Greetings from Voiceovers International!

 

We are happy to announce that we will be offering our Intro to Voiceover Workshop in September: 

 

Voiceover 101 

 

 Saturday, September 18th from 8:30 to 5:30 PM. 

 

Voiceover 101 is designed to give you an in-depth overview of the voiceover business, how to get started in this highly competitive business, tips and techniques on how to deliver a stellar voiceover plus plenty of practice time behind the microphone delivering a variety of voiceover scripts along with professional voiceover direction.

 

The schedule for the day:

 

8:30 AM  Continental breakfast and social time

 

9 AM  Vocal Warm-Up

 

Always warm up your vocal chords and your body before you get behind the mic is rule number one in voiceovers.  We'll show you some fun ways to limber up and show you how to relax your mind, your breathing and your body before you start recording. 

 

9:30 AM  All About Microphones

 

As a voiceover talent your most important piece of equipment (besides your voice) is the microphone.  We'll show you the proper way to use a mic, explain the differences between various mics and let you try out a few different styles of mics to hear the subtle----and not so subtle-----differences between them.

 

11:15- 12 noon Mic Practice

 

We'll pass out a variety of scripts and give you an opportunity to record a commercial along with professional direction.  Learn how to apply techniques that will make your vocal delivery shine!

 

12 noon to 1 PM  Lunch

 

1 PM to 3 PM  Developing Your Acting Skills

 

The ability to act as someone other than yourself is a must-learn skill for anyone aspiring to be successful in voiceovers.  Besides, it's lots of fun.  Learn how to develop believable characters that grab attention in your voiceover work.  We'll work in groups of 2 and 3 and record a variety of scripts.  Get ready to let your hair down, have fun and laugh a lot in this session.

 

3:15 to 5 PM:  Auditioning techniques behind the mic!

 

In this session you'll get to practice the techniques you've learned during the day and record 2 to 3 more commercials behind the mic.  Afterwards, we'll play everything back and hear how much you've grown as a voiceover artist in one day.

 

5 to 5:30 PM:  Question and Answer Time 

 

Voiceover 101 includes all materials, audio download of all recorded material during the workshop,  continental breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks. 

 

Total price of the workshop package is $250.00, until September 1^st.  We recommend reserving your space EARLY as price increases to $300.00 on September 1^st. $100.00 deposit holds your seat with balance of $150.00 due on day of workshop  Enrollment closes on September 10^th and is limited to 15 participants.   We accept checks and cash payments only at this time.  Please call Cammie Winston to reserve your seat at:  916-956-2466.

 

Voiceover 101 Workshop will be held at: KDEE Radio at 2951 Sunrise Boulevard, Suite 175, just off 50 in Rancho Cordova.  KDEE is a low power community radio station at 97.7 FM with state-of-the-art recording equipment and a lovely facility.  We thank our great friends at the California Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation for generously offering their facilities for this workshop.

 

 

Cancellation Policy:  Full refunds will be issued if you call or email your cancellation 10 days in advance to workshop date. 

 

 

About the workshop instructors........

Cammie Winston has been a professional voice artist for 30 years.  She is one of the National telephone voices of Verizon Wireless and the official voice of Sacramento Transit System.  She has voiced thousands of commercials and audio projects that have aired locally, nationally and internationally.  She also spent two decades in the radio industry, including a long stint as midday host on Mix 96 in Sacramento.

Jim Naylor is an award winning audio producer.  He has worked in radio both producing and on air for nearly 20 years.  Jim has produced thousands of radio commercials and imaging pieces, over two thousand for Talk 650 KSTE alone.  Jim is a producer and on-air talent for Newstalk 1530 KFBK.  His business, Naylor Audio Productions, produces messages on hold, radio commercials as well as national and

international audio projects.

 

 

 

Voiceovers International is on Facebook.  Join our group and start building your own voiceover network!

 

We are happy to announce that we will be offering our Intro Voiceover Workshop this fall: 

 

Voiceover 101 

 

 Saturday, September 18th from 8:30 to 5:30 PM. 

 

Voiceover 101 is designed to give you an indepth overview of the voiceover business, tips and techniques on how to deliver a stellar voiceover plus plenty of practice time behind the microphone delivering a variety of voiceover scripts along with professional voiceover direction.

 

The schedule for the day:

 

8:30 AM  Continental breakfast and social time

 

9 AM  Vocal Warm-Up

 

Always warm up your vocal chords and your body before you get behind the mic is rule number one in voiceovers.  We'll show you some fun ways to limber up and show you how to relax your mind, your breathing and your body before you start recording. 

 

9:30 AM  All About Microphones

 

As a voiceover talent your most important piece of equipment (besides your voice) is the microphone.  We'll show you the proper way to use a mic, explain the differences between various mics and let you try out a few different styles of mics to hear the subtle----and not so subtle-----differences between them.

 

11:15- 12 noon Mic Practice

 

We'll pass out copy and give you an opportunity to record a commercial along with professional direction.  You'll learn how to apply a couple techniques that will make your vocal delivery shine!

 

12 noon to 1 PM  Lunch (included)

 

1 PM to 3 PM Developing Your Acting Skills

 

The ability to act is a must-learn skill for anyone aspiring to be successful in voiceovers.  Besides, it's lots of fun.  Learn how to develop believeable characters that grab attention in your voiceover work.  We'll work in groups of 2 and 3 and record a variety of scripts.  Get ready to have fun and laugh a lot in this session.

 

3:15 to 5 PM:  More Microphone Practice!

 

In this session you'll get to practice the techinques you've learned and record 2 to 3 more commercials behind the mic.  Afterwards, we'll play everything back and hear how much you've grown as a voiceover artist in one day.

 

5 to 5:30 PM:  Question and Answer Time

 

Voiceover 101 includes all materials, audio download of all recorded material during the workshop,  continental breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks.  Price of the total workshop package is $250.00 until September 1st.  Price after September 1st goes up to $300.00.  We recommend reserving your space EARLY.  Enrollment closes on September 10th and is limited to 15 participants.  Your seat is reserved with your full payment of $250.00.  We accept checks and cash payments only at this time.  In the event that the workshop must be canceled your full payment will be returned promptly.   The workshop will be held in the Sacramento metropolitan area and final location will be determined within the next couple weeks.  Obviously, we'll let you know where it's going to be held.    To reserve your seat or if you have questions, please call Cammie at (916) 956-2466.

 

 

 

 

About the workshop instructors........

Cammie Winston has been a professional voice artist for 30 years.  She is one of the National telephone voice of Verizon Wireless and the official voice of Sacramento Transit System.  She has voiced thousands of commercials and audio projects that have aired locally, nationally and internationally.  She also spent two decades in the radio industry, including a long stint as midday host on Mix 96 in Sacramento.

Jim Naylor is an award winning audio producer.  He has worked in radio both producing and on air for nearly 20 years.  Jim has produced thousands of radio commercials and imaging pieces, over two thousand for Talk 650 KSTE alone.  Jim is a producer and on-air talent for Newstalk 1530 KFBK.  His business, Naylor Audio Productions, produces messages on hold, radio commercials as well as national and

international audio projects.

 

 

 

Voiceovers International is on Facebook.  Join us!

 

 Voiceovers International is moving!  Last week we learned that the Sacramento Art Complex (where we are located) is embarking on a major renovation, to start within the next six weeks.  Which means lots of noise, dust and a ton of mess.  Which doesn't work for an audio-based business like ours.  

So we must find a new office space.  Which, we've learned, is going to take some time in finding the right place.

In the meantime, we are putting our voiceover workshops on hiatus until this fall.  However, we will still be offering our voiceover demo packages and individual voiceover coaching sessions from our own home studios.

 There are several of you that have been working diligently on developing your voiceover skills and are getting close to starting your voiceover careers.  We are still here for you!  Business will still run as usual and we'll only be a phone call away.  

 Jim and I have enjoyed working with you and thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your journey into voiceovers.  

 ******************************************************************

At Voiceovers International our philosophy is to teach and equip you with the skills needed to compete and win paying voiceover jobs.  Jim and Cammie work full-time in the voiceover and audio production industry and know firsthand what it takes to get the job!

About the workshop instructors......

 

Cammie Winston has been a professional voiceover artist for 30 years.  She is one of the national telephone voices for Verizon Wireless and the official voice of the Sacramento Public Transit System.  She has voiced thousands of commercials and audio projects that have aired locally, nationally and internationally.  She also spent two decades in the radio industry, including a long stint as midday air talent on Mix 96 in Sacramento.

Jim Naylor is an award winning audio producer.  He has worked in radio both producing and on air for nearly 20 years.  Jim has produced thousands of radio commercials and imaging pieces, over two thousand for Talk 650 KSTE alone.  Jim is a producer and on-air talent for NewsTalk 1530 KFBK.  His business, Naylor Audio Productions, produces messages on-hold, radio commercials as well as national and international audio projects.

Join Voiceovers International on FACEBOOK.  We'd love to have you be part of our growing community of voiceover artists!

 

 

 

 

 

 Effective October 1, 2009

 Now....simplified pricing on all voice demos.  Basic demo pricing starts at $300.  Additional time is available at $100 per hour.  

 

Basic Voice Demo Package:  $300.00

A great value!  

Includes:

• 1 hour behind-the-mic, recording copy of your choice
  

• 2 hours finished production time.

3 hours total time commitment.  

Want help with selecting scripts?  Want more time behind the mic?  Want more production?   Already have a demo but want to update or add to it?  Additional time is $100.00 per hour.  

In our experience most demos can be completed in 3 to 5 hours ($300 to $500). 

 Please call our office at (916) 446-2004 for more details.

We get many calls from people who are interested in getting into the voiceover business.  It's an intriguing prospect for people who have been told they have a great voice;  maybe they've spent a lot of time reading stories to kids or have made announcements on PA systems and loved it. 

It seems like an easy way to make money.    And besides, it's just reading outloud, right?

No! No! No! The pros make it sound like it's an easy way to make money. However, if it really were that easy we would all be voiceover millionaires.  

The last thing the voiceover industry needs is a good reader with a nice voice.

It's skill and training that turns a voice into a voiceover artist.  And that doesn't happen overnight.....even if you have a great voice.

 The voiceover industry has changed dramatically in the past decade and nowadays  the voice in demand is the one that can take direction from the pickiest director, deliver a compelling read that draws the listener in and have the ability to tell a story as opposed to reading a script. And can do all of those things in a relatively short amount of time. Time is money and if you can't deliver the goods, well, the director, the producer and the engineer are not going to be happy.

Over the past year we've watched.....and heard....some amazing transformations in the voices we've trained.   These people are now getting voiceover gigs and can be heard on the radio, on the telephone and on speciality projects, too.  For clients all over the country!

Yes, training takes time, money and patience....but the rewards are out there.  Be encouraged!   

One of our students, Jennifer Harris, has won voice auditions for several  PSA's that can be heard on KAHI Radio.  Because Jennifer has her home studio up and running it's been easy for her to audition at the drop of a hat.  She's a busy mom who home schools her kids and is involved in the ballet, too.  Even with her busy life she's found that building a career in voiceovers works well for her.

Thanks to Jennifer for sharing a yummy recipe with us today:

Carrot Haystack Cookies  

 

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup chopped or broken pecan pieces

1 cup shredded carrots

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup unrefined coconut oil, warmed just until melted

Freshly pressed ginger to taste, about 1 teaspoon

 

Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and oats. Add pecans and shredded carrots.

 

In a separate bowl combine maple syrup, melted coconut oil and ginger which has been pressed with a garlic press or finely grated. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix just until combined thoroughly.

 

Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden.

 

Makes 2 to 2 ½ dozen cookies.

 

 

 

Is there anything better than a tropical vacation? Not in my opinion and our favorite tropical destination is the small strip of islands south of Miami known as the Florida Keys.

My first visit to this island chain was in 1979 as a 19 year old college student spending a summer as a nanny, taking care of two little girls, for a Long Island, New York family who just happened to have a vacation home in the Keys.

I've been hooked on the Keys since and my husband Jeff, too, since we married in 1993.

We're wrapping up a 11 day Keys vacation on Friday and too soon we'll be heading back to reality in Sacramento, CA.

But, we're also happy to be heading home. Being self-employed makes it difficult to be away too long from the business and I must admit....I also miss the routine of my work.

Days on end of lazing in the sun, snorkeling, boating, fishing, eating out and basically doing nothing is fun.....for awhile....but it's good to get back to reality, too.

Next week I'll be back in the office, rested, tan and ready to get back to work. And as long as I know when we can return to our tropical paradise I can keep my nose to the grindstone.

Next scheduled trip to the Keys: September, 2009. Four months to go!

 

 

 

 

We just formed a new group, Voiceovers International, on Facebook for voiceover professionals, audio producers and ad agencies and marketing groups.

The business of voiceovers is growing and changing rapidly and our hope is that our new group will be a forum to connect, share ideas and build relationships.  

 We'll also post upcoming events, workshops and mixers that we hold at our midtown Sacramento studios.  

Everyone is welcome to join...the more the merrier! 

We'll be talking to you on Facebook.  

 

After months and months of being hounded by well-meaning friends I finally bit the bullet and joined Facebook a few weeks ago.

That explains my temporary absence of new blog entries on my website.  Sorry.  I did not expect Facebook to be so, well, fun.  There was no way I would of ever imagined that I'd spend several hours....every day.....just goofing off on Facebook.

 Being a hater of learning new technology (hey, I'm a baby boomer, give me a break!) it did take me awhile to figure the whole thing out.  Still, there's things that make no sense at all to me.  For example, when someone "sends" me a hamster.....what the heck am I supposed to do with it?  I must admit, it did put a smile on my face to see that cute little brown and white furball gift.  Which is probably  the whole point of Facebook.

Finding old friends is another amazing feature of Facebook and I've recently connected with old radio buddies from my  KYMX Radio days. These are people I'd lost track of 15 years ago. 

Now I want to find more old radio jocks going back to my start in radio back in 1979 including KMNS Radio in Sioux City, Iowa, KVRF Radio in Vermillion, South Dakota and WOW Radio in Omaha, Nebraska.  

For those of us working in or interested in learning more about voiceovers, I believe that Facebook has amazing potential in buiding a voiceover network.  I always say that producers like to work with voiceover talent they know and by connecting with other voiceover professionals it could serve as a foot in the door.  

 So, the next time you are on facebook, look me up.  I'd love to be your friend.   

 

 

 

What do you do at Voiceovers International?

Audio!  And for almost any application.

Can you give me an example of your work?

Sure.  Jim is an audio producer/engineer and specializes in Messages on Hold for phone systems.  He also produces image liners for a Sacramento radio station plus he produces custom sound effects and speciality audio, too. 

My area of expertise is voiceovers and I voice commercials for radio, TV, telephone systems, websites, instructional training films,  public transportation systems, kiosks and much more, for clients around the world.   

Jim and I also teach voiceover workshops in our midtown Sacramento studio.

I've been told that I have a great voice.  How do I get started in the voiceover business?

  Surprisingly, in today's voiceover world it's not so much about having a "good voice" as much as having a trained and skilled voice.   I'd recommend taking a couple  voiceover workshops to learn as much as possible about the business....and to see if this is really something you want to do.

 Besides taking a couple voiceover workshops is there anything else I need to get started?

Yes, you will need a professional voiceover demo that showcases your vocal abilities.  It's the standard in the voiceover business and is difficult to secure paying jobs without one.

Do I need to join the union or get an agent to get jobs?

No, you don't need an agent to get voiceover jobs.   Down the road, as your level of skill increases, you may want to get an agent but in my own experience I've been able to build a nice voiceover business all on my own.  

Is it difficult breaking into the voiceover business?

No and yes.  It depends on YOU.  If you love being behind the mic and have a passion for the business and are willing to work hard......voiceovers can be the best thing you ever did!

On the other hand, if you are easily discouraged, if  practicing behind the mic feels like a chore and you get frustrated, then maybe this isn't the business for you. 

So, only you can answer that question.  And most times, you won't know the answer until you've taken a couple classes.

How do I know what classes to take?

We have 3 levels of classes:  introductory, intermediate and advanced.  Start at the beginning and work your way through the curriculum. The classes are fun, educational and are based on our real-life working experiences in voiceovers.  Our mission is to prepare you to compete with those that have been working in voiceovers for many years.  We're serious about our training program and make sure you get more than your money's worth.

How much do the classes cost?

A 3-hour class is only $75.00 and includes all materials, practice copy and downloads of the audio recorded during class.  Individual vocal coaching is also available at $100.00 per hour.

Where do I go when I'm ready to have my voice demo produced?

We offer professional voice demo packages, including custom copy with full production, including music, sound effects and sweetening.  You will sound like a star!

I've got more questions!

Give us a call at 916 446-2004 or email me at:  cammie@cammiewinston.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hang on to those mushy bananas hanging out in your fruit bowl and whip up a batch of this banana bread.

This particular recipe is unbelievably good. I gave a loaf of it to Mayo on Saturday when she came in to the office to record Verizon phone system prompts.

Mayo texted me later that day and told me her 2-year-old daughter Mia ate it "like there was no tomorrow". Adults seem to react the same way. It's that good.

I've named the bread for my late mother, who was easily one of the best bakers in the world and who used to make it for us when we were kids.

 

Bernice's Banana Bread

2 large bananas, mashed with a fork

1 -1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large loaf pan with PAM. Mix together flour, soda and salt. Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in mixing bowl and cream on medium for 2 minutes. Add banana, sour cream and flour mixture. Beat about 30 seconds longer or just until blended. Pour in loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 

Enjoy!