Your Call is Important; On Hold Gold

When calling everything from airlines and hotels to hospitals and newspaper offices, holding the line is an oft-repeated reality. But the idle moments waiting to talk to someone in this time-is-money world don’t have to be a total loss. At least Chris Weeg doesn’t think so.

“They’re silly things that don’t necessarily have to do with marketing,” says Weeg, who fashions outside-the-box audio for the Medford advertising agency. “We’ve done some off-the-wall things and even had some people request to be put back on hold after we’ve wrapped up the situation.”

While humor may go a long way in calming callers, most clients want to simply inform their captive audience of services and products, even sales or monthly specials.

“That’s a pretty standard fare,” Weeg says.

In 1989, years before going to work for Radio Medford, talk show host Garth Harrington formed a company called Inpho to provide on-hold messages. He built a clientele of 250 over a seven-year period before selling to Robert Vigil.

“If people are sitting there on hold and don’t know that much about your company, it’s a great opportunity,” Harrington says. “A person can’t buy something from you, it they don’t know you have it.”

Maentz keeps voice talent — whose voices, if not faces, are familiar to Rogue Valley residents — on retainer.

Brad Douglas, who splits time between Palm Springs and Central Oregon, has a portable audio booth that allows him to quickly turn around a voice-over for the agency, Weeg says. “We can call him in the morning and he can give us what we need in a few hours.”

Traci Ann Swensgaard works out of her own in-house studio in Ashland.

Source: MailTribune.com

Morgan Freeman Lends His Voice to Pro Golf

Morgan Freeman will do voice-overs for six historical vignettes and tournament public-service announcements that will air during The Golf Channel and NBC broadcasts.

The vignettes will feature historical Players moments involving Jacksonville native David Duval, St. Simons Island, Ga., resident Davis Love III, Ponte Vedra Beach resident Vijay Singh and former Tour commissioner Deane Beman.

Source: Jacksonville.com

Image via EOnline.com

“The Art and Science of Self-Evaluation” now available on CD

Professional Voice Talent, teacher and MCA-I Member Connie Terwilliger’s 3-hour presentation during VOICE 2007 - “The Art and Science of Self-Evaluation: Do you have what it takes to make Big Money with your voice?” - is now available for purchase.

This two CD set includes an additional seven minutes on self-evaluation created for a podcast and comes with an 18 page workbook. It may be purchased online at Connie’s website.

It offers insight on the tools required to be successful as a professional voice over talent and cover four key elements:

• Talent: Is your voice in demand or does it need a bit of work? What is your signature sound, your money voice? Big money takes something unique and special that grabs people by the ear. It’s a combination of your natural ability and acting know how.

• Business: You need to know that you can actually run an office, negotiate rates and get invoices sent out. Follow up, due diligence, customer relationship management (CRM). Do you need the security of a regular paycheck?

• Marketing: Marketing is a major part of voice over career. Market yourself by following up, meeting new contacts, and advertising your services. Do you know how to do this? Do you hate to do this?

• Technology: In today’s world, technology places a large role in how voice talent do business. Research hardware and software but also know your limitations.

The formula for success is simple: “Find the people who want to buy what you have to sell.” But first you have to know what you have to sell. You have to know how to approach the people who want to buy it. Then you need to create something to give then that shows them that they want you.

This CD set will step you through these basics and is great for a broad range of people - the wannabe, the newbie, the part-timer looking for extra income, or the pro looking for new markets. It is not about acting, but about understanding IF you can act.

Spend 3 hours with Connie as she works the crowd and helps you find out if you have what it takes to make Big Money with your voice.

Connie Terwilliger is a working voice talent and scriptwriter. She teaches voice acting and media performance classes at San Diego City College when she is not in her studio recording voice tracks for clients around the globe. Additionally, Connie is Past President of the National Board of Directors of the Media Communications Association-International (MCA-I). www.mca-i.org You will find script samples and audio demos on her website at www.corporatevideo.com

Source: Connie Terwilliger

Me Talk Pretty One Day

I often imagine that the voice heard on an audio book is the voice of the book’s author, but most of the time I am wrong. Talented voice actors usually provide the narration. Some of Salem Public Library’s devoted audio book fans become just as fond of the actors as of the books themselves. Doubtless there are some authors who should never narrate the audio version of their own literary baby, but with many writers, it’s a treat to hear the author read his or her own words. Here are some of my favorites.

When it was first published, I read Bill Bryson’s memoir, “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid” and loved it. I love the audio book more. Bryson, although born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, has spent most of his adult life in England.

He has developed a peculiar accent — not quite British, but definitely not typical of a son of the Hawkeye state. His plummy accent, added to a delivery that can only be described as perpetual astonishment, makes the audio book a delight.

Radio personalities are natural choices for self-read books. Listeners would probably riot if anyone other than Garrison Keillor read his many Lake Wobegon tales. “This American Life”’s Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris bring us a variety of audio gems. Vowell, a self-proclaimed nerd, has a squeaky, nasal voice that might be annoying if she weren’t so funny and smart. Listening to her “Partly Cloudy Patriot,” a series of essays on the nature of patriotism is like listening to that brilliant, slightly subversive kid we all knew in high school. Sedaris has recorded many of his books, including “Holidays on Ice,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” and “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.” He writes about everything from his job as an elf in a department store Christmas extravaganza to struggling to learn French, and it is all funny. Also enjoyable is “Fresh Air’s” book critic Maureen Corrigan’s “Leave me Alone, I’m Reading.”

Sometimes a good audiobook can introduce a listener to a subject he or she might not ordinarily choose. This was true for me of “Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. Read by Dubner, this book discusses some of the surprising factors, from cheating to child-rearing, that the authors claim are what really make our economy tick.

Another fine offering is “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver, best known for her fiction, tells the true story of her family’s move to Appalachia. We hear the voices of the whole Kingsolver clan as they tell of their attempt to get back to the land.

Source: WilliametteLive.com

New Jersey Div. of Travel & Tourism Includes Voice Over in Spring Campaign

When the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism debuted the state’s new multifaceted Spring advertising campaign, two compelling new television commercials take center stage in a media mix featuring radio, billboards and the Internet. With vivid imagery, the 30-second TV spots go beyond simply suggesting a visit to the Garden State — they draw viewers in by highlighting New Jersey’s signature attractions as well as a sampling of the state’s artistic, cultural and historic destinations.

The campaign, which features images of GPS navigation screens and the familiar “you have arrived” broadcast voice-overs, capture New Jersey’s range of experiences — from bicycling to birdwatching, from starfish to spa treatments. Viewers will see historic venues such as Red Bank’s revitalized Count Basie Theatre, exciting dining and nightlife, and families bonding over Wildwood’s exhilarating rides and nostalgic “Doo Wop” culture.

New Jersey’s great destinations will be splashed across the Eastern seaboard — from Toronto, Ontario to Roanoke, Virginia, and from Cincinnati, Ohio to Long Island, New York. Drivers will see billboard images of the state’s diverse tourism gems — as colorful GPS screens — along major thoroughfares. Web surfers can explore online through Internet advertising. And radio listeners will hear “mini itineraries,” perfect for a quick getaway. “We’re not just saying ‘come visit New Jersey and you’ll be pleasantly surprised’ (although you will be),” notes Nancy Byrne, executive director of the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism. “The campaign celebrates the theme of ‘Great Destinations in Any Direction’ by spotlighting destinations that visitors will want to know more about. Stroll the gorgeous beaches of Spring Lake — or the indigenous New Jersey art at the Noyes Museum. Steal away to one of Cape May’s romantic Victorian inns. Take the kids on an eco- tourism canoe trip in the Pinelands. Or come see family-friendly Atlantic City attractions, like the fascinating water, sound, and light show at The Pier at Caesar’s or the Steel Pier’s classic amusements. Atlantic City’s luxurious resorts, dining, spas and shopping are world-class.”

For information on these destinations and assistance when planning a New Jersey vacation — including additional itinerary ideas, finding accommodations and ordering brochures — go to www.visitnj.org.

Source: PRNewswire.com

Being Comfortable With One’s Own Voice Good For Non VO Folk, Too

Giving voice to Jessica Lange or Winona Ryder and Nicole Kidman is just one aspect of Carole Wyand’s experience as a voice-over actress.

She has also, over time, become a medical narration specialist because she has a talent with words.

“I can say words like ‘trimethoprimsulfamethoxide,’” Wyand said. “And I can sound like I know what I’m talking about when I don’t. And I can do it in an interesting manner. My bread and butter is in the medical field.”

Wyand will be sharing her talent and helping participants find their own during a voice-over workshop held during the upcoming White Sands International Film Festival.

“Voice-overs are not only for actors but also for regular people too,” she said.

Voice-overs are used for numerous things, Wyand said. The talent is needed for commercials, animation, on computer programs, audio books, corporations, the medical field and the much dreaded phone menus heard when calling a business.

Learning about voice-overs also is a great benefit in the area of public speaking, Wyand said.

“You know how you come across to an audience,” Wyand said. “That’s what you are learning. It’s being comfortable with your voice.”

The workshop is about being comfortable with one’s own voice, experience and being comfortable in front of a microphone. Wyand will work with people to help them be aware of their own voices, pace their delivery and not to be afraid.

Wyand thinks people are afraid of speaking publicly or on tape. She said voice-overs are not about vocal qualities, they are about attitudes.

“The voice doesn’t lie,” she said. “It communicates if you are excited or worried. Putting a smile in your voice can be as simple as putting a smile on your face.”

The workshop will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22 at the First National Bank Atrium. Tickets are $40 to participate and $20 to audit the class without participating.

There is room in the class for 10 participants, but if it fills up, Wyand said she is willing to hold a second workshop later in the day.

“For an actor (the workshop) is for really voice acting, and it’s for the average person who wants to improve their public speaking,” She said. “People should not worry about regional accents. You can learn to annunciate better, but don’t hesitate because of a regional accent.”

Wyand also said voice-over can be done anywhere, not just New York and California. “Technology can send your voice anywhere,” she said.

“If you keep the essence of who you are, you can acquire a delivery you can use in meetings, auditions and acting roles,” Wyand said.

Source: Alamogordo Daily News

Game Audio Network Guild Awards Swept by BioShock

The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), a non-profit organization supporting the game audio industry, has announced the winners of its 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards, which honor outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in games.

BioShock won a total of 8 awards, succeeding in every category in which it was nominated. Additionally, industry veteran Brian Schmidt was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Schmidt is best known for his audio work in games such as Madden Football, Desert Strike, Star Wars Trilogy and Crue Ball. In 1998, Brian left freelance audio for Microsoft, where he set the direction for game audio technologies for Windows and Xbox for the next decade.

Finally, G.A.N.G. member Nathan Rain Schwartz was awarded a $10,000 scholarship to Expressions College, which offers a game audio curriculum at their Emeryville, CA campus.

The winners were voted upon and judged by the game audio industry and members of G.A.N.G. They were announced at the G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony held in San Francisco, CA during the Game Developers Conference and are listed below by category.

AUDIO OF THE YEAR
BioShock

MUSIC OF THE YEAR
BioShock

SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR
BioShock

BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
God of War II

BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE
BioShock

BEST HANDHELD AUDIO
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow

BEST AUDIO – OTHER
Jewel Quest II

BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO
BioShock

BEST DIALOGUE
BioShock

BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL
“Welcome To Rapture” – BioShock

BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – CHORAL
“Main Titles” – God of War II

BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – POP
“Still Alive” – Portal

BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC
BioShock

BEST ARRANGEMENT OF A NON-ORIGINAL SCORE
Simpsons Game

BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST
“The World of Game Composing” – Film Music Magazine

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF AUDIO
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
(Audio controlling graphics & physics engine)

BEST USE OF MULTI-CHANNEL SURROUND IN A GAME
Halo 3

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Austin Wintory (composer - flOw)
Tomas Neumann (audio programmer - Crysis)

STUDENT/APPRENTICE CONTEST WINNERS
Mike “Skitch” Schichiano (music)
Mikkel Eskessen (sound design)

G.A.N.G. RECOGNITION AWARDS
Russell Brower (audio director & composer - Blizzard Entertainment)
Rod Abernathy (composer - Dead Head Fred)
Michael “Piano Squall” Gluck (Piano Squall album and charity work)

G.A.N.G. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Sean Beeson
Jerry Lyons
Chance Thomas
Becky Young

G.A.N.G./EXPRESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP
Nathan Rain Schwartz

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Brian Schmidt

Source: Gamasutra.com

Guess Who Drives This Car?

Now, you don’t see this everyday, do you?

Recently, a car totally covered in Hambly Prismatic Stickers was featured on the company’s weblog.

Turns out Fabio Rodriguez, the owner of the car, is an artist who covers cars in different things. This is his new car affectionately called “Liverpool Dreams”, a tribute to the Beatles.

He also has created an art piece consisting of a car decorated entirely with dimes that is in Ripleys Believe it or Not.

Fabio drives Liverpool Dreams back and forth between Vegas and LA every week, and according to the sticker company, their high quality prismatic stickers don’t come off easily.

Fabio Rodriguez is also a voice actor and is currently the voice of Disney Espanol.To view more pictures of the car, click on the source link below.

Source: Hambly Screen Prints

Chicago 10

1968 was a turbulent time in America.

We were in a war that was claiming countless lives every day and had a forthcoming election that would decide where the country would be headed. A significant portion of the population became organized and tried to make their voices heard at all times possible. In Chicago, in the summer of 1968 outside the Democratic National Convention, these voices were going to be heard.

After all was said and down, eight men were arrested and charged with crimes that resulted from this march.

Directed by Brett Morgan (The Kid Stays In The Picture) with a deft touch, Chicago 10 presents a nice piece of history while drawing parallels to the current world situations. By using a mix of golden era protest songs, along with a healthy dose of Rage Against the Machine, the film captures an era and shows how even though we may be done with the past, the past isn’t done with us.

The animated portions are quite good and the voice performances are particularly worth noting, as Hank Azaria does a terrific Abbie Hoffman, and Jeffrey Wright’s portrayal of Bobby Seale is worth the price of admission alone.

Source: MoviesOnline.ca

Celebs Lend Voices to Airport PA Systems

Public Address systems are becoming yet another way for celebrity voice actors to bring awareness to the voice over industry.

USA Today reports that some airports are now customizing their public address messages to make themselves stand out against the general sameness of air travel and to improve communications with travelers.

To accomplish the goals, airports are finding distinctive voices for the routine announcements, injecting some fun into those announcements and using celebrities for specialized messages.

At Boston, Joe LoGiudice, an airport supervisor and part-time professional voice actor, is the “voice” of Logan airport. He delivers not only the routine announcements in the airport, but provides the voice for recorded telephone information and for the airport’s low-power radio station.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., have all recorded personal messages welcoming visitors to the state.

Most airports these days use generic-sounding automated voices or recordings made by professional voice actors to deliver security messages and general information. Typically, an airport will hire an agency that produces radio and television commercials to record the announcements. The “talent” are generally professional voice actors. A few airports use computer software that can generate announcements in several languages.

In Tennessee, the Nashville International Airport partnered with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau to enlist Nashville recording artists to record terminal announcements.

For example, says Emily Richard of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, country artist Lee Ann Womack greets visitors this way: “This is Lee Ann Womack inviting you to relax and unwind in one of the airport’s many restaurants. Thank you for choosing Nashville International Airport.”

Charlie Daniels, Wynonna Judd and members of the Sugarland and Lonestar bands have recorded announcements for the Nashville airport.

“We now have the recording labels and business managers of artists contacting us to provide terminal announcements,” Richard says. “They know this is a great way to get their artist’s voice and name to millions of visitors.”

Customized delivery

At Yeager Airport in Charleston, W.Va., Gov. Joe Manchin’s recorded voice welcomes visitors. Amanda Wilson, a radio veteran who works for the airport’s advertising agency, voices most announcements, and she adds a little bit of fun.

Wilson urges people to “have a fantastic day” while alerting them to security measures. She slips in a few one-liners to keep folks on their toes.

For example, in the standard announcement warning travelers not to accept any packages from an unknown person she adds, “Especially that shifty-looking guy over there.”

The Transportation Security Administration prescribes wording for security announcements, but the agency says it’s willing to work with airports that want to customize the delivery.

Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky., has received permission to replace the recorded announcements supplied by the TSA with the voice of Ray Holbrook, a longtime local radio and television personality.

Holbrook, 78, spent more than 40 years in local media and now does commercials for radio and television. After 9/11, airport officials approached him to record some of the announcements on the airport’s public address system. He continues to do so.

His pay? Breakfast, complete with biscuits and gravy.

Holbrook says he enjoys the positive feedback from travelers who hear his announcements.

“A lot of people tell me, ‘We know we’re home when we hear you.’ I like that I can make people feel comfortable, especially the way things are for travelers these days.”

Blue Grass Airport Executive Director Michael Gobb says Holbrook “has a way of reassuring our customers,” comparing it to the effect that former CBS newscaster Walter Cronkite had on his audience.

Entertainment factor

Holbrook’s voice may be reassuring, but at McCarran airport in Las Vegas, some of the recorded voices you’ll hear at the airport are downright entertaining.

Since the early 1970s, celebrities who have headlined at the many showrooms in town have recorded messages for moving walkways, reminding travelers to stand to the right so folks in a hurry can rush by on the left. Over the years, the voices have included Bill Cosby, Dick Clark, Phyllis Diller, Rich Little and Rodney Dangerfield.

“They all did it for free,” says Randall Walker, airport director. “The messages are all funny and clever. The whole concept is to grab people’s attention. If people don’t pay attention, then it has no effect.”

Paying attention on the moving walkway is important, but at the security checkpoint, it’s essential. So, in 2004, the airport joined forces with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to spice up the videos shown to passengers waiting in line.

Now, instead of the standard, stern, TSA-supplied instruction videos, passengers can be heard chuckling and occasionally guffawing at entertainment icons such as Wayne Newton and Cirque du Soleil, comics Carrot Top and Rita Rudner, and assorted clowns, magicians and celebrity impersonators.

The videos show those characters trying to get their medical devices, loose change, giant footwear, weapons and oversized carry-on bags past straight-faced security officers.

Source: USA Today

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