The latest audio book I’ve narrated is called The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership, one of many management...

About three years ago I wrote a blog for Stage 32, an entertainment industry social media site. It was well-received and they have decided to post it again. You can read the blog via their website but I have re-posted it here for your convenience. Enjoy! You will hate this blog. Not the most inspiring of beginnings, but bear with me… I struggled as a voice talent for almost 15 years. Before that, I went to college and graduate school for acting. It turns out that while I was

There are many great marketers out there creating memorable, moving, hilarious campaigns for print, radio, TV, and social media....

I recently narrated the fascinating audio book The Innovation Code: The Creative Power of Constructive Conflict by Jeff and Staney...

I love stand-up comedy. I’ve loved it ever since I saw George Carlin in “Carlin at Carnegie” on HBO when I was a kid. He was a genius not...

I saw Wonder Woman last week It was so good I’m compelled two share my two cents. And yes I’ll make it relate to voiceovers somehow…!...

I recently narrated Breaking Through Gridlock by Jason Jay and Gabriel Grant. This was an interesting one! Breaking Through Gridlock...

I don’t do cartoons much. Well, not until Madballs came along. Yes, Madballs! The gross-out toys that were big in the 80’s are making a...

Last week I went to the opera. It was amazing. We saw Rusalka at The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. Rusalka is basically “The...

Audio book #54, done! Nat Greene’s “Stop Guessing” is a great problem-solving guide. I even took notes while I was narrating! It goes on...

Last week I saw a post on LinkedIn by an individual who claims he can help you land a voiceover agent. Interestingly enough, I just...

I saw Joy last week. It’s a movie Starring Jennifer Lawrence as Joy Mangano, creator of the Miracle Mop who went on to become a...

Those of you who have read my ramblings over the years may remember that I used to post brief movie reviews. I loved doing them but after a while it didn’t line up with the thrust of the blog series. I’ve always wanted to do a full-blown review but couldn’t find a film I felt compelled to write about. With that in mind, in lieu of a regular-type blog entry I present to you my amateur review of the movie “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice“. There’s a voiceover lesson at the e

Last week my manager sent out a casting notice to their talent roster and asked us to help spread the word. It was a “seeking non-actors for a TV commercial” casting notice so I posted it on the GKN and a few other places. Among the specs were: You must have two children between the ages of 8-15, and The entire family must be available to be interviewed over the weekend. I got a number of responses but only one of them qualified. Why? Either their children weren’t in the requ

I don’t have bad days. I really mean it. Sometimes bad things happen, but it’s up to me to decide whether I’ll let that make it a bad day. Yes, I know that sounds overly simplistic & optimistic, but it’s a principle I try to live by with mostly successful results. BTW I’m not talking about really bad things like a death in the family or something like that. I mean those little-ish things that have the potential to make your day spiral out of control. With that in mind, here a

I love voiceover conferences. The flying (I love airplanes), hotels, dining out, meeting new people, learning new things, I just love it all. I love voiceover conferences even more when I’m a presenter. It’s an amazing way to give back to the voiceover community, promote my brand, etc. This year I had the privilege of speaking at VO Atlanta. That’s me in the program. It makes me seem far cooler than I really am. This is me donating blood at the Red Cross Blood Drive at the h

I hate getting sick. I don’t know of anyone who does, apart from the occasional grade-schooler or grownup who attempts to use it as an attendance-dodge. Getting sick as a voice talent can be a serious problem, particularly with a head/chest cold, sinus infection, or the flu. If your voice changes you are screwed, especially if you’re in the middle of a long-form project like an audio book. Fortunately I live alone and work from home so I’m generally not exposed to sick co-wor

I’ve gotten to the point in my voiceover career where voice talents, both aspiring and veteran, regularly seek my advice. While I never take myself seriously, I take that very seriously. I’m sincerely flattered every time I’m asked for my input and I always do my best to give thoughtful, honest feedback. I say thoughtful because obviously I want to give them good advice. I also say honest because, well, I want to give them good advice. Here’s an example… Twice in the past two

Back in September I posted a blog about Facebook and my recent changes in how I manage my Facebook friends. Click here to read said entry. To recap, here are the three new things I’ve been doing on Facebook in an effort to improve the experience and reduce the time-suck factor: 1) I may not accept your friend request. 2) As soon as I accept your friend request, I will most likely un-follow you. 3) When I get a notification that’s it’s your birthday, I may un-friend you. As a

I talk fast. I always have. I guess it’s because I assume whomever I’m talking to will get bored so I gotta get everything in before they wander off. Unfortunately, that habit has carried over to my voiceover career. I have to make a conscious effort to slow down almost every time I step up to the mic. I mention this because last week at a recording session one of my fellow talents needed to leave as soon as possible to get to another engagement. There was a rotating cast of

Over the weekend I went to a baby shower. The baby was already born (and adorable) so it wasn’t just a ladies only-type event. There were couples and friends and co-workers so it was cool. While there I had a pleasant conversation with a lovely young woman. Let’s call her Lisa. During our chat, I asked her what she does for a living. She’s a family practice doctor at a clinic in Brooklyn. She ballroom dances as a hobby, loves living in New York, all that good stuff. Sounds li

Recently, someone asked me where I get ideas to write my blog. It depends, really. Often I look in my planner to see what happened last week. Usually an entry reminds me of a question or an experience and I’m off to the races. Sometimes it’s seasonal. For example, at the beginning of every year I write something pertaining to goals or another way to set you up for success in the New Year. Sometimes it just springs out of my head for no damn good reason. A few days ago I was u

Over the last two weeks we’ve talked about how to set goals and come up with actionable items to achieve said goals. To catch up you lollygaggers, you can read the Goals one here and the Actionable Items one here. Once I set up my Goals for 2016 and came up with a list of Actionable Items to achieve those goals, then I created a monthly Action Plan. My Action Plan is broken down into the five “Dan Duckworth” categories: Cash Flow Tools Technique Marketing Health There are two

Last week we talked about how to set your goals for 2016. If you didn’t read it or need a refresher, clearly you weren’t paying attention. You can read last week’s blog entry here. This week we’re going to talk about Actionable Items. For a long time I didn’t understand the difference between a goal and an Actionable Item. Once I was able to parse it my life became much easier on a Systems of Thought level. Having all the day-to-day as well as big picture crap in my head in a