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.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
GKN Weekly Update 12/27/10
Welcome to the final GKN Update of 2010!
So how was your Christmas? Mine was da bomb! X-Mas Eve was dinner at Mom's, the main course being a Sicilian Empanada (let me know if you want the recipe). X-Mas Day included watching Asha open her presents, Seeing True Grit, and for the eighth year in a row going to Tom & Sue Sylvester's home for Christmas dinner. What a great weekend!
Like many of you, I'm snowed in. I tried to be lazy today but I just couldn't help myself! I did a bunch of "end of year" stuff. The most important part was reviewing my 2010 Action Plan and seeing how I did. What would you like to hear first, the good news or the bad news? OK, bad news first...
OK, here is the good news...
Well, the fact that I made more money meant that I could reinvest more in my business, which is why I hit all of my materialistic goals. However, I fell short of hitting most of the "Quadrant 2" goals (goals that are important but not time sensitive). I did have a lot less time this year to get anything done both professionally and personally for many reasons, most of which could not be helped.
TIP OF THE WEEK: So, what did I learn in 2010?
1) Friends and family come first.
2) You can't take care of your friends and family if you don't take care of yourself first.
3) Find the balance!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: The goals you set are not what make your life. It’s the pursuit of the goals that make your life. And the character you develop. And the wisdom you acquire. And the people you touch.
STUFF: If any of you need a hand putting together your goals for 2011, don't hesitate to get in touch with me. I am always happy to help!
Once again, thank you for making the Good Karma Network a success. I have never received so many phone calls, emails, blog kudos, Tweets, and kind words as I have this year. It really, really means a lot to me.
Have a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2001!!!
So how was your Christmas? Mine was da bomb! X-Mas Eve was dinner at Mom's, the main course being a Sicilian Empanada (let me know if you want the recipe). X-Mas Day included watching Asha open her presents, Seeing True Grit, and for the eighth year in a row going to Tom & Sue Sylvester's home for Christmas dinner. What a great weekend!
Like many of you, I'm snowed in. I tried to be lazy today but I just couldn't help myself! I did a bunch of "end of year" stuff. The most important part was reviewing my 2010 Action Plan and seeing how I did. What would you like to hear first, the good news or the bad news? OK, bad news first...
- I recorded far, far fewer auditions this year both online and in-person.
- My marketing efforts started out great this year but fizzled big time. I did not reach my overall contacts goal (not even close!) and I missed my GKN membership goal by three. Three!
- I took no classes, had no coaching, and read very few articles or books about the industry.
- I didn't cut any new demos nor did I improve the old ones. I should have produced either a promo demo or an imaging demo this year to expand my marketability.
- I fell off my diet & exercise routine and gained about ten pounds. Yikes! Also, for years & years I used to get sick exactly twice a year. This year I lost count.
- I did not finish writing the "Project T.E.R.R.A." screenplay, which means I didn't submit it to festivals or competitions.
OK, here is the good news...
- Financially speaking, 2010 is the best VO year I have ever had.
- I hit all of my revenue goals and I was under budget for the year.
- I landed many new clients.
- I did VO's for a film and a major video game which have been goals of mine for a long time.
- I got a company logo.
- I got new pens.
- I got new business cards.
- I revamped my website.
- I was the ghost writer for a comic book (not a goal, just something cool that happened).
- The animated short I wrote called "Blastaway" is in production.
- I lowered my cholesterol to 169 (it was 285 at one point).
Well, the fact that I made more money meant that I could reinvest more in my business, which is why I hit all of my materialistic goals. However, I fell short of hitting most of the "Quadrant 2" goals (goals that are important but not time sensitive). I did have a lot less time this year to get anything done both professionally and personally for many reasons, most of which could not be helped.
TIP OF THE WEEK: So, what did I learn in 2010?
1) Friends and family come first.
2) You can't take care of your friends and family if you don't take care of yourself first.
3) Find the balance!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: The goals you set are not what make your life. It’s the pursuit of the goals that make your life. And the character you develop. And the wisdom you acquire. And the people you touch.
STUFF: If any of you need a hand putting together your goals for 2011, don't hesitate to get in touch with me. I am always happy to help!
Once again, thank you for making the Good Karma Network a success. I have never received so many phone calls, emails, blog kudos, Tweets, and kind words as I have this year. It really, really means a lot to me.
Have a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2001!!!
Monday, December 20, 2010
GKN Weekly Update 12.20.10
Happy Christmas Week! Shopping done? Presents wrapped? Stockings hung? It's an exciting week, ain't it?
So last week I finished the first 24 of 50 medical narration scripts. Whew! The hard part about these wasn't necessarily saying those big scary science-y words, it was the narration of formulas. It's not like narrating a list, even thought it's sort of a list. It's more like saying a phone number. Dat-dat-duh, dat-duh, dat-duh, you know? Also, in the middle of the formulas were a ton of parentheticals. For example, "X (the sum of A plus B), times Y (the units of energy), equals Z." Stuff like that.
TIP OF THE WEEK: I love science & math but I only took the minimum requirements in high school & college (I was too busy getting my thespian on!) so I need to really study these scripts to make sure I know what I'm talking about. However, it's not so much that you know what you're talking about, it's about SOUNDING like you know what you're talking about! Cadence & tone are just as important when trying to get ideas across as much as subject knowledge. Obviously, it's better to truly know the subject, but we only have so much time and so much brain capacity!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
So last week I finished the first 24 of 50 medical narration scripts. Whew! The hard part about these wasn't necessarily saying those big scary science-y words, it was the narration of formulas. It's not like narrating a list, even thought it's sort of a list. It's more like saying a phone number. Dat-dat-duh, dat-duh, dat-duh, you know? Also, in the middle of the formulas were a ton of parentheticals. For example, "X (the sum of A plus B), times Y (the units of energy), equals Z." Stuff like that.
TIP OF THE WEEK: I love science & math but I only took the minimum requirements in high school & college (I was too busy getting my thespian on!) so I need to really study these scripts to make sure I know what I'm talking about. However, it's not so much that you know what you're talking about, it's about SOUNDING like you know what you're talking about! Cadence & tone are just as important when trying to get ideas across as much as subject knowledge. Obviously, it's better to truly know the subject, but we only have so much time and so much brain capacity!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
Q: Am I evil?
A: You’re not smart enough to be evil.
(BTW that was me knocking some guy down a few pegs while he was trying to impress a girl. Good times!)
STUFF!: I saw "The Taking of Pelham 123" remake last night. Not good. It was a big disappointment since I'm such a huge Tony Scott fan. The original from the 70's was WAY better. If you have a free night and not sure what to rent, rent it! It starred Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. Great stuff!
From Tom Dheere's apartment, this is Tom Dheere, GKN News...
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
GKN Weekly Update 12/13/10
And a Happy Countdown-to-Christmas Monday! (man, I'm really reaching...)
I'm taking a break from my medical narrations to chat with you lovely folks. I did four scripts this morning and I would like to bang out at least one or two more before I call it a day. I need to do a total of seventeen by Friday so I'm pacing myself. Actually, they're not medical narrations. They're e-learning recordings, but they feel like medical narrations because of the subject matter (chemistry) and the vocabulary & formulas, so there you go.
Anyway, what I really want to talk about today is business cards. I exchanged many, many of them with my peers at the VO Mixer last week (man, I'm still basking in the warm glow of that!) and I noticed a few things that I want to share with you. Just to be fair, my business cards sucked for a long time and now I finally have some that I like so I'm sharing not only what I noticed about the cards I were handed at the Mixer, but also what others have told me about my old cards.
TIP OF THE WEEK: Business cards can make a very strong first impression. Everybody has their opinions about what makes a good business card, so I'm gonna throw a few things out there, in no particular order.
1. Unless you own or rent an office/studio/building do not put your address on your business card.
2. If you are going to put a website on your business card, it should be either yourname.com or yourbusiness.com. As a VO talent, I would even shy away from putting Voice123 or Voices.com as a website on there. One business card I got last week had a MySpace address on it. Yikes!
3. Don't describe your voice on your business card.
4. No images of microphones, please! It's way cliche. Either have a logo that doesn't include one or don't put a graphic on your card at all.
5. If you're not an actor or model, don't put your headshot on your card unless your face exactly matches your voice and even then I wouldn't recommend it. And even if you are an actor or a model, you should have a separate card anyway. Oh, and if you're really, really good-looking, forget everything I just said and put your pic on there.
6. If I call the number on your card, please have a professional-sounding voicemail. If I visit the website on your card, make sure all the links work and you have demos on the main page.
Remember folks, your business card is the gateway to you!
I'm taking a break from my medical narrations to chat with you lovely folks. I did four scripts this morning and I would like to bang out at least one or two more before I call it a day. I need to do a total of seventeen by Friday so I'm pacing myself. Actually, they're not medical narrations. They're e-learning recordings, but they feel like medical narrations because of the subject matter (chemistry) and the vocabulary & formulas, so there you go.
Anyway, what I really want to talk about today is business cards. I exchanged many, many of them with my peers at the VO Mixer last week (man, I'm still basking in the warm glow of that!) and I noticed a few things that I want to share with you. Just to be fair, my business cards sucked for a long time and now I finally have some that I like so I'm sharing not only what I noticed about the cards I were handed at the Mixer, but also what others have told me about my old cards.
TIP OF THE WEEK: Business cards can make a very strong first impression. Everybody has their opinions about what makes a good business card, so I'm gonna throw a few things out there, in no particular order.
1. Unless you own or rent an office/studio/building do not put your address on your business card.
2. If you are going to put a website on your business card, it should be either yourname.com or yourbusiness.com. As a VO talent, I would even shy away from putting Voice123 or Voices.com as a website on there. One business card I got last week had a MySpace address on it. Yikes!
3. Don't describe your voice on your business card.
4. No images of microphones, please! It's way cliche. Either have a logo that doesn't include one or don't put a graphic on your card at all.
5. If you're not an actor or model, don't put your headshot on your card unless your face exactly matches your voice and even then I wouldn't recommend it. And even if you are an actor or a model, you should have a separate card anyway. Oh, and if you're really, really good-looking, forget everything I just said and put your pic on there.
6. If I call the number on your card, please have a professional-sounding voicemail. If I visit the website on your card, make sure all the links work and you have demos on the main page.
Remember folks, your business card is the gateway to you!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: If I fret over tomorrow, I’ll have little joy today. Anonymous
STUFF!: What do you think makes for a great business card? Who has the best one you've ever seen?
From Tom Dheere's apartment, this is Tom Dheere, GKN News...
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
GKN Weekly Update 12.06.10
And a Happy...um, whatever, let's talk about the Mixer!
So, this past Saturday was the Third Annual New York Voice Over Mixer at the Tonic Bar in Times Square. I can't even begin to tell you what an incredible time I had, but I'm gonna try anyway. Here's a few pics to set the stage. This is a bunch of us at Mustang Harry's for lunch:
This is me and my buddies Rob Sciglimpaglia & Erik Shepard. Erik organized the Mixer so a HUGE thanks to him!
This is me and my big mouth yapping about the importance of networking events like the Mixer. Thanks for nodding along, Lauren!
And this is me and my pal Trish Basanyi on our way home from Langen's at about 1:30 AM. Thanks for helping me pick out my clothes, Trish!
There were almost 300 of us there and I made some new friends as well as catching up with the old ones. What more can I say? It rocked!
TIP OF THE WEEK: Yes, I could once again stress the importance of in-person networking, blah blah blah. As it turns out, I didn't do a shred of networking for myself. I spent most of the night introducing people to one another. I got far more enjoyment out of that than I would have if I had just been shoving my business cards in other people's hands and hoping for a lead.
What really impressed me was the amount of people who attended the event not knowing a single person there. They just dived right in! Those are the folks who are going to be successful VO talents someday. Take a lesson from them, my friends.
So, this past Saturday was the Third Annual New York Voice Over Mixer at the Tonic Bar in Times Square. I can't even begin to tell you what an incredible time I had, but I'm gonna try anyway. Here's a few pics to set the stage. This is a bunch of us at Mustang Harry's for lunch:
This is me and my buddies Rob Sciglimpaglia & Erik Shepard. Erik organized the Mixer so a HUGE thanks to him!
There were almost 300 of us there and I made some new friends as well as catching up with the old ones. What more can I say? It rocked!
TIP OF THE WEEK: Yes, I could once again stress the importance of in-person networking, blah blah blah. As it turns out, I didn't do a shred of networking for myself. I spent most of the night introducing people to one another. I got far more enjoyment out of that than I would have if I had just been shoving my business cards in other people's hands and hoping for a lead.
What really impressed me was the amount of people who attended the event not knowing a single person there. They just dived right in! Those are the folks who are going to be successful VO talents someday. Take a lesson from them, my friends.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Happiness isn’t having more, it’s wanting less. Anonymous
STUFF!: I just wanna say hi to all the new friends I made at the Mixer. these are all talented, wonderful people so start throwing sacks of cash at them for VO work, right now!
They are: Amy Ricalde, Christina Spataro, Dick McDonough, Leah Vidal, Eric Vitale, Lauren Sowa, Josey Miller, Dave Satkowski, Adriana Sananes, Mary Ann Ayan, Mathilde Dratwa, Alan Pinter, Talia Gonzalez, and Phil Hwang. Nice meeting all of you!
From Tom Dheere's apartment, this is Tom Dheere, GKN News...
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
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