I’ve done some work recently for a semi-local TV station and I’ve had some other offers for voice over work that I’ve been too busy for.

My point? Two actually.

If you have a website, even for your hobby, people will find it and contact you if they think your work is halfway decent. If it’s out there and people can find it, more than likely they will and it might lead to something.

Which leads to my second point. Diversify.

If you’re any good at more than one thing, try to do as much of all of it as you can, within reason. For example, my studio is set up for whoever needs me for voice over work when the stream of computer work is running a little dry, or even when I’m so busy that I can barely find time for myself but have a hankering to voice something.

This time off has given me more ideas for this blog as well. Looking forward to not only writing about voice over things, but life in general as well.

Stay tuned.

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I’ve been pursuing more profitable adventures as of late. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this blog and the people that read it are awesome, but with my other stuff going on, I don’t have as much time for this blog as I used to.

No worries though, once I get back into voice over work on a more full time basis over the next little while, I’ll get back to blogging more about it. But for now, on to bigger and better things!

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It also integrates your phone calls, text messages, emails (at the time of this writing, just Yahoo), and voicemail from all your phone numbers into one interface.

It’s hard to describe, so you’re just going to have to go to their website and check it out. It’s a free download.

Like I said, they’re still ironing out all the kinks, but that’s always a part of beta testing. Check it out!

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My name is Michael Flowers and I have a knack for telling people how to get stuff done. I’ve finally achieved my dream of becoming a voice over artist. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t know everything, but I know a lot about how to become better at what I do and help people get started reaching for their dreams- that’s what this blog has always been about.

To get the latest updates on my tips for voice over success, subscribe to my “feed” in the top right hand corner and have the most recent posts from this blog delivered to your email inbox, or, use your favorite feed reader and subscribe that way.

I’ve got some great content coming that you won’t want to miss. I can’t say too much about it right now, but I know you’re going to love it. Stay tuned!

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And NOW, the Subscribe by email form is REALLY fixed. I just tried it with my own email to verify it (like I should have done the firs two times.)

Now it’s even easier to get the newest posts from my blog in your email inbox, just put in your email on the top right corner of the blog, fill out the information in the pop-up window, and you’re all set!

If you have any questions, contact me.

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2. Contact Michael Please feel free to contact me and tell me anything...
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I moved away from GoDaddy and moved to HostMonster since they’re better, cheaper, and faster (and a lot less vulgar).

Thanks to those of you who stuck around.

Anyways, here’s a cool site I found that can help anyone who needs help with timing. (I know I do more often than not).

The Online Stopwatch is an awesome resource for voice talent. I use it to time myself on dry reads before I step into the studio to keep my practice on track. I like using the countdown clock because it gives a visual reference you can see with your peripheral vision (without taking your eyes off the script).

I have it bookmarked, you should too.

Thanks again to all of you for hanging on through the downtime. Many more great resources like this headed your way.

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Scroll to the bottom of the page and click your flag to have this page automatically translated for you!

Leave comments and let me know if it works for you!

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The biggest and best thing is the new template. It looks awesome. I hope you think so too.

There is also now a NEWS page on the front page of the blog so you can keep up with updates to the site.

The newest news is COMMENTS ARE NOW WORKING!! You DO NOT have to register to post. I fixed that. Whoever wants to post, can.

There will be an actual post this evening, so stay tuned!

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Yes, there are kinks to work out, and they will be, don’t worry. Thanks for your patience as I make adjustments.

-UPDATE-

Take the poll to let me know what you think. Thanks! (Here’s what the site looked like before!!)

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Here’s the definition of patience:

“an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay:”

Many, many, many times over in this profession you will have to wait… and wait… and wait some more. Clients are sometimes in a hurry, but more often than not they have some time to “shop around”.

Clients are always shopping around for the voice that fits the voice they have in their head. It’s part of our job as voice actors to find out what that voice is supposed to sound like and how much (or little) they want to spend (more on the latter in another post). This means that the client may not like how your voice sounds, they may not like your interpretation of the copy, or they may not think you’re worth the price you quoted them. If they start thinking like that, they’ve already marked you off the list and are moving on. This happens all the time.

Here’s something else that tends to happen too frequently, you’re invited to submit an audition for a project, you submit your demo, you make the finals, the final demo is submitted and they select someone else to voice the project.

There’s something that ties all these situations together: waiting, which requires patience.

A boring way to write about patience would be to say “wait”.

I don’t do boring on this blog.

So, here’s a list of some of the things you shouldn’t do while waiting on a client.

DO NOT:

1) Keep contacting the client for updates. I hate to admit it, but I’ve been guilty of this myself. I get SO anxious to get started on projects and sometimes that gets the best of me. Well, not anymore. A client has never told me this personally, but I can just imagine the look on their face when they see another e-mail from the voice over guy in their email inbox. Like I said, if they even slightly mention you not being right for the job (or even hint at it) they’re moving on (whether you want them to or not). No matter how many emails you send or how many times you call them, they have crossed you off the list and are moving on. No matter how hard it is, just move on as well. The time you spend sulking over spilled milk could be spent doing other far more productive projects (or at least trying to find them).

2) Complete the entire project before confirmation or payment is received. Once again, be patient, don’t put the cart in front of the horse and do the entire 180,000 word project expecting to be selected for the job. Even if it’s a 30 second commercial spot or less, don’t do more work than you’ve been paid to do unless payment is guaranteed (or you’ve received a deposit, which is a smart thing to request). This also means you should not send the entire file to the client in full quality unless you know them personally or have worked with them before. There are people in the world that will accept the entire file with open arms and then take the money and run. You’ll never hear from them again.

One way to prevent this from happening is to let the client sample the file without sending them the final product. I usually save the MP3 in a lower quality that is not suited for any kind of broadcast (around 64 kbps) so they can still hear how I sound but not use the project on the air (DON’T FORGET TO SAVE THE ORIGINAL FIRST!!). I have also heard samples with random noises, beeps, or audio watermarks inserted at points that are impossible to edit out. Don’t do anything crazy, just use common sense in thinking of ways to decrease the chances of the client using the project without you receiving payment for your hard work. Also, make sure you tell the client what you’re doing so they don’t think that your studio is really low quality, that your program inserts random clicks and beeps, or that you’re trying to mess with their mind. Say something like “It’s not that I don’t trust you, we’ve just never worked together before, so here’s the sample you requested in sample quality. (Describe what you’ve done to the file in simple, non-audio-guy terminology).” This kind of practice is highly recommended when not using a hosted voice over service that has a feedback system. If someone steals from you on your website, the only kind of “negative feedback” you can leave is with the police or a lawyer (if you can even find out who the person really is).

More in part 2 of “5 P’s: Patience” next time. Subscribe to my RSS feed at the top of the page to receive my blog updates in your e-mail inbox. It’s a great way to stay up to date with this blog.

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