The Good Karma Network is an entertainment industry support group. We're here to help each other cast projects, get cast in projects, advertise the projects we get cast in, and share tips and tricks to succeeding in our field.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
GKN Weekly Update 10/26/09
Happy Old Daylight Savings Time Day! How do I know this? The clock on my VCR went back an hour and for the life of me I can't fix it! When is the new one?
Anyway, I've noticed that I've been recording from home a lot more than I used to, at least in the past two months. I audition online, I record the files in my home studio aka my padded-down front closet, edit it, save it, and email it to the client. More often than not I get paid via PayPal, which means no trip to the bank. So I look for work, get work, and get paid for work without having the leave the house! Pretty nice, huh?
However, I make it a point to exercise, shower, eat, get dressed, and make sure I'm at my desk & ready to go by 9AM. Why? This is a job, just like any other. Also, I feel more energized & productive if I'm...presentable. I think that's the right word. Maybe professional? Something like that. Anyway, the days I don't do that I get less work done. Weird, huh?
TIP OF THE WEEK: Do whatever you need to do to be as prepared and motivated as possible for your day. If you feel like you aren't, change your routine, maybe even your diet. Find the right formula to put you at your best!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: We are not here to curse the darkness, we are here to light a candle. John F. Kennedy
(BTW I had to go back to the top of my quote list because I ran out. I have 195!)
DISCUSS!: Do you work from home? What do you do to get yourself ready for the day?
Have a great week!
Anyway, I've noticed that I've been recording from home a lot more than I used to, at least in the past two months. I audition online, I record the files in my home studio aka my padded-down front closet, edit it, save it, and email it to the client. More often than not I get paid via PayPal, which means no trip to the bank. So I look for work, get work, and get paid for work without having the leave the house! Pretty nice, huh?
However, I make it a point to exercise, shower, eat, get dressed, and make sure I'm at my desk & ready to go by 9AM. Why? This is a job, just like any other. Also, I feel more energized & productive if I'm...presentable. I think that's the right word. Maybe professional? Something like that. Anyway, the days I don't do that I get less work done. Weird, huh?
TIP OF THE WEEK: Do whatever you need to do to be as prepared and motivated as possible for your day. If you feel like you aren't, change your routine, maybe even your diet. Find the right formula to put you at your best!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: We are not here to curse the darkness, we are here to light a candle. John F. Kennedy
(BTW I had to go back to the top of my quote list because I ran out. I have 195!)
DISCUSS!: Do you work from home? What do you do to get yourself ready for the day?
Have a great week!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
GKN Weekly Update 10/19/09
Good morning!
I hope everyone got through the weekend warm & dry.
So, I have a new voiceover client. It's a local production company who makes some high-quality commercials for local cable stations. My contact there is Russian (my favorite accent of all time!) and so are all of the companies I have lent my voice to through him. He's a great guy and pays very quickly (yay PayPal!). The scripts have been translated from Russian as well. Some of the sentences have been a bit clunky and other have been nigh unreadable for an English speaking audience.
I have offered to clean up the scripts a bit. My contact has always been happy to take my revisions to the company in question to see what they think. Sometimes they said yes, sometimes no. So, the challenge has been to narrate scripts that aren't grammatically correct. I discovered that if you phrase the sentences in certain ways you can navigate most of the grammar oversights.
TIP OF THE WEEK: In the story I just shared, collaboration works for some of the companies and not for others. Everything has been fine with this particular client, but not all clients are like this. Be careful not to step on any body's toes. In other words, writing the script is not your job. Your job is to make script sound great, period.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby
DISCUSS!: Have you ever had a well-intended script suggestion go horribly wrong?
Have a great week!
I hope everyone got through the weekend warm & dry.
So, I have a new voiceover client. It's a local production company who makes some high-quality commercials for local cable stations. My contact there is Russian (my favorite accent of all time!) and so are all of the companies I have lent my voice to through him. He's a great guy and pays very quickly (yay PayPal!). The scripts have been translated from Russian as well. Some of the sentences have been a bit clunky and other have been nigh unreadable for an English speaking audience.
I have offered to clean up the scripts a bit. My contact has always been happy to take my revisions to the company in question to see what they think. Sometimes they said yes, sometimes no. So, the challenge has been to narrate scripts that aren't grammatically correct. I discovered that if you phrase the sentences in certain ways you can navigate most of the grammar oversights.
TIP OF THE WEEK: In the story I just shared, collaboration works for some of the companies and not for others. Everything has been fine with this particular client, but not all clients are like this. Be careful not to step on any body's toes. In other words, writing the script is not your job. Your job is to make script sound great, period.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby
DISCUSS!: Have you ever had a well-intended script suggestion go horribly wrong?
Have a great week!
Monday, October 12, 2009
GKN Weekly Update 10/12/09
Happy Columbus Day! Is this the one where they have all the white sales? I get them mixed up...
For those of you who didn't catch one of my Tweet/Feed/Status Update things today, I was recently informed that I am now on the roster of Awareness Audio Books. They're based in Pennsylvania and focus on stories about addiction and substance abuse. I haven't been so excited since I landed that Danielle Steel audio book!
Many people have asked me how I landed the Danielle Steel gig. Simple: I cold-called just about every single listing in the Audio Publishers Association directory! It took a long time but it was well worth it. That's also how I got connected with Infinivox, who just today sent me my copies of their two newest publications which I had the privilege of being a part of: "The Year's Top Ten Tales of Science Fiction" and "Aliens Rule". I narrated eight stories for the first one and one for the second.
TIP OF THE WEEK: I narrate audio books because I decided that this is something I really, REALLY want to do. Once the decision was made, I made some online inquiries, read articles, and hunted for lists of contacts to cold-call. It took a long time and was a big ole' pain in the rump, but eventually it worked. Why was I so motivated? Because I try very hard not to be the guy that waddles up to your cubicle at the office and says "Gee, I wish I was in Hawaii" and then try to make you unhappy, too. If I want to go to Hawaii, then I'm gonna save up, find a good travel agent, and make it happen! Don't be that guy.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: (Campaign Slogan) We Polked you in ’44, we shall Pierce you in ’52. Franklin Pierce
DISCUSS!: What is the one thing you want that you know you can achieve, but never got the resolve do to? How can you make it happen?
Have a great week!
For those of you who didn't catch one of my Tweet/Feed/Status Update things today, I was recently informed that I am now on the roster of Awareness Audio Books. They're based in Pennsylvania and focus on stories about addiction and substance abuse. I haven't been so excited since I landed that Danielle Steel audio book!
Many people have asked me how I landed the Danielle Steel gig. Simple: I cold-called just about every single listing in the Audio Publishers Association directory! It took a long time but it was well worth it. That's also how I got connected with Infinivox, who just today sent me my copies of their two newest publications which I had the privilege of being a part of: "The Year's Top Ten Tales of Science Fiction" and "Aliens Rule". I narrated eight stories for the first one and one for the second.
TIP OF THE WEEK: I narrate audio books because I decided that this is something I really, REALLY want to do. Once the decision was made, I made some online inquiries, read articles, and hunted for lists of contacts to cold-call. It took a long time and was a big ole' pain in the rump, but eventually it worked. Why was I so motivated? Because I try very hard not to be the guy that waddles up to your cubicle at the office and says "Gee, I wish I was in Hawaii" and then try to make you unhappy, too. If I want to go to Hawaii, then I'm gonna save up, find a good travel agent, and make it happen! Don't be that guy.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: (Campaign Slogan) We Polked you in ’44, we shall Pierce you in ’52. Franklin Pierce
DISCUSS!: What is the one thing you want that you know you can achieve, but never got the resolve do to? How can you make it happen?
Have a great week!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
GKN Weekly Update 10/5/09
Happy October! Al Roker has issued a Tweed Alert (does anyone under the age of 50 even wear that stuff?) and I'm sportin' my flannel today.
Last week I had a recording session at Full House Productions (insert Bob Saget joke here) for Oxford University Press as a test narrator. The session lasted a grand total of five minutes! Basically I had to count to ten, read some test headings, and that was it. Then I had lunch with my friend Jessica at a cafe down the street from the studio. We had a great conversation about film, politics, etc. On top of all that, the weather was perfect that day. Seriously, what more could you ask for?
It's very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutia of life. I'm very grateful that I have my health, good friends, and a career that I love. Days like that serve to remind me of how good I have it.
TIP OF THE WEEK: It's cliche, but it's always worth repeating: count your blessings!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots. Frank A. Clark
DISCUSS!: Are you doing what you want with your life? When was the last time you took a moment to stop and be thankful for what you have?
Have a great week!
Last week I had a recording session at Full House Productions (insert Bob Saget joke here) for Oxford University Press as a test narrator. The session lasted a grand total of five minutes! Basically I had to count to ten, read some test headings, and that was it. Then I had lunch with my friend Jessica at a cafe down the street from the studio. We had a great conversation about film, politics, etc. On top of all that, the weather was perfect that day. Seriously, what more could you ask for?
It's very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutia of life. I'm very grateful that I have my health, good friends, and a career that I love. Days like that serve to remind me of how good I have it.
TIP OF THE WEEK: It's cliche, but it's always worth repeating: count your blessings!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots. Frank A. Clark
DISCUSS!: Are you doing what you want with your life? When was the last time you took a moment to stop and be thankful for what you have?
Have a great week!
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