ideas

Demo Critiques: Quality Does Matter

December 17, 2018 By MaryMorgan 2 Comments

Above you can see two sets of macaron batches. These are my pictures from when I was practicing and then perfecting my technique. Can you tell which one is bad quality?

If I told someone that I make macarons despite not having sales or proof that I know what I’m doing, and they wanted to buy some from me, what do you think would happen if I took their money and gave them the poor batch?

There’s a reason quality matters. And in voice over, quality demos and quality recording DO matter!!

We all want critiques of demos, especially those of us starting out. The problem is, too many get demos made when they’re not ready. And what’s most heartbreaking is that the talent don’t realize how bad they sound until it’s too late. What do I mean by that? Well, there’s two ways.

VO Atlanta 2018

March 27, 2018 By MaryMorgan Leave a Comment

So this was my first time at VO Atlanta and much like my favorite VO blogger Paul Strikwerda whom I finally met in person, I freaking loved it!

Good heavens I seriously don’t even know where to start. The people I met, the sessions I attended, the knowledge I absorbed, and the inspiration shared by veterans of voice over is worth every single penny!!!

If you truly want to be part of this profession, then you should know there are serious investments involved. I’ve also met quite a few people who insult VO conventions because they want to get work from attending it. But it’s not about that, even though I met people who have been signed by agents and got work with visiting casting directors almost right after the convention. You attend to build relationships with working professionals and get to know your VO family and friends. They’re the ones who welcome anyone and everyone with open arms whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced talent. Egos are left behind as smiles and support flood the atmosphere. [Read more…] about VO Atlanta 2018

VO Negotiations

January 8, 2018 By MaryMorgan Leave a Comment

It’s a new year now! This means more info, lots of upgrades to software, new bookings and a plethora of experiences to share, so let’s get started.

As a talent you always have rights. Having a talent agent negotiate on your behalf is terrific, but not everyone has an agent and a growing number of clients prefer to work with talent one-on-one instead since most have home studios to work from.

I encountered a new client who was GREAT to work with. But at first I was a little wary. Here’s why. She was inexperienced at hiring Voice Over talent and in the beginning wanted me to sign a highly unusual contract. Non-Disclosure Agreements are more than totally normal and even I admit that in the super early stages of my career I didn’t understand them very well. Since then I have matured significantly with quite a few clients able to vouch for my loyalty as well as professionalism. But this situation proved a bit freaky. It occurred to me that anyone new to VO reading my blog would need to know a few things before signing away their freedom. [Read more…] about VO Negotiations

Reasons why Voice Over can be hard work

October 30, 2017 By MaryMorgan 2 Comments

Please forgive me for such a long delay. October is my busiest month, not just for voice over but for my other careers. I am a severe workaholic, but I’ll my best to keep up with posting every 1-2 weeks.

So for today’s post, as always, please read but keep an open mind. The information here is based on my own experiences and that of some of my colleagues and friends. I don’t speak for everyone. And don’t let what I have to say discourage you from your VO journey. My only goal here is to share knowledge.

“I’m a Voice Over and I feel like I haven’t worked a day in my life.” When I first started in VO, a teacher actually said those words at the beginning of the workshop. Looking back, I would have started laughing out loud if I knew then what I know now. [Read more…] about Reasons why Voice Over can be hard work

Voice Over Life: Building My StudioBricks Booth part 2

September 14, 2017 By MaryMorgan 10 Comments

Continuing from my last post with Part 2 of putting my StudioBricks booth together. If you haven’t read it yet, I suggest doing so to keep up with what I’m sharing here.

I had put my studio together with the help of my brother, my boyfriend and my Dad. It looked amazing and was quite cozy inside. However, after all the unloading, and putting it together one section at a time (which took maybe 3 hours), there was a problem.

Voice Over Life: Building My StudioBricks Booth part 1

August 22, 2017 By MaryMorgan 2 Comments

Alright folks, many, many people have been asking for this and it’s finally here: my StudioBricks booth.

Expect quite a few pictures!

You can find another post about why I chose StudioBricks over other sound booth products on my blog.

For this post, I’m discussing the process of putting it together in a two-part series.

Ready?

Embrace the Art of Learning Voice Over

August 17, 2017 By MaryMorgan Leave a Comment

Patience is a virtue often underrated due to a fast-paced society we live in. People want to be famous right now so that others will grovel at their feet and pay money to see them at a convention. They want to be rich so that they never have to get a 9 to 5 job or splurge on ridiculous luxuries. The list goes on of course.

However, if everything happened quickly, how would you handle the consequences of what comes after?

Part-Time Careers While Pursuing Voice Overs

July 10, 2017 By MaryMorgan Leave a Comment

I’ve been away a while. Apologies, apologies and more apologies. But I’ve been VERY busy, which is what I like. And I’ll be glad to share the progress in posts yet to come. Still with me? Bless you!

Believe it or not only a certain amount of people can have the luxury of making voice over a full-time business in a matter of a few short years or even decades. Because of this, I decided to write a blog post about part-time careers or jobs that my colleagues have had while working their way to full-time.

For those who have asked, I have quite a few part-time careers going on, not just to make money but to have back-up opportunities when VO work is slow, or when I need more training, more demos, studio upgrades, etc. Because, let’s face it, we need money to keep VO going in our lives.

What if you get sick or have a sore throat?

March 12, 2017 By MaryMorgan 3 Comments

Okay, first I apologize for not posting in a long time. I spent the last two months researching what kind of recording booth I wanted with StudioBricks. This kind of investment takes a long, long time because you want all the details in place: modifications, measurements, additional equipment, weighing the pros and cons, getting every bit of free advice you can gather, and more. This booth is the biggest investment I’ve ever made, everything HAS to be just right. If anyone wants to ask questions or read a possible future blog post about what I did to ensure that Studiobricks was the best decision please comment or message me.

A week after calling the manufacturer, and paying the deposit I got sick.

It’s going to happen. It always does.