What fun to talk about radio with a fellow on-air talent, podcast host, and radio enthusiast John Leslie. These days I am usually the one asking the questions, but for this fun conversation the tables were turned.

Thanks for a really fun hour (and change) chatting about radio, audiobooks, voiceover, writing, acting, improv, empathy, and life/work balance.

As a podcast host (and voiceover actor), I listen to – and edit – a lot of voices. Here are the five biggest turn-offs for podcast producers and listeners. The good news? You can fix these! Work at it, and you’ll know how to be a better podcast guest – and get invited back again. […]

Reality check, with a question: Do you find it more difficult than you’d thought it would be to get, and keep getting, work as a voice talent in 2015? I’m not one to wax poetic about the past. Change is, at best, exciting; at the very least, it’s inevitable. And certainly the voiceover business has […]

Hi, my name is Randye and I’ve lost my VOJO. (If you haven’t had your caffeine yet this morning and can’t guess, I will define VOJO for you: Voice Over plus Mojo/motivation. Got it? Now go to Starbucks, already). We all need VOJO, and we need to reignite it now and again – or daily. […]

re the myth of "downtime " for voice talents, i.e. between bookings: there is none. Other than vacations and "personal days", these are really the times we must be building our business and our skills.

Dear aspiring Voiceover Talent: This is a business that requires you to be self-starter. Get good at it, learn all you can, and then you must build your business. Some resources to get you started, from this very generous VO community!

Want to begin or expand your career in Voice Overs? You will hear this question, I guarantee it: “But there is so much competition. Why even bother?” Yep. That nay-sayer (even if it’s your own inner thoughts) is quite correct. Sorry, but it’s true…..well, at least the first half of the sentence is. How to […]

You must invest in your voice over business to keep it alive, to help it grow, to help you grow - as artist, businessperson, a skilled talent in all the forms that this ever-changing business requires. Voice Over Virtual is a great investment.

Running a voice-over business is not for sissies. Nor is it for dreamers who don't take steps toward the dream. We know we can't just rest on our laurels...but at times, we do need to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

Two weeks from now I’ll be back with fellow Voice Talents, this time in Charlotte, NC. My name is Randye and I am a frequent faffer. (everybody all together: “Hi, Randye!”) Why? Why spend hard-earned voiceover income on plane fare, hotel lodging, and a registration fee? WIIFM? (“What’s in it for me….?”) Oh, so much. […]

My first billboard for NBC! What a pleasure to be directed and produced by the fabulous Bill Rock, who has been one of the voices of NBC for years and is one of the voice-over greats. I pinned his studio on Pinterest on my "Great Places to Record Audio" Board.

So you wanna be in voice overs? Yes. Well, read up, person with that lovely voice. Just check the archives at voiceoverXtra, Edge Studio, or any of the number of fab VO blogs out there, and you'll get the truth: becoming a professional voice over talent takes lots of training, hard work, marketing, creating business goals, scheduling action steps, investments of time and money, and an effort to always think ahead.

OK, time to cave. Really! Just recorded a job for a client who might have forgotten about me if not for my newsletter updates. My audiobook producer found me on Twitter. I have clients overseas who learned about me on LinkedIn.

When I teach "Investigate Voice-Over" classes for Edge Studio - either in the CT or NYC studio, on a telecall/webinar, in Continuing Education sessions or at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting - I usually begin by asking students what brought them to the class.

Here's an eye-opening article from PC World that provides a reality check re social media. Right now I'm working facebook, twitter, and the voiceover boards, since my first session today isn't until 2 pm. Yep, 80% of the VO business is spent marketing (well, that's one statistic I heard) - so how much of it do we want to do online? And how effective it is, really?

Increasingly, my voiceover work is done from home - and so many others in this business (and others, I know) are finding the same trend affecting them. Very cool to send files to India (what's the time difference again?), but also so nice to work in my own back yard - which in this case includes Connecticut, New York and partsof Massachusetts.