‘Voice Over Blog’

Are You Teachable?

The key to finding voice over jobs lies in how well you market yourself! The key to landing voice over jobs is your level of preparation and execution. The key to preparation and execution lies in teachability. Outstanding actors and actresses are outstanding because they listen to the director! Even coaches get coaching. I do!

Teachability determines success, especially in the voice over business. Successful voice over talents are directable. They are active listeners who crave to learn and improve, willing to implement the direction given, and strong enough to put their personal opinions aside for the sake of learning something new and delivering what the client wants.

Some of the greatest rewards of being teachable include learning to see the script in a different light, correcting bad habits such as rushing the script and redundancy, and maintaining a humility that keeps one approachable and a pleasure with which to work. I’ve learned that no one is ever too good to stop learning and those who think they are too good to learn are not that good!

Do you mimic the commercials you hear on the radio or TV? What a great opportunity to practice and learn from others who have been cast! Additionally, practice reading all kinds of scripts, listen back to the audio, and record again. It’s amazing what one can learn by simply doing that! Also, take an improve class! Aside from being a ton of fun, its great practice for thinking on your feet, releasing inner creativity, and really getting out of the comfort zone. Further, practice reading scripts that aren’t comfortable for you; it will make the easier ones better!

So how vital is having a quality coach and mentor in voice over work? It’s a must! Like learning an instrument, it takes patience, dedication and commitment. The right coach and a teachable attitude is the difference between playing Jingle Bells and Beethoven’s 5th!

Are you teachable?

Tags: terry daniel, voice over basics, voice over training
Posted in Voice Over Blog | No Comments »

Terry Daniel at Voice 2010

It’s official! I am very honored and excited to announce that I will be speaking at “Voice 2010″ in Los Angeles this summer! I will be teaming up with my esteemed colleague, news anchor and voice talent, Dave Courvoisier. We’ll be conducting a seminar on Profitability, Productivity and Results: Getting Voice Over Work through Social Networking!

I am thrilled to be presenting with Dave on this topic as we are good friends and have developed some awesome chemistry over the years. This is sure to be a phenomenal event! I’d like to thank James Alburger and Penny Abshire for inviting us to be a part of the largest voice over event in the world! Stay tuned!

For more information on Voice 2010, click on this link; http://voiceacting.com/dap/a/?a=517

Tags: terry daniel, voice 2010, voice over training
Posted in Voice Over Blog | No Comments »

If The Mic Isn’t Rockin’, Start Walkin’

When the mic is rockin’, don’t bother knockin’! Okay, so what do you do if it’s just not rockin’ and you’re having a tough time getting it to come out right? Instead of getting frustrated and stressed out, take a break and come back to it.

That’s right! Go for a walk, turn up some music, make yourself a cup of green tea or take a power nap. Fifteen minutes can do wonders! While excessive napping doesn’t pay too well, either does excessive stress. My personal favorite? I go out and play football with my dog, Kaytee.

The point is to just break away from the studio – completely remove yourself and escape for a bit so that you can refresh! If you force it to happen when it isn’t, you’re frustration will come across in the recording. The voice is transparent and modulates to express our span of emotions. Any frustration, anxiety, and stress will show through, stalling the flow, zapping the energy and enthusiasm from your voice.

It’s like a good major league pitcher who just doesn’t have his good stuff on a particular day.

So go ahead and break away! You’ll come back to the studio refreshed, full of vibrance in your voice, and ready to deliver!

Tags: terry daniel, voice over basics, voice over training
Posted in Voice Over Blog | No Comments »

Gamehide TV Commercial

Here’s a TV spot that I did a while back.

Find more videos like this on VU

Tags: TV commercials, voice overs, voice talent
Posted in Voice Over Blog | No Comments »

The Perfect Home Studio

I’d like to invite you on a video tour of my home studio. This is proof that you don’t need 10K to have an effective set up. All I did was put up a wall with some sheet rock and then sound proofed the room with Auralex. I discuss all kinds of equipment in full detail in my core-training programs.

Tags: recording studios, terry daniel, voice over training
Posted in Voice Over Blog | No Comments »

Procrastination is Poison

How many times a month do we hear ourselves utter the phrase, “I’ll get to it tomorrow”. I’ve been guilty of it. We all have. What we do about it? Take action! Action is the cure for the poison of procrastination. Even the slightest bit of action seems to scare procrastination away.

As a voice actor, discipline and focus are an integral part of being successful and is needed to ensure projects are completed in a timely manner to create and maintain a foundation of trust with each client.

The greats have known this for a long time. The esteemed writer, historian and teacher, Thomas Carlyle asserted that, “Our grandest business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what clearly lies at hand.” Renowned English philosopher John Locke remarked that, “The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts.” Procrastination blocks our personal magnetism; it weighs us down, bringing upon us negative, counterproductive feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety. It robs us of opportunity and prevents us from enjoying our successes by filling up precious space in our minds with what we have failed to do! Even describing it sounds depressing!

So I challenge you to pick one thing, just one thing, you have been putting off and begin to take action. As you do, you will feel the negative power of procrastination dissipate and you will exude a new-found level of joy and confidence. Make this a habit and see how your life transforms! Now if you’ll kindly excuse me, I must get back to the task at hand… right after I let my dog out!

Tags: business tips, improving business, voice over training
Posted in Voice Over Blog | No Comments »

Can You Take The Stress?

Starting a business is one of the most stressful things you can do. It will affect you mentally, physically and emotionally. You need to be strong to deal with this kind of stress, and you need to have someone to turn to for support.

Are You a Survivor?

There are some people who always seem to make it in the end, regardless of what life throws at them. You need to be the kind of person whose response to things going wrong is to work harder and get it fixed, not someone who cries and goes into hiding.
Many entrepreneurs say that this, more than anything, is the secret of success. You need to be a ‘never say die’ kind of person. You need to be always ready to try again, no matter what gets thrown at you. Remember that it’s not when things start to go wrong that you fail – you haven’t failed until you’ve given up.

Be Prepared to Work Hard

If you’ve been doing a standard nine-to-five job, you’re probably used to a world where it’s someone else’s responsibility if the work doesn’t get done – you work as fast as you can for the hours you’re told to, and if it’s not done on time then it’s the manager’s fault for not hiring enough people. When you work on your own, though, there’s no-one to blame – the buck stops where it starts, with you.

Do you have a Start-up Plan?

A Startup Plan is basically the list of everything that must happen to get the business up and running from the initial idea to scouting locations to securing vendors to getting licenses to stocking the shelves to opening the doors to marketing and advertising to managing growth and on and on.

A Startup Plan is not as detailed as a business plan. It is essentially the “to do” list for starting a business, though it is every bit as important as a business plan because the Startup Plan serves as the blueprint for getting the business up and running.

Trying to launch a business without a Startup Plan is like taking a trip along a curvy, mountain road without a map, driving at high speeds, while wearing a blindfold. You will eventually arrive at some destination, but it’s likely to not be the destination you had in mind and your trip will be anything but smooth.

Create you startup plan with a simple spreadsheet and build out from there. Start by simply listing everything that you can think of that must be done to launch the business. Once you have the list break down each task into individual action items, assign each item to a responsible party and set a target completion date. A task without a deadline will not get done.

You Need to Satisfy The Customer.

When you run a home business, you can’t afford to lose any customers. You need to always be nice to them, trying to meet their needs. You have to remember that you’re the most senior person they can talk to in this organization, and you have to act like it – when there’s no-one other than you to handle complaints, you have to either give in to customers at every opportunity or watch them take their business elsewhere.

Do You Really Love Doing Voice Overs?

If you don’t love what you do, then sooner or later you’re going to want to stop doing it – and when you run a home business, that’s difficult. Besides, you can’t run a home business if you’re always sitting and thinking about how great it’ll be when it’s the weekend. The only way to succeed in home business is to be absolutely sure that you really love what you’re doing. If you can think of another job you’d rather have, then you’re in trouble.

Tags: voice over basics, voice over business, voice over training
Posted in Voice Over Blog | No Comments »

Thankful For Family

What a month this has been. One sister has a car accident, another has a seizure and yours truly is taken to the ER for shortness of breath. We are all okay and these incidents have only made our family stronger and closer.

This is the time to slow down and appreciate everything that presents itself. You can’t predict what will happen from day to day. Take a deep breath, smell the flowers, and do something wonderful for someone.

Have a great Sunday!

Terry Daniel

Tags: family, personal blogs, terry daniel
Posted in Voice Over Blog | No Comments »

How Can Improv Classes Help Voice Over Talents

The definition of Improv, short for improvisation, is a form in which one does not use a script or predetermined ideas for dialog, direction, or movement.

By using improvisation in your training as a voice over talent, you are allowing your natural creativity to expand. Improv helps you to be true to yourself and be more like yourself while in the booth.

Improv allows you to tap into your intuition and instincts. You, as the voice over talent, you can react honestly to copy and deliver a great read. Improv affords you the ability to be comfortable with yourself and your style, which will ultimately make you more comfortable with the mic.

When you are true to yourself and have confidence in your ability, you will be able to handle any form of copy or situation you are placed in for the audition.

A simple technique exercise is to create a story around a single word. For example, use the word “dog”. Now, create an entire story around the word “dog”. Create a sad story and tug on the heartstrings of your audience. Then, create a funny story that will make your audience laugh. Allow your emotions to flow freely through you so that your audience can feel what you are feeling. When you can act on your own feelings and instincts, you’ve just accomplished the tasks of being yourself.

Tags: improv classes, voice over basics, voice over training
Posted in Voice Over Blog | 1 Comment »

Getting Voice Over Work Through Social Networking

Who knows you? The answer to that question is priceless! In business, as in life, it is not so much who you know, but who knows you! Your success depends upon it. Harnessing the power of Social Media Marketing can propel your business and personal exposure to enviable levels, providing a medium with which to engage others all over the world who share similar interests, develop crucial networks, and formulate powerful relationships, leading to increased traffic, leads, and Search Engine Optimization.

Michael Stelzner shares these results from a 2009 study on Social Media Marketing and how marketers are using it for business growth, “By a long shot, Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, and Facebook were the top four social media tools used by marketers with Twitter leading the pack at 94%. You Tube and similar video sites came in 5th” (2009, p.19). Like it, love it, or lump it, Social Media Marketing has clout and so can you!

Here’s a brief synopsis of Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Oh, and lest I forget to mention it, all of these sites are free! Twitter is a phenomenal tool that makes connecting with others easy while keeping content short and to the point. Micro-blogs, called “Tweets” are limited to 140 characters in which people respond to the question, “What are you doing?” or simply state what’s on their mind at the time.

Twitter also allows “ReTweets” in which others can repost “Tweets” that may be of value to their followers, making your message go viral. Twitter also has fantastic applications to enhance your Twitter experience and is simple to access and use via texting, instant messaging, or the web.

LinkedIn is another terrific networking vehicle, connecting professionals all over the world. Your network becomes infinite, consisting of your connections, the connections of your connections, their connections, etc. You create and manage a profile depicting your experience and accomplishments. You can invite, search, and recommend people. Professionals use the site as a means to network, collaborate on projects, recommend potential leads, post job listings, and find talent.

Facebook has taken Social Media Marketing to a new level! Users can search for, become, and confirm friends. You can post everything from your thoughts, to demos, photos, videos, blogs, and more. A fantastic networking tool, Facebook allows users to create a personal profile, create and join “Fan Pages” promoting various interests (ie. your voice over business), and is a wonderful medium to connect with other entrepreneurs. It can also be accessed and used via texting or the web.

YouTube is an awesome tool that is used to create and share video footage with others. YouTube video links can be shared via Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, making it a potent medium for exposure! The videos on YouTube span the entire spectrum from ridiculous, to entertaining, to instructional. Why not post a video of you recording a voice over for a client?

The voiceover business is highly competitive, and as a voice over talent, it’s imperative to effectively and efficiently market yourself and your business. The only investment required is the time you are willing to spend engaging others, sharing your personality, and providing value. You get what you put into it. So go ahead! Take advantage of every opportunity to network with other voice talents and potential customers, make some new friends, and find some old friends along the way too.

Stelzner, M.A. (2009). Social media marketing industry report: How marketers are using social media to grow their businesses. Retrieved online August 13, 2009, from http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/

Tags: social networking, voice over training, voice overs
Posted in Voice Over Blog | 1 Comment »