Ok, maybe that’s the wrong kind of fan. How about simply being our Facebook fan? For every new fan we get during August we’ll donate an equal amount to Give Kids The World, an organization that brings smiles to children with illnesses and their families. We’ll choose a different organization every month so we can give to those in need of hope, a smile or more. Are you a SunSpots client or voiceover talent? Click below, become a fan and help us help a good cause.
Story from the New York Daily News online edition about Rachel Ray and her vocal issues. Tuesday, July 14th 2009, 4:00 AM Rachel Ray is planning to be “giving her voice a rest for the next week or two,” says the TV host’s rep. The vocal cord operation that omnipresent TV host Rachael Ray reportedly underwent last week has a very high success rate, which means the ebullient celebrity chef should be back in the kitchen before long. Ray underwent surgery, according to People magazine, in order to remove a benign cyst from her vocal cord, following months of failed vocal therapy. Her rep,Charlie Dougiello, said in People that the toughest part for the chef “is going to be giving her voice a rest for the next week or two.” Most at risk for developing vocal problems such as cysts, nodules and polyps are singers, teachers, sales people and others who talk a lot, says Dr. Clark Rosen, an otolaryngologist specializing in voice disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. “It is a result of overuse or misuse of the voice,” he says. “Rachael Ray speaks very loudly and she has what we call a percussive voice, not a soft voice. Vocal cords are designed to vibrate with each other, but they do need down time or recovery time.” (This is important for us to remember in the voiceover business. Some of us are very active with voicing all day or evenings. Here’s confirmation that we need to take breaks and care for our vocal cords the way a professional athlete would with their muscles. A raspy voice indicates that the vocal cords need a period of rest or have been damaged and need additional care.) Soft and pliable, vocal cords, or folds, vibrate extremely fast in order to give the voice its pitch, explains Dr. Michael Johns, an otolaryngologist specializing in voice disorders and director of the Emory Voice Center. “They vibrate 200 times per seconds for women, and for sopranos, they may vibrate 1,000 times a second,” he explains. “What happens with a cyst is that the delicate mucus membranes break down, and then the folds don’t vibrate in the same way.” The first course of treatment is voice therapy, which very often takes care of the problem. If it doesn’t, an operation to remove the cyst is recommended. Surgery is “generally safe,” Johns says, and it’s “almost always successful” when done by a competent specialist. The toughest part could be the recovery period following surgery. “You have to rest your voice for a week,” he says. “And that means no talking, no whispering, no throat clearing and no coughing.” In Ray’s case, her rep told People that “the minor, non-invasive procedure was a success and she is already resting at home.” Though overusing the voice is definitely a risk factor for vocal cord problems, it’s not known why some big talkers get them and others don’t, Rosen says. “Some guys can sell peanuts at the stadium for 2-0 years and never have a problem, and yet a 16-year-old girl can develop a vocal cord bump after just on The main symptom is persistent hoarseness. Says Rosen: “Anyone with persistent hoarseness for two weeks without an upper respiratory infection should see a doctor. (What do you do to keep your vocal cords healthy and strong? Are there exercises you perform to strengthen your voice?) (Here are some informative links about vocal cord nodules, polyps and cysts: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Merck.com, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Rachael Ray undergoes vocal cord surgery to remove benign cyst
Napolitano/FilmMagic
e round of high singing demands in the spring musical,” he says.
SunSpots Productions Zak Miller becomes full-time Voiceover Talent
As one of the founding members and manager of SunSpots Productions Orlando recording studios team, Zak Miller has decided to “put out his shingle” and work as a full-time voiceover announcer. Zak’s been working behind the console and mic for over 12 years with SunSpots and produced over 7,500 sessions and personally voiced over 1,700 radio and tv commercials and narrations. You can hear Zak Miller’s voices at SunSpots: http://www.sunspotsproductions.com/Voice_talent_detail.cfm?id=59
Zak got his start behind the mic in 1992 on the air at WCHZ in Augusta, Georgia. Zak says, “That opened the part of my brain that told me I love to voice! I produced my first spot for a horse show at a South Carolina mall. I had no sound effects so I had to foley everything!” From that radio station in Georgia, Zak worked his way to WDIZ in Orlando, Florida working middays as a DJ. Eventually he moved off the air to the Creative Service Department of Clear Channel Broadcasting in Orlando. While there, he voiced for the Orlando Predators Arena Football Team, Solar Bears Hockey Team and various concerts for the Orlando area.
It was Zak’s work on the radio that attracted SunSpots Productions attention. He joined the SunSpots team in 1997, soon after the company opened its Orlando studios location. Within a few years he became manager of the Florida studio. Zak describes his early years at SunSpots Productions, “Being on the ground floor of SunSpots was a very exciting time. To be a part of the growth and formation of a company like SunSpots with the ideals and approaches to the industry will always remain a special memory. To be able to raise the industry standards and what is and was expected from a production studio and talent agent was a great feeling. SunSpots has changed the way I approach life, business and relationships.” One of his favorite memories of SunSpots was, “sitting in the lobby eating Chinese food and thinking of names for the company. I’ll never forget the time that Janet (SunSpots Co-Owner), fellow voice talent Jaz Adams and I spent the day piling sand around the building to keep “Lake Cassidy” from flooding into the studios!”
Zak’s enthusiastic about his career change to jump to the other side of the recording console as a full-time voice talent. “I am very excited about voicing full-time. How come? When you’re able to do something in life that feeds your passion and creativity, your life becomes more fulfilled…My favorite spot to voice is a spot that tells a story. I love to be able to bring a person into a scene with my voice and my inflection.”
The entire SunSpots Productions staff wishes Zak the very best in his new voice talent career. To hear Zak Miller’s voices (he does a variety of voiceover styles) and his voiceover demos please contact SunSpots Productions at 800-355-SPOTS or online at www.SunSpotsProductions.com. You can also schedule Zak through SunSpots web site.
SunSpots Productions is a global supplier of voice talent and creative audio production and is a licensed talent agent in the State of Florida. SunSpots creates award winning audio from their studios near Asheville, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida.
Earlier this week I received an email from an active Non-Union voice talent. Let’s call this voiceover person, Terry, to cover all the gender bases. Terry felt that since they’ve been Non-Union, (not a member of SAG/AFTRA) that they could make more money by being a Union member exclusively. In Terry’s mind movie trailers, National Retailer TV and Radio accounts, the biggest of the big voiceover jobs are just sitting there ripe for the picking. Terry’s very experienced with 15 years of full-time freelance voiceovers behind the microphone. Like dreams of those dancing sugarplums Terry’s thinking that the bump “up” to Union status is the way to go to advance Terry’s career.
But is it true? Would Terry make more as a Union voiceover talent?
My opinion…it depends. Timing, meaning right place and right time are important, Terry’s vocal skill set, Terry’s physical location may also make a difference.
What about Financial Core? Doesn’t Fi-Core allow you to do BOTH Union and Non-Union work? Sometimes being Fi-Core can be a great benefit if you’re in the right location, conversely you can become a vo pariah if you live somewhere else.
These are questions I’d love to have discussed by those of you in the know about such things. I’m Fi-Core myself. I lost my agent in NYC because I was Fi-Core, yet for years outside of NYC, I was the voice of Circuit City (RIP), Nissan and Lenscrafters. Those gigs provided enough income to…well…to be life changing.
My bread and butter, the day in day out gigs are always non-union. Sometimes they pay very well, even above Union voice rates, most of the time not. I’ve always looked at this as a volume game and with volume one can become very financially successful.
What are your thoughts? Are you an experienced talent who has done both as Financial Core or previously one now the other? Are you a full-time Union voiceover talent? With the internet the tables have more than turned, they’ve been flipped over and it’s anyone’s game anymore.
We’d love to hear what you have to say on the issue.
Also, if you’re searching for professional union and non-union voiceover talent please visit us at SunSpots. Search here for voice talent.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Tom
Voice Talent Bob Jump informs us that one of the pioneers in our voiceover world, Marv Henry, has passed away. Marv Henry was one of our friends at Studiocenter’s original founding voice talents. Our condolences and best wishes to his family and friends.
Every time we lose someone it’s another reminder to tell our friends and family how much we love them.
Thanks Bob, for letting us know.
Peace-
Tom
UPDATE: A more detailed story was posted last night by Jim Washington from the Virginian-Pilot:
By Jim Washington
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 16, 2009
Marv Henry, a well-known voice on local radio for decades, died Monday.
According to friends, Henry’s work appeared in movies, television and radio over the years. He worked for several local stations, including WAVY, WFOG and WTKR, and did voiceover work for the company Studio Center Worldwide in Norfolk.
Henry was one of the company’s founding talents back in the 1960s, according to owner William Prettyman.
“He was one of the all-time best voices at the company,” Prettyman said. “He was a legend.”
Dave Davis is a producer at Studio Central and worked with Henry for almost 20 years.
“He was the most talented voice actor I’ve ever worked with,” Davis said. “He had a range that was second to none. He could draw poetry out of the words. He had an ability to make anything sound better than it was written.”
Henry was an office cut-up as well, Davis said. His co-workers often found themselves the subject of his doodles.
“He was always drawing cartoons of people at work,” Davis said. “He was like an uncle. A mischevious uncle.”