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GARY MASON

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gary@gary-mason.com

Blog

My Origin Story

March 19, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  So those of you who pay attention will note that I did not post a blog last week.  Sorry.  Anyway, as I was beating myself up about that this week and wondering what I might write about, I thought it might be fun to talk a bit about how

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What does a potential WGA strike mean for “me”? (And when I say “me” I mean you…)

March 5, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  On the heels of last week’s discussion of SAG-AFTRA, this week let’s talk a bit about the looming threat of a Writer’s Guild (WGA) strike. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage,

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To SAG or not to SAG

February 26, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week let’s talk about the union (SAG-AFTRA). REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of

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If I had a Time Machine

February 12, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Let’s have a bit of fun and think about what we might be able to do if we had a time machine. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah,

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Blogs actors and VO artists should be reading

February 5, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  If you like reading this blog, here are a few more you might consider following as well! REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this

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Useless facts and Trivia

January 29, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Let’s just have some fun this week.  Here are some useless facts and a bit of trivia that actors should enjoy. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows

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Top Twelve Acting Skills an Actor Needs to Develop

January 22, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  So, you’re an actor or want to become an actor?  Consider these Top Twelve Acting Skills an Actor Needs to Develop. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows

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PROS and CONS of an acting career

January 15, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  So, you want to become an actor?  If you are not yet familiar with the film or VO industry, consider these Pros and Cons before jumping in. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including

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10 Acting myths debunked!

January 8, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  There is a lot of mythology surrounding acting and most of us believe at least one of them.  This week let’s debunk some acting myths! REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage,

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Books and Podcasts for actors

January 1, 2023

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Wow, here we are on day one of 2023!  Yes, that’s right, posting my blog for the week on New Year’s Day…that’s dedication, right?  Well, kind of…I am writing it the Friday BEFORE the Holiday…hey, work smarter, not harder…ya know!?  Also, I did some research and have discovered that

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Nine Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blog

December 27, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Well, it is the week between Christmas and New Year, kind of a “slack” week.  Since it is such a slow week, I’ll write about the Nine Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blog. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I

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Defeat!

December 20, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week I want to stray from the beaten path a bit and talk about “Defeat”. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all

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Common Misconceptions About Acting

December 13, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week let’s talk about some common misconceptions about acting. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting. Outside

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Life Hacks for Actors

December 6, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week I’ve put together some life hacks for actors! REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting. What

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Guest Blog – Karen Weeks: Ways to Make Money From Home in Arts and Entertainment

November 29, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week we have a guest blogger, Karen Weeks. Karen is a Senior Lifestyle blogger. After retirement, she struggled with finding a new sense of purpose which led to taking a computer course for her to learn a new skill. She created Elderwellness.net as a resource for seniors who

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

November 22, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week I’d like to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING! REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting. I won’t Be

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Financial Advice for Actors

November 15, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week I’d like to spend some time talking about Money Management. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of

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Motivation

November 8, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week I’d like to spend some time talking about Motivation! REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

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Halloween Edition: COSTUMES!

November 1, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Since it is the first week of November and we just had Halloween, this week let’s talk about costumes! REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 11: And still…You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!

October 26, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 11, the final post in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work; And still…You’re not getting the f*&^ing job! REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 10: This is supposed to be FUN!

October 11, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 10 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work; This is supposed to be FUN!. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 9: Control

October 4, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 9 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring Control. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 8: Confidence

September 28, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 8 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring Confidence. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 7: Desperation

September 20, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 7 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring: Desperation REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 6: Getting Discovered

September 6, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 6 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring Being “Discovered” REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 5: By the Numbers

August 30, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 5 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring booking jobs By the Numbers REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 4: Self-Tape Auditions

August 23, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 4 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work.  This week we’ll explore Self-Tape Auditions. This week I told you I’d warn you, and here it is.  While VO uses, and has been using for

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 3: Naysayers

August 16, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 3 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring Naysayers. REMEMBER: Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 2: Why do want to be an actor!?

August 9, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This is week 2 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work, and we will be exploring “Why do you want to be an actor?”. Thanks to my friend and actor Michael Kostroff who teaches a video series

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You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 1: So you want to be an actor!?

August 2, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  This week I am going to begin a series of blogs that relate, mostly, to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work.  I am entitling the series: “You’re not getting the f*&^ing job!” thanks to my friend and actor Michael Kostroff who

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HUSTLE

July 26, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  In keeping with a similar theme to last week’s post about agents and managers, this week I want to talk about marketing yourself, or what I like to call “hustle”. So, there I was… I had a boss while I was working for the Navy as a civilian, who

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Agents and Managers and YOU…Oh my!

July 19, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Do you need an agent?  A manager?  Both?  What do they do? If these are questions you ask yourself, you’re in the right place!  If you have either or both and you feel like you can now relax…you’re ALSO in the right place!  This week we talk about: Agents,

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There is a role for everyone

July 12, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Think you’re too old, too young, too fat, too skinny, too SOMEthing to become a successful actor?  Think again!  There’s a role for everyone! And let’s be clear Voice acting IS acting, regardless of how some people may think.  I hate it when someone says something like: “Oh, they’re

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REJECTION!

July 6, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Rejection.  It’s the word (and thing) people fear. Maybe it’s the word we fear the MOST…but I’m not sure, so will just stick with fear. REJECTION I actually hate this word.  Especially as a performer…it’s just too negative, and to be honest I don’t believe that rejection is actually

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DO NOT QUIT!

June 28, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  Do you ever get discouraged on your journey in voice over and acting?  And let’s be clear, voice over IS acting.  They’re different and the same all at the same time.  Well, this week, here is my message to you: DO NOT QUIT! 10,000 hours It’s said that it

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Side Gigs

June 21, 2022

Welcome back! And thanks for reading!  We’ve all heard the term “Starving Artist”.  And starving artists need a side gig to keep from wasting away to nothing or living out of their car.  I’m sure this term was coined because of the nature of freelance performance as a VO artist or actor…and I don’t think

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There’s no such thing as a free lunch

June 14, 2022

Well, here we are… And I’m having to come up with my own topics again. I’m discovering that writing is easier than deciding what to write.  I’m not complaining, but when I decided to start writing a weekly blog, I thought the topics would be easy and the writing not so much.  I confess that

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Make Goals

June 7, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Make Goals”. Drum roll please! And…here we are. This is the long awaited 38th in the series post finishing the series!  So, I suppose the heading to this ought to read: Ending the series.  At any rate, this is it, the end of the line for my subset

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Smile at Strangers

May 31, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Smile at Strangers”. The last two weeks Believe it or not, I was out of the country touring Greece the last two weeks, so I wrote blog posts to cover while I was gone.  Now I’m back and struggling with a bit of jet lag, so bear with

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Your dance moves might not be the best, but I promise making a fool of yourself is more fun than sitting on the bench alone

May 24, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Your dance moves might not be the best, but I promise making a fool of yourself is more fun than sitting on the bench alone”. The dreaded school dances. Come on, admit it.  When you were in Middle School (or as we called it Junior High School) and

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Make the little things count.

May 17, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Make the little things count”. An old adage Almost everyone has heard it: “It’s the little things that count”.  I like to tell my kids these saying don’t just fall out of the sky, they develop over time for a reason, and this one is no different.  This

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You won’t always be the strongest or the fastest. But you can be the toughest

May 9, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “You won’t always be the strongest or the fastest. But you can be the toughest”. Bear with me… This week’s topic seems like a doozy to write about, and probably no less a doozy to read about.  But bear with me, it is pertinent to VO and acting,

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Be kind. Everyone has a hard fight ahead of them

May 3, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Be kind. Everyone has a hard fight ahead of them”. Yep, I took a week off And I bet you didn’t even notice!  OK, maybe you did…at any rate, sorry if you missed me.  Last week I was on the set of Regaining Innocence, so early call times

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You are what you do, not what you say

April 19, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “You are what you do, not what you say”. First First of all, I know I am a day early posting the blog this week, for those of you who keep track of such things (I know I do).  Good reason for it though, as I will be

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Keep your word

April 12, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Keep your word”. Promises We all make promises, big ones, and small ones alike.  Many are implicit, but some are just implied. In this post, related to this post, we’ll talk a bit about why it’s important to keep your word. It’s basic We all know inherently that

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Be a good listener. Don’t just wait for your turn to talk

April 5, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Be a good listener. Don’t just wait for your turn to talk”. “People don’t listen, they just wait for their turn to talk.” – Chuck Palahniuk, author of the book “Fight Club”   Listening Hearing and listening are two very different things.  I think listening may be a

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If you don’t understand, ask before it’s too late

March 29, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “If you don’t understand, ask before it’s too late”. Controversy! It really shouldn’t be, but I suspect this week’s topic will create a bit of controversy.  You see, we are taught from a very young age that there are no “dumb questions” …and yet, depending on who you

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Reputations are built over a lifetime

March 22, 2022

WELCOME! Several new subscribers have joined us again this week and I want to thank you for subscribing and welcome you!  Thanks for joining! Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Reputations are built over a lifetime”. Will Rogers Nearly everyone has heard of Will Rogers.  He was an entertainer in the early 20th century. 

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Be cool to younger kids.

March 15, 2022

WELCOME! Several new subscribers have joined us again this week and I want to thank you for subscribing and welcome you!  Thanks for joining! Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Be cool to younger kids”. Everyone was the “younger kid” at one point. No one was born an adult.  At one point in your

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Don’t Boo. Even the Ref is Somebody’s Son

March 8, 2022

WELCOME! Several new subscribers have joined us this week and I want to thank you for subscribing and welcome you!  Thanks for joining! What’s going on Right now, I am 21 posts (this is number 21) into a 32 topic series based on a list of 100 wisest words from a teacher.  Why not 100? 

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Know at Least One Good Joke

March 1, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Know at Least One Good Joke”. Jokes Everybody loves to laugh.  I’d be hard pressed to believe there is anyone out there who simply doesn’t like a good laugh.  If you exist, I’d like to hear from you, but not more than once because, hey, who likes to

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Forgive yourself for your mistakes

February 22, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Forgive yourself for your mistakes”. Mistakes Everyone makes mistakes.  It’s just a simple fact of life; humans are not infallible.  So when you DO make a mistake, the first thing to know…I mean REALLY know…is that you are not alone.  Some mistakes are worse than others, but it’s

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Never Answer the Phone at the Dinner Table

February 15, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Never Answer the Phone at the Dinner Table”. A hot topic As much as I dislike controversy, I’m going to go ahead and write/post this one anyway.  I suspect everyone has a way to feel about this topic, and I look forward to what COULD be a spirited

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Don’t Stare

February 8, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Don’t Stare”. Here we go again! With yet another topic I thought would make a good post, until I actually started to write it!  I’ll confess that when I set out to write a weekly blog, I had no IDEA it would be such an exercise in creativity. 

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Never be the last one in the pool

February 1, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Never be the last one in the pool”. Why do I do this to myself? This week’s topic is a doozy.  I’m not really sure what I was thinking when I picked this list of things to write about, or why I thought I could punch out 1500-ish

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Give credit. Take blame

January 25, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Give credit. Take blame”. No brainer, right? This week’s topic seems like a real no brainer (well, to me anyway).  This is especially true if you are in a position of leadership within a team or organization.  Not only in your work life, but your personal life as

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Make Time for Your Mom on Your Birthday, It’s Her Special Day Too!

January 18, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Make Time for Your Mom on Your Birthday, It’s Her Special Day Too!”. Your Birthday Birthdays are special days.  They not only mark another trip around the sun for each of us, but they also celebrate the day we came into the world.  It is a recognition of

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Never Gloat

January 11, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Never Gloat”. What is gloating? It’s a word almost all of us are familiar with, but do we really know what it means?  Many of us (myself included until just a few minutes ago) think of gloating as bragging about accomplishments or “lording” successes over someone.  So much

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Under no circumstances should you ask a woman if she’s pregnant.

January 4, 2022

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Under no circumstances should you ask a woman if she’s pregnant”.   Common sense? I saw this topic on my list and said to myself: “Self, this is going to be a very short post”.  Why, you ask?  Well, it seems to me that the idea of not

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Thank You, Happy Holidays and Never Pose With Booze

December 28, 2021

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Never pose with booze”. Thank you As we approach the end of 2021, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog week after week, to all my colleagues who are the most helpful bunch on the planet, to my clients

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It’s never to late for an apology

December 21, 2021

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “It’s never too late for an apology”. Oh, apologies… Yep, if you are a human being who is in contact with other human beings it is inevitable that you will do something that hurts or angers one of the other humans.  Intentional or not, we humans are GOING

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Never Eat Lunch at Your Desk if You Can Avoid It!

December 14, 2021

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Never eat lunch at your desk if you can avoid it”. But First Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t posted a blog for three weeks.  Actually, some of you HAVE noticed because you emailed me to ask about it.  Thank you for reaching out to

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If you choose to go in drag, don’t sell yourself short!

November 23, 2021

I’M BAAAAAACK! For those of you who notice things, you’ll notice I have been silent for the last couple weeks.  Yep, had a couple REALLY busy on camera (and away from my desk) weeks as well as completing a stand up comedy class (See my routine here) followed immediately by a need to head to

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A handshake beats an autograph

November 3, 2021

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “A handshake beats an autograph”. First Let’s talk a little bit about BOTH handshakes and autographs.  Where did they originate?  What is important about them? Handshakes Handshakes have been around for a very long time. They actually predate “recorded history”, so we could say that a handshake is

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Take a vacation of your cell phone, internet, and TV once a year

October 19, 2021

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Take a vacation of your cell phone, internet, and TV once a year”. Well – This one is a little easier than the last couple.  It’s something we all KNOW, but few DO.  This week we explore why you should “Take a vacation of your cell phone, internet,

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Hold your heroes to a high standard

October 12, 2021

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Hold your heroes to a high standard”.   Wow – I really stuck it to myself with this list, right?  At least this one I found a few things to look at when I researched it, unlike last week.  I mean, what IS a standard anyway?  And why

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Keep a picture of your first fish, first car, and first boy/girlfriend

October 5, 2021

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Keep a picture of your first fish, first car, and first boy/girlfriend”. Not sure why Confession time:  I’m not really sure why I chose this as one of the topics to write about, but I really liked the sentiment and now I am committed so here we go!

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Don’t Dumb It Down

September 28, 2021

Continuing the series With this week’s topic “Don’t dumb it down!” (Exclamation point mine)  The Urban Dictionary defines “Dumbing Down” as: The process by which products are stripped of depth and complexity in order to simplify them for the masses.  In this instance, the “product” is information. What in the world does that mean? In

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Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

September 21, 2021

Recovered Well, I am fully recovered from vacation this week and ready to continue the series I started a few weeks back.  This week we explore the idea that “Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD”. It’s a big idea Yeah, I recognize this is a voice over and acting blog, and while this

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Vacation

September 14, 2021

Last week If you’re paying attention, you’ll note that there was no blog post for last week.  If you weren’t paying attention, then never mind, I guess.  Last week, Karen and I were on vacation with my sister and her family and my daughter and her husband.  We all met in Myrtle Beach for an

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If a street performer makes you stop walking, you owe him a buck.

August 31, 2021

The List Last week, or maybe it was the week before last…I can’t remember (getting old aint for sissies, as my dad used to say – well, he was a little more “colorful”, but I digress) my Facebook friend Whit Whitman posted a list of a “teacher’s  100 wisest words”.  After reading through them, I

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A different perspective

August 24, 2021

Last Week Last week, I wrote about my new E-Bike and how sometimes we all need to seek out help when we need it.  In that post I featured my partner, Karen, who actually got me interested in biking (among other things).  Of course, she approved that message before I posted it, and this week

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Lean on me

August 17, 2021

A BICYCLE? Last Christmas my girlfriend, Karen, bought me a bike.  Yes, I know, I’m 60 years old.  It was the first time in 50 years I have received a bicycle as a gift.  You see, she loves to ride, and I was like “Meh”.  So, she bought me a (NICE) bicycle for Christmas so

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Imposter Syndrome

August 10, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! Imposter Syndrome In the last week or so, I’ve seen this term used several times in social media posts.  While intuitively I kind of get what it means, to me anyway I wanted to figure it out

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Thick Skin

August 3, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! Inspiration. In the last week or two, while reading blog posts from fellow voice artists, I was struck by both Craig Williams blog post “Are you OK With You?” and a post by Jon Gardner,  “What do

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Why do I do this?

July 28, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! Why do this NOW? In the last few weeks, I’ve had a couple people ask me why, at 60 years old, I’ve embarked on a new career…or actually TWO new careers.  This week I’ve decided to lay

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Never too old…

July 22, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! Yeah, I know it’s late this week, and after bragging about being early last week.  Such is life I suppose. Busy Week Yeah, yeah, yeah…it’s an excuse, I know.  Those of you who have been following and

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Self Promotion

July 13, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! You must do it There is just no getting around it, if you want to succeed in the business of voice over or acting, or any freelance career for that matter, you simply must promote yourself…honestly, no

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FORE!

July 7, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! Golf If you know me, you’ll know that if the question is: Golf? The answer is always: YES! Like voiceover and acting, I started golfing later in life. WOW was that a mistake!  I am now working

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A bit about ACX

June 29, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! This week let’s talk a little bit about Amazon/Audible’s Audiobook Creation Exchange – ACX. What IS ACX? In short, ACX is an online casting site that matches the Rights Holders (RH) of (most often) independent books with

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Skiing and Voice Over…or…DON’T GIVE UP!

June 22, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! I know you were eagerly awaiting a post last week, but as I mentioned week before last, I was in Salt Lake City, Utah for my M-I-L’s 80th birthday. UTAH Have you ever been to Utah?  No?

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Truth & Honesty

June 9, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! A Note: I’ll be travelling to Utah this week for family stuff, and since M-I-L’s house is without WiFi, or any internet for that matter – She’s turning 80 this week – I MAY not be able

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Six Degrees of Separation

June 1, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! I tell my kids this… I received an email from a friend with a nice winding story in it about coincidences and connectedness.  One thing led to another and things just sort of came full circle.  This

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Slow Days

May 18, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! Slow Days A long time ago when I was stationed in Charleston, SC I used to joke that local licensed drivers were issued a calendar every year to let them know which days were slow days, and

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The Producer and Coaches Perspective

May 11, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! I wouldn’t normally post a guest blog so closely with another, but this week I am breaking all the rules.  Below you’ll find an article written by my VO coach Scott Burns.  Along with coaching, Scott is

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Contracts

May 4, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! Ugh, I know, contracts…BORING, right?  Well, maybe, but a very important topic for freelance VO artists so this week let’s talk about something near and dear to everyone’s heart: Contracts. What IS a contract anyway? Simply put,

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An authors perspective: Guest post from Phil Gabriel

April 28, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! This week, I’ve taken a bit of a break writing to bring you a post from my long time friend Phil, an author I was once stationed with in Southern Italy.  Back in the 90’s (which seem

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It’s all different now….

April 22, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! It’s all different now… Spoiler alert!  If you want to keep watching TV and listening to the radio the way you always have, this may not be the post for you.  Below I am likely going to

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10,000 hours…

April 22, 2021

Welcome Back! Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! In keeping with the themes of getting a Late Start and having Persistence, particularly as it applies to a recently begun voice over or acting career, but really as it pertains to just about ANY new endeavor,

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Persistence

April 6, 2021

Welcome back!  Thanks for reading!  If you are a new subscriber, thanks for joining us! It’s pretty easy to get discouraged sometimes, right!?  This week I’d like to talk a little about persistence. This is a tough business. I mean, it’s easy enough to get involved, pretty much anyone can get a microphone and some

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A late start….

March 30, 2021

Welcome back!  Thanks for reading!  If you are a new subscriber, thanks for joining us! This week I’d like to talk a bit about getting A Late Start in the performing arts.  Well, I suppose this applies to nearly any profession, except maybe professional sports. It’s never too late to start over… It’s been said

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Preparing the script

March 23, 2021

Welcome back!  Thanks for reading!  If you are a new subscriber, thanks for joining us! This week let’s talk a little bit about script preparation. OK, I get that voice over is not exactly “The Ten Commandments” or “Gladiator”, but even a quick 15 second spot requires a script, and that script is going to

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

March 19, 2021

Welcome back! This week we talk about: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly… First, sorry I am posting late this week…it’s been a doozy – long story.  Anyway… Well, here we are – March 2021 – one year in COVID lock-down. Actually, I remember clearly it was March 17, 2020 when the folks at

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The coolest thing….

March 9, 2021

Welcome back!  Any of you following my blog for the last few months know that I started out doing Voice Over work, and then branched out into screen acting. Truth is, I did it on a “lark” initially, applying for and getting a role as a background (BG) extra on an upcoming Hulu Original Limited

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Ah, the doldrums…

March 2, 2021

Welcome back!  So, have you ever heard anyone say they are in “The Doldrums”?    It seems that January and February are the doldrums for both Voice over AND acting, at least my agent tells me that these first two months of the year are traditionally, agonizingly slow.  And then there’s COVID…but let’s not talk about

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How do you define success?

February 23, 2021

Welcome back!  Hey everyone, we’re back again and this week let’s talk about how to define success! What IS success? What does success look like for you?  Success will definitely mean different things to different people and I’ve been doing some thinking about “What is success” in the last week or so. Of course, in

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Traveling

February 16, 2021

Welcome back!  Hey everyone, we’re back again and this week let’s talk about travel voice over! As you may remember from my last two posts  (here and here), I recently had to head out of town (and away from my booth) for five days to attend my son’s advancement ceremony in the Navy.  One of

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Guest Blog – Phil Gabriel: Six Things I Wish I Had Known Before Producing My First Audiobook

February 9, 2021

Introducing; Phil Gabriel As Phil mentions below, we have been friends since the mid-90’s when we were both living and working in Naples, Italy (I know, pretty lucky, right!?).  And, as often happens when working in or for the military, once our time in Naples was over we went our separate ways to our next

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Catching up!

February 3, 2021

Welcome back!  Well, another short week  and  catching up after my trip to Florida.  I’ve been hectically busy what with the travel and ceremonies and stuff, so I really didn’t spend any time thinking about what to write for my blog this week, which means this one will be a rambling series of “stream of

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Do I take the job?

January 26, 2021

Welcome back!  It’s been a pretty slow week, and also a short week as I prepare to head to Florida for 5 days to visit and celebrate my oldest son’s promotion to Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy.  Pretty proud of that kid!  Since I too was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy

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Go For It: But BEWARE!

January 19, 2021

Welcome back!  I know I said Go For It…but I had an interesting experience this past weekend, and thought today might be a good time for a cautionary tale!  So I reprise my admonition to Go For It, But BEWARE! A Tale of Two Castings As I mentioned last week, I’ve branched out into on-screen

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Exciting Stuff!

January 13, 2021

Welcome back!  Ever wondered what a career in acting is like? WELL – my first week as a “retired guy” was busier than all my weeks as a “NOT retired guy” put together, I’m an actor! OK, if you are expecting a post just about voice over, I’m afraid I will not be meeting your

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GO FOR IT!

January 5, 2021

Welcome back!  Well, it seems I’ve exhausted everything “Getting Started in Voice Over”, and since last week was kind of a “dead” week, this week I’m just going to ramble a bit.  Sit back and relax, no telling where this one might go. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am recently retired from 40+

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Pay to Play (P2P) Casting sites

December 30, 2020

Welcome back!  Well, here we are in the dead space between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Since not may people are paying attention this is probably a good time to talk about something pretty controversial: Pay to Play (P2P) casting sites!  Fun, right?  (and maybe a little sneaky too). Where do I find work? If

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Training- Acting Classes

December 22, 2020

Welcome back!  This week, Let’s talk a little bit about honing your trade through training in acting classes. For those of you that have been reading this blog regularly for the last twelve (TWELVE! – who knew I had THAT much to say!) weeks, you will have heard me harping on something over and over:

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The legend has RETIRED!

December 16, 2020

Welcome back!  This week, I’m going to stray from talking about voice over directly and instead spend some time talking about it peripherally.  The title may seem a little self grandiose, but it is a direct quote by the Admiral I work for, so I feel good about using it. I’m going to apologize for

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But what do I CHARGE?

December 8, 2020

Welcome back! This week, let’s discuss rates when bidding on voice over work. OK since rates are perhaps one of the most debated subjects in the industry, this may be somewhat of a touchy topic.  In this post I will try to lay out a reasonable discussion of rates and, with luck, avoid getting flame

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Thankfulness

December 1, 2020

Welcome back!  I think I’ve exhausted pretty much everything I know now about “Getting started in Voice Over”, but if you have been reading along and eagerly waiting for me to talk about (insert topic here) and I just didn’t get to it, shoot me a message and I’ll see what I can do to

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Getting Started in Voice Over Part VI: Finding Work

November 24, 2020

Welcome back!  In Previous Posts  we’ve talked about everything “Getting Started in Voice Over”, all the way from thinking this is the career for you, to getting your studio set up and equipped, with a little tech fun thrown in because, well, I love tech stuff and finally coaching and training.  By now you should

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We interrupt this broadcast to bring you…

November 16, 2020

A minor political rant…. Not your usual blog post from me  No, this is pretty atypical, as I usually try to stay away from all things political, but in the wake of “The election that never ends” I just have to wade in.  This MAY tick some folks off, and that’s OK, because, hey…social discourse

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Getting Started in Voice Over Part V: Training, Coaching and Professional DEMO reels

November 10, 2020

Welcome back!  In Previous Posts  we’ve talked about everything “Getting Started in Voice Over”, all the way from thinking this is the career for you, to getting your studio set up and equipped, with a little tech fun thrown in because, well, I love tech stuff.  Well, that was all the fun stuff (really!) but

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Getting Started in Voice Over Part IV: Choosing equipment (PT3) – The Audio Interface

November 3, 2020

Welcome back!  In the first part of this topic in Getting Started in Voice Over Part IV: Choosing Equipment, we talked about your computer and recording/mastering software (DAW).  In the second installment of the post, we talked all about the microphone.  In this final installment of Getting Started in Voice Over Part IV (3), we’ll

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Getting Started in Voice Over Part IV: Choosing equipment (PT2) – Microphones

October 27, 2020

Welcome back!  Hold on to your hats, this is going to be a LONG one.  In the first part of this topic in Getting Started in Voice Over Part IV: Choosing Equipment, we talked about your computer and recording/mastering software (DAW).  In this second part of the post, we’ll talk about the microphone.  Since there

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Getting Started in Voice Over Part IV: Choosing equipment (PT1)

October 21, 2020

Welcome back!  If this is the first time reading my blog, Getting Started in Voice Over series, head on over to my Main Blog page and have a look at posts one, two and three in the series to get caught up. Recap: Sitting and talking to yourself in a small enclosed space all day

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Getting Started in Voice Over Part III: The Booth

October 14, 2020

Earlier Getting Started in Voice Over Posts. If you haven’t read the first two articles in the series, take a look now: Getting Started in Voice Over Part I: You have a GREAT voice! Getting Started in Voice  Over Part II: Coaching Recap:Let’s recap (briefly) parts one and two before we move on to part three: The Recording Booth.

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Getting Started in Voice Over Part II: Coaching

October 8, 2020

This is the second installment o the “Getting Started” series, so if you haven’t already read Getting Started Part I you should head on over there now before you keep reading.

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Getting started in Voice Over Part I: You have a GREAT voice!

September 5, 2020

YOU Should be a Voice Over Actor! So, someone has told you that you have a great voice, and ought to be an audiobook narrator. Well, isn’t that nice! Seriously, you should be happy, that’s a compliment! This happened to me, and coupled with a love for listening to audio books I thought; Yeah, I

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