GKN Weekly Update 1/14/09

Howdy!

Sorry for the late post but I was recording all day for the past two days. I'll tell you about it next week. This week I tell you about what happened last week and next week I tell about what happened this week. How did I get into that rut? Should I start posting on Fridays and sum up the week? Hmm...

Anyway, I have a bunch of goodies for you!

In case you don't remember, I’ve been hired as a host for Comic Book Mania (www.cbmania.com). I write reviews of comics books, movies, video games, and anime. Then I record them and send them to CBM and they post it on their website. Soon I’ll also do phone and in-person interviews, like you’ll see the girl “Militia” doing on the link to my first show…

http://www.cbmania.com/Show7.html (my stuff starts about 2:40 in if you wanna skip Militia interviewing the anime geeks). My stuff in this episode is VO only, BTW.

I’ll be working the NY Comic Con next month so that should be a blast. It’s amazing how a hobby can turn into a career!

For those of you on the GKN Yahoo Group, I added some new applications that you may enjoy: Address Book and Birthdays. You can find them on the left column of the home page. Feel free to use them. There are a bunch of other apps I can add, if you'd like. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Check out this new picture of Agent 122!



Teddy has done it again! She should have a full-body image pretty soon. Thanks Teddy!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Let's continue our exploration of the five areas of our business that we should focus on every day. They are: Finances, Technique, Tools, Marketing, and Health. Staying on the subject of Finances, the Internet is an invaluable tool to help you find work in our industry. Here are the work sites I discovered in 2008:

www.castingnewyork.com
www.craigshelper.com
www.crazedlist.org
www.elance.com
www.gigslist.org
newyork.kijiji.com
www.myactingagent.com
www.simplyhired.com

I check them out every day in hopes of finding work. Some of them are great, some are meh. Check them out!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: I think work and business can be creative and exciting. A hoot. A growth experience. A journey of lifelong learning and constant surprise. Tom Peters

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: What websites do you use to seek work, if any? How did you find them? Please share!

Have a great week!

GKN Weekly Update 1/05/09

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun time. I was at my friend Jim's house and we had a blast!

My friend David Cicarelli at Voices.com just released "The Report on the Voice Over Industry 2009". You can download it here. This is a great read! It breaks down the voiceover industry in a detailed, thoughtful way and provides many fascinating statistics. David asked me to share my thoughts about 2009. So, here we go...

2009 will be a very challenging year for many of us in the voiceover industry. With our economy the way it is, many of those smaller companies that provide talents like me with that "fill in the gap" income will tighten the belt, which means less opportunities for work. What to do? It's the same answer I always give: network, network, network! Become more active on those networking sites. Make more cold calls. Attend networking events like MCA-I or that great VO Mixer Erik & September organized last month. Search the internet for places to submit your demo. Join great sites like Voices.com. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please share!

My friend Mike Root asked me to announce a charity event his store is hosting. I work & play there and this is a great cause! Please pass it along...

All In One Collectibles, located at 490 East Main St. in Denville, NJ, will host a Charity Events Weekend Jan 16th-18th, 2009 to benefit Congenital Heart Defects. We will be having tons of events for the following games: Heroclix, World of Warcraft card game and miniatures game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Advanced Format, Guitar Hero World Tour and Smash Bros Brawl. For more information, go to: http://allinonecollectibles.com/dchecrre2.html. There will be tons of prizes and FREE food for all participants. Come on out and play the games you love for a great cause. Contact us with any questions (973)664-0912.

TIP OF THE WEEK: Every year I like to talk about the five areas of our business that we should focus on every day. They are: Finances, Technique, Tools, Marketing, and Health. Today we'll start with Finances...

Tax time is quickly approaching and there's an extra layer of fun for us actors, dancers, VO talents, etc. Remember to track your mileage, tolls, parking fees, office supplies, postage, and even your PayPal fees. These are all tax deductible! Did you know you can deduct a portion of your rent if you have a home office? If any of you have tax-related questions or suggestions, please share!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Yesterday, I checked into a motel room and said to the receptionist, "I hope the porn channel in my room is disabled." "No," she said, "It's regular porn, you sicko." Don Berns

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: What are your goals for 2009? Did you write them down?

Have a great week and an even greater 2009!!!

GKN Weekly Update 12/29/08

Hello and welcome to the last Good Karma Network Weekly Update of 2008! I hope everyone has enjoyed their holiday season so far. For the past few years I've spent Christmas with one of my best friends and his family and I had a great time!

So, I took a look at my 2008 voiceover career. This is how it breaks down...

The bad news is that my voiceover revenue dropped by 1/3. What the hell happened?! It's pretty simple, really. The Danielle Steel audio book accounts for half of that loss. The Foonz gig (a great company in New England I did hundreds of phone prompts for) accounts for the other half. These were wonderful clients for short-term projects that didn't have work for me this year. Ouch! I guess I won the lottery twice last year. Also, the economy took a serious toll on me this quarter. Many of my clients who said they had work for me just didn't come through since they're having money trouble on their end. I'll just have to tighten the belt and work even harder next year!

This is the good news:

# of new voiceover clients: 18
# of new GKN Members: 47
Types of voiceover gigs: E-learning, audio books, website intros, medical narrations, commercials, podcast intros & outros, promos, radio dramas, PSA's

So, more clients, more GKN members, and a very diverse group of voiceover gigs! What does it mean? It means my marketing & networking action plans are working. Yay!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Aside from the serious financial setback, I had an amazing year! I made new friends, landed many new clients, and most importantly, I learned a few things about life in general. I learned that the only person responsible for your successes & failures is you. Don't be the "I got an A but my teacher gave me an F" kind of person. To be an adult is to be responsible aka "response-able" for ALL of your actions.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Anonymous

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: How was 2008 for you? What will you do to make 2009 even better?

Have a safe, happy and healthy New Year!!!

GKN Weekly Update 12/22/08

Happy Hanukkah!

For those of you who celebrate, I hope you enjoyed the first of your eight gifts. Don't forget to light those candles!

Okay, fun stuff first! The guys at Bunko Studios posted the Cartoon Network pilot I was in. You can see it on Vimeo or YouTube. The Vimeo version is much higher in quality so I recommend that one. I hope you enjoy it!

Comic Book Mania started posting some of my work on their website. If you go to www.cbmania.com and watch the CBMania TV video you can hear me plugging the New York Comic Con. It doesn't come up immediately so enjoy the trailers & interviews while you wait! They'll overhaul the website in the next few weeks. That's when you can check out the reviews & other promos I've been recording.

Besides my usual ETS gig, I had an interesting on-camera audition for Ticketmaster last week. As soon as I walked into the room, the girl asked me to take off my shirt. Bow-chicka-wow-wow! I had to pretend I was shaving my chest so I could body-paint myself for the big football game. I'm more than just another barrel-chested hunk, you know! I'm a human being! Um, hello, I'm up here?

TIP OF THE WEEK: So, 2008 is quickly drawing to a close. It's really not a cliche when they say that time speeds up as you get older! Next week I'll post my Year In Review. It would be great to see you guys post your own versions. I'd love to know how 2008 treated you. Specifically, Did the Good Karma Network have any effect on your business? Were you cast from any notices posted here? Did you make any connections? I strongly recommend taking the time to look back on the year not just for my curiosity but for yourself. Take advantage of this time to reflect on the year.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Life is what happens when you're making other plans. John Lennon

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Did you achieve your goals? Have you started your action plan for next year?

Have a safe and Merry Christmas!

GKN Weekly Update 12/15/08

How ya doing, dudes? Another day, another yucky Giants game! Brandon Jacobs had better get back on the field soon...

Anyway, I had a mighty crazy week. It was sorely welcome considering how slow things have been!

First of all, I'd like to welcome our 100th Good Karma Network member! Woo hoo!!! Her name is Christina Rodgriguez. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the VO Mixer and she is a very talented & engaging voice actor. You can see her stuff at www.christinarodriguezonline.com. Stand up and say hello, Christina!

I had four recording sessions in three days! Three for ETS and one for FMP. This was the last session to finish Rider University's "Top Careers In Two Years" video series. I look forward to working with them again soon!

The Tom Dheere era of Comic Book Mania has begun! Last week I started reviewing comic books and anime for them, as well as narrating promos for their website. Their site will be overhauled in a few weeks and that's when you'll see my stuff on there.

TIP OF THE WEEK: 100 GKN members! I can't tell you how proud I am. It's a testament to all of the wonderful people who are a part of the Good Karma Network as well as the message, which is to network, support each other, and have fun! Please remember to believe not only in your work but to believe in the work of your peers. Support their efforts, encourage them to better themselves, and always be there for them.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin-it's the triumphant twang of a bedspring. S. J Perelman

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: How have you helped your colleagues improve their craft? How often do you refer them to clients so they can get more work?

Have a great week!

GKN Weekly Update 12/8/08

Oh, hello there!

I hope everybody had a great weekend, even you Eagles fans! Man, did the Giants poop their pants yesterday or what? Anyway, on to less distressing topics...

First and foremost, I want to say hello to all of the wonderful people (especially fellow GKN members!) who I saw at the New York Voiceover Mixer this past Friday night. It was great seeing so many people who I've known via the Internet for years but never got the chance to meet face-to-face. Click on the link to see the guest list and photos! If you guys have any photos from that night, feel free to post them here and put them in the "Photos" section of the GKN.

Thanks to those of you who watched 30 Rock last Thursday. I got a ton of Facebook messages & emails saying "I saw you! I saw you!" I think I saw myself about nine times. A lot of them were kind of obscure, but who cares! It was awesome! If you missed the episode you can watch the whole thing at: http://www.nbc.com/30_Rock. It was pretty darn funny!

Another sci-fi audio book I narrated was recently released. This one is called "Guest Law" by John C. Wright. I especially enjoyed this one because I got to use about half a dozen accents! You can hear some of it by going here and clicking on the "excerpt" link. Thanks to Allan Kaster on Infinivox for casting me!

I found a bunch of websites to network and find jobs! They are:
Bodalgo
Zoom Info
Xing
ODesk

If you have any experience with them please let us know!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Wow, that was a lot of cool stuff in one week! It once again reminds me that the most important part of being successful in our industry is relationships. Specifically, networking to forge and develop relationships. You need to get out there, make phone calls, send postcards, and most importantly, meet people face-to-face. It makes all the difference!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: The inside of my mind looks like Denzel’s back in glory. Dave Chapelle

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: When was the last time you attended a networking party? Met a peer for coffee just to talk shop? Or just picked up the phone and chatted with a client?

Have a great week!

GKN Weekly Update 12/1/08

Happy Post Thanksgiving Meltdown!

I hope everybody had a great time. I was extremely pleased to have little Asha sitting on my lap gumming mashed potatoes.

Since it was a short week there wasn't too much action. I did have an ETS gig in Princeton on Wednesday.

I updated my client database. BTW I use ACT! which is perfect for holding all sorts of info, sending out mass emails, printing mailing labels, etc. I made sure I had an email address for all of my contacts which resulted in some very nice conversations.

The 30 Rock episode I'm an extra in will air this Thursday night at 9:30 PM. If you blink you'll miss it! Actually, I was in a lot of shots so I like my chances of getting some decent air time. I'll be one of the alumni attending the high school reunion. Look for the very sexy dude wearing a blue blazer!

TIP OF THE WEEK: So I got a CT Scan today and I saw my new kidney stone. This one is 2mm wide, much smaller than the last one. It's either in the bladder or it's at the base of the ureter, which is good news. There's an 80-90% chance it'll pass normally. Fingers crossed! Anyway, I've already covered being thankful and good health blah blah blah so let's go with something more practical: health insurance!

First of all, make sure you have it. Second, it can be difficult to find a good single coverage policy that isn't too expensive and won't hose you when an emergency comes up. I've had Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield for a few months now and so far it's been pretty good to me. HOWEVER, there has been a problem with processing my claims because for some reason they never got the Certificates of Credible Coverage from my previous health insurance providers. I don't know if it's my fault or the insurance companies' fault but make sure you get this stuff straightened out nice & early if you switch providers. Trust me, you'll be better off for it!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught. J.C. Watts

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Do you have health insurance? Do you have a good plan that covers your everyday and emergency needs?

Have a great week!