VOICEOVERS

For over 20 years, I've been the voices of commercials, promos, training videos.

This has led to some mainstream and Way OUT business.

I did a training tape for US Lexus mechanics before Lexus came to America.
I did a Playboy Channel narration. No pictures. No girls. I saw Leonard Maltin coming into the studio (which wasn't at or associated with Playboy) as I was leaving.
I did a narration for a South African airport.
I got paid to count to 50. Good money. Hundreds of dollars! And they never used it.
I got paid to work with Chuck Yeager, pilot/hero. But he did his part the day before. DAMN!
I did countless banks. Friendly boy - that was me.

From car dealers to Ice cream. Retailers to 401k plans. I was the voice of TV stations - the FOX network for a brief time, and radio stations. (Irony: I was the voice of two radio stations in my home town of Philadelphia over different years and yet never heard the stations since I had moved away!) One summer night I was jogging, and heard my voice coming out of open windows. I've been to movies where I'd come on right before the main attraction. I've worked with soap opera actresses. TV actors. Future stars. Greats and not so greats.

But each time you move, or each time I move, I have to start over in a different market where I am unknown. And more and more, the business is global, as anyone can audition via internet and MP3s. My agent sends me copy, I record in my home studio, E mail to her, she bounces it up the ladder.

It's very subjective.

Yesterday I auditioned as the voice of a car race announcer doing a commercial (doubt I'd get that gig) and the voice OF A SWIMMING POOL (I think I NAILED that!)

But you never know. All you can do is hope and dream and give it your best shot. DOING the work is a lot easier than GETTING it. I can really identify with those 'overnight successes' that take 20 years.

One thing I know: when you give up, that's as far as you get.