You're Hearing Voices

This week I'm chatting with Leo Notenboom of askleo.com.  Leo has a popular YouTube channel of the same name in which he answers all manner of tech questions.

In fact, by way of giving himself a job title for his enterprise, he calls himself the "Chief Question Answerer" at askleo.com

We talk about a number of tech issues, including how to preserve digital content after a person dies, why using a password vault is essential for online security, why you maybe shouldn't use your neighbor's wifi, and why you're never too old to delve into the world of tech.

Check out Leo here: https://www.askleo.com

This week I'm chatting with Whit Ingram of beautiful South Jordan, Utah.  Whit is known as the "Witty Film Girl," and she specializes in social media campaigns, short films, and commercials.

Whit talks about her early days in film, from doing lots of unpaid gigs for college friends and making mistakes as a rite of passage to get better at her craft.   She talks about her efforts to become a well-rounded writer and storyteller, as well as her quest to improve at the techical aspects of filmmaking.

Whit also dispels the myth that it's necessary to go to film school to become a filmmaker, how to get clients to think outside of the box, and why working for exposure is a terrible idea, so don't even ask.

Check out Whit at her website:  https://www.wittyfilmgirl.com

This week, I'm chatting with Nerida Bronwen, actress of stage, screen, and voice who is known for her roles in 600 Bottles of Wine, Deadly Women, Lowering Awareness, and her voice over work portraying the character of Sashay in the Netflix series "LOL Surprise! Winter Fashion Show." We talk about her early acting ambitions, which stemmed from having supportive parents who loved film, music, theater, and art.  We also discuss trends in casting in Hollywood, Nerida's use of dialects in VO, and the physicality required for the role of Sashay in the LOL Surprise! series.

Check out this week's episode, and check out Nerida at her website:

https://www.neridabronwen.com/

This week, I'm chatting with Jeff Williams, a voice actor from Amarillo, Texas.  Jeff is known for his laid-back, everyman, blue-collar style.  A chiropractor by trade, he got into VO in 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic when his medical practice slowed to a halt.  Jeff recounts his early days as a musician, his medical background, and his early successes in VO, including over $100k in income in his first year.  We talk about how Jeff is seeking to expand his VO exploits beyond the freelance and P2P sites, a sober assessment of agency representation, and his desire to break into video games while continuing to grow his business.

Check out this week's episode!

This week, I'm chatting with Heather Dykes, an Instructional Designer from Springfield, IL.  (https://www.myhdlearning.com)

We talk about Heather's early days in HR, and her early decision to get involved in designing training programs rather than delivering them.

We delve into the following topics:

- The rudiments of training on leadership development, systems, policies, and "training the trainers" on a multitude of topics;

- What makes for good training and bad training;

- The nexus between the design phase of the training and the delivery of the actual training;

- The training workflow, from diagnosing needs, working with SME develop learning objectives, to L&D consultation, design, review, and finalization;

- How Heather handles revisions and the process of fielding client feedback (VO people take note - specify the number of rounds of revisions in writing!)

- General HR topics such as the much-talked-about "open door policy," and the post-pandemic future of remote/hybrid work.

Check out this week's episode!

This week, I'm chatting with Emmanuel Macaulay Afemikhe, a Nigerian-based voice actor who runs the Voiceover Workshop (https://thevoiceoverworkshop.com).  

We discuss how Emmanuel got his start in VO after a stint as a stage actor in Abuja, and how he channels his passion for training and teaching via the Voiceover Workshop, where he has trained over 300 voice over talents.  The training at the Voiceover Workshop encompasses not only voice acting, but also marketing and branding.

Check out this week's episode!

This week, I'm chatting with Susie Valerio, a native Brazilian voice actress based in Brighton, UK.   Susie graduated in Drama, Film & TV from Brunel University, and she later completed a two-year Meisner Technique program with The Impulse Company in London.    Susie does VO in advertising, games, narration and animation, among other genres.

We discuss the following topics:

- How Susie got introduced to VO though workshops in London;

- Susie's initial skepticism at finding Portuguese VO work in the UK; 

- Susie's early days working in a casting studio, assisting with casting for commercials and film;

- the appeal for and interest in "International English" voice over; 

- why Susie loves working in commercial VO, and the thrill of live directed sessions;

- the danger of overpreparing for an audition, as relayed through Susie's work in casting.

Check out this week's episode!

This week, I'm chatting with Michael Givens, a noted director and cinematographer, who started his career as a photographer in the fasion and music industries before progressing into film.  Michael has worked with such luminaries as Sir Ridley Scott, Stephen Frears, and Sean McNamara, among others.  Michael also runs the Michael Givens & Associates Acting and Film Institute, where he teaches the Lee Strasburg method with a touch of hypnosis.

We discuss the following topics:

• Michael's recent work on an upcoming documentary called "Our Happy Land," a story of Jewish emigration to the US;
• How Michael prepares himself before shooting a film by intense research, which includes voraciously reading as many as 60 books;
• Michael's aversion to keeping up with trends and how that tendency can distract from focusing on good storytelling;
• The benefits of hypnosis for actors and non-actors; and
• Michael's worldwide travels shooting films and commercials, with a story on how he narrowly avoided going to jail while shooting a commercial in Vietnam.

Don't miss this week's episode!

Learn more about Michael: www.michaelgivens.com

Check out Dan's voice over demos: www.danvoice.com

This week, I'm honored to be joined by Paul Knowlton and Aaron Hedges, the authors of the book "Better Capitalism: Jesus, Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, and MLK Jr, on Moving from Plantation to Partnership Economics."

We discuss the following points:

• The story of "Mr. X," and the propagation of old-style, top-down, plantation-style economics.
• Why the economy doesn't have to be a "zero sum game" in the tradition of Gordon Gekko, and why looking out for the interests of your customers and suppliers can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes;
• Why one of Jesus' most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount, is laced with economic instruction for both the rich and poor;
• Why Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" is often misunderstood as an unfettered endorsement of laissez-faire economics.  Paul and Aaron reveal what Smith had to say about the importance of functionality of the state;
• How to engage your ideological opposites on matters of partnership economics, and how to find a common ground centered around the almighty dollar.

"Better Capitalism" is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Capitalism-Plantation-Partnership-Economics-ebook/dp/B095JD4R9P/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=better+capitalism&qid=1667243247&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjc2IiwicXNhIjoiMS43NSIsInFzcCI6IjEuNjEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=better+capitalism%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1

Thanks for checking out this week's episode!

This week, I have the great pleasure of talking to a fellow VO pro, Ferlon Webster Jr.  Ferlon is based in Detroit, MI, and got his start in the news business, doing videography, editing, and camera work.  Ferlon started doing voiceovers as part of his news gigs, but found out that he loved the craft of voice acting so much that he decided to make it his FT career.

We talk about his love of eLearning, his preferred VO marketing methods, his home studio, the performance training he has sought, his early experiencs on P2P sites, and how he has gotten on eLearning VO rosters and continues to seek out eLearning work.

Check out this week's episode!