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Sometimes I feel we can measure the degree of our privilege by how many things we take for granted. Is the air we breathe clean? Can we put food on the table? Are we healthy? Do we feel safe? Do we have friends we can count on? Do we love the work we do? For […]

I usually don’t get hate mail, but there was one story I wrote back in 2015 that rubbed a lot of readers the wrong way.  It wasn’t one of my stories about voices dot com. It wasn’t even an article about the Voice Arts Awards. It was a blog post called The Problem with Podcasting […]

For most of us, pleasing people is the name of the game. As a freelance service provider, that is why we exist: to please the people that pay us. It’s how I grew up as a little boy in the Netherlands. As the son of a minister, I always had to be on my best […]

The war of words we call the U.S. general election, is finally over. America has voted. The people have spoken.  Some of us are elated. Some of us are scared.  Some of us are asking ourselves: “How the heck did this happen?” Now, before you think this is yet another analysis of the election, let […]

QUESTION: How do you future-proof your voice over career? That’s one of the most important things you should ask yourself, in a time where rapidly evolving Artificial Intelligence is driving the latest text to speech software. The makers of this software have started advertising that their clients will never have to hire an expensive voice […]

1. You think you’re good at imitating celebs.  You may be getting some pity laughs at parties, but your impersonations are quite pathetic, really. If someone would give me a dollar for every aspiring VO telling me he can do “a mean Sean Connery,” or a silly Schwarzenegger, I’d retire early. And no, I won’t […]

Let me ask you: “What is one of the greatest motivators of behavior on the planet?” Before you answer, let me add this: All animals respond to it, including us, humans. Every year, companies make billions of dollars because of it. People lose sleep over it. Others are driven to insanity because they can’t handle […]

George, a reclusive, world-renowned wildlife photographer, was invited to a posh dinner party at a New York brownstone. His host, a vivacious heiress to a rapidly declining fortune, took him aside and said: “George dear, I want you to know that I am a huge fan of your work. Your photographs are simply stunning. You […]

There’s one thing I absolutely love and hate about my life as a freelancer. It’s the unpredictability of it. To me, predictable is boring. It’s eating fish every Friday. Going to the car wash on Saturday, and spending every stinkin’ summer at the same overpriced rental on the Jersey shore. Predictable is no fun. It’s […]

It’s no secret. Voice-overs love to talk. Sometimes, they even get paid for it. But there’s another skill that’s almost as important, yet we rarely speak about it. It’s listening. Do you hear me? Here’s the weird thing. Early in life, we learn how to walk, talk, and color inside the lines. But did anyone […]