on September 25th & 26th mean that the summer slumber has been shaken off.

Then Dave sent me an email Saturday (yes, just this past Saturday) saying this National Voice Over Month idea was gnawing at him and what did I think.

I copied him, Amy Snively and Bob Souer on my answer (because I feel it’s always better to cause trouble in a group); my answer was that Dave’s idea for a National Voice Over Month was the right idea and that we could pull it off in four days…and now we are.

Somewhere in there, Voice Over Xtra!’s John Florian and Voice Talent and Social Media Tour De Force Terry Daniel I believe also got roped into this and I think there are many others who are contributing to this month long event as well. I hope you’ll take time to acknowledge all their efforts when you see them on-line on blogs, podcasts, videos or social media outlets like Twitter or Facebook etc.

Dave grabbed a domain and created a web site, Amy drew up a logo, I helped with some copy and we’re all still actively adding to the program – as a professional voice talent you are sincerely encouraged to participate in whatever manner you feel you want to…maybe comment on blogs, retweet NVOM announcements, or maybe create a Voice Over meetup in your city where all the voice talents get together for a visit.

One of the more interesting things to see was how Dave (the true driving force of this idea) called for a hastily called weekend vote on Saturday from the board of SOVOA to endorse and support September as National Voice Over Month; by Sunday it was passed. Brilliantly executed and kudos to the Board for the response time.

Our goal, I think, is simple and openly self-serving– share with as many people as possible what Voice Over Talents do, who they are and where they can be found. Yes, we are trying to create awareness among potential employers for every voice over professional in this industry but I think we’re also trying build on the credibility we’ve established in the wake of our collective professional works this far.

I’m proud of my very small part in all this because I believe strongly not only in the art and industry of Voice Over but also in the men, women and children who perform within it around the world. We are a talented bunch and it’s not a bad thing that we say that ever so briefly…maybe once a year.

Will you celebrate with us? Let me know how you’ll be a part of National Voice Over Month.