The Voiceover Boblog

Quote of the day

Bob — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:34:36 PDT

“You win not by chance, but by preparation.” – Roger Maris

This isn’t about voiceover

Bob — Sun, 13 May 2012 02:31:00 PDT

It’s Mother’s Day so this is about my Mom Betty Souer, and my wife Cinda Souer. The two most amazing mom’s I know. And yes, this is a commercial, but one so well crafted that I don’t care. I’m sharing it here anyway.

Playing the game

Bob — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:24:20 PDT

My studies with Marice Tobias started in October of 2007. Her insights and counsel are legendary for a reason. Her ability to help you focus on the things you’re doing to trip yourself up is simply amazing. How, having said that as an introduction, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read Marice’s blog posts about celebrities and voiceover. It’s well worth a few minutes of your time.

One way to relax your voice

Bob — Fri, 11 May 2012 02:49:00 PDT

The wonderful Nancy Wolfson provides this free voiceover lesson on relaxing your voice.

Spotlight on Rowell

Bob — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

My friend Rowell Gormon is the old geezer in this Taco Johns commercial.

Wonderful work, Rowell! By the way, if you’d like more of the background, check out Rowell’s blog post about this commercial.

Spotlight on Chuck

Bob — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:52:00 PDT

My friend Chuck Davis is the narrator of this lovely short film called Diana – A Short Film.

Mighty nice work, Chuck!

She

Bob — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:07:00 PDT

My friend and manage Stacey Stahl has been busy of late creating a fabulous site called She Is The Voice.

I missed it again

Bob — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:05:00 PDT

Well, it’s been a few weeks since my last update here. I’ll get back to regular posting again shortly; but first I need to take just a moment to note that I’ve missed my blogiversary yet again. May 2, 2005 was the date of the first post on this blog so we’re officially 7 years old now. Thank you for reading. I’m truly honored and humbled with your attention and kindness.

Your support network

Bob — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:43:29 PDT

Who do you have around you to help you stay on track when the journey turns out to be longer and more challenging that you expected? (And it will.) Or if you’ve been at this for a while, who do you have to help carry the load when the avalance falls on you and you’re buried so deep in work you don’t know when you’re going to see the light of day again? (This too will happen.)

In life, I have a small group of friends with whom I can and do share both joys and sorrows and I have my family, including two of my children who work for me; my daughter Karen and my son Eric.

Then there’s the VO-BB, a wonderful spot where I’ve connected with a signficant number of friends quite laterally all over the globe, many of whom I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting in person. And as a sort of bridge between the online and real worlds, there’s Faffcon. Many of the people who attend are friends from online and some of them are among my closest personal and professional friends.

Each of these represents a component of my support network. I in turn am part of the support network for many of them. So, what does your support network look like?

Being nice is for winners

Bob — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 02:42:00 PDT

As Seth Godin points out in a recent blog post called The end of the diva paradox there’s a big upside to being nice to people. As my friend Phliip Banks would say “Think on!”

Spotlight on DB

Bob — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:09:00 PDT

My friend DB Cooper is the narrator at the end of this fabulous video.

Wonderful work, Deirdre!

There is no competition in voiceover

Bob — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:44:00 PDT

Really. None. It does depend on how you look at things, though. You see, if you look at voiceover from your point of view, you’ll see all kinds of competition. On the other hand, as Tom Asacker points out in his recent blog post Do you want to succeed? Then don’t compete, if you look at it from your client’s point of view the world looks completely different.

One important word

Bob — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:58:00 PDT

My friend Jeff Tobin is a superb business coach who blogs about business and marketing. Now and then what he writes will really hit me between the eyes. His blog post yesterday is one example. It’s called One Word That Changes Everything. It’s well worth a few minutes of your time.

Ooh, Ooh!

Bob — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:08:04 PDT

I know that voice! A documentary coming soon.

My thanks to my friend Dan Nachtrab for emailing me the link to this trailer.

Quote for the day

Bob — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:33:00 PDT

From Trent Hamm’s Simple Dollar Blog:

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

– Thomas Edison

Time and focus

Bob — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 01:31:00 PDT

If you’re making a living or even a decent part-time income from voiceover, you all ready know that a great deal of the time you are doing something other than working in front of the microphone. Seth Godin offers some very cogent thoughts about how we spend our time and what might be a better way to spend our time. (Yes, he’s talking about photographers, but the point applies to all of us who make our living in a similar fashion.)

Why the “second nicest”?

Bob — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:23:10 PDT

One of the very best things to happen to me at Faffcon took place 10 minutes before the first Faffcon got underway in Portland, OR in September of 2010. Doug Turkel gave me an insight and some advice that struck a chord of resonance in my soul that continues to reverberate to this very day.

That insight and advice led to my position as the “second nicest guy in voiceover.” Since I first started using that line, the day I got home from that first Faffcon, I’ve been asked many, many times a question that is almost inevitable. It goes something like this: “So, who’s the first nicest if you’re only second?” And my answer to that question varies depending on whether I’m being asked the question in person, on the phone or via email.

The essential answer is to ask a question in turn: “Would the nicest guy in voiceover claim to be the nicest?”

But, here’s the truth behind that question: I’m a human being, just like you are. While I do try to be nice to everyone, sometimes I fail. I mess up. I make a mistake. In fact, (I make lots of mistakes. Just ask my daughter Karen or my son Eric. They do the lion’s share of the editing for me and have to deal with my mistakes all the time.) And sometimes, I’m not nice. I can even be a complete jerk from time to time. Again, ask my kids or my wife Cinda. They can tell you.

So, at it’s most essential, I can’t claim to be more than the “second nicest” guy in voiceover because that’s all I am on my best days.

The perils of success

Bob — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:38:11 PDT

Seth Godin’s blog is always worth reading, but today’s post is especially on point for anyone who has developed close relationships with their clients.

And while we’re talking about Scott

Bob — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:30:00 PDT

Check out the interview Peter O’Connell has posted on his blog with Scott Pollak

Spotlight on Scott

Bob — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:49:55 PDT

My friend Scott Pollak does a very nice job voicing this spot.