Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Narrators

Podcast — LibriVox Community Podcast #93

The LibriVox community is a group of volunteers with tremendous talent, enthusiasm and energy. In addition to recording books, poems, short stories, and other literature as free audiobooks, they also create podcasts promoting the site. This week’s podcast had the theme of getting started as a volunteer, so I contributed a segment.

The podcast contains some excellent advice, and you will hear that many people take a professional approach when creating recordings for LibriVox. For instance, I frequently use web 2.0 technologies in my work as a voice-over talent, and I was glad to hear Icyjumbo talk about their use in his volunteer work. Andy Minter’s humorous discussion of character analysis is spot-on with comments made by professional audiobook narrators.

 

Mapping your success by thinking BIG

Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know…?

Do you get
What you’re hoping for
When you look behind you
There’s no open doors
What are you hoping for?
Do you know…?

— Diana Ross when singing the theme from “Mahogany”

Those song lyrics have been floating in my mind after reading another voice-over blog in which the author wrote, “I have no idea where this is going.”  While I have taken the writer’s words out of context, the face-value of that thought inspires today’s post.

Do you know where you’re going to in your voice-over career? When planning either a trip or a career in voice-over, it’s important to know your desired destination. You don’t need to know HOW or WHEN you will get there, but you do have to decide where you want to go. When you make that decision, you might as well decide to have the very best outcome you can possibly imagine.

True, even deciding on the destination can be very difficult. You have to take some time to analyze what’s important to you and find a destination that fills those characteristics. If I were planning a trip, I might say it’s important to me to go to a romantic place that is full of art, music and interesting architecture. When I decide that Paris fits my description, I now have a destination — a place that I can point to on a map.

Any number of ways exist for me to get there. It’s not up to me to decide every aspect of the trip. Life has a way of presenting delicious synchronicities that enable us to get further along our path. In fact, I previously wrote an entry about trusting your gut instinct. You may think your heart leads you to do things that are fun but unimportant in the long run. To quote myself: Your intuition will guide you to make choices and take action toward building your career that you may not totally understand at the time but will make brilliant sense in retrospect.

My voice-over career is just like a trip to Paris; I have a map and can point to my pinnacle of success. It’s important to me to voice projects that utilize my creativity, mean something to people, and are of lasting value. Audiobooks meet all of those criteria. I know where I’m going even though I have no idea when I will arrive.

You may be surprised to know that I am a Grammy award-winning voice talent for an audiobook in the Best Spoken Word category. You look perplexed and scratch your head as you think over this bold statement. “But Karen,” you finally say with great hesitation, “how is that possible when I haven’t seen your name on the Grammy awards list?”

Just because something hasn’t shown up in your reality doesn’t mean it isn’t real.<

When you use one of your 5 senses, you gain information about something in your world. No man-made thing that is in the world just magically appeared. It was first a thought in someone’s mind. They had to visualize its existence and know it was achievable before it ever became part of reality.

Athletes and entertainers often have related stories of visualizing their success for years before it was known to others. I love a quote from Barry Manilow in the 70s after he hit it big. Someone asked him what it was like to be successful, and he replied, “I’ve always been successful, but now I’m famous.”

Once you have a destination, you can create a map for getting from point A to point B. With your voice-over career or anything else, work backward from point B until you reach your place at point A. At each step, ask yourself, “in order for this to happen, what has to happen before it?”

I followed that process to create my map for achieving that Grammy award. I know certain things have to happen for my quest to be successful, and they inspire me to take action, whether marketing to a particular audiobook publisher, creating new demos, talking to others about audiobooks, etc. Sometimes the journey may seem stalled or going in a different or unexpected direction. Even in those times, I always have the inner knowing that I will arrive at my destination one day. It’s just a matter of time and consistent effort on my part in order to make this dream a reality. In the meantime, I know that the success I envision is on its way.

One of my friends described this kind of thinking as “a bunch of woo-woo”. In case this blog post sounds like woo-woo to you, you might be more likely to consider this advice from celebrated voice talent Nancy Cartwright. In an article for Animation World Magazine, Cartwright writes:

At any rate, if you are planning on being successful at what you do, no matter what it is you decide to do, you should be sure to envision having the greatest success in your chosen field. Don’t just decide to get a job, decide to win an Emmy. I did. Don’t just decide to be a background voice, decide to be on the #1 animated show on television. I did. Don’t just decide to make enough money to pay your bills or quit your day job, decide to make an abundance of money so your attention can move on to greater and more important areas. I did.

It is not about just dreaming. It is truly about making the decision, and thinking big!!!! Only you can decide what is best for you, so sit down right now, and make some decisions, who knows? It might change your life forever!

So, about my Grammy award — just remember you read it here first!

 

A holiday poem for voice talent

Happy Holidays candy cane.jpg

‘Twas three
weeks before Christmas, when all through the land

Voice talents
and producers were wringing their hands.

The mics were
connected to computers with care

In hopes that
paying jobs would soon fill dead air.

The voice
talents were trained and looking for leads

With high dollar
amounts to fill all their needs.

Accounting soon
closes for another year

But some said
the good jobs are no longer here.

When on the TV
we kept hearing such clatter

From pundits,
newspeople and those who don’t matter

Such negative
folks declared a recession

I hastened to
write this poem and confession.

I don’t watch
the newscasts or read the headlines

I know less of
the world, but that’s just fine.

Instead, I think
good thoughts and make them come true

Hey, it works
for me, and it can work for you!

Banish the
naysayers and their words of gloom

You’re in charge
of your thoughts, so why think of doom?

Think of what
you want as if it’s already true

Then take action
on the ideas that come to you.

“Now audition!
Now blog! Now create your podcast!

On with writing
and speaking for impressions that last!

To the cyber
world! To the events in your town!

Keep promoting
your work, and your career won’t slow down!”

If you only
think of money you wish you had

The focus on the
LACK of the thing will be bad.

Whatever you
want in your reality

Must first be
visualized in your mind, you see.

Of course, voice-over
is just one part of life

Be thankful for
your blessings and forget the strife

Let your loved
ones know that you hold them dear

Have a magical
holiday season and happy new year!

Photo: Denise Torres, iStockPhoto.com

 

Short story — The Love-Letters of Smith

Fountain pen and letter.jpg

Many of the stories written in the 19th century contain language that sounds jarring to our 21st century ears. I enjoyed narrating this sweet and humorous story written by Henry Cuyler Bunner (1855-1896) in part because his words sound more contemporary. In this age where people meet on-line and break up by text message, The Love-Letters of Smith is a refreshing look at relationships in past times.

Mr. Smith’s letters gave me the key to his character’s voice. For instance, here’s one sample of his writing style:

A mishnery that sells Rum
is the menest of Gods crechers

I recorded this story for the LibriVox Short Story Collection, Volume 35. Download this short story (20Mb, time 21:48)

Photo: Stefan Klein, iStockPhoto.com

 

Volunteering as a LibriVox narrator

Before becoming a professional voice talent, I volunteered as a reader for 5 years at the Georgia Radio Reading Service. I read newspapers, Sunday sale pages, magazine articles and books for visually-impaired listeners who heard the broadcast over a special radio. I loved using my voice to help other people.

It is still important to me to be of service to other people. While Drew and I give money to charitable organizations, nothing can match the satisfaction of volunteering one’s time. I have been looking for a service project where I could once again give the gift of my time and voice-over experience to benefit others.

I am pleased to announce that I have decided to volunteer as a narrator for LibriVox, which is an Internet organization that creates audio recordings of works in the public domain. While working in my stunning soundproof studio, I can continue to serve a larger audience of visually-impaired and other people who need and enjoy audiobooks.

LibriVox header.jpg

 

10/30/21 Update:

I previously suggested that people volunteer for LibriVox. Be warned that LibriVox releases its recordings into the Public Domain, which means someone else could sell your recording and/or harvest your voice for AI without any compensation to you. For that reason, I no longer recommend newcomers volunteer there.

 

25 reasons clients hire this voice talent

Most of my articles in this blog pertain to working and marketing oneself as a voice talent. Today, though, I want to write to my potential clients. Sometimes you may need to persuade others in your organization to hire a professional voice talent instead of creating a recording using internal personnel. Here’s a way for you to spell it out for them!


V

oice-over
is my life’s passion! I didn’t wake up one morning and decide to go into
voice-over because I thought I could earn some easy money. I can remember
being in 5th grade and knowing that voice-over is what I was meant
to do. I have been in voice-over since 1999, and I intend to be working in
voice-over for decades to come.

O

utstanding
ability to take and perform to your direction. If you want a word or line
with different emphasis or characterization, I attentively listen to your
instructions and carry them out on the next take.

I

ntegrity.
 I don’t agree to voice every project that is offered me. I believe in the
power of the word, especially the spoken word. If I don’t like the words that
would be coming out of my mouth, I won’t say them. You can feel assured my
voice would not tarnish the image of your business by being associated with
some other project that you might consider questionable.

C

haracter
reads are a specialty. Two of my audiobooks required me to give a
distinct and unique voice to over 50 characters! I also have provided the voice for several characters in 2 videogames.

E

ducation.
I continuously invest in my education to maintain and improve my skills in
copy interpretation, script analysis, microphone technique, character
development and audio editing. I have studied voice-over with Nancy Wolfson, Jeff Freeman, Susan Berkley, Pat Fraley, Rich Jones, Judith Sullivan and Paul Armbruster. I also have taken a class on Pro Tools audio editing at the Art Institute of Atlanta. I’m currently studying Spanish at Berlitz so that I can perform your copy in another language.

O

ption
for assistance with script revision. I have superior writing skills, as
evidenced by my BA in broadcast journalism and the publication of several
articles in national magazines.

V

ersatile
and pleasing vocal range and pitch. My normal voice is a lower, resonant
pitch that is perfect for narrations in corporate America, but I can go up and down the scale and add characteristics to create
believable character voices.

E

veryone can talk, but not everyone can read aloud well, much less make themselves transparent in the process. As a professional voice actor, I can perform your script so that your audience concentrates on your content, not the manner in which it is performed.

R

ates
are attractive. Many voice talent belong to a union, which sets rates based
on the type of work performed and its usage. The rates shown are for the
voice talent only and do not include studio time. I have flexibility in
setting rates, which always include my voice talent and production time.

S

tunning SOUNDPROOF studio. My studio is custom-built for recording, incorporating special soundproofing construction techniques. The room has no windows, 2 layers of ceilings with added
insulation, 2 sets of doors at each entrance with barrier space and 2 layers
of 5/8″ drywall covering the 2×6 walls. I record in a WhisperRoom for enhanced sound quality. In my pristine recordings, you won’t hear kids, dogs,
lawnmowers, computer fans, airplanes, thunder, cars or even paperclips as
background noises.
 

 

B

usy people don’t have time to read. I convert your copy into communication.

Y

ou won’t need to go through the process again of finding competent, reliable voice talent.

 

 

K

eeps your audience listening and interested. Need I say more?

A

lways
on time. You won’t miss a deadline because you were waiting for me to finish your
recording.

R

esearch
is done prior to recording session. For audiobooks, I read the book at least
once prior to recording it. I spend time to look up and learn correct
pronunciations of proper names.

E

quipment
is industry standard. Instead of recording straight from a low-end microphone into the computer, I record on a Neumann TLM 103 mic connected to a
Voicemaster Platinum processor. I use Pro Tools LE with a Mbox on my Macbook
Pro computer. If necessary, I could exchange session files with any other
recording studio in the world.

N

umerous clients and credits, including: Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits, Pepsi Cola, ADP,
Verizon Wireless, Georgia Department of Transportation, Delta Airlines,
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, BlueCielo ECM, Georgia Institute
of Technology, and Orkin.

 

 

C

redible
and creative actress who delivers sensitive and well-timed copy even during
cold reads.

O

ffers custom auditions of your script for FREE.

M

ember
of Audio Publishers Association. I maintain contact with audiobook publishers
and can direct you to resources that may assist you.

M

arketing
expertise is FREE. I minored in marketing in college and am a perpetual
student of marketing books. I love marketing and am always happy to discuss
it!

I

nformation
technology narrations are a specialty. I earned a MS degree in computer
information systems and worked over 20 years in IT positions including
programmer and LAN/WAN/e-mail administrator. I can perform scripts geared to
a technical audience with complete authenticity and believability since I
actually understand the words that are coming out of my mouth! 🙂

N

ot
all things to all people. Would you hire a plumber to fix your air conditioner? Companies value those with expertise in an area, so why should the voice of your important presentation be left to someone who is not skilled in voice-over delivery? Even among voice-over projects, I am selective about those I will perform. For instance, if you want someone to record a movie trailer, I can refer you
to other talent. I specialize in audiobooks and narrations, including
podcasts, documentaries and corporate presentations. I also enjoy performing scripts
used in radio and TV commercials, as well as video games. I often voice the initial greetings and on-hold messages for phone systems, but I will not undertake telephony projects requiring hundreds of menu prompts or file conversions.

S

atisfaction
guaranteed! I require 50% payment up front when beginning a project. If you
are not delighted with your recording, I will not invoice you for the
remainder. I don’t know of another voice talent who dares to make this
promise!

You may have noticed that I only listed 24 reasons that I should be your voice talent. The last is that I’m FUN! I see the use of humor as a mission-critical element in my voice-over business. Everyone is under enough stress, so I want to use humor to help people feel at ease. Contact me now so we can get started on your next project!