The VOHeroes Podcast

Hey there, hero! We've just opened registration for the new 2023 ACX Master Class, and because so much has changed for voice talent in the audiobook narration world and with ACX, I invited you all last week to ask me questions. And I got some great ones: on the editing, on how to judge a book's potential profit, on how much time it actually takes to narrate a book and more. I answer all...

Hey there, hero! Next week, Dan O'Day and I will be opening registration for the brand-spankin'-new edition of the ACX Master Class. In fact, we're running (as this podcast episode is being released live) a series of free video training on ACX, audiobook narration, the tech you need, the challenges you'll face (and how, as a new narrator, we've seen our students meet them)...

Hey there, hero! How many times have you approached decisions around the choices you make when doing auditions as "Sure, I can do that!" …when you clearly are not the type the character demands? Like, way outside your age range, your lineage, your vocal style and more? What about taking the time to choose your auditions based on how much you align with that character? Using a little jiu-...

Hey there, hero! I had a few questions as to what was up with the episode count, and it all boils down to me taking my own advice. I spent decades in broadcasting, and was one of the first podcasters ever. So…I wanted to take the time to tally all of the production from my first podcasts (the Online Tonight daily RealAudio-laden emails in 1996) through the rest of my daily syndicated days on AM, F...

Hey there, hero! Although I've tried very hard to take away the fear of starting something new, I've paid little attention to celebrating when we actually accomplish whatever that thing is. I want to change that in this episode, because if we're going to have the gumption to attempt something, we definitely have to take a moment when we actually get that something done. It certainly...

Hey there, hero! In a recent episode of the podcast, I talked about keeping price and value straight, and supporting your price points by pointing out the value of what you do as a performer. All well and good, unless you're just starting off and you don't feel as though you bring a lot of value. You do. And in this episode, I look at a couple of things to remember, even if you're a...

Hey there, hero! What runs through your mind when you hit that SEND button for the audition you just created? High hopes, excitement, anticipation, maybe a sense of satisfaction? Great. Fast forward to a couple of days later. Are you still thinking about it? Wondering how it landed with the casting person? And maybe thinking you need to follow up? Maybe you are one of those actors and voice talent...

Hey there, hero! The digital age has made the links we voice in commercials, documentaries, audiobooks, IVR and so many other categories of work even more important that what used to be the crucial contact info: the phone number is no longer number one. And how we voice URLs, the links on the Web, social media handles and email addresses can make or break the response your clients get from your wo...

Hey there, hero! It takes a lot of time and effort to get our tools, like Audacity, dialed in so that we can use them efficiently in our work, and so that we can rely on them from session to session. (BTW, if you want tips on setting up Audacity, subscribing to our Coach Stuart's newsletter on how to use Audacity better should be on your list. Here's a link to sign up (it's free!):...

Hey there, hero! When a VOHeroes Pro has a success, I always take a moment to savor that. Whether it's a breakthrough in training, an equipment or software victory, or something as major as a booking, it's a moment to celebrate. And I try my best to find out the details: what did you do that led to this? What did you learn? What does it feel like to achieve this success? And so, when I g...

Hey there, hero! One of the skills we acquire as we become more experienced in performing on-camera and voice over acting is the notion of reframing when we encounter an outcome that is less than satisfactory. Instead of allowing that moment to hurt us, we re-frame it as a learning moment and growth opportunity. It's really useful. Usually. There's one aspect of these moments that we can...

Hey there, hero! I had the joy of working with a rights holder, not on ACX, but on Scribe Media (as well as Scribe's team) as the narrator of an inspirational business book called Epic Life, by Justin Breen: https://www.audible.com/pd/Epic-Life-Audiobook/B0BFZ7Q6XT Justin is a rare entrepreneur that doesn't let his business life get in the way of his family life, and we'll talk abou...

Hey there, hero! Self-improvement, career growth and social media expert Josh Spector, <a href="https://medium.com/an-idea-for-you/how-to-simplify-your-day-137a3cfb33dc" target="_blank">in an article over on Medium</a>, has put together a neat little package of seven simple strategies for making your workday smoother, more organized and simpler. I think you'll...

Hey there, hero! Deconstruction. Vigilance. Speed. What do these things have in common with one of my favorite Persian proverbs (or any proverb, for that matter)? They fully support the notion that you can hold sway over the sometimes random events in our nutty little business - by putting them each into play. Once you've heard what I have to say about this...is the fear still there (listen t...

Hey there, hero! Do you worry about failure? About making mistakes? Does that worry stop you from even trying to take on new things or difficult issues? No problem. I have a surefire process for never making any mistakes ever again. You probably won't like it, but it will work every time. I'm sure you'll reject it, but isn't it what you're doing now to avoid mistakes and f...

Hey there, hero! We all have our feelings about pricing our voice over services: uncertainty, frustration, bewilderment, confusion and occasionally, satisfaction. One of the times that can be very challenging is when we decide to really lower our rates in an effort to make it a no-brainer for someone to hire us. Big mistake. In this episode, I discuss the failure of a fellow artist to attract any...

Hey there, hero! First, here's the link to the insanely over-engineered backup system, I use and teach to my Pros: https://voheroes.com/backup Now...once you've reviewed that, and maybe even decide to implement it so you can sleep easier at night, let's see how "backing up for easy recovery, not just disaster" matters when it comes to staying focused on the things we'...

Hey there, hero! Picking up right where we left off in our interview with the amazing Anne Ganguzza, she gets to the nitty gritty of answering questions about the perceived threat of artificial intelligence, synthetic voices, the theft of our livelihoods and what preparation we should engage in to meet our digital futures...head on. She also tackles the panic: what do we do? Where do we go? Who sh...

Hey there, hero! One of my fave peeps in the entire VO world is Anne Ganguzza. She was a coach when we were VO2GoGo, and she's gone on to become a force to be reckoned with with sites like VOPeeps and the VOBoss Podcast. And one of her superpowers is combining tech with VO. That's kind of in demand these days, not only to support her clients but also to deal with the perceived threat of...

Hey there, hero! In another episode of this podcast, I talked about the difference between "easy" and "straightforward." That got people thinking about how they start new processes and how they look at how long getting good at something can take. Let's flip that on the head, and help you ease the burden of something that appears to be extraordinarily daunting - let's...

Hey there, hero! My buddy Bob just called me, and on occasion, he says something brilliant. This was one of those times. He said "When you're looking at how successful you might be at something, don't forget: you yourself are one of the variables." Brilliant. And worth remembering when you start looking at how long it will take you to make the money back that you spend on train...

Hey there, hero! Here's something to mull over as you decide to embark on a new experience: there's a big difference between something being easy... ...and something being Straightforward... ...and something being time-consuming. The differences can make or break you in terms of success. Ever encounter something that you chalked up to being easy, but was anything but, because it was so t...

Hey there, hero! I get it. "AI" has two short syllables, and "synthetic voices" has five longer ones, so it's a bit more time-consuming to say. But it might be useful to try to commit to using the latter, rather than the former, despite its slightly longer length, when we start feeling concerned about our future as human voice talent. Artificial intelligence (AI) is used i...

Hey there, hero! We're all on a journey. Our own journey. With different speeds, timelines, and horizons. And we can easily forget about considering time when plugging along on the highway to getting it all done. I'd like to remind you to be gentle with yourself when you start examining your results...especially with when you actually judge yourself, because things like this take time. A...

Hey there, hero! Estimating how long things take, from small, short things like auditions, to longer, multi-step projects like recording and editing an audiobook, is an art as well as a science. And one of the ways we protect ourselves is to give each project more than enough time. I'd like to suggest that you consider being more stingy with your schedule. See if things can take less time, wi...