Liz de Nesnera. Best of Both Worlds VO.

Fluently Speaking Your Script's Language in English and French.

Software Review: Word2Wav

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Those of us that are full-time voice talent do a lot of different types of work. TV and radio commercials, E-learning, and a lot of Message on hold and Interactive voice response work.

Many of these types of VO work require that individual files be created….MANY individual files……hundreds of files with names like #sys_Press_Pound_Twice_then7.wav

Renaming a few of these files manually is fine, but then you’re looking at hundreds or even thousands of audio files with names like that, it can be a daunting task. [Read more…]

Pay it back by paying it forward

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I’ve said it before in this blog, but I’ll say it again, there really is no competition in VO. Either you’re right for as gig, or your not. And I love that.

It leads to a wonderful sense of community within this business that I don’t think exists in any other. Those of us that work at our VO dream everyday know this and live it. How?

By helping each other out whenever we can.

I’ll take this past Tuesday as an example. [Read more…]

When is YOUR New Year?

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Well…here we go again!

A brand new calendar year! (What’s the alternative right?)

Is this a fresh start for you? Or just another day….

For me, frankly, it’s a little of both.

When I was a kid, summer started at my best friend’s birthday the first week of July and ended with my birthday the last week of August. [Read more…]

Harlan Hogan & Elaine Clark Workshop

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“He who learns but does not think, is lost!
He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”
~ Confucius

When it comes to being a freelance/journeyman voice talent, I firmly believe that continued training and getting out there and learning from those farther along on the VO path is essential.

This past weekend I had the awesome opportunity to attend a workshop run by Elaine Clark and Harlan Hogan. [Read more…]

The grass may just look greener on the other side, ‘cause you’re standing in the shade.

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A while back I got a call from a potential new client. It was a very pleasant call, asking about my rates and availability. And then, as is often the case in IVR/MOH work they asked how long I’d been doing this work, and basically whether I planned on being around to complete any updates they may requires months, or years down the line. I told them that this is what I do.
I’m a full time voice talent. I don’t have a “day-job.” This IS my job.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

Then a sigh.

Then “Wow…that must be nice.”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I LOVE my job. I really can’t see myself doing anything else. BUT, when I get this reaction, I really think people think that we Voice Talent have it so “easy.” [Read more…]

Party Time!

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OK…as freelance VO talent, we are very often sitting in our own studios…our own “padded rooms” if you will.

So whenever we get a chance to get together & have some fun as a community, we jump at the chance!

One such chance is coming up on December 5th in NYC, put together by my friend Erik Sheppard of Voice Talent Productions!

The information is on the image to the left and also by following this link: 2008 NY Voice Over Mixer
It’s free to attend (we all like free!) but an RSVP is required so that Erik knows what to expect! 🙂

I’ll be there!
If you are, remember to say “Hi!”

A Sad Day for the VO Community and the World

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Today I feel as if my worlds have collided:
My Voiceover world and my Caregiving world.
Don LaFontaine, THE premier voice talent, that truly gave a face to our industry, passed away yesterday.
I was lucky enough to have met “The Don” at VOICE 2007 last year, where he spent over an hour answering questions from attendees, all hoping to gain some wisdom from his experience. He then spent another hour…or two…posing for pictures with each and every voice talent that wanted to after his talk…and that was pretty much every talent in the room! He was gracious to everyone and always had a kind and encouraging word to all committed voice talent.

[Read more…]

Question of the Week: How Do You Define Yourself?

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As the school year starts for kids all over the Northern Hemisphere, I think back to how we all define ourselves:

In High School & College were you:
The geek, jock, egghead, band member, cheerleader, yearbook editor, or goth?

At home are you the:
Spouse, oldest/middle/youngest child, parent, grandparent, or in-law?

As a voice talent are you:
The voice talent, engineer and producer?

As the owner of your own business are you:
Chief cook & bottle washer?

Fine.

But, how do your clients define you?
As: my voice of choice, a great person to work with, someone who delivers clean files just the way I want them on time and on budget? Someone who is fun to work with?

[Read more…]