Many of you are already familiar with TinyURL. It’s what I consider to be a blessing and a curse; A blessing ,because it saves quite a bit of space - especially for tweets and status updates - and it helps cloak links; A curse, because as a surfer I have no clue where I’m being redirected to! I like to know where my clicks are taking me. There are way too many questionable websites, browser hijacks, spyware, and other malware that I’d rather try to avoid.

Just yesterday, i logged into myspace and was immediately hijacked. I was taken to a page that asked for information after presenting me with a fake virus scan - warning me that I had viruses. I know better, so I immediately closed the browser after being warned by my trusted pal, Norton. Another reason to become more aware of where you’re surfing. That’s why I’m a little skeptical of TinyURL’s. However, now you can find out where you’re going before you’re redirected there. It’s called TinyURL preview and I’ll show you how to turn it on. read more…

It’s no secret that Gmail has one of the best spam filters around. It’s also no secret that Gmail is one of the most reliable and efficient ways to use email. That’s why when I see a fellow voice-over artist use their Gmail instead of their own domain’s email, I understand their choice. Most hosts’ webmail interface leave alot to be desired in terms of efficiency and efficacy. But what if I told you that you can use your domain’s email with the exact same interface and features as Gmail? Yes, that includes the same powerful spam filter.

Although many people are familiar with the Gmail settings that allow you to use your domain’s email as a “reply-to” email, doing that falls short of fully accessing your domain’s email and, depending on the receiving party’s email client, a missed opportunity or impression of your brand. You see, in some clients, if you use you Gmail and fill in the reply-to field - under your settings - with your own domain’s email (YOU@yourdomain.com), then it will show up as “you@gmail.com on behalf of you@yourdomain.com.” That’s not good enough.

read more…

A few days ago, I received an email from a colleague who I respect not only for her talent, but for her approach to “quieting things down.” Everyone knows how hectic this business of VO can be, and those who really know me understand how much I believe in unloading and slowing down in order to increase your effectiveness. Wayne Dyer likes to quote “A Course In Miracles” by saying, “The only thing that will bring immediate effect is infinite patience.” And I had to draw on that patience when I read my colleague’s email.

read more…

Thanks to my friend and Movie Marketing Madness (M3) blogger Chris Thilk, for posting this article on how Don Lafontaine was overlooked by The Academy. Thanks again, Chris. The Don deserves to be recognized in so many ways for his contributions not only to movie marketing, but to the culture as well.

Get Lazy in Your Inbox:
First Name:
Email:
Your email is never sold nor shared.

It seems like ages ago, that I was in the music business. And in any business there are just as many, if not more, online chat forums (i.e., time-vampires). Well, this morning I had a flashback about a musical collaboration I had with another forum member/artist. You can read about it here. This was before SourceConnect, before YouSendIt, and during the whole Napster fiasco - so you can imagine it was good press. But I also recalled a little software program that was designed by another member of one of those forums that I think is perfect for VO talent. read more…

I know it’s been quite a while since I posted. And I promise that I’ll be back in full force before you know it. Voice-overs are a strange beast to tame. Just when you think it’s going to be busy it’s slow. But the best is when you think it’s going to be slow - and it’s insanely busy!

Anyway, I wanted to thank you all for spreading the word about Meditation For Voice-Over. Although I don’t really promote it anymore, I’m glad to at least be able to provide such a low price for people this month and also free excerpts as well. If I could give it away, I would. I’d have to convince my wife first.

Have a Lazy week! We’ll talk soon.

By the way - I’m now on Twitter - so follow me there…if you dare.

The Lazy Voice-Over has been quite lazy lately; not blogging much. I’ve chosen to spend less time on the computer and more time with my family. My three-year-old daughter refuses to let go of Christmas. Who can blame her? I feel that way myself. So much holiday-build and then there’s an almost deafening post-holiday-silence. Yesterday, December 26th, I tuned in to my favorite holiday station, Lite FM, and was disappointed to not hear holiday music. “Geez, give me at least some time to get over it! The next day? That’s cruel!” They did, however, intersperse their regular programming with some holiday music. At least that sends the message that they’re aware of how I feel about the holidays. Thank you.

With Halloween followed by Thanksgiving followed by Christmas followed by New Year’s Eve, there seems to be both a slowing and speeding up of time itself; leaving you with no time for your self. This is why I decided to blog less – in order to create more time for my self. Once I create time, I can then control how I will invest that time. It’s almost like getting off of the proverbial hamster wheel (i.e., the rat race). I am free to “roam.”
read more…

From Meditation to Voice-Over to The Lazy Voice-Over, the message is, “create more time through meditation and automation in order to do what you claim to love – voice-overs.” That is, in its simplest physical state, to read copy in front of the mic. By doing so, as I detail in my ebook, you start to trigger so many things beyond the physical that will assist you in advancing your voice-over career with much less effort than the pursuit of “the answer.”

Creating time is essential to working on your craft – the single most important aspect of any profession. Seemingly on the flip side of things is balance. While I’ve shown you how to create more time for action – voiceovers – recently I’ve pointed out (in “Lowering your ‘noise floor‘” and “Calm amidst the storm“) that this is also the perfect season to create more time for time’s sake; to do nothing but to create silence; peace. Think of it as the space between “the space between the notes.”
read more…

The old studio was in downtown Jersey City. An increasingly diverse area with an abundance of energy, downtown Jersey City was, to me, therapeutic. It anchored me. It sobered me. The daily commute was, in hindsight, a blessing in disguise. I met people on the bus, the train, in the streets, and at the shops that I would frequent along the way. Social interaction is nourishment for the soul.

In January of this year, I moved my studio home. At the time, I wasn’t happy with commuting to the studio and, because of LA work, having to stay late and missing my little girls’ “night night” time. I remember there were times when I got home around 5 or 6 PM, only to have to return to the studio at 8 or 8:30 PM because a last minute trailer read came in. It was a weird combination of excitement, hope, disappointment, and sadness. Now that my studio is home, I can just jump in front of the mic, read, and go back to playing, eating, or reading with my family. The only catch is that during the greater part of the day I’m alone.
read more…

This is not about recording. It’s about listening; listening to your inner voice. Your inner voice uses many channels through which to speak to you, but none more than your own feelings. When you have a voice-over career to maintain or pursue, there are so many distractions that can easily derail you and hinder progress. The simplest way to regain momentum is to get rid of them or at the very least reduce the number of distractions - starting with the biggest ones.

In this regard, it’s no different than having to lower your perceived noise floor in order to produce higher quality recordings. You’ll be increasing your “signal-to-noise ratio” by decreasing the noise. Your signal, in this case, is the message that you’re sending out through whatever actions you’re taking. If you spend more time on the internet than in front of your mic, that’s not a good signal. The noise - the internet - is too high. If you’re listening to others’ input about your career, that’s also not a good signal. The noise - others - is drowning your feelings. read more…