Voiceovers | Charlotte Voiceover Talent | Voiceover | Radio Imaging | Audio Editing

Behind the Mic of VH1's BEHIND THE MUSIC

2010-03-11T11:48:00Z

When I was growing up in the '70's there weren't many opportunities to really get in depth stories about artists in the music business. As a matter of fact, I remember that it was difficult to find the words of a song that I liked. For me, that changed when Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album came out, because the lyrics were included in the 33rpm album – this was an absolute "value added feature". (Oh, sorry...an album was a piece of vinyl that had grooves in it and when a turntable's arm was placed on the spinning grooves, music would magically appear through the speakers. Um, darn, sorry again, a turntable is....................)

If I was able to stay up late enough in my time zone, that would have been 1:30AM, I could watch Don Kirshner's "Rock Concert" and that was the first glimpse of a music video I ever had. Of course, I became aware of American Bandstand at some point and that ushered in a whole new way to see those I listened to. Oh, and I always listened to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 with all those "long distance dedications". Funny thing, I get to relive that show with XM Satellite Radio nowadays.

When I moved to Los Angeles in 1987 to pursue acting and voiceover, I looked for my first place to get my feet wet in the voiceover world. When I saw M.G. "Machine Gun" Kelly was teaching a class, heck I HAD to get in. I had listened to him on the radio growing up – that made my anticipation grow even deeper to get the class started. I had hear "The Gunner" many, many times on the radio growing up. I can still hear him weekends on a local Charlotte station!

Fast forward to the late '90's, I had been in/around the entertainment business/acting/voiceover for nearly a decade when I saw the cable show: VH1's Behind the Music. To this day, I enjoy shows like this and others such as Biography etc. Why? Many reasons, however the one that stands out the most is that I'm usually wrong when it comes to thoughts or perceptions of a particular singer, or actor for that matter. Once I learn of their "story", it often shatters any foolish misconceptions I've erected. This attitude adjustment is welcomed and it's something that I have taught my daughters – I don't want them to form, so called, opinions of people without knowing the full story.

How does all this relate to voiceover?

Just days ago I saw VH1's Behind the Music on the cable guide. I didn't care, nor did I look to see who the musical artist was in the expose', I just wanted to "hear THAT guy tell the story". Yep, I'm a huge fan of that "storyteller and his voice". While I'm not forming opinions here (remember, I told you all about that stuff in the previous paragraph , I always felt like the narrator speaking as if he were someone who was connected with the band or artist firsthand – as if the story he was telling was his own account. Folks, THAT, is what voiceover is all about...if you can do that, tell the story like it's your own, I will promise you success.

Well, as a voiceover actor myself, I have always been impressed with this guy's storytelling ability along with his distinctive voice and wanted to let him know – to encourage him that his craft has made a positive impact on someone. I was willing to risk the chance of appearing like some dang goon for emailing "the voice of Behind the Music" and figured at best I would get a "thank you", which would have been fine.

Following is the email exchange I had with Mr. Jim Forbes, the voice of VH1's Behind The Music. I hope you can draw something from this that will positively impact your voiceover career in some way...I really do.

February 28th, 2010

Hello Mr. Forbes, I wanted to take a quick moment to encourage you on something. I've done voiceover since the late '80's and trained with Machine Gun Kelly, Weist-Barron-Hill in Burbank as well as others and was always taught that "you are uniquely you" – no one will read a script exactly like you, sound like you nor have the same life experiences that you bring to a script. That said, I had always been impressed by the guy who narrated Behind The Music.

I'm almost ashamed to say I never investigated to see who the narrator was – something I always do now. I bring all this up to encourage you that your story telling and all that you bring as a person to your narration of Behind The Music has really stuck with me. I recently saw BTM on the TV listing and I didn't even care who the artist was that was being highlighted, I wanted to hear "that guy" tell the story in "that voice".

Well, I said I would be quick, thus I'll leave you with this: I think I have learned afresh that for me to continue to be the best I can be will heavily rely on "me, being me". I've paid for a lot of voiceover classes in my day and it's good to "hear it illustrated" through your work.

Thanks for your time and continued success & blessings to you and your family. I may write up a blog post about you and point to your site as well if that's OK.

Jim Forbes response, March 10, 2010:

Hello Brian~

Many thanks for the kind and generous words and apologies for not having responded sooner.

You strike a chord, as prior to a session I've often been asked to "just do that thing you do." And I laugh as I respond, "that's convenient, because I only play me." As you were taught and no doubt adhere to, the only unique quality each of us brings to the mic is ourselves. For me, it didn't come with training as much as experience.

I didn't travel the traditional voiceover route; it evolved as a reporter starting in 1979. I pride myself as a writer, but am print-trained as a fourth generation journalist. My early broadcast copy often resembled that of print and wasn't the most conversational to deliver. That evolved through the years. And as my conversational storytelling improved as a writer, so too did my verbal storytelling.

So by the time BTM came around in '97, 18 years later, it was a comfortable fit. I was actually one of the original producers. I enjoy long-form immensely as it allows nuance and texture. And 4-500 hours of documentary programming later I still work to make the copy sound as my own. I've often said that my voice has no special quality, but the storytelling is more that of a writer than an actor. I wish I had the range of others, and could venture elsewhere, but again, I only play me.

Great fortune on the continued success of your career and my thanks for saying hello.

Regards,

Jim

(One more exchange you may find insightful)

Feel free to use anything I said. But there is a great value in being able to play others as well. The character voices are great. And the more versatility, the better. But it needs to come from an honest place. From what the agents have always said to me, advertisers are looking for a point-of-view. Unless the copy calls for it, they aren't interested in the booming broadcast voices of days past. The Gary Owens' spoofing on laugh-In, Ted Baxter etc.

Continued great fortune Brian. Your list of credits is very impressive and you get to do all that from a beautiful part of the country. Please let me know how things continue to develop

All the best,

Jim

My sincere thanks for Jim Forbes for his time in responding to my email and for graciousness in allowing me to post this exchange, which I hope you have enjoyed reading and may glean from.

Jim Forbes' web site is JimForbes.tv

PS: I told Mr. Forbes that my wife saw his picture on his site and thought he was handsome, to which he replied:

" That's a blush. My thanks to your no doubt beautiful wife, I'm quite certain your relationship is safe. That's a stand-in I use for photos."

Hillary Huber Can Help YOU Break Into...

2010-03-09T18:48:00Z

From Break Into Voiceover comes this:

Break Into Audiobooks with Special Guest Hillary Huber!

Our Break Into Animation Part 1 Teleseminar was such a hit, we're at it again--but this time with Audiobook Superstar Hillary Huber!

Join us for Break Into Audiobooks on Wed March 31, 2010 - 6 pm PST/ 9 pm EST.

With us, our special guest and audiobook veteran Hillary Huber gives thorough, no-BS insider answers to all of your audiobook questions.

From business to craft to all the details in between, Hillary's gonna spill the beans on everything audiobook.

Go to Break Into Voice Over to reserve your space on the call (includes a studio quality MP3 of the teleseminar as well).

Just a few of the great questions to be answered:

Do you read the whole book? Do different people read different parts and characters?
How do you get into audiobooks? It seems so mysterious...do I need to know book publishers and authors?
Do I need a specific audiobook demo? Are there audiobook agents?
How could I even keep track of recording a whole book by myself in my home studio?
I've been listening to a ton of audiobooks, and I KNOW I'm ready to break in, so tell me the action steps I can take NOW to get the audiobook gigs coming my way!

Go to Break Into Voice Over--$49 buys you a seat on the call and a studio quality MP3 copy as well.

Voiceovers – More Than A Business?

2010-03-02T23:04:00Z

Jeff Gelder of GelderHead productions has a new blog post titled "Making voice-overs more than a business!". I think you'll enjoy his "story"

Jeff's story is here

Cashman Spring Classes

2010-02-24T14:40:00Z

From CASHMAN COMMERCIALS:

Whether youre a Beginner who wants to find out

if youve got what it takes for voice acting,

an Intermediate student whos had a class or two

under your belt and want to get better at this craft,

or an Advanced voice actor with a lot of training,

a V-O Demo or poised to make your V-O demo,

these are the courses that people are raving about.

And these are the top voiceover classes to take.

Seats are first-come, first-served,

with eight available in each class.

And if you work during the week,

classes are conveniently scheduled

on Saturdays and Sundays.

To reserve your seat, call 661-222-9300

and leave your name and number clearly.

We'll get back to you to confirm

and give you directions to the studio in

Burbank, North Hollywood or Studio City, CA.

THE CASHMAN CACHE

SPRING CLASS SCHEDULE

BEGINNERS

Sat., March 13^th April 17^th

10AM - 1PM

INTERMEDIATE

Sat., March 13^th April 17^th
2:30-5:30PM

ADVANCED

Sun., March 14^th April 18^th

10AM - 1PM

READ THE ATTACHED INFORMATION AND TESTIMONIALS

TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT THESE CLASSES ARE ALL ABOUT!

And you can call or email with any questions, anytime.

Hope to see you there!

I Know a 2010 Audie Award Finalist!

2010-02-15T22:50:00Z

I could not possibly be more happy to hear that a friend of mine, and perhaps yours as well, is a finalist for a 2010 Audie Award! This voiceover professional has narrated a book called Lord of the Ringless, by Dee Aspin. You may have heard her voice on HGTV or pitching for Pizza Hut, Sunny Delight or the US Army and untold thousands more.

The voiceover professional I'm speaking of is Julie Williams! Here's a link to the APA Press Release

CONGRATULATIONS Julie!!!!!!!

New Teleseminar Series | Voiceover

2010-02-09T20:12:00Z

Word of mouth and referrals are invaluable, wouldn't you agree? Well, today I want to "refer" you to a new "Teleseminar Series" which will begin this March. It's being "brought to you by", none other than Voices.com.

Here's a tease for you:

"Looking to get more insider knowledge and tips on how you can leverage today's fastest growing markets for voice overs?"

Don't wait, learn more here

Helping Haiti February 10th...

2010-02-08T18:32:00Z

From Edge Studio's VoiceOver Career Center:

"UNIQUE AUDIOBOOK TELE-EVENT TO HELP HAITI"

Home Studio Support

2010-02-08T15:01:00Z

John Florian's VoiceOverXtra just sent out a note about "unique webinars" that will feature "Home Studio Master Dan Lenard". Learn more about these resourceful events and get your home studio troubleshooting questions answered – click link below:

HOME STUDIO TROUBLESHOOTING

Making Tax Time Easier for Clients

2010-02-01T16:35:00Z

By now, you have had more than your share of requests from production companies who have said something like these actual clients:

"Could you do me a favor and send me a W9 (attached pdf)? Either a scan or just the info will work. I'm trying to get my taxes together, ughhhhhh."

"Brian, would you please complete the W9 attached and fax or email back the 1^st page? Thank you."

Question: Do you have to run over to the fax machine to send off your W9's...over and over again throughout the year – then fulfill numerous requests in January? Here is something I've found to expedite the delivery of W9s...clients seem to love it. (Perhaps you already do this.)

If you happen to have an All-In-One printer, you're set! Simply print out the first page of the W9, complete it and then scan the document in (it can be dated 1/1/10 and used all year...it's not imperative that you date the W9 with the date of service). Save the document as a .pdf using a file name that you'll easily recall – I name mine: TheVoiceofBrian_W9_2010. Now, you can either send the W9 with your initial invoice to new clients, update current clients and fulfill any requests that come in for the document throughout the year.

It's interesting, I have had some of the nicest responses to this little "value added service". My initial thought as to why this is, would be that the accounting people are usually very detailed and probably have to chase down documents, often with a good bit of delay on the part of the vendor. So when you can turn around a W9 in minutes, they see that as someone who's on the ball and professional...I think/hope!!

Hope this helps!

Terry Daniel Asks: Do You Have VIsion?

2010-01-28T15:56:00Z

From The Voice Over Club, Terry Daniel writes today asking "Do You Have Vision". He always has good tips etc. as they relate to the voiceover industry – click for the article HERE.

Audio'connell's Fauxdition Nominees Announced

2010-01-22T15:30:00Z

The 3rd Annual Faux-dition, the brainchild of Peter O'Connell, is now ready for YOUR VOTE! Just moments ago I received a note from Peter's Voice Over Workshop and was excited to read this:

"Today, after tabulating the judges ballots, I have announced the 11 nominees for the World News with Diane Sawyer faux-dition. Now as we all know, that job is NOT really up for grabs as it was given to the fine performer Mike Rowe. But this is the 3rd annual faux-dition, giving everyone a shot to audition for a dream job and each time it has always only been about the fun."

SO, now is your change to cast a vote! There was a tremendous response to the faux-dition, by the way – to the tune of 96 participants. They have been whittled down to 11 nominees.

Click the logo to get started...

Voice Over Training From Edge Studio

2010-01-19T15:34:00Z

Edge Studio's "Voice Over Career Center" just sent out the following information about tonight's TALK WITH A PRO:

Talk With A Pro

FREE ADVICE, FROM INDUSTRY EXPERT PANELS

This Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 9pm-10pm ET, a top director discusses and fields your questions on Getting Voice Over Work Without a Demo! This call is SPONSORED BY EDGE STUDIO.

>>> Have you heard of David Goldberg?

Just in case you haven't, he's one of the industry's most notable directors and creative marketing experts. He owns Edge Studio, which oversees the industry's Free Career Center, and has provided production and casting services over 8,000 times to clients ranging from National Geographic to Disney to Staples.

This Tuesday January 19, from 9pm to 10pm ET, DAVID IS GIVING A FREE "TALK WITH A PRO" Q&A FORUM on "GETTING VOICE OVER WORK WITHOUT A DEMO".

>>> If you've wondered:

o If you really need to spend money on a demo...
o Why your colleagues get so much more work...

o What creative tactics could earn you new clients...

then Dial-in and ask. You'll be anonymous. David will be candid.

>>> Dial information:
1. Dial 1-641-594-7078
2. Done. You'll ANONYMOUSLY be connected with other callers.
Only the first 50 callers get through - dial in early to make sure!

Removing THUMP | Plosives From Voiceover

2010-01-18T23:14:00Z

While a pop filter of some sort usually does the trick, have you ever listened back to your voiceover take only to hear that dreaded THUMP or PLOSIVE that ruins that portion of the take? Well, you can remove it very simply. The picture shown here is my setting to do just that. The "plosive" is usually at the beginning of a word, thus I will highlight the offending segment of the waveform, starting just before the waveform begins drag it over until I have just passed the offending section. Then I apply this plug-in. Next, I expand the waveform so I can get in there to heal any "broken" areas of the waveform using the Pencil tool or, lots of times, you can simply apply a crossfade to the area and it will heal any click produced by the use of the plug-in. That should be it! Hope this is helpful.

Samaritan's Purse – Aid to Haiti

2010-01-15T21:44:00Z

I've been through my share of earthquakes...most notably the Northridge Quake in 1994 and helped to get communications back up after the San Francisco quake in 1989. What Haiti's suffering is beyond description.

If you have not already donated to those in Haiti, Samaritan's Purse put together a :60 National TV spot calling for support...it was a true honor to serve on this vitally important call to action.

You can view the video HERE (you may want to TURN OFF the HD version for faster and easier playback)

Animation Voiceover

2010-01-06T18:19:00Z

Interested in breaking into Animation Voiceover? Have questions about the animation side of the voiceover business? Then you need a primer from professionals who really know the ins and outs!

Break Into Voiceover presents:

"Break Into Animation" Teleseminar!

When: Wednesday, January 27, at 6:00PM PST – 9:00PM EST

Special Guest: Richard Horvitz

Cost: Just $49 gets you on the call PLUS an MP3 recording of the call

MAC versus PC | Voiceovers

2010-01-05T15:51:00Z

MAC vs. PC – there's a new debate! ...............now that the laughter has died down, I'll get to my point. As the Tuesday norm has been of late, I'm posting to let you know that EdgeStudio.com is sponsoring Talk With A Pro featuring David Mikautadze, who provides advice on "...computer based recording hardware and software." There's sure to be some helpful and interesting material to gleen – TONIGHT!

Here's tonight's highlights (as posted in the "Edge Studio Voice Over Industry Center" email.

If you've wondered:

o How to make the most of your current computer...
o MAC vs. PC: which is better for you...

o Does hardware or software make a bigger difference...
o Audition quality vs. broadcast quality, what's the difference...

then Dial-in and ask. You'll be anonymous. David will be candid.

Dial information:
1. Dial 1-641-594-7078
2. Done. You'll ANONYMOUSLY be connected with other callers.
Only the first 50 callers get through - dial in early to make sure!

January's FREE VoiceOver Insider

2010-01-04T20:12:00Z

Julie Williams' FREE VoiceOver Insider for January is ready to devour! Insert fork here.

Here's the Highlights!

*Boy Did I Underbid That!

*Talkback: Your 2010 Resolutions

*Measuring Success

*10 Things You Could Be Doing For A Better 2010

*How To Make Your Home Studio Recordings Sound Like

Professional Studio Recordings

*Can I Write It Off?

*Update: Share the Experience Audiobook Contest

*Review: Using Protools For Voice-Over Workshop

*Take Time To Walk With The Lions

Voiceover Tips for 2010

2009-12-31T17:57:00Z

As we all head into 2010 with much anticipation of a marvelous voiceover year, I wanted to alert you to Voice Over Experts latest podcast that offers "10 Voice Over Tips for 2010".

Blessings to you & Happy New Year from The Voice of Brian

Merry Christmas To You

2009-12-24T14:14:00Z

Jeff Gelder Is A Class Act...AGAIN!

2009-12-23T18:58:00Z

Today I picked up the mail and was presented with a FedEx package from GelderHead Productions. Inside was this awesome plaque along with a marvelous letter. During this wonderful time of year, I wanted to highlight something that struck me as I looked at this gift from Jeff Gelder. The first words that came to my mind when I saw the plaque were: "What a class act". Jeff was under no obligation whatsoever to send such a lavish and long lasting gift. Heck, weren't we the ones that should be sending something to him!?

This points to the heart of a man that has his focus on others – at both ends of the project. The untold hours and hard work he put in to serve the children and families at Children's Hospitals was heroic in itself, but he wasn't done giving, he made sure those who partnered with him in the project received a gift as well...BRAVO Jeff Gelder and all those behind the scenes who supported you.

Jeff Gelder, you are a Class Act and from myself, Olivia, Samantha and my wife Bridget, Merry Christmas and may God's kindness find you over and over in 2010! We are thankful to know you and truly honored to have partnered with you and all the other performers on this years wonderful CD!