Voice123 Community: Meeting People Behind The Voices!

11 Countries Around the World!
There are many Voice123 Meetups to join and organize! Some of the Voice123 Staff will be holding their Voice123 Meetup in New York City, which you can see right here! We are looking forward to meeting all the great Voice123 talent attending! We are truly excited to meetup with members of the Voice123 community! If you happen to be a voice talent in the area, this Voice123 Meetup in Bogota, Colombia will be of special interest to you, too!


“You Are Not Alone!”
It is truly the time to begin thinking the world is your neighborhood! I discovered other Voice123 members lived in Staten Island, New York; the ‘forgotten borough’! I thought I was alone out here! It was wonderful to meetup with Claudette Vergara, a Voice123 talent, who just completed studying with Valerie Smaldone at School of Visual Arts in NYC. A few surprise guests showed up who were interested in Voice123, and had seen my Voice123 Meetup online. Brian and Ryan are studying to be stand-up comics and Sarah works in communications; all of them in New York City. They wanted to ask me dozens of questions about how Voice123 works. We did, of course, celebrate Voice123’s 7th birthday at the close of the Voice123 Meetup!


Not Sure How This Works?
No worries! Take a moment to read over The Official Meetup HQ Blog. You will get some great ideas on how to organize your own and meet other voice artists like yourself! Have fun with it! It is a great, inexpensive way to organize and meetup with people from your industry. This industry is a great deal more enjoyable when you are surrounded by others, who offer positive support to succeed in the best career out there today!

Thank you always!

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123
Voice123 Meetups!

Voice123 Community News: Worldly Updates!

Great Time for a Voice123 Meetup!
It is always a nice surprise to find out your neighbor may be doing voice over work from home! Take a look at all the Voice123 Meetups from five countries around the world! If there are no options near you, start one in your area! We at Voice123 are also looking into attending Voice123 Meetups started by all of you, to see if we can attend more of them, and connect with the community! The great thing about these Meetups; perhaps realizing that the voice over community is much larger than you had ever expected! So...

Join or organize a Voice123 Meetup NOW!


Voice Coaches: Use Voice123 Meetups & Find New Talent!
Voice123 Meetups are a great way for you to meet with interested voice over students! The location is up to you, and even if the smallest of coffee shops can be perfect! Take this example from Gary Terzza, who currently has the largest Voice123 Meetup (so far)! You can take a quick look at right here.

Gary Terzza is also a member of the Voice123 Coach Partner Program (read more here), based out of London, UK. If you happen to be a voice talent in London, attend and see what other Voice123 talent from the United Kingdom are up to these days! Also attending, Voice123 talent, Jay Britton, a great contributor to Voice123 community forums, and currently auditioning on Voice123, as well as other great voice talent!


Speaking of Voice123 Talent...
Wonderful news arrived about Voice123 talent, Javier Fernández-Peña. You can read about it here. Just an update: He just finished filming an interview with us about a great job he booked as the role of Spanish Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 3 by PIXAR; a job landed through Voice123. His role in the film has been getting him a great deal of attention, and the movie has been getting very strong reviews online! The movie (Toy Story 3) opened in the United States over just this past weekend and was just short of being the top grossing film for the weekend! He had written us today to let us know the interview filming was complete, and is excited about sharing it with everyone!


'It's a small world after all!'

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123
Voice123 Meetups!

Image source by Thomas Hawk

Voice123 Community News: Busy Tonight? See a Voice123 Talent at the Movies!

Make a Date to See a Voice123 Talent in Toy Story 3!
We were very excited to learn this week that PIXAR had used Voice123 to hire Javier Fernandez-Peña to be the voice of Spanish Buzz Lightyear for Disney's new film Toy Story 3!

See a small clip here!

We are very excited for him, and hope you are, too! Next week, we will be filming an interview with Javier to share the entire story of how this job came to be! Please keep an eye out for it! In the meantime, we hope you and the family can take the kids to see great voice over work in action, and support fellow Voice123 talent!


Great Time for a Meetup!
This is also a great time to use a Voice123 Meetup! Take a look at all the Voice123 Meetups from four countries around the world, and start one in your area! There is also a Meetup scheduled by the Voice123 staff in Latin America, and from a former voice talent customer service agent from Voice123, now doing an internship in Stuttgart, Germany. We are also looking into attending meetups started by all of you, to see if we can attend more of them, and reconnect with the community!

Create or join a Voice123 Meetup NOW!


Comm-'YOU'-nity Initiative!
Do you have 'How to...' videos from your workday, a special story that you think the community will benefit from reading, or maybe just voice over news you would like to announce? Perhaps an agency picked you up last week? If so, please let us know! You may also discuss it here in our Voice123 forums!


Stick around! More by 'YOU' coming soon!

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123
Voice123 Meetups!


Image source by Thomas Hawk

Voice123 Community News: Seven is Your Lucky Number!

Back in June 2003, the very first profile was created on Voice123.com. In the past 7 years, close to 125,000 voice talent profiles and 50,000 voice seeker profiles have been created, making it the largest voice over community of online professionals.

To celebrate, we are beginning a community effort initiative to strengthen the Voice123 community and help professionals build stronger, successful voice over careers.

To start off, Voice123 encourages the community of Talents and Voice Producers to meet up everywhere.

What is a Voice123 Meetup?

• A meeting among Voice123 members, just like you, to meet face to face and share experiences working in the voice over industry.
• Voice123 Meetups are free, and are scheduled by any Voice123 active community member by using this link.

Myself, I am also looking to attend such Meetups whenever possible to share my insight about online casting, as a former voice talent with Voice123, now equipped with information to share information with you to help you work online.

Some Incentives to give you online exposure:

• You and your Voice123 Meetup will be promoted via Voice123 blog, Linkedin, Twitter, and Youtube (should you choose to film any portion of the event).
• The best photos and videos of Voice123 Meetup events, will be uploaded to our Social Media channels.
• We at Voice123 will work on incentives that we will encourage you to meetup and actively participate in the Voice123 community.

How Do You Set Up a Voice123 Meetup?

• Organizers must be an active voice talent/producers of Voice123.
• Organizers should include details of the location and the date of the meetup.
• Organizers are responsible for Meetup logistics regarding selected locations.
• Attendees must RSVP to the meetup they want to attend via the Voice123 Meetup event page (if they are active Voice123 members we suggest including their complete Voice123 profile).
• Voice123 has the right to retract any offer or remove meetups at anytime, if the integrity of our brand has been compromised, or created by unathorized members.
• Attendees under their responsibility

Best regards,

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123

Voice123 Spotlight: "More Living With a Voice Actor"

In April 2010, Voice123 featured Dianne Russell's article, "On Living with a Voice Actor", an inside look into life with Adam Behr; one of the most highly successful voice over talents on Voice123!

"There is an element required for voice acting: Flexible Time.

I had a regular 9-5 job until four months ago, when Adam and I left Canada for South Africa. I now have an incredible amount of free time. Normally, I am not one who enjoys lounging about the house thinking life is a day spa; without work I feel bored and scattered. However, because my partner is a voice actor, I am not stuck at home alone. Instead, Adam is home with me, working away in the little recording studio he created in the second bedroom. He works whenever he pleases, choosing jobs that fit not only his ability and interest, but also our schedule. He is usually up in the morning checking email by about 8 AM, after which we often head out for a long power walk on Cape Town’s spectacular seawall, eat lunch, do some grocery shopping and head back home by mid-afternoon.


His work really kicks in at night when online sites like Voice123 start pumping out voice over jobs for the day (we’re on Africa time). By 7 PM he is in full swing, creating amazing characters in colourful accents, while I make dinner, pour us some great South African red and catch up on my blog. The evenings are busy for my voice actor, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be together. His studio is equipped with a single bed, so I often read while he’s recording. He asks me for opinions on various tracks, and we spend hours laughing at his crazy voice characters, listening to audio books and commercial copy. The nights usually end around 2 AM.

Another benefit to his flexibility is that Adam is free to live wherever he chooses. All of his gear is portable and much of his voice over work is Internet driven; aside from losing a day or two in travel time, he can live a completely nomadic lifestyle. For me, a woman with an English as a Second Language teaching certificate (I am a travel nut), this 'location independent lifestyle' is one I fully embrace. My home is wherever Adam and his voice equipment are, and that could be anywhere! Amazingly, due to having agents in major cities all over the world, local studio work (wherever ‘local’ happens to be) becomes an important part of his day. Since arriving in Cape Town, he has landed radio spots as the voice of two national restaurants chains, and the World Cup 2010 frenzy is bringing heaps of football-related work.


Finally, because Adam has such an amazing range, he is offered work from all corners of the globe. He is able to pick and choose what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. One minute it is a Hollywood movie trailer, the next it’s a European video game, and the next it is a corporate project for the UN. This is where Voice123 has the edge over other sites due to the variety of applications and the variety of the types of voices needed. Exercising this much control over one’s workload is not a luxury that most people are given. Voice overs and voice acting are allowing Adam to create exactly the kind of life he wants. In turn, this allows me to live the life I want, since currently we both want the same kind of life: flexible.

Living with my voice actor in South Africa is truly living the DREAM."

Voice123 thanks Dianne Russell and Adam Behr (seen here in this interview) for sharing their story with us. To increase focus on you, the community of Voice123, please share your voice over stories with us here!

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123

Voice123 Community News! 'Updates on Voice123 Forums!'

The following content was written by Voice123 talent on our Voice123 Forums!

Voice Over Tech Tips: Breathing a problem for you behind the mic?

Did you ever listen closely to your audition, and notice that in between sentences you suddenly hear a quick inhale, exhale, or maybe clicks? Voice123 talent, Greg Vautour, writes in our Voice123 forums, 'Is breathing getting in the way of work'. This is a great forum discussion about the various types of software, and technology, voice talent are using to record and edit auditions on Voice123.

WANTED: Audio and Copy Reading Tips!

While the demand for great audio quality has always been a necessity, media has become a 'world stage', so finding out what people think of your demos or copy reading (even if for just a little 'morning coffee reassurance') is always helpful. Check out this forum post by voice talent, Stevan Speheger of Voice123.

Generally Speaking: Higher Paying Gigs

If you have ever looked through a daily summary, or the project directory, you will notice the production requirements, such as ISDN, Source Connect, Phone Patch, or FTP, are usually requested for better paying gigs. However, if you look closely at the forum post, you will find varying opinions as to 'why this happens'. Don't be intimidated by technological acronyms! See this forum post here!

Thank you always for being part of the Voice123 Community!

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123

Voice123 Community News! Voice Over 'Rope-A-Dope'!

The Voice Talent!
This week, we would like to share the story of Marcus Weems, voice over talent on Voice123.

The 'Knockdown Attempts' and 'Rope-A-Dope'!
Over the course of a year on Voice123, Marcus Weems faced many 'audition and hear nothing' jabs, followed by a few 'Finalist, but not hired' left hooks! After a year of not being able to land one spot, he still managed to stay strong, stayed on his feet, and when the world got tired of trying to knock him down, he finally got the chance to do his 'Voice Over Rope-A-Dope'!

He persisted and maintained a positive resolve. Then suddenly, he booked a Voice123 job last week and another one the following week. In one such instance, he mentioned his new voice over website. The crowd went CRAZY over his many character voices. Shortly, after writing to Voice123, he was offered an audio book contract last. May 2010 turned out to be a strong comeback! Cheers to his continued success!

The 'Voice Coach in His Corner'
Marcus Weems was first introduced to Voice123 via a 30-day Premium Trial, offered by voice coach Bettye Zoller in cooperation with the Voice123 Coach Partner Program. After reaching out to Bettye for comment, she stated that two of her referred students to Voice123 have called her recently to:

"excitedly tell me (Bettye Zoller) of the repeat business he is getting from one client. Clients use us again and again. Another student tells me that he won a job on Voice123, and that the PAYPAL money was in his email BEFORE he could get back home to do the job that day. He got paid before he voiced it. WOW!"

If you are a voice over coach, or a voice talent currently studying with a coach, please take a look at our coach partner program and contact Giselle Geney at giselle@voice123.com to learn more!

'The Most Important Thing...'
Voice talent write us quite often and ask, 'What is the most important thing to be in voice overs?'. If you are just starting out, or maybe just in a bit of a dry slump, I still believe the most important thing one MUST always have is a positive support group. Voice coaches are helpful in providing this, as well as, Voice123 forums. Simply put, you need people around you, who understand why you do voice overs, and what you need to succeed in a very competitive field!

Thank you always!

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123

Voice123 Community News!

'Voice Talent! Lend Me Your Ears!'

I mean that, seriously. I am about ready for a new pair! Last week, in our Voice123 Premium Forums, I mentioned troubles I was having with ear aches from prolonged usage of headphones. Please read about it here.

I received great information from very generous voice talent, Cia Allan, Si 'Pipes' Hawk, Scott Gentle, Xiao Zhen Xue, and Victoria Wright. This is a 'thank you' to them, and also a chance for you to read some wonderful information, if you are a voice talent who spends a great deal of time wearing 'cans'. The Voice123 Premium Forums continues to be an excellent opportunity to find great information for auditioning on Voice123! We hope you will take a look!

Wanted: 'Voice Over Stories From Around the World!'

Voice123 has the opportunity to read amazing stories of voice over success in the 10,000-plus customer service emails we receive a month. The day-to-day of what voice talent experience is always amazing to us, and we want to make this website more about the voice over community! If you wish, send us a story of your typical voice over 'day-in-the-life'. We would love to feature you, for example in this blog about Adam Behr. Please send your stories to help@voice123.com with the subject heading: 'My Typical Day'.

Seeking Something to Do With the Kids This Summer?

Are you a Premium Subscriber on Voice123 with a child, looking to go into the voice over field? If so, Voice123 offers a free trial program for those children of Voice123 Premium Subscribing Parents, who wish to involve their kids in auditioning online with Voice123!

If you are interested, please take a look here.

Thank you!

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123

'Go-to Staff' for Voice123's Spanish Voice Over Community!

Voice123 is a global company, and this world is getting smaller every day! The staff at Voice123 is a culturally diverse group of individuals that look to help to as many voice over industry professionals as possible, whether you are a voice talent, voice seeker, or just curious about the website. This week we want to give you a list of 'Go-to Staff' for the quickly growing Spanish voice over community on Voice123, and online.

If you feel more comfortable writing in Spanish, your contacts at Voice123 would be Charlie Peres and JP Gonzalez in voice talent customer service. They definitely look forward to hearing from you. If you look to post a job and prefer a Spanish-speaking representative, Leo Lopez, Jack Svez, or Giselle Geney will be there for you.

Many of you may know Giselle Geney, from the Coach Partner Program on Voice123, but she is also a great person to contact for Voice123's affiliate program. If you are a Spanish voice coach or interested in affiliation, please read more about that here and write her with your questions. Federico Rivera or myself are additional contacts for marketing ideas you may have when working with Voice123.

If you wish to send us feedback in Spanish, Leo Lopez will gladly assist you in voice seekers, as well as Charlie Peres in voice talent customer service. By all means we would like you to feel comfortable when writing us to share improvement ideas for Voice123.

Next week, we look to mention a marketing program we did last year that will be helpful for those voice talent looking to get their kids into this great industry!

For now...

Adios! Que te vaya muy bien!

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123

Voice Over Tip: Avoid 'Ambush Emails'

Email etiquette is important for every business, and everyone online should see themselves as a business entity. Working online as a 'do-it-yourself' voice over business, equal application of talent and online business skill is pivotal for every job.

Consider this: In e-mails, people do not interact with each other in real time. It may take minutes, hours, or days, to reply to something. So, if there is no immediate feedback, avoid that negative train of thought, which may progress towards deeper expressions of what one is thinking and feeling. Do not always assume the worst, and then email about it. Someone will feel ambushed, which damages a business relationship online, and it could be all a misunderstanding or logistical issue. If you are curious or confused, just say so, but do not damage any voice job opportunities in the process.

Stay flexible, too. Given that there is always a possibility of dropped communication, always avoid the following in your email communications when someone has shown interest:

Emotionally charged demands: When sending an email, consider what you are trying to accomplish, more than 'how you are feeling'. Emotional emails are just not good. It is basically a transcript of your emotional state at the time. You can never take back a first-impression, and it also may startle someone and give them reason to never contact you.

Reverse Psychology: Reverse psychology cannot be detected in text, so one is not sure why you stated something, when you meant something else. It then becomes perceived as an insult for putting one in that position of trying to figure out what was really intended. Reverse psychology requires 'hearing' the person to pick up on the 'hint'. It is not meant for emails.

Snarky or candid humor: Imagine the person interested in you has read your joke, and they do not know you. They may not understand your jokes, and believe you are not taking the job seriously. Attitude may sell offline, but online it never works and creates confrontation instantly.


You may have noticed my title changed here. It just seems to fit more with the various roles I have at Voice123.

Thanks always!

Steven Lowell
Community Manager
Voice123 Premium Forums
Voice123 Youtube Channel
Twitter: @voice123