Apr 3, 2020
Mentioned in this episode
Level Two Improv Class https://glasscityimprov.com/classes
Toastmasters Club 3159 https://3159.toastmastersclubs.org
My medical narration demo https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com/demo.html
My LinkedIn Profile linkedin.com/in/kimnewlove
David Rosenthal and his team produced my demo https://globalvoiceacademy.com
VO Edge is the on-line course I took to learn about LinkedIn https://www.thevoedge.com/home.
VOcation NYC is a voiceover conference https://www.vocationconference.com
Sean Pratt is my audiobook narration coach. seanprattpresents.com
Audio engineering courses I am taking: https://s1jumpstart.com, https://s1advanced.com, and https://rxjumpstart.com
Ford Motor Company and GE Healthcare are making ventilators. https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2020/03/30/ford-to-produce-50-000-ventilators-in-michigan-in-next-100-days.html
Born Standing up by Steve Martin https://www.amazon.com/dp/1416553657/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_UCRHEb8HF6K3E
Facebook Group for Individuals with Special needs https://m.facebook.com/groups/203526030915935?refid=18&_ft_=top_level_post_id.214494529819085%3Acontent_owner_id_new.1474254759%3Aphoto_id.10216219675872627%3Astory_location.6%3Astory_attachment_style.photo&__tn__=C-R
Home Studio
I have a home recording studio. It has never been more important to have one, according to the voice actors I know and the ones I follow on social media. They’re right, too! As I record this on April 2, 2020, from my home studio, the corona virus has changed the American definition of “workplace.” I live in Ohio, and there is a list of “essential businesses” allowed to conduct business as usual. Everyone else is working from home or not at all.
How has the corona virus affected my voiceover business? My availability is similar. On previous episodes of this podcast, I have talked about my voiceover business being a part-time job I can do from home. That’s still true. Instead of working while the kids are at school, however, I work before the kids are up, at the end of my husband’s work day, and on weekends.
Learning Opportunities
The corona virus caused two unexpected changes to my learning opportunities this spring, specifically my improv training and my Toastmasters meetings. My Level Two Improv Class has been postponed; it was supposed to start this week. I miss laughing and playing games, but I will get back to it some day.
My Toastmaster’s Club meets via Zoom now instead of in-person. Not a bad alternative, if you ask me! Toastmasters is helping me become a better public speaker. I love it, and the people in my club are great. We meet each Friday morning from 7-8:30 AM Eastern Time.
Medical Narration Demo
I got my medical narration demo back. I think it sounds great, and if you would like to listen to it, you can check it out by visiting my website or my LinkedIn profile. The website is thepharmacistsvoice.com, and my LinkedIn profile can be found using the link in the show notes. The demo was produced by David Rosenthal and his team at the Global Voice Acting Academy.
What does one do once they have a demo? That’s a great question! Other than sharing it on my website and including it on my LinkedIn Profile, I still have a lot to learn. The right next steps are important, and I am excited to learn more from my coach this month.
Direct Marketing
My sources tell me that direct-marketing using LinkedIn is the way to find medical narration and e-learning voiceover work. I’m not a marketing person, I’m a pharmacist. I didn’t know what it meant to direct-market on LinkedIn at first. I needed help!
When I was at a voiceover conference in New York City last September, I heard about an on-line course called The VO Edge. It was created by a voice actor who found success direct-marketing to potential clients using LinkedIn. It took me about 8 hours over the course of one week to complete the course and update my LinkedIn profile. It was worth my time, and I’m looking forward to expanding my network and direct-marketing soon.
On a related topic, I’ve had the good fortune to connect with many voice actors, either online through social media or at the VOcation conference in September. They are very generous with what they know and have taught me many things. Every other Thursday I meet with a group of voice actors who have become my voiceover accountability buddies. We talk about what we have accomplished in the past two weeks, what we are working on now, what’s coming up, and what’s in our way. Everyone is very helpful, and I feel really lucky to be part of the group!
Other than my accountability buddy group, many voice actors have kindly offered to have a conversation with me and share what they know or help me with a small task. In fact, last month, I needed to test my Skype call recorder for a podcast interview, and a voice actor friend came through for me. He even recruited a third caller to help me out! I got the call recorder working, and they generously stayed on the call to talk some shop and give me some advice. That was really awesome, and I appreciated it!
Audiobook narration training
In other news, I continue to train to be an audiobook narrator with Sean Pratt. I love what I am learning, and I have a lesson scheduled for next week.
Learning while sheltering in place
There is a lot of buzz on social media about learning new skills while stuck at home as the corona virus sweeps through the US. I love to learn, and I fully support this suggestion. I already learned about LinkedIn, like I said. Next, I’m planning to finish some on-line courses on using my recording software and audio repair software.
Keeping busy
Other than working when I can, I have been getting out with my husband and kids and walking at parks or around our neighborhood. The weather has been pretty decent here in Ohio. It’s finally spring. When it’s 40 degrees out and sunny, being outside feels great. If you’re from the midwest, you might also say that it’s finally warm enough to drive with your windows down. In fact, I’ve seen people doing it already, especially the dog owners. People in Florida and California are probably thinking I’m nuts, but I’m serious. It’s an Ohio thing!
To keep busy, I’m also, reading Steve Martin’s book, Born Standing Up and enjoying it! Books written by American comedians are awesome. They’re funny, and I always learn something.
Thank you's and celebrating innovation
Thank you to all the pharmacists and other healthcare workers who are on the front lines on the corona virus pandemic. Thank you to everyone doing everything they can to help. From the families who are staying home to the food industry workers keeping the shelves stocked in the stores. Thank you.
I am very proud of the innovation I am seeing in the US right now too. So many human interest stories are showing up, exemplifying what it means to be an American. We get knocked down, but we get up again and try to innovate the heck out of a bad situation. Just some examples:
- Places of worship are streaming worship services
- Teachers are teaching from on-line platforms, using short videos, and otherwise making lemonade from the lemons sheltering in place has given them.
- I even heard that Ford Motor Company is retooling to make ventilators.
- Quilting groups are making fabric masks for food industry workers.
- And, my friend Claudine co-founded a Facebook Group for Individuals with Special Needs. The Group gives activity ideas to families sheltering in place with a family member with special needs. This hits home for me. I have a 17-year-old son with autism. This is a tough time for him and our whole family. We can’t have caregivers in our home right now. He loves us, but he misses them. He misses school and classmates too. We will get through this.
April is starting off fairly well. Working from home is nothing new. I have a home recording studio, a great medical narration demo, supportive friends and coaches, and new skills. I’m a self-starter, and I’m excited about what comes next.
FYI, I’m in 26 US states and 15 countries! Thank you for listening!