Since my many mentors and VO buddies have given me so much guidance, I wanted to give back too.  You’d think the tricks of the trade would be closely guarded secrets to ward off competition but that is definitely not the case in the VO community.  Those of us behind the mic and not in front of the camera, never seem to stress about that or other petty ego issues.  So for what it’s worth, here are my personal tips from great coaches like Connor Quinn, Dan Friedman, Diana Birdsall, Marc Cashman, Rob Marley, Jenn Henry and my very special mentor, Jim Alburger.

Look at eclipses as a momentary distraction in the middle of a thought.  If you are ADHD afflicted this is normal!  If you need to break out of a vocal rhythmic or phrasing pattern, sing the words to the melody of a song you know, like a hymn, Christmas carol or children’s tune.  Go for it and give it you best opera improv! If you have trouble with inhibitions, dance and speak to the music. Try a waltz, stripper style blues or hip hop beats.  I warn you, anything tried with music will often stun you into great ideas!

If you can’t find “authority,” in your read, pretend you are really angry and start yelling and throw a fit.  I love this one! Yell at someone who “owes” you something and cuss em out as you do a read. Then reboot and record!  Another hint is to turn around and look at something else.  Say the alphabet as fast as you can then count backwards from 10 to 1. Turn around and record.  Both of these tips work for me!

Start to mimic every voice you hear!  Talk back to the television in the voice you are replicating.  Don’t do this with company in the room.  Nuff said.  Answer your phone.  Don’t text.  This way you can try out new characters and fool your friends!

Hopefully, these tips will benefit you as they did with me.  The biggest lesson I’ve learned is “Don’t Try!” Simply do it after you’ve done all the analysis and made your choices you’ve committed to.

At the beginning of my VO career I had no idea there was an actual community of working VO artists and on a scale of such magnitude.  I hesitated to join all the facebook groups and chat rooms because I figured if you have time to socialize like some of these regulars, you can’t be working that hard.  But luckily, I stumbled across or was introduced to the best in the business!  These artists shared their stories, suggestions, support and friendship.  Because of them, I now have several clients and working more and more behind the mic.  And I get paid to do this!  Speaking of which, I have a job to record, so I’m winding this up!  Would love to hear from anyone who reads my blog and tell me your story!