Sid Whatley is a great guy. I’ve had the recent pleasure of working with Sid and, as usual, found out that his story is extraordinary. When I find a great talent I can usually count on a story that helped to mold the strength and sensitivity that is expressed by the artist .

When I first heard Sid’s voice demo I could tell immediately that he was a real pro.

He has definitely paid his dues in the radio, TV, jingle production, promotion, production and everything in between business.

Sid served our country during the Vietnam conflict and is, today, a disabled veteran. But the story should come from him, so here it is, briefly, in his own words.

“I am an amputee (right leg above knee). I served in the Navy 71-75, at Annapolis and then aboard a ship during the last years of Vietnam. But I lost my leg in 2000 from a freak auto accident. I hydroplaned, crossed the median and hit an 18 wheeler head-on. My leg was amputated at the scene and the doctors were able reattach my right arm. I woke up 68 days later and was called “The 3rd true miracle in the history of the hospital (Tulsa)”. They didn’t give me but a 10% chance of surviving.

My career began as a professional musician (drummer) at age 12 touring with a show-band thru my teen yrs, got into the agency business after the Navy in 76 where I was in charge of the audio studio (music, jingles, musician, in-house voice/on camera….etc), had a minor (very minor!) hit record in 81, was known as “The Subaru Cowboy” on camera nationwide, featured on CMT as a solo artist in the late 80′s and the voice of many national accounts over the years.

Left the agency in 93 and I’ve been doing voiceovers/audio production in my home studio ever since. Current national accounts include Sheplers Western Wear, Sunflower Farmers Market, narrator inside The Alamo and voice of The Texas Chevy Dealers. A few of my old music videos can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/user/adman1048

Glad I found the enormous talents of Sid Whatley. You can hear his demo at voice123.com

I’d like to show you some secrets that most people will never know about getting work.

A few years ago, a good friend of mine reached a point where she was close to desperate to get more voice work. To say she was angry is putting it lightly.

She was  fed up with being

• an award winning,
• high quality voice over artist

and still not getting enough work to keep her busy.

So she got busy and studied all the books and information she could get her hands on that had anything to do with selling personal services. She was determined to really get it right this time.

After weeks of effort she started to put it into action.

Guess what?

It didn’t work very well . She got a  little closer to her goal but was disappointed. She was about to learn blues guitar and sing on the street.

But she didn’t give up.

Finally, she found a mentor who could help her put it all together and get results.

The mentor she found had been through the same thing. He was sick and tired of not getting the work he needed so he put together a system that worked to take him to the next level. Later, he wrote a book and developed a comprehensive program.

You know, not all mentors have to be close friends. They can often come in the form of books and audio tapes. That’s what happened in this situation.

My friend learned how to

• Get plenty of commercial contacts and turn them into clients.
• Get repeat voice business month after month.
• apply the different marketing approaches for various kinds of clients.
• Set up a system so that her marketing brings in leads even when she is not paying attention.
• Present herself professionally even though she hates selling.

The mentor I am talking about has been a big help to me as well.

Michael Port is the author of the “Book Yourself Solid” program.

His work is organized in a way that helps you

• understand the simple steps needed to contact potential clients
• and follow through with them until you are Booked Solid.

Most of the voice artists I know have always been better at their craft than selling themselves.

But the truth is, no agent will work as hard for you as you will. With these tools from Michael Port you can unleash the networking machine that lurks deep within you.

One technique I like is Ports postcards for prospecting and staying in touch.

Internet based postcards sent through regular mail. A simple idea with effective results.

BYS is a sincere approach so you don’t have to present yourself with unnatural hype. Matter of fact, Michael teaches NOT to do that. His approach is real and straightforward.

It works, so when you follow his method you can take control of your career and be the one commercial voice person you know with a full calendar.

You might want to pass “Book Yourself Solid” along to others who could benefit.

Click here now for Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid .

Kara Edwards

This process is complex and does not happen overnight. I have known Kara for years and it has been interesting to observe her art unfolding, changing, morphing into various expressions through her vocal discipline.

As the voice of many animated characters, Kara can fill a persona with a calculated tone that comes from years of sensitivity training.  Her ability to occupy a personal space with vocal textures is one that requires precision through physical expertise.

But there is another element at play as well. That is the paradoxical ability to let go and allow a spiritual infusion to occupy her psyche as she becomes the instrument of IT. All this happens in a flash as Kara speaks and lives words just for the moment that will bring animation to animation itself. How simple. How hard.

That is what makes an artist. I have said for years that a true artist is simply one who knows what to frame. A well placed frame helps the viewer see what was there all along.

This is what Kara does with her voice. It seems effortless after the fact but the artist feels the struggle, the paradox and the resulting fatigue or elation or both simultaneously. It is not so much the physical effort but the inner struggle and mastery required to allow the counterintuitive to happen in a willful way that demands relaxed release.

It is refreshing to see an artist hurt. That’s the sign that art has happened.

Kara often shares her inner vulnerabilities on blog posts. What the reader may not be aware of is Kara’s extraordinary strength in doing so.

Find her at KaraEdwardsVO.com