Voiceover Talent News and Info from SunSpots

Voiceover Studio offers FREE Kitty with Every Session!

2011-08-09T13:21:00.001-04:00

Weeeeeeeel almost. Let's get those facts straight. A small, female, calico cat showed up at our studios near Asheville a few weeks ago. Here she is pictured in our new kitchen at the SunSpots Asheville studio.

Sleepy Kitty at SunSpots Asheville Recording Studios waiting for her new home

She, (we've been calling her Spot or SunSpots), needs a nice loving home. She gets along well with Buzz, our studio pup. Too many voice talent have allergies so we have to give her up. She's affectionate and operates an excellent purrbox when properly inspired. She's an indoor cat who's been checked by a vet with no feline leukemia or other issues. Doc thinks she's around 7-8 years old and 7 pounds. She likes to be pet and has a sweet voice/meow. Litterbox trained.

And now a message from her..."mew mew mew" Translated, "Please adopt me. I want to lie in the sun in your living room and curl up in your lap at night."

Couldn't have said it better ourselves. Please write Janet (at) mysunspots.com to ask any questions or discuss adopting this wonderful cat.

You can also talk to Janet about scheduling voiceover talent too or search on our SunSpots web site for professional voice talent and book online.

Thanks and Happy Mew Mew To You!

Ad Age Small Advertising Agency Awards Results...tiny shops think big

2011-07-29T14:39:00.000-04:00

Congrats to all the nominees and winners in the annual Small Agency Conference and Awards show in Denver last night.

Winners List

Winners, West Region TIE

Winner, Southwest Region

StruckAxiom, Salt Lake City, Utah

Winner, Southeast Region

Planit, Baltimore, Maryland

Winner, Midwest Region

Space150, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Winner, Northeast Region

Deeplocal, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Congrats to all of the winners in this competition. A reminder...SunSpots Productions provides voiceover talent and creative audio production to all agencies regardless of size, be you a behemoth or tiny guppy. We make ears happy.

Thanks to Advertising Age magazine online for the info.

Apple's New Final Cut Pro approved by Team Coco

2011-07-07T15:05:00.000-04:00

Conan O'Brien's video team has some fun with Apple's latest version of their video editing software, Final Cut Pro.

We use the previous version of FCP and Adobe Premiere at SunSpots. Think we might be holding off for a bit with this upgrade from Apple. We're far from Apple bashers. We use Macs with Protools in our recording studios and Macs everywhere else in the offices in Florida, near Orlando and North Carolina, near Asheville.

Barney visits SunSpots Asheville Studios

2011-06-30T15:03:00.000-04:00

Voiceover Actor and Puppeteer Brad Abrell in Asheville

Brad Abrell, who's recently been voicing commercials for Fruity Pebbles as the voice of Barney Rubble, was working from SunSpots Productions ISDN Recording Studios near Asheville, NC today.

Here's Brad voicing as Barney Rubble:

And a sampling of Brad's on-camera work:

You've also seen Brad on Curb Your Enthusiasm and heard his voice in video games SpongeBob Squarepants, Medal of Honor, Law and Order and many others.

SunSpots ISDN Studios

We'd like to thank Brad for using SunSpots Productions for his ISDN studio session. If you're a voice actor visiting Western North Carolina and the Asheville area or if you're vacationing in Central Florida and Orlando doing Disney, Universal, Sea World and the other attractions, we invite you to SunSpots Productions to keep up with your voiceover work.

SunSpots Productions is the #1 licensed voice talent agency and creative audio production facility in the world. We combine professional voiceover talent with extraordinary audio production in all languages. Contact us for your next session at 800.355.SPOTS(7768).

How To Help Japan

2011-03-11T17:55:00.001-05:00

Picture: AP/Kyodo News

With Japan suffering multiple earthquakes and tsunamis today many of us are wondering what we can do to help. I've put together a list of organizations and websites that will help the people of Japan and others in the Pacific. The need is money, not goods. Please donate what you can to help survivors of this very large disaster.

Charitable Resources:

PC World's article on how to not get scammed donating to the Japan earthquake relief charities.

Picture: AP

Please Donate Cash

Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, recommends giving "...money, not food, water and clothes. There's a much higher shipping cost for supplies and it's easier for disaster organizations to get cash and use it as they need to."

Remember to check the authenticity of the web site before donating online.

Let's do what we can to help. The need is going to be deep.

Thanks-

Tom

SunSpots Seeking Super Hero...or close to it

2011-03-04T14:08:00.005-05:00

We've just had a position open up at our Florida recording studios near Orlando. We're looking for someone with office management experience in the advertising agency, talent agency, recording studio, entertainment or hospitality industry. We're seeking someone with superior problem solving, communication, controlled multi-tasking, time and people management skills. Bilingual Spanish/English is a plus. Must be skilled with the latest Mac OS, Filemaker, Microsoft Office apps. Knowledge of ISDN codecs is important, but not required. Knowledge of Photoshop, Dreamweaver, CSS and HTML is a plus. Social media skills are essential. Knowledge of how to get those pesky stains out of the carpet is helpful too.

Be Xtreme!

We value people who understand the importance of the team environment and who believe in extreme customer service. Not Xgames xtreme...thankfully, we don't require the use of any helmets. One of the reasons SunSpots has become a global leader as both a licensed voice talent agency and creative audio production company is our above average customer service to our clients. Our creative team members in North Carolina and Florida go more than the extra mile, and we expect people who join us to have the same mindset of "excellence in all things".

Employee Benefits

Health Insurance
Paid Vacation
Retirement Plan
Performance Bonuses

Send Your Resume Soon!

Office Manager Position

SunSpots Productions

821 Marshall Farms Road

Ocoee, Fl

34761

Smart+Funny=Success

Ever notice how people who are smart and funny just seem to naturally succeed? That's the type of person we want to hear from. We like people who are internally motivated to do their jobs well, who think and not react, who aren't in a rush to leave at the end of the day, who enjoy working with creative people and who thrive on organized chaos. This is also a perfect position for someone who does part-time voice over work. Nothing better than working at a voiceover studio with voice booths in the center of the building just steps away.

It's A Magical Wonderland!

SunSpots Florida voiceover studios are located in Ocoee, in greater Orlando. We're just 20 minutes from DisneyWorld, Universal Studios and SeaWorld parks. The Hard Rock and House of Blues live concert venues are also nearby. The Orlando Magic and downtown Orlando are just 15 minutes east. We're 1 hour from watching the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean and 1.5 hrs to see a glorious west coast sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. The Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando Science Center, Mennello Art Museum are all close by. The downside? Traffic sucks and it gets very hot during the summer.

No Calls Please

You understand that we're busy serving our client's and talent's needs so we can't take calls about this job opening. You may drop me an email if you have questions: tom a.t. mysunspots dot com. (Plus, we're short a person too, remember.)

Best of luck to you!
Tom

iPad 2 Cover in action

2011-03-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

The new iPad 2 was announced today and it offers a lighter body, Facetime video conferencing which means cameras (!) and other features. This iPad 2 cover works only for the new one coming in a couple weeks and not the original iPad.

Zombies wanted at Ad Agency

2011-03-02T14:47:00.002-05:00

©Thomas Rohe

Creative Zombies Wanted

A British Columbia Advertising Agency is seeking zombie interns. No, really.

"What we want is creativity," Doug Brown, Copeland Communication's managing director, said Tuesday.
"It's one thing for someone to say, 'I'm really interested in advertising.' It's quite another thing for them to demonstrate it to us."

I can't wait to see who shows up for this gig.

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/agency+seeks+zombies+intern+candidates/4370653/story.html

Asheville 2011 AAFA Addy Award Winner's List

2011-03-02T14:14:00.001-05:00

Asheville, NC 2011 Addy Award Winners

SALES PROMOTION

Catalog

Award: Gold ADDY® Award
Entrant: trent thibodeaux design
Advertiser: Watkins College of Art, Design & Film
Title: Watkins College Promotional Book
Credits: Trent Thibodeaux, designer

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: Asheville School
Advertiser: Asheville School
Title: Asheville School Viewbook and program guide
Credits: Bob Williams , Director of Communications, Asheville School
Andy Hirt , Director of Admission, Asheville School
Blake Madden , Photographer, Blake Madden Photography
Lydia Carrington, Writer, Brucemont Communications

Sales Kit

Award: Gold ADDY® Award and Best of Show Print
Entrant: trent thibodeaux design
Advertiser: Watkins College of Art, Design & Film
Title: Watkins College Promotional Package
Credits: Trent Thibodeaux, designer

Packaging

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: Connie Aridas Creative
Advertiser: sgblue
Title: O two Box
Credits: Connie Aridas, Art Director / Designer / Illustrator
Val Leeper & sgblue team, Copywriters
John Warner, Photographer
Parks Newby, Illustrator
Porch Light Studio, Production

COLLATERAL MATERIAL

Brochure, Color

Award: Gold ADDY® Award
Entrant: Market Connections
Advertiser: Keystone Camp
Title: Keystone Camp Catalog
Credits: Brad Campbell, Creative Director/copywriter
Allison Evans, Art Director/copywriter
Alison Fields, Copywriter
Tracy Turpen, Photographer

DIRECT MARKETING

Direct Campaign, B-to-B or Consumer

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: The Parish Group
Advertiser: Seton Hill University
Title: Seton Hill University
Credits: Meredith Rushing, Designer
Kim Sheeter, Copywriter

Specialty Advertising

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: Big Bridge Advertising
Advertiser: Greenman Brewery
Title: Beauty Is In the Eye of the Giftcard Holder
Credits: Stephen Becker, Creative Director/Lead Designer

INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Website, B-to-B HTML, Services

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: Integritive2
Advertiser: Integritive
Title: Integritive
Credits: John Miles, Chief of What's Next
Travis Medford, Pixel Herder
Matt Levin, Visual Ninja
Bill Higgins, Technostalgist
Andrew Layton, Grand Master Flash

Website, Consumer HTML, Outlets

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: Connie Aridas Creative
Advertiser: sgblue
Title: sgblue website
Credits: Connie Aridas, Art Director / Designer/ Illustrator
Val Leeper & sgblue team, Copywriters
WSI Webworks, Site Development / Programming
John Warner, Photographer
John White, 360 Programming
Parks Newby, Illustrator

Banners / Pop-ups / Screensavers

Award: Gold ADDY® Award and Best of Show Interactive
Entrant: SCALE
Advertiser: Sealy
Title: SimpleHealthyRest Banner Series
Credits: Lee Lance, Executive Producer
Wayne Wu, Creative Director/Designer
Roger Frank, Writer

Micro or Mini Sites

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: SCALE
Advertiser: Sealy
Title: SimpleHealthyRest.com
Credits: Lee Lance, Executive Producer
Wayne Wu, Creative Director/Designer
Emmet McGovern, Lead Programmer
Chaz Jachimski, Front End Developer
Roger Frank, Writer

Online Campaign

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: SCALE
Advertiser: Sealy
Title: Embody by Sealy Brand Awareness Campaign
Credits: Lee Lance, Executive Producer
Wayne Wu, Creative Director/Designer
Emmet McGovern, Lead Programmer
Chaz Jachimski, Front End Developer
Roger Frank, Writer

ADVERTISING FOR THE ARTS & SCIENCES

Arts, Mixed Media Campaign

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: Flat Rock Playhouse
Advertiser: Flat Rock Playhouse
Title: TaDa! If you got it... Flaunt it
Credits: Damian Duke Domingue, Resident Creative/Art Director
Scott Treadway, Photographer

PUBLIC SERVICE

Public Service, TV

Award: Gold ADDY® Award and Mosiac ADDY Award
Entrant: Kd Multimedia
Advertiser: Homeward Bound
Title: Homeward Bound: Invisible
Credits: Katie Damien, Director
Brian K. Alexander, Production Assistant
Cynthia Smith, Production Assistant

Public Service, Campaign

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: Flying Rooster, Inc.
Advertiser: OASIS (Outreach and Awareness:Sexuality Information for Stud
Title: Everyday Bodies
Credits: James Fay, Photographer
Adam Hajnos, Illustrator
Charlotte Moore, Copywriter

ADVERTISING INDUSTRY SELF-PROMOTION

Ad Club Promotion

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: AAF-Asheville
Advertiser: AAF Asheville
Title: You Never Forget Your First Time
Credits: Gary James, Creative Director, Copywriter
Mary McGahren, Art Director, Graphic Designer
Katy Rosenberg, Winner & Program Book production

ELEMENTS OF ADVERTISING

Logo

Award: Silver ADDY® Award
Entrant: Connie Aridas Creative
Advertiser: sgblue
Title: O two logo
Credits: Connie Aridas, Art Director / designer

Photography, Campaign

Award: Gold ADDY® Award
Entrant: Lynne Harty Photography, Inc.
Advertiser: Lark Books
Title: Keeping Chickens
Credits: Lynne Harty , Photography
Chris Bryant, Art Director and Food Stylist
Ashley English, Author
Nicole McConville, Editor

Congratulations to all of the winners of this year's Asheville Addy Awards!

Tom

Oscar Winners 2011

2011-02-28T14:11:00.000-05:00

And the Oscar Winners are...

Best Picture: "The King's Speech"
Best Actor: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Best Director: Tom Hooper, "The Kings Speech"
Best Original Song: "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"
Best Film Editing: "The Social Network," Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter
Best Visual Effects: "Inception," Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley & Peter Bebb
Best Documentary Feature: "Inside Job"
Best Short Film (Live Action): "God of Love," Luke Matheny
Best Documentary (Short Subject): "Strangers No More"
Best Costume Design: "Alice in Wonderland," Colleen Atwood
Best Makeup: "The Wolfman," Rick Baker & Dave Elsey
Best Sound Editing: "Inception," Richard King
Best Sound Mixing: "Inception," Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo & Ed Novick
Best Original Score: "The Social Network," Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
Best Foreign Language Film: "In a Better World," Denmark
Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler, "The King's Speech"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"
Best Animated Feature Film: "Toy Story 3"
Best Short Film (Animated): "The Lost Thing," Shaun Tan & Andrew Ruhemann
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
Best Cinematography: "Inception," Wally Pfister
Best Art Direction: "Alice in Wonderland," Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara

I was hoping 127 Hours would have won for best editing. Took some creative camera work and editing to tell that story.

Was an interesting train wreck to watch. Thought bIlly Crystal was going to save the night!

Voice Talent Bob Jump for Sasktel

2011-02-16T18:21:00.000-05:00

Sasktel TV Commercials featuring Voice Talent Bob Jump

SunSpots voiceover talent, Bob Jump, "The Voice of America", was featured in a tv commercial for Sasktel. Bob's been voicing Sasktel with us for many years. They do some amazing animation work!

Here's another featuring Bob Jump on the end tag of the tv commercial.

Schedule Bob Jump at SunSpots 800.355.SPOTS

If you'd like to schedule voice talent Bob Jump for your next audio production give us a call at 800.355.SPOTS (7768) or book him online with SunSpots Productions ezCast.

Congrats Bob, sounds great as always!

Orlando Ad Federation Addy Awards this Saturday

2011-02-16T17:42:00.000-05:00

Orlando Addy Award Battle!

Orlando's Ad Federation is gearing up for the battle of the year according to their web site. The Orlando Addy Awards are this coming Saturday night at the Hilton in Altamonte Springs. From their web site:

"Join us February 19th for a battle between the best in Orlando's advertising industry! Enjoy a game of blackjack or interact with our Vegas Showgirls before the big showdown at this year's local ADDY awards. Come for hors d' oeuvres and get a refreshing drink at our cash bar. This will be a night you will not forget."

Tickets for the Orlando Addy Awards are still available.

SunSpots Voice Talent Voicing the Event

Voice Talent
Kim Sanders

If you're attending the Orlando Addy Awards you'll hear SunSpots voice talent, Kim Sanders and Tom Cassidy, providing the award announcements. This is the third year for Kim and Tom voicing the proceedings. They've practiced all year to say, "...and the Silver Addy goes to...".

Thanks to voiceover talent Jon Ruhff at Push Button Productions for recording Tom and Kim.

PS-Kim has gone plumb loco for Mumford and Sons since she saw them on the Grammy's. Ask her about them next time you're in session with her. Funny, they just came on Sirius radio, which I'm listening to as I'm writing this. Guess that's the sign to get the album/download/cd (whatever we call it now).

Good luck to all the addy competitors from your friends at SunSpots!

Asheville Addy Awards This Saturday

2011-02-16T16:46:00.001-05:00

Asheville Ad Federation

Asheville's chapter of the American Advertising Federation is holding their annual awards ceremony this coming Saturday.

From their website:

Advertising's answer to the Oscars, the ADDYs is a party not to be missed. See all types of ad creativity revealed in all its glory (e.g., ad campaign, direct marketing, sales promotion, newspaper, television, mixed media, and more.) Guaranteed to be raucous and wild, come see amazing feats of our ad community's best talent at The Venue in downtown Asheville!

No mention of radio? Say it ain't so! I'm sure someone's submitted some creative radio spots. If not, well...come talk to us. SunSpots produces Addy Award winners for markets all over the country.

We wish all the agencies the best of luck!

Asheville Addy Awards Tickets

Chevy releases Super Bowl spots early

2011-02-04T14:57:00.002-05:00

Chevy's trying to build the buzz before the before Super Bowl XLV.

GM's Chevy brand is jumping on the Super Bowl ad frenzy before the big game even starts by releasing their Super Bowl TV commercials early. They've produced spots for a variety of their models such as the Volt (I'm really wanting to see one of those in person), the Silverado pickup and the Cruze.

San Francisco's Goodby, Silverstein and Partners produced the Chevy tv commercials. Sounds like voice talent/actor Tim Allen providing the voiceover.

Here's Chevy's Super Bowl tv commercials before the pigskin has even been kicked:

"Status"

Chevy "Status"

"Discovery"

Chevy "Discovery"

"Misunderstanding"

Chevy "Misunderstanding"

"Tommy"

Chevy "Tommy"

"Al's Choice"

Chevy "Al's Choice"

So what do you think? Have a favorite? Think they're going to move some metal?

Tom

Asheville's Diamond Brand HALF OFF Groupon Coupon

2011-02-04T12:33:00.000-05:00

One of everyone's favorite places to get outdoor gear around Asheville is Diamond Brand Outdoor Outfitters near our recording studios in the south Asheville area. I was there just last week getting a couple things. Oh, how I wish this Diamond Brand Groupon deal had come up prior to that. Course I'll be there again as will most of us. Maybe a fuzzy hat is in order? Here's the link for the 50% off deal at Diamond Brand. It's one of my favorites. Enjoy!
Tom

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu17281022

VW Star Wars Lil Darth Vader Super Bowl TV Commercial

2011-02-04T03:34:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you see something that not only makes you smile warmly, but also reminds you that the best things are often the simplest.

This TV spot for VW is done so perfectly I've watched it over and over and it continues to satisfy, much like a Snickers. Except this ain't no Snickers. This would be Godiva.

Watch the little touches in here.

The best is watching the kid in the Darth Vader costume react at the end. Perfect!

Here's what's probably going to be the best spot of this year's Super Bowl commercials. Deutsch USA produced the spot for Volkswagen. It's appropriately titled, "The Force". Enjoy!

Voice Talent on Parade!

2011-02-01T11:02:00.001-05:00

Ok, it's not quite a parade of voice talent, but there are a batch of voiceover pros working today with SunSpots Productions in both our locations near Asheville, NC and Orlando, FL.

Since NDA's (non-disclosure agreements) are now the rule and not the exception I'll just let you know who's working with us today, but not who for. If I did you'd have to kill me and then who's going to blather about on Facebook?

Voiceover Talent Todd Schick is lending his voicing prowess to an AV...that's a long form narration to the uninitiated. Here's Todd Schick voiceover demo with us. Todd sounds great and is very much the pro in the biz.

Don McDonald

Don McDonald is working the mic in another long form piece for a live presentation. Saying things, "And now ladies and gentlemen dessert!" Something along those lines for a live show. Voice Talent Don McDonald's audio demo is just a click away. I got to do a few of those when I voiced. My favorite was saying, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States!" I forgot who it was, but he was President or POTAS as we now say online and rarely in mixed company.

Looks like today is turning into super long form av day with even more being produced at our bi-state studios. There's another long form narration being performed by the multi-talented and dual first named, voiceover talent Larry Wayne. I like that dual first name sound, Larry Wayne sounds good, Tom Tom not so much.

She's a nurse, she's a singer, she's an actress, she's a voiceover professional who flat out kicks ass on long form medical av's. It's the amazing Liz Aiello! Liz turns diphickolated cardiofranistaniolathanoids in to something warm, fuzzy and understandable. Check out voice talent Liz Aiello's voiceover demo here. Oh and she's a great mom too!

Voiceover professional Dan Brodie is knocking out some radio spots with us for a secret chemical company whose name shall remain secret, hence "secret" chemical company. Floor polish? Dessert topping? They could be making both! Wonder what Dan Brodie sounds like? Wonder no more. Let's listen to voice talent Dan Brodie do what he does best.

Jay Patrick

Jay Patrick is voicing an AV for a MAJOR COMPUTER COMPANY today. THAT'S ALL I'M ALLOWED TO SAY...but it sounds so much more important in all caps doesn't it? Jay Patrick is also the founding audio engineer of SunSpots Productions. (Technically, I guess I was the founding engineer, but I was terrible at it so we hired Jay. I was too high strung for it. "FEDEX IS COMING!! HURRRY!" would send me into a frothy frenzy. See... much too excitable and I spoke in all caps back then too.) He was there when we started out over 83 years ago in a small barn on the Iowa plains making radio spots with an anvil and hammer. Ok, sorry, only part of that was true. There is a hammer around here somewhere. Check out Jay Patrick's voiceover demo right here.

Think the day's over? Not even close. There are radio commercials to be voiced and audio to be creatively produced! Yep people still listen to the radio and we've been producing spots for them for a few decades. Long enough to have been doings spots that would actually say out loud, "That internet web site address is, H, T, T, P, colon, back slash...etc."

Ronnie Manuel (that's Ronald Manuel on the SunSpots ezCast™ voiceover search engine), is doing a few radio spots today with us. Ronald Manuel's voiceover demo esta aqui!

Wendy Zier

Next up is someone who's name I always love to say around the studio when I hear she's voicing with us and even not when she's working with us. Super talented, Wendy Zier. Wendy is doing a tv commercial voiceover for that teenie mammal with a cruise ship. That's all I can say. Any more than that and they're hoisting me off the yard arm. Arrrrrrgh mateys! Here's one of SunSpots voiceover favorites, voice actor Wendy Zier.

Rounding out the voiceover talent we've booked for today, that's excluding the clients who will call us today needing their spot done today (that's not a problem clients...it's how we roll...making your job easier) are Wayne Thompson and Cindy Neill. Wayne is doing an AV for...a place...see I told you I can't tell you who. Wayne's got a great sound. Here's Wayne Thompson's voice talent demo.

Cindy Neill is voicing some radio spots for a University, up north, in the north east, for a health system...thing. That's all I'm sayin'. Cindy says it best. Let's listen to voiceover talent Cindy Neill's voice demo. Cindy describes her voice styles as "mysterious, haunting, enveloping". I think "fantastic, smooth, lively, engaging" can be said too. She's great and we're proud to represent her.

So that's the lineup for today excluding the last minute feasts o' fun.

It's a day of audio production heaven at SunSpots Productions working with some of the best voiceover talent in the country.

Thanks to you all!
Tom

Audio Production Tip

2011-01-14T23:25:00.000-05:00

I was watching a local tv commercial the other night featuring two on-camera talent selling cars with a stop watch sound effect ticking away in the background. It's the commercial equivalent of the vuvuzela. As we all know, a ticking stopwatch means savings people, big savings and the bigger the stopwatch the bigger the savings. Well at least that's the logic in place here. This stop watch has been turned to "11".

Time to invoke a creative audio production tip.

Audio Production #1: Let the voiceover be the voice OVER not the voice UNDER.

Creative audio production can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Please, for safety's sake and your client's happiness contact professional production companies like SunSpots Productions™. You'll be glad you did. (I thought 60 Minutes owned the stop watch in the background franchise anyway.)

Ted Williams records first voiceover for Kraft

2011-01-11T15:24:00.001-05:00

I've stayed out of the discussion about media wunderkind, Ted Williams, and his instant fame and financial success until I saw him in session in the voice booth when I watched his Kraft video. There's a moment in the video where Ted is uncomfortably asked where the spots he's voicing will air. I was surprised they didn't toss him a bone after his stilted replies. While many others have been expressing how wonderful it is that this guy has a chance of a lifetime (which is TRUE and an amazing event), with my naturally glass is half empty, cynical, outlook I see someone very vulnerable who is being used as a marketing tool and eventually will be tossed aside by those hoisting him on the throne. Dr. Phil was concerned about Ted slipping back to the booze and drugs. I think the industry may eat him up first.

Is he really that good of a voice actor that major businesses, not Clucky's Chicken Shack or Jim and Jenny's Giant Shoe Warehouse, but big names in the business and entertainment world like the Cleveland Cavaliers, MTV and as we see, Kraft, would hire him for their voice work? SunSpots supplies many of those types of companies with professional voiceover talent and I guarantee if we told our clients we have a man here who has virtually no experience, doesn't know how to interpret copy, is a stereotype of a formal announcer, but has a rich baritone voice and is very humble and sweet natured, they'd pass...they might pass on using us too for suggesting him. For us, as a voice talent agency, he'd probably not get a second listen to his demo due to his overly announcery, non-natural style and slight speech impediment (the sibilance). I've felt a little sad for those male voice over talent who have the strong announcer style, have paid their dues, sharpened their skills, done their marketing and who watch the bread and circus Ted Williams event unfold. And I think, unlike the majority of poster's comments I've read, that his story and current fame actually doesn't benefit the voiceover industry as a whole. Sure, it's benefitting us that the public gets to see what we do ("Look Darlene they wear headphones and read words on paper...whooo doggy! Hell, I can do that!"), but the true beneficiaries are the remora who are attaching themselves to him for their profit. I'm pleased to see some true kind hands extended to him without wanting something back within the industry. Joe Cipriano was very generous offering Ted help and some very honest talk about the good fortune lightening bolt that Ted was struck by.

Someone on one of the voiceover forums I read mentioned how this seems like a very real case of "The Emperor Wears No Clothes". The media is feeding its viewers the idea that Ted is incredibly talented as a voice actor. He does have a deep and expressive voice. He certainly has a gracious attitude to all around him. Ted Williams is indeed a very humble and seemingly very likable man. I imagine standing on the side of the road for 10 years asking people for handouts will do that to you. He's had a long time to sharpen his thankfulness, gratitude skills and step and fetch with just the right smile and tone allowing him to continue to stand on the side of the road for so long and ask for money.

So I wish Mr. Williams the best of luck at handling his success and hope that he can find some people that have his true interests at heart, not just his financial interests either. My wish also is that every one of the professional voiceover talent out there, not the wannabes (those who want to do it for the money and not for the love of the craft), but the truly talented people, get a shot at the greatness one day.

Here's Ted Williams Kraft video enjoy!

Good news for Voice Actors-Local TV up 32%

2010-12-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

Sure, political television commercial advertising spending was extreme in the third and fourth quarters, but we're still seeing increases in broadcast spending. And who voices those commercials? We do.

Automotive spending is predicted to increase in 2011 also which means an increase in voiceover spending. I think 2011 is going to be a good year for the ad business overall and when you're looking at broadcast advertising that always needs a voice. So good news for everyone in the industry. Except that pesky print. Sorry guys.

Local television ad revenues were up 31.7% in the third quarter, compared to the same quarter a year ago. That vastly outpaced network TV, which grew a modest 2.7% in the quarter, while syndicated TV was down 1.2%, according to a survey from TVB and Kantar Media

The complete story from Broadcasting & Cable online: Local Television Advertising Revenue Up

Tom

Political Voiceovers-We're open all night...and weekend too!

2010-10-28T14:55:00.001-04:00

What an amazing political advertising season this has been. My friends know when I say "amazing" it can mean a variety of things from positive to negative. In this case it means...WOW...we've been busy! Our voice talent are voicing campaigns all over the country. Positive, negative, controversial, viral...they're voicing and we're producing them all. We're all so busy I wanted to let you know that SunSpots™ is available to record your political spots and web videos nights and this pre-election day weekend too. We understand how rapidly political news and scenarios can change. That's why we're sticking around to do whatever it takes. We've got a special number to call just for after hours bookings. It's 888.530.7646 for after hours and weekends sessions only. Please call this number for after hours (past 6pm eastern) and weekends bookings.

Why should you come to SunSpots™ for your political voices and audio production? Because you're not going to have trudge through audition after audition sorting out the pros from the newbees (nothing against the newbees...we were all newbees once). You'll be able to direct your voice talent live, in real time, so you can get exactly what you want the first time...well, maybe not the first take, but you'll be able to direct and fine tune what you're after. Once your voiceover talent's been recorded we can custom craft your spot or video with music, sound effects, whatever you need. You can use our exclusive, ezCast™ search engine to find professional voiceover talent.

One of the most important reasons to work with SunSpots™ is because we're one of the few, if not only, licensed talent agency and audio production company in the world.

We follow a higher standard in all that we do.

And now down off the "come to SunSpots soapbox". Just wanted to let you know we're available when you need us in the coming evenings and weekend. Tuesday will be here before you know it. Then we can all get back to our "Save like never before" spots.

Have a great day!

Tom
Pres.
SunSpots Productions Voice Talent Agency & Creative Audio Production

Congrats to SunSpots voiceover talent George Washington III for "appearing" on Today Show

2010-10-19T10:01:00.001-04:00

George Washington III did an Old Spice spoof political tv commercial and it ended up being profiled on the Today Show on NBC. Donny Deutsch of Deutsch advertising discusses whether or not the spot works:

Listen to voice talent George Washington III's collection of voice demos.

To schedule voice-over pro George Washington III contact SunSpots Productions Voice Talent Agency and Creative Audio at 800.355.SPOTS(7768).

Some voiceover resources from Amazon:

Best Emmy Show Opening Ever?

2010-08-30T12:58:00.002-04:00

Think this was one of the best ever? Jimmy Fallon opens it and hosts with a host of other celebs. Check it...

2010 Emmy Awards Winners List

2010-08-30T11:02:00.002-04:00

Awwww 30 Rock what happened!? Congrats to Jim Parsons and the Daily Show (from a personal standpoint). Of course congrats to all the nominees and winners!

Here's the list of 2010's Emmy Winners:

ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES 62nd PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

ERIC STONESTREET as Cameron Tucker ABC Modern Family

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

STEVEN LEVITAN, Writer ABC CHRISTOPHER LLOYD, Writer

Modern Family

Pilot

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

JANE LYNCH as Sue Sylvester FOX Glee

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

RYAN MURPHY, Director FOX Glee

Pilot – Director’s Cut

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

JIM PARSONS as Sheldon Cooper CBS The Big Bang Theory

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

EDIE FALCO as Jackie Peyton Nurse Jackie

SHOWTIME

OUTSTANDING REALITY – COMPETITION PROGRAM

TOP CHEF BRAVO

Dan Cutforth, Executive Producer Jane Lipsitz, Executive Producer Liz Cook, Executive Producer Casey Kriley, Executive Producer Andrew Cohen, Executive Producer Dave Serwatka, Executive Producer Rich Buhrman, Co-Executive Producer Gayle Gawlowski, Co-Executive Producer Fred Pichel, Co-Executive Producer

Tom Colicchio, Co-Executive Producer Nan Strait, Co-Executive Producer Erica Ross, Supervising Producer Julia Cassidy, Senior Producer

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

MATTHEW WEINER, Writer AMC ERIN LEVY, Writer

Mad Men

Shut The Door. Have A Seat.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

AARON PAUL as Jesse Pinkman AMC Breaking Bad

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

ARCHIE PANJABI as Kalinda Sharma CBS The Good Wife

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

BRYAN CRANSTON as Walter White Breaking Bad

AMC

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

STEVE SHILL, Director SHOWTIME Dexter

The Getaway

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

KYRA SEDGWICK as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson TNT The Closer

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL

DAVE BOONE, Writer CBS PAUL GREENBERG, Special Material Written By

63rd Annual Tony Awards

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL

BUCKY GUNTS, Director Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES

THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART

Jon Stewart, Executive Producer/Host Rory Albanese, Executive Producer Josh Lieb, Executive Producer Kahane Cooperman, Co-Executive Producer Steve Bodow, Supervising Producer Jennifer Flanz, Supervising Producer

Hillary Kun, Supervising Producer Adam Lowitt, Supervising Producer Jim Margolis, Supervising Producer Jill Katz, Producer

NBC

COMEDY CENTRAL

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE

JULIA ORMOND as Eustacia (Temple's Mom) Temple Grandin

HBO

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE

DAVID STRATHAIRN as Dr. Carlock HBO Temple Grandin

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL

ADAM MAZER, Writer HBO You Don't Know Jack

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE

CLAIRE DANES as Temple Grandin HBO Temple Grandin

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL

MICK JACKSON, Director HBO Temple Grandin

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE

AL PACINO as Dr. Jack Kevorkian HBO You Don't Know Jack

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES

THE PACIFIC HBO

Tom Hanks, Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, Executive Producer Gary Goetzman, Executive Producer Tony To, Co-Executive Producer Graham Yost, Co-Executive Producer Eugene Kelly, Co-Executive Producer Bruce C. McKenna, Co-Executive Producer Cherylanne Martin, Producer Todd London, Producer Steven Shareshian, Producer Tim Van Patten, Supervising Producer

OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE

TEMPLE GRANDIN

Alison Owen, Executive Producer Paul Lister, Executive Producer Anthony Edwards, Executive Producer Dante Di Loreto, Executive Producer Emily Gerson Saines, Executive Producer Gil Bellows, Executive Producer

Scott Ferguson, Produced By

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

MAD MEN

Matthew Weiner, Executive Producer Scott Hornbacher, Executive Producer Lisa Albert, Supervising Producer Blake McCormick, Producer

Dwayne Shattuck, Producer

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

MODERN FAMILY

Steven Levitan, Executive Producer Christopher Lloyd, Executive Producer Jason Winer, Co-Executive Producer Danny Zuker, Co-Executive Producer Dan O'Shannon, Co-Executive Producer Bill Wrubel, Co-Executive Producer

Paul Corrigan, Co-Executive Producer Brad Walsh, Co-Executive Producer Jeff Morton, Producer

Remember "Cry" from the 80's? This Canadian Real Estate Assoc. tv spot does

2010-08-25T17:43:00.000-04:00

Remember Godley and Creme's "Cry" video? Here's a refresher:

Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Toronto took some inspiration from it and created this video for the Canadian Real Estate Association. What do you think? Hit or a miss?
play="true" loop="false" quality="high" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashVars="config=http://creativity-online.com/xml/config.player.php&p=21084" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer">

Agency:

Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Toronto

Client:

The Canadian Real Estate Association

Executive Creative Director:

Art Director:

Copywriter:

Agency Producer:

Production Company:

Director:

Executive Producer:

Producer:

Line Producer:

Director of Photography:

Tico Poulakakis

Post Production:

Asylum Visual Effects

Editorial Company:

Asylum Visual Effects

Editor:

Rob Trent

Music Company:

Elias Arts

Composer:

Johnathan Elias

Visual Effects Company:

Asylum Visual Effects

Lead Compositor:

Rob Trent

Compositor:

Miles Essmiller

Visual Effects Producer:

Ryan Meredith

Executive VFX Producer:

Michael Pardee

Cognitive Anthropologist:

JJ Sullivan

Creative advertising generates sales? Brits say so

2010-07-15T14:28:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone-
I received my usual pile of mail news alerts today, but this one in particular caught my eye. It's always been debated that the creative, award winning advertisements got attention, but didn't make the cash register ring (kids, in covered wagon times cash register had bells inside them). I remember writing and producing spots when I worked in radio and fighting the battle of wanting to be creative or just piling on the price and item scripts.

A report from the IPA (the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising), a trade organization in the UK, says that their studies indicate that creative, award-winning campaigns actually drive business and profits higher.

According to the report mentioned in the Ad Age magazine online article:

"Creatively awarded campaigns are a more reliable investment -- they achieve greater effectiveness levels," said Peter Field, the marketing consultant who authored the report, which looked at a number of business metrics in the study to determine effectiveness, including market-share growth, sales, profits, return on investment, likability and emotional appeal.
The report concludes that the link between creativity and effectiveness is driven by two important factors: the emotional communication model favored by the most creative campaigns, and the much greater "buzz" effect that creativity engenders.
"Creativity and effectiveness are inseparable. This is a good first step, but there's still a lot of work to do to show the exponential value of great creative ideas," said Bert Moore, chief strategy officer of Lowe Worldwide. "It's bizarre to believe that there's a creative answer and a business answer. In other creative industries, like architecture, film and music, the creative solution is always the answer to the problem."

Maybe this is a sign that we in the audio production and voice talent agency world will see more requests for character voices and comedic approaches to spots? That's a simple assumption...a funny voice does not a creative spot make...but it's a start.

Whatchu Talkin' bout Willis? RIP Gary Coleman

2010-05-28T15:51:00.000-04:00

Some smiles with Art Linkletter

2010-05-28T15:41:00.000-04:00

If you can remember only having 3 tv channels, going outside to play, the Moon Landing, "I am not a crook.", Ed Sullivan and Laugh-In you'll enjoy these few minutes with Art Linkletter who recently passed away. In this video, Bill Cosby intros some clips from Linkletter's House Party where Kids Say The Darndest Things.

Comcast debuts their iPad "remote" app

2010-05-13T12:12:00.001-04:00

This looks great, but is it actually useful? As an iPad owner and Comcast subscriber we'll see. I'm hoping Comcast doesn't use the iPad as just a bigger cable box remote, but allows subscribers to view content through the device too. Consumer content control is the future of all this "cool" stuff. I'll be posting a video soon about my experiences with the iPad in the voiceover booth. I've gone 90% paperless using it in voice sessions.

Adobe says they love Apple?

2010-05-13T09:42:00.003-04:00

Adobe proclaims their "love" for Apple and provides information about Flash. From their web page:

At Adobe, we believe that the open flow of creativity, ideas, and information should be limited only by the imagination. Innovation thrives when people are free to choose the technologies that enable them to openly express themselves and access information where and when they want. Everyone loses when technological barriers impede the exchange of ideas.

Openness is at Adobe's core. Our first technology was an open standard that liberated publishing from proprietary printing systems, and soon afterward our PDF technology eliminated barriers to sharing documents across platforms.

Adobe® Flash® technology enables the delivery of content to hundreds of millions of people, regardless of platform or browser. In 2009, in partnership with Google, Research In Motion, and dozens of other companies, we formed the Open Screen Project, a coalition committed to making web experiences seamlessly available on any mobile device.

We believe open markets that allow developers, publishers, and consumers to make their own choices about how they create, distribute, and access content are essential to progress. That's why we actively support technologies like HTML4, HTML5, CSS, and H.264, in addition to our own technologies.
<more>

The complete story: http://www.adobe.com/choice/?sdid=GXRUY

Affordable Protools software and Mbox 2 Mini for Voice Talent

2010-03-03T13:21:00.003-05:00

A fellow voice talent was asking what I thought was good software and recording interface for doing voiceovers. She's also a singer and guitar player. We use the pro versions of Protools at SunSpots Productions studios in Asheville and Orlando. This is sort of the "home game" version of that software. I use this same Mbox 2 mini when I travel and just create a quiet space in a hotel and plug my Neumann U-87 in to it and away the voicin' goes.

OK Go-This Too Shall Pass Video AMAZING!!

2010-03-03T11:28:00.006-05:00

A friend sent me a link of this today and I had to share. Some big brains put this one together. Enjoy!

SunSpots becomes SnowSpots?

2010-03-03T10:33:00.007-05:00

Yesterday SunSpots Productions recording studios near Asheville, NC was covered with snow, again! What an incredible winter we've had there. (I'm writing from SunSpots Florida studios near Orlando today.) Janet took some pics from her office window with her Blackberry:

Another pic from Janet's office. Notice the birds by the feeder.

Here's the view in front of Jay's studio control room.

Luckily all the voice talent working with us in NC connected to us via ISDN so they didn't have to drive up the driveway. Sometimes it gets covered heavily with snow and ice. Janet called me yesterday and said considering this winter's weather in western North Carolina and the Asheville area maybe we should change our name to SnowSpots? Might have to if this keeps up. For me, I'm off to Disneyworld this evening and I better bring a jacket, it's supposed to be in the 50's. Brrrrrr... ;-)

New Voiceover Talent added to SunSpots web site

2010-02-08T14:44:00.005-05:00

Please welcome our latest professional voice talent to join SunSpots Productions!

Plus choose from hundreds of other voice talent for radio and tv commercials, web, industrials and more through SunSpots exclusive EZCast™ search engine. Find professional voice talent here.

With ISDN recording studio locations near Asheville, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida, SunSpots Productions provides voiceover talent and creative audio production for all media around the globe.

Merry Christmas to all!

2009-12-25T16:23:00.005-05:00

On behalf of the staff I'd like to thank our voiceover talent and our clients for a very good year. I wish you all happiness, peace and contentment this Christmas Day.

Peace on Earth. God Bless Us, Every One!

Cheers-
Thomas Rohe
President
SunSpots Productions
Voice Talent Agency & Creative Audio Production for all Media

It's hot out! We need Fans!

2009-08-12T21:36:00.004-04:00

Ok, maybe that's the wrong kind of fan. How about simply being our Facebook fan? For every new fan we get during August we'll donate an equal amount to Give Kids The World, an organization that brings smiles to children with illnesses and their families. We'll choose a different organization every month so we can give to those in need of hope, a smile or more. Are you a SunSpots client or voiceover talent? Click below, become a fan and help us help a good cause.

Thanks!

Tom

SunSpots Productions-Voice Talent Agency & Creative Audio Production on Facebook

Bryan's Trip to Cataloochee Valley

2009-07-28T10:21:00.009-04:00

So as you may or may not have noticed I was gone most of last week from SunSpots Asheville. The fam and I took a trip to Cataloochee Valley up near Maggie Valley, NC in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's only about an hour and 15 minutes from SunSpots Asheville.

If any of you voice talent are interested in coming to the area it makes a great day trip or overnight excursion from Asheville.

They are trying to reintroduce elk to the region and have an experimental herd there. I have posted a few pics of the elk here and on my facebook page. You basically drive through the valley at dawn or a couple of hours before sunset and the elk are feeding near the side of the road. It gets pretty crowded on the weekends so the best time to go is during the week. It really gets busy in the Fall when the elk begin the rut. It's not uncommon to see a couple of bull elk lock horns over the one they love during the fall season. We were even lucky enough to see a bear with 2 cubs, although we heard tell of another bear sighting of a mama with 4 cubs.

There is a campground located in the valley about 10 miles from the nearest highway. They have restrooms, but the nearest store is about 35 minutes away over a rough dirt road with barely enough room for 2 lanes. We were lucky enough to get one of the 6 or 7 creek side campsites.

The fishing was slow. My oldest son caught a brown trout and I lost 2. From the stories being told by the other fisherman at the campground it was a tough week for everyone. There was even an old pro there who had been fly fishing for 30 years and he only caught 1 fish in 4 days.

Overall we spent 5 days hiking, fishing, checking out historical sites, wildlife viewing and just plain chillaxin. Very refreshing.

Anywho back to the real world!!! Enjoy the pics!

-Bryan

Bambi visits SunSpots near Asheville

2009-07-22T12:00:00.005-04:00

The wildlife hits just keep on coming. Looks like it's lunchtime in the animal world too. Around noon today a large deer visited SunSpots NC recording studios property near Asheville. We've got a heavy producing apple tree that the deer are beginning to visit every other day. Here's our latest visitor:

Have any wildlife where you work? (Other than that creepy guy with the weird hair at the water cooler.)

And as always if you're searching for professional voice talent, fully produced, supervised and directed recording sessions and creative audio production in most languages please visit SunSpots Productions.

What wild beast will show up next?!

Roller Skating Babies Evian TV Commercial

2009-07-20T14:22:00.005-04:00

Yeah, we're fools for dancing babies, but babies on roller skate with attitude are even better. That's a tv commercial that sticks to the brain. Does the product stick the same way? I remember the roller skating babies, but not the bottle they're selling. How about you? Does a memorable tv campaign sell the product well or just the commercial itself? I do like the voiceover. Go baby go!

Snakes Alive at SunSpots NC Voiceover Studios

2009-07-17T13:57:00.008-04:00

I just saw news yesterday of pythons being an invasive species in Florida. Here's the story from USA today: http://tinyurl.com/msfp78
We had a small invasion of snakes here at SunSpots Productions Asheville...well in the driveway at least. As I was driving back from doing some errands away from the studio I drove up our driveway and found this elongated beastie catching some sun.

From online sources I think it's a black rat snake. Possibly a female since I saw a baby the night before while I was walking in some grass around the same area. I had my camera in the car with me and was shooting from the window. Here's a closeup (from far away):

Here's one once it moved across the driveway:

I'll have to get my camera ready for this weekend to catch some more wild beasties! Last night, right after sunset, there were 2 juvenile deer trying to get the apples from the apple tree about 20 yards from Bryan's studio window. They were standing on their hind legs and would jump and hop and sort of fall over when they missed. The tree this year is bursting with apples so I bet we'll have lots of woodland creatures visiting throughout the fall. So far this summer we've seen turkeys, deer, a black bear and snakes. Oh! PLUS, I've seen many honey bees on the flowers. After a good 8 years of decline they seem to have returned strong this year. That's a very good thing. Hey, here's something interesting...Bryan just told me that honey bees are not native to North America. He's a flippin' nature geenyus!

Voiceovers and nature...is there anything better?

Seen any creepy crawly, slithering, jumping, hopping, barking, mewing visitors at your place?

Tom

Rachel Ray has vocal cord surgery

2009-07-15T09:20:00.007-04:00

Story from the New York Daily News online edition about Rachel Ray and her vocal issues.

Rachael Ray undergoes vocal cord surgery to remove benign cyst

BYROSEMARY BLACK
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, July 14th 2009, 4:00 AM

Napolitano/FilmMagic

Rachel Ray is planning to be "giving her voice a rest for the next week or two," says the TV host's rep.

The vocal cord operation that omnipresent TV host Rachael Ray reportedly underwent last week has a very high success rate, which means the ebullient celebrity chef should be back in the kitchen before long.

Ray underwent surgery, according to People magazine, in order to remove a benign cyst from her vocal cord, following months of failed vocal therapy.

Her rep,Charlie Dougiello, said in People that the toughest part for the chef "is going to be giving her voice a rest for the next week or two."

Most at risk for developing vocal problems such as cysts, nodules and polyps are singers, teachers, sales people and others who talk a lot, says Dr. Clark Rosen, an otolaryngologist specializing in voice disorders at the University of Pittsburgh.

"It is a result of overuse or misuse of the voice," he says. "Rachael Ray speaks very loudly and she has what we call a percussive voice, not a soft voice. Vocal cords are designed to vibrate with each other, but they do need down time or recovery time." (This is important for us to remember in the voiceover business. Some of us are very active with voicing all day or evenings. Here's confirmation that we need to take breaks and care for our vocal cords the way a professional athlete would with their muscles. A raspy voice indicates that the vocal cords need a period of rest or have been damaged and need additional care.)

Soft and pliable, vocal cords, or folds, vibrate extremely fast in order to give the voice its pitch, explains Dr. Michael Johns, an otolaryngologist specializing in voice disorders and director of the Emory Voice Center.

"They vibrate 200 times per seconds for women, and for sopranos, they may vibrate 1,000 times a second," he explains. "What happens with a cyst is that the delicate mucus membranes break down, and then the folds don’t vibrate in the same way."

The first course of treatment is voice therapy, which very often takes care of the problem.

If it doesn’t, an operation to remove the cyst is recommended.

Surgery is "generally safe," Johns says, and it’s "almost always successful" when done by a competent specialist.

The toughest part could be the recovery period following surgery.

"You have to rest your voice for a week," he says. "And that means no talking, no whispering, no throat clearing and no coughing."

In Ray’s case, her rep told People that "the minor, non-invasive procedure was a success and she is already resting at home."

Though overusing the voice is definitely a risk factor for vocal cord problems, it’s not known why some big talkers get them and others don’t, Rosen says.

"Some guys can sell peanuts at the stadium for 2-0 years and never have a problem, and yet a 16-year-old girl can develop a vocal cord bump after just one round of high singing demands in the spring musical," he says.

The main symptom is persistent hoarseness.

Says Rosen: "Anyone with persistent hoarseness for two weeks without an upper respiratory infection should see a doctor.

(What do you do to keep your vocal cords healthy and strong? Are there exercises you perform to strengthen your voice?) (Here are some informative links about vocal cord nodules, polyps and cysts: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Merck.com, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

SunSpots Zak Miller voices full-time

2009-07-10T17:32:00.014-04:00

SunSpots Productions Zak Miller becomes full-time Voiceover Talent

As one of the founding members and manager of SunSpots Productions Orlando recording studios team, Zak Miller has decided to “put out his shingle” and work as a full-time voiceover announcer. Zak’s been working behind the console and mic for over 12 years with SunSpots and produced over 7,500 sessions and personally voiced over 1,700 radio and tv commercials and narrations. You can hear Zak Miller’s voices at SunSpots: http://www.sunspotsproductions.com/Voice_talent_detail.cfm?id=59

Zak got his start behind the mic in 1992 on the air at WCHZ in Augusta, Georgia. Zak says, “That opened the part of my brain that told me I love to voice! I produced my first spot for a horse show at a South Carolina mall. I had no sound effects so I had to foley everything!” From that radio station in Georgia, Zak worked his way to WDIZ in Orlando, Florida working middays as a DJ. Eventually he moved off the air to the Creative Service Department of Clear Channel Broadcasting in Orlando. While there, he voiced for the Orlando Predators Arena Football Team, Solar Bears Hockey Team and various concerts for the Orlando area.

It was Zak’s work on the radio that attracted SunSpots Productions attention. He joined the SunSpots team in 1997, soon after the company opened its Orlando studios location. Within a few years he became manager of the Florida studio. Zak describes his early years at SunSpots Productions, “Being on the ground floor of SunSpots was a very exciting time. To be a part of the growth and formation of a company like SunSpots with the ideals and approaches to the industry will always remain a special memory. To be able to raise the industry standards and what is and was expected from a production studio and talent agent was a great feeling. SunSpots has changed the way I approach life, business and relationships.” One of his favorite memories of SunSpots was, “sitting in the lobby eating Chinese food and thinking of names for the company. I’ll never forget the time that Janet (SunSpots Co-Owner), fellow voice talent Jaz Adams and I spent the day piling sand around the building to keep “Lake Cassidy” from flooding into the studios!”

Zak’s enthusiastic about his career change to jump to the other side of the recording console as a full-time voice talent. “I am very excited about voicing full-time. How come? When you’re able to do something in life that feeds your passion and creativity, your life becomes more fulfilled…My favorite spot to voice is a spot that tells a story. I love to be able to bring a person into a scene with my voice and my inflection.”

The entire SunSpots Productions staff wishes Zak the very best in his new voice talent career. To hear Zak Miller’s voices (he does a variety of voiceover styles) and his voiceover demos please contact SunSpots Productions at 800-355-SPOTS or online at www.SunSpotsProductions.com. You can also schedule Zak through SunSpots web site.

SunSpots Productions is a global supplier of voice talent and creative audio production and is a licensed talent agent in the State of Florida. SunSpots creates award winning audio from their studios near Asheville, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida.

Voice Talent John Oliver Fights Behind The Mic

2009-07-06T12:40:00.002-04:00

SunSpots voiceover talent John Oliver puts on the gloves and fights hard behind the mic in this video produced by our friends at Williamson/Evans studios.

You can hear more of John at SunSpots Productions site. Here's John Oliver's voice talent demo.

Choose SunSpots when you're looking for pro voice talent like John and creative audio production. Contact SunSpots Productions with studios near Asheville, NC and Orlando, FL at 800-355-SPOTS.

A Visitor Comes to SunSpots Asheville

2009-06-30T12:42:00.011-04:00

A little black bear with a serious sunflower seed jones came a knockin' at Shannon's office window today here at SunSpots Asheville studio location. Take a look see.

Yes it looks like we are best friends but be assured after we were done taking vids and pics we scared it off properly and brought our bird feeders in until further notice. The last thing you want around here, or anywhere for that matter, is a bear getting used to easy food.

Seems like there has been a lot of bear activity in the region lately. Here's an article on the closing of the Abrams Falls Trail in the Cades Cove area of the Smokies.

And here are some bear safety tips for any of you voice talent looking to take a vacation here.

Jay happened to have his camcorder on him so here is a quick video of our hairy, nosey neighbor.

Man of a Thousand Voices Fred Travalena

2009-06-30T12:42:00.010-04:00

If you're old enough to remember watching Johnny Carsonat night or Merv Griffin on tv in the afternoon, you remember watching Fred Travalena.

He was always fun to watch and the definition of a true voiceover talent. I loved impressionists like him and guys like Frank Gorshin. Fred was all over TV in the 70's and 80's with his own specials and popping up on other's shows too.
Here's a clip of him on the Donnie and Marie show from 1977:

Another clip from the latest version of the Donnie and Marie show in 1999. In this clip Fred tells them how he does looping and how he replaced Deniro and Pesci in Casino.

Here's Fred Travalena on Letterman during Impressionist Week:

And one more of Fred appearing on Merv Griffin's show:

Fred was born in 'da Bronx and died after fighting cancer for many years. He was 66 years old. Fred Travalena's website.

Union or Non-Union, is that the voiceover question?

2009-06-30T08:42:00.006-04:00

Earlier this week I received an email from an active Non-Union voice talent. Let's call this voiceover person, Terry, to cover all the gender bases. Terry felt that since they've been Non-Union, (not a member of SAG/AFTRA) that they could make more money by being a Union member exclusively. In Terry's mind movie trailers, National Retailer TV and Radio accounts, the biggest of the big voiceover jobs are just sitting there ripe for the picking. Terry's very experienced with 15 years of full-time freelance voiceovers behind the microphone. Like dreams of those dancing sugarplums Terry's thinking that the bump "up" to Union status is the way to go to advance Terry's career.

But is it true? Would Terry make more as a Union voiceover talent?

My opinion...it depends. Timing, meaning right place and right time are important, Terry's vocal skill set, Terry's physical location may also make a difference.

What about Financial Core? Doesn't Fi-Core allow you to do BOTH Union and Non-Union work? Sometimes being Fi-Core can be a great benefit if you're in the right location, conversely you can become a vo pariah if you live somewhere else.

These are questions I'd love to have discussed by those of you in the know about such things. I'm Fi-Core myself. I lost my agent in NYC because I was Fi-Core, yet for years outside of NYC, I was the voice of Circuit City (RIP), Nissan and Lenscrafters. Those gigs provided enough income to...well...to be life changing.

My bread and butter, the day in day out gigs are always non-union. Sometimes they pay very well, even above Union voice rates, most of the time not. I've always looked at this as a volume game and with volume one can become very financially successful.

What are your thoughts? Are you an experienced talent who has done both as Financial Core or previously one now the other? Are you a full-time Union voiceover talent? With the internet the tables have more than turned, they've been flipped over and it's anyone's game anymore.

We'd love to hear what you have to say on the issue.

Also, if you're searching for professional union and non-union voiceover talent please visit us at SunSpots. Search here for voice talent.

Thanks in advance for your input.
Tom

Voice of Mickey Mouse passes away

2009-05-22T09:41:00.004-04:00

WAYNE ALLWINE, VOICE OF MICKEY MOUSE FOR 32 YEARS, PASSES AWAY AT AGE 62

From the Disney.com site:
05.20.09 - Wayne Allwine, a veteran Disney voiceover talent and Emmy® Award-winning sound effects editor, who provided the voice of Mickey Mouse for the past 32 years, passed away on Monday (May 18) at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, from complications due to diabetes. He was 62 years old. Allwine's wife of 20 years, Russi Taylor, who provides the voice of Minnie Mouse, was by his side at the time of his passing.

"There is a profound sense of loss and sadness throughout our Company today as we mourn the passing of our friend, colleague and Disney Legend Wayne Allwine," said Disney President and CEO Robert A. Iger.
Allwine had been providing the voice of Disney's world-renowned cartoon mouse since 1977, when he first lent his familiar falsetto to animated segments for The New Mickey Mouse Club. He went on to provide Mickey's voice for such theatrical efforts as Mickey's Christmas Carol
(1983), Who Framed Roger Rabbit(1988), Disney's The Prince and the Pauper
(1990), the 1997 Oscar®-nominated short Runaway Brain and the direct-to-DVD feature, Mickey, Donald and Goofy: The Three Musketeers
(2004), etc. His voice has been heard at Disney Theme Parks
around the world, on television (Mickey's 60th Birthday, Mickey's MouseWorks, The House of Mouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, etc.), at live stage events and on many radio broadcasts.

Walt Disney himself provided the original sounds and speaking voice for Mickey Mouse starting in 1928 with Mickey's talking debut in Steamboat Willie. Veteran Disney sound effects wizard Jimmy Macdonald assumed speaking duties for the mouse starting in 1947 with "Mickey and the Beanstalk" (from Fun and Fancy Free), and continued with it until 1977 when his prot馮, Allwine, took over the job.

Allwine recalled, "The main piece of advice that Jim gave me about Mickey helped me keep things in perspective. He said, 'Just remember kid, you're only filling in for the boss.' And that's the way he treated doing Mickey for years and years. From Walt, and now from Jimmy. I just feel like I'm filling in for the boss too. And it really puts the whole job in perspective. Mickey's the real star. You know you just have to love the little guy while you have him, because he won't be yours forever."

"Like all actors, you put some of who you are into the character," he added. "There's always a sense of optimism about Mickey that's got to be there. And even when we do work with little kids who are sick, you carry that optimism through and it gives them hope.

"There is a profound sense of loss and sadness throughout our company today as we mourn the passing of our friend, colleague and Disney Legend Wayne Allwine," said Disney President and CEO Robert A. Iger. "Wayne dedicated his entire professional life to Disney, and over the last 32 years, gave so much joy, happiness and comfort to so many around the world by giving voice to our most beloved, iconic character, Mickey Mouse. Wayne's great talent, deep compassion, kindness, and gentle way, all of which shone brightly through his alter ego, will be greatly missed."

Wayne took over the voice of Mickey from Jimmy Macdonald, from whom he also learned the art of Foley recording.
Roy E. Disney, director emeritus and consultant for The Walt Disney Company, added, "Wayne not only gave voice to the character of Mickey but gave him a heart and soul as well. He did an incredible job bringing emotion, humor and appeal to the character, and superbly carried on the tradition originated by my Uncle Walt, and later by sound effects wizard Jimmy Macdonald. On a personal note, Wayne and Russi were wonderful friends, and gave generously of themselves for many charitable causes, especially when it came to working with children. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Russi at this difficult time."

"Who is more recognized and beloved around the world than Mickey Mouse, and his appeal is in no small part because of the men who have given him voice: Walt Disney
, Jimmy Macdonald, and Wayne Allwine," said Don Hahn
, the Oscarｮ-winning producer of such Disney animated favorites as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King , etc. "I have such a mix of emotions, on one hand we can celebrate the warmth and comic gift that Wayne brought to his voice role, not to mention the astounding achievement of sustaining Mickey Mouse
at superstar status for over three decades. On the other hand, I'll miss his friendship and the joy he brought to so many of us who worked with him."

Born in 1947 in Glendale, Califorinia, Allwine was active on stage and screen most of his life, making his first television appearance at age seven as one of the children interviewed by Art Linkletter on his House Party program. While still in high school, he formed his own acoustic music group, The International Singers, which performed in clubs and colleges all over the state. He went on to record with such singers as Drift Away
and Bobby Vinton
, and was a member of The Arrows, a musical group put together by Mike Curb
.

In 1966, Allwine opted for a "normal" lifestyle and took a job in the mail room at The Walt Disney Studios. From there, he worked briefly in Wardrobe, then moved to Audio Post Production and began a 7-1/2 year stint under resident sound effects expert Jimmy MacDonald.

Wayne married Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse, in 1991. "Wayne and Russi were wonderful friends, and gave generously of themselves for many charitable causes, especially when it came to working with children. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Russi at this difficult time," Roy E. Disney said.
Allwine worked in sound effects editing on Disney films and television shows including Splash
(1984) and Three Men and a Baby
(1987), as well as Innerspace
(1987), Alien Nation(1988), and Star Trek V - The Final Frontier
(1989) for other studios.

He received the Emmy Award and the Golden Reel Award for his contributions to Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories
, which he worked on for two years, and a second Golden Reel for his work on The Great Mouse Detective
(1986).

For the past 20 years, Allwine was married to Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse and many other popular characters for Disney, The Simpsons
, etc. They had their own production company, Taylor-Allwine Associates. Allwine and Taylor were both named Disney Legends in 2008 by The Walt Disney Company, and were immortalized with bronze plaque handprints at the Studio's Legends Plaza in Burbank.

Allwine is survived by Taylor and five children from a previous marriage: Erin, Alison, Peter, Christopher and Joshua; and a grandson, Isaac. Funeral services will be private. Details regarding a life celebration will be announced at a later date. In Allwine's memory, flowers or toys can be sent in Mickey's name to Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, or donations can be made to such children's charities as the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Guide Dogs of America or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

T-Mobile Flash Mob Dance Liverpool Video

2009-05-18T12:46:00.010-04:00

Lots of bad news out there so it's nice to see something that will definitely put a smile on your face. I love the idea of street theater and this is a perfectly choreographed example of it at work in England's Liverpool Street Station. Go ahead and shake it at the office!

Fun wasn't it?
Isn't it great to see people of all ages and colors get together just to shake their collective groove thangs. Does it make me want to switch phone services to T-Mobile? Not really, but we are talking about them because of this video. As a basic branding device I think they hit the mark. The video is described as "T-Mobile dance" on Youtube so they've got their name out there in a very positive way. Wouldn't it be fun if during political season, the advertising took a more positive, fun approach? Let's hope that as we shift our values within our global economic crisis we appreciate and promote the good things in our world like cranking up the box and doing a little dance occasionally.

Oh, and when you need voiceovers and production for your audio projects call SunSpots at 800-355-SPOTS. We even edit together music like you've heard in the video for dance teams and cheerleader competitions. Yeah, we do it all. It's a burden we have to live with. ;-)
Tom

List of Chrysler dealerships closing

2009-05-15T20:02:00.006-04:00

I just found this list of nearly 800 Chrysler auto dealerships that are slated to close. I'm still wrapping my head around the closures announced by GM and Chrysler today and will comment further in the future. I certainly hope that this move sustains and helps grow the auto business that so many are dependent upon. Having done literally thousands of car commercials in my career this is a stunner to see dealerships whose tv and radio spots I've voiced told to close their doors. The stock market seems to have stabilized (for a few days at least), but with moves like this we've got a long way to go before things get better. Let's do what we can to help those who've been affected by the current financial unpleasantness. You might want to click the "full screen" option on the document viewer below to see the list better.

ChryslerDealership -

Less Feeling

2009-05-13T13:10:00.006-04:00

I was talking with someone the other day about my work and was running down some of the stuff I have recorded here at SunSpots. When I mentioned a documentary that I had recorded for PBS on Islamic Spain she said "Wow that sounds really boring.". And normally I would agree with her but in this case voice talent Sam Mercurio did a great job of making a rather dry script very interesting.

This is why in most cases I cringe when I hear a director utter those fatal words "Less Feeling". Of course that type of direction has it's place on medical and technical reads but, in my opinion, it's an overused direction. Give your narration a little boost. Let the talent throw a little of themselves into it. I find that when there is a little give and take from both ends of the session that the read always turns out better.

When voice talent Jim France is in town he comes into SunSpots Asheville and he and I are usually given free range on the direction of his voicing for "Dangerous Game" which is a big game safari hunting show that airs on Versus. This makes a subject that I usually wouldn't be interested in fun and, well... interesting.

My two cents.

-Bryan

I HAVE THE POWWWEEER!!!

2009-05-13T12:28:00.003-04:00

Howdy all,

Looks like I have been given the keys to the caddy here. I am about to jump into session but look for some blog posts from me now and again regarding the VO industry as well as the occasional non-industry related post.

Have a great week!

-Bryan

What do voiceover talent wear when they are voicing?

2009-05-13T11:44:00.011-04:00

Hi there! SunSpots Deb here. Recently, I did a talent poll on Facebook asking what do voiceover talent wear while they are in the booth voicing. I also asked if there are certain materials that should or shouldn't be worn. I got some interesting feedback.

Catherine Smith admits that "VO talent are probably the only people in the world who worry about how much ambient noise their clothing makes. For me it's PJ's or my gym clothes!" Now I'm wondering, are those one piece footed PJ's? Cuz those sure are comfy.

Caryn Clark also likes to go the casual, comfy route. "jeans and a tee, or shorts and a tee. Come summer, it gets a little warm in the studio... so tank tops and shorts work!"

Cindy Neill apparently has a voice booth and sauna in one! Her "Sweat Box" doesn't have A/C, so she keeps it light and wears Workout Clothes
. She said nothing that makes noise when you move, but "Think more along the lines of "Reese Witherspoon at the supermarket." But without the body. Or the good looks. Or the hot boyfriend. And a bit more sweaty." Poor Cindy. Maybe someone will invent a noiseless fanso you can get some air moving in that booth.

Some talent really like to dress for the part and get into character. Take Jessica Gee for instance. At the time she was "voicing a chimp who plays tennis. So, I'm in a chimp suit from head to toe and i'm swinging a Tennis Racquet
at the mic!" Now that's dedication to a part!

Eric Michaels likes to keep things very low key. He prefers a "burlap sack with armholes and 'Will VO For Food' scrawled on it." Would someone please give Eric some VO work!

Most everyone agreed that the perfect VO wardrobe should be comfortable and made of cotton. That will help keep the noise to a minimum. And don't be like Eric who "Once had a leather belt- the braided weaved kind- that crunched and squeaked! Not good." Thanks for the advice Eric!

That's it for now. Be sure to check out my Facebook page for more exciting and informative talent polls. And thanks to the wonderful talent for participating and passing on their knowledge. Be sure to click on the link below to listen to their demos and check out all the SunSpots voiceover talent.

TTFN SunSpots Deb
SunSpots Productions

AAF Greenville announces new board of directors

2009-04-21T15:10:00.005-04:00

The American Advertising Federation (AAF) Greenville announced the Board of Directors for the 2009-2010 club year, elected 4/21/09. These new officers will be installed at the May program meeting, and will begin their terms of service on June 1, 2009.

President: Nicole Christos, the bounce agency
Past President: Kasey Tant, the bounce agency
VP Programs: Jason Kelly
VP Membership: Gretchen Murdock
Treasurer: Jennifer Spellman, Infinity Marketing
Secretary: Karen Wessel, Erwin-Penland
Board Member: Nika White, Erwin-Penland
Board Member (Twist Chair): Christina Strayer, Torque Creative
Board Member (ADDY Chair): Corey Hudgins, Erwin-Penland
Board Member: Chris Jones, Popcorn Initiative

On a personal note it's very cool to see Erwin-Penland still making creative. I worked with Joe Erwin when I first started voicing many years ago when we did sessions in person (pre-isdn) at Sundown studios in Greenville. Thanks Joe for your confidence in my voiceover skills back then! To everyone listed above, why don't you give SunSpots Productions a shot when you need voiceover talent and creative audio production. Schedule your voiceover session online and search for voice talent online. You can do your sessions via phone patch, drive up the hill to our studios near Asheville or come down to our studios near Orlando for a mini-vacation.

Congratulations to all the new members from your advertising buds at SunSpots Productions!

Peace-

Tom

What do you do for fun?

2009-04-13T12:52:00.003-04:00

What's this? Jay (that's SunSpots founding audio engineer and voice talent Jay Patrick) and I were emailing this morning talking about what we did this past weekend. I started thinking why don't we post up some non-work related stuff on the blog. Figured it's a great way for you to get to know who we are and you can add your comments too and let us know about yourselves. What do you do when not writing scripts, voicing commercials, directing voice talent, producing industrials, etc.? How about it? What's new with you?

What TV News Anchors do off camera with voiceover

2009-03-31T14:41:00.003-04:00

What does the anchorman and anchorwoman do during the break during the tv news? Two minutes of choreographed fun! This is from WGN Chicago.

We Love Chick-fil-A !!

2009-03-31T14:17:00.003-04:00

Saw this on Twitter a few minutes ago and thought those who know the "Eat Mor Chicken!" stores might enjoy this video. Great parody of Beatles, "Yesterday".

Voiceover Talent Survival in Tough Times

2009-03-27T12:12:00.013-04:00

How's the voiceover business going for you? Ad spending has dropped which means we voice talent are not working as much. From blogs, twitter and facebook I've read that many talent are keeping busy doing voice work and also doing many auditions, but how much those gigs are paying is a different story. How about you? How are you coping with the general economic slowdown? Have you had to lower your rates to compete with some of the "dollar a hollar" people on the web? What strategies have you taken to ensure your success? Are you marketing yourself more or less? Have you had to take a second job?

My thoughts are pretty old school...advertise (self-promote) more. Now's the time to refresh your demo or even redo your demo entirely. You can spend time finding new job opportunities online. Find a new agent. (By the way, SunSpots clients are always looking for new professional voice talent. If you have your own ISDN studio, Source Connect and/or live near our studios near Asheville or Orlando please contact us.) Do everything you can to make yourself better and keep your skills honed. Also, listen to the work that you hear on the air now. Has it changed? Are styles changing. Is there some thing about it that you can make your own?

We can all take small comfort in that if we're slow now we're not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people are also seeing a slow down or even worse. If you're not, thank the tiny voice gods of your choosing and be grateful for what comes your way.

The true bottom line is that we're all so lucky to be doing voiceovers for a living. Most of us had other jobs prior to becoming full-time voice actors and this is a good time to reflect on just how lucky we are. This voiceover business has been a blessing to me and I'm certain it has been to you too no matter your level of success. These slower times have reminded me of how lucky I've been and how each session is special.

I hope you make today a productive one and have a wonderful weekend wherever you are!
Cheers-
Tom

Thomas "Cassidy" Rohe
Pres.
SunSpots Productions Voice Talent & Creative Audio Production
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SunSpots_Tom

Follow SunSpots staff on Twitter... tweet! tweet!

2009-03-26T16:39:00.010-04:00

We'd love to hear what's new in your world. Follow the entire SunSpots staff on Twitter:

Deb booking sessions & engineering at SunSpots FL
Janet managing/accounting in SunSpots NC
Jay engineering/producing/voice talent at SunSpots NC
Marty running the day at SunSpots FL
Tera engineering/producing/scheduling at SunSpots FL
Tom voice talent/web marketing/traveling back and forth to SunSpots FL & NC
Xavier engineer/producer/spanish coordinator/English & Spanish voice talent at SunSpots FL

Beat the Taxman HALF OFF Music and Sound Effects SALE!

2009-03-26T13:24:00.012-04:00

To help you beat the Taxman this year SunSpots Productions is offering 50% off all music and sound effects with your next fully produced audio session now through May 15th. That's HALF OFF sound effects and music!

Make your clients happy by saving money for tax time and getting some creative audio production done too.

With decades of experience producing audio, we've helped agencies throughout the country win addys and other awards for their projects. SunSpots has 5 studio control rooms, 8 voiceover booths and qualified, professional, audio engineer/producers who can even direct and produce in Spanish in our studios near Asheville and Orlando. To make a great product even better we're offering you HALF OFF on all your music and sound effects on sessions booked now through May 15, 2009. As we all love to say... This is a limited time offer! Just remember to mention the Taxman Sale when scheduling your session. See details below.

How can you use this discount? Well, add music and sound effects to anything you want from tv and radio commercials, web 2.0 online audio/video projects, mix to picture, industrials, kiosks, dvds, flash movies or anything you or your clients need.

Don't wait, book your session today online at SunSpots or call us at 1-800-355-SPOT.

IMPORTANT: This offer ends May 15, 2009. When booking/scheduling your session please use the code "TAXMAN" to receive 50% off sound design elements of music and/or sound effects in your next rate card priced production scheduled now through 5/15/09. No discount if not mentioned at time of session scheduling. Not available for cold voice or audio not totally produced at SunSpots Productions. This offer expires 5/15/09. Don't forget to use that code. Does not apply to previously scheduled sessions.

Airtran direct to Orlando from Asheville (includes flight schedule)

2009-03-25T11:48:00.019-04:00

Since SunSpots recording studios are near Orlando and Asheville we were really excited to hear about this news this morning. Airtran Airways just announced service to Orlando International Airport (MCO) with nonstop flights from Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)

Flights begin June 11 from Asheville (AVL) and are not daily.
Here's the nonstop service schedule between Asheville and Orlando from Airtran's site:

From	To	Flight	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
Asheville	Orlando	1276	1:10 p.m.	2:45 p.m.	Tue, Thurs, Sat
Orlando	Asheville	1275	10:55 a.m.	12:35 p.m.	Tue, Thurs, Sat

Now you can do a voiceover session with SunSpots up in the mountains of North Carolina during the summer days of Florida or do the reverse in the winter when Asheville is cold and grey and catch some rays in Central Florida.

Personally, this is great news as I frequently drive back and forth between the two studios. It's a long 9 hour drive and my dog, Buster, still refuses to get behind the wheel. He just curls up in the back of the van and sleeps the whole way! Him and his lack of opposable thumbs! The last time I flew from AVL to MCO was on USAIR. We lost one engine soon after takeoff and had to do an emergency landing in Columbia, SC. I haven't flown much since. I think I will now that Airtran is back in AVL. They quit service to Orlando a few years ago for business reasons. Support them if you can and I'm sure I'll see you on the flights back and forth. I'll be the guy gripping the armrests nervously, but loving cutting 6 hours or more out of the commute. Thanks to Airtran and the Asheville Airport for getting them back.

Why should you use Twitter? Here's 5 good reasons to get Tweeting.

2009-03-19T12:30:00.019-04:00

I think it was after I heard that a young man saved himself from a stay at an Egyptian jail using Twitter that I began to think about how we could use Twitter at SunSpots. One of the things that I love about the web is developing relationships with friends and potential clients and voice talent and enhancing those existing relationships with Twitter updates or Tweets. Since joining I've posted hundreds of tweets and have a few hundred followers ranging from artists, advertising execs, fellow online marketers, old friends and others. The electronic village is making our world smaller and more intimate in a very good way.

Why should you use Twitter? There are many reasons to do so and these are just a few:

Increase your web presence. Twitter offers you the opportunity to have your brand/company/message out there with no cost involved. I've seen Tweets (the Twitter messages) show up in Google search results. Proving that it helps your seo efforts.

Keep in contact with your clients and vendors. Emails are becoming less a marketing tool as social media kicks in. Let everyone know your business in a very concise manner!

Announce company news and sales events or special pricing and discounts for you and/or your client.

Quick review of products and services. An example, "We found a great new microphone that we use in our voiceover booths...".

Share news about your community and yourself. Here's the "social" of social marketing in action. We're able to post what's new in our lives and our community with informal posts. These types of posts help others see who we are, innovative and creative, rather than just what we offer, voice talent and creative audio production. Be careful, it's easy to become a Tweet Addict.

We'd love to hear what's new in your world. Follow the entire SunSpots staff on Twitter:
Bryan engineering/web & graphics design at SunSpots NC
Deb booking sessions at SunSpots FL
Janet managing/accounting in SunSpots NC
Jay engineering/producing/voice talent at SunSpots NC
Jen scheduling sessions at SunSpots FL
Marty running the day at SunSpots FL
Tera engineering/producing/scheduling at SunSpots FL
Tom voice talent/web marketing/traveling back and forth to SunSpots FL & NC
Xavier engineer/producer/spanish coordinator/English & Spanish voice talent at SunSpots FL
Zak engineer/producer/voice talent & managing SunSpots FL

To keep your audience interested make sure that your tweets are more than just commercial announcements. I try to insert information about what I'm doing, festival or concert announcements, news specific to our studio locations near Asheville and Orlando, news announcements and so on. Those that use Twitter for just "we have such and such on sale" will eventually lose their followers. Like any good web site, it's all about content and not just, "HEY! BUY SOMETHING FROM US!". Use tinyurl.com to shrink your lengthy web addresses so that they fit easily into the 140 character Twitter format.

We hope to follow your Tweets soon.
Tom

Voiceover Talent Connie Zimet Remembered

2009-03-13T12:14:00.007-04:00

Obituary for voiceover talent Connie Zimet in the Miami Herald:

BY ELINOR J. BRECHER
EBRECHER@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Sometimes sultry, sometimes snappy, sometimes over-the-top Noo Yawk shmoozy, jingle-singer and voice-over artist Connie Zimet promised that Coke was the real thing, that Honda wants you to be safe and that Norwegian cruises are ``as far from the everyday as a ship can take you.''

In word and song, Zimet pitched thousands of products in her long career, including Apple computers, Fresca soda, Pall Mall cigarettes, Ajax scouring powder, Chevrolets and Godfather's pizzas.

In the end stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease -- she contracted bronchitis and died at home in Plantation on Tuesday. She was 67.

The versatile performer acted in Off-Broadway plays, sang in nightclubs and made records. She was the voice of Lucy on an album version of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and in 1971, as ''Connie Z,'' narrated The Way to Become the Sensuous Woman for Atlantic Records. Published in 1969, the book -- a first-person erotic manual by ''J'' -- was a classic of the sexual revolution.

Zimet grew up in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, the daughter of a traveling salesman and a one-time dancer. Her only sibling, a brother, drowned in childhood.

She began acting in local productions and summer stock theater at the age of 8, then went to New York at 17.

She studied interior design and acting, and signed with Colpix, Capitol and Todd record labels, according to Zach Ziskin, of Fort Lauderdale, her only child.

She was married briefly to composer/pianist Victor Ziskin, a Leonard Bernstein protégé.

When Zimet moved to South Florida in the mid-1970s, ''there was not much of a market here for voiceovers,'' said Zach, a music producer who also does voice-over work.

``She was a pioneer who helped build the market. . . . The more she did it, the more opportunities opened up for her. And before she knew it, it was 20 years later and she was considered an expert in the field.''

Zimet led the Miami chapter of AFTRA -- American Federation of Television & Radio Artists -- from 2003 until last year. In 2004, at a workshop in New Orleans, she described the voice-over artist's mission:

``You're an actor when you're doing a voice-over. So, find your character, your attitude, answer what your condition is, and the voice will come out the way it should be heard. Focus on intention.''

She suggested that hopefuls in the field ``read everything aloud -- magazines, newspapers, recipes. Yeah, it may bug your significant other or your pets, but they'll get used to it. . . .''

Herta Suarez, AFTRA's southeast regional director, said that ``everybody I know here on both sides, producers and performers, claimed she really built this market. She was very busy herself, teaching voice lessons and doing voice-overs.''

When she taught, Suarez said, ``people would just not want to leave because she was so entertaining.''

Zimet had a wide repertoire of tones and accents, all with a reassuring warmth: naughty to sweet, chirpy to silky, peppy to languid. She could do almost any character: little old lady, confidential gal-pal, shrieking harpy, Southern charmer, reassuring voice of authority.

''Whatever something called for, she was up for it,'' said Zach, though at home, 'she was never really `on.' ''

Two years ago, Zimet began to stumble and fall, which she chalked up to bad knees, but replacement surgery didn't help. In rehab, she couldn't walk at all.

By early 2008, Zimet began losing functions in her arms and hands. In her final months, ALS stole the voice that made her career.

An Internet fundraising campaign enabled the family to buy a sight-recognition communications device that Zach said ''was truly a godsend'' when his mother could no longer speak.

``She had it for the last month and was able to communicate with her eye movement.''

Zach plans to complete the the book his mother left unfinished: Connie Zimet's Voice-over Tool Box. He also plans a celebration of her life in the coming months.

Connie Zimet's website: http://www.conniezimet.com/ and her voiceover demos page.

We wish her family and friends the best at this time. It's always sad to have another voice stilled. We send our sincere condolences. Please donate what you can to the ALS Association "Fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease" in Connie's memory.

Tom

SunSpots' staff favorite charities. A list by Jen Stevens.

2009-03-09T15:32:00.012-04:00

I was reading a news story today about how so many charities are having difficult times.

I asked the staff at SunSpots which charities were their favorites and thought you might be interested. I'll have separate blog posts of their responses. You might find one you'd like to donate to.

Jen Stevens is our voiceover talent coordinator and one of our recording session schedulers at our recording studios near Orlando, Florida. Here are some of Jen's favorite charities:

American Humane Association
The Breast Cancer Fund
The American Kidney Fund
Doctors Without Borders
International Planned Parenthood Foundation
The Elephant Sanctuary

You can follow Jen on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/SunSpots_Jen
Be Friends with Jen on Facebook: SunSpots Jen Stevens

If you can, please give something, no matter how small or give your time to your favorite charity. We're all in this together. Here's a helpful guide to choosing an effective charitable organization.
Tom

Follow me on Twitter at: SunSpots_Tom
Be Friends with me on Facebook: SunSpots Tom Rohe

Audio production contest tomorrow only on Twitter

2009-03-05T17:25:00.007-05:00

Follow us on Twitter tomorrow (Friday, March 6, 2009) to see details about a special audio production contest only announced on Twitter. You have to follow to win.

Please follow us: http://twitter.com/SunSpots_Tom and/or http://twitter.com/SunSpots_Bryan

It'll be a very limited time offer! See you in the morning!
Tom

Are Cats smarter than Dogs?

2009-03-05T15:06:00.003-05:00

Proof that cats are smarter than dogs?

Facebook worm malware threat video from CNN

2009-03-03T11:21:00.002-05:00

Zak gets half-naked for the 2009 Orlando Addy Awards

2009-02-25T17:52:00.005-05:00

This year's Orlando Addy Awards were presented at the Shakespeare Theater with a Shakespearean theme and in keeping with that theme Treefrog Cinegrafix, Inc. produced videos with Shakespeare's characters parodying our delightful biz. This video was filmed here at SunSpots Productions Florida studios and even stars the studio manager, Zak Miller. The "engineer" was filmed in Xavier's studio and Zak was in one of our six voice booths.
Notice the Christmas tree branch on his head. We couldn't find any olive branches for his ceremonial garb. Hail Zakus!

Office Music today at SunSpots studios in Florida

2009-02-25T15:33:00.005-05:00

I was twittering and blipping earlier today and thought I'd share on here what I've been listening to at the office between being berated by Bryan about the newsletter, talking photography with Tera and having lunch with Zak.

In no particular order:

The Rough Guide to Highlife-Music from west Africa
Primarily music from Ghana and Nigeria. Some intricate guitar work and funkiness.

Ray Charles-Night Time is The Right Time
Remember this one from an episode of the Cosby Show when the ladies of the family performed it for the grandparents.

Johnny Cash-Why Me Lord

Lyle Lovett-That's Right You're Not From Texas

Norah Jones-Shoot The Moon from her Come Away With Me CD

Steely Dan-Blues Beach from their Everything Must Go CD
(I'm such a Steely Dan fan I have every CD of the band plus Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's solo work on my ipod.)

Hot Fun in the Summertime-Sly and the Family Stone

Foggy Mountain Gospel-Flatt and Scruggs
I grew up with a bluegrass pickin' and preachin' grand daddy from eastern Tennessee. It's in my blood. Lester Flatt's voice is comforting and sweet as he sings about "a place called Heaven".

Jack Johnson-Dreams Be Dreams from his On and On CD

King Tubby-Essential Dub
It's not a work day without my Tubby!

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman-Shady Grove
Some good old timey music with Jerry and David singing and playing.

Time to get back to work. That's just a sample of what I've been listening to at work today. How about you? What's on your playlist? What music helps you through your day?

Think Positive and/or Pray for Recovery
Tom

Happy Birthday SunSpots Audio Engineer and Voice Talent Jay Patrick!

2009-02-25T10:11:00.005-05:00

Whoops! Jay Patrick's birthday was this past weekend and I'm late getting him his cake...

Jay is SunSpots Productions original audio engineer and has been creating award winning audio since 1986. Jay started in radio, like Zak and I did.

Jay began in radio in Houston, Texas and even produced parody spots for Glenn Beck when Beck was on the air in Baltimore, MD.

He moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 1993 and began working with what was then known as The Cassidy Company in 1995. The Cassidy Company grew beyond voice talent Tom Cassidy and became SunSpots Productions a year later. Within a few years and with Jay's help and leadership, SunSpots became a world leader in supplying voiceover talent and creative audio production to the advertising industry.

In addition to being a superb audio engineer and director Jay also voices. Here's Jay Patrick's voiceover demo.

Jay's also involved in scouts in the Asheville area, plays guitar and bass and enjoys spending time on the trails around Asheville on his mountain bike. He's married and has 3 kids.

Happy belated birthday Jay, from everyone at SunSpots!
Tom

Happy Birthday Voice Talent Gordy Owens!

2009-02-23T15:10:00.003-05:00

Voiceover talent Gordon "Gordy" Owens is celebrating his birthday today!
Listen to Gordy Owens voiceover demo right now.
Happy Birthday Gordy from your friends at SunSpots!
Tom

Valencia Community College graphics students win big at Orlando Addy Awards

2009-02-23T14:04:00.004-05:00

Valencia Community College graphics students took home many Addy awards last Saturday night at the Orlando Ad Federation Addy Awards.

Here's the rundown of winners as supplied by the Valencia Community Graphics Dept.:

Student SPECIAL JUDGES AWARD for DESIGN: Brian Nutt for They Might Be Giants CD Case
Student BEST OF SHOW ADDY Award: Wendy K. Johnson for Olympus America Inc. Statue of Liberty Camera Ad
Gold ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Olympus America Inc. Statue of Liberty Camera Ad
Gold ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Olympus America Inc. Eiffel Tower Camera Ad
Gold ADDY: Brian Nutt for They Might Be Giants CD Case
Gold ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Olympus America Inc. Camera Ad Campaign
Gold ADDY: Reina Castellanos for Dia de los Muertos
Silver ADDY: Brian Nutt for Monster Candy Boxes
Silver ADDY: Shajah Junco for Bourré Bourbon
Silver ADDY: Reina Castellanos for 925 Furniture
Silver ADDY: Blagovesta Miltcheva for Self Promo Package
Silver ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Volkswagen of Amercia Beetle Brochure
Silver ADDY: Christine Cerniglia for General Electric Brochure
Silver ADDY: Christine Cerniglia for Domtar EarthChoice Poster
Silver ADDY: Brian Nutt for She Wants Revenge Poster
Silver ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Volkswagen of Amercia Beetle Brochure
Silver ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Olympus America Inc. Washington Monument Camera Ad
Silver ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Doritos Nacho Cheese Snack Ad
Silver ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Doritos Hot Wings Blue Cheese Snack Ad
Silver ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Doritos Zesty Taco Chipolte Ranch Snack Ad
Silver ADDY: Aaron Fischer for Smoking is a Gamble Ad - Odds
Silver ADDY: Aaron Fischer for Smoking is a Gamble Ad - House
Silver ADDY: Wendy K. Johnson for Doritos Snack Ad Campaign done for
Silver ADDY: Rosanna Lee Currence for Ninja Dorito’s Campaign done for
Silver ADDY: Katrina Mustakas for Healthy Cone: Print Cover
Silver ADDY: Katrina Mustakas for Volt Campaign
Silver ADDY: Katrina Mustakas for Sherwin Williams Logo

Valencia has an amazing program for graphics and web design. Congrats to everyone involved. I'll be posting up the other winners soon.

Congrats everyone!
Tom

Voice Talent and Mentor Connie Zimet needs our help

2009-02-23T11:45:00.003-05:00

From the Voiceover Times:

Connie Zimet, a well-known voice over coach and mentor based in Florida, is in the late stage of ALS, battling now not only for her life but the very ability to communicate with her son and those whom she loves.
There is hope for Connie to regain her ability to communicate, but she needs the support of the voice over community to realize that vital goal, with donations being accepted to offset costs for the purchase of special equipment that will allow her to communicate with her eyes using the aid of a computer.
Robbed of her voice, mobility and requiring care around the clock, it may seem as though Connie Zimet hasn’t much hope, however, we have learned that there is a special machine that she can use to communicate with using her eyes that would enable Connie to use her “voice” again, albeit in another way.
Connie has been struggling now with this disease for a long time, but it had not interfered directly with her ability to communicate until the passed year.
Her last email communication to friends sent on June 8, 2008, dictated to a friend, explained why she hadn’t been in touch and acknowledged her illness, sharing in this excerpt:
“Please know that I think about and care about you—more than you know. And now I am asking for your prayers. Those will mean more than anything at this time. I am determined to create a miracle here and those prayers will be of tremendous help. Thanks for understanding. With love always, Connie”
This eye recognition device will be of great benefit to Connie, however, the device doesn’t come cheap.
Donations are being accepted to the Connie Zimet Medical Fund, no matter how small, to help offset the escalating costs of Connie’s medical needs and care.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Pam Lipschitz or Zach Ziskin (Connie’s son) via email or by phone. Connie’s address is 827 NW 79th Terrace, Plantation, FL 33324, and also has a PayPal account at czimet@comcast.net.
Pam Lipschitz
pam.checksinmotion@gmail.com
Zach’s info:
zach@zachziskin.com
954.367.3363

Thanks to Steph at voicescom for alerting us to Connie's situation.
Our prayers, positive thoughts and good wishes are with Connie and her family.
Tom

Ben Stiller does Joaquin Phoenix at Oscars

2009-02-23T10:44:00.004-05:00

Did you seen Joaquin Phoenix when he appeared on David Letterman last week? If not check this video from the Letterman show:

Then compare it to Ben Stiller doing his version of Joaquin Phoenix at the 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony.

I thought that was one of the more entertaining parts of the Oscar ceremony.

So, was Joaquin pranking Letterman that night or do you think he's got problems? I think he was putting Dave on. You can just catch a glimpse of a smile every few minutes. You never know though. Personally I've always liked the concept of "street" theater of taking what is supposed to be normal reality and breaking it down and twisting it around.

I had a chance to do some of that many years ago in Asheville with the Blue Plate Special theater troupe.

More to come. It's going to be a most excellent week.
Peace-
Tom

Free Wi-FI in Asheville and Buncombe County

2009-02-22T16:56:00.002-05:00

I was on Twitter this morning looking at was happening and found a great post from our Twitterbuds Wadester23 and AshevilleLive (Asheville Live are the people that bring us the variety of downtown web cams: http://www.ashevillelivecam.com/ ).

The post I found was a web page that shows the various places in Asheville and Buncombe County that you can find free wi-fi for your laptop or other wireless device. Looks like a good list, I haven't tested anything other than downtown near Jack of the Woods.

Here's the Asheville/Buncombe County free wi-fi guide.
http://www.openwifispots.com/Finder.aspx?City=Asheville&State=NC#35.602711,-82.567281,12

As always, cause the self-promotion never ends, if you're in Asheville and looking for professional, not part-time, creative audio production please give SunSpots a shot to bring your audio and video projects to life.

http://www.sunspotsproductions.com/Voice_Talent_Contact.cfm#sunspotsnorthcarolinamap

Have a great weekend!
Tom

Happy Birthday Voiceover talent Jen Sweeney!

2009-02-21T14:07:00.003-05:00

SunSpots voice talent Jen Sweeney celebrates her birthday today. Happy Birthday Jen, we hope you have a wonderful weekend of birthday cakey goodness!
Listen to Jen Sweeney's voice talent demo at SunSpots.

More Simpsons... The Evolution of Homer

2009-02-18T14:49:00.001-05:00

After posting the new show intro I found this quickie of the evolution of Homer from Hulu. More stuff to turn our brains to mush. Yummy.

Simpsons have new show intro

2009-02-18T14:30:00.005-05:00

Just saw the new opening for The Simpsons. Wonder what's up with the addition of the 3-eyed crow?

Every time the Simpsons voice actors threaten to strike I always have my fingers crossed and tongue ready. It'd be the voiceover's guy dream come true to get one of those roles. How about you voiceover pros? Do you do any of the Simpsons character's voices? Throw in a demo with your response if you have one. We'd love to hear it!

Paul Simon opens refurbished Beacon Theater

2009-02-16T18:40:00.007-05:00

Ok, I know it doesn't have a thing to do with voiceovers, but I had to share some pics I shot of Paul Simon's concert at the refurbished Beacon Theater in New York this past weekend. We were lucky enough to get tickets to both nights of his show there. Friday night's extraordinary show was capped by a surprise appearance by Art Garfunkel. How poignant it was to hear them sing "Old Friends/Bookends" together. His show attracted loads of celebs such as Caroline Kennedy, Paul McCartney, (Tony Soprano) James Gandolfini, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Bon Jovi, Jimmy Fallon, New York's Mayor Bloomberg, Jane Krakowski from 30 Rock and others. Saturday's show was less formal and more spirited. It made for a spectacular Valentine's Weekend though we had to cut our visit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art short.

Voiceover Talent Marv Henry passed away

2009-02-16T18:05:00.004-05:00

Voice Talent Bob Jump informs us that one of the pioneers in our voiceover world, Marv Henry, has passed away. Marv Henry was one of our friends at Studiocenter's original founding voice talents. Our condolences and best wishes to his family and friends.

Every time we lose someone it's another reminder to tell our friends and family how much we love them.

Thanks Bob, for letting us know.
Peace-
Tom

UPDATE: A more detailed story was posted last night by Jim Washington from the Virginian-Pilot:

By Jim Washington
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 16, 2009
Marv Henry, a well-known voice on local radio for decades, died Monday.

According to friends, Henry's work appeared in movies, television and radio over the years. He worked for several local stations, including WAVY, WFOG and WTKR, and did voiceover work for the company Studio Center Worldwide in Norfolk.

Henry was one of the company's founding talents back in the 1960s, according to owner William Prettyman.

“He was one of the all-time best voices at the company,” Prettyman said. “He was a legend.”

Dave Davis is a producer at Studio Central and worked with Henry for almost 20 years.

“He was the most talented voice actor I’ve ever worked with,” Davis said. “He had a range that was second to none. He could draw poetry out of the words. He had an ability to make anything sound better than it was written.”

Henry was an office cut-up as well, Davis said. His co-workers often found themselves the subject of his doodles.

“He was always drawing cartoons of people at work,” Davis said. “He was like an uncle. A mischevious uncle.”

Fresh New Voiceover Talent Added to SunSpots Site

2009-02-03T11:58:00.011-05:00

We've added some new voiceover talent to SunSpots "Fresh New Voices" section on the home page of our web site. We've got a nice mix of kids and adults. Our new list of talent includes English and Spanish voiceover professionals.

Paulina Chavez: A little sass and attitude from a young teen/tween English female voice talent.

Michele Feren: Michele has a crisp, clean sound with a big smile in a late teen, 20's and 30's age range.

Cayla Jackson: African/American voice talent Cayla's got the snap and attitude that brings a smile. Her voiceover range is tween/young teen female.

Roger Leopardi: Authentic, edgy, real and with a 20's-30's vocal age range. There's a cool rasp to Roger's voice.

Allison Malena: Spanish female voice talent with a clean, tight announcer sound in the 30's-40's vocal age range.

Bruce Miles: A distinct voiceover talent in the 40's and above vocal age range. Bruce has a little rasp and a lot of power and versatility with his reads. A strong medical narrator.

Duke Morgan: A veteran voiceover announcer with power, versatility in the 40's-50's vocal age range.

Rashanee Remy: African/American voice talent with an engaging sound in the younger teen vocal range.

Rick Robertson: Lots of excitement with a "real" vibe, honest, versatile voiceover actor in the 20's-30's range.

Kyle Speller: African-American male voice talent from smooth to real person. A great range in the 30's-40's vocal age.

You can find and schedule voiceover talent online at SunSpots web site with our exclusive voice talent search engine, ezCast.

GoDaddy Superbowl Ads

2009-02-01T22:25:00.002-05:00

Alrighty boys get ready, here they are, those wild GoDaddy Superbowl commercials ONLY available on the internet. lol What I've seen so far is very tame. Enjoy!
http://event.godaddy.com/videos/super-bowl-commercials.htm

See all the Superbowl TV Commercials here

2009-02-01T22:16:00.004-05:00

See the tv commercials from the Pittsburgh and Arizona 27-23 Superbowl here: http://www.sunspotsproductions.com/voiceover_video.cfm#superbowl_commercials

Superbowl Commercials Play by Play Review Part 1

2009-02-01T19:12:00.010-05:00

I'm watching the Superbowl tonight just like a handful of others are doing and posting live on my Twitter account too: http://twitter.com/SunSpots_Tom

I've been trying to find SunSpots Scheduler/Audio Engineer Deb Munini in the crowd. She's there working audio like she has done for previous Superbowls. She's also done audio work at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Here's a post about Deb from October, 2008: http://sunspotsproductions.blogspot.com/2008/10/multi-talented-deb-munini-gets-profiled.html

I think the tv spots have not been as strong as they have been in the past, either in creativity or emotional connection. Some are good, few are great and some are just lame (yes, GoDaddy I'm talking to you, but we LOVE your prices and service).

Watch all the Superbowl tv commercials here and on SunSpots Productions web site Plus on our video page there's a good bunch of other videos featuring SunSpots voiceover talent and some other video oddities:

So far things have come down like this:

Thought Conan O'Brien's Bud Light spot was hilarious. I love his strange sense of humor. Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, had a nice dream sequence of the star basketball player playing football.

One of my favorites early in is from Bridgestone with Mr. and Mrs. Potatohead. Bridgestone's Superbowl commercials have all been strong and creative tonight.

Castrol's grease monkey ad ended being creepy. C'mon kissing a monkey?

The trailer for Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell looks like fun. (I'm eagerly anticipating seeing Will Ferrell as George Bush in, "You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush" on March 15 at the Cort Theater in New York.) The original Sid and Marty Krofft show, Land of the Lost, when I was a kid was tough to watch. Maybe I was too old. But any Krofft projects were just plain chock full of Ecstacy induced weirdness. I'm just guessing on that.

Pepsi Max tv spot was funny. Can't beat slapstick pratfalls. I like the Pedigree except for David Duchovny's waaaaaaay too laid back read for the voiceover. I prefer voiceovers with just a pinch more interest in the voice. But that's me. He's doing the "authentic", "real person", "pulled back" read. Since I'm mentioning voiceovers, if you're looking for a voice to bring you audio project to life search SunSpots ezCast for voice talent.

More to come. Time for a chicken wang!

SunSpots Productions Youngest Voice Talent

2008-11-16T13:30:00.020-05:00

I want to welcome a new voiceover talent, Alexandra Spaziani. She's on her way to becoming a pro and at only 4 years old (she'll be 5 in December) she's currently the youngest voice talent on our EZcast™ voiceover talent roster. Thankfully, she and her parents live close to our Asheville, North Carolina studio so it's no hassle to come in for auditions or spots.

Earlier this week I spoke with her mom, Suzanne, about Alexandra's career as a voiceover talent.

Suzanne said Alexandra got started voicing by, "Practicing at home, imitating commercials and cartoons. One day an audition came along where the line was, "I have to go to the bathroom." and she nailed it!"

I wondered if she could already read or if the lines had to be fed to her. "She's close to reading", Suzanne says, "she just repeats the lines for now. She memorizes things incredibly quick. She's mimicked reading since she was 2. She would open the book and "read" it word for word. I was always amazed when I wanted to hurry a bedtime story along and she would point out every word I skipped."

Her mom says that she goes into the voice booth with her and helps feed her the lines. She's getting comfortable with the headphones and mic position. "I think she's pretty close to being comfortable enough to take direction with the headphones on. I want to make sure she is having fun and not get intimidated by it. After every time she goes in the voice booth, I ask her did she have fun and did she love it. I want her to want to do it more then me wanting her to do it."

At 4 years old Alexandra enjoys doing voiceovers, but also loves gymnastics, soccer and even horseback riding (she must be using a tiny horse). As far as a career in the voice business her mom Suzanne says, "She's mentioned she wants to be an actor, but also has talked about being an astronaut, a teacher and a cheerleader."

We love having her on our roster and hope she has fun and enjoys being a voice talent for as long as she wants.

Thanks to Suzanne for taking the time to speak with me about her daughter, Alexandra Spaziani. In the coming weeks, once school is over for me...(4 classes, never again), I want to focus on every one of our voice over talent so we can all get to the know them better.

How old were you when you started voicing? I didn't do anything professional till I got into radio at age 18, which is now over (BLANK) years ago. I did record crazy voices and little audio shows with my friend Bob Feeley back in Pompano Beach, Florida when we were 12. When I was at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Bob, Tracy Clahan and I made up a fake news presentation for the high school's morning announcements. That's pretty common these days, but was fun and new to us at the time. Bob's now a comedy writer in Connecticut and Tracy teaches theater at LaGrange College in Georgia.

Did you "do voices" as a kid or have early theater or even broadcast experience?

Like I've mentioned in other posts, please keep me informed about what things you're doing as a voiceover talent. If you have a head shot and want us to use that in our promotion of you please email me.

Hope you're having a beautiful Sunday! It's cold, but beautiful here in the North Carolina mountains.

Tom

Circuit City files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

2008-11-10T11:22:00.002-05:00

Sad to see a company I spent years doing radio and tv spots for and still do some voicing for is filing for bankruptcy. Circuit City just announced it today. I was lucky enough to do lots of work with them over the years. Really fun creative people and hilarious times in session.

Here's the story from CNN's website:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Circuit City Stores Inc., the No. 2 electronics seller after Best Buy, filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, hoping the move will allow it to stock its shelves in time for the crucial holiday shopping season.

The move comes about a week after Circuit City said it would close 155 stores as it deals with a worsening economic downturn that has left more consumers with less money to shop. The company intends to keep its remaining stores open through the bankruptcy procedings.

Circuit City (CC, Fortune 500) said it decided to file for bankruptcy at this time to ensure that it would have "adequate merchandise flow to stores during the important holiday season."

The retailer said consumers should continue to shop at its stores.

"Chapter 11 is not a closing or liquidation," the company said in an e-mail to CNNMoney.com. "We remain committed to doing a better job of taking care of our guests, and making it easier to shop at Circuit City."

For anyone that's on the hunt for a sweet deal on a flatscreen TV, Circuit City spokesman Jim Babb said it's "safe to assume" that consumers can expect deep discounts on TVs and other products in those Circuit City stores that are being liquidated.

In the rest of its stores, Babb said the company's prices will remain competitive with the market over the coming weeks.

Circuit City said it is seeking approval from the bankruptcy court to honor customer programs such as returns, exchanges and gift cards. "Approval of such programs normally is granted," the company said in the e-mail.

The electronics seller said it will still accept credit cards, including Circuit City-branded credit cards, which the company said are not be impacted by its bankruptcy.

Circuit City also said it will continue to honor its warranty plans, including its Circuit City Advantage Protection Plans.

Despite these measures, one industry watcher remained unconvinced that Circuit City could still attract shoppers from here on and especially through the holiday season.

"Consumers will be skeptical about buying a $1,000 or $2,000 flatscreen TV with a warranty at Circuit City," said Craig Johnson, retail analyst and president of Customer Growth Partners. "In their mind, there's no guarantee that the company will still be around in the future."

"Regarding gift cards, if you are buying a $50 gift card for Christmas, where would your comfort level be higher? At a Circuit City or a Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500)?" Johnson said.

The company's bankruptcy filing was also made at a crucial time of the year for merchants who are preparing for the year-end holiday shopping season.

The November-December period can account for 50% or more of retailers' annual profits and sales. But this year, many Americans have clamped down on their shopping habits amid a weak economy and a shaky job and credit market.

Industry analysts warn that retailers will have to do whatever they can this year if they hope to have at least decent holiday sales.
Will stay in business for now

According to the company's Chapter 11 filing with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Richmond, Va., Circuit City has 566 operating stores in the United States and will continue to do business and pay its workers while it restructures debt and its business operations.

In announcing the store closings last week, Richmond-based Circuit City said it would cut about 17% of its 40,000 domestic workers.

Johnson said Circuit City's problems are partly its own making. On the external front, the retailer's competitive landscape has became much more formidable as Best Buy continues to enhance its product offerings and service.

Circuit City has also felt the squeeze from discounters like Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) who has aggressively expanded into electronics over the last few years.

More importantly, Johnson believes Circuit City shot itself in the foot when the company decided last year to fire more 3,000 of its highest-paid sales staff and replace them with lower-paid workers.

"This was a huge strategic blunder," said Johnson. "People want a knowledgeable sales person when they are spending $2,000 on a TV. They don't want to buy it from some kid at Wal-Mart," he said

The company said it has negotiated a commitment for a $1.1 billion credit line to supplement its working capital. The company said the credit line will replace the company's $1.3 billion asset-based line provided by its lenders.

Circuit City said the credit line will give it immediate liquidity while it works to reorganize the business and enable it to pay its vendors and employees.

"We recently have taken intensive measures to overcome our deteriorating liquidity position," James Marcum, Circuit City's acting president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

"The decision to restructure the business through a Chapter 11 filing should provide us with the opportunity to strengthen our balance sheet, create a more efficient expense structure and ultimately position the company to compete more effectively," he said.

End of story from CNN.

I agree that it was a horrible blunder when they fired so many people to restaff with lower paid, less skilled employees. Here in Asheville, they fired skilled staff and then tried to restaff with lower paid workers and I think they even tried to rehire the people they fired at a lower wage. Not only error in judgment, but bad for morale internally. It made the local news here and was a bad pr mess for them.

Here's a story from the Washington Post from March 29, 2007 about those firings: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/28/AR2007032802185.html

I wish the best for my buds in the ad department at Circuit!

SAG says "Check Your Backside" to it's union members

2008-11-10T09:25:00.006-05:00

Good morning!
I just saw this article in Variety online...

With the resumption of SAG's contract talks in limbo, the guild's toughening up its ban on members working for nonunion producers. The Screen Actors Guild recently notified its 120,000 members in a "Check Your Backside" message that, starting on Jan. 1, it will "vigorously" enforce the ban on nonunion work for new-media productions.

"Rule One states that 'no member shall work for a producer who is not signatory to the appropriate SAG agreement,'" SAG said in the missive. "Rule One is printed on the back of every SAG membership card. SAG members may also work on new-media projects if they are covered under an AFTRA collective bargaining agreement."

SAG's master contract expired June 30 -- the same day the majors made their final offer -- and members currently work under the expired contract's terms in features, primetime and new media. SAG's negotiating committee met Wednesday with federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez about its stalled contract negotiations, but no date's been set for restarting talks between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers.

Earlier this year, SAG's national board unanimously OKd the move to launch the Rule One campaign. "The goal is to make sure that members insist on basic protections when they work in new media," national director of organizing Todd Amorde told Daily Variety.

Guild leaders have become increasingly concerned in recent years over actors circumventing discipline under Rule One. SAG announced last year that members filing for "financial core" status -- under which a member resigns SAG membership and withholds dues spent by the guild on political activities but can still work on union jobs -- generally won't be allowed back into the guild.

Aside from expulsion, Rule One violators can be fined or suspended after a trial board hearing.

With SAG and the majors awaiting the next step in the mediation process, the Intl. Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees and the AMPTP will return to the bargaining table today -- seven months after they concluded three days of negotiations without reaching a deal. Both sides have set aside three days for the talks.

The current IATSE deal expires in August and covers about 25,000 West Coast workers in 18 locals. If the AMPTP can make a deal with IATSE, it will mark the sixth such pact signed by the majors this year, following deals with the DGA, WGA and casting directors plus two TV agreements with AFTRA.

Before turning to mediation, SAG unsuccessfully attempted to restart negotiations Sept. 30 by announcing a trio of "threshold" issues: new-media jurisdiction for all productions, rather than the $15,000-per-minute budget threshold the majors propose; securing residual fees for made-for-Internet productions when those productions are reused on new-media platforms; and continuing force majeure protections for actors, which the majors have sought to eliminate.

For its part, the AMPTP's insisted it won't change the final offer to SAG and stressed that its terms are similar to those in the WGA, DGA and AFTRA deals.

It's going to be very interesting to see how the voiceover and acting unions survive the economic mess we're currently in.

Speaking of professional voice talent, if you're a voice talent with SunSpots Productions please make sure we have your latest voiceover demo in hand so we can keep your best in front of our clients. Please send it to:
Jen Stevens
SunSpots Productions
821 Marhall Farms Road
Ocoee, Florida
34761

Cheers-
Tom

Election Day...Finally!

2008-11-04T11:14:00.003-05:00

Doesn't it seem like it's taken years to get to this point? Election Day is finally here. I hope that you vote today if you haven't done so already in early voting. Reports so far are mixed about lines at polling places. I just spoke with someone in south Florida who waited 2 hours this morning. Some of our Orlando SunSpots crew waited a half hour and here in North Carolina voting lines were about 15-20 minutes for our staff that voted today. Looks like the early voting, where available, helped the process.

To me, this is one of our greatest aspects of our democracy. So many people who have come before us have suffered and even died to either get the right to vote or to protect that right. I remember when President Nixon certified the Constitutional Amendment for the voting age to be lowered to 18 from 21. Kids were being sent off to Vietnam at 18 to fight, but could not cast a vote and had no voice until then. Amazing how times have changed. Think of all the African-Americans who were intimidated and murdered because they wanted to cast their ballot. Even though they had the right to vote in the 1870, it wasn't until the Voting Rights Act in 1965 that voting became easier and more Federally protected. Just think that in 1870 voting rights were given to slaves. Slaves. It's hard to wrap the mind around that fact. What about women and their right to vote? Can you believe women didn't have the right to vote until 1920? What progress we've made! Look at other countries where people are still beaten because they want to vote. Why don't we have 100% turnouts at the polls?

My point in bringing all this up is that so many have toiled and given so much of themselves in every way to get us to this point today. To sit still and not vote is a disservice to their dedication, their lives and the foundation of freedom that they all laid to lead us to where we are today.

How wonderful it is now to see where we are in history. I hope that you take the time today and cast your vote for whomever you see fit. If lines are long think of those who had no lines to stand in. If the weather's bad think of the many who braved more than the elements to cast a vote.

We take so much for granted here and many of us think our voice doesn't matter, but it does matter. It matters who you vote for and it matters that you do vote. Please do so and make your voice heard for all those voices long since stilled by time.

One other thing. Let's make our national election day a Federal Holiday. We should be celebrating this day with as much patriotic enthusiasm as we do July 4th. What do you think about making today a Holiday where we vote and share the American Experience as one? I think we should and we should pass the idea around till we make it happen.

However today ends I hope that we all come together as one tomorrow and that in whatever way we can we work to make our country and the world a better place.

Tom

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