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Ten Lies Voice Overs Tell

How far would you go to get ahead in this game we call the voiceover market place? Would you betray your pacifist principles and record a promotional video for land mines? Would you flirt with the casting director? Would you badmouth a colleague in the hopes of improving your odds? As soon as money is […]

Learn To Speak Like Your Clients

One of the boons of being a blogger is that I have a platform to parade all my pet peeves. I’m sure you have your favorites, and I hope you’ll share some of them in the comment section.  As a lifelong lover of language (and alliteration), here’s one thing I can’t stand: The use of […]

The Perfectionism Trap

“Practice makes perfect.” It’s one of my least favorite sayings in the English language. Yet, last year, this expression topped a poll of words of wisdom Britons picked up in childhood, and continue to use well into their older years. It did better than “the grass is always greener on the other side,” and “good […]

The Book and the Cover

“Leave your ego at the door.” That’s one of the first commandments of many voice-over conferences that are being held throughout the year. In a world filled with helpful, humble and caring colleagues, why would such a warning even be necessary, you might ask? I’ll tell you why. Because no matter where you go, you’ll […]

Do Nice People Always Finish Last?

“Why do clients always think they can play me?” said one of my students. Let’s call her Ella. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well, first they try to nickel and dime me, and then they expect me to record a major revision of a script for free. After going above and beyond to keep them […]

Stop Selling Yourself Short

A while ago it happened again. One of my contacts sent me the following message: “Paul, my client would like you to voice two animations. Both advertise the same product on the same platform, but each one appeals to a different audience. Both scripts are no longer than 125 words. Normally we’d pay you €250 […]

Picking the Perfect Voice-Over Microphone

Guilty as charged: In the past few years I’ve become a hopeless gearhead. I like to look at new audio equipment; I like to read about it, and I like listening to sound samples. On any given day, I have to spend at least a few minutes studying reviews, gazing at pictures and drooling over […]

The Wind Beneath Our Wings

This blog post is dedicated to my wife Pamela.   Some fifteen years ago, I walked into the office of my very first U.S. casting agent. I was absolutely thrilled, but I didn’t realize that I was about to make a big mistake. The walls were filled with posters of all the blockbuster movies the agency […]

4 Ways To Get From Good To Great

Being a successful voice-over. It has a little bit to do with having pleasant pipes, and lot with other factors. Some of those factors can be influenced. Others are beyond our control. A few weeks ago, one of my students had an interesting question for me. Professionally speaking (pun intended, always), she was doing okay. Clients […]

I’m Still Here!

There’s not much I remember of Monday, March 26th, but it’s a day I will never forget.  In the late afternoon while at work in my studio, I suddenly and inexplicably began to feel light-headed. My legs became weak like rubber, unable to support the body they held up. Then I blacked out for who […]