blogs

I'm Still No Don LaFontaine And That's Still Okay!

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:38:42 +0100

I think most people think that for a man to be in voiceovers you have to have this big booming Don LaFontaine voice. While l do not to dispute the man's greatness, because he was great, but I don’t believe every voiceover project calls for that kind of a voice.

Over the past few years I've taken part in many workshops, read books and trained with great people like Voice Coaches and Terry Daniel. One thing that I've come to realize is that there is a niche out there for guys like me that don't have that big booming movie trailer guy voice. I feel I'm a pretty versatile voice actor but many of the jobs I get hired for are for 'the guy next door" style or sound. When clients are looking for that “real person” or “believable” sound. So rather than run from that, I've decided to embrace it and have been fairly successful.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to be yourself. The longer I’m in this business the more I realize the one of the keys to success is ton not try to mimic others, but to bring more of yourself into the work. I think this applies in any field. We all have God give gifts and talents and our own unique way of doing things. I say embrace your uniqueness and see what happens.

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

www.paulvoices.com

paulvoices@gmail.com

541-760-8035

Auditioning On The Go Solutions

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:36:56 +0100

While I believe it’s best to audition from my home studio, there have been occasions when I’ve been on the road or away from my studio and come across a job posting that I felt was a good fit for me and had wished that I had a simple set up for my iPhone so that I could audition for it.

A while back on Voices.com I learned about an iPhone app called iAudition designed for voice actors by voice actors http://www.everydaygiants.com/iaudition2/. It’s a simple $6 app that allows you to record, edit and email your auditions. While the iPhone mic is okay, I was hoping to find a way to plug an XLR cable to my iPhone and use and external mic with it. I found $30 solution on Amazon.com. It’s an iPhone Adapter Cable made by Comprehensive. One end of the cable allows you to plug a 3.5mm jack into the headset slot on your iPhone. The other end has a female XLR plug and a head set jack. Here’s a link

http://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Microphones-Professional-Recording-Headphones/dp/B004Z97CQW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319328949&sr=1-1

I’ve used the cable with an EV N/D 267 Dynamic Cardioid mic and it’s sound pretty nice. Certainly not my studio quality, but nice enough for Podcasts, Live Radio Broadcasts and auditions on the go I think. If you’re looking for something that supports phantom powered mics, I invite you to check out George Whittam’s blog on the Tascam iXZ. http://eldorec.com/eldoblog/

I hope this has been helpful and all the best,

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

The Power Of An Apology

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:46:27 +0100

I’ve been reading the book “UnMarketing” by Scott Stratten (which I highly recommend) and was reminded of a recent incident as I read a section about the importance of owning your mistakes in business.

Recently I sent out my voiceover business newsletter to many folks in my email contacts list. I made the HUGE mistake of not sending the email list out as a “bcc” (or blind carbon copy) email. So basically, everyone that I sent this to could see all of the other emails on the distribution list. I felt like a complete idiot and my friends that called me one were correct in doing so.

As soon as I had realized what I had done, I sent out another email (bcc this time) to all the same people apologizing for this huge mistake and asked their forgiveness. I also pledged never to make such a bonehead mistake again.

The interesting thing to me about this whole ordeal was that besides people being very kind and forgiving of me, I found that I received more responses and interaction with people from my apology email than I had from the original newsletter I sent. In fact, as of the time of this writing, I reconnected with several old clients and landed two voiceover jobs as a direct result.

So what have I learned from this? Well, we’re all human and make mistakes, but if we own up to those mistakes most people are generally forgiving and will respect and even reward your honesty with their business.

If you’d like more information about Scott Statten’s book UnMarketing, here’s the link to his site www.unmarketing.com

Thanks for reading this blog and please feel free to post your comments and stories, I'd love to hear them.

All the best,

Paul

How do you know your doing what you're supposed to be doing?

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:55:40 +0100

Have you ever asked yourself that question? I know I have many times over the years and continue to do so. I think it’s healthy to think about where you’re at in life and see if you are where you want to be.

Over the years I’ve had many jobs, and with each of them, there were elements of my personality and talents and skills that were put to good use in those jobs. But I don’t know that I was ever completely fulfilled. For me, as a Christian, I’ve struggled with the question of am I doing what I’m supposed to be in terms of my faith but also from a practical career choice stand point. I believe whether you are a person of faith or not, we all have a need to accomplish something with our lives, to have more than just a job and pay the bills.

In addition to my voice-acting career, I am a DJ at HOPE 107.9 FM and lead Worship at my home church in Albany, Oregon. For me, all of these jobs make me feel at times as though I am where I am supposed to be and like I’m making a small difference in the world. The beauty of voice acting for me is that I thoroughly enjoy it and love exceeding client’s expectations. All of my skill sets are put to work and I get to meet a lot of great interesting people. Though it’s challenging it drives me and keeps me motivated to continue working in the field. Because of this I’ve come to realize that it’s one of the places I’m supposed to be.

Maybe you’re in a job or career that you don’t like right now. I know I’ve had jobs that I was miserable at and I wasn’t helping the company or myself. Though it is risky, you might ask yourself: “Is this where I’m supposed to be?” That’s a question I’ve prayerfully considered many times. Making a career move for me was scary and risky, but I love what I do and I have never looked back.

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

Low Budget Noise Blocking Solution

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:18:54 +0100

Like many voice actors with home studios, the issue of blocking outside noise can be a problem. I recently visited a friends home who was building a semi-sound proof office in his home. He had installed, sandwiched between the dry wall and standard 2x4 framing, sheets of sound board material he purchased at Home Depot. This material is roughly 1/2 inch thick and does a nice job of sound proofing his home office from family noise in his home.

In my home voiceover studio I have a 4x4 window facing the neighborhood cul de sac and at time with kids playing and lawn mowers going, I just have to wait for a quieter time to do my voice work. So I went to Home Depot and picked up a 4 x 8 sheet of sound board and cut it in half to fit in my 4 x 4 window. I glued the two pieces together and added sound foam to one side and a handle. This "plug" fits right in my window and does a very nice job blocking outside noise into my studio and it only cost me around $20 to make.

HERE'S A LINK TO A SHORT VIDEO I CREATED ON THE WINDOW PLUG http://ow.ly/4FKlz

We are planning to move and so this is a short term solution but works pretty well. If you are looking for a more detailed look into ways to create a sound booth on a tight budget, visit my friend Paul Strikwerda's blog at http://www.nethervoice.com

Hope you find this information helpful.

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice
541-760-8035
paulvoices.com

Faffcon

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:50:56 +0100

I recently had the privilege of attending Faffcon, the "UN-Voiceover" conference http://faffcon.com/. It was great meeting up with so many talented voice actors from the industry. We had the opportunity to share and learn with one another to help better our careers and the industry. I highy recommend to my fellow voice actors attending the next one if they get the chance

I also learned about meetup.com and the voiceover group that was started in the Portland, Oregon area. If you are interested in learning more, here is the web link http://www.meetup.com/PortlandVoiceTalents/ I look forward to getting together with this group in the future in the spirit of Faffcon.

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

Hacker Protection

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:41:29 +0100

Has your twitter, facebook or other social networking account ever been hacked? Well it’s happened to me and it can happen to you. Social networking can be a fun way to keep up with old friends, meet new ones or promote yourself and your business. But it can also be very frustrating when a hacker breaks into your account and starts sending out spam and junk messages to all of your connections as if they were coming from you.

On one hand, I have to admire the ingenuity and creativity of the hacker to be able to do what they do. On the other hand, I’d like to see them all imprisoned on a deserted island and forced to listen to Tiny Tim music for the rest of their lives. All that talent and skill wasted for no apparent reason other than causing problems for others. What a waste.

While I am not a computer wiz by any stretch of the imagination, I have looked into this issue to learn about how I can protect myself from social networking hackers. It seems that your best line of defense is a good strong password and changing it from time to time as well. Below are a couple of links to articles that you might find interesting on this subject. I hope you find this information helpful to you and happy social networking.

Paul Hernandez

http://www.paulvoices.com/links.php

How to Keep Your twitter Account From Being Hacked

http://www.ehow.com/how_5186773_keep-twitter-account-being-hacked.html

How to Keep Your facebook Account From Being Hacked

http://www.ehow.com/how_5424616_keep-myspace-accounts-being-hacked.html

Don’t Give Up On Your Dreams

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:01:03 +0100

As a child I always had an interest in music, entertainment and announcing. I can remember pretending to be on the radio, being an announcer or narrator just for fun, kicks or for a fun school project. I always enjoyed doing things like this but as I grew older I left these dreams behind to pursue other interests. I got married, got into sales and marketing, and raised a family. After becoming a Christian, for the first time in a long time, I began to feel unsettled in my current career. An opportunity arose for me to accept a sales job at a local Christian Radio Station. While financially speaking this was not a wise move, I took a chance to pursue something I felt just might be a “calling” for me.

A decade later, and a little grayer, I find myself juggling three professions now that I thoroughly enjoy. I am a DJ and music director a radio station, a Worship Pastor at my home church and a professional voice actor. Three professions that all have to do with my childhood interests.

Recently I was doing a word search and came across the definition of the word “vocation”. I knew what this word meant (so I thought) but was taken back a bit as I read the definitions:

Vocation:

1. A particular occupation, business, or profession; calling.

2. A strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.

3. A divine call to God's service or to the Christian life.

4. A function or station in life to which one is called by God: the religious vocation; the vocation of marriage.

Can someone have a divine calling to be a voice talent? I think each of us has passions and dreams. We all have unique talents and gifts. In today’s day and age, it seems weird or spooky to hear someone say they have a “calling”. Like they are some kind of religious fanatic or nut. But as I read through the definition of the word vocation, several thoughts crossed my mind. Maybe I did have a divine calling? Maybe I gravitated to these things as a child because it’s just how I was wired? Maybe I am just pursuing voice work because it was an interest of mine? Or, maybe I’m in my current fields because it’s what God wired me to do right from the start. Call me crazy, but every time I question this “calling” of mine it seems that more opportunities open up for me to use my voice. Am I reaching? Am I trying to read more into this than I should? Perhaps. Or maybe, just maybe, this was all part of God’s plan for me.

Whatever your dream is, don’t give up on it. Maybe it’s God’s “calling” or vocation for you? Find out what it takes to make it happen. Yes it will probably cost you time and money but maybe now is the right time for you to pursue exactly what God has wired you to do all along?

I'm Not Don LaFontaine And That’s OK

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:45:30 +0100

I’ve always been interested in voice over work. As a kid I pretended to be a radio DJ and did impressions of my favorite celebrities. As I got older I became interested in voice over work but I’ve said to myself "I'm no Don LaFontaine. I don't have that big booming movie trailer guy voice. How could I even compete?" Well the longer I'm in this field the more I realize that in today's voice over market, getting work isn't about the voice you have as much as it is what you can do with your voice.

My background is in radio. Voice overs for me at one time were simply "the announcer guy" voice. You crank out commercials one after the other with the same announcer guy cookie cutter approach. When I started auditioning for voice over work outside of the station I worked for, I soon realized that my background in “announcing” was more of a hindrance than an aid in landing voice work.

I attended a voice over workshop and decided that if I wanted a career in voice overs, I needed to get serious. I started taking some training with the Creative Voice Development Group (Voice Coaches) out of Albany, New York. Here I began to learn that it’s about acting with your voice and not announcing. No, I don’t have a Don LaFontaine voice, but not every voice over job calls for that type of voice. Clients usually have a voice style in mind but are looking for a voice that can bring their script to life. How you approach the read and act out the script is more important than the kind of voice you have.

With lots of hard work and practice, I have been able to land work in audio books, radio and TV commercials, GPS voice overs, video narrations, telephone answering systems and even toy train sets.

I have learned that I am no Don LaFontaine, but that’s OK. I can get work by being me. So if you’re interested in the field of voice overs, my advice is to get some training and learn all you can about the business.

For more details and insights on getting into voice overs read a great blog by Vicki Amorose entitled “So You Want To Be A Voice Over Talent”

FUN Raiser For Haiti

Wed, 12 May 2010 21:17:37 +0100

On May 7th, my family and I got together and put on the Hernandez Family Variety Show. It was a night of music, skits, improv and fun as we invited guests from our home church, city, and listeners of HOPE 107.9 FM (the station I work at) to come out for free and enjoy a night of laughs.

We performed songs (some of which were acted out) from my Pickles and Jelly CD along with Who's Line Is It Anyway styled improv comedy and funny skits in the style of some classic variety TV shows like Carol Burnett and Dean Martin. While the event was free, we gave an opportunity for folks to give to support a missions team from The Shift Church to go to Haiti and work at an orphanage. Because of the generosity of those in attendance and from those who purchased my Pickles and Jelly CD, we were able to raise all of the remaining funds the team needed for the trip. Who says you can't have fun for a good cause?

Thanks to all of you who supported us in this cause. The Haiti team thanks you and looks forward to giving a good report upon their return.

Paul Hernandez, Voice Man