The rumors started a few years ago. It all began when they had seen her struggle to get to the car. It was not a pretty sight.

Swaying from one side to the other, Jennifer stopped to take a breath and regain her [...]

Online payments aren’t always as secure as the sites want you to believe. A few months ago, money was taken out of my PayPal account twice, by an unknown company from India.

I immediately asked my bank to close the account linked to the PayPal account, and they successfully stopped the money transfer.

PayPal also suspended [...]

Try this link, Taji. There are plenty of places to choose from:

http://www.zabihah.com/lr.php?id=94

Alles gute,

Dein Freund,

Paul

I just spent more on Halloween candy than some of you got paid for your latest voice-over gig. Ain’t that sweet? Not really! Talking about money ain’t funny. We don’t want to admit publicly that we  put in a low bid, just to get something going. Something is better than nothing, right? The guy said [...]

As if we couldn’t or wouldn’t publish our thoughts anywhere else…

My blog readers don’t have to agree with me. In fact, I’d like them to challenge me and open up a dialogue…. as long as things stay civilized, constructive and hopefully entertaining!

Good luck with your move, by the way. Supposedly, Cairo has as many [...]

STEPHEN FRY or JIM DALE? J.K. Rowling fans can’t decide who’s the better Potter reader. Both of them have recorded the entire series, although you’re probably aware of the fact that they’re not  reading from the same books. In Britain, people [...]

Glad you noticed the voices.com pie chart palooza. It was taken from their Client Experience Report Fall 2009:

http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2009/10/client_experience_report_fall_2009.html

According to the very first slide, there’s a $10.2 billion Worldwide Market. Three questions:

-How did voices.com come up with that number?
-US or Canadian dollars?
-10.2 billion per quarter, year, decade?

But wait… there’s more.

The report was based on the [...]

NOTICE THE SHIFT?

If you are one of my regular readers, I’m sure you have noticed a shift in the past couple of months. Since I started my company Nethervoice, I have turned my Double Dutch Blog into an extension of my website. So, instead of having one platform in the blogosphere, I now have [...]

So far it’s been a great week for Nethervoice! I’ve worked on surveys for Microsoft and Novartis, and I translated  for Pearhead, a delightful new company making charming keepsakes for babies and pets. Dutch company ABCinema released the English version of their digital movie course (narrated by yours truly), and I became the European voice [...]

Right now, as you're reading these words, there are people in nice suits in nice offices, who are trying to work out how they can best seduce us. They have identified a need. They have come up with a product. Now it's time to take that product to market. The time has come to manipulate [...]

It's time to take our voice-over fate into our own hands! Pay-to-play is here to stay, but there are more ways to let voice-seekers know that we exist. If you'd like to hire a PR-firm, go ahead and do that. But if money is tight, you might want to think about that option for a [...]

As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 112 million blogs. Any idea how many websites are floating around in cyberspace? Believe me, you almost don't want to know. Having a website is no accomplishment. Dogs have sites. Dead people have sites. Here's the amazing thing: some of those sites get [...]

For those of you who are looking for some real answers to the question: "What the heck just happened to my audition?", there's some good news. The big black hole I wrote about last time, might not be as big as we thought. David and Stephanie Ciccarelli, the team behind Voices.com, gave me a behind-the-scenes look [...]

Over the years I have learned that it's always good to look outside of my own profession for inspiration. If you're like me, you're probably running a one-man (or one-woman)-show. We're not only performers; in many case we act as our own agents, coaches, directors, sound engineers, web designers, marketing professionals, bookkeepers.... the list is [...]

Apparently, my last blog about the low conversion rate of auditions on pay-to-play sites, made a few folks nervous. Oh, well. Did you take a look at your success rate yet? Are you going to? Some people just prefer to bury their head in the sand. "Auditioning is part of what I do", they say, [...]

Some people can't live with them, and some can't live without them: voice-over websites. Let's be honest: have you entered a co-dependent relationship? How much do you rely on them to get work? I remember when I first joined a few of these sites. In the beginning, every new job posting seemed to open an exciting [...]

Most of you have heard his voice. Many of you have read his books. Quite of lot of you might even use his products. But what's the secret of his voice-over success? I can tell you this: it's not only about acting skills or about having amazing vocal cords. The buzz word is "branding". Personal [...]

In this weeks Double Dutch Blog: 1. What psychological condition only affects voice-over actors and other gear geeks? 2. What do voice-overs and Monty Python have in common? 3. How to find the best voice-over mic for your voice 4. The latest online vo-microphone review 5. Discover the delights of the microphone museum 6. Listen to Nethervoice testing three unknown but [...]

In this weeks Double Dutch Blog: 1. What psychological condition only affects voice-over actors and other gear geeks? 2. What do voice-overs and Monty Python have in common? 3. How to find the best voice-over mic for your voice 4. The latest online vo-microphone review 5. Discover the delights of the microphone museum 6. Listen to Nethervoice testing three unknown but [...]

Have you heard the one about the three voice-overs bragging in a bar?“My condenser has phantom power”, says the guy with the spooky voice.“My shotgun produces killer demos”, retorts the man in black.“My ribbon has a suspended diaphragm”, snaps the girl in the Hogan baseball cap.Waitress: “Anyone ordered a Blue Bottle?” Unidentified customer: “No, I [...]

That's very true, Julia. As they say: freedom isn't free. Thanks for your good wishes!

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been subject or citizen". Together with 66 other people from 31 different nations, those were the words I spoke in Philadelphia on the last [...]

Hi Jodi.. thanks for your comments. I have a Sweetwater update for you... I got a nice set of Alesis monitors, Sony Sound Forge 9 software and an Avantone CK-9 microphone. I'm in voice-over heaven! Have a wonderful week and check out my latest blog about auditions and dealing with rejection. Paul

If I were to make a top-ten of the hardest words in any language, this word would be my number one pick. It’s also one of the shortest. This simple sound has destroyed countless careers; it has propelled people into the depths of depression, and it has broken many hopeful hearts. It is the horrible, [...]

What's the link between a rice beverage and voice-over work? In a recent "Taste the dream" contest, Rice Dream offered prize winners the chance to experience their dream job for 3 days. As you can see, the ad agency that came up with this campaign thought that our line of work qualified as a 'dream [...]

I'm getting the Sony Sound Forge 9 and the Avantone CK-6 and Alesis M1 Active 320 USB monitors. Isn't that cool!

Those of you who've come to expect regular contributions to my blog, might have noticed a slight lull in my activities over the past few weeks. The truth is: I've been blissfully busy with a number of exciting projects that needed my full attention. If you're interested in rather dark medieval novels such as "The [...]

I always appreciate your honesty, Taji. I thought you had a bone to pick with voice123 and not with voices.com. I'm definitely going to get a new mike and recording software. You got that right. Did you have a chance to stop by my new site yet?

Hi Jodi: How nice of you to congratulate me! I'm still kind of overwhelmed, because these things never ever happen to me. Well, never say never!

Thanks for your kind words, Julia. I'm going to feel like a kid in the candy store soon. The things is to keep the momentum going!

Some things in life are too true to be good. Other things seem to good to be true. But today something happened to me that has never happened before: I won a prize. Not just "a" prize. I won top prize: a $500 gift certificate to Sweetwater Sound, thanks to Voices.com! THE CHALLENGE A while ago, [...]

The Dutch have done it again! GPS-system TomTom is now available with the voice of Homer Simpson: http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/06/let_homer_simps.html Who's going to be next... SpongeBob Squarepants?

The Dutch have weird ways of expressing themselves. A popular proverb from this farm-filled flatland goes like this: “You never know how a cow could catch a rabbit”, or in Dutch: “Je weet maar nooit hoe een koe een haas vangt”. Any idea what it means? It’s a Netherlandish way of saying: never rule things [...]

Some of you won't like what I am about to reveal, but it needs to be said. Yes, I will be the Debbie Downer of the voice-over community and the rain on your parade. If you’re a seasoned vo-pro, my message should come as no surprise. But I realized that blogs like these are also [...]

What a great and poetic example! It just shows that this is nothing new, and certainly not limited to a specific culture. My favorite example of selective hearing and selective vision is the blesses state of being in love. We idolize the object of our affection and refuse to see or hear anything that could [...]

Two groups of kids were playing outside. Someone had written a big number six on the street and a fight had broken out because of it. One group claimed that the number was actually a nine. The other group insisted it was a six. Before the debate got totally out of hand, a little girl [...]

Here's an inside look into how demos are watermarked, courtesy of Jim Kipping... "We here in radio, at least our station, started MIXING down spots we send out for "audition" or "approval" to clients years ago. The new mix includes the finished work, of course, but at the beginning we have a disclaimer that says... "the [...]

You're even funnier than I thought you were! You totally cracked me up and made my day, Taji! I will definitely check your list of sites and make you aware of any red flags. By the way...I always thought that Torquay was a resort town in South West England. Now you're telling me it's in [...]

Hi Julia: That more than answers my question! It's good to know that there are still men and women of principle in this world, who won't sell out to the highest bidder. When the economy is strong, and the jobs are numerous, it's easy to uphold an ethical standard. The times we're in right now, are [...]

Don’t ever think it won’t happen to you. I guarantee you it will, and when it does, it will leave a bitter taste in your mouth. A few years ago, a colleague of mine got a disturbing phone call. It was an old friend from high school. “I didn’t know you were in the voice-over [...]

They had a saying at the bank I once worked for as a trainer: "If it's about money, it ain't funny". Isn't that the truth! To that I added: "Show me your bank account, and I will tell you how you lead your life." Bankers and accountants probably know more about you than your therapist. [...]