Category Archives: Business

Wrong Man For The Job

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Wrong Man For The Job

Have you ever been in a situation where everything just seemed to “click”?
You’re at the right place, right time, and everything feels… Right!
Like a perfect storm of awesome!

Well, this isn’t about that.

It’s about the opposite.

How do you know when you’re the wrong man for the job?

Let’s look at a recent example (imho) from the media…

Last month, Bob Dylan released his new album “Shadows in the Night“, a collection of 10 show tunes (mostly), previously sung by Frank Sinatra.

Bob Dylan. Show Tunes. Frank Sinatra.

What could possibly go wrong? Continue reading →

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First Casting

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First Casting

There’s a first time for everything.

Casting for Live From E.V.I.L. was a first for me.

“So, Joe… How did it go?”

Wow! It was tough for a variety of reasons.

There were a lot of really good auditions. I’d asked for folks to come up with their own original character that would fit in at a party on EVIL Island, then voice a few lines. It was an opportunity to be really creative, and believe me, creativity is alive and rampant in Voice Acting!
Continue reading →

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Dump Gold! (2014 Edition)

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Dump Gold!

(2014 edition)

Joe's Dump Store - Memorial Day Sale!

Joe’s Dump has been around over 2 years. With more than 100 posts, it’s time for a bit of Dump Digging to harvest out some of my favorite posts from the past year…

Organized by category for your convenience below – Enjoy!

Business:
V321.ru – The Story
Moth or Flame?
Technology Rising, Quality Sinking
You Actor
Good, Fast, Cheap – A New Take
Branding Versatility
The Myth Of Conversational VO
Silent Computer
Continue reading →

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Wishing and Hoping…

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Wishing and Hoping…

Wishing

Today, I’d like to discuss how a pop song from 1963 can provide some very valuable lessons about business, and about life.

“Wishin’ and Hopin’” was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. First recorded by Dion Warwick in 1963 and also released later by Dusty Springfield in 1964.

In brief, the song delivers advice to a woman who seems intent on landing a man. The conclusion is that wishing is not enough – she’s gotta actually do something!.
(video and lyrics are at the bottom of this post for your reference)

So let’s break the song lyrics down into three categories and find out how they can help us to achieve our own goals: Continue reading →

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Silent Computer

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Silent Computer

The time had come to have “The Talk” with my current computer system:

I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just come out and say it: I’ve outgrown you.
You’ve gotten too slow and noisy, and I feel I can no longer rely on you.
Really… it’s not you… no, wait… it is you!
Maybe it’s best we just go our own ways.

And so, the hunt for a new computer began!

Requirements

What did I want? Continue reading →

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The Myth of Conversational VO

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The Myth of Conversational VO

(aka. “Nobody Talks Like That”)

BlahBlahBlah
A big part of the job of voice acting is auditioning. And a current trend seen in many auditions is the “Conversational” or “Non-Announcer” style. Rarely a day goes by that I don’t see at least one audition request asking for that guy-next-door sound. A friend. A neighbor. BUT NO ANNOUNCERS!

Well, I’m here to tell you, friends and neighbors… there’s very little VO out there in the real world that would be mistaken for an actual conversation. Here are just a few examples:

Continue reading →

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Solarix

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Solarix: Video Game in Development Genetic experiments. Infected crew mates. Trapped in deep space, you are the sole survivor. Just a “loose end” for the corporation to tie up. Hiding… running… searching for a way out. I am watching you. … Continue reading →

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Branding Versatility

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Branding Versatility

Swiss Army Brain

“Pick a Type…”

“Discover your Brand…”

“Find your USP (unique selling proposition)…”

“… Then, market the hell out of it!”

Whatever you call it, this is the marketing advice most experts give to actors.
And there’s a good reason for it: It Works.

Except when it doesn’t.
Continue reading →

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Mountain Larnin’

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Mountain Larnin’

If you need a new character or dialect, an old book might be a treasure chest of inspiration…

The Code Of The Mountains
While browsing through a used book store, I chanced upon an ancient copy of “The Code Of The Mountains” by Charles Neville Buck (pub. 1915).

Scanning through the pages, the first thing that caught my eye was that the character dialog was all written in dialect! For example, instead of “How far might it be to Winchester?” they say “How fur mout hit be ter Winchester?“.

This was an amazing way to learn a new dialect, or create a brand new character.

You can read the entire book here:
“The Code Of The Mountains” on Project Gutenberg
(warning: antiquated thinking may be potential offensive to sensitive individuals)

Below, you’ll find some select quotes from the first 20-or-so pages…

We open with Newt Spooner, a boy from Troublesome Creek in the Cumberland Ridges of Virginia. Or maybe Kentucky. Around 1897. He’s just gotten out of prison: Continue reading →

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Voice Mime

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Voice Mime

Voice Mime

“If I’m paid to voice a job and it’s never used, does it make a sound?”

Well I’m here to answer “YES!”, and show you some Voice Mime gigs from my own personal forest.

The following are all jobs that I auditioned for, got cast, recorded, and got paid for – that have never been heard until now!

Celebrity Voices
These projects involve celebrity voice matching. Sometimes it is to replace a celebrity voice in a movie or trailer, other times they’re used as scratch tracks until the celebrity has time to record the final version.
Continue reading →

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