Business

Creating Content

When you are creating content for your video, eLearning project, web site, or blog, you need to be able to have access to useful and affordable content that helps you reinforce your message. You need images, graphics, sound and music to put your entire message together. You want it to be eye-catching, ear-catching, and memorable. There are so many great resources available for stock video, photos, graphics, animations, fonts, music and sound effects. You want them to be effective, and they need to be affordable. I will share with you some of my favorites and what has worked well for me.

Digital Juice

The name says it all! Digital Juice is a royalty-free content provider for video, print, presentations, advertising, and more. They have stock video, photos, fonts, After Effects sequences, animations, backgrounds, layered Photoshop art work, Apple Motion templates, music, sound effects, and so much more. They used to sell it all piece-by-piece, or in bundled sets. Now, like a lot of suppliers these days, it is by subscription. They have two methods of payment – both are Lifetime plans, but with one price, one time, forever! The libraries and content keeps growing and, depending on your plan, you have access to all of it. The Standard Lifetime Plan is $299 and the Pro Lifetime Plan is $499. Right now, there is a limited-time special of half-off on either of those plans. Not sure how long that lasts. If you need Digital content that adds Juice to your presentation or message, I recommend it!

Adobe

So very much to see and explore with Adobe. Of course, there is the ever-popular, and useful Adobe Creative Cloud. An amazing suite of creative tools for content creation, and manipulation. I am not really going to cover that here, although if you are a creator it is a suite of tools you should consider. There are educational rates for students and faculty, alike. If you qualify for the educational rate (as a student or teacher) it is $19.99 per month (for the first year), and $29.99 per month after that. The regular, non-educational rate is $52.99 per month. But that is for all the apps (20+ apps), and the tools are amazing. Oops, I said I was not going to cover that here. Sorry.

The reason I even brought up Adobe, is because they also have an incredible library of images called Adobe Stock. It is a great stock photo service with a library of royalty-free images. It is one of the largest stock images around with over 100 million images! Pricing varies, depending on whether month-to-month, or annual enrollment. With annual enrollment you have access 10 standard assets per month for $29.99 (with a free 1-month trial), and on up from there. If you are a Creative Cloud subscriber you get some images through that plan. The Adobe images are incredible and worth checking out.

Soundsnap

There are a lot of sound effects libraries out there. One that I have found as an excellent resource is Soundsnap. I have found their sounds to be excellent in quality, with a wide range of sounds and sound environments. With 250,000 sounds, this royalty-free library has am excellent price structure. You can pay as you go, for as little as $15 for 5 downloads. Or you might enjoy access to the entire library, unlimited downloads, for the annual rate of $199. The site is well organized, and easy to use. Their customer service is excellent!

I hope these resources will be useful for you. I should note, I do not hold any financial interest in any of these companies (other than being a subscriber to some of these services). If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at Mike@mikesvo.com. If I can be of help in providing the voice for your project, that is what I love to do and I would love it if you would, “Let me do your talking!” -Mike

What’s Old is New

Business, Client Relations, Customer Service, Technology

What’s old is new! Want to try something fun? Take an “old school” rotary phone and put it in front of someone who is under 30 years old. See if they know how to make it work! How to “dial” a number?!! What is a rotary phone you ask? It’s an older model landline phone with what is known as a rotary dial. There’s a lot of old technology that’s been gone for so long now. So long that a lot of people are not familiar with it and would not know how to use it.

Old Technology Becomes New

I ‘m a voice actor and voice over talent. I also teach college classes in audio and video production. In these courses, I work with 18-24 year olds all the time. It keeps me feeling young, and keeps the creative energy flowing! I love it!! We had kept an old IBM Selectric II typewriter around the studios to be able to “type” (print) labels. One day, I walked by and saw a student yanking the labels out of the typewriter, wadding them up and throwing them on the ground! I asked her why she was doing that. She said she kept making typos. I smiled, and showed her the “correcting key” that allows you to push the button, re-type the mistake and it lifts the mistake right off the page! She had no idea and was totally blown away!

What Do You Mean There is More Than One Song?!

Several students had no idea how vinyl records work. Seems so obvious to me. One student had no idea there were two sides to the LP. Another thought that the 33 1/3 LP vinyl disc only had one song. When I explained there were 6 songs on that one side of the album, they had no concept of how you could discern where one song ended and the next song began. I got to teach what was old and make it new! What fun!!

Technology will always change. It’s sometimes hard to keep up with technology. Of course we do so to stay relevant. To improve workflow. Improve quality. Be more efficient. But technology will always be a moving target. Technology is not everything. How we work with our clients, our “client relations,” is NOT a moving target. Especially in the voice over business (and probably most any business), return business is key.

Customer or Client?

First thing to think about is the difference between “client” and “customer.” What is the difference to you? In a blog a while back, I wrote, “As your ‘customer’ you are hoping to sell to them a product or service. As your ‘client’ you are looking out for them and what is in their best interest.” This is an important concept. Advances in technology don’t really change this. Except in helping your workflow. But as a business philosophy, it does not change.

Concepts and Tenents for Good Business Relations

Think about these very important concepts. Things that make your business relationship with your CLIENT sustainable. These are all things I value and hold to in my voice over and production work.

Honesty – Always being honest with your client.

Integrity – Adhering to ethical conduct in your business dealings.

Trustworthy – being dependable and reliable. Your clients want to know they can trust you.

Meeting Deadlines – Providing the deliverables/service on time to meet your clients needs.

Availability – Making yourself available to your client so they know they can count on you.

Expertise – Provide your client with expert skills and knowledge.

Friendliness – Clients want to work with people who are easy to work with, friendly and fun.

These are all tenets I value. Personally and professionally, they are very important to me. I always want what is best for my client. I approach my relationship with each client as “here’s what I can do to help you.” Having a happy, satisfied CLIENT makes it much more likely they will return to you the next time they need something. Client relationship does not get old, it stays new!

May you live long, help others, and prosper!

Apps Worth Using

Apps Worth Using, Business, Mobile Device, Voice Over

You may recall from my ShakeAlertLA Blog, that I am a bit of an App collector. Finding useful, unique, and fun apps is something I enjoy! Some of them I use in my voice over work, content creation work, or just everyday life. I love to pass the info on to you in hopes you will find these apps useful, interesting, and fun. Some are also in a list called #AppsWorthUsing. I started this list on my twitter account a few years ago. You are welcome to follow me there – @MikeRaphone. If you do, please let me know you read this blog and whether you use or tried any of these apps. If you missed the ShakeAlertLA Blog, you can select it here.

Try These On For Size

Through the years I have been on Twitter, I’ve been intrigued by apps I run across. I have built up quite a collection. The apps listed here are mostly useful for those in the business of being a voice talent, content creator, journalist, producer, or recording engineer. So you may or may not have a use for some of these. Most of the apps I am highlighting here cost some money. There are a several that are specific to mobile content creation. While some are just for fun! The app icon is shown with a short description about the app. Here are a few you might enjoy:

Twisted Wave

Twisted Wave is an incredible portable recording and editing software – available for Apple products only. It is intuitive, and fast. Record, edit, then upload your audio by FTP. Excellent for portable voice over work, or other audio recording and editing.

Hindenburg Field Recorder

Hindenburg Field Recorder is a mobile recording app. It allows you to record, edit, and then share the story. Perfect for journalists or those who need to grab quick soundbites. This is available for Apple devices only. Hindenburg has an arsenal of recording software and apps dedicated to specific audio recording needs.

ProPrompter Studio

ProPrompter Studio is a portable teleprompter. Handy for corporate video, video podcasting, commercials, field reporting, speeches, and anything else where there’s a need for a teleprompter. It is available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

TapeACall

TapeACall allows you to use your mobile phone to record a phone call you are on or are about to make. Please Note: Recording phone calls in the U.S. and some other countries requires permission from the party (or all parties, depending on the state). Please check the laws (a link provided in the app). There is an annual cost of $29.99 per year. The free trial version allows you to use it for 7 days without cost. This app is great for journalists, reporters, podcasters, producers, talk show hosts, etc. It is useful for production work too. Anything where it is handy to record a call you are on.

Audio Tools

Audio Tools is an incredible, multi-faceted audio and acoustic test and measurement tool! It includes SPL Modules, Acoustic Analysis, Speaker Tests, Test Modules, Design Tools, Signal Generator, Audio Calculator, and more. It is a little on the pricey side, especially if you go for all the in-app purchases, but this is one professional tool!

Waze

Waze Navigation and Live Traffic is super helpful in any area where you need directions, and re-routing due to traffic congestion, and roadwork. Super handy for getting to the studio on time for the voice gig you just booked, on vacation, or nearly any other time you need navigation. Incredible tool that has saved me time and again by helping me get to where I am going.

Girl Scout Cookie Finder

The Official Girl Scout Cookie Finder App. They are on sale only once a year. Peanut Butter Patties (aka Tagalongs) are my favorite!

WinPoker

WinPoker is a video poker game that teaches you how to make the best choices in building the best hand possible. Learn how to play video poker while having fun playing. There is a cost for the app, but it will improve your odds at the casinos! It takes lots of practice to really play at the level to make money. After all, I’m still doing voice acting! Have fun!

Use These Apps in Good Health

I hope you find these as #AppsWorthUsing. I have many more that are useful, entertaining, and fun. If you like these and want another blog in the future with more, drop me an email at Mike@mikesvo.com. Thank you!

Mike Laponis

VO