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Voiceover

This Can Help Your Voiceover Business And Any Career

Voiceover

Do you find yourself struggling to find the energy and creativity for your business? Are you trying to think of creative marketing solutions, but coming up dry? Having trouble thinking of that next email to send to potential clients, social media post, or blog? Maybe you are stressing about a difficult work situation that you are trying to resolve.

When I look back on my 30+ years of various jobs, especially with my voiceover career, there is one thing that has been consistently part of my life that has helped me find those creative solutions.

Exercise.
Cameron Thomas Voiceovers - Exercise
I know – it’s not a groundbreaking revelation. And I’m not trying to say this as a “health nut” or to subscribe to any sort of fitness or diet plan. Let me just say first, I admire those who, with little sleep and no caffeine, that are bursting with energy and creative ideas. I’m not that kind of person. I struggle with energy and inspiration.I am simply saying that after 30 plus years of working in either the military, private-sector jobs, and freelance work, the one thing that has been consistent this whole time has been some degree of exercise.

The Physical Routine To Power You Through

I never set out early on thinking I’m going to do this for the rest of my life. It was something that I tried to do one or twice during the week – maybe some running, maybe some weightlifting. It then got to be more consistent depending on the facilities available. Most of the time I work out solo but there were many times when I would workout with co-workers.I’m not a big guy so building strength seemed like a decent goal early on. There were times when I took note of some weightlifting competitions. While I never competed, I did try setting personal goals to see how far I could go. Over the years, I started achieving my weightlifting goals and was happy that maybe I could do some heavy yard work or just put on my socks without pulling anything.

Then came the 5ks and mud obstacle races. Mixing in cardio with strength-training was another challenge. And you can’t overlook the fun social aspect of all of these charity races. Whether it’s a 5k, Tough Mudder, Spartan race, Tough Ruck, or marathon, you’ll enjoy the bonds you make with folks when you’re covered in mud or puking on the side of a race trail.

By the way, after purchasing a new Pro-Form treadmill, take advantage of the really unique and helpful built-in video training programs

When I started seeing the gains and the effects it had on my life, I kept at it. I focused on staying hydrated which helps maintain vocal health, and I rarely get sick. If you want to be available for your voiceover clients, your body better be ready too. Not only that, but I felt a sense of accomplishment. If I ended up not doing anything else that day, at least I had a workout under my belt.

Mental Health For Your Voiceover Business

Mental Health Strength
Staying in shape is great, but the mental health benefits are what I desperately need to get me through the week and to help me work through that day’s mental challenge. I have my fair share of “cognitive challenges” like a lot of folks, so I need all the help I can get!

The APA says in this article that exercise can help manage stress levels, boost mental health, and most importantly for me, help build my mind’s muscles and sharpen memory.

THAT is why exercise has been a big part of my life. I need that mental boost to get me through the day. It takes everything I have to start the day with a workout, but I know that I’ll be more energized afterwards. And it gives me time to mentally process all sorts of things. I’ve found myself processing challenging and very stressful work situations and thinking through those scenarios and solutions.

Working out is a great time to take in the latest podcast or webinar. This time helps me process those creative ideas I need for my marketing campaigns, figuring out how to manage my clients, discovering new ideas to improve my voiceover business, whether it’s with training, building my website, social media content, blog/vlog topics. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wrapped up a workout and, after a quick shower, and immediately dove into those ideas.

As I balance my voiceover business for Cameron Thomas Voiceovers, project management work with Voice Actor Websites, playing in a few local bands, and my family life, I need all the mental bandwidth to keep track of everything. Working out gets the blood flowing for that mental boost for creativity, but helps me multi-task and to change gears from one task to the next.

I’ll admit, I still struggle and get into ruts just like anyone else. I would love to just start the day without the rigor of a workout, but I know the sense of accomplishment afterwards will be well worth it.
So the next time you are stumped on your next marketing outreach, blog, or social media post, clear your head with a brisk walk or jog, do a batch of calisthenics, or even yoga. Then dive into your day’s challenges. I can’t tell you what to post, email, or do specifically for your work – but this one simple thing will help put you in a better mindset to help you discover what that is. When I need to dig deep for some creative solutions to whatever I am doing, you’ll find me in my home gym. Oh, by the way, refusing to go to the gym does not count as resistance training!
Cameron Thomas Voiceovers - Tough RuckCameron Thomas Voiceovers - Tough MudderCameron Thomas Voiceovers - Spartan RaceCameron Thomas Voiceovers - Home Gym

Voiceover Website Tips

General, Voiceover

So you just got your voiceover demos done. Congratulations! If you don’t already have a website, you’re probably thinking of building one. But there are a few things to consider before you start that can impact the site-building process.

As a project manager at Voice Actor Websites, I was on a panel discussion with our team on a recent podcast of Voice Over Body Shop discussing these very things, so I wanted to break them down for you here.

Let’s back up just for a second. There is one item that goes without saying really, and that is your demo(s). There are times when folks want to launch a site without having their demos, so that really is the number one showstopper for a site. If you don’t have a demo to show, you’re probably not ready for a website. Work on that first, then focus on your website.

To Brand Or Not To Brand Your Voice

You have probably seen many other websites with cool branding either with logos, taglines, caricatures, and you’re probably thinking “I gotta have a brand!”

No, you don’t.

If you have already one, great – go with it! But for most folks, especially those just starting out, a brand is not required. I have noticed that some people put the pressure on themselves to develop a brand which can lead to overthinking their site design and frustration.Brand, Business, Company, Mark, Focus, Security

When I work with talent on their sites, we always have an eye towards branding. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll land on one right off the bat. Knowing what kind of work, genres, and clientele your voice is best suited for is the first thing you need to consider. You can then tailor your site and brand towards those genres either with a logo, or image, a unique font, or a tagline. You may not know what that brand is and that is OK!

For example, you may want to work on animations or video games but end up booking more work for e-learning, corporate, or even audiobooks. All of a sudden that wild and wacky animated caricature that you spent all of that time and money on doesn’t really fit you anymore.

Take your time with it.

Cast a wide net with your site early on and keep things clean, simple, and professional. Over time, you’ll get more feedback from clients about your style and ability and you’ll start to see a common theme emerge. You can always update your site with more branding over time.

A great branding book is the Voiceover Achiever by Celia Seigel. Read that and do the branding exercises that she lays out. Make notes. LOTS of them. I have dozens of pages of branding ideas before I landed on something that suited my voice and work. Do this prior to your website design so that you have a solid idea going into it so that you don’t struggle with rethinking your design during the process.

Website Images and Headshots

Imagery is a big part of website design. It may be a headshot or perhaps a nice photo you took on a vacation. While we work with imagery all the time, there are some limitations that can interfere with a design.Framing A Headshot On Your Site

Often times, headshots or imagery that you may have are low resolution images. Low resolution images do not work well on a website – they will looks pixelated when trying to fit into the dimensions of a site. Or perhaps your current photos may be cropped or have background features that interfere with the site layout. So the images that you wanted to use on your site may not work. We can help evaluate what current images might work and provide pointers so that your next photo shoot will result in some really nice photos that will work well with your site design.

How Do I Get My Voice Over Site To Rank High For SEO

I get asked this question a lot. Well, there are 2 types of sites – one that is an extension of your demos on a one-page landing site for direct marketing purposes – or an SEO heavy site that can help drive traffic to your site. They are two totally different animals. While a nicely designed and branded one-page site is great to send to potential clients, a one-page site can only do so much SEO-wise.  There are literally hundreds of factors that goes into site SEO ranking – here is a small batch of factors that affect SEO ranking.

Seo, Search Engine, Optimization

An SEO site has multiple pages and subpages – maybe dozens or hundreds of pages. Each of those pages has relevant content that folks are interested in reading. This helps with viewer engagement but it also provides content for search engines look for when ranking sites. Here is a textbook example of an SEO site. As you can see, all of the text content on these pages and subpages are what drives a site higher in the ranking.

The more content your site has, the better. This takes a LOT of time and money to develop and just about everyone underestimates the significant commitment needed for an SEO site. So it’s important to consider the purpose of your site and prepare yourself for the fact that:

1) a new, single-page site will not rank high, and…

2) there is a lot more work in store for you for an SEO site.

I enjoy the process of working with other voice talent to highlight and showcase their heart and soul to the world and I pride myself on making the process go as smoothly as possible. Hopefully these considerations will prepare you for your next website.

Protecting Your Voiceover Studio And Home Office

Voiceover

Power Surges and Your Voice Over Studio

We were enjoying a nice pleasant Christmas day when all of a sudden lights and appliances started to flicker. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw sparks shooting out from a nearby outlet. The smell of burnt electronics filled the air. After a few moments of flickering, popping, and zapping, we still had power but it was limited. A few lights worked but faintly. A few items worked but not many. Our neighbors’ houses and outdoor Christmas lights were all shining bright while ours went dark.  And what just got fried? Oh my God, what about my home studio and office?!

With more folks working from home offices these days, is this what you want to be asking yourself?

WHAT HAPPENED?

After a panic call to an on-call electrician and the power company, we discovered a neutral power line that runs from the utility pole to the house broke. The neutral line allows power sent to the house to return back to the power line. If it breaks, the circuit is broken, power cannot return, and all of that power is sent surging rampantly through the house frying everything in its path.

We lost our modem, router, stove, a few vent fans, security system, radon mitigation system, battery chargers, hot water heater, and furnace.

Oh no! What about my studio? My laptop, microphone, audio interface, and speakers? My voiceover work?! My website development work?! My livelihood?!

Panic set back in as I tried to start everything up. With a gush of relief and a prayer of thanks, it was all spared. Why? Most likely it was farthest down the line away from the surge with items upstream taking the brunt of it. Plus, the circuit breakers on that side of the house worked, and my studio and office gear were all on surge protectors. However, this was barely enough to save my studio. Had it been further upstream closer to the surge, it may have blown right through the circuit breakers and surge protectors, so this was a complete stroke of luck.

I didn’t care that we didn’t have heat in the middle of a New England winter – I’m ok layering up. I didn’t care that we didn’t have hot water –  I can handle a cold shower. They are actually quite invigorating.

I was just thankful that I could still work! I was never more happy to record an audition or send a work email than I was then.

TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR VOICEOVER STUDIO AND OFFICE

Power surges are most likely during storms with high winds, heavy snow and ice, or thunderstorms. Lightning strikes occur quite often but you have time to take precautions before storms hit. However, surges are most common from downed power lines or other random surges without warning.

There is no way to predict a random power line break. And remember, power companies do NOT cover storm related surge damage. But there are steps to take to protect your voiceover studio, recording gear or home office equipment.  Any one of these items alone may not be enough protection, but a combination of these steps will give you the peace of mind and protection for your voiceover home recording/office setup and to always be available for your clients.

  • Install WHOLE home surge protectors
  • Use power strip surge protectors and/or Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS)
  • Unplug your studio/office equipment when not in use, especially during storms
  • Inspect home wiring
  • Have backup gear – an extra laptop, mic, interface (if possible)
  • Back up your work data on external hard drives/flash drives/cloud services

As a New Englander, I love the home improvement show This Old House. Many episodes cover home electrical systems, but here is an article that covers more detailed power surge protection for your home.

This Old House – Electrical Protection

So enjoy your next holiday with the peace of mind that your pricey home recording studio, gear, and/or home office is protected and you can remain up and running for your clients at all times. Take some time to review your power setup so you don’t lose your livelihood in a flash.

Source Connect – Tips For Your Next Voiceover Session

Voiceover

Source Connect. If you’re a voiceover, I hope you know what it is. As the pandemic hit this year, studios shut down and talent were forced to scramble with home studio setups. Most voiceover jobs are done from home studio anyways, so for many, this is business as usual.  But for those who work exclusively in studios, this was a huge challenge. Regardless of the circumstances, Source Connect is a critical life line for home studio talent to connect and record directly into other studios worldwide. So here are a few “Tried & True” tips for your next voiceover session.

SET IT UP

Approaching a Source Connect session is the same as a phone patch, Zoom, or any other client directed remote recording session. Set up is needed well ahead of time.  Source Connect has a few options available. A full perpetual license or a monthly license, and even a free 14-day trial is available to see how it works for you. Source Connect NOW is another option that runs through Google Chrome, but you may find that some clients and agents may require a paid version of Source Connect. Do your homework and do the free trial run to make sure everything works well ahead of time, such as ensuring your ports are mapped – more info on that here. Then you can decide on paying monthly or for a perpetual license. Some folks may opt to forego a paid license until booking a job and be Source Connect “ready”; however, do you want to risk any registration or setup snafus just before a voice over session? Save and stress, or pay and prepare? Your call.

TEST IT OUT

Do a test run! A day or so before your session, ask me (send me a note below!) or anyone in a VO Facebook/LinkedIn group or forum for a quick connect test.  Some clients may even ask for a test connection beforehand as well, so be prepared well ahead of time. Gear setups vary widely from person to person and there very well may be incompatible components that you’ll want to iron out well ahead of time.

When you confirm that the software works, prepare yourself just as you would for any VO recording session. Hydrate, warm-up, log in early, review the script, make your notes, etc. Jot down names of folks on the other end to keep track of who you’re emailing afterwards too. After working with them for a while, I like to connect with them on social media, so it’s good to make sure you search for the right names.

I usually do not use headphones (cans) when I record so I rely on in-studio speakers. However, headphones are a must during these sessions. Any sound going through in-studio speakers will feed back through your mic resulting in a terrible echo effect, so mute your speakers and use headphones.  There may still be a delayed echo chatting with the client or engineer but it goes away when recording.

BACK IT UP

And one of the biggest tips is from a session when the audio engineer’s computer software glitched in the middle of the session. He had to do a reboot of his entire system. We didn’t lose the whole session recording but a few lines that we were working on were lost. He asked me afterwards if I had recorded the session. Even though I was set up ready to record, sadly, I forgot to hit record. Thankfully I only needed to record a few lines afterwards but this was a good reminder to record on my end in case of those nasty gremlins messing things up.

Who knows how next year will shape up. Chances are that Source Connect will be an expected standard feature of any home studio. So remember these “tried & true” tips – set it up – test it out – back it up!

~CTV – “Tried & True”