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Everett Oliver – What The Hell Is A Booth Director and Why Do I Need One?

About Voice Over, Interviews & Insight, Uncategorized, voiceover, Voiceover Auditions, Voiceover Career, Voiceover Events, voices

Everett Oliver is a shy, introverted booth director who got his start 25 years ago in the animation world….. And if you know Everett you know that there is absolutely nothing shy nor introverted about him. Everett is a no holds barred, unfiltered, instinctive voiceover coach and booth director who fights hard for the success of his clients.

As a booth director, Everett directs clients auditions to help them book jobs. Voiceover actors often have auditions that they REALLY WANT to book. Some of these auditions are the BIG ONE that can make our careers. Whether it’s a network promo job or an animation project, we know this can mean the difference between success and failure. We sometimes spend hours recording the audition and then second-guessing ourselves on the read, the sound, the tone etc. Ultimately this can result in paralysis of analysis. In those moments, what we really need is a second ear.

That Second Ear

Everett is that Ear. Working with a voiceover audition coach like Everett accomplishes several things. It cuts down the time you spend on auditioning and allows talent to submit auditions faster. Sometimes agents submit the first good auditions as they come in and those are the ones that are most highly considered. Working with Everett also gives you insight into what the client is most likely thinking when he wrote the copy. Everett knows that world and he has an incredible instinct for predicting what books.

Taking His Show On The Road

Everett Oliver has been touring North America, taking his brass brand of coaching to various cities. What is a booth directorAnd talent are better off for it. In my time speaking to Everett, he explained to me about an entire world that goes beyond what most talent could even imagine. It’s a fast-paced, backroom world where the end result is what matters. Everett knows that world, having been in Hollywood for many years and being a part of it. It’s a world where talent is replaceable and feelings can be a liability.

He’s a Tough Mutha Shut Yo Mouth

Everett’s style is all in preparation for acting in front of those people who run that world. He’s hardcore, but when you speak to him one-on-one, you realize that it’s all in love. He’s like the mother hen who looks out for you until you are ready to fly before he himself pushes you out of the nest. And believe me, Everett Oliver pushes. His personality throughout his session was both tough and hilarious.

Conclusion

There have been so many voiceover jobs that I crossed my fingers and threw up 7 hail Mary’s that I didn’t get. Somethings are just perfect for you and you’d love to call up someone special and say “Listen to me on this”. And those are the voiceover auditions that I would call a booth director for. Those are the jobs that I prep for with a voiceover coach months in advance for. Those are the jobs that I now keep Everett on speed dial for. Now, my booth director is Everett Oliver.

Filed Under: About Voice Over, Interviews & Insight, Uncategorized, voiceover, Voiceover Auditions, Voiceover Career, Voiceover Events, voices Tagged With: Animation Voiceover, booth director, Breaking Into voiceover, everett oliver, recording booth, Top Rated African American Voice Talent, Voice Actor, Voice Over Agencies, Voice Over Professional, Voice Talent, Voiceover Coach, Voiceover Training, Voiceover Workshop

Conversation With Self About Business and Life 2019

About Voice Over

Sometimes I sit around thinking to myself “What can I do better?” If you are in business for yourself you have probably read a ton of self-help books and marketing books etc. I remember asking a friend more than 10 years ago “What should I do about my business?” I felt like there was nothing I could do to improve it. He replied to me “Have you done everything you can think of to boost your business?” To me, this indicated not only that I needed to dig deeper and plan more, but also that I needed to exhaust all possibilities and take a risk. As the new year started and I watched others on social media plot out their year, I borrowed some of their ideas and formulated some of my own. I believe that being in business is a balance between professional and personal success. If you fail in one, it makes the other harder to excel in. With that, here are 19 things to Make A Successful 2019 for me that may benefit you too.

  1. Study- Learn as Much as you can about whatever your business or craft is. I’m a voiceover talent. I realize that every day the competition for my job becomes more fierce. Everyone with a voice is trying to enter into this arena. My advantage is that I’ve been here for 15 years. But no-one should rest on their laurels. Whether it’s more classes, conferences, or understanding the trends in my industry, I need to study regularly.
  2. Practice- Perfect practice makes perfect. We’ve all heard practice makes perfect. Well practicing wrong makes things worse. Understanding that right way and focusing on doing that daily is the path to success. Things like vocal training, warm-ups, cold reads, and varied reads will continue to make me a better talent.
  3. Communicate- Stay in contact with your customers. Use reminders and CRM. Last year I improved my sales simply by using a CRM. I had never done that before. The ability to remember who to contact and when helped me tremendously. I invested in Cloze. For me it tracks my calls to customers, reminds me to call them or email them and tells me what our last communications were. I use it keep up with the projects and auditions I’ve done. At $160 per year, it’s worth every penny.
  4. Track and Review- Metrics help you realize if you are going in the right direction. While Cloze helped me keep track of customers, it was important to track sales and projects. There are a ton of software out there. A few are Wavesapp (which is free), Freshbooks (which comes with tons of perks), Quickbooks, Square and Invoice2Go.
  5. Compete- Best yourself and others. Have fun with it. I’m the type of person who hopes we all win. But after you have tracked your metrics for this month, figure out what you did right and do it even better.
  6. Don’t be hard on yourself. There are factors that you can’t control. Work within the perimeter of things you can control. Beating yourself up is only gonna make you emotionally distracted.
  7. Advertise- Explore your advertising channels both free and paid. Marketing is everything. People have to know who you are and remember you at the exact moment they need your services. There are lots of free ways to advertise but don’t be afraid to throw some money at it. It will return.
  8. Find an expert– You may not know everything you need to know about business or even your business. Find someone who does. Use their services. There may be aspects of things that you are missing.
  9. Don’t be the smartest person in the room.- There are a lot of brilliant people out there. Share ideas. Respect others expertise and take note.
  10. Surround yourself with winners. It’s contagious
  11. Take a risk. Have a plan B,C,D,E & F for when you fail. But one of them will work. Don’t become emotionally attached to the way you win. Just focus on the result.
  12. Keep a routine, especially when you figure out what works.- Get up at the same time every morning. Eat breakfast or drink your coffee at the same time every day. Get dressed for work even if you work from home. This will help you with organization and make your work flow easier.
  13. Ask yourself (Have I done everything I can do?) Be creative
  14. Balance your work and personal life. Work hard and have fun harder-er
  15. Discuss your business with family and friends and what they do. Throughout my career, I have landed a bunch of opportunities from referrals of friends and family. When they remember what I do, they send me work if they have it or see it out in the wild. But also, I let all of them know that voiceover is everywhere, including in the companies that they presently work for. From HR training materials to internal advertisements, opportunities for my services are there.
  16. Keep optimal health. Eat better, sleep well, exercise. Breath.- I recently started drinking more water and it has made a big difference. When all things are working optimally, my work ethic is on point. I often wake up tired, and that affects my bottom line.
  17. Delegate- Don’t try to master everything at once. Allow others with expertise in things that may be helpful to you to contribute their part.
  18. Don’t procrastinate– The time is now. Don’t stand in your own way. This is a big problem of mine. Perhaps its an agent of fear. I don’t know. Perhaps it’s my carefree relaxed nature. But recognizing it as a fault and overcoming it will add a few digits to my account. Also, purchasing a copy of my children’s book “Dana The Procrastinator” will also add a few pennies too.
  19. Take a vacation- As many people who follow me on social media know, I have no problem globetrotting. It’s a lifestyle. But honestly, I would be a total failure if I didn’t do it. Travelling gives me something to look forward to outside of work. I started my year off in Dubai. I have several Latin American destinations in mind for 2019 along with my probably first trip to Africa. Reward yourself. Give yourself a mental health break.

Wanna Book Dane Reid? Hit the contact button.

Filed Under: About Voice Over Tagged With: Atlanta Voice Over, Top Rated African American Voice Talent, Voice Actor, Voice Over Career, Voice Over Professional, Voice Talent, voiceover career, Voiceover Training

David Goldberg & Edge Studio’s Top 10 Voiceover Resources

About Voice Over

Edge Studio David GoldbergWhen I first  set out to do voiceover work back in the late 90’s there were very few voiceover resources. Al Gore had barely invented the internet and it certainly hadn’t reached many homes. Now, one search of the internet for the term voiceover and millions of results come up. Those results vary from some of the industry’s best blogs, to VO casting sites, Youtube videos,  Voiceover Resources, Coaches and Learning centers. But above all, one really sticks out to me. Edge Studio topped my list for Top 10 Voiceover Websites with good reason. Its simply has everything.
At the forefront of this company is David Goldberg. David is a CEO (Chief Edge Officer) who is careful not to use the word boss in the workplace. Instead everyone at Edge works as a team to make it what it is today. In visiting the facility in Manhattan, you’d hardly know who the head person is at their office, because David sits right at the front, where the receptionist would. I sat down with David in this fun but informative interview about the history of Edge and what Edge presently has to offer voiceover talents of all levels.

After the interview, David showed me around the studio and took me on a tour of all of the great resources that Edgestudio.com has to offer. Here are links to Edge Studio’s Top Ten Voiceover Resources as compiled by Leanne Linsky, Edge’s Director of Marketing

Edge’s Top Ten FREE Resources for Voice Actors

1) Stop Undercharging Yourself!
Voice Over Rate Card
Edge Studio put together this rate card as pure suggestions for less experienced, non-union talent. Rates reflect average and realistic rates being fairly charged within the industry.
2) Convert The Length Of Your Script To The Time It Will Take To Read It! 
Script Timer – Words to Time Calculator
How long for a professional to read your script? Performances vary, but this handy converter will get you in the ballpark. You can even adjust it for reading speed. So stop guessing! Give accurate estimates and invoices to your customers!
3) Voice Over Copy & Demo Script Ideas
Script Library
5,000+ scripts and growing every day!! Welcome to the “World’s Largest Voice Over Script Library!” Pick a script, try new genres, and get ideas for demo copy. Hey, now you have no excuse for not practicing!
4) Free Script Contest
Weekly Script Recording Contest!
Each week, Edge Studio hosts a script contest. Every entrant wins and prizes are awarded to the top finalists! But the most beneficial part is what comes after: You can read why the winners won and why others didn’t.
5) A Free Time To Speak Openly About Voice Over 
TalkTime!
TalkTime! is a free time to speak openly with like-minded people, interested in the same topic. No agenda, no outline.  Just sign up for our newsletter to get the link for TalkTime! emailed to you each week. Join the discussion, ask questions, mingle, network, and build relationships with your peers!
6) Freshly Brewed Voice Over News
Weekly Edge-ucation Newsletter
Be sure to subscribe to our Free Weekly Newsletter and kick-start your Mondays off with freshly brewed voice over news. Each week you will receive unique and valuable tips and articles to help you start, build, and grow your voice over business. You will also be among the first to hear about our new curriculum, new website, new instructors, and new locations. And you definitely don’t want to miss the latest episodes of Whittam’s World, script contest updates, and exciting voice over events.
7) The Blog For New And Working Voice Actors  
Voice Over Education Blog
Welcome to the blog designed for anyone investigating, starting, and building their voice over career. Here you’ll find practical articles written to help you skip the “trial and error” often associated with pursuing and building a career, and instead gain a candid look into the voice over industry, where the work is, why some people get it, why some don’t, and tips and techniques to help you reach your goals.
8) Get Free Feedback On Your Recordings  
The Voice Actor  – Feedback Forum 
The largest voice-over performance forum in the world! Peer-to-peer powered! Get feedback on your recordings from peers and professional coaches! Give feedback to your peers by dropping your 2-cents! Interact and build a reputation in your community!
9) Free Home-Studio Answers  
Whittam’s World
Join George Whittam, a top authority in voice over recording technology, on his popular YouTube series Whittam’s World, where he answers a new home studio question each week. He has invested thousands of hours researching studio design, recording equipment, and creating training materials for voice actors. He is also an industry innovator by developing specialized services that cater exclusively to voice over professionals.
10) Practical, Straightforward Answers.
We answer your questions!
Have questions about voice-over? That’s understandable, we know there are many questions to answer. Sometimes it helps to talk with someone experienced at working with people getting started in voice-over. We’re always glad to share our knowledge with you!  Click the link at the top of this paragraph or CALL US if you’d prefer to speak with us: 888-321-EDGE (3343) 9am – 6pm ET.

What Is Edge Up To?

1) Casting & Production Department!
More Info Here
Kristen Thorne, Director of Production says: “We’ve been producing projects more exciting than ever, from cartoon soundtracks, to commercials, to museum tours, and it’s rewarding to see many of Edge Alumni cast in so many jobs!”
2) Technology Department
More Info Here
George Whittam, Director of Technology says: “I find that I’m continuously having to bust the myth that studios have to be expensive and elaborate to sound professional. It’s extremely satisfying to solve a client’s problem with simple and sometimes completely free solutions, making a dramatic difference in their recording quality.”
3) Education Department
More Info Here
Andrew Warner, Director of Education says: “In effort to better serve our students in their voice over careers, we have recently added five new coaches and two new advisors to our ever-expanding team. We look forward to further expansion as we continue to evolve our curriculum.”

David Goldberg Edge Studio and Dane Reid
David Goldberg Has One Of The Best Ears In The Voiceover Industry

Reaching Edge is easy. Their website list 5 locations around the country to contact. Log onto http://www.edgestudio.com/locations/new-york-voice-over, call them at 888-321-3343 or email them at training@edgestudio.com.
Staying in touch with me and all of my future interviews and blogs is pretty easy too. Subscribe With The Above Tab.
About Dane Reid: Profesional Voice Talent, Radio Commercial Producer, Voice Over Youtube Channel Producer at http://Youtube.com/DaneReidMedia , Children’s Book Author, Entrepenuer & Globe Trotter

Filed Under: About Voice Over Tagged With: David Goldberg, edge studio, voiceover career, Voiceover Coach, Voiceover Resources, Voiceover Training, voiceover websites

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