Donna Reed Voice Talent blog

Where we left off...

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 16:52:00 +0000

a busy venture into the world of audiobooks, podcasts and music playlists. Lotsa stuff - recently been narrating, producing and editing audiobooks. Marathon baby - but fun! Thank you Pat Fraley for your amazing audiobook narration class, and to Karen Commins for this little internet gem: Narrator's Roadmap; both helped so much with my understanding of recording these amazing audio stories. Recently narrated audiobooks include 'New Heart, New Life', 'For The Love of Eric' and 'Modern Nursing' (with a character role as Florence Nightingale!)

Catch the audiobooks on Audible.

Whew! After I wrap up the last audiobook chapter, I switch over the mic and let others do the talking on my podcast 'Spotlight Conversations', where we chat in the studio about all kinds of topics relating to media. After the podcast, we tune up the hi-fi and listen to the chill Leopard Print Lounge Chair music channel on AccuRadio. So...why not join us? Find all the links to listen at my website Spotlight Communications.

Thanks so much for listening!

Well, this is always delightful...

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Sat, 16 May 2020 17:01:00 +0000

sparkling studio upgrades at my new website! Also check out a chill playlist I put together on AccuRadio called 'The Leopard Print Lounge Chair' channel, plus a few recently narrated audiobooks on Audible. Check out the link to those and to my music + media podcast Spotlight Conversations

Subscibe today so you don't miss an episode! Available on Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Stay tuned!

Steering The MotherShip

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 03:50:00 +0000

It happens to every artist, creative, writer, voice talent.

You work, you take classes. You market, you follow up.

But in today's world of many creatives, sometimes all of those 'lists of things to do', don't always measure up to success - or perhaps, your idea of success.

So you have to stand out.

Once you master how to stand out, you'll be a step above the rest.

But how?

For voiceover talent, it may be concentrating on your unique sounding voice. Possessing your unique style of delivery. Not sounding like the next best thing in the voice business. YOU may be the next best thing in the voice business!

Once you find the one thing - or several things - that set you apart, make you different - whether it's your style, your work ethic, your approach to an audition, even the way you bring up ideas for script changes (it happens) - you'll feel better equipped about being a part of a very competitive business, because you're the one who's in charge.

Providing you generate income, your voiceover work is all about growing your business. Read what Mark Schaefer of Schaefer Marketing Solutions has to say about being unique in your own business.

Dell World Video; shout out to Donna Reed voice talent.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 02:30:00 +0000

If the company only knew how technical I really am...

All things social...

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Documentaries and more at YouTube.
Find me over at Twitter. My new website, too!

Voiceover info, training and what's inside.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:55:00 +0000

Need answers to questions about the voiceover business? Have some time with a latte and a laptop? Look to the blogroll on left for links to voiceover training, blog posts, websites from voices, media and more! Plus links to pros in marketing, blogging, social media, technology. Inside the blog? Posts about voiceover, marketing, media, communications. Find voiceover demos at my website: Spotlight Communications - Donna Reed, Professional Voiceover Artist or Spotlight Communications and on YouTube.

Because 2.0 can be even better than one.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Thanks for reading, subscribing, commenting, and making this blog possible. It will still be an ongoing blog, full of info about the world of voiceover. And my trips along the way.

We're expanding to WordPress territory as well.. And now...there's a new 2.0 location for my website.

So come on over!

Voiceovers: it's one big social shindig.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:27:00 +0000

There's a lot going on in the voiceover world.
Talent is everywhere. We're on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (for starters).
You're smart to use Social Media. Now find out how it's smart to mix in your Social IQ - or social intelligence as well.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to have a high social IQ and you don't have to have a high social IQ and be a rocket scientist.
Really.
But what exactly is social intelligence?
It's the ability to understand and relate to humans. All of 'em. On every level. A high level of Social IQ can work REALLY well with Social Media, and there's a book that can show you how.
According to David Goleman's book "Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships" we all have a certain amount of social intelligence, but there's always room for improvement! (for more info, check out David's interview here from Social Media Professional.)
Armed with a new awareness of your social intelligence, you'll find a better way to get the word out about your voiceover business. You'll know exactly what to say - and how to say it.

Since you're learning new stuff this week I'm also linking to Seth's Blog about what to do when the new thing doesn't work.

Because Seth is just kinda cool that way. Have a great week!

Voiceover and Freelancing. Did you miss anything?

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:29:00 +0000

Freelance Money. It's In There.

Maybe you've recorded some pretty good stuff lately. You don't want to quit your day job. So freelancing your voice may be a perfect fit for you.

Whether you freelance, or you make a living doing voiceover work, you need to get your voice out there in front of potential clients. By taking the steps to 'get your voice out there' you are also finding about how to fine tune your marketing skills.

There are a few sites to help get you going as you start freelancing your voice. The sites are not about voiceovers specifically; but you can certainly use the info toward your voice career!

Here's the title of one of the websites: WiseBread - Living Large on a Small Budget. I love it! Okay, maybe at first I thought it was a baking blog...but trust me, if you knew my kitchen prowess...it was an incredibly short lived thought.

WiseBread is all about budgets, finance, frugal living. It involves a community of bloggers who want you to live large on a small budget.

And we could all use info on that!

But even better than the title, is a two part post about how to find freelance clients. Part 2 is here.

Plus, from Freelance Folder, "The 10 Types of Freelancers: Which One Are You?"

Enjoy!

Becoming a voice talent - more fine tuning.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:10:00 +0000

By now, you've already attended voiceover classes, set up your studio, and maybe even scored a few new voiceover gigs.

But there's even more to learn. Especially from articles written by voiceover talent. I love reading these stories because the voice talent write about the voiceover business from their perspective; their own humble beginnings, their own exposure to the studio, to producers, and everyone in between. Plus, they take the time to share what they've learned along the way.

Deborah Puette is one of those talent; and she has written an excellent article for Backstage - The Actor's Resource (an online resource). She writes about her experiences in making a voice demo - from start to finish - including mics, marketing, agents, and auditions.

Story courtesy of Backstage

Benefits of the internet, vo training, social media & my home town.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Catching up. Finally. The who what when where why & how. And what better way to do that than with social media and/or the internet.

I like research. A lot. The internet is great for insatiable walking talking question marks like us. I don't know if I would really be aware of all the voiceover workshops and groups of fellow voiceover actors who attend - and coach - any voiceover seminar today if it weren't for Twitter, blogs...and the internet.

My internet research started when I was looking for studios in New York state. Happened to discover a studio up in - of all places - Schenectady. Really. Schenectady New York. My home town. Also the home of General Electric. Proctor's Theatre. The city name that occassionally comes up in offhand mentions on Letterman and in a Seinfeld script.

Schenectady is also the home of a phenomenal group of voiceover, engineering and production pros who make up Voice Coaches.

Today I caught up with Mike at VoiceCoaches in upstate New York - on the phone. (hey, it's still a form of social media). It was good to connect - but more important, great to find out what VoiceCoaches plan to do on May 2nd: host a huge event about "Learning Home Recording and Social Media Marketing for Voice Actors-The2009Advanced Marketing Expo". It's all about technology and you, and how that equals opportunity.

Don't have any plans for May yet? You just might now. VoiceCoaches has put together everything for you. This is a place where you can listen to voice pros talk about what they know, hear info about the voiceover biz, plus get to know about the real work - and the real rewards - of learning the art of voiceovers.

Besides, while you're in Schenectady - you can learn a little bit about "The City that Lights and Hauls the World".

Go ahead. Look it up:)

Blogs. And your voice. How they can work together for you.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:58:00 +0000

Blogs. If you're a voiceover talent, it can open a whole new world. You could look at your voiceover blog as a place to start your voiceover career, or maybe your blog could be a stop for other voice talent to learn helpful tips on the voice business. Maybe you want to inform readers of news you've come across in the voiceover field, or maybe offer different viewpoints on the status of the voiceover business today.

Whatever your reason for starting a blog, the important thing is - to get started!

I thought I'd run this post again, since there was a lot of response from readers when it ran originally on this blog. (Yup, I'm airing re-runs while I'm recovering!)

Whether your're starting your voiceover career today or have been working the booth for years. Remember the best way to stay in the vo game is to keep up the marketing, and find your voiceover niche!

Okay...so here's the repost:

"Blogs are working for voiceover talent. Depending of course, on the content.

A well crafted blog can offer everything from audition advice to aspiring and veteran voice talent, connect with other voiceover artists around the world about the latest in communication technology, or add a human touch to someone who may be more than 'just a voice'.

Clients are reading, too. They read your words, can hear your demos, and are getting to know you as a co-worker. In some cases, clients are evaluating you as a potential client.

Are you one of the new vo bloggers?

Check out my sidebar for a list of the many well written blogs about the voiceover business - and about blogging. All are informative; and others mix in a personal perspective as well. (A couple blogs are on the sidebar because I like to read up on what some of my friends are doing outside of the voiceover world.)

Should you have a blog?

Depends. Is it for marketing? Or just personal reasons? Do you like to write? Do you have a few communication goals in mind? Have you carved out a niche in the voiceover marketplace, and want to get out info on a regular basis? Do you have a few ideas for a blog for your business, but not sure how to get started?

Here's a post from an awesome designer about 'blogging for your business'. Need the building blocks for blogging? Check out 'Blogging for Beginners' from Problogger.

Can't remember everything about grammar and writing from the English 101 class you took back in the day? Read Mignon Fogarty's Grammar Girl's website and podcast. Great refresher course."

voiceover news; more how-to's for aspiring voice talent:

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:36:00 +0000

While recovering from foot surgery this month (and believe me, not only am I glad to have a home studio, but also very glad to have the luxury of having a spouse that cooks. I am convinced now that chemists make great chefs).

While trying to multitask (ha), I have found a couple of articles I thought were worth reading if you are jumping into voiceovers, or maybe want to catch up on projects involving voice talent.

I loved reading this article about how there's so much more to the offhand comment of "you should be doing voiceovers!" LA TIMES.

And if you'd like to read up on what voice actor David Lee is doing, read it all here.

Edge Studio in NYC. Demos, Training & more.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:19:00 +0000

David Goldberg heads up Edge Studio's Voice Design Group in NYC. Always working to make it easier for voice talent to build their career, David has come up with even more benefits for the voice community. Check out their site for voice over training, production, casting and demo school (in New York, Washington DC and Connecticut.

Looks like there are many ways to build your career at Edge Studio. All are good, but I really like the free segment "Talk With A Pro" on Monday nights.

Plus take a tour of the site and look for the free Voiceover Industry Guidebook and over 3,500 scripts to download (so you can practice practice practice!)

'foods to avoid before voiceovers' courtesy of voiceoverture.net

Your VO career: content marketing vs campaign mentality

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:21:00 +0000

You've sent out all these big marketing ideas. You've planned some awesome creative campaigns for your voiceover business.

What's that? No business coming in yet? Now what? Sit and wait? Try something 'new' to gain clients? Hmm...more color...more shiny things...

Wait! Stop right now!

Think 'Solutions Provider'. Instead of grand scale marketing.

As Joe Pulizzi writes in his blog, there are huge differences in content marketing and the usual campaign mentality.

The comment that really stands out - and I like this one - is:

"'The creation of relevant, valuable and compelling content delivered to your customers should never stop.'"

Original article courtesy of Seth Godin

Your voiceover blog. How does it work?

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:42:00 +0000

Blogs are working for voiceover talent. Depending of course, on the content.

A well crafted blog can offer everything from audition advice to aspiring and veteran voice talent, connect with other voiceover artists around the world about the latest in communication technology, or add a human touch to someone who may be more than 'just a voice'.

Clients are reading, too. They read your words, can hear your demos, and are getting to know you as a co-worker. In some cases, clients are evaluating you as a potential client.

Are you one of the new vo bloggers?

Check out my sidebar for a list of the many well written blogs about the voiceover business - and about blogging. All are informative; and others mix in a personal perspective as well. (A couple blogs are on the sidebar because I like to read up on what some of my friends are doing outside of the voiceover world.)

Should you have a blog?

Depends. Is it for marketing? Or just personal reasons? Do you like to write? Do you have a few communication goals in mind? Have you carved out a niche in the voiceover marketplace, and want to get out info on a regular basis? Do you have a few ideas for a blog for your business, but not sure how to get started?

Here's a post from an awesome designer about 'blogging for your business'. Need the building blocks for blogging? Check out 'Blogging for Beginners' from Problogger.

Can't remember everything about grammar and writing from the English 101 class you took back in the day? Read Mignon Fogarty's Grammar Girl's website and podcast. Great refresher course.

A New Year. 'New' is the operative word.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:55:00 +0000

It's a week since Christmas, and I know almost everything about playing Guitar Hero World Tour.

Since Santa dropped off this musical goody, the kids are all about playing 'Demolition Man' and 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn'. Two favorite tunes in the Reed household.

Tough for me to play at first. Even harder to master if you don't have nimble fingers for playing bass. But I figured it out, learned a few new things, and found my inner rock star. Even Sting would be proud. Sorta.

Learning to do new things can be part of your New Year's resolution, too. Master a new instrument, or a new language if you're not musical. If you're a voice actor, you already know that taking a class is good for you - and your voice career. (check my sidebar "Voiceover Books and Training" for more.) Maybe a volunteer gig with any of the many charities which could use your voiceover services.

Need new direction for 2009? Read today's post from Joe The Voice Guy , it will jumpstart your New Year, and get you thinking about what's really important.

Thanks for being a part of the spotcomm blog for 2008 - and wishing you all good things for 2009.

Happy New Year!

Bart Simpson interviews Charlotte Pickles.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:48:00 +0000

In her column over at Animation World Magazine, Nancy Cartwright (the voice behind Bart Simpson) interviews fellow voice actor Tress MacNeille. Tress, who you may know as the voice of Charlotte Pickles on Rugrats, is also the voice of Babs Bunny in Tiny Tune Adventures. Check out the interview here.

Wouldn't you love to listen to this interview, as well as read it?

Story courtesy of Animation World Magazine

Nerds Rule. And it's a good thing.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:02:00 +0000

Monday nights I nestle in and watch The Big Bang Theory on CBS. I know nothing about the actual big bang theory, protons, neutrons, et al.
Many viewers may or may not know anything about physics either. But the show is a hit.
It makes me want to dig out my Einstein Tshirt and pretend to understand the theory of relativity.

review courtesy of the wall street journal

Got resolutions? Make this year YOUR voiceover year.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:01:00 +0000

Resolutions are good.
Lists are even better.
Look at it this way, lists remind you what you need to do when February rolls around and you forgot the resolutions.
Written up your voiceover resolutions for the new year? Here's a few to get you started:
-Delegate - you shouldn't have to do it all. Find someone who does something you don't know how to do: production, web design, etc. Let them help you.
-Just say no. Find what fits into your schedule and decline everything else.
-Stop multitasking. Concentrate on one voiceover/campaign/project at a time.
-Apply the magic formula. Effective voiceover marketers know these 3: eliminate, cateorgize, organize.
-Plan ahead. Keep yourself accountable. Get a planner.
-Discover your good habits. Make a couple of new habits today and work them into your schedule. Master these until they become routine!
So if anyone asks if you've made your New Year's resolutions, you could say "I will get the magic formula and plan ahead, stop multitasking and become a creature of good habits. Then I'll just say no and delegate."
I'm just saying.
Since we're on the topic of lists, my favorite list is the one written by Richard Branson - the 10 secrets to success:
1. You've got to challenge the big ones.
2. Keep it casual.
3. Haggle: everything is negotiable.
4. Have fun working.
5. Do the right things for the brand.
6. Smile for the cameras!
7. Don't lead "sheep", herd "cats".
8. Move like a bullet.
9. Size does matter.
10. Be a common, regular person.

What works for your voiceover career? What voiceover resolutions do you have planned?

Economy 101: you and your many skills.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Are you in the red? And not the festive holiday color kind.

You've read the article about how to cope in tough economic times, so you're prepared.

Now learn to cope and find ways to make you less stressed, too.

Articles courtesy of VoiceoverExtra and Zen Habits

Children's Hospitals receive holiday spirit from Gelder Productions:

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:22:00 +0000

Holiday Magic. Can you imagine being a kid without it? Espcially if you can't be home for the holidays?

Gelderhead Productions is trying to make a difference for many children who are in the hospital over the holidays. The San Diego based production company will deliver the Holiday Magic CD , a musical CD filled with songs and stories of Christmas, told by voice actors and voice talent. The CD will be delivered to children's hospitals across the nation this week.

Steve Gelder of Gelderhead Productions continues to raise funds to get as many donations as possible to buy more CD’s for the kids.

All pie, all the time.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:29:00 +0000

What? No post on voiceovers?

Today it's all about pie. The chef? Chelly Rodriquez - who balances a Tupperware container filled with pies on her head as she walks on the beaches of Yelapa, Mexico. She makes a lot of pies - and sells them all, too.

No apron here - instead she wears a Tshirt that says: “Chelly Pie — El Original Sabor de Yelapa.”

The Original Flavor of Yelapa.

Grab my sunscreen. I'm making my flight reservation now.

Courtesy of Ken Hoffman / The Houston Chronicle

Produce a voice-over session - without being there.

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Now clients can actually be a part of post production. And watch us work in the process.
Check out this post from Mark Meyer at Soundworks Studio in Houston.

Courtesy of Soundworks

Good Gets: how good are you about getting the word out?

noreply@blogger.com (Donna) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:42:00 +0000

You're in the voiceover business. You're good in front of the mic (creative) and behind the mic (business). You know how important it is to:

a)get referrals
b)get to the phone to make those important cold calls

and now you realize you have to add:
c)get the word out about your company

Just how do you get the word out?

A well written press release may be a good place to start. Not sure how the internet plays a part in the press release biz? Check out this site, and read today's post:'How To Use Press Releases to Promote Yourself or Your Business'.

Since press goes hand in hand with promotions, you may need to find more of both for your voiceover business. Checkout the award winning design firm Mayhem Studios in LA.

Now get out there and spread the word.