text:
Last week, I started a new mini-podcast where I broadcast a VO sermon every morning at 7:45am central. Why 7:45am? I have no idea. I wanted to pick an odd time that would stick out! It's going well so far and I already have about 1350 listens total. I know, who cares about stats! I'm pretty pleased with how it's going and people have been pretty darn supportive. These sermons are are good tools for voice actors both seasoned pros and brand new. Check out all of the shows below. Have a great week!
Jottings from a voice-over artist and free thinker.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Amazeball VO Nuggets with Terry Daniel and Jeff Kafer
Terry: Kafer! Thanks for doing this, man! Doug Turkel and I chatted about VO in my last blog and I know you can do better than him. J/K! Doug rocked it and I expect the same from you! Did I really just write J/K? What's with all of these hip abbreviated acronyms? Even my father is using LOL now. Anyway, I think we should have a cooler of Guinness brought to us before we start this thing, don't you think?
Jeff: Guinness. Nectar of the Gods.
Terry: Why yes it is! So, you're an audio book guy. At least according to my research you are! I have the attention span of a Boxelder bug, so audio books are no longer a part of my forte. How do you stay focused on these? Well, when there isn't someone like me bothering you!
Jeff: Well, I'm not JUST an audiobook guy. I also do a ton of e-learning. But yeah, long form is my main focus. And audiobooks keep me the most busy simply because they are so much work. The key to doing the marathon audiobooks is to set daily goals. For example, I know that I can finish 2.5 hours of finished audio per day. If I know the audiobook is going to be 10 hours, that's 4 days. I start on Monday, then I'll be done on Thursday. This helps me plan out my calendar so I know exactly to-the-day when I can deliver. So you wimped out and gave up on audiobooks. What's the matter, Princess, couldn't handle it?
Terry: That's Mr. Princess to you! Thanks for not being a jackass about it. I got spoiled when I started doing more and more theme park announcement type work and my ADD brain could no longer handle audio books. I would still consider narrating a fictional or sports related audio book, if it were less than 20 pages long. Lol! Do you remember when they were called "books on tape" back in the 80's and did you own any?
Jeff: When people ask what I do and I say I narrate "audiobooks", I often get a dumb stare. Then I'll say "... Books on tape?" Then the lightbulb goes off and they know what I'm talking about. And then they usually go on to say how they tried one and hated it, so they gave up. That's like saying, "I don't like this song on the radio. I hate music!" Anyway, I digress. So what were we talking about?
Terry: Good question. What are we EVER talking about! Speaking of music, do you ever add background music in the audio book narration? I did one where the client wanted it in the epilogue but that was it.
Jeff: You only add music at the bumpers, the opening and closing credits. Unless it's a full cast audio drama, listeners do NOT want music. It's distracting and sets up a false, forced emotion. What works in movies, doesn't always work in audiobooks. Plus getting the rights to music can be icky. What's "royalty-free" isn't always, depending on the distribution. Fine print.
Theme park announcements? Is there a lot of that kind of work? It would seem to me that once you record "Keep your arms inside the vehicle, you frickin' moron", they use it in perpetuity.
Terry: Lol! It's very seasonal but it's brought in some decent revenue the past couple of years. I'm not buying BMW's with the money I make from them but it's been a nice addition to everything else I am doing. I actually did one where I said, "Please wait for the ride to stop before exiting." What kind of moron would jump from the ride before it stops? Well, I guess it happens! Every now and then, I'll send my client a few phony ones like these;
1. "If you're going to vomit on this ride, please aim it at someone you don't like."
2. "Ladies and Gentlemen, smoking is permitted and highly recommended at the park."
3. "If you've soiled yourself on this ride, a $5000 fine will be assessed as you exit."
So, when did you get started in this crazy business and how soon did you determine that audio books were going to be your niche?
Jeff: I always wanted to do audiobooks. That's actually how I got started. When I was working at Microsoft, I commuted to work listening to audiobooks. I listened to many hundreds of books over the years and fell in love with it. So when I was beginning my career while still at microsoft, I did a few books. Once I left (re: got laid off), the transition to VO and audiobooks was a little less difficult than had I started from the beginning while jobless.
Now, you also do a lot of medical narration. Is that what inspired your penchant for hot nurses and pharmaceutical-grade drugs?
Terry: Who is this? What's your operating number? Sorry, I just have to squeeze in a random Star Wars Line in wherever I can. It's a sickness. Medical narration sort of fell in my lap uninvited. Like many others, I would rather be doing the fun stuff like TV promos and character voices but in the past few years I realized there was a trend developing in the eLearning and medical narration field. A few of my clients who use me regularly found my website online in a Google search. Another client, found me via my Facebook business page. From there, I started marketing to companies to produce medical and pharmaceutical supplies. Referrals are a plus when it comes to medical narration as well. I hope we haven't put people to sleep. Perhaps a brief intermission is in order. Quick, what is your all time favorite 80's hair band?
Jeff: Bon Jovi. Do they count? I know there was a lot of Aqua net used. Hey, have you ever noticed that some movies from our childhood that we thought were AWESOME just suck now as adults? I watched the Michael Keaton version of Batman a couple of days ago with my kids and it really is crappy. Kim Basinger spends 90% of the movie being thrown by either the Joker or Batman. Not exactly a strong female role, there.
Terry: Yeah, Michael Keaton wasn't exactly the scariest of Batmans! When I was in high school, I thought "The Terminator" was the greatest film of all time. Yes, it was directed by the now terrific James Cameron but man, what piece of shit that movie is! I suppose music works the same way. I thought "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky III was the greatest song ever recorded and when I hear it now, it's the cheesiest song I've ever heard.
Terry: Yeah, Michael Keaton wasn't exactly the scariest of Batmans! When I was in high school, I thought "The Terminator" was the greatest film of all time. Yes, it was directed by the now terrific James Cameron but man, what piece of shit that movie is! I suppose music works the same way. I thought "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky III was the greatest song ever recorded and when I hear it now, it's the cheesiest song I've ever heard.
Jeff: It's really funny to watch cartoons from back in the day. Some of them hold up so well and others are total headscratchers, especially those that reference pop culture from 70 years ago! Speaking of amazing segues back into VO, do you do, or want to do, much character work?
Terry: And give up the entertainment value of medical narration? NEVER!! Actually, I've done some character work here and there and love it! How can you not? I'm not Mr. Cartoon voice but my stage experience has helped me with real life like characters in commercials and explainer video projects. I imagine with audio books that you do a little character work in the fiction books?
Jeff: Audiobooks feature a LOT of character work, but it's not the over-the-top kind in animation. The tend to be more realistic characters with normal dialogue. The trick is to NOT overdo them and yet differentiate them. Your conversations in real life tend to be flat and void of much vocal theatrics (like you might hear on a soap opera) and audiobooks need to have that level of realism. Coaches like Paul Alan Ruben really teach people to pull back and flatten it out, which is the opposite of what our instinct tells us to do.
So what's the one thing in your career you wish you had done differently? Deep question, I know, but you can handle it. I have some Kleenex if you get all weepy and nostalgic.
So what's the one thing in your career you wish you had done differently? Deep question, I know, but you can handle it. I have some Kleenex if you get all weepy and nostalgic.
Terry: Great thanks. I'm weeping all over my equipment. Well, there are plenty of voiceover domains I wish I would have snatched up first! The other thing I wish I would have done differently was the way I got into voiceovers. I did it half-assed and didn't take the proper steps i.e.coaching. I wasn't getting anywhere but then I came to my senses and hired a great local coach who assisted in helping me curb by lovely MN accent, as well as my "radio announcer" delivery. As you know, that will usually kill you in this business. As we close this award winning blog, is there anything in your career you wish you had done differently? My brain is dead and I couldn't think of an original question, so I am copying yours.
Jeff: Wow, what an original question! If I could do anything differently, I would have not made a demo so quickly. My first demo was TRASH. When I shopped it around to agencies, of course I got no nibbles. And finally ONE of the agencies said basically, "would you go listen to other demos? not only are yours mediocre, they aren't the right length" (Mine was about 3 minutes). Plus it had this cheeseball picture of me on the label (which was a sticker, BTW). Pretty much anything that one could do wrong, I did.
Oh and that agency that gave me the advice? They put me on their roster a year later after I became a little less stupid. So in typical, blunt Kafer fashion, I give this advice: Never underestimate how much you don't know.
Oh and that agency that gave me the advice? They put me on their roster a year later after I became a little less stupid. So in typical, blunt Kafer fashion, I give this advice: Never underestimate how much you don't know.
Terry: Well said, my friend. Thank you for taking the time and we'll see you at FaffCon!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Get Off The Wheel!
"Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action." – William James
When you look at a hamster running on a wheel in their cage, what do you see? Some people might think it is cute and captivating to see how fast the hamster is moving – especially when you consider its overall size and body structure. Most people, though, will basically shake their heads and sigh as if to say to this little pet, "All of that hard work – and you don't even realize you're not going anywhere!"
Before you start feeling sad about Ernie the hamster, you need to first take a look at yourself and make sure that you are not following the same routine when it comes to educating yourself about the voiceover business. Yes, you could actually become a hamster trapped on that wheel. How so?
Thanks to the Internet and mobile technology, there is an overabundance of different ways that you can stay informed, updated and educated about the voiceover industry. For those of us who have been doing this for several years, I'm sure that we can all agree that the resources available 5 or 10 years ago fail in comparison to what is available right now. Regardless of how long you have been in this business, you can actively use these resources to polish your craft and become a better voiceover talent and a better business owner. However, the key word in that previous sentence that we need to pay close attention to is "actively."
You can have all of the resources in the world. You can join every single online forum, Facebook group and mailing list that pops up when you Google the word "voiceover." You might even be able to add a substantial list of academic credentials and accolades to your resume that you have acquired and obtained over the years since you first started your journey in this industry. However, if you are not taking action, none of those things are going to matter. All of it will just be an absolute waste – a waste of time from your day, money from your pocket and space in your brain.
From the outside looking in, it may seem like you are doing a lot. You might look at all of the blog posts that you have "liked" and commented on when visiting online groups, forums, chat discussions and Facebook pages. The list of relevant bookmarks that you have accumulated within your favorite browser might appear to be very impressive, especially if you are actually visiting each of those saved websites daily. However, that is not taking action.
You are not putting that information to work for you actively. You might have commented on that great article filled with tips about mastering vocal variety, for example, but still have yet to actually use any of them. You could have shared that amazing blog on effective marketing strategies to maximize exposure to your voiceover business on all of your social media platforms, but seem to draw a mental blank all of a sudden when someone asks you if those strategies actually worked for you.
Ernest Hemingway once said, "Never confuse movement with action."
Remember, you are not receiving any type of commission or payment for each online forum or Facebook group that you join. If you are, let me know ASAP! J If you are not, then you more than likely have realized that spending countless hours basically stalking these industry leaders and experts instead of actively following them can rob you of valuable time and energy – eventually killing your business.
Don't get me wrong! As mentioned earlier, I strongly believe that there is a lot of value in the abundance of resources that are currently available. I personally and professionally have signed up and registered for quite a few of them recently that have done wonders for my business because I put what I learn into action.
Some people might have the mentality that they have to know everything before they can do anything. This line of thinking is one of the most effective ways to guide yourself straight to that hamster wheel.
There are some things about this business that you will be able to learn simply by reading it, but you are not going to benefit from that knowledge until you use it! Even if you actively try one of those points that you learned in that blog that you commented on several times last week and fall flat on your face, you can at least learn from the experience and move forward. You will even be able to return to the same blog and see it with a brand new perspective.
Mahatma Gandhi was once quoted as saying that "action expresses priorities." Is your business a priority? Is polishing your craft and harnessing more talent one of your list of priorities? Do your actions prove your answer? Or, are you just a hamster…stuck on a wheel?
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Voice Over Thinking with Doug Turkel and Terry Daniel
Have you ever wanted to eavesdrop on a conversation between two voiceover pros?
Terry: Hey man! So, instead of another typical interview with a pro, I thought you and I could just shoot the shit about our daily lives as voiceover artists. Is that cool with you? Wait, are we truly artists or do we just tell people that because we're starved for attention?
Doug: Yeah, that's cool with me. But "artist" always sounds so pretentious. And since I'm not nearly as arrogant as you are, I usually go with voiceover "talent." ; ) Plus, since I own VoiceoverTalent.com, I figure it can't hurt the old SEO, right?
But anyway, my day usually starts with a quick look at my to-do list to see if there's anything that needs to be recorded right away. After that I'll scan my emails to see if there are any new requests from clients or auditions from my agents. How 'bout you?
Terry: Thanks for whoring out your website in the first part of the interview. That was awfully kind of you. Don't expect a hyperlink to it, either. Ha! I wish I could say I didn't start my day with a giant mug of java because I know how awful that is for the voice but that's what happens! Twice a week, my fiancé and I head to the gym early in the morning to get a good workout in. It helps reduce the stress of the work week.
Like you, I have a task list that sits on my Google Calendar that works very well for this sort of thing. Do you use any fancy software for your task list or calendar?
Doug: Hey, you know me...it's all about the marketing, right? so any time I have the chance to mention VoiceoverTalent.com, I'm gonna mention VoiceoverTalent.com. With hyperlinks. Get over it.
As for to-do lists and task lists, I've tried a bunch...Remember The Milk, Astrid, Toodledo, Wunderlist, and others, including Google Tasks, which is built into GMail. And that's the one that I'd go with if I had to pick some software solution to the to-do problem. Mostly because I live in GMail all day anyway. But for me, any of those solutions is just another layer of hassle between me and what needs to get done. And another layer of remembering to check my list.
So I go old school: I've got a dry erase board in the studio. That way, it's always staring at me, and at a glance I can always see everything that's on my plate. What's your favorite way of managing what you've gotta get done?
Terry: Doug, I'm such a superstar in this business that I have 10 employees that keep me organized. Actually, I'm a Google freak myself. I live, sleep and breathe Google! In Google we trust. Okay, I'll stop. Between the Google task tool and calendar, it keeps me pretty organized. Google Drive is another good wrench for the tool box! You can create documents and they automatically save in seconds. This works well for contacts, billing records and tasks. I also use that cute little reminder app on the iPhone.
The dry erase board is a great idea. It's the old school ideas that still work best for some folks. Speaking of old school, I've decided to revert back to my pre-school days and just write on the wall with a permanent magic marker. That works great! What are we doing? Is this getting too nerdy? By the way, I just tweeted that we were working on this gem of a blog and noticed you weren't following me. What a jerk!
Doug: Yeah, of course I don't follow you on Twitter. Do you have any idea how often you tweet? Back when I did follow you, all I saw was your freakin' headshot popping up every 45 seconds or so. I'm just not strong enough to handle that.
But that brings up an interesting question. You've tweeted (@voiceoversbytd) more than 30,000 times. I've tweeted (@Voiceover) about 1,700 times and I'll admit that my ROI on Twitter hasn't been great. I know that we probably disagree on this, but I've never felt that focusing on Twitter for marketing made a whole lot of sense. You've obviously been using it a lot more actively than I have...has it generated much work for you?
Terry: First off, thanks for stalking my account. Second, perhaps if you weren't just following me, you wouldn't have seen my ugly mug pop up every three seconds! Twitter has been a great tool for me. I can honestly say that I get at a handful of new clients every year based on relationships I've made via Twitter. It takes more than just tweeting pictures of your cat or tattoo. I like posting links to cool VO projects I'm working on and occasionally will post helpful YouTube videos as well. I follow as many agencies and production companies as I can.
Sometimes it's as simple as just sharing ideas back and forth with these companies. If you're not careful, it can be a total time suck. This is the case with any social media sites. I do pretty well with twitter. It sure beats picking up the phone and making a cold call, although I understand the importance of it. Are you a fan of cold calling? Sometimes I would rather drive my knuckles into the pavement than make a cold call.
Doug: Believe it or not, the thing that's been most effective for me on Twitter has been recommending other voice talent. When clients or connections of mine on Twitter are looking for voice talent who don't sound like me, I'll refer them to someone who meets their specs. It's a win-win...I help someone find just the voice they're looking for, and a VO buddy of mine gets some work and a new client. Those clients are always very grateful, and often come directly to me the next time they need an "UNnouncer" sound.
Cold calls? I hate 'em. I know that some people love them (or at least don't mind them) and if they work for you, start dialing. They don't seem to work for me, mostly 'cause I don't enjoy them, so I'd rather focus on marketing efforts with a better ROI. For me, that's laser-focused marketing aimed at individuals who I can build relationships with. Less scattershot "advertising," more one-on-one "interacting." Do you have a favorite type of marketing?
Terry: I really enjoy just going door-to-door in random neighborhoods. "Hi, Mr. Thomas! Do you and your family need a voiceover for anything? If not, do you have any beer?" Like you, I enjoy the relationship building process. Sometimes it's not even about voiceovers. It's more about what I can do to help their business grow and bouncing ideas off each other. Even if they don't need an actual voiceover right away, if you can come up with a cool marketing idea for a prospective client, good things happen!
For example, I recently developed a good relationship with prospective client and he hired me to do their voicemail when at the time, he really wasn't looking for a voiceover. All I did was give him a couple of key ideas for their website. This is a great example of building trust. Doug, this may seem random but what kind of wine do you like?
Doug: Yup...totally random. I'd expect nothing less from you, Terry. And I wish I had an answer for you, but the truth is, I've never really liked wine. And I've tried to like it. Back in my radio days, we used to host regular wine tastings and intimate concerts at the station for some lucky listeners. Every time, I'd sit there and listen to the wine expert discuss the finer points of the wines' cherry or plum nose, its complexity, and its oak-y finish, or how it, "hints at green tomato and mineral notes as the finish dances." Whatever. To me, it all just tasted like, well...like wine, I guess...nothing special. So I could totally live without wine, and I pretty much do.
Can't live without VO, though...I love everything about it. (I know this might sound cheesy, but it's true.) The work, the clients, the challenge of finding effective ways to track down new clients, and especially the incredibly cool, supportive and generous people I'm lucky enough to call my colleagues. What helps you keep making that long commute downstairs and into your studio every morning? Other than the wine. : )
Terry: Lol! The cold winter weather in Minneapolis motivates me to keep coming down to "The Cave!" Yes, I have a nickname for my studio! There is truly nothing like coming down to the studio in your flannel pajamas pants and being able to record at 2am, 2pm or whenever you need to. Like any sales oriented job, you'll have your slow and stressful months but the busy ones more than make up for those.
One of the greatest feelings in the world is when a client calls to thank you for the job you did and gives you credit for helping their business grow. I love that. I am extremely passionate about voiceover and I can't imagine doing anything else. Well, except singing in a Johnny Cash Tribute Band!
Mr. Turkel, this has been a blast and if you're not sick of me by now, we should do this again soon. Doug? Doug? Doug!!!!!!
To be continued...
Friday, January 24, 2014
The Lost Art Of Listening
Many people have adopted the mentality that whatever I need to hear from you, I can receive in a short text message, tweet or Facebook post. It seems as if our brains have grown accustomed to paying attention to short and sweet messages only, tuning out anything that is long and drawn out – even when it comes to the detailed instructions that are provided to us by our clients.
I personally know of quite a few voice talents that have lost jobs simply because of not paying attention to the instructions that were provided. One talent lost out because he was expecting to receive a phone call from the client instead of following the simple instruction to make the call himself.
Fortunately, this lost art of listening doesn't have to stay lost – you can find it again! You just need to make some slight adjustments to your attitude, approach and overall way of thinking when it comes to your work.
In the voiceover business, your ears are just as important as your voice. You have to pay attention to what a talent agent or a client is telling you. Especially when it comes to reading copy, delivering files or submitting a demo for representation.
Do Not Rush to Be "Artistic"
Jeffrey Umberger, of the Umberger Agency, believes that voice talents seem to get hung up on the "artistic" side of their work a little too soon and end up inadvertently shutting the door of opportunity by doing so. Remember, just because you can be considered a vocal artist doesn't mean that you have the right to use your client's projects to express your "creative liberties." You may feel that the script should be delivered differently when compared to the instructions provided by your client, which is why you might decide to take creative control when it comes to the actual recording. By doing so, though, you are forgetting that you are not the one that is calling the shots – that job belongs to your client.
Do Not Rush to Be "Artistic"
Jeffrey Umberger, of the Umberger Agency, believes that voice talents seem to get hung up on the "artistic" side of their work a little too soon and end up inadvertently shutting the door of opportunity by doing so. Remember, just because you can be considered a vocal artist doesn't mean that you have the right to use your client's projects to express your "creative liberties." You may feel that the script should be delivered differently when compared to the instructions provided by your client, which is why you might decide to take creative control when it comes to the actual recording. By doing so, though, you are forgetting that you are not the one that is calling the shots – that job belongs to your client.
Think about any other actor – such as the A-list actors and actresses in your favorite movies. What happens when they decide to take creative control and not follow the director's instructions? They are replaced with another actor that can! Your target objective should be to professionally use your art to satisfy the needs and expectation of the Director (the client) and not the actor. You are not striving to achieve an Academy Award nomination for your performance – your job is to simply focus on providing the client with what they need.
The Long-Term Advantage of Building Rapport
Your clients hire you because they feel as if you are the best candidate that is qualified and capable of following their directions and meeting (or even exceeding) their expectations. That is why you got the job in the first place! By making the decision to change the play on the field against the coach's instruction, you are basically begging to end up warming the bench.
The key is to work with the client. Prove that you can follow the instructions and meet their requirements so that you can build rapport along with a long-lasting relationship with that client. Once you have earned the trust and respect of your client, then you might be able to eventually have a little more breathing room when it comes to your creative input. However, you need to always make sure that your first priority is to actively listen to and follow their clear and concise instructions – no exceptions!
You Got a Golden Ticket
Focus on the details that are provided within the instructions provided to you, especially when it comes to the desired tone, delivery and overall client expectations for the project. If you are searching for an edge over the competition, focusing on even the smallest details that others may view as insignificant is an essential step towards achieving that goal. It will allow you to have a clear understanding of the client, the product and how you can quickly get your name added to their very short list of favorites to call for future projects and other opportunities.
The specific directions and instructions provided by your client should be viewed as the golden ticket of opportunity. Keep in mind that competition within this industry is very steep – the same instructions may have also been provided to many other potential candidates in the past or even the present. Your goal should be to provide them with exactly what they need so that they will not have to search for any new candidates in the future.
Does Selective Listening Make You a Rebel?
If you are not actively listening to your client, does this mean that you are simply trying to "rebel against the man" by resisting their instruction? Not necessarily! I mean, if that is the case, then you are clearly just in the wrong line of work and should seriously reconsider your decision. However, in most cases, it is simply due to the fact that your selective hearing is getting in the way.
Erik Sheppard of Voice Talent Productions believes that either you are very reluctant about freeing yourself from your comfort zone due to a lack of confidence in your abilities or you are overconfident and think that you know what is best for the project. Regardless of which side of this fence you stand, you will still come across as either ignoring the direction all together or not being capable of taking direction – two great ways to get yourself blacklisted by those clients!
Don't Become Too Distracted by the "Business"
At the end of the day, you are running a business. We enjoy what we do and have fun doing it, but it is also how we financially support ourselves and our families. However, it is important to not become too distracted by the needs of our business that we forget about our customers. Yes – you are a business owner, but that means very little if you don't have any customers.
You need to treat your position more like the customer service representatives working on the sales floor and less like the upper management tucked away in their corner offices – completely isolated from the customers.
Focus on finding effective ways to please your customers. Make sure that they are able to come directly to you to get exactly what they need without any headaches, complications or exceptions!
Special thanks to good friends and agents, Jeffrey Umberger and Erik Sheppard for contributing some helpful nuggets!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Is Your Voice Worth More Than $15?
If your voice was a product on a shelf at the local department store, what amount would appear on the price tag? Think about the time, effort and hard work that you have put into developing that product from scratch just to get it to the point of where it is today. How much would you charge customers and clients interested in buying your product?
When you think about it from that perspective, it's easy to feel offended by the mere thought of placing a $5 or $10 price tag on your talent, right? There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling that way either, even though there are many different lowball directories that will make you feel otherwise.
Now that we are two weeks into the New Year, you may not be very happy about the amount of new business you have been able to generate since the first. You could very well find yourself on the short end of the stick when it comes to bidding for different projects simply because lowball contractors and freelancers decided to submit bids that were a fraction of what was on your proposal.
What should you do now? The old saying that, "If you can't beat 'em…join 'em" may quickly cross your mind, but should you pay attention to it? NO!!
If you take your craft and career seriously, then you always have to remember you are worth so much more than the $10 and $15 jobs that seem to be popping up out of nowhere. You might be saying to yourself, "But, those are the only jobs that are available right now!" By thinking this way, you are clearly not able to see the forest for the trees. Believe me, I know what's like to struggle to get as many jobs as you can when you are sitting on a big goose egg for the week or even the month – bills piling up, prospective clients bailing out and you're left wondering whether or not you should have gotten into this business in the first place. I went through this when I first got started in voiceovers. Take a deep breath and erase this level of thinking from your mind.
The key is to make sure that you focus on what is really important – the quality of the client instead of the quantity of the payment. When you're not making very much money or closing very many jobs, you may start to think about joining such sites as Voice Garden and Internet Jock just to scrounge up as much work as possible. As is the case with any business, you need to focus on working smarter and not harder by focusing on high-quality clients.
There are always going to be clients that are simply looking to save a few bucks by getting whatever they need done as cheap as possible. As long as their basic needs are met and they don't have to spend a lot of money to do so, they are happy. Even if they are not familiar with the average rates that professionals within our industry charge for our services, they will find themselves simply searching for the lowest bid amounts and hoping for the best. Those are low-quality clients that accept low-quality work as long as they get it done for low quality prices.
You need to be focusing on the type of client that is the exact opposite. The type of client that clearly understands the simple fact that quality work requires quality prices. Even if they have limited experience when it comes to this industry, they know that if they want it done right the first time around with no exceptions – they will have to pay for it. In comparison to the lowballing clients looking to save a few bucks, high-quality clients ARE OUT THERE and could be just around the corner. Keep in mind that one high-quality client can do a heck of a lot more for you in the long run than twenty low-quality clients.
When you're a new voice talent, it may come easy settling for these types of jobs for the long haul just because they seem easy to close. Professional anglers don't use their best tools, equipment and boats to find goldfish just because they are available. Not only would they be wasting their time, money and resources, but they would look absolutely foolish doing so, wouldn't they? How do you think you look with all of your time, money and available resources chasing after the "goldfish" clients and jobs of this industry?
I look at some of these lowball VO directories like a kiosk in a shopping mall. Full of junk that true professional voice talents don't need. So, do yourself a favor and avoid them! Focus on revamping your marketing strategy in order to effectively target the "big fish!" This can be done much easier than you might think.
The key is to simply remember that your work is worth more than $10 – regardless of any rejection notices and emails from prospective clients that would rather keep their money and sacrifice quality than the other way around.
Think of your voice as a showroom-quality product that just hit the shelves today for the first time. Don't place your brand new product on the clearance rack just so it can sell quicker for pennies. You could easily miss out on the high-quality sales opportunities that will slip right past you along the way.
Keep in mind that my entire sermon here is based on working with clients direct. If you're represented by a talent agent, the agent will negotiate the rates with the client and more often than not, they are really good rates! Thank you, talent agents! More about the agency game in a future blog.
So, I ask you again….what amount appears on your price tag?
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Let's Rock the Mic in 2014!
The clock has been reset. The slate has been wiped clean. You are back at day one. Now what? Do you put the pedal to the medal and go for broke, hoping for the best? Sure…if you want to crash and burn before February.
Look at January 1st the same that you would the first of any month. Just because the holidays are over doesn't mean that the fun, vivacious and jolly spirit you had for the last three months needs to end right along with them. However, it can definitely be tough to get the ball rolling after the holidays. You have to go back to reality – away from the close friends, new friends and family members that you became so close to throughout the holiday season. Whether your holiday season didn't pan out the way that you planned or you weren't quite ready for it to come to an end, it is very easy to shut down emotionally and mentally at this time of the year. For those of us who live in the Midwest, the cold and snowy January weather really doesn't help us to put any pep in our step either. What are you supposed to do? What is the best way to break through this awkward period and get us back on track?
For voice talents, keep yourself pumped up with water and Vitamin D, make sure that your studio AND your face are both well-lit and get back to work! Even if you don't have any solid sales or meetings coming up, fill up your calendar anyway! Schedule time to catch up with a client that you already have or a prospect that you've had in your funnel since last year. This will help you to keep your mind busy, blood pumping and energy flowing.
Take a look back at your business plan and make sure that it POPS! No, I don't mean to make it colorful, bright and filled with pictures. I mean – make sure that it P.O.P.S – Predict, Organize, Present and Stay up-to-date. Let's break this down a little further.
Think about where you were able to take your business back in 2013, but focus on where you want it to go in 2014. Get back to basics when it comes to studying the market, searching for potential opportunities for growth as well as improvement. Network with other voice talents in the industry today to pick their brains and use the Internet wisely as a resource for further research and reference. Keep in mind that everything is not going to go as planned, so you have to be fully prepared for the bumps and roadblocks ahead while remaining optimistic.
Before you become too focused on how big you want your business to grow in 2014, make sure that you can afford to get it there. Consider all of your expenses for the year and make sure that you will have enough capital and generated revenue to stay afloat. Keep in mind that clients may come and go but remaining under budget will keep your business open forever. Maintain balance by considering a 10 percent cushion hypothetically – reducing projected revenues by 10% and increasing them by 10%. Develop a detailed marketing plan that covers your complete strategy when it comes to maximizing exposure, reaching new customers and getting more work from your old ones. Make sure that your marketing plan covers the online and offline worlds. Having a Facebook brand page has been extremely effective for me. Make sure to get one going this year! They show up not only in facebook searches but Google searches as well. Complement that brand page with an official website and traditional advertising methods (i.e. post-cards, business cards, etc.)
Whether you're marketing via snail mail or email, have some effective templates ready. Keep them brief. Prospective clients do NOT want to hear your life story or how incredibly awesome you think your voice is. Your demos should speak for themselves. Have a game plan in place. When I first started doing voiceovers from home, I built a spread sheet of potential clients that I discovered from directories on the Internet and Linkedin! Spend ample time putting something like that together before you make initial contact.
A perfect plan today is not necessarily going to be a perfect plan tomorrow. Think about the different loops, twists and turns that your business had to endure throughout the roller-coaster of 2013. Do you honestly expect anything different just because the year changed? Take the time to study and update your business plan periodically throughout the year, measuring your progress and searching for new opportunities for growth. Never be afraid to make changes, especially if those changes can potentially lead to you taking your business to the next level.
Go back in time to 11:59 PM – December 31, 2013. You are filled with hope, ambition and drive. You are pumped, motivated and excited. You are clearly ready to take on the world, making your professional and personal life so much better in the year to come. You can't wait for the final second of the night to pass so you can get to work. Keep that passionate drive! Do not allow the change of date to change your pace and focus.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Gratitude in 2013
It's that time of the year again! Since 2013 is coming to an end very soon, I thought I would list my top ten things I am thankful for. This is not a ranking system. I am just listing them as I go. I would love to read YOUR list as well. Feel free to share it at the end of my blog. I'd love to see what you come up with.
1. Parents: I am very grateful to my parents for the all of the support they have given me over the years. As a teacher, my father has been an inspiration. My writing and speaking skills are a reflection of what I learned from him. He is also the reason I am such a Minnesota Gopher fanatic. It's a sickness that runs deep within the Johnston family. They've both put up with a lot of shenanigans, especially during my high school years. Or, high school year depending on who kept track of the days where I actually showed up! More about that in another blog. Well, that would take 2-3 blogs!
2. Tracy: The love of my life. She has helped me so much. In personal growth as well as my business. She has a way of lifting a person up when they get down or are having a bad day. Waking up next to her every morning is like waking up and finding a gift at your bedside. Her smile is like a beam of light coming down from the skies. She does an awesome job with her photography and social media customers as well. They love working with her and I love being with her. Last year around this time, we got engaged by the Rockefeller tree in NYC. It was a beautiful moment and one we'll never forget.
3. The Neumann TLM 103: Would I sound insane if I told you that my microphone was one of my best friends? I think he would make a heck of a best man! I just need to find a tux that fits him! We're a match made in heaven and without it, I wouldn't be in business and doing what I love.
4. Family: I am grateful for my family and Tracy's family. They make living life such a joy on a daily basis. My family even has a private facebook group page that we all stay in touch on. Some of the conversations are downright off the wall but that's what makes us unique. It's also brought a few of us closer together and with my youngest sister and brother-in-law living in NYC, it's been a great tool. A good support system can be taken for granted but I have been lucky to have such wonderful support from my family throughout my life and career.
5. Facebook: Rumor has it there is a cool social media site out there called facebook? I'll have to check it out. Seriously, facebook has not only been a ton of fun but it's proven to be a powerful business tool. Just this year, I was hired by at least a dozen clients who found me on facebook! Not to mention that Tracy and I would not be together if it wasn't for this addictive little gem. Tracy and I went to the same high school in the early to mid 80's but we weren't exactly close friends. We got to know each other via facebook a few years back and the rest is history. Just like many others, I also reunited with several cousins, high school friends and even my sixth grade teacher!
6. Friends: I am honored to have so many friends not only in the voice-over industry but close friends who I have known for quite a few years now. They were there for me when I went through my divorce, when my mother had a stroke and on days where I am feeling a little down. As a die hard Minnesota sports fan, you need good friends to help you cope with the disappointment! Lol! The closeness of some friendships have the tendency to fade over time. It happens with everyone but it doesn't dilute the importance of them.
7. Pets: My dog Kaytee has been a staple in this house since 2003 and with the addition of Tracy's cat, Huckleberry, they are as entertaining as a good sitcom! A couple of true characters that amuse us on a daily basis. They should shave their own comic strip! Kaytee is aging now and she's a had a few minor health issues but is still a beautiful dog and is enjoying life to the fullest.
8. Clients/Students: It's true! Without them, we would be living at YOUR house! What good is a microphone if you don't have any clients? I am grateful for all of my clients and students. They are fun to work with and we learn from each other. The learning factor is something that gets taken for granted on occasion. Think about it. Every time I do a medical narration or an audio book, not only am I getting paid to do it but I am also getting an education! Many of my students move on to becoming successful voice talents and it's such a joy for me to watch their careers blossom. I'm honored to be their Obi-Wan!
9. Eggs: Sometimes it's the little things, right? Scrambled, boiled, over-easy. It doesn't matter. Eggs are the answer to most of life's problems. I love them and they love me.
10. Working from home: There is nothing like heading downstairs to the studio in your flannel pajama pants and your hair standing straight up. Sometimes I take this for granted until I have to run to the store and see Highway 394 backed up to Jupiter! I didn't handle rush hour very well back when I was working in Corporate. It's even worse now because I'm no longer used to it. One morning, I came close to pulling a "Bill Murray in Stripes" and considered leaving my car on the side of the highway and walking away!
It's always tough to come up with just ten but this is a start. Again, feel free to comment with your own lists. I would love to read what you have been grateful for in 2013. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
It's Just Reading!
"It's just reading! Anyone can do it! Grab a mic, plug it into your computer, press record and ta-dah….you're a voice actor!" We could spend hours listing off all of the different myths and misconceptions that we hear and read about our line of work on the Internet every single day. Just like the person who thinks the entire pool is completely shallow, you realize just how deep the water of this industry can be the farther you go into it.
From the surface, sure! It may seem like one of the easiest jobs that you can have. The truth seems to get overlooked within these myths and misconceptions, because it is much harder to make a living doing voiceovers than many people think. Think about all of the planning, training and execution that is involved – all of that takes not only time but money as well.
The person that says, "It's just reading!" has clearly never had to handle a grueling medical narration or even be the sole reader for an audio book that is over 350 pages. Too many people just think that all that we do is pick up a script, step in front of a microphone, read the script and then collect a check. Don't get me wrong; I would absolutely love it if that were the case but it's not. It takes a lot of work to train your voice to be able to have the endurance, versatility and quality delivery that is required in order to complete the average project. Once the recording phase of each project is complete, many people seem to forget about the review and revision stages as well, which take even longer than the recording itself.
One advantage and common saying that is true about this business, though, is that it is not very intense on the physical side because you are really not required to put forth any physical labor in this line of work. However, the mental exhaustion alone can completely drain you much quicker than you might think. I absolutely love my job primarily because you can have a lot of fun doing it. You just need to make sure that you are realistic about what to expect from this career, especially if you are in it for the long haul.
Even the A-list celebrities that are hired to do voiceover work for multi-million dollar movie and video game franchises admit that it was much harder than they thought it would be. Having to basically stay in character as you record sometimes for hours at a time can be strenuous for anyone – especially if they make their living doing this on a daily basis. Many voiceover professionals have studied this art for countless hours, polishing their craft daily so that they can continue to be successful in a competitive market Acting, improvisation and voiceover coaching are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the quality instruction that we receive behind the scenes both in and outside of the studio.
As is the case with any business, we also are responsible for the marketing, advertising, accounting and administration side of our jobs on top of everything else. Becoming a voiceover professional is truly rewarding, enjoyable and can allow you to eventually fulfill your dreams of never having to punch someone else's time clock ever again. However, it is imperative that you always remember that it is much more than just reading.
From the surface, sure! It may seem like one of the easiest jobs that you can have. The truth seems to get overlooked within these myths and misconceptions, because it is much harder to make a living doing voiceovers than many people think. Think about all of the planning, training and execution that is involved – all of that takes not only time but money as well.
The person that says, "It's just reading!" has clearly never had to handle a grueling medical narration or even be the sole reader for an audio book that is over 350 pages. Too many people just think that all that we do is pick up a script, step in front of a microphone, read the script and then collect a check. Don't get me wrong; I would absolutely love it if that were the case but it's not. It takes a lot of work to train your voice to be able to have the endurance, versatility and quality delivery that is required in order to complete the average project. Once the recording phase of each project is complete, many people seem to forget about the review and revision stages as well, which take even longer than the recording itself.
One advantage and common saying that is true about this business, though, is that it is not very intense on the physical side because you are really not required to put forth any physical labor in this line of work. However, the mental exhaustion alone can completely drain you much quicker than you might think. I absolutely love my job primarily because you can have a lot of fun doing it. You just need to make sure that you are realistic about what to expect from this career, especially if you are in it for the long haul.
Even the A-list celebrities that are hired to do voiceover work for multi-million dollar movie and video game franchises admit that it was much harder than they thought it would be. Having to basically stay in character as you record sometimes for hours at a time can be strenuous for anyone – especially if they make their living doing this on a daily basis. Many voiceover professionals have studied this art for countless hours, polishing their craft daily so that they can continue to be successful in a competitive market Acting, improvisation and voiceover coaching are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the quality instruction that we receive behind the scenes both in and outside of the studio.
As is the case with any business, we also are responsible for the marketing, advertising, accounting and administration side of our jobs on top of everything else. Becoming a voiceover professional is truly rewarding, enjoyable and can allow you to eventually fulfill your dreams of never having to punch someone else's time clock ever again. However, it is imperative that you always remember that it is much more than just reading.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
...It's the Principle of the Thing!
When it comes to growing their businesses, there are too many people that seem to focus on following the Law of Large Numbers. They feel as if the more customers and clients they are able to have, the more successful their business will become due to all of the work that they will be receiving. It is all a numbers game to them, which is why they want to focus solely on getting as many clients as possible. In theory, it seems as if this is the very best approach to take – especially if you are interested in making a lot of money. The more clients you have, the more money you make. That is so simple that a 3rd grader running a lemonade stand during the hottest day of the summer could figure it out. And by the way, when I was a kid, I had the worst lemonade stand ever. The table was wobbly and there was way too much sugar in the lemonade! I hope you never stopped by! Lol! Anyway, that's another blog altogether.
It is imperative for you to realize that this is not the proper principle that you should be following if you want to experience maximum growth within your business. In order to make a maximum amount of money, you need to focus on a minimum amount of clients. Does that mean that you need to shut everything down when you have acquired a specific number of clients, placing a "Closed" sign on the door of your recording studio? Of course not! However, it does mean that you need to change your perspective when it comes to how much value you place into growing your client base.
You need to realize that the Law of Large Numbers is not necessarily the principle that you need to be following in order to effectively grow your voiceover business. Regardless of the type of business that you have, the best course of action to take would be to follow the Pareto Principle instead. What in the world is the Pareto Principle? That is technical name for what many people today commonly refer to as the "80/20 Rule."
The Pareto Principle was originally developed based on a mere observation of wealth throughout Italy. It was determined that 80 percent of the country's wealth belonged to just 20 percent of its population. This observation was then applied and proven to exist within many different aspects of life as well. 20% of the features found within the average product generate 80% of the usage. 20% of the complete list of computer viruses is what lead to 80% of the computer crashes experienced each year. However, what we want to focus on today is how the Pareto Principle applies to our clients – 20% of your clients will generate 80% of your revenue.
I know that's a lot of numbers and if you're like me, math was more than likely one of your least favorite subjects in school, so let me break this down for you even further.
Let's say that you have been able to follow the Law of Large Numbers to grow your client base to the point where it has recently reached an amount of 100 clients. You might be ecstatic over this milestone, since (theoretically) it should spell long-term success and peak potential for your business. However, based on the Pareto Principle, 80 percent of the revenue that you are going to receive is going to be generated from 20 percent of those clients. If you generate $50,000 in sales this year from your business, $40,000 of it was generated by 20 of your 100 clients.
Regardless of the numbers that you place within this hypothetical scenario, the result is always going to be the same. You will clearly see just how powerful that 20% truly is to your overall success. What does this mean for us? How can we use this principle to take our business to the next level?
Identify the Core Group of Clients
You need to first be able to identify which clients are included within that core group of 20%. Pay close attention to the specific clients that have given you substantial amounts of work within the past year and then list them in order. Focus on the value of the jobs and projects that you have received, not necessarily the quantity. For example, one client that has given you five jobs totaling $1,000 is more valuable than one client that had to give you ten jobs just to reach the same amount. Creating this list will make it rather easy to identify your core group of clients.
Shift Your Focus to the Core
Once you have identified your core group of clients, then you need to make sure that they have your undivided attention. Now, this does not mean that you should immediately burn bridges with all of the clients that did not "make the cut" when you were identifying your core group. That would actually defeat the purpose, right? However, you need to make sure that your core clients are treated as your most valuable assets. Do you find yourself putting their projects on the back-burner just to address the needs of some clients that were featured at the bottom of your list? While this might be acceptable occasionally, what will happen if your core clients are always being placed on your back-burner? They will eventually find their way to the front burners of someone else's stove.
Manage Your Business Based on the Core
If you truly want to take your business to the next level and increase your revenue, then you need to manage it based on your core group of clients. Focus on getting as much quality work from them instead of quantity work from everybody else.
Get the Law of Large Numbers out of your head when it comes to growing your client base and managing your business overall. The Pareto Principle (excuse me…the "80/20 Rule") is the approach that you need to have from here on out. Stop stretching yourself so thin trying to please and satisfy the needs of the masses when not even one-fourth of your clients are truly keeping your business afloat in the first place. Doing so will also lighten your overall load because you will be able to identify the dead weight that is weighing you down in the first place.
Do not allow the clients that are not listed within your Core group to sink the ship of your business, causing you to drown in the sea of competition. Use that 20% to not only keep your boat afloat but to also assure that you will experience the joy of smooth sailing from this point forward.
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Kayden Stubbs captured third place at the State Folkstyle wrestling tournament March 22-23 in Grand Island.
Stubbs wrestles for the Flatrock Wrestling Club in North Platte.
More than 2,200 youth wrestlers competed in eight qualifying district meets throughout Nebraska for the right to attend the 12th annual Nebraska USA state meet.
A total of 1,296 wrestlers made it to Grand Island.
This was the qualifying tournament for the Nebraska National Duals Team.
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Slick UI and smart design showcased.
The BlackBerry Touch 9680 has already posed for a string of spy shots. But now it's made the step up to video, starring in its own YouTube clip. The Storm successor is already being touted as the slickest BlackBerry ever and it's not hard to see why.
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The user experience looks spot on, with great icons and a snappy new interface that suggests BlackBerry really has upped its touchscreen game. The design is sharp, with plenty of classic BlackBerry flourishes.
Under the hood, rumours suggest we'll be seeing a 1.2GHz processor, NFC smarts, 3D graphics, with a 480x800 screen. The phone is expected to be officially revealed at the BlackBerry World bash in May, alongside a slew of other new devices.
Check out the video below and let us know what you think of the new BlackBerry Touch on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Via Electronista and BBNews.pl


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This Month's Articles
Article | Posted 2015/06/09 - 11:56pm
Already delayed 24 hours by rain, the forecast was not all that promising for Tuesday. However Mother nature cooperated and all but three PIAA Semifinals games were played, including three contests involving WPIAL teams. Two district softball teams were winners and are headed to Penn State to play for state gold while a district baseball team saw their season end in heartbreak fashion. Here are the three recaps from Tuesday. A special thanks to Don Rebel, Bob Orkwis, Bob Gregg and Lou Rood for their help on these recaps. BASEBALL: Class AAAA Semifinals: North Penn Knights 3 - Shaler Titans 1...
Article | Posted 2015/06/08 - 11:06pm
The state championship set was supposed to be set after Monday, however Mother Nature had other plans. Five of the six baseball and softball games scheduled were postponed by the forecast of heavy rain and stormy weather, however the rematch of the 2015 WPIAL Class AA Baseball Championship Game did take place early Monday afternoon. A special thanks to Lou Rood for his help on this recap. BASEBALL: PIAA Class AA Semifinals: Neshannock Lancers 7 - Quaker Valley Quakers 2 Chippewa Park played host to the PIAA AA Baseball Semifinal between Neshannock and Quaker Valley, a rematch of the WPIAL...
Article | Posted 2015/06/07 - 11:50pm
The WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association hosted their annual all-star games event Sunday at Ross Memorial Field at the Washington & Jefferson College Sports Complex and broadcast here on MSA Sports. Here are recaps from the two contests won by the AAA and the AA all-stars. Class Triple-A 3 - Class Quad-A 0 In a display of stellar pitching and defense, the Class AAA team notched a 3-0 victory against Class Quad-A in the WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game at Ross Memorial Park in Washington. A trio of pitchers, Zack Salmon, Chris Anastas and Colin Claus, combined to record the...
Article | Posted 2015/06/07 - 11:07am
The 2014-2015 high school sports season comes to an end this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have action from both the 2015 PIAA Baseball and Softball Semiifnals and State Championship Games along with pro baseball with the Washington Wild Things and pro fast pitch softball with the Pennsylvania Rebellion, plus the weekly edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, June 8th: TALK SHOW - Rappin' on Racin' at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net PIAA High School Baseball Playoffs: Class AAAA Semifinals - Donegal vs Knoch at 4:00pm on MSAsports.net PIAA High School...
Article | Posted 2015/06/07 - 9:13am
For the second time in school history, Fox Chapel will have to settle for being the silver Foxes in PIAA Class AAA. The 2015 WPIAL champions won the first game, but then dropped three straight to District 11 champion Parkland Saturday at Penn State. In Class AA, District 3 champion Northeastern defeated District 10 champion Saegertown in three games. Here are ALL of the results from the 2015 PIAA Boys Volleyball Playoffs. 2015 PIAA CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Parkland Trojans 3 - FOX CHAPEL FOXES 1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-23) PIAA CLASS AAA Semifinals: FOX CHAPEL FOXES 3 -...
Article | Posted 2015/06/07 - 9:04am
As lacrosse continues to grow, it is still playing catch up to some of the hot bed areas around Pennsylvania. Sooner or later, a WPIAL boys or girls lacrosse team will win a state championship, but that day hasn't come yet and it will NOT happen this year either. In the end, Radnor won it's first state boys lacrosse title while Garnet Valley is celebrating back-to-back state crown after winning the schools fourth PIAA girls lacrosse championship in the last five years. Here are ALL the results of the 2015 PIAA Boys and Girls Lacrosse State Playoffs. 2015 PIAA BOYS LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP...
Article | Posted 2015/06/05 - 9:37pm
Four WPIAL baseball teams have made it to the PIAA semifinals. The main ingredient to their postseason success is simple. Pitching. Of course, pitching always is key in baseball, but you might be scratching your head to come up with a group of WPIAL teams that made it this far and that have such a strong common thread of stellar pitching between them. The four are Shaler (Class AAAA), Knoch (AAA), Neshannock (AA) and Quaker Valley (AA). Of the four, only Neshannock has really made a huge impact offensively, scoring 45 runs in six postseason games. But the pitching of all four teams has been...
Article | Posted 2015/06/05 - 12:05am
It was a good start for WPIAL teams in baseball and a s-so start for the D-7 softball teams earlier this week in the opening round of the state diamond postseason. in Round Two, softball continued on a 50-50 pace while baseball took a bit of a hit. Here are summaries of some of the PIAA Quarterfinals baseball and softball contests from Thursday. A special thanks to Don Rebel, Rob Longo, Jason Tennant, Sean Meyers, Lee Mohn, Bob Gregg and Mark Uriah for their help on these recaps. BASEBALL: PIAA CLASS AAA Quarterfinals: KNOCH KNIGHTS 3 - MONTOUR SPARTANS 0 For the third time in the...
Article | Posted 2015/06/02 - 10:39am
As we swing into June, the diamond action turns from the district postseason to the state playoffs this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have PIAA Baseball and Softball First Round and Quarterfinals action as the 2015 spring scholastic sports season winds down. We also have pro baseball with the Washington Wild Things and pro fast pitch softball with the Pennsylvania Rebellion, plus The WPIAL Baseball Show and the weekly edition of Rappin' on Racin' ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, June 1st: TALK SHOW - Rappin' on Racin' at 6:00pm on MSAsports.net PIAA High School Baseball...
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Let My People Go: The Story of Israel (1965 TV Movie)
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by Burdett, John
From the author of the best seller Bangkok 8, a head-spinning new novel that puts us back in the company of the inimitable Royal Thai Police detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep.
We return to District 8the underbelly of Bangkoks underworldwhere a dramatically mutilated dead body is found. Its bad: he was CIA. It gets worse: the murderer appears to be Chanyaa tough, sweet working girl whos the highest earner at The Old Mans Club, jointly owned by Sonchais mother and his boss, Police Colonel Vikorn.
Alerted by Sonchai, Vikorn quickly concocts a cover-up that involves Al Qaeda and Thailands porous southern border where, since 9/11, the CIA has been an obviously covert presence. But the truth will be harder to come by, and it will require Sonchai to find an ever-more-delicate balance between his ambition and his Buddhism, while running the gamut of Bangkoks drug dealers, prostitutes, bad cops, worse military, and the pitfalls of his own melting heart (Chanya!)most of which he can handle. But even Sonchai is not prepared for what he discovers at the end of his investigation.
Piercingly smart and funny, densely atmospheric, andas we already know to expect from John Burdettpacking a surprise at every turn, Bangkok Tattoo is sensational.
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Death of fmr. State Sen/Lt Gov John Shelton Wilder (D-TN)
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- Fmr. Lt Gov Wilder died on 1/1/2010 at Baptist Hospital in Memphis, TN. He holds the record for being the longest-serving Lieutenant Governor of any state in U.S. history at 36 years (1971-2007).
John Wilder dies: Capitol Hill loses a legend
Quirky Senate stalwart fought partisanship
By Jennifer Brooks and Chas Sisk THE TENNESSEAN January 2, 2010
The old lion of the state legislature has died.
Former Lt. Gov. John Wilder, who led the Tennessee Senate longer than anyone else in history, died at Baptist Hospital in Memphis early Friday at age 88, after suffering a stroke at his home earlier this week.
His death comes just a year after he retired from the seat he held for 44 years, 36 of them as speaker of the Senate and lieutenant governor of Tennessee.
Tennessee may never see his like again.
He was the longest-serving lieutenant governor in the nation. He may, in fact, have been the longest-serving freely elected legislative leader in the world. He was "Gov. Wilder," even after he lost his leadership post, even after he left his seat.
For four decades, he was a fixed point in a political landscape that shifted around him until it was almost unrecognizable to the old Democrat from Fayette County.
Mr. Wilder built his long career on compromise, moderation and an innate sense of fair play. He shared power with Senate Republicans when his party had a lock on power and there was really no need to do so.
He was a charming, quirky character, prone to rambling speeches and "Wilderisms" fortune-cookie bits of wisdom that left reporters squinting at their notes in confusion.
"The Senate used to go quack quack," he said once, in a sly reference to senators' old practice of hiding their vodka in Donald Duck juice cans during long floor sessions. "The Senate don't go quack quack no more."
"People know who I am," he said another time. "I don't know who I am. But I know what I'd like to be."
Tennessee's current lieutenant governor, Ron Ramsey, recalls another.
"One of his favorite sayings was 'the Senate is the Senate,' " Ramsey, a Blountville Republican, said Friday. "Everybody knew what that meant."
Translated, he said, the phrase admonished senators to vote on their convictions, not along friendship or party lines.
"I learned a lot from him," Ramsey said. "There will never, ever be anyone else like John Wilder."
Senate was 'big family'
Mr. Wilder wanted to be governor. He was the first, and probably the last, politician to hold the Senate leadership post without trying to use it as a springboard to higher office.
"I wanted to be governor in 1975 so bad I could die," he said last year. "And my baby said, 'I ain't gonna live in that house and have wine parties.' So that ended that."
He never got the governor's mansion but enjoyed 64 blissfully wine-party-free years with his baby, his beloved wife, Marcelle. She died in 2004. During her final illness, he shuttled constantly back and forth between the Capitol and their home to care for her.
Mr. Wilder wasn't perfect. He fought ethics reforms tooth and nail and was overly tolerant of fellow lawmakers' lapses.
"His great fault was in seeing the Senate as a big family," The Tennessean's longtime statehouse correspondent, Larry Daughtrey, wrote last year upon Mr. Wilder's retirement.
"He coddled some who stole like an errant son when he should have taken a stick to them. Several of them are now in prison. He never used an iron hand to control the Senate."
"The Senate is the Senate," Mr. Wilder liked to say. "The Senate is good."
Former Gov. Ned McWherter said Mr. Wilder believed that legislators should be trusted until they proved unworthy of that trust.
"He was a very ethical man. He believed everyone else that served with him were responsible, ethical members of each body. Until they proved him wrong, he believed that," McWherter said.
"It might be a little naive," McWherter said, "but it certainly is understandable."
But he also battled special-interest groups such as loan sharks and the price-fixing liquor lobby. A Democrat in the Jeffersonian tradition, he preached against government debt and counseled fiscal responsibility.
In 1979, as tarnished Gov. Ray Blanton was about to step down, Mr. Wilder worked a deal to swear in Republican Lamar Alexander as governor three days early. The move blocked Blanton's scandal-smeared administration from selling pardons to prisoners.
Daughtrey once asked one of Mr. Wilder's Senate colleagues for the secret of the man's success.
He was told, "We know he won't steal. We're not so sure about some of the others."
No political partisanship
In the 1960s, Mr. Wilder defied his neighbors and most of the rest of West Tennessee's agribusiness interests by encouraging the black tenants on his farms to register to vote. When other farmers drove those sharecroppers from their fields, he let them camp in his.
And when he ran for the legislature in 1967, they voted for him in droves.
It wasn't the last time he would reap the rewards of good karma. His willingness to share power with the GOP served him well in 1987, when his own party tried to oust him in favor of someone more progressive.
The Republican caucus nominated him for the speakership, returning him to power for two more decades. Until 2007, when the Republican caucus and a rogue Democrat voted him out of the leadership at last.
The Senate that Mr. Wilder left was very different from the one he had led for so long. He spent the final day of his final session in 2008 pleading with his colleagues, voice cracking as he begged them not to let his last bill die in committee.
The bill would have preserved the state's judicial selection system, one of his proudest achievements. The committee's Republican majority quashed the bill.
"Partisan politics, that's not my way," he told his colleagues. "All you know that. It's not my way. And it's not the right thing for the state.
"You know what I know. All you know that I know. It's not right. But God bless you."
Mr. Wilder again bemoaned partisanship in the legislature during one of his last conversations with McWherter shortly before Christmas.
"He told me that this was bad for Tennessee," McWherter said. "He was always opposed to that."
He was a tough man
John Shelton Wilder was tough as old leather. The World War II veteran rode his bicycle daily well into his 80s and commuted back and forth between his district and the Capitol in an airplane he piloted.
In 1991, he was on his traditional early-morning cycling ride through Nashville when he blew through a stop sign and crashed into a car, fracturing nine ribs and collapsing both lungs. It didn't slow him for long.
The next year, at 70, he hopped off the wing of his twin-engine Comanche and broke his ankle on the tarmac. Within days, he was presiding over the Senate from a wheelchair, his ankle bristling with screws.
He underwent heart surgery the same year and still bounced back to run for a record 12th term as leader.
But in recent years, Mr. Wilder began to slow down, the accidents and illnesses began to accumulate, and he seemed increasingly frail.
In 2007, he was critically injured in a fall at his home although he was able to drive himself to a nearby service station before he succumbed to his injuries. The next year, he was sidelined by pneumonia.
"Gov. Wilder was one of the toughest men I've ever known," Gov. Phil Bredesen said Friday, recalling seeing him after the 2007 fall.
"I visited him in the intensive care unit at the Med, where he couldn't talk because he still had a ventilator tube in his throat. That was on Friday; the following Monday he flew his plane back to Nashville."
Mr. Wilder used to say that he wouldn't last long if he ever left office. It was his habit to speak of himself in the third person.
"The speaker does not like to hunt. The speaker does not like to play golf. The speaker does not like to fish. The speaker likes to be the speaker," he said.
"I don't like to quit. When I quit, I'll be dead. But it'll be a short funeral. Don't expect to find me standing around the grave."
Funeral services set for former Lt. Gov. John Wilder near home in West Tenn.
By Associated Press
9:27 AM CST, January 2, 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Funeral services have been set for former Tennessee Lt. Gov. John S. Wilder on Sunday in West Tennessee.
Wilder, a wily, eccentric and towering figure in Tennessee politics, died early Friday at a Memphis hospital following a stroke earlier in the week. He was 88.
The Commercial Appeal reported that visitation for family and friends will begin at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Peebles Fayette County Funeral Home West Chapel along U.S. 64 near Oakland.
The funeral begins at 2 p.m. with a private burial at Belmont Cemetery near the Wilder family home to follow.
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Task forces
Task Forces tackle issues and obstacles affecting the digital heritage field. Browse through their recommendations.
EuropeanaTech FLOSS
The EuropeanaTech task force on the FLOSS Inventory will enrich, improve and structure the Inventory which contains over 300 free, libre, open source tools relevant for the EuropeanaTech community.
Brokerage and business opportunities
Using Europeana Fashion as a use case and exploring how we can engage with Fashion House archives, this Task Force will investigate how Europeana could specifically look at brokerage options and conditions.
Europeana Network Communicator's Group
This Task Force sets out to develop a Europeana Communicator's Group to support pan-european awareness of Europeana's added value.
Connecting networks for collaborating & sharing
This Task Force aims to identify local networks and develop procedures on how Europeana can interact with these local networks. These procedures ought to point out how (input from these local networks) will be considered and/or processed by Europeana.
Europeana for education
making the use of digitised heritage in education beneficial for the various stakeholders related to the Europeana Network
Content Re-use
This Task Force aims to generate agreement on the licensing and technical standards of the re-use framework and their value to contributing partners.
Metadata Quality
How can we improve the metadata provided to Europeana? What impact will this have on end-user experience.
Evaluation and enrichments
Automatic enrichments can be very beneficial for enabling retrieval across languages and adding context to resources accessible via Europeana. If automatically added enrichments are incorrect or ambiguous, the benefits can be reversed, propagating the errors to several languages and impacting the retrieval performance.
EDM profile for Sound
This Task Force describes a set of recommendations for the adaptation of the current Europeana Data Model (EDM) for audio and audio-related objects.
EDM mappings refinements and extensions
The task force has collected mappings to and extensions of EDM, documenting and summarising work from different partners and projects into an overall 'big picture'
Multilingual and Semantic Enrichment Strategy
The task force revealed the common obstacles in automatic semantic enrichments and provided recommendations to overcome some of these issues. It was found that multilingual enrichments can increase the negative effect of low quality metadata across languages.
EDM – FRBRoo Application Profile
This report delivers combined models in terms of properties and classes of EDM and FRBRoo illustrated by sample data. Smaller groups have worked on three different examples. The report also provides principles for modeling and mapping rules based on the experiments of the working groups.
Hierarchical objects
Hierarchical objects are important for Europeana' s network of projects and data providers. Archives, libraries or museums aim at describing their objects with the finest granularity of data and contextual information...


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Original recipe yields 4 servings
Amount per serving ({{servings}} total)
Based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Ready In
I had some leftover shrimp and since my hubby loves egg salad I decided to give this a shot. He turned his nose up at first, because he thought it sounded weird, but he ended up asking if I cou...
I made this for myself this morning, planning ahead for lunch. I prepared it as the recipe directed, gave it a taste for seasoning (salt and pepper), was satisfied, so I thought, with the 3-star...


text:
The Olympic Village's "V", "I" and "A" are in good hands
As sales have wrapped up, they recently closed down the presentation centre in The Village on False Creek, a place that is near and dear to our (my) heart as we did a 12-month SERIES highlighting what's awesome about living in the neighbourhood. It wrapped almost two years ago but I still live down here and believe it's the most exciting area of town, and it's perfect for my small family. If you're wondering where the "V", the "I" and the "A" went from the sign at the now-closed sales centre you can rest assured: we've got 'em here at our office.


text:
As they say down South, South Carolina's credit unions are "Forty goin' north." Translation: To do something with great gusto and enthusiasm.
After a tough spell, the signs now point north for South Carolina's credit unions.
CUNA Mutual Group and the Arizona Department of Insurance announced a deal last week that, should it pass regulatory muster, will both resolve questions about CMG Mortgage Insurance's financial foundations and lead to the rise of a newer and stronger CMG MI, CMG said.
Sale of jointly owned mortgage insurer will take a while to finalize because of bankruptcy complications of partner firm.
This in-depth look at a conserved and now recovering Arizona credit union is a preview from next week's print edition of Credit Union Times.
The aftermath is "unthinkable devastation" said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie when describing the massive destruction left behind by Hurricane Sandy that blasted the East Coast in the evening of Oct. 29. The monster storm caused massive flooding throughout New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, igniting fires that destroyed...
With the exception of two branches in New Jersey and New York that are closed due to power outages, Navy Federal said all of its branches were open Thursday.
They say everything is bigger in Texas, but one thing that wasn't. The real estate boom and subsequent bust. And it has worked out for credit unions in a big way. According to the NCUA's second quarter statistics, homes in the Lone Star state have gained nearly 5% in value...
Closures follow shutdown of federal government after hurricane.


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Submit News
Blog: Gadgets
Quick Note: Amazon Gives Away One-Paid Android App Per Day For Free
Jason Mick
September 24, 2011 7:50 PM
comment(s) - last by
Oct 7
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
Circle Launcher is the Amazon.com App Store for Android's free app du jour.
(Source: Amazon.com)
There's a minor catch, but you can't beat free android apps
I have one of
the original EVO 4G phones
HTC Corp. (
) on the
Sprint Nextel Corp. (
) network. Having come from
a BlackBerry Storm
on Verizon Communication,
Inc.'s (
) (my third Storm piece of hardware, having lost two to warranty-covered rebooting-related deaths), I have nothing but good things to say about the EVO as a smart phone and Sprint's network performance.
In the midwest area (Chicago, Detroit, etc.) my dropped calls on Sprint have been lower than on Verizon (again this is just
personal experience), and the phone 4G has performed will in California and Las Vegas, Nevada, on trips. My monthly bills are much down from Verizon's (even when you subtract the Blackberry data fee).
And after multiple drops over the last year with no extra case onto concrete, from several feet (on the edges, mind you), my EVO 4G is happy as a clam sans some minor scuffing on the edges. Good thing I didn't have an IPhone 4 or my screen
would be toast
. And Sprint/HTC did a good job rolling out the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update relatively early. About the only complaint I have about the EVO is the poor battery life... but that's a different story.
Getting to my point, as much as I love my EVO and Sprint, perhaps the best thing I've discovered for Android of late is actually Amazon.com, Inc.'s (
) one free paid app per day giveaway. I
wrote about the Amazon App Store for Android
a few months back, and I had assumed that the free Angry Birds Rio I got was a one-and-done deal.
Much to my amazement I recently poked into the store and realize they've been offering
one free paid app a day
!! This may be old news to some of you (sorry), but for those who haven't take advantage of this check it out.
All you have to do is get App Store for Android (download
) and then enroll in Amazon's One-Click-Purchase program. That's a bit of an annoying catch as I hate having that associated with my account as I prefer the multiple levels of purchase warnings. But I've relented -- the free apps are just too tempting to get hung up on that catch.
Most of the free apps are games, but some are utilities. For example today I downloaded
, typically $1, but today (Saturday) free. It brings that circle app launching look of the Sony Walkman phone to your everyday Android (sort of).
And with Apple, Inc. (
) trying (
somewhat unsuccessfully thus far
) to
ban Amazon.com's App Store
, it seems like a good thing to support if you like freedom in the market.
Anyhow, I was pretty excited to discover this and am going to be sure to download my free app per day. I wanted to share it with you guys, in case some of you Android fans out there hadn't caught wind of it yet. Enjoy!
remember me
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: No! Free Amazon App a day is Not Yours!
If developers are concerned with lost revinue they need to get Google to deal with side loading. Android is probably the easiest platform to pirate on, ever. Just consider high speed internet distribution and the built in system option to completely dissable software certificate verification. I expect IceCream Sandwich to at least attempt to deal with the issue.
Although I expect any attempts to control the platform to be circumvented by the user developement community even faster than is seen in the IOS community. The platform is just too simple, which is by design. You can't make an OS run as efficiently as possible on a resource starved platform without sacrificing security. Also the developement community is simply too devoted and too knowledgeable. There are too many people out there who care too much to sneak something simple by them.
There doesn't even seem to be room to punish rooters with courts acting to legitimize a user's rights to root / jailbreak their property. What are you going to do? Ban them from the App store that they dont use?
We may only see piracy security in the mobile realm once hardware catches up to a point where making devices with excessively powerful hardware for their normal use is as cheap as we see in the PC realm today. Even then the most they can hope for is making piracy inconvinient enough that only the enthusiast will be able to understand how to do it. They will then have to resign their target market to the remaining average users, which is where all the money is anyway.
In any event, Amazon is not the problem developers need to worry about. And I think they know that, otherwise they wouldn't be releasing their Apps on that marketplace.
"We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone." -- Steve Jobs
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LMCC Open Artist Studios and Events Set for Governor's Island, 9/29-30
Open Studio Weekend at Building 110: LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island gives visitors a unique opportunity to view works-in-progress by 20 visual artists and two performing artists who have been in residence since August 1.
This open studio weekend takes place:
Saturday, September 29
12–5PM: Open Hours
12–5PM: Kabir Carter presents Fill, a site-specific installation at Dock 102
3PM: People Get Ready present a Work-in-Progress
Sunday, September 30
12–5PM: Open Hours
12–5PM: Kabir Carter presents Fill, a site-specific installation at Dock 102
3–4PM: Transforming Function: Closing Reception
LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island serves as a "model home," a great example of how LMCC has taken donated space and transformed it into a multi-purpose working space and gallery for artists. Now in its third year, Building 110: LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island has served more than 100 visual artists and 25 performing artists and arts groups-in-residence, and welcomed nearly 30,000 visitors. Each summer, LMCC hosts three open studio weekends coinciding with the River To River Festival and the opening and closing weekends of Governors Island's public season. More than 2,600 guests visited Building 110: LMCC's Arts Center during the most recent Open Studio Weekend, July 14–15, 2012.
LMCC is deeply committed to the relationship between art, culture, and quality of life, and has a 40-year history of nurturing the arts in order to develop and sustain Lower Manhattan. In 2010, LMCC transformed Building 110 on Governors Island, formerly a historic Army warehouse on the Island' s northern shore, into a multi-use arts facility for the development and presentation of new work in the performing and visual arts. Building 110: LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island houses 20 visual artist studios, two rehearsal studios and an exhibition space, all with sweeping views of the Lower Manhattan skyline and New York Harbor. Artists-in-residence are offered a retreat-style experience just minutes from the City and audiences gain unique access to New York City's newest cultural destination.
Visual Artists: Ruta Butkute, Jessica Cannon, Maya Ciarrocchi, Abigail DeVille, Elizabeth Duffy, Erin Dunn, Laurie Frick, Marina Gutierrez, Sarah Kabot, Jenn Kahn, Patte Loper, Jong Oh, Sarada Rauch, Jaye Rhee, Alan Ruiz, Diana Shpungin, Abraham Storer, Kyoco Taniyama (Asian Cultural Council Fellow), Jeanne Verdoux, Jenifer Wightman
About Author
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- CONSTELLATIONS' Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson Set for THEATER TALK This Weekend


text:
More than 300 important contemporary plays have premiered here, among them dramas such as Driving Miss Daisy and The Heidi Chronicles and musicals such as Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and Sunday in the Park with George. Recent seasons have included works by Craig Lucas and an acclaimed musical version of the cult film Grey Gardens.
Playwrights Horizons
|Venue name:
|Playwrights Horizons
416 W 42nd St
New York
|Cross street:
|between Ninth and Tenth Aves
|Subway: A, C, E to 42nd St–Port Authority
Pick a dateto
The Qualms
The Qualms: Theater review by David Cote Bruce Norris's new play is set at a swingers' party, which rather complicates the playwriting dictum: show, don't tell. Unless you have a game cast and an open-minded audience, it's tricky representing a scenario...Drama Tuesday July 7 2015 - Sunday July 12 2015Read more


text:
- Crime control is not the responsibility of landlords
- Fly over to the Poplar Grove Wings and Wheels Museum benefit
- Local leaders warn of budget deadlock's impact
- SHUTDOWN: Illinois preps for the worst
- TRRT Online Edition | July 1-7
- Governor, AG differ on legality of payroll without budget
- Regular RHA meeting a quiet affair
- Funnel clouds possible through evening
- Smoking bans a breath of fresh air to some, infuriating to others
- Experts break down the SCOTUS gay marriage ruling
Sosnowski pushes bill to limit state gas taxes
Online Staff Report
State Rep. Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford/Belvidere, is pushing a new limit on Illinois' gas taxes in an effort to provide tax relief to Illinois motorists affected by increasing gas prices.
"The price of gas in Illinois has been climbing for years and continues to worsen as the numbers increase," Sosnowski said. "Families and businesses suffer from high gas costs in order to get through daily life."
House Bill 6147, if passed, will permanently cap the state portion of the sales tax of 6.25 percent to the first $2.50 per gallon, providing nearly $225 million in tax relief to motorists.
Illinois' Motor Fuel Tax charges 19 cents per gallon of gasoline and is estimated to collect $1.33 billion in revenue for Fiscal Year 2012. Illinois collects state and local sales taxes on gasoline in addition to the flat 19-cent-per gallon Illinois Motor Fuel Tax.
"With gas prices being well over $4 per gallon and still expected to increase, this is just one way to help ever so slightly stabilize the cost of gasoline," Sosnowski said.
Posted April 12, 2012