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VOICE OVER TODAY
February 26th, 2007

This issue contains:

1.) EDGE STUDIO SPRING SCHEDULE

2.) TAX HELP FOR VOICEOVER ARTISTS

3.) PRO-TOOLS TRAINING

Read this issue and PAST ISSUES at: www.edgestudio.com/voiceovertoday_past.htm

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Helping Voice-Talent Build Careers.

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

SINCE: 1988
MEMBER: Better Business Bureau
RECOGNIZED: Voice and Speech Trainers Association
SPONSOR: National Public Radio, Recording For The Blind & Dyslexic

WHAT IS EDGE STUDIO?

1) VOICE OVER CAREER BUILDING
• training
• evaluations
• demos
• marketing resources
• audition prep
• guidance

2) AN ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION FACILITY
Recent Productions:
• Pixar
• Disney
• Time Magazine
• Glomobi
• Klaffs

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Sonibyte, the industry leader in podcasting and audio periodical production, is looking for readers to join their team. Voice over artists work from home through a web-based workflow system. You must have your own recording equipment. Clients are generally large, national publications. Voice-over artists are paid by the word, and jobs generally recur on a weekly or monthly basis.

You can learn more at www.sonibyte.com. All interested parties should email resume and/or experience along with a demo or link to careers@sonibyte.com.

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1.) EDGE STUDIO SPRING SCHEDULE:

*** MARCH:
ACT up! (NYC in studio) - Monday, March 5th 7-9pm
Marketing Foundation (Tele) - Monday, March 5th – 7-9pm
TELE-Intensive Foundation Technique (Tele) - Monday, March 12th – 6-9:30pm
Professional Principles (NYC in studio) - Saturday, March 10th – 3-5pm
Intensive Foundation Technique (NYC in studio) - Wednesday, March 14th – 6-9:30pm
Character and Animation (NYC in studio) - Monday, March 12th Intensive 6-10pm
ACT up! (NYC in studio) - Saturday, March 17th 3-5pm
Character and Animation (NYC in studio) - Monday, March 19th Advanced 6-10pm
Ringer (NYC in studio) - Saturday, March 24th 3-5pm
Intensive Foundation Technique (NYC in studio) - Wednesday, March 28th – 9am-12:30pm
Act up! (Tele) - Wednesday, March 28th – 7-9pm
Marketing Forum (NYC in studio) - Saturday, March 31st 3-5pm
Audio book Intensive (NYC in studio) - Saturday, March 31st - 10am-2pm
Audio book Advanced (NYC in studio) - Saturday, March 31st - 3pm-7pm

*** APRIL:
ACT up! (NYC in studio) - Monday, April 2nd 7-9pm
Character and Animation (CT in studio) - Monday, April 9th Intensive 6-10pm
Intensive Foundation Technique (NYC in studio) - Wednesday, April 11th – 6-9:30pm
Professional Principles (NYC in studio) - Saturday, April 14th – 3-5pm
Character and Animation (CT in studio) - Monday, April 16th Advanced 6-10pm
Marketing Foundation (Tele) - Monday, April 23rd – 7-9pm
Ringer (Tele) - Tuesday, April 24th - 7-9pm
ACT up! (NYC in studio) - Saturday, April 21st 3-5pm
Intensive Foundation Technique (NYC in studio) - Wednesday, April 25th – 9am-12:30pm
Act up! (Tele) - Wednesday, April 25th – 7-9pm
Ringer (NYC in studio) - Saturday, April 28th 3-5pm
TELE-Intensive Foundation Technique (Tele) - Monday, April 30th – 9am-12:30pm
Marketing Forum (NYC in studio) - Saturday, Monday, April 30th 7-9pm

*** MAY:
ACT up! (NYC in studio) - Monday, May 7th 7-9pm
Intensive Foundation Technique (NYC in studio) - Wednesday, May 9th 6-9:30pm
Professional Principles (NYC in studio) - Saturday, May 12th – 3-5pm
ACT up! (NYC in studio) - Saturday, May 19th 3-5pm
Marketing Foundation (Tele) - Monday, May 21st – 7-9pm
Intensive Foundation Technique (NYC in studio) - Wednesday, May 23rd – 9am-12:30pm
Act up! (Tele) - Wednesday, May 23rd – 7-9pm
Ringer (NYC in studio) - Saturday, May 26th 3-5pm
Marketing Forum (NYC in studio) - Monday, May 28th 7-9pm

*** If you have any questions, or wish to register for any of these classes, call:

NY (212)868-EDGE
CT (203)374-EDGE
DC (202)398-EDGE
Or toll free at
(888)321-EDGE

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2.) TAX HELP FOR VOICEOVER ARTISTS

Wondering if you can deduct voice-over Training and Marketing expenses?
We asked an accountant to give us a sound report.

BY SPEAKING ABOUT DIFFERENT BUSINESS TYPES, this article will help you decide how
you can deduct business expenses against your income. Please read the disclaimer at the
end of this article.

This article will address two points:

* Which voice-over expenses can you deduct?
* Should you incorporate yourself?

What is the right entity for my voice-over business and what about taxes?

There are a myriad of ways a voice over artist can conduct his or her business. The three that
make the most sense for most voice over artists are:

a sole proprietorship
a limited liability company (LLC)
an S corporation

Other possibilities include, and are not limited to, partnerships and c corporations.
The sole proprietorship has the virtue that it is simple to form, and INCOME TAX is ONLY TAXED once, at the owner’s individual tax rate. Gross Income less costs of generating the income and operating expenses for the year are reported on Schedule C (or schedule C-EZ if certain tests are met) of your Form 1040. The resultant net income or loss becomes part of your adjusted gross income.

A word about ordinary and necessary expenses - at the start of your voice over career, the
largest expenses you probably will incur is the production of your demo (training, workshops, demo production, etc.) and the marketing of your demo (demo copies, mailers, postage, phone bills, etc). These should be deductible on Schedule C as promotional or marketing/advertising expense. If such costs are incurred before you actually start your trade of business, section 195 of the internal revenue code would permit an immediate deduction of the lesser of the start-up costs or $5000 assuming the start-up costs don’t exceed $50,000. any start-up costs not deductible initially are eligible to be amortized over a period not less than 180 months.

Of course, other expenses such as telephone, postage, professional publications, travel, and printing of business cards are also deductible.

Another potential deductible item is home office space. While office space used primarily for
business is not deductible, office space used exclusively for business purposes is.

Some items are not deductible, such as clothing purchased for voice over sessions. Even
buying a nice suit to meet new clients is not deductible, because clothing is adaptable to
general wear.

You will, in addition to owing income tax, usually be liable for self-employment tax and will generally have to make quarterly estimated tax payments as well. The sole proprietorship is not a separate legal or taxable entity from its owner, does not require a separate transfer of assets and does not limit your personal liability for the debts of the business- your individual assets remain at risk.

An LLC is formed under the applicable state’s limited liability company statute. A one owner
LLC is generally taxed as a sole proprietorship. Although the tax consequences of a
single-member LLC and sole proprietorship are the same, an LLC provides its owner liability
protection not available to a sole proprietorship – your assets are not at risk.

An S corporation is a business entity which has the same advantage of limited liability as a
shareholder in a regular or C corporation. Unlike an LLC there are restrictions on an S
corporation’s capital structure and on who may be a member. An S corporation’s income,
gain, loss and deductions pass through to its shareholders and are reported on individual tax
returns. Income is generally taxed at the individual level, but in certain states S corporations
are subject to state and/or local jurisdiction taxes as well.

Important information:

If you are not incorporated, and earned $600 or more from a payor, that payor is required to send
you a 1099misc form by January 31, 2007 if you are unincorporated such as a sole proprietor or partnership. If your entity is incorporated, a payor is not required to issue you a form 1099. If you should have received one, but did not, call that payor. Note that the payor should also send a copy of the form to the IRS.

Personal incomeTaxes must be mailed out on or before April 17, 2007 unless an extension is requested.

IRS tax help-line = 800-829-1040
IRS tax forms and distribution center = 800-829-3676
IRS on-line tax order form = www.irs.gov
disclaimer:

This article is intended to provide general guidelines on matters of interest to voice over artists. It is not intended to be all inclusive. The application and impact of tax laws can be very complex and vary widely from case to case. Readers are encouraged to seek professional advice concerning specific matters before making any decisions. The author and publisher disclaim any responsibility for positions taken
by taxpayers in their individual situations. This article was updated February 22, 2007.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: Any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any person for the purpose of (i) avoiding tax-related penalties or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any investment plan, transaction or matter.

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3) PRO-TOOLS TRAINING

Via telephone, your studio, or our studio.

Clients expect you to work like a pro. And Pro-Tools requires special attention.

OBJECTIVE
Get more work from better sounding recordings.

Our customized Pro-Tools training prices are Lower Than The Cost Of Aggravation And Therapy Fees you'll incur trying to teach yourself.

- diagnosis of your requirements
- design the system right for you
- installation
- training for only the functionality you will need
- support

This:
- Sure beats reading manuals all day.
- Helps ensure your clients get the quality they expect.
- Will pay for itself with satisfied clients.

Train privately with Tom Filogomo (Edge Studio’s Pro-Tools and voice over engineer specialist).

For details
- call Edge Studio at 888-321-edge
- go to www.edgestudio.com/home_studio_protools_training.htm

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ACCURATE READERS WANTED

NYU-trained screenwriter-director needs volunteers to read aloud feature scripts (The Shawshank Redemption, Erin Brockovitch, American Beauty, etc.). Readers read all text on pages, without interpretation/acting, and (if there are two of you) rotate pages until the entire script is read. Session takes up to 2-1/2 to 3 hours. No pay, but good practice cold reading for and taking direction from director. You'll also get a CD copy of your reading and a copy of the script you read aloud. For phone audition, e-mail bob@bobslaymaker.net with "Reader" in subject. If you previously auditioned, feel free to audition again. Other tasks available for those who don't want to read aloud but would like exposure/insight into writing screenplays. Voiceover artists from outside New York City are welcome if
they can record to wav or mp3 files.

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HAVE A WEBSITE?

Adding active links on your website can expand your profile while increasing your search-engine results. Take this opportunity to add a link to Edge Studio. Visit www.edgestudio.com/link.htm

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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 2007, 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.