Hello from rainy Toronto

[aleger]

Hi all!

Brand new to the VO business, I've been a recording musician/singer for a number of years, have experience in DJ/radio and am now looking to branch into VO to supplement my starving artist income.

Looks like I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but I've already learned a lot from these boards.

Cheers,

Alex

[John Zadikian]

Greetings, Alex, from a rainy Motor City! You'll find a ton of great info and people on this board...not the least of which is your fellow Canadian and greater Torontonian (?, lol) Jodi Krangle. If you've not been in contact with her, stop reading this post and get to it, lol....she's the bomb!

[CarsonHeim]

Howdy! :)

[Jodi Krangle]

<laugh> Thanks for the vote of confidence, John! Hi Alex! Welcome to the craziness! I have a feeling, as a fellow musician (though I didn't do the DJ thing ... I'd love to hear more about that!) you'll fit right in. Lots of folks on here have been involved with music in one way or another. We'd love to hear about your experiences - and about your travel down the VO road. Whereabouts in Toronto are you?

[aleger]

Originally Posted by Jodi Krangle

<laugh> Thanks for the vote of confidence, John! Hi Alex! Welcome to the craziness! I have a feeling, as a fellow musician (though I didn't do the DJ thing ... I'd love to hear more about that!) you'll fit right in. Lots of folks on here have been involved with music in one way or another. We'd love to hear about your experiences - and about your travel down the VO road. Whereabouts in Toronto are you?

Thanks guys! I'm in Toronto's far west - Etobicoke with some family. I just returned from London, England, so once my wife and I get settled into jobs that actually make money we'll be looking at Parkdale or Queen W.

I'm liking the prospect of VO work. Jodi, where would you recommend going for a well produced demo in Toronto?

[JoeActor]

Nice to meet you Alex - Welcome!

Joe J Thomas
www.JoeActor.com
www.SoundsGoodToYou.com

[Jodi Krangle]

Ahhh. Etobicoke, hmm? I'm actually in the Newmarket area ... so pretty far from you ... though I just met someone else from out in your area by meeting him halfway at Sheppard and Yonge. That would be Pat Sweeney - who is also online here. You two should get together. (If you're up for a coffee at some point, feel free to let me know. I always love meeting fellow musicians/VO folk. :))

Hmm... The demo question is a tricky one, Alex. Thing is, my own was produced mostly remotely. I did some recording in a local studio, but it wasn't one specific to VO - and honestly, I tripped up a few times before settling on the demos I have. My first mistake? Making a demo before I was ready. If you do that, you're just wasting a lot of money. Unfortunately, I had to find that out the hard way. :-/

What I'd really recommend for you to start off with, is to take either local or remote voice over classes to get a feel - both for the business and to find out what's expected of you voice/expression/acting-wise - first. I know there are several great VO coaches in the area, depending on what areas of VO you want to get into (some specialize more in character voices, while others in commercials/narrations, etc. - some can do both really well). And if you're interested, I'd *highly* recommend getting in on Debbie Monro's VO Weekend Workshop when it comes through Toronto again in November. You can find out more info on Debbie and her travel schedule at her site. Having taken her classes before, I can tell you that a) she's a force of nature. :) and b) you'll learn TONS. If you don't come out of a VO class utterly exhausted - both physically and spiritually, you haven't learned as much as you could.

I'm also working on taking more lessons remotely (through the telephone - all you need is a speaker phone and a microphone nearby that you can record into - so you get both ends of the conversation - both his instruction and your attempts before and after his direction) with Marc Cashman. He's *excellent* and he definitely tells it to you like it is. I believe he charges $100 for an hour of instruction - or $450 for 5 hours (spread over time, obviously). It's well worth the money.

And if you don't have a home studio (though I'm thinking as a musician, you probably do?) you should. You'll really need one in order to do auditions on a regular basis - and to do some jobs, if your studio can produce broadcast quality (which isn't as hard as you might think).

So LOTS of things to do before going out and making a demo. Bottom line? Make sure you're ready for it first - or you'll be wasting money. And none of us can afford that - especially with the economy the way it is right now. You really want something at the end of all that work, that you can *use*. Take it from someone who made that mistake more than once.

[aleger]

Thanks a bunch! This really helps.

I'd definitely be down for coffee in the future, probably next month as this one is hectic, but let's keep in touch!

[Pat Sweeney]

Hello Alex and welcome to the forum. It's great to have a fellow Torontonian and even moreso a fellow Etobicoke resident. I live down the road from you so whether it is for a coffee or a BEER, lets get together. Jodi has been extremely helpful with her vast experience and VO knoweldge. We met for lunch recently to meet and I found it very helpful and directional. Thanks JODI!!! Her feedback above is bang on. Get the proper training from the right people before creating your demo.My current focus is on training and development from various sources, so maybe I can help you out. Enjoy the forum, the people on line are very helpful with many years of experience in varied environments. I will provide my contact info in your PM box.Talk to you soon.

[Jodi Krangle]

Let me know when you have some time, Alex. I'd be happy to get together. :) And thanks, Pat! Good to hear from you! (Maybe you could join us, Pat?)