This little monkey is about the size of a squirrel. I saw him in the trees when I was out for a powerwalk in Sao Paulo’s Burle Marx park yesterday. Burle Marx is a little slice of rain forest in the city’s exclusive Morumbi district where I’ve been staying with friends. Walk a few hundred feet into the park and you are enveloped by lush tropical foliage. The park is criss crossed with trails that rise and fall through the bamboo and banana leaves and giant versions of your houseplants. Yesterday, on a Sunday afternoon it was just crowded enough with kids, families and joggers to feel safe and welcoming . I tagged along behind a friendly energetic couple who said they were out walking off too much beer and beef. I got a good workout in preparation for tonight’s 9 hour flight back to Newark. I’m refreshed, relaxed and inspired and really excited about a brand new voice-over program I’ll be launching next week. More soon…..

Last weekend, I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon with my friend Rich Jones and his wife Monica at a huge crafts fair (Embu Das Artes) just outside of Sao Paulo. Actually, it’s more than a crafts fair. It’s an entire city filled with charming little shops and street vendors selling Brazilian jewelry, antiques and handicrafts.

There are no cars on the cobblestone streets and you can explore the many shops tucked away in the stone-walled nooks and crannies at your leisure. They definitely don’t take American Express and had I brought more cash I would have gone home with this charming wooden wall plaque decorated with little tin dinosaurs.

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Regards, …

P. S. Remember that you get direct access to me and our panel of experts in this four event teleseries - all at no charge!

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WOW! I guess I touched a nerve with the topic of last Thursday night’s call. The response was overwhelming! I was able to convince the teleconference company to add some extra phone lines at the last minute, but we maxed out at 489 people and still had to turn hundreds of callers away. Thank you to everyone who sent wonderful feedback! Glad you enjoyed the training!

-I was one of the lucky ones who did make through. It was wonderful… I loved the information shared and will use it.

Thanks, again,

Andrea

-Thank you for this info….I’ll replay!

Thoroughly enjoyed last night-insightful…it leads me to think I should focus on “medically-related” copy.

Thank you again for the “roadmap”.

Truly,

David

-Morning Susan;

AWESOME call last night and great news on the “replay”. I sent that email out to a dozen folks that I knew should listen in and learn and probably 2-3 of those could be candidates for the Boot Camp, so we’ll see. For me, personally, it was a great mirror of where I’ve been, where I am, and where I need to stay focused to grow my business. Huge for me, so THANK YOU!

I was humbled by your mentioning of my experience last night…I am a blessed man, to be sure, and you have mentored me so well this past year that if my story can help you grow your business to help others grow theirs…isn’t that the way it should work?

Enjoy your weekend and I can’t wait for West Palm

David

-I attended tonight’s teleseminar “How to Book Tons of Voice-overs Without Tons of Auditions”. Susan’s willingness to share her knowledge of the voice-over business, and her intellectual capital, has added significantly to my understanding in a very short period of time. Since I want to change careers to a voice over career, do you recommend that my next step should be a Personal Voice Evaluation (Voice-over Talent Evaluation) for $95.00? Also, in addition to the Boot Camp (Feb. 27- March 1, ‘2009),do you recommend that I purchase immediately Susan’s book “Speak to Influence” and the Audio CD? Look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you Susan!

-I appreciate the opportunity to hear your strategies

and personal insights on last night’s call.

And, like you, I also live in the Hudson Valley - Newburgh, NY!

Great place to live!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brian

-Susan,

Thanks so much for keeping in touch. I haven’t given up on my desire to get into voiceovers, however, due to difficulties in the economy, I’ve had to devote more time than usual to ensure things are well with my “day job” in foodservice sales. Please keep me in the loop, as you have in the past.

Hope all is well with you.

Brian

-Susan,

I was on the call and it was stupendous! Yes I have registered for the Florida Boot Camp and I can hardly wait. I will tell you my story there.
Regards,
Bill

-Susan,
I want to thank you for tonight’s tele seminar & when I have the money, I will absolutely take one of your boot camps. You gave me some very valuable information that I hadn’t even considered in my pursuit of vo work. To begin with, I found my passion in acting two & a half years ago, at the age of 64. Like many, I’m sure, my whole life I’ve been complimented on my speaking voice, and so my interest in getting into vo work. I’ve had only 1 audition & booked that job (announcer on a 60 second spot for The National Parks Conservation Association) earlier this year & haven’t gotten another audition since.
I was planning on going into the studio at AFTRA & creating a demo tape of commercials, but your teleconference has me thinking along other lines. MY UNIQUENESS stems from (1). my 30 year career as a medical sales representative, so I have that vocabulary (2). my training & work as a teacher of emotionally disturbed children, including those autistic & schizophrenic (3). my 5 years as a radio broadcaster in college & graduate school, which honed my cold reading skills & (4) my ability to take direction when offered & when not, to find the cadence/rhythm inherent in the written piece. So, now all I need to do is find out how to locate those who need (book) industrial/corporate/non-broadcast talent.
Again, thank you for changing my approach to this work.
Sincerely,
Bill

-Susan,

Thank you very much for hosting your teleseminar and inviting me to join it for free. I found it very interesting and affirming for some of the things I’ve been doing, like networking. I plan on looking more at your website and checking out your teleseminars. Thank you again for taking the time to help this beginner get further down the road in this business.

Regards,
Dottie

-Hi Susan:

Thanks so much for tonight’s call … I’m particularly impressed with your teaching about marketing. In my case, this applies not only for VO but also, interestingly enough, for my work in “marketing” my church, our faith, even the God that I’d like people to connect with. Some fascinating crossovers here.

I also appreciated the encouragement at the end of your call to be thankful. In spite of all that’s happening with the economy (we’re feeling it up here in MA), there’s so much to be grateful for. And it’s this kind of attitude that will also help people to find work and the friends needed to make life worthwhile.

Finally, having recently lost my Dad, who, like yours, contributed alot to his community (I grew up reading your Dad’s magazines), and more to my life personally, I’ll be thinking of and praying for you this Thanksgiving, your first without him.

So thanks again for all your help.

I’m looking forward to my first fasttrack call with Moneen tomorrow AM.
Len

-Susan,

I really liked your approach to using one’s own marketing skills to develop a great business. I haven’t an agent. And, instead of registering with voice-over websites, I invested in a home studio. Your ideas seemed to be parallel to the way I’m building my business foundation.

I’d love to come to your boot camp, and who knows? Now that I know about it, maybe it is something I could achieve. For now, thanks for the very informative Conference Call.
Tiger

Funny I just got this email with the correct times in it. I figured it was 9pm for me and it was not missed. Thanks for sharing your information with us tonight. Have a great night and a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Jim

-Susan - Last night’s call was great. Thanks. You’ve helped me identify the the weak areas I have to improve. You’ve also helped me avoid things that don’t work and could waste what little money I have.

Thanks, again.
Tim

Press Release
November 3, 2008

The Great Voice Company Selects Mike Kaminski of Clearwater, Florida as the First Annual Voice-over Artist Celebrity Sound-alike Contest Winner

Mike Kaminski - Winner

What would a no-holds-barred, in-your-face smackdown between Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain sound like? This year’s winner of the Great Voice Company’s Celebrity Sound-alike contest provides a hilarious look at how such a confrontation might have gone—and what you would hear if your ear was to the wall in the next room!

The contest was announced earlier this week in the Great Voice Company’s “Inside Voice-over” e-zine. But according to Great Voice President Susan Berkley, Kaminski was the clear winner of the $150 prize.

“We had some passable Obama’s and McCain’s, but Mike was the only one who did both. When I heard Mike’s dueling candidates I laughed so hard I cried, ” said Berkley.

Kaminski is no newcomer to voice-over. A professional comedian, his celebrity voice impressions are frequently heard on radio stations in the US and abroad. “To perfect an impression takes weeks” Kaminski said. “McCain is pretty similar to Bush, who I’ve been doing for the past 8 years. Obama was tougher, but finally I nailed it.”

The Great Voice Company trains beginning and professional voice talent via tele-seminars and Boot camps. A famous voice herself, Berkley is the voice of AT&T and Citibank.

Berkley said voice impressions are a specialty that few people can do well. They are rarely used in commercials but are a perennial favorite on morning radio.“ The world is filled with embarrassingly bad Arnold Schwarzenegger imitators,” she says. “ Anyone can do Arnold’s famous ‘I’ll be back’ from the Terminator movies, but very few possess the skills to sustain the imitation without sounding like an idiot.”

But voice-over wanna-be’s shouldn’t worry if they can’t do imitations. Most jobs are done in the talent’s “normal street voice.”

The Great Voice Company offers a variety of free resources for those who want to explore opportunities in voice-over including a subscription to the “Inside Voice-over” Ezine and a CD entitled “5 Little Known Secrets Every Beginner Needs to Know About How To Get Started in Voice-over in 11 Months or Less.” For more information visit www.greatvoice.com

Listen Now to Mike’s Obama-McCain ‘Shouting Match’

Listen Now as Susan Berkley interviews Mike!

A special thanks to runners up:
J. Horace Black
Gerald McAlister
Lamarr Gulley
Bob Jordan

Do microphones make you jumpy? Does performing in class make you tense?  Do auditions make you a nervous wreck? If you’re a voice-over artist or hope to become one, a bad case of nerves can be a real liability. It can strike both beginner and experienced pro in class or worse, before or during a recording session. Sweaty palms, cotton mouth, shakiness, feelings of panic, rapid heartbeat and a shaky, weak voice. You might think: “I’ve worked so hard to get booked for this job. I’ve always dreamed of a voice-over career. Why is this happening to me?”

Performance anxiety or stage fright is one of the most common and terrifying fears.  The scary symptoms are caused by stress and a sudden overabundance of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline in the bloodstream.  The good news is, the adrenaline rush is short-lived and the excess adrenaline will burn off as you perform.  But stage fright, if not dealt with, can paralyze and inhibit many performers.  The careers of Barbara Streisand, Carly Simon and others were limited by this problem.  Johnny Carson experienced incredible anxiety before every show.  But, performance anxiety doesn’t begin with the scary symptoms of stage fright.  It starts within the hidden reaches of our inner life.  Unfortunately, most people are so out of touch with themselves they don’t even know what their inner life is or how to begin trying to find it.  According to psychoanalyst Dr. Norberto Keppe, our inner life is the seat of our talent and abilities.  Artistic inspiration flows through us from a source greater than ourselves and that can be scary indeed.  But, what also scares us is seeing how we unconsciously block this flow and complicate our professional development.  I will be revealing the secrets of how I built (and continue to enjoy) a million dollar voice-over career at the next Voice-over Bootcamp October 11th-13th.  But, you’ll have to hurry.  There are only two seats available, so click here for more details or call Jason at 800-333-8108 x229 for more details.

A voice-over subscriber writes:

“I have an agent in Pittsburgh and so far she has proven to be worthless (I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true).  I am quite good at this and simply need a break and really don’t know where to turn.  Any thoughts?  Thanks so much”.

Susan says:

You describe a common scenario.  You are not alone.  Here are some reasons why your agent may not be getting you work:

YOUR AGENT HASN’T BEEN GETTING CALLS FOR YOUR TYPE OF VOICE

I don’t know what kind of voice you have, but maybe it’s just not the type of voice that advertisers are looking for right now.  Let’s face it, Pittsburgh is a smaller market so opportunities might be more limited than they would be in NY or LA.

YOUR AGENT IS NOT A GOOD MARKETER

My hunch says that this is probably the reason.  Many (but not all) agents I know are frustrated voice talents or theatre people with poor business backgrouns.  They don’t really understand how hard you need to work to grow a business.  There are, of course, some notable exceptions.

THE AGENCY HAS TOO MANY OTHER VOICE TALENTS THAT SOUND LIKE YOU

If there are only a limited number of auditions with a limited number of spaces per audion, your agent might be favoring other voice talent with a better track record or their exclusive signed clientele.

THE PITTSBURGH VOICE-OVER MARKET IS SLOW

Sometimes there are market forces we can’t do anything about.  But, a talent agent who understands marketing can find opportunities even in a slow market or expand into other markets using the internet.

YOUR DEMO CD IS WEAK

I haven’t heard it, so I don’t know.  But, often an agency will add your demo to their house reel or website and send it to potential clients.  Your demo must be a real “grabber” so you stand out from the pack and get people to sit up and take notice.

There is a lesson here for all of us.  You cannot depend on anyone else for success.  I don’t care if you work and live in NY, LA, Pittsburgh or Sheboygan.  No one is coming to your rescue.  You must study marketing and learn how to do it yourself.  I will be revealing the secrets of how I built (and continue to enjoy) a million dollar voice-over career at the next Voice-over Bootcamp Oct 11th-13th.  But, you’ll have to hurry.  There are only two seats available, so click here for more details or call Jason at 800-333-8108 x229 for more details.

A subscriber writes:

“It seems sort of odd that you tell us NEVER say you are a beginner & in the cover letter you say to state your experience (if any).  If you don’t have experience and you don’t tell them so in your cover letter), wouldn’t the prospect get it figured out & throw your cd in the trash?  Jim

I firmly believe that if a prospect knows you are a beginner, he or she won’t want to hire you, unless you are willing to work for free.  Therefore, it’s especially important to get training that not only prepares you to perform professionally behind the mic, but also to present yourself professionally in your marketing materials so the question of whether you are a beginner or not will never even enter their mind.  This is what we teach you at The Great Voice Company in our teleseminars and Bootcamps.  When a prospect working for a company makes a buying decision about voice talent, he sees no benefit in working with a beginner.  The kind of people you SHOULD want to work with won’t be wanting to pinch pennies by working with a newbie.  They’re more concerned with looking good to customers and co-workers because they chose the right vendor who got the job done right the first time, met their budget and their timeline.  Few voice talent realize that what they’re really selling is not merely their voice, but their trustworthiness, reliability, professionalism and even their celebrity (even on the small town local level).  I say celebrity, because this gives the people who hire them bragging rights at the water cooler, elevating their status among their peers, a huge plus for cubicle workers in big, dull companies.  So, if your skills are not to the point where you can’t make a professional sounding demo, don’t.  Wait until you’re ready.  With a good coach and a great director, it’s possible for a beginner to make a strong entrance in the market and launch their career in record time.  The first step is to get a voice assessment from our talent coordinator Jason Davis.  If you haven’t already done, so please give him a call at 800-333-8108 during east coast business hours and ask him how to audition for our upcoming teleclass or email jason@greatvoice.com.

Michael Turnbull enjoying the voice-over lifestyle!

Michael with his daugther and grandchildren

When Michael Turnbull sold his business a few years ago, he could have comfortably retired, but he knew he wasn’t ready to sit in a rocking chair.  This was his time to do what he always wanted to do: voice-over!  After an initial training period with The Great Voice Company, Michael built studios in his summer home in Michigan and his winter home in Florida and set out to market himself as the warmly authoritative, mature voice of the baby boomer generation.  It worked!  He’s now a busy guy voicing documentaries, commercials and corporate audio for his many clients worldwide. 

Listen to his success story here…..

Save $250 off your investment in our next Voice-over Bootcamp, October 11th-13th in New York City.  $250 discount ends midnight on September 9th, 2008.  Seating is on a first come basis.  Discount is taken at check out on the registration page duing online sign up.  For more bootcamp information, click here!

Link for the visually impaired.

http://playaudio-345.com/play.asp?m=525659&f=ARDICZ&ps=7&p=1

 Moneen in a recording session, making her client happy!

A day at the beach with her beautiful children!

Moneen’s other “baby”, her beautiful Neumann U-87

Move over Hockey Moms and Soccer Moms!  Make way for the “Microphone Mom”, a new breed of woman enjoying a successful voice-over career working from their home studio. 

Moneen Daley Harte is the Queen of the Microphone Moms.  She’s a radio personality from Boston, MA and blends a thriving voice-over career and a satisfying home life with her husband and two beautiful children.

There’s alot for both men and women to learn from my interview with Moneen as she shares the exciting story of how she’s found new life behind the mic and quadrupled her voice-over income as a member of our Marketing Mastermind program.

Listen to Moneen share her story…

A link for the visually impaired…
http://playaudio-345.com/play.asp?m=525664&f=JQDPTH&ps=7&p=1

Save $250 off your investment in our next Voice-over Bootcamp, October 11th-13th in New York City.  $250 discount ends midnight, September 9th, 2008.  Seating is on a first come basis.  Discount is taken at check out on the registration page during online sign up.

For more bootcamp information click here!