VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[JulieTalksFunny]

Hello and Salutations All,

I'm Julie. A brief history:

I came to NYC in 1997 with MFA (MoFo Actress) in hand and a dream in my heart-- I was going to become the next Angela Lansbury. Or the American Angela Lansbury. I hadn't decided which, but AL definitely had a role in there somewhere. Anyhoo...

After about a year of doing the audition circuit, I found myself in the predicament that so many before and since me have come to-- standing in front of a mirror and saying, "OMG, I DON'T want to do this!" Then I said, "OK...well, you're not a leading lady, and you're too young to play all the roles you played in grad school and college. Take a break, regroup, and think about what you want." Sounds reasonable, right?

Well, that break lasted about 10 years.

In the meantime, I started a pet care business, and obtained certification in dog training. I was a 1 person company and was (and still am) quite successful, keeping a roof over my head and food on my table, all the while living in Manhattan. Met my husband here, and I live a happy life.

But...I missed performing. A lot. I could still crack people up at parties with my repetoire of silly voices I had annoyed my parents and teachers with since I was 4. I could mimic a variety of celebrities. And both my husband and I are rabid cartoon fans and comic/sci-fi geeks, and I'd cut him up doing different voices from our favorite shows. And then, over the years, I had many people say to me, "You have a really great voice. You should do voiceovers." And I'd shrug and say, "Nah, they told me in grad school that they hire the same 5 people over and over again. I don't really have a chance to break in."

And then, one day, I picked up a talking greeting card. And then it hit me-- with the onslaught of silicone chips and new, cheaper technology, voice over was a tangible option. And then I saw the explosion of new animation on TV, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, podcasts, internet, e-learning, audio books-- the possibilities seemed endless. And I thought to myself, "I AREN'T I doing voiceovers? With a little training and guidance, I could be just as good as these folks."

So I took an introductory class with Edge Studio here in NY. I liked what I saw on their website, especially the part where they promised to be "bluntly honest about your potential in VOs." Yes, great, that was for me-- please be honest! Well, the good folks at Edge were bluntly honest...and here I am, having just cut my first 2 demos. Hi.

But I gotta say, I've been out of the 'entertainment' loop for a while--and with the emergence of computers, I very much feel like a stranger in a strange land. Home studios, personal marketing, branding, FTP, phone patch, Voice123, agents, union vs. non, ISDN, etc. etc. AAAGGGHHH!!

So, let me just thank everyone in advance for letting me lurk, observe, learn, maybe pick your ears a bit. And I will make it a point to thank you at the moment as well.

Thanks for having me !

Julie

[SkinnyJohnny]

Welcome Julie, you not only talk funny...you're a funny girl!
_________________
John Weeks Voice Overs
www.johnweeksvoiceovers.com

[Philip Banks]

Hello.

[Deirdre]

Good to have your company here.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[JulieTalksFunny]

Thanks! I'm so glad to be here

[Lee Gordon]

Welcome. But if you've been lurking, you know that around here "MFA" stands for "much frosting applied." In other words: CAKE.
_________________
Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[roger]

We're delighted to have you join us.
-roger
_________________
Roger Tremaine
www.MyFavoriteVoice.com
http://rogertremaine.voices.com/
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. AESOP (The Lion and the Mouse)

[Edo]

Welcome to the throats dept. Julie!

[Bill Roberts]

Welcome to the VO world!
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VO-BB Member # 764 (Dec 2009)

[Lizden]

Hey Julie!
Nice to meet ya! Thanks for intro!

(edited for spelling.....or lack thereof! )
_________________
Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

[melissa eX]

Welcome Julie ! Great story !

did anyone bring chocolate?

[Bish]

Hello from another New York (well... Long Island) noob! Thanks for the story. Bit of advice... give 'em cake. I got away with espresso, but they get a bit grumpy when denied cake.
_________________
Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Lizden]

WE DO NOT!!!!!

(see what happens when you bring too much espresso? )
_________________
Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

[bobsouer]

Julie,

Welcome to the VO-BB and thank you for sharing your story with us.
_________________
Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express

[Chrissy]

Hi Julie, Welcome even if you didn't bring any cake (chocolate preferred).