Find out what all the hoo-haa was about in the last episode.   Spoiler alert: we say goodbye to Nic and Leah and welcome our new hosts Rob Bee and Helen Bee from B Double E.   We get a brief introduction to Rob and Helen, and a promise for a fuller intro next month.   If you have any questions for them for the next episode you can email them to [email protected]   Also revealed is the new audio branding and we get a playback of the full theme tune in all its glory. Many, many...

Find out what Leah learned on the BBC Radio Drama Company and hear all about Nic's ongoing conquering of the entire world in this quickfire catchup episode! Our Goal Setting Masterclass is on the 5th December 2023! Here's the link (don't forget to use the discount code PLOG5 to get £5 off) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/planet-plan-it-is-back-tickets-756140294977 Also, join us for an announcement of GREAT MAGNITUDE on the 16th December at 3pm GMT! But as you've now missed it, you can...

This is one for people who love working in animation AND for people who want an update on the very exciting collaborative episode we’re making with Spotlight in 2023! Book your ticket for our planning party: https://www.gravyforthebrain.com/event/youre-invited-to-a-planning-palooza/ Get your copy of the VO Career Planner: https://www.thevosocial.com/the-voiceover-career-planner Find out more about Scripts Out Loud: https://scriptsoutloud.com/ Many thanks to organisers Julie Ann Dean and...

Find out about the six big things that Equity needs you to know, Leah's mad news, Nic's thrilling new project, and some VERY dramatic gossip about the future of the podcast... Also, here are some links: PLANNER: Get 10% off your Voiceover Career Planner with the code XMAS10 here: https://www.thevosocial.com/the-voiceover-career-planner VO SOCIAL NORTH: Here's the event page https://fb.me/e/3H4j3WtfJ but you'll have to join the VO Social North group here first:...

Well howdy pardner! For this episode we’ve got the world’s leading expert on the General American accent to describe its features, talk us through common mistakes people make when learning it and help us figure out how to adjust for age, gender and ethnicity. We also hear from a bunch of fantastic, real-life American voiceovers about their experiences with using it, and even a little bit about the psychological impact of conforming to a geographically non-specific standard. Find out more...

Come with us on the trip of a lifetime as we hunt down the New Yorkiest New York accent AND the best pizza in the whole of NYC! We also popped into VOcation to run a workshop and talk on a panel while we were there, so we recorded a bunch of lovely VOs talking about what the most interesting and useful things were that they learned at the conference. Also featuring an appearance from the accent expert's accent expert Mr Erik Singer! Who's walking where? We're walking here! GET YOUR VO...

It's the clash of the branding titans! Committed anti-branding cynic Leah goes head to head with branding evangelist Clare... who will win? Will referee Nic Redman's blatant bias sway the match either way? Find out in our first episode back after a summer away... oh how we've missed you!  Also in this episode, a brilliant chat with our partners Spotlight about everything they’re doing to help voiceovers with their careers!  GET YOUR PLANNER:...

In this very quick last hurrah before we disappear for the summer, find out what sort of antics we're planning for later this year, including stuff in AMERICA, another big accent investigation, and a return to an old favourite but with a brand new live element - listen before the end of June 2022 if you can! (Or afterwards if you can't, that's nearly as good) In the UK? Pre-order your planner before the end of June for £29 by clicking here: www.thevosocial.com/shop - or if you're reading...

All the very best bits of the One Voice Conference in one bumper edition of the VO Social! Pre-order your planner here BEFORE THE END OF JUNE 2022: www.thevosocial.com/shop Speakers Friday Keynote - Dirk Maggs Saturday Keynote - Debbie Arnold Instinctive Audio - Sam Crowther Effort Sounds - D’arcy Smith Emote Strings - Stephane Cornicard Radio Commercials - Jack Oddie Agents panel - Camilla Grevstad Laxton, Peter Morris, Daniel Richards Core Issues Panel - Tim Odofin De-Stress In...

MOOO! WOOF! SQUIRK! It’s time for some animal noises! Join us in the Voiceover Zoo to find out why it’s a great idea to practise your donkey impression in the shower AND how to think technically about the things your voice is doing. With enormous thanks to: The Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast: https://www.20k.org/episodes/creaturespeakers Eloise Whitmore from Naked Productions: http://nakedproductions.co.uk/ Dian Perry: https://dianperry.com/showreels/ Darren Altman for his David...

Breathing. It's the most basic of all the necessary functions, but if it's even a little bit out of kilter it can have a catastrophic effect on your voice... In this episode we have: Nic chatting to breathworker Hannah Kendaru (https://inspire-breathwork.org/) about why breath awareness can be key to a successful voice career  A whole guided breathing exercise to help with breath control for voiceovers Leah telling a (somehow relevant) story about the time she was caught living in...

Fancy sharpening up your editing game? A bit nervous of all that technical business? Well guess what! We've brought in expert Rob Bee to tell us exactly what we need to know as voiceovers to keep things tight.   Get your name on the list for a planner here: https://www.thevosocial.com/product-page/the-voiceover-career-planner-by-the-vo-social  Find out more about...  Nic's "Ultimate Voice Getaway" Retreat:...

Right then, let’s all cheer ourselves up a bit! After last month delve into some of the worst experiences anyone can have in a booth, it’s time to turn our attention to some of the very BEST. This episode is produced in collaboration with the Talking Creative podcast, and features a live workshop stacked with advice for voiceovers AND producers on how to make every session as successful as it can possibly be. Listen to the Talking Creative version of this episode here:...

A couple of updates from the union about AI and gaming that we couldn't fit into the big episode at the start of the month... Listen before the 20th of Jan if you can! Tickets for the workshop: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-direct-and-be-directed-tickets-223282984417 #SendItToShannon: [email protected] Gaming Agreement: https://www.equity.org.uk/news/2021/december/uks-first-ever-agreement-for-voice-artists-engaged-on-video-game-recordings/ --- Send in a voice message:...

What do you do when things go wrong? How about when they go really, really wrong?  Find out what YOU can do if you see or experience abuse in any of its hideous forms, plus tales of the worst directorial notes VO Socialites have ever received, and even the odd spot of singing...   Tickets to “How To Direct And Be Directed” with the Talking Creative Podcast - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-direct-and-be-directed-tickets-223282984417 The CNN article...

Do you want to make 2022 your best professional year yet? This episode is going to help you do exactly that! Find out how to create great habits that stick, and why everyone's talking about the VO Social's new Voiceover Career Planner... Get 10% off the VO Career Planner with the code LAUNCH10 until the 7th December 2021 at www.thevosocial.com/shop  Find out more about Dan Bradford here: https://www.mindfulacting.co.uk/ Find out more about Jo Troy at www.jotroy.com Join in with the big VO...

Rates. It’s a constant question - are we quoting high enough? Are we quoting TOO high? Will we lose work if we push for usage? How do we convince clients we’re a better prospect than someone off Fiverr who’ll do it on the cheap? Too often, voiceovers feel like they're on the back foot in the conversation, so in this live episode we’ve convinced expert negotiator Simon Horton to help us change the balance of power and improve relationships between voiceovers, producers, agents and casting...

Regional accents are every commercial producer’s new best friend lately, so in this episode - recorded live at the One Voice Conference - we look at why showing off your native accent could be the most powerful, career boosting choice you ever make! Also, get your ticket to our Negotiating For Voiceovers masterclass here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/negotiation-masterclass-tickets-170306745059 This episode features the superb talents that are: Ally Murphy -...

Nic goes on and on and ON about lip trills, so in this episode we explain how they fit into the world of SOVT exercises, when to use them, why they work, and why adding a straw into the mix might be just the thing! Enter our competition to win an SOVT Straw all of your own by retweeting this tweet: https://twitter.com/theVOsocial/status/1437552041853915139 or if you can’t wait till the 14th Oct to see if you’ve won, make sure you get your 15% discount by using the code VOSOCIAL at...

As the official podcasters at the One Voice Conference we are delighted to bring you this jam packed hour of highlights, quite a lot of swearing, and all these wonderful people: Keynotes - Rory Bremner and Jess Robinson Continuity - Pete Nottage and Danny Cowan Africa’s VO Industry - Emeka Onunkwo Agents Panel – Natalie Hill (Excellent Talent) Katie Berkes (VO Gallery) Radio Imaging – David Wartnaby and Juliette Nicholls (Pineapple Audio) Radio Rates – Annette Rizzo (Equity) TTS/AI –...

We've done it! We've chosen our top five (with just a few extra ones surreptitiously sneaked in at the end)...  The link to buy them through Blackwells (if you're based in the UK) is https://www.blackwells.co.uk?a_aid=TheVOSocial. Also, huge thanks to our in-house Boltonian Dave, more of him here: www.davejonesVO.com. Dramatic Adventures in Rhetoric, by Giles Taylor and Philip Wilson. This Is A Voice, by Jeremy Fisher and Gillyanne Keyes. Actions - The Actors Thesaurus, by Marina...

So you probably think the Geordie accent has something to do with the Vikings, right? Well wor lass, you think wrong! Nic’s had a poke around in some serious historical research and has made some very surprising discoveries. Also in this episode –  four voiceovers at Newcastle’s recent VO Social chat about how their accents have shaped their careers. Massive thanks to Leah's slightly confused but enthusiastic mum who picked up a guitar for the first time in years to record old Geordie ballad...

Recorded live at the British Podcast Awards; how actors and voiceovers can deal with the dreaded brain lurgy #begreatnotperfect Listen to our friend Nat's podcast at https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/ Get 15% off your Studiobricks booth with the secret password "VO SOCIAL POD CATS" at https://www.acousticabins.com/vocal-booths-studiobricks-vo-edition/ Theme tune written and performed by Martin Stirrup under this Creative Commons license. --- Send in a voice message:...

Less than a year after our enormous investigation into the AI invasion, we are back to report on its first big battleground. A VO in Canada is suing social media giant TikTok over the alleged theft of her voice, and as she womans the barricades, we take a second look at how the UK government is getting on with the boringly-named-but-actually-terribly-important Beijing Treaty… Here are a couple of fun things to do: Find out about straw phonation! All the cool kids are doing it, so join our...