Video from the Webbys, you’ll love it

For an agent, a way to make more money in Voice Over, better ways to market my talents, my web site, my blog, I am spending way too much time on everything but whats important.. my family. My wife and my son mean so much to me, it’s so very hard to convey that in words. I only want what’s best for them. I have to be able to sustain them, keep them fed, clothed, happy.  I started to read “The Grapes of Wrath”, and for those of you that don’t know about it, a book about the Great Depression. Perhaps that’s what this country needs, is another Great Depression to realize just how good we have it. But the point I’m trying to make is that no matter how hard I try to eek out a living, maintain the status quo, climb the career ladder. blah blah blah.. , The only really important thing in my life is my family.

Don was the reason I got into radio really, that and some crazy guys in Springfield Missouri, working on a Top 40 station, who just knew how to have a great time in radio. But really I wanted to do the movie trailers the commercials you know that guy you never see but always heard. Unfortunatly, (but not too) I don’t have the Don pipes we all wish we could have, It’s just as well.. There will never be another Don LaFontaine and I will be forever grateful for what his inspiration did for me.

Taylor Scott- Your Host for Smooth Jazz Saturday Nights on 98.1 KUDL

Welcome Jacob Henry Leigh

Here’s the latest in VO Tech.. It’s got both recording and playback simultaniously, easy held in the hand and can be placed on a desktop or tabletop while still functioning. It’s the telephone!  What happened to this convenience of technology and why can’t I put mine down for an instant. Wait.. I’m getting a text.. Oh, it’s my wife telling me she’s loving me.. hang on… tick tap tip tap,tip tip tip tap.. There I’ve sent a reply.. hang on incoming call.. hey gotta go, someone is trying to sell me a lifetime subscription to Grape Juice Magazine.. and I really should take this call.. plus I’ve got to email a new client from my new IPhone 3G that doesn’t seem to be working right.. hmm must be the firtzbytes.. Good thing I can still write with pen and paper.. yes, it’s called a letter. Love to know what you think. comment anytime here or if you must email me at radioimage@gmail.com

I belong to several sites that foster the Voice over community, trying to market one’s self via the web is a daily challenge. I’m still hoping on getting a  local agent and one in LA or NYC that can help me get some large voice contracts. Until then, I am doing some piece work here and there and some community involvement producing audio/visuals for presentations. But I dream of the super big contract that will take me out of the basment so to speak and put me in front of as many people as possible. I think email campaigns are a waste of money really, Do you open unsolicited emails?.. I didn’t think so. So I’ll continue to hang out in VoiceOvers, VoUniverse, and other places like these to see who I can connect with and find a common connection to market my voice over services and production capabilities.

Ok, so we’re all a little frustrated on how we as radio people can keep it real, keep it fresh, look into the digital eye of things. If you are on a music intensive top 40 station, you already know that the kids today are so gadget friendly that if you took their IPhones or IPods for that matter they would literally breakdown in tears. So there are ways to get into their heads with your brand.

Text messaging your positioning statement or your brand directly to the masses is a sure fire way to keep them top of mind when the PPM rolls out in your town sometime in the next 5 years. PPM in the majors is already proving to be a much anticipated and in my opinion over analyized tool. I think it would have been better tested first in a couple of the large markets, Like Kansas City, Denver, Des Moines and Minneapolis to get a tighter scoped idea on how it will be beneficial to programmers.

But lets get back to looking outside the cube. YouTube, Itube, WeallTube for reality. Everyone and their Dad has seen YouTube and if you’re looking to capture your digital audience this is the place to do it. Creating your brand within the context of a video is cheap, effective and fun. All it takes is a digital camera, and a talented bunch of jocks and you can really take your brand world wide. More to come.. I’ll be here all week, try the veal

I’ve been contemplating this for sometime now. How to effectivly change my career path and become the “man behind the curtain”. Because really that’s what you are Rob Wagman who programs B96 in South Carolina and is a well respected progammer in his own right,  had a unique  way of explaining his programming philosophy that I immediatly took notice of. Essentially Mornings Music and Marketing, the 3M of radio programming and relating that to fruit.. You’ll have to read the philosophy. Just google Rob Wagman and you’ll get the scoop.

 I have been trying my best to figure out how I can ease into and transition myself from an imaging/production/long form programming  producer to a programmer. With over 20 years in the industry, I’ve been on the air (and am not very good, technically flawless but doggone it, I’m just not that entertaining, at least I don’t think so… ) I produce exceptional imaging for my AC and maintain a AAA stations testimonial products, I’ve delved a little in promotions; understand it’s purpose and it’s missions,  I would love the opportunity to at least become an Assistant PD because the Catch 22 of it all is, without that little  title on my business cards and my resume’, noone and I mean noone would take a chance.. or would they..

Every time I produce a new piece of imaging, or voice a new commercial for a client, I get the feeling of accomplishment. Here’s an example, The challenge, create new imaging for our lunchtime, noonhour, My PD says use drops, get audio, make it special. Pretty vague, but the gauntlet was thrown and I accepted.

What was created was some great quick pieces of imaging that conveyed what we wanted to get across, We were inviting ourselves essentially to your lunchtime routine.  I took our ZOOM mic walked through the building and simply asked everyone what they were having for lunch, then pulled some movie, tv drops I got from Audio-Clipboard, created a beatmix and viola’ there you have it. I’ll put it out on the server as right now I’m not in the capacity to do so, and then repost it here for you to listen to.

I would love to be able to work for your company or radio station in a freelance capacity. Is your imaging out of house? I can help, you give me the voice and I produce, or use my voice, it’s not too bad either..that’s how I roll.. what do you do?