A recent radio interview on Newstalk 1530 KFBK radio about my career in voiceovers has generated a lot of calls at the office and the one question everyone asks is:

"How do I get started in the voiceover business for myself?"

We're glad that you asked us! My business partner and audio engineer extraordinaire Jim would probably tell you that I have earned a black belt in voiceovers since I've been doing them for over 29 years now. And yes, I learned how to do voiceovers the old fashioned way: through trial and error. Mostly error. But, wow, have I learned a lot.

And, I've picked up some fabulous clients along the way including Verizon Wireless from coast to coast and the Public Transportation System for the City of Sacramento.

Nowadays, doing voiceovers is a whole new business than when I started back in 1979, thanks to the advancements in technology and mostly due to the internet. It also means that there is a lot more competition and that if you're interested in doing voiceovers you must have the skills and training to compete. It is not about having a great voice. (Read my Blog "Confessions of a Great Voice" for more on that!)

The good news is that there is a lot of voiceover work to be had and even better: you can work from home and do voiceovers for clients all over the world.....thanks again, to the internet.

So, with that said, we're offering introductory workshops in August at our midtown Sacramento offices to tell you the truth and nothing but the truth about the voiceover industry. Everything you always wanted to know about voiceovers but were afraid to ask.

Call our office at 916-446-2004 for details on "Step up to the Mic" and "Discover Your Money Voice" coming up in August. Three hours of solid info in each workshop plus time behind the mic for only $75.00. A great deal......for a great career with unlimited earning potential!

Coming in July: (please note that workshops are now 3 hours!)

• Nailing the Read In this 3-hour behind-the-mic workshop we'll concentrate on developing your skills at taking direction and you'll learn how to bring the copy to life that will add interest, excitement and energy. We've got the tips and tricks to make your delivery stand out from the competition. Offered on Saturday, July 12th 1 to 4 PM
  

• Developing your Internal Time Clock. We'll bring out the stopwatch for this workshop and time you as you read a variety of :30 and :60 commercials along with :10 and :15 tags. Learning how to read to the exact time the director needs is imperative to your success as a voiceover talent. Offered on Tuesday, July 15th 6 PM to 9 PM

My love affair with the microphone started in 1979 when I was hired to work as an on-air radio"talent" at KKAA Radio in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Though I was less-than-great when I started, I knew that being behind the mic was the only place for me.

Fast forward 18 quick years and I can say that I had a wonderful, always entertaining career in radio. I had worked in the midwest at various radio stations in South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa and then drove 1500 miles to Sacramento, California in 1984 where I worked on-air until 1996 when I decided it was time to retire from the radio biz and concentrate fulltime on voiceovers.

The reason I bring this up is that it's nice to return to my radio roots every once in a while and today I am being featured on a profile story on 1530 KFBK radio.

I was interviewed by Eric Alvarez who stopped by to see us one night when we were teaching at the Natomas Borders Books. He also interviewed some of YOU and even recorded some of the commercials you recorded in class.

Want to hear the interview? Two ways to do that: if you're in Sac it's easy to tune into the #1 station in town: 1530 KFBK and listen there, although there are no set times for the story. (Hard news comes first....my story is a "filler".)

The other way is to download it from my website. Go to the client login in the upper lefthand corner of the homepage and click it.

Username: KFBK

Password: interview

Enjoy! And thank you to Eric for producing a very nice interview.

If you read my blog entry from May 11th, "Our Pool is Cool" you already know where I'm heading with this:

It's 105 degrees in Sacramento and it's too hot to swim. Our pool temp, which I've been obsessed with for the past 4 months, has now hit an all-time high of 90 degrees.

Jeff and I were going to take a dip this afternoon to "refresh ourselves". But there is nothing refreshing about 90 degree water on a 105 degree day.

What do we do now? Will the pool be 90 degrees-----or even warmer------for the next 4 months? Will it be September before it's cooled down enough to where we'll enjoy taking a "refreshing dip"?

We've been so obsessed with making our pool warmer for so long now that we're at a loss of what to do when it's too warm. We never thought that would happen.

Should we add ice? And how much? Would dry ice work or is that dangerous?

Everyone told us that having a pool is a lot of work but we didn't see this coming.

Of course, it seems ridiculous to be complaining about a swimming pool, doesn't it?

Still, we love our pool and we're getting it figured out. On hot days we swim after 8 PM......and in a "natural state", if you know what I mean. Now that's real refreshment!

Last October my husband Jeff and I decided to bite the bullet and put in the pool we've always wanted.  Living in the Sacramento, California region means that a pool is almost mandatory for survivial.  This is one blazin'  HOT area.  A comfortable day in July is 95 degrees.  We don't even consider it hot until it reaches 105.  

The hole was dug in November and it was an interesting process to watch.  By mid-January our dream pool, with a flagstone wall and neato water feature was done.  And, we were excited to try it out.  The problem was that the pool temperature was 46 degrees.

 We figured that by the time the pool reached 60 degrees certainly it would be warm enough to take a maiden swim.  When the pool hit that 60 degree mark in early March we were disappointed to learn that 60 degrees, while warmer than the original 46, still wasn't swimmable.

Soon we became obsessed with the watching of the pool temperature gauge.  I'd call home from the office and instead of asking Jeff how he was, the first thing out of my mouth would be "have you checked the temperature of the pool?"

Our first "official swimmers" were my best friend Sheri's kids:  Matt and Jamie.  It was April 1st and I believe the pool temp was around 68 degrees.  (Yes, real April fools!)  They're from Seattle so that temperature probably felt balmy to them.  To us Californians:  it was still too cold.

I forgot to write down on the calendar the first day I actually went "all the way in" but I believe it was around April 15th and the pool temp was about 76 degrees.  Still too cold for Jeff, though.  His ideal pool temp is 90 degrees.  He became spoiled on "hot water swimming" in the Florida Keys. 

Jeff wants our pool to be exactly like the Florida Keys.  We even put spotted eagle ray tiles in the bottom of the pool to mimic a tropical oasis.  And, he put enough solar panels on our roof that they could film National Lampoon's Florida Keys Vacation right in our backyard.

Today,  which is Mother's Day, the pool temp got up to 84 degrees......which is perfect as far as I'm concerned.  Jeff said it is still cool.   But, he did get in......although VERY SLOWLY.   

So, here's to summer.....and our cool pool!   

.......Looking for workshop schedule?  Scroll down the page to next entry..........

As you may know we are teaching FREE introductory voiceover classes this month at the Sacramento area Borders Books and today we had 40 in attendance at our lunch hour class on Fair Oaks Boulevard!

What a fun and talented group of people showed up. From college kids to a few who had recently retired and even one spunky lady of 83; it was an inspiring class to teach.

A common thread shared among many of them was that doing voiceovers has been a lifelong dream. Something they had always wanted to do but didn’t know where to start.

I am thrilled to see people pursuing dreams. So many times dreams are considered risky, and consequently, people will take the “easy road” to a lifetime of living “safe bets”. How sad is that? And more important….how BORING.

One thing I have learned in my quick 49 years on earth is that life is too short to not take risks. Forty years from now, when I’m sitting in my rocking chair and looking back at my life I don’t want to regretfully say “I wish I would of done that!”

Today when I contemplate trying something new I always give it the “rocking chair test”. I ask myself: will I regret not doing this? Is this something that I'll think about when I'm in my rocking chair? And, the test always comes back with this message: GO FOR IT!

Plus, everyone loves an old lady with a good story. I want to have a few books-worth.

So I continue to try new things and push myself into sometimes uncomfortable territory. I want to tell my great grandkids someday that as a middle-aged woman I skied black diamond ski runs, kayaked white water rapids, raced speed boats with grandpa and refused to follow the leader.

What are you waiting for?

We have one more FREE voiceover class this month at the Natomas Borders location on Tuesday, April 29^th at 7:30 PM. It’s called “How to Make Money in Voiceovers”.

In my opinion there isn’t a more rewarding way to earn a living.

Anyone who works in the voiceover business is familiar with emergencies. Actually, I don’t know if I’ve ever done a voiceover that wasn’t an emergency.

Late nights, early mornings, weekends and even holidays, you’ll find me in my studio working on emergency voiceovers.  Phone prompts, radio spots, narration, are all needed PRONTO.  Sooner than later. But that’s OK by me.  I thrive on the challenges of meeting tight and sometimes almost impossible deadlines. 

Of course, on occasion my batteries start to run low, my creativity dries up and I may even get a tiny bit cranky. 

Which, is exactly what happened a few weeks back.  I needed a break.  Even my husband Jeff thought I should get away.  (He is a saint, by the way). 

I was thinking Mexico sounded like a place that didn’t do emergencies and would be the great place to decompress.  Hot sunshine with the Sea of Cortez as the backdrop, a good book and a couple pineapple margaritas were calling my name. 

So, a week ago last Sunday my girlfriend Dana and I hopped on a plane and headed to the tip of Baja, Mexico. Our agenda was simple:  do as little as possible. 

Surprisingly, we were able to do next-to-nothing remarkably well.   Adjusting our lounge chairs from flat position to upright was about the most work we did.  We read good books, watched whales and met great people from all over the world.

Dana was even serenaded with a soulful rendition of Happy Birthday by 4 handsome 25-year old men from south of Chicago. Thank you  Nick, Ryan, Darren and Marty!  Making it even more special is the fact that Nick was on Season Four of American Idol so you know that this was no ordinary birthday song.  Even Simon Cowell would of loved it.

 I told them I’d say HI to them in this blog and that I wouldn’t mention all the tequila shots they were drinking. Hahahhaa.  I know, Darren…..you were NOT drinking tequila shots.   Actually, they were some of the nicest people we’ve met in a long time. 

After 3 days of fun in the sun both Dana and I were feeling antsy.    Could it be true?  We were ready to go home.  We missed our families, American food and, dare I say it:  even work.  Am I loco????

No, I realized that I love my life, with all of it’s insanity, just the way it is.  One of the things we only learn when we go on vacation. 

By the way…….I am teaching FREE voiceover classes at the Sacramento-area Borders Books in April.  Check it out!

It started when I was a teenager. People would comment on what a great voice I had. My involvement in theater during high school seemed to spur a lot of the compliments. Teachers, friends, family and complete strangers would make a point of telling me, “wow, you really have a great voice”. I even got compliments when I answered the phone at home. After a while I began to think that I should probably do something with my “great voice”.

With such a remarkable voice surely I could become The Donald Trump of the voiceover world. In my mind’s eye I could see myself sitting in the back of my personalized limo, sipping champagne cocktails while being shuttled to voiceover sessions.

OK, back to reality.

Being a farm kid from South Dakota means I didn’t have a clue how to break into the voiceover field but I was confident it would be pretty easy because, as you know, I had a great voice.

It was a surprise that my attempts of impressing ad agencies with my great voice on the phone didn’t seem to work. They wanted a demo. And before I could say another word the phone would click and they were gone. I wondered why they couldn’t hear the greatness of my voice like my friends and family did?

What I learned was this: a great voice without a voice demo is a voice who doesn’t get work. So, I had a voice demo produced. I was now on the road to making the big bucks as a full-fledged voice talent!

Or, so I thought. I quickly learned that success in voiceovers has absolutely nothing to do with having a great voice.

Let me elaborate on that. My first professional voiceover job was at an ad agency in Omaha, Nebraska and I was feeling confident that I would nail the read in one take and I’d be out of there in 10 minutes flat. Remember, I knew that I had a great voice.

In actuality it took 2 hours and 15 minutes. And on top of it, the director was mad at me because I cost him an extra hour’s studio time because I didn’t know how to take direction. “Pick up the pace, smile after the pause and punch the tag line, bring my pitch down, end that sentence on a downbeat” were requested by the director and NOT delivered by me. I heard what he was saying, but I couldn’t get my great voice to deliver the goods.

To add insult to injury I started sweating. My mouth went dry and I felt like I was sinking in quicksand. Try reading  when you’ve got Sahara Desert sand up to your neck.

The worst part was when, after an hour and a half of maddeningly little progress (all my fault), the director asked me if I was OK? Of course, I WASN’T OK, but I was not going to tell him that. But, my quivering voice gave me away when I tried to say that everything was just peachy and then that shuddering breath-thing happened.

It started with a single tear and before I could stop them Hoover Dam broke.

A root canal without anesthesia would have been less painful than what I went through behind the mic that day.

Thankfully that happened a long time ago, though it is still somewhat painful to think back at how over-confident I was when I first got into this business. Still, even after that humbling experience I was determined to learn and grow and become a “great voice”. And, after 25+ years I’m still work at it!

Here’s what I believe makes a voice talent a great voice talent:

1. First and foremost it’s having a voice that has been trained in delivery styles and proper breathing.

2. A voice that knows how to take direction. You should be able to deliver exactly what the director wants.

3. You can accept criticism with professionalism and learn from it.

 4. You realize that becoming a “great voice” is a lifetime journey and that you’ll always be learning and growing.

Interested in getting started in voiceovers? Check out the March workshops held in my downtown Sacramento offices in My Blog.

In my next blog: true stories from the trenches of the voiceover world........

The question always comes up.

“How difficult is it to start a career in voiceovers?”

I listen to their stories when they call my office asking for voiceover guidance. A pleasant-sounding man is anxious to get out of the corporate rat race and thinks being a voiceover talent would be a nice way to earn a living. Another person has been told a thousand times what a great she has and now believes she's heard enough compliments that it’s time to cash in on the golden vocal chords. I also heard from a sweet-sounding grandma who said her granddaughter read a poem at her church and everyone commented on her excellent reading skills. Surely, the nice ad agency folks will want to use her in their next radio campaign.

Which, brings up the question again: “How hard is it to start a career in voiceovers?”

Even after 20-plus years in the voiceover business I still don’t have a simple answer to that question. I want to be encouraging, yet I don’t want to mislead anyone, either.

The truth is that a career in voiceovers can be difficult road to travel if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons: 1. you think it will be “fun” and 2. you believe it will be an easy way to earn a living.

This is when it dawned on me that doing voiceovers is very similar to being a contestant on American Idol, but without the glamour. Check it out dawg: Here’s a group of 20 young people who love to sing, been told by friends and family that they have great singing voices and so they go out on a limb, take a risk and go through an arduous audition process to prove they are have the talent to become a superstar. If they jump through all the hoops of the audition process without being eliminated they will “make it to Hollywood!” Which means they will be featured on the hit TV show American Idol and have a chance of being crowned the next American Idol.

Now it gets tricky because every week they must stand in front of a firing squad, I mean the judges, and get their singing talent ripped apart. On national TV, nonetheless. And then if that isn't bad enough, the entire nation gets to put in their two-cents and one of these singers is voted OUT of the show.

Goodbye and don't let the door hit you in the you-know-what on the way out.

That sounds cruel, doesn't it? One girl actually cried on national TV when she got the ax. Ryan Seacrest wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder to ease her angst. I must admit I felt sad for her, too.

Simon Cowell didn't cry, of course. Love him or hate him, he does call it like he sees it and I must admit, I secretly agree with him more times than not.

We've all learned that winning American Idol doesn't guarantee you success. Taylor Hicks has faded into oblivion. But, his American Idol classmate, Chris Daughtry, has built an impressive career with multiple number one hits. So while Taylor won the Idol crown it's Chris who is laughing all the way to the bank.

Another person who is probably laughing all the way to the bank is Sanjaya. He is so well known that he can get away without using his last name. Like he is Madonna or Cher. And he can't even sing. Heck, he had groupies who would cry when he sang (painfully out of tune) on the weekly show. That is is something I haven't seen since the Beatles came to America 40 years ago. And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that Sanjaya is NO Paul McCartney.

So you're saying "This isn't right! This isn't fair! The best talent should win! Sanjaya shouldn't of even made it on the show! None of this makes sense!"

Now you're getting what I'm getting at..... Like American Idol, there is no rhyme or reason or formula to success in building a career in voiceovers.

Having talent and a good voice is helpful, but it doesn't guarantee success. Heck, there aren't any guarantees at all.

But, if this is something you not only enjoy but have a passion for plus you are a risk-taker, can take rejection (without crying), are a self-promoter and have an entrepreneurial spirit, well then, a career in voiceovers may very well be the right career for you.

Personally, I LOVE it! The freedom, the having- no-boss aspect, and the opportunity to make very good money have kept me in this field for over two decades now.

Is voiceovers the right career move for you?

I'll answer that question and a lot more in our March voiceover workshops, held in my downtown Sacramento studios. It's a fun and informative class and you even will get a behind-the-mic recording session. Seats fill fast as we limit the size of the class to six. Reserve you space today by calling the office.

In my next Blog: .....What is a Great Voice, anyway?........coming soon!

Back in November of 2007 my husband Jeff and I decided that it would be wise to get flu shots. Since we're both self-employed taking sick days means no pay days so we really cannot afford to get sick. So we drove down to our local Longs Drugs in Marysville and got poked all in the name of preventative healthcare.

Or, so I thought.

Last week I came down with the nastiest flu I've had in years. I won't gross you out with the details but it was BAD. So bad that when Judge Judy came on TV I didn't even have the energy to change the channel. I watched a lot of bad TV in those four days that I was lying on, what I thought, was my death bed.

I did muster up the energy, however, to walk down the hall to the home office to check my email a couple times a day and to try to stay on top of business. I even did a couple voiceovers! Playing them back I was surprised how "well" I sounded.

Meanwhile, my clients had no idea that I hadn't had a shower in 3 days, my hair was sticking straight up, my stomach was doing triple axles and I was chugging Pepto Bismol by the gallon. And, I like to keep it that way.

Just one more reason why I love the life as a fulltime voiceover talent.

Of course, after I got done recording I'd crawl back down the hall to my bed where Judge Judy was still on TV and in my whimpiest voice I'd call out to my husband to please bring me another ginger ale to soothe my aching tummy.

The good news is that the flu is over, my husband didn't catch it and neither did my clients!