As Pink Slips Fly, Many Are Cruising Into A New Career In Voice-Overs

As Pink Slips Fly, Many Are Cruising
Into A New Career In Voice-Overs


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Deb Munro
Phone: 604-459-5559
Email: Debbie@micnme.com


As Pink Slips Fly, Many Are Cruising
Into A New Career In Voice-Overs

April 16, 2009 - A tough economy that’s delivering a lot of pink slips lately has a growing number of people stuttering like Porky Pig – or practicing how to sound like a friendly neighbor in a TV commercial, or maybe a dastardly video game villain.

These folks have found a promising career field: the world of voice-overs.

A voice-over is the spoken word in any media, where the words are not seen as coming from the lips of an actor. And that’s a big field, encompassing television and radio commercials, documentaries, telephone messaging, video games, training videos, podcasts – and of course, cartoons.

“I’ve seen a huge pickup in the number of people wanting training in voice-overs,” says Deb Munro, a voice actor and voice-over coach based near Vancouver, B.C. “People come to workshops to learn about voice acting and how to succeed in this business.”

That training can lead to a lucrative career for people who learn the skills and techniques needed to compete with established voice actors.

A plus is that voice-over work is increasingly performed from the voice actor’s home, in a home studio. That means no commute and flexible work hours in meeting clients’ needs. Anything that has a voice is another potential job.

And voice-over training can be relaxed and fun. For instance, a special event this September will literally make waves in the voice-over industry and for people interested in a voice-over career.

Dozens of voice actors and industry newcomers will sail from Vancouver, B.C., Canada down the U.S. West Coast to Los Angeles on the Norwegian Pearl, from Sept. 21-26, on the unique VoiceLympics VoiceOver Cruise.

Onboard workshops with some of the industry’s top performers and coaches will complement networking, socializing, and the ship’s non-stop entertainment and food.

Even Porky Pig will be aboard – that is, Bob Bergen, who voices Porky, Tweety Bird and numerous other cartoon characters, will be among the cruisers as a workshop presenter.

Other top voice-over experts, talent, directors and trainers will include Canada’s Deb Munro; Warner Bros. casting director Joyce Castellanos; Sacramento-based talent and marketing guru Julie Williams; and Los Angeles-based producer and coach Bill Holmes.

“It would normally cost over $2,500 to study individually with these coaches, plus travel expenses, but the cruise workshop package offers this training for only $650,” says Munro, who is a cruise organizer.

Also, cabin prices have been reduced. Discount packages are currently available for as little as $249 per person (not including taxes and port fees).

“This is definitely a working vacation, with the emphasis on fun,” says Munro.

“Training is essential to being able to perform effectively in front of a microphone,” adds John Florian, creator of VoiceOverXtra.com, an industry web site and one of many cruise sponsors. “We are noticing an uptick in voice-over interest, as people search the Internet for new career opportunities. The VoiceLympics VoiceOver Cruise is a great way to dive into it.”
Details and registration information is available at the cruise web site: www.VoiceLympics.com