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5 Reasons Why You Should Never Become A Voice-Over

“Millions of dollars paid out to voice actors globally.” “Audition for your dream job now.” “Instant access to amazing opportunities.” “New job postings every day.” It sure sounds tempting, doesn’t it? Especially when you’re young, idealistic, and impressionable. It’s the way online casting sites throw out their net, hoping that loquacious people will bite. Well, […]

Filling In The Blanks

“It’s too risky, too challenging, too expensive, and you’ll be very lonely”. That’s what people told me when I announced that I was going to become self-employed. This was many, many moons ago. I’m sure these folks meant well, but what struck me most was the fact that these self-appointed business coaches were all working in […]

Is Your Client Driving You Crazy?

The other day, one of my readers wanted to know: “Have you ever fired a client, and why? I have one customer who is driving me nuts, but I can’t afford to lose his business.” First of all, that’s a horrible position to be in. Many freelancers choose to run their own business because they […]

Are You Suffering From Mike Fright?

While listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Radiolab, I discovered an interesting fact. Before legendary producer Allen Funt created Candid Camera, he experimented with a different show based on the same premise. It was called The Candid Microphone, and it first aired on June 28th, 1947 on ABC Radio. Funt came up with the […]

Life’s Unfair. Get Used To It.

Jake was a model employee. He’d been with the same company for 45 years, and never missed a day. At his retirement party, he received a farewell gift: a trip for two to Aruba. It was something Jake and his wife had always dreamt of. A week later, they were on their way to the […]

Turning Resistance Into Results

Every January I see them walk in. The men and women who told themselves: “I can do this!” They’re sporting brand new workout clothes, and are wearing fancy gym sneakers that have yet to be broken in. Water bottles in hand, they flock to the eight o’ clock spinning class lead by Helga, a platinum blonde transplant […]

What Were They Thinking?

No matter how much you love your job as a voice-over, there are always aspects of your work you don’t care for, or would rather have someone else do. I, for instance, am not a numbers man, and I’m glad my office manager is keeping the books for my business. Very few colleagues I talk to, […]

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 […]