Caryn Clark is the Voice of Hannah Montana Commercials

Caryn Clark, known as “The Hip Chick Voice” and a professional voice over actress in Fort Myers, FL, announced that she has been cast to be the voice in five television commercials for various Hannah Montana products. The commercials will be broadcast across the nation on cable stations such as Disney and Nickelodeon.

Caryn is the owner of VoiceChick Productions LLC, and has an ISDN-equipped professional studio that enables her to record worldwide. She has been heard on VH-1, Disney, Nickelodeon, XM Satellite Radio, and other television and radio stations, as well as web sites, across the nation and around the world.

Commercials include: Neopets, VH-1’s Rock of Love Season One DVD, Hannah Montana Fashion Collection, Charter Cable, AdoptFlorida.org, and many others. Media she works in include television and radio commercials, video games, web and corporate presentation narrations, and telephone messaging.

Source: Caryn Clark

CESD Announces Sam Glick as New Director for Promo/Trailer/Voice-Over Division

CESD Talent Agency’s Los Angeles office announced that Sam Glick, former co-owner of Davis-Glick Productions, will become the agency’s new director for their L.A. Promo/Trailer/Narration/Voice-Over division.

As director, Glick will lead the division in pursuing opportunities on behalf of all CESD Los Angeles voice-over clients in promos for TV, motion picture advertising, and narrative work.

CESD’s partner and head of the Los Angeles division, Paul Doherty stated, “We wanted a real pro for this position, and someone truly connected to those who can make things happen in the P/T/N business and at the same time, be an individual of high integrity and one hell of a salesman. Well, we found these attributes and more in Sam.”

For 21 years, Glick was the co-owner of Davis-Glick, but decided to sell his interests and leave the producing world completely, so he could take on this new challenge.

Upon joining CESD, Glick was quoted as saying, “The opportunity to represent the many talented voices of CESD and work with such a fine group of agents was too good to pass up. I get to call on many familiar faces from my production days — former clients, former competitors, and even my former company–who are now my buyers.

Doherty continued, “Having Sam come to CESD is a true coup. This is the first time I’ve seen a producer of his stature and longevity come into the voice-over agent business. He brings to our company a deep, deep knowledge of our industry and producer and talent relationships that cannot be replicated.”

The arrival of Sam Glick also dovetails with the launch of the CESD’s newly re-vamped agency website (www.cesdtalent.com).

CESD has thirty-four agents in its two offices. It continues its innovative industry dominance through the multitude of changes brought on by the digital millennium.

CESD Talent Agency is one of the nation’s most prestigious performer representation organizations whose unique dimensions include offering performers complete representation for on-camera and voice-over commercials, print/fashion/runway, beauty, dance, hosting, animation and gaming, hosting, puppeteers, promos/trailers/narration, and radio imaging & TV affiliates marketing.

CESD also hosts an industry leading Theatrical/Film-TV Department representing many leading performers including some of the top young stars in America. And for 27 years its Young Talent Department has represented child and teen performers for commercial, voice-over, animation, and print businesses.

CESD was founded 45 years ago in Hollywood by the dynamic legend Bill Cunningham and in 1971, T.J. Escott joined the firm and brought it to nationwide prominence after opening the company’s New York City office and then by becoming company President in 1981. Both Cunningham and Escott are now retired. On January 1, 2005 longtime company executives Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty became partners and Cunningham-Escott-Slevin-Doherty Talent Agency was created. Slevin is the agency’s President and Doherty its Secretary-Treasurer.

Source: Jonas PR

Don LaFontaine, Voice Over Recognized by Advertising World

If you’ve ever seen a movie trailer for anything, and I mean anything, in the past 30 years, I will bet you’ve been treated to the voice of Don LaFontaine. Most people probably could not recognize LaFontaine by name, but his voice is as familiar as a close friend.

Reading of his passing got me thinking about this hidden art, which unless you live in a cave, you are exposed to on a daily basis.

It’s amazing how little attention ever gets paid to voice talent actors. Anyone who works in media advertising (and does it well), understands the value a good voice over provides a television or radio spot.

Finding the proper voice over for a spot is like paring the right shoes with the occasion. You don’t wear dress shoes to go running, nor do you wear flip-flops to a formal dinner. The same is true for paring the right voice over for a spot. Done properly, the spot is delivered with the perfect pitch and rhythm.

The voice over, also called the voice of God, serves as the conductor of the spot, telling the story in a way that brings the viewer or listener in and holds their attention. A talented voice actor will use voice to drive the heart of a script, and when done perfectly, will go hand in hand with the music, the footage and the graphics to create emotion.

Here are a few factors a good political media consultant considers when choosing voice talent:

Media consultants try to use familiar voices (actors that read for regular TV shows or other commercials) so that viewers and listeners will be comfortable with the ad immediately. Similar to the feeling one gets when they receive a call from a recognizable voice rather than from a stranger.

Male and female voices can be chosen based on what the spot is attempting to do. Female voices can soften a more conservative male candidate, while a male voice can give more masculine qualities to a female candidate.

The same tactic is true for distinguishable ethnic voices, which are often used in an attempt to create credibility with a targeted demo.

When using character voices and accents be careful. When overdone, these sound silly and contrived, leaving the viewer or listener to think the spot is silly - think bad car commercial. However, good character voices can be a real asset in making an effective humor spot.

Pay attention to word count and timing - Do not rush the spot by maximizing words in the script. A fast read make the spot weaker, because the message could be missed. Usually, the best voice actors read slowly to create more affect and drama. Too often, political spots are stuffed to the gills with words forcing the script to be read at an unusually fast clip. Unless it’s for humor effect, people do not properly identify with speed talking.

So with that, I leave you with this video on the late Don LaFontaine, who was the Tiger Woods of the
voice talent industry.

Source: Brian Donahue from 30or60.com

R.S. Bailey Featured on NewFiction.com

R.S. Bailey, award-winning theatrical director and producer, is featured on three multi-voice recordings of new novels on the new literary website, NewFiction.com. All audio books on the website are multi-voice recordings featuring professional voice actors from Los Angeles and around the country.

Bailey previously directed the multi-voice recording for the audiobook of Samuel Beckett’s novel, “Murphy”, starring Fionnula Flanagan and Colm Meany, the first Beckett novel approved for audio release by Samuel Beckett’s estate.

For NewFiction.com he adapted, produced, and read the principal voice of David in “I Betcha”, by Louis Abramson. He reads the principal voice of the Fat Cowboy for, “Apologia of the Fat Cowboy”, by Rod Miller; and performs a featured voice in “Word Lotto”, by Broadband General.

“I enjoy the multi-voice format for audio books much more than the single voice approach. It flows more and holds the ear of the listener. It’s a much more accessible format that’s easier to follow.” Says R.S. Bailey. “There’s far less confusion about which character is speaking. The production details are much more complex but the result is worth it.”

“I Betcha” is the story of a Wall St. foreign securities trader who makes a bet that he can write a hit rap song. He gets a lot more than he bargained for when he finds himself caught in the middle of an east coast/west coast rap music shooting war. “Apologia of the Fat Cowboy’ is another comic offering in which the Fat Cowboy, a Republican fund raiser, tries leverage his political connections to illegally corner the market on the world’s rarest fur.

Other novels now available by subscription on Newfiction.com are “Senate Parking” by Skeeze Whitlow; “Venus de Milo” and “Jake and Jamokies”, both by Dennis Manuel. Also featured on the new website is “iSoap” a modern version of the old-time radio drama. For access and a free subscription to one novel go to www.NewFiction.com.

Source: Tz Entertainment

Old Dominion Productions Celebrates 4 Years of VO

Old Dominion Productions, LLC, Your New Voice from the Old Dominion, marked its 4th Anniversary on July 23rd, 2008. In the past year, voiceover talent and senior partner Gary A. Kriebel was featured in several national TV commercials for Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield and Rogers Cable along with a number of corporate and government training and promotional narrations.

Old Dominion Productions thanks all of their clients for their support and business this past year. Clients of Old Dominion Productions include CACI Productions Group of Chantilly, Va., Engine Pictures of Washington, DC., Media Box Studios of Warrenton, Va., Rogers Communications of Toronto, Canada and Triad Interactive, Inc. of Washington, DC.

About Old Dominion Productions: Old Dominion Productions is a private company, founded by voiceover talent Gary A. Kriebel, providing voice-overs for narration, radio and television commercials, radio voice imaging, television promos and branding, voice prompts or on hold, and multimedia.

Source: Gary A. Kriebel

Rush Limbaugh Seals Lucrative Radio Deal Worth $400 million thru 2016

Talk was never cheap for Rush Limbaugh, but now it is getting a lot more expensive.

The AM-radio host will be paid about $400 million to continue serving up his daily dose of conservative patter through 2016. His $50-million-a-year paycheck represents a raise of about $14.4 million a year over his present contract, which was paying him $285 million over eight years and was set to expire in 2009.

The lucrative agreement between Limbaugh and Clear Channel-owned Premiere Radio Networks of Los Angeles is the second-largest ever for a radio personality, ranking behind only Howard Stern’s five-year contract with Sirius Satellite Radio in 2004 that was valued at more than $500 million in stock and cash.

After almost 20 years in national syndication, Limbaugh, 57, remains the most popular personality on talk radio, as well as an influential voice among conservatives. His program commands a weekly audience of nearly 20 million listeners on 600 stations, according to Premiere, which markets his program to stations and advertisers.

Limbaugh said he would earn about $38 million annually under the deal, in addition to a “nine-figure” signing bonus.

“I’m not retiring until every American agrees with me,” Limbaugh, 57, said on his radio program Wednesday.

The deal amounts to a major bet by Clear Channel that Limbaugh’s brand of conservative talk will prosper well into the next decade.

Source: New York Times and Washington Post via the Seattle Times Company

The New Voice Acting Paradigm

They Work in Isolation

Every day in America, hundreds of individuals climb into a closet or sound booth in their own home, close the door, fire up their audio chain, take a position in front of a pop-filter, and begin voicing copy into a microphone.

Yes, they’re performers, but with improvements in professional audio tools forever altering the voice-over landscape, today’s voice performers are also technologists - adept at computers, audio software and hardware to a degree not seen before.

Yet, they also wear the hat of entrepreneurs, accountants, marketers, promoters, web designers, bloggers, and disciplined, enterprising self-starters. They’re the new breed of voice over talent… who prefer to be called voice actors.

The internet makes their existence possible in a way no one could’ve predicted 10… even 5 years ago. The world of voice-over work is in a sea change.

This was the old paradigm of voice-over work:

An established “voice” (be it from radio, TV, stage or sports announcing) lived in a major metro area to take advantage of local voicing opportunities: L-A, NYC, Chicago, San Fran, Atlanta, etc. He (back then it was mostly “he”) set up relationships with local producers and/or was handled by an agency. He traveled around to the various production houses when there was work, and delivered his reads, or sat for auditions in sound booths IN those studios. He was likely a member of SAG or AFTRA and over time may have made a decent living voicing local/national commercials, TV and Radio imaging, doing some event announcing, and narrations.

This is the new paradigm of voice acting:

A spectrum of voice quality - from beginner, to average, to obvious pro, showing at least some facility with interpreting copy, establishes his or her (it’s almost 50/50 gender-wise, now) sole-proprietorship business out of a room in the family home or apartment virtually anywhere in the modern world. That person spends in the range of $300 to $3000 to equip the home studio. The more novice voice talent may feel that with only a little effort and investment, voice over success can be easily had. More established voice talents, however, understand that even after investing a few thousands of dollars in technology, performance, and training, less of their time is actually spent performing and more time is spent on generating new leads, networking with agents and studios and building their business on the internet.

How we got here

Many new hopeful voice actors today have been told time and again that they “have a nice voice”. Sometimes on that assessment alone, they’ll launch into classes with a voice-over coach offering varying degrees of price, expertise, and integrity. “Most of these “noobs” are similar in their complete lack of preparation in the “other” half of the voice over profession - the business of running a business.

While performance alone was the gauge of the most successful voice talents for years, today’s job description is much more complex

A traditional bastion of talent support was an actor’s union or guild. The Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG), and the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors (AFTRA), though, are currently suffering a deep rift, and both struggle to find a meaningful way to represent voice actors in today’s new paradigm.

Talent agents, too, have often successfully represented actors to major studios, and still remain a key conduit to the best-paying jobs. But both unions and agents have been undercut by the advent of online voice talent subscription services.

The Internet Strikes Again

Online sites such as Voices.com are greatly contributing to a wave of change in voice overs. Such sites attempt to match “voice seekers” with voice actors, with varying effects. Yes, the services level the playing field, and offer a wide selection of jobs, but the process of bidding or auditioning for each job becomes a cattle-call that tends to price-down the threshold of what tradition would term “a fair price”.

In some odd instances, voice actors find themselves competing with their own agents for jobs listed on these pay-for-play sites with professional voice talent agencies sometimes bowing to the demands of their core customers eager to find “a” voice at the “right” price. The situation has prompted some lively debates in online forums about where it will all lead.

Bottom line

While performance alone was the gauge of the most successful voice talents for years, today’s job description is much more complex. Along with well-voiced copy, successful modern day voice actors must also rise to a fairly high level of software and hardware competency, often taking the place of the traditional engineer, producer, or audio expert. Some do this more adeptly than others, obviously. Many are the online forum discussions about the minutiae concerning microphones, DAW’s, preamps, compressors, and software audio editors…not to mention methods of uploading large files, web-design, and ISDN.

Much like the record industry, change and tradition clash in today’s marketplace of voice talent. But the talent of today must also embrace the changes and harness the tools which can drive the development of a true professional’s impressive instruments.

Copyright 2008 Dave Courvoisier and licensed to Voice Over Times. All rights reserved.

Texas Electricity Provider Goes with audio’connell

Irving, Texas-based First Choice Power secured O’Connell to provide the voice over for a series of commercials that highlighted the company’s price protection options to combat rising energy costs. The campaign included :15, :30 and :60 second radio commercials.

First Choice Power is a Texas electricity provider with ties to a 70-year heritage of serving the state. The company is one of the Texas’ largest retail electricity providers, offering competitive pricing and a variety of customer plans.

audio’connell Voice Over Talent is a worldwide voice over talent service featuring professional English speaking and foreign language male and female voice talents. Services include providing voices for commercials, animation, corporate narrations, broadcast voice imaging, audiobooks, podcasts and messaging on-hold (MOH) all of which are created for advertising agencies, media and broadcast production companies as well as both large and small businesses around the world.

The company also operates Voice Over Workshop, which provides professional voice over training to novice and experienced voice talent around the world.

Source: PRCanada.net

Vacationing for a Vocation?

Ever fantasize about what it might be like to go into acting, run your own coffee shop become a chocolatier or work in the wine industry? Interested in finding a way to test drive a new career without losing a paycheck or risking the mortgage payment?

Missy Grohne did just that. She was working as a consultant in a LASIK eye surgery clinic, but she felt as though her real calling was in entertainment or acting. About 18 months ago, she saw a tiny advertisement about VocationVacations, a business that offers clients one- to three-day immersions with mentors in various careers and businesses. She discovered there was an opportunity to work with Kim Crow, a voice-over professional in Florida.

Grohne, who lives in New York City, was supposed to spend two days with Crow but ended up spending three.

“It was hands-on from the minute I arrived. She put me right through the paces and made me do it,” Grohne said. Crow also gave her lots of encouragement.

“To have someone so established and so renowned in Florida,” Grohne said. “She could have said no, but she said yes, yes.”

Grohne returned to New York with a voice-over demo tape and entered a professional voice-over school where she spent eight weeks perfecting her technique. Now she has her own burgeoning voice-over business. She hasn’t quit her job at the eye clinic yet, but she expects she’ll be able to do so soon.”It cost me about $1,200,” Grohne said. “It’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. … This was exactly what I needed — the kick in the butt. It got me motivated.”

Source: Courant.com

Voices.com Takes 2nd Place in 60 Second Pitch Contest

Last Thursday, TechAlliance Venture Services concluded the fourth annual 60-Second Pitch Contest with a Community Award Celebration and Mixer.

Participants and supporters gathered at Up on Carling for an after-work bash to announce winners of the competition aimed at educating and boosting awareness among member firms of the importance of a well thought-out pitch.

Coming in first was April Yuhasz (Startech.com); second was Carol Mroz (Voices.com) and third was David Billson (rtraction). Winners shared more than $20,000 in business acceleration prizes to help grow their expanding companies. Paul Seed (Startech.com) and Chuck Hounsell (TD Canada Trust) made their own pitch for donations to the United Way. Chuck noted Uniway’s leadership campaign asked supporters to give $1,000+ over the year.

Emceed by Marilyn Sinclair and Carmen Gicante (TechAlliance),the event featured hors-d’oeuvres and a chance to win door prizes donated by businesses.

Attendees included David Canton (Harrison Pensa LLP); Joel McLean (Info-Tech Research Group); Joanne Merner (ZTR Control Systems); Gord Delamont (Business London Magazine); Patricia Hoffer (the Lashbrook Group); Lisa Brown (Primus); James Campbell (Procom) and Andrew McClenaghan (Echidna Solutions Corp.).

Source: The London Free Press

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