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VOICE OVER TODAY - July 29, 2004

Helping voice-talent build careers.

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Published by EDGE STUDIO
     New York training - 212-868-edge
     Washington DC training - 202-398-edge
     Connecticut training - 203-374-edge
     Tele-Training - 888-321-edge

established 1988
member Better Business Bureau

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WHAT IS EDGE STUDIO?

Voice Over Career Building
- training, evaluations, demos, marketing resources, guidance, duplication

Production Studio & Casting
- commercial and narration productions

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THIS ISSUE INCLUDES:
1.) Marketing: GET ME WORK NOW! - August 5th in NYcity
2.) Talk About Voice Over Experience

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The 2004-2005 edition of the Audiobook Reference Guide, from the publisher
of AudioFile magazine, is worth checking out. This comprehensive sourcebook

to the audiobook industry provides contact information for 600 audiobook
publishers, wholesale and retail distributors, creative, manufacturing and
support services.

Check out the section on Voice Talent--and sign up for YOUR listing in the
2004-2005 Edition.

Call 800-506-1212 or visit www.audiofilemagazine.com to order your copy
now. Just $24.00 (inc. s/h). For info on the Voice Talent listings email
guide@audiofilemagazine.com.

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1.) MARKETING?

Okay, you finished your demo…

NOW WHAT?
Get work! Attend a half-day, organized, detailed, and clarifying marketing class. This is for voice-talent seriously interested in their career. Advanced registration is required.

OBJECTIVES
Learn how to get your demo into the hands of industry professionals, in the most proficient ways: individually and cooperatively. You will learn how participants combine information-marketing resources and can share hand delivery of demos. Results are incredible.

COVERED
1) Analyze your individual skills, create an image, and define your marketability.
2) Research industry periodicals and understand how to create an extensive database of voice over clients.
3) Determine a comfortable budget that works for you.
4) Learn how to get your demo hand delivered to industry professionals.
5) Gain knowledge of how to create your own Voice Over Marketing Co-op.
6) Discover what source materials are available for upcoming projects.
7) Understand how to make good promotional materials.
8) You will be instructed in how to use the "Round Robin" strategic marketing plan and how to create relationships with Casting Directors, Talent Agents, Radio Stations, Production Companies, Advertising Agencies, Audiobooks, Animators, Networks & Studios.

IS THIS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Do you want work?

RESULTS?
Attendees are thrilled at the success they achieve with the instructor, Scott Glasgow. (For more information on Scott, please refer to www.scottglasgow.com

LOCATION
NY: offered August 5th, 2004 from 6-10pm at our New York studio: 307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1007, New York, NY 10001.

PRICE
$99. Advanced registration is required.

INTERESTED?
Call Edge Studio weekdays 9-5 EST at 888-321-edge to register.

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2.) TALK ABOUT VOICE OVER EXPERIENCE…

An interview with industry respected and highly experienced Jim Cissel.

1. DO YOU LOVE DOING VOICE-OVERS ?

A: Do I love voice-overs?! (Laughing out loud. Laughing so hard now milk is
coming out of my nose.) It's the greatest gig in the world. With 90% of my
work done in my home studio, my commute consists of waddling down the
stairs
in my pajamas and slippers. Though occasionally I shave and usually I am
clothed. All those years of learning to read without moving your lips and
now you get PAID for reading out loud. Paid for talking--usually on things
you know little about. What a life! Of course, GETTING the work is another
matter....

2. WHERE HAVE WE HEARD YOU IN PAST ?

A: Pretty much everywhere. Phone prompts for your unemployment benefits,
Buzzy the Knowledge Bug on your kid's CD-ROM games, aural alerts for
airplane pilots (Windshear. Pull up!), 10 hears of pharmaceutical narration
on the Pfizer web page..... But most likely you've heard me narrating
documentaries on Discovery, PBS, and National Geographic. I've done over
100
in the past 7 years. Lots of them were one-off's, but there were several
series as well: 13 episodes of "Critical Rescues" (Discovery Thursdays 8
PM), 12 episodes of Brainchild on the Science Channel, 6 episodes of "Kill
or Cure" on Discovery Health, 4 episodes of "Secrets of New Zealand," 3
episodes of "Jack Hannah's Top Ten Animal Adventures" on Animal Planet, and
2 episodes of "Below the Volcano." I've done several national infomercials:
"The Johnny Carson Collection," Hanes, Bissell, The Breadman, and Select
Comfort. And several national commercials for Time-Life, Dairy Queen,
Nintendo, Sir Speedy, et al. You may have even seen me on my only SAG
national commercial for Clorox's Combat Superbait. Yep, I was the "Roach
Doctor."

3. WHERE CAN WE CURRENTLY HEAR YOU ?

A: I'm narrating the first of 13 episodes on Interpol
which will air on National Geographic--dates and times TBD. They're still
running 13 episodes "Portraits of the Deep" Thursdays at 6 PM and Saturdays
at noon on OLN (The Outdoor Life Network) and looks like we'll be going
into
our second season next month. The "Sonny & Cher's Ultimate Collection,"
infomercial should be airing soon. You'll hear me as the regular promo
announcer on The International Channel. I'm also the announcer of national
spots for the LDS Church (radio and TV), Golf Warehouse (radio), the
English
Language Institute China (radio), and you'll hear AND SEE me as the
national
TV spokesperson for National Money Service. (Please don't call asking for a
loan.) My narrations are still currently playing at permanent exhibits
around the world, including a dozen US National Parks, Toyota's
headquarters
in Japan, the Doppler Museum in Austria, and the top of the Sears Tower in
Chicago. And there are thousands of videos and web pages floating around
out
there for the likes of Nintendo, Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, the Motion
Picture and TV Institute, Sprint, Applied Materials, Shriners Hospitals,
The
United Way, US Bank, Intel, Cisco, the Oneida Nation, and the Mayo Clinic.

4. WHICH JOBS ARE THE MOST FUN ?

A: I love doing character voices but usually get cast as the straight guy.
And I love doing improv/dialogue but seldom get to do that working alone
from my home studio. So, for me, the fun comes from these elements: working
with nice people, great scripts (they almost read themselves), a producer
who is experienced and prepared (script in hand at least five minutes
before
the session), an engineer who treats you like a human being and lets you
know what's going on, a director who is having fun and encourages you to do
the same, all the wonderful compliments, learning new things, and getting
paid.

5. WHICH JOBS ARE THE LEAST FUN ?

A: Several situations come to mind: multiple directors each with widely
divergent ideas about how your voice should sound and feel, a
director/producer who has no idea what he wants and no ability to
communicate it to you even if he did, stressing out because it's taking way
too long (due to unfinished script, client/producer is late, copy way too
long which needs to be edited, producer/client constantly taking calls on
their cell phones, etc.) and your next session is just around the corner.

6. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ?

A: Armed Forces Radio and Television School, Ft Ben Harrison, Indiana,
1967.
Then worked at Armed Forces Thailand Network for 2 years, commercial radio
stations for another 4 years (as DJ and/or production director), radio
sales
for a couple of years, then free-lance copy-writing and voice work ever
since.

7. ADVICE TO NEW-COMERS ?

A: Here's what I would recommend. 1) Be nice to everyone. 2)
Focus on the people who are nice to you. 3) Practice and learn continually.
4) Put together a killer demo. 5) Find out who the talent users and
decision
makers are. 6) Network continuously. 7) Find your core strength (the
opinions of others are useful here) and stick to it. 8) Be prepared to
tough
it out for 2 or three years before generating any income. 9) Consider
building a home studio. 10) Focus on non-broadcast instead of commercials --
there's a lot more of it.

8. ADVICE TO PROFESSIONALS WHO DESIRE MORE WORK ?

A: See items 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 above.

9. STRANGEST EXPERIENCE IN A VOICE-OVER SESSION ?

A: We've all heard "can you speed it up a bit but not make it sound so
rushed?", but the weirdest direction I ever got was, "Make it a cross
between Alistair Cooke and Gabby Hayes." Right. Then there was the time I
was doing a narration for Boeing in their studios when this producer in the
other control room starts madly waving at me. She barges into the booth and
asks if I can do another narration for her right after this one. No
problem.
Turns out they had hired a guy who had a "beautiful voice" but couldn't
read
his way out of paper bag. Moral of the story? Sometimes it's just a matter
of being in the right place at the right time.

10. HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU FEEL TRAINING IS ?

A: Right up there with breathing. There are some great classes and coaches
out there. But make sure you check them out first through their students
and
local studios. And training isn't just classes. Keep your ears open. Listen
to every day conversations. And watch television and listen to radio to
learn how the "big guys" do it.

11. WHAT'S YOUR SECRET TO SUCCESS ?

A: People have been very, very kind to me.

12. ANY FINAL THOUGHTS ?

A: I don't believe in final thoughts. If I gave you my final thoughts I
wouldn't have any more and what fun would that be? But I guess I do have
some advice. If this voice work thing is something you really want to
do, then dive in, have fun, keep learning, don't get discouraged, and drop
me
a line--maybe we can help each other out. Oh, yeah, and don't drink milk
before a session. Not only can it come out your nose if you laugh, it
creates phlegm on your vocal chords and that's not a pretty sound.

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Happy with the work you do?
Use your computer to make money from home.
Be your own boss!
Enjoy unlimited earnings potential.

Call now to learn how you can start earning money and have the spare time
to enjoy it.

Call 203-372-1300 9-5 EST or
email me at successinasnap@sbcglobal.net or
visit my website www.successinasnap.com

- Susan McGrath

"Teaching consumers about wellness products and services, or intellectual
distribution, is the greatest entrepreneurial opportunity now and for the
foreseeable
future." Paul Zane Pilzer Leading Economist & Presidential Advisor

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A new voice-over training package at Edge Studio:

"Do It with The Works!" for $804.

2,000 online production scripts
three private coaching sessions
one private demo-preparation session
production of one demo
one private marketing consultation

Of course, we always suggest an evaluation first, to determine:
if you have potential
and if so, which niches are most marketable for you

Interested? Call us weekdays, 9-5 EST, at 888-321-edge.

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Are you tired of reading off of cue cards? Memorizing long scripts only to
get to the job and receive changes? Then this is for you.

EAR-PROMPTER--The ability to speak, simultaneously, pre-recorded material
from a micro-cassette recorder, while hearing it through an earpiece,
giving a flawless performance.

This extraordinary on-camera class comes from a leading ear-prompter
proficient actor and trainer. Receive a nation-wide list of "Ear" agents at
the end of the course and open the doors to more moneymaking opportunities.

Call Andréa Urban 917-664-7777 for private or group lessons.

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HAVE A DEMO?
We're always searching for new talent.
Please email your demo to: demosubmission@edgestudio.com
or mail to:
Edge Studio, attention demo submission, 307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1007, NY,
NY 10001 USA

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WANT TO ADVERTISE in Voice Over Today?
Results have been great!
Email info@edgestudio.com or call us weekdays 9-5 EST at 888-321-edge

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Copyright 2002, Edge Studio, LLC. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Edge Studio, LLC.