Do You Have An Alpha Voice?
May 27, 2011
Veteran William Morris talent agent Marc Guss launched Alpha Voices this week, a New York City-based voice consulting service that helps hone the communication skills of its clients through intensive, one-on-one consultations. Alpha Voices provides a high-level of skilled, professional guidance to artists in the voice-over community as well as professional business communicators.
What Do Some Of The Top Growth Industries Have In Common? Voice Overs.
May 27, 2011
According to a new report by IBISWorld USA, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) leads the list of the ten industries expected to see the highest growth rate between 2010-2016. Also on the Top 10 list are video games and Internet publishing.
This is good news for the voice over industry. These sectors regularly require voice over talent for their audio needs and could become major contributors in the job market for voice talent as they grow.
The voice over industry is said to be over $11 billion strong which is divided across a huge span of niche markets including Business, Cartoons, Documentaries, Educational Video, Internet, Jingles, Movie Trailers, Music, Podcasting, Radio, Telephone, Television and Videogames.
Corporate projects currently lead the bread and butter jobs for the voice over industry. An increase in voice over jobs for video games would give talent the opportunity to stretch their creative muscles more often and with the growing popularity of Internet publishing as a new method for entertainment programming voice actors may see more opportunities to work on projects in online broadcasting.
Over the last two years Voices.com has seen an increase in Internet job postings which seems to suggest that there is the potential for these growth industries to lean more toward e-commerce sites to search for, audition, and cast their projects.
The future is looking bright.
Source: The Atlantic/Voices.com
Harlan Hogan Is At It Again
May 20, 2011
Innovation is no stranger to the mind of voice over artist Harlan Hogan.
With a voice over career spanning over 30 years Hogan has learned a thing or two about what voice over performers really need. He is the creator of the Porta Booth Pro and partnered with Marshall Electronics to create the MXL VO: 1-A Signature Series microphone, the first mic designed by a voice actor for voice actors.
Most voice over artists record from their home studios. Knowing that getting some peace and quite around the home can often be a challenge while recording, Hogan create his newest product innovation – a VO Recording Sign.
Hogan said “I have a very expensive retro recording sign in my office but truthfully it’s useless unless my wife just happens to walk in my office when I’m recording. With the Voice Over Recording sign hanging upstairs in HER office she knows I’m recording.” Hogan joked, “When I go into the booth I click the wireless switch and she knows it’s a bad time to start vacuuming or tossing the ball around with the doggies or practicing her flamenco dancing!”
Aside from simply being fun and giving voice actors some “bragging rights” the sign doesn’t need permanent wiring so it can be put anywhere in the household to let the family know that a little quiet would be appreciated!
About Harlan Hogan
Based in Chicago, acclaimed “voiceover superstar” Harlan Hogan sends his voice world wide from his state of the art home studio, via ISDN, Source Connect, CD/DVD and the Internet. Hogan’s career spans over thirty years, and he is known for delivering the slogans for such high profile ad campaigns as Raids’ “Kills bugs fast, Kills bugs dead” and Head & Shoulders’ “That little itch should be telling you something” to the iconic, “It’s the cereal even Mikey Likes.”
Hogan is a script writer for numerous educational and corporate productions and has authored two books and a DVD on the subject of voice acting. His distinguished career has put him in high demand for interviews and commentary on the voice over industry. His experience in the industry has helped him create many products made specifically for voice actors and can be found at Voice Over Essentials.
Source: HarlanHogan.com
Seth McFarlane To Remake The Flintstones
May 20, 2011
FOX Broadcasting entertainment president Kevin Reilly told reporters in New York that Seth McFarlane will be producing a remake of the classic animated cartoon “The Flintstones” for it’s 2013 line-up.
Create A Jingle, Win A Civic
May 20, 2011
Honda Civic is holding a social media contest on their Facebook page inviting Civic fans to create an original theme song that captures the spirit of this iconic car for any of the five 2012 models – Sedan, Coupe, SI, HF or Hybrid.
“We’ve seen a high crossover of Civic fans and music lovers. And with the launch of the 2012 Honda Civic we saw a perfect opportunity to give our amazing fans a little bit of both,” said Steve Center, vice president of national marketing operations for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “We know our talented fans will show off their skills and submit some great Civic-inspired tunes onto our Facebook page.
The contest has been open since April 25. A number of submissions are already up on the company’s Facebook page. Submissions are being accepted until June 5th. Fans can cast their votes as many times as they like to vote up the best tunes.
Eight finalists will be selected by the number of votes they receive. All eight finalists will receive $2,500 in music gear from Sam Ash. The person with the most votes will win a brand new Honda Civic, have the opportunity to perform live during the 2011 Civic Tour, and be featured in an online marketing campaign.
Official contest rules and information on how to enter can be found on Honda Civic’s Facebook page.
Source: PR Newswire
The Oscars Petition Gets A Voice
May 13, 2011
Voices.com recently teamed up with a group of voice actors to create a public service announcement for the petition encouraging the Academy of Arts and Sciences to introduce a Voiceover Performance category at the Oscars.
APA Audiobook Viral Video Contest
May 13, 2011
The Audio Publishers Association (APA) is kicking off its annual June Audiobook Month with a “Get Caught Listening” viral video contest. The contest encourages audiobook fans to get creative with their love for audiobooks in a fun, engaging video of three minutes or less using the “Get Caught Listening theme.” The APA will release the winning video to the web with the hope that it will go viral and generate awareness about audiobooks.
Set Of Kung Fu Panda 2: Angelina Jolie’s Kids Play Critic To The Star
May 13, 2011
In an interview with USA Today Angelina Jolie revealed that her six kids – Maddox, 9, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 4, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 2 – played critic on the set of Kung Fu Panda 2.
“They know when Mommy’s funny and when Mommy’s not funny,” Jolie reported to Scott Bowles of USA TODAY. She says her children were fixtures on the set and became “part agents, part managers.”
“When they’re there and they hear you making kung fu sounds and jumping around, you can see them giggling through the glass,” said Jolie. “It makes you go that much further.”
In the new 3D animated film set to release May 26, 2011, the title character Po is now living his dream being The Dragon Warrior alongside Master Shifu and the Furious Five. Po is fighting to protect the Valley of Peace when the evil emperor albino peacock Lord Shen emerges to take over China with a weapon so powerful that it threatens the very existence of kung fu itself. Po sets out to vanquish this threat with the Furious Five but he must confront his own mysterious past in order first in order to find the strength to succeed.
Complete Cast of Characters:
Angelina Jolie: Master Tigress
Danny Mann: Mr. Rabid Wolf
Danny McBride: Wolf Boss
David Cross: Master Crane
David Ogden Stiers: Master Boar
Dustin Hoffman: Master Shifu
Dennis Haysbert: Master Storming Ox
Gary Oldman: Lord Shen
Jack Angel: Gorillas
Jack Black: Master Po
Jackie Chan: Master Monkey
James Hong: Mr. Ping
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Master Croc
Lucy Liu: Master Viper
Michelle Yeoh: The Soothsayer
Seth Rogen: Master Mantis
Victor Garber: Master Thundering Rhino
Source: USA Today News/ Wikipedia
Justin Bieber To Record PSA On Cyber Bullying
May 13, 2011
Justin Bieber has agreed to record a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to help get his manager Scott “Scooter” Braun and a Def Jam Records executive off the hook for charges they face after an incident at a mall in Long Island, New York in 2009.
