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.

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!

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy holiday schedules to stop by our studio last Saturday for our Holiday Open House. We had an impressive turnout of more than 80 people! We even had a couple people drive up from Oakland to join in the festivities. It was a fun group!

Jim and I were happy to take the time to spend a few hours of the holiday season with all the great people we've met and worked with this past year including students, clients and fellow voiceover artists.

We also gave away prizes including 3 workshops in a drawing and the lucky winners are:

Mike McDade

Monika Lopez

Sandy Klagge

Congratulations to our winners!

The food was a big hit and a big thank you goes out to
Dana B.'s Delectables of Livermore for providing a lavish spread of unbelievably delicious food. It was a huge hit! One of the favorites was a savory cheesecake that you cut in wedges and spread on crackers. Dana has graciously shared the recipe:

Artichoke Cheesecake________________________________________

Ingredients

2 ½ cups chopped bagels (about 2 bagels)

2 Tbls. olive oil

3 tsp. dried or fresh chives

2-8 oz pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1-15 oz tub ricotta cheese

1 can condensed broccoli cheese soup

2 eggs

1 Tbls. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. garlic salt

1-8.5 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1-15 oz jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped

1 cup fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine bagels, oil and 1 tsp. chives in a medium sized mixing bowl and mix well. Spray 9 X 2 ½ inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press bagel mixture firmly into bottom of pan and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.

With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, ricotta, soup, eggs, herbs, garlic salt and remaining 2 tsp. chives. Mix until well blended. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the bagel crust. Top with artichokes, ½ of the red peppers and ½ of the basil. Top with remaining cheese filling and smooth flat. Place remaining red peppers evenly over top layer. Bake for 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minutes; until completely set. Cool completely, then refrigerate 6 hours to overnight. Run knife around edge of torte and release from spring form pan. (It is easiest to serve with pan bottom in place.) Top torte with remaining half of fresh basil just prior to serving. Serve with crackers.

Enjoy and Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!

At our last voiceover workshop I brought a batch of these whoopie pies to share with the class and they were a huge hit. If you're looking for a spicy, ooey- gooey treat, these spicy pumpkin pies will make you say "whoopie" at first bite.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Makes two dozen

FOR THE CAKES:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking power

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups light brown sugar

1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING:

2 egg whites

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 pound confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 cups solid vegetable shortening.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

Make the cakes: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on high speed until ight and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pumpkin, eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed until well blended, scraping down the sides as needed. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Place heaping tablespoons of the batter 2 inches apart on the sheet pans. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the opts spring back when touched. Transfer to a cake rck to cool completely.

Make the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. On medium speed, add the milk, vanilla and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and beat until blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shortening and remaining 2 cups confectioners' shugar and continue beating until creamy and smooth.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling on the flat side of half the cakes and top with the remaining halves.

It was Jim's birthday on Saturday. Yes, we both had birthdays this past week. Two Scorpios in one office. Seems like that would be a recipe for disaster but it's worked out great!

Of course we needed to celebrate and so I baked cupcakes that we shared with our voiceover class. The only thing missing was a nice cold glass of milk!

Try these when you are craving something rich and chocolately. Topped with thick cream cheese frosting, it doesn't get any better!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa

1 cup low-fat milk, warmed to 110 degrees

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup corn oil

2 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, use mixer on low to beat cocoa and warm milk. Add buttermilk, oil, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat 45 seconds.

Measure flour, baking soda and salt into sifter (I skip the sifting myself). Sift (or dump like I do) into chocolate mixture. Beat 1 minute on medium. Batter will be very thin. Pour into 24 cupcake liners and bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops pop back when pressed.

Cool and then frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat an 8 ounce block of cream cheese (use cold, straight from fridge) with 5 tablespoons of softened butter (I softened the butter in the micro on defrost) and 2 teaspoons vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. (Again, I skip the sifting step...too much work for me). Continue to add more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.

Frost the cupcakes and be sure to use sprinkles on top. For Jim's party I used a variety but found that the brown, black and white cow sprinkles were the favorites. If you can't find cow sprinkles in your local market you can find them at Spun Sugar in Berkeley, California.

At our last voiceover workshop I brought a loaf of homemade pumpkin bread to share with the class. My son Rob has loved this fragrant pumpkin bread since he was a small boy and now at age 25 he still enjoys it......so much so that he can consume an entire loaf by himself in one day.

It's moist texture and delicate cinnamon flavor makes it highly addictive. I tell my friends I make it because it makes my house smell good....which is true, but I love eating it, too and really, isn't pumpkin a vegetable anyway? So don't feel guilty eating it!

The class had no problem eating every last slice (and any remaining crumbs on the platter) and since I received several requests for the recipe, I'm happy to share it.

Robbie's Pumpkin Bread

5 eggs

1-1/4 cups of canola oil

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 packages (3 ounces each) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix---NOT INSTANT!

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add oil and pumpkin; beat until smooth. Combine the remaining ingredients; gradually beat into pumpkin mixture. Pour batter into two greased ( I use PAM) large loaf pans. I use 8 inch by 4 inch by 2 inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 75 to 80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Each loaf serves 6 to 8 normal people or 1 teenage boy.

Enjoy!

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