Attending public appearances was a regular part of my long broadcasting career. Emceeing, live broadcasts, presenting awards – staple ingredients in the stew of being in the public eye and trying to grow a following. Early on, I would get so nervous that I’d nearly throw up before I went on a stage.
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One thing the pandemic has taught us is the value of the nation’s workers. Grocery store employees are essential. Nurses and PSWs are indispensable. This causes me to wonder how essential oils were placed in such a category. But I digress.
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The emoji. Some people love them, some hate them, and even the seemingly inoffensive ones are causing problems between generations.
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I spent last weekend in Toronto attending the VO North conference; a gathering of voice-over pros and those who want to be.
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It didn’t take long to realize we wouldn’t get any work done on Friday.
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If you’re familiar with Fiverr, I know what you’re thinking. Fiverr. UGH. Cheap rates, cheap clients, ruining the freelance industry – shaking your fist at the sky! I get it, believe me, I felt the same way.
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Listen to the audio version of this post or skip it and read on as usual.
I’ve been sitting with this for a while. Broadcasting sisters message each other. We share stories of the horrors we’ve endured and how we tried to get our managers to do what was right. And how all too often, those managers squelched us. Treated us like we were trying to cause problems. Sent us back into the situation with no new tools to resolve it. No intervention from our so-called “leaders”.
…The Sounds of Silence From Broadcasting’s Corner OfficesRead More »
Update: Although this post reflects a moment in time, I feel it’s important to update my thoughts on the Depp/Heard case. I ought to have mentioned that I feel conflicted about my reaction to the testimony. I believe in believing women who allege abuse. Heard’s unlikability, desperation (as heard in recordings) to stay married to Depp, and many other factors have contributed to my perception. Her knowledge of what a Bruise Kit is, although she used the term incorrectly, is also a part of it. But I remain open to the possibility that I am wrong. The jury will ultimately decide.
Today, you have a choice! You can read the blog post below, or listen to it by clicking on this audio link. I would also love your feedback on whether you like the audio option. Thanks.
…Comedy is much more difficult than tragedy. It’s much easier to make people cry than to make them laugh.Â
Vivien Leigh
My first VO Coaching client is off and running, getting jobs and making his clients happy, Once in a while, I’ll devote a blog post to VO coaching tips. Even if you’re not in voice-over I hope these posts will lend a little insight into the VO world.
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I was looking for some info about my first book, Celebrity Tantrums, and hit up Google. The book was published in 2003 so some of the details are fuzzy in my memory. Google never forgets. One link seemed a little strange so I investigated further and that’s how I found out about a mistake I’d made in the manuscript.
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Every week, someone asks me about the freelance life. What’s it like to work for The Man all your career and then do your own thing? Lots of people are taking the plunge. Some who have been working from home since the pandemic will never go back into an office and now gig instead.. Others have seen the freedom and benefits of working for themselves. I’m no fortune teller, but I got lucky. My freelance/self-employment career began before the pandemic started. It gave me a chance to get a foothold on it before the latest spurt of growth in the gig-economy.
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“Every disaster movie starts with a government official ignoring a scientist.”
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Somehow I let my email inbox accumulate more than 10,000 emails. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to spend a few minutes every day clearing them out.
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Sometimes, as a typical human, I ruminate about getting older, while also trying not to do the math. You know – the math on life expectancy and that sort of thing. Getting older is the goal, so mostly I’m damn grateful to be doing it.
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There came a time during the height of the pandemic that I wanted to do more. Not more work, just something for my soul. So, I pointed my browser to Charity Village and scrolled through the Volunteer Positions. I landed on an organization I’d never heard of: Student Links.
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People often ask me why I’m no longer on the radio and whether I miss it. Radio and I had a long love affair. I loved it and it mostly loved me back. After a long career for which I’m eternally grateful, I grew frustrated with corporate owners who didn’t care about radio. When these giant companies swallowed up smaller players, the CRTC forced them to take radio stations even though all they wanted was TV. TV – specifically flagship TV stations in Toronto – is the favourite child. Radio is an afterthought. No, I don’t miss it. I miss the people, not the culture or the work.
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Someone on Twitter recently asked whether anyone had seen a band or knew an actor before they became famous. Most of us radio types have had the good fortune to experience loads of those moments. But the questions took me further back, to my days of beer and bars. There were several times when I saw bands before they hit it big.
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