Do you have a SEP-IRA? Do you even know what one is? Let’s zoom out for a sec for an IRA refresher… An IRA, or Individual Retirement Arrangement, is an account set up at a financial institution that allows you to save for retirement. What’s the difference between a SEP-IRA, a Traditional IRA, and a Roth IRA? To quote Vanguard.com: A SEP-IRA (Simplified Employee Pension) is a simple, tax-deferred retirement plan for anyone who is self-employed, owns a business, employs others

I’m sick. No, not THAT kind of sick that’s turned our collective lives upside down. When we landed in Hawaii last week I got clobbered...

2015 was a good year for the Not Silent blog. If this sounds familiar, I penned a similar blog a few months ago about how wonderful 2014...

Here’s an unexpected exercise in making choices… Last week, I woke up in the middle of the night and scribbled this down: For the life of...

I’m reflecting on my experience at VO Atlanta while I’m waiting to board the plane home. First off, I was honored to be asked to speak...

Being prepared aka Conference Survival is a real thing! I don’t mean, like, you could die at one if you don’t bring extra socks. Or could...

Money is the number one concern in every business, but in the voiceover profession I’ve noticed a trend. More and more people seem to be...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve stressed the value of having effective Systems of Thought and Systems of Execution. How we think...

As voice talents, many of us are obsessed with our social media status. Some more than others, like myself. 😉 As a community, we’re...

The 2019 tax season is here so it’s time to pay your taxes. Or hopefully get a refund. 🙂 Last year a I wrote a two-part blog about the...

What does success look like for you as a voice talent? Photo by Got Credit I ask because as the VO Strategist I’ve been doing a lot of...

Photo by twicepix In last week’s Tip of the Week, my first bit of advice regarded respect. To narcissistic-ally quote myself… The most...

I got married! That’s me and my lovely bride Marni on The Promenade in Las Vegas. We got married on The High Roller Observation Wheel....

Since I’m not actually here this week (you’ll know what I mean by that next week 😉 ), I thought I’d keep y’all busy by posting some...

A recent YouTube video got me thinking about the voiceover community. I’m a big fan of David Brooks. He’s a brilliant & thoughtful...

Have you written your 2019 goals yet? As a fun exercise (or at least my voice-geeky idea of fun) I’m going to share mine. FYI dollars I’d...

Over the weekend I spoke at the Mid-Atlantic Voice Over Conference in Hernon, Virginia. 100 aspiring voice talents from all over the...

There are a lot of bad demos out there. Whose fault is it? I bring this up because a few weeks ago, an aspiring voice talent posted his...

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

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