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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Tags: commentary, National Voice Over Month, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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There are so many people who are better at seeing the potential of social media than I am. And as I have often said here, I am a late adopter…always have been.

With Pintrest, I really have been sure what to do with it, but after reading about how some other people and companies have used the newest social media tool, I came up with an idea – why not do a “board” on all the voice-over meet-ups I have been a part of over the years?

All of the pictures have been in this blog but what this Pintrest board has offered me was a joyous look back at the meetings with all my friends in voice-over in an easy and attractive format.

I am grateful that each person was kind enough to take any time to visit with me. If you’re in this montage, thank you. If you are not yet in this montage, I hope you will be soon.

Tags: commentary, pintrest, social media, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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As if you needed another reason to go to FaffCon, here ’tis: I used to travel pretty regularly to Grand Rapids, MI but I don’t as much any more. However, at a recent FaffCon I met voice-over talent Anthony Gettig who lives in nearby Kalamazoo and who said “next time your in Grand Rapids….”

So guess where I had lunch today with Anthony, and fellow voice talents Kim Elliott and Dave Bisson? All are a part of Voice-Over meet-up group that Anthony put together after hearing about such groups in other parts of the country during FaffCon.

My thanks to all of them for spending their lunch hour with me.

Tags: commentary, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I went to a high school that is renowned for pushing out lawyers, doctors and other big time muckety-mucks.

What they were not known for is graduating voice-over talents so I am not and will not be a star alumnus. Yeah, the comedian Mark Russell was a graduate as was Tim Russert but they were anomalies (and they had, you know…talent!!)

The point here is that, no I didn’t go to any high school resembling “Fame” and there’s rarely been any kind of business connection between anyone in my graduating class of Canisius High School and me. It is what it is.

Or maybe it was what it was because a connection WAS made this trip that tied my professional life to my high school.

About a year ago, a high school friend of mine, Trip Fanning, invited me over to his house in Seattle with his lovely wife and terrific children and he mentioned he knew a voice talent that I should meet. This voice talent was the wife of a guy, Mark Curtain, who I graduated high school with. Mark’s parents were pals with my parents and I had the great pleasure to play golf with Mark’s parents years ago when they and I belonged to the same golf club.

Mark’s wife is female voice-over talent Grace Regis Bennett who I finally got to meet on this trip, over a year after Trip suggested it (and I didn’t get to see the Fannings which Trip won’t care so much about but his wife is going to be pissed 😉 ).

What an amazing journey her voice-over has taken. Most recently she worked with some fella named Scott Burns on a new commercial demo and her wonderful talent resonates from beginning to end.

She’s been off the voice-over grid outside of Seattle but is looking to come back in a big way. If you’re a production house or agency looking for her demo, feel free to reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with her.

Tags: commentary, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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What your looking at is probably one of the few times these three men took a breath from laughing during a longer than normal dinner.

Much of the humor cannot be repeated but it should be noted that Scott’s new marketing campaign will include some of the most unique positioning statements ever considered within the voice-over industry.

Well, ANY industry, actually.

My thanks to Scott Burns, Jeffrey Kafer and to Corey Snow who had a change in plans at the last minute (but it was good to be able to chat with him by phone this week.)

Tags: commentary, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Yes, I do travel alot but there are pluses to the travel.

Having an “over too soon” dinner with voice-over friends who go off on so many tangents that barely any thoughts get finished but somehow it doesn’t matter because you’re all just grateful to be in each other’s company would be considered one of those major pluses.

Thank you to my very wonderful friends Diane Merritt, Lisa Biggs, Lauren McCullough and the great Dan Friedman for coming out for what was truly a terrific and memorable evening. I greatly appreciate your time, stories and friendship.

And thank you Amy Snively for giving us FaffCon.

Tags: commentary, faffcon, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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