So this is the first post! Hello!
Yes, I've started a blog focusing on voice-over projects I am working on; these are primarily audiobook-based, but also commercials, video games, e-learning, apps, corporate productions, documentaries...essentiall narration for this, that, and a whole lot of other things.
A little bit about me: a classically-trained actor, I was bit by the audio bug in 2002 while living, working, and generally surviving the biggest, baddest city in America, New York, New York. I created an audio theatre production company called Play it by Ear Productions, and served as Producing Director from 2002 through its end in 2010. During those eight years, both in New York and in California (where I moved to in 2003), I produced several world-premiere radio one-acts for the award-winning anthology series “We Have Ignition,” and produced and co-directed a festival of original five-minute radio plays, You Have Five Minutes… before a live audience in Albuquerque, NM in 2009.
In addition, a live re-creation of Norman Corwin’s legendary audio essay We Hold These Truths at the Canterbury Woods Auditorium in Pacific Grove, CA (2005) led to my producing a series of old-time radio re-creations on the Central Coast, “Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear.” (2 dozen shows, almost 50 classic shows from Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel to Doc Savage.)
Since 2010, I have been devoting a good deal of time to my production company with Bill Dufris and Elaine Lee, AudioComics, which produces and distributes full-cast adaptations of independent comics and graphic novels, for which we were nominated (twice) for the Oscars of the audiobook industry, the Audies (for Titanium Rain) and won the Mark Time, Ogle, and Communicator Awards (for Titanium Rain, The Perhapanauts, and Honey West, respectively).
Wait, wait wait wait, there's more...
I'm also a former Vice President of the National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc., an organization dedicated to the education and promotion of contemporary audio theatre, and was a six-time attendee at the Festivals’ Audio Theatre Workshop in Missouri, where I directed the world premiere of Knocking on Heaven’s Door, written by comics legend JM DeMatteis (2011). For the NATF I also produced the NATF’s “Audio Art of Animation” workshop in Hollywood, where actors in voice-over worked with animation legends Mark Evanier and Corey Burton; and co-created the Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio Theatre, the only award of its kind in America honoring life achievement in audio theatre/radio drama.
Audiobooks I have recorded for Audible Studios:
MISTAKES CAN KILL YOU
BECOME A FRANCHISE OWNER! THE START-UP GUIDE TO LOWERING RISK, MAKING MONEY, AND OWNING WHAT YOU DO
THE REPUBLIC OF ROCK
REALMS OF SHADOW
REALMS OF THE DEEP
RED HEROIN
RED DRAGON
BIRTH OF FIRE
WEST OF HONOR
THE OMEGA COMMAND
THE ALPHA DECEPTION
THE GAMMA OPTION
THE OMNICRON LEGION
THE VENGEANCE OF THE TAU
THE EIGHTH TRUMPET
THE NINTH DOMINION
THE DOOMSDAY SPIRAL
THE COUNCIL OF TEN
THE LUCIFER DIRECTIVE
THE VALHALLA TESTAMENT
PANDORA'S TEMPLE
DEAD SIMPLE
KINGDOM OF THE SEVEN
THE FIRES OF MIDNIGHT
DAY OF THE DELPHI
For close to a year now I have been ensconced in the wilderness here in Bellingham, WA, where I've set up a studio to handle work from home. What? You want a few pictures? I think we can do that:
Entrance to the booth. Behind you can see my file basket, shelves of external hard drives, ZBS mug, a couple of DVD box sets (yes, the black and white one is Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 of CONTROL), a handful of full-cast audio CD's, a couple classic comic strip characters, and of course my statue of DC's Manhunter. Because Manhunter is way cool.
The booth! This is a StudioBricks One Plus Booth, probably the best booth I've ever been in. Shipped in from Barcelona, think of it as a giant soundproof Lego set. The soundproofing is unbelievable.
I use a Rode NT-1 microphone. It's simple, it gets the job done. The ledge I installed myself for copy, as well as water bottles, clock, and the all-important iPad for Skyping with clients or reading e-books for an audiobook.
And finally, where the voice goes! Again, simple set-up: laptop with Windows 7, MBox 2, and Digidesign/Pro Tools 8.5. As time goes on I'll upgrade, but for now the minimum works for me.
FINALLY...if you would like to discuss my narrating your commercial, video game, e-learning project, training video, documentary, promo, or PSA, drop me a line at:
lravoiceactor@gmail.com, and please include the type of project you would like me to voice in the subject line. Delivery via WeTransfer.com or Dropbox for WAV or MP3 files. I can also burn and mail you a CD if necessary (client is responsible for the postage).
Audiobook rates:
"I want YOU to narrate the audiobook of my new novel!" Great! I'm happy to transform your words into great stellar audio. But before you shoot me that e-mail know that there are actually three people involved in an audiobook recording: your narrator (me), an editor/proofreader for quality control, and finally a mastering engineer for fine tuning.
First, you need to know that WORD count of your book, Audible uses an average rate of speed of 9,300 words/finished hour. So a book with 90,000 words = just under 10 hours.
However, the time involved in creating that 10 hour audiobook is 40 hours: 4 hours of production time for every hour you hear. That includes not only narration time, but hours of editing time for pacing, proofreading for errors, and finally, mastering. Therefore the "PFH" rate reflects additional work that the production team has to do in order to bring your book to life.
I work with skilled editor/proofers and mastering engineers, and their fees will be included in your final PFH rate. Note: outside of a handful of authors, and I do mean a handful of authors, I do not do royalty share books. Strictly PFH. Trust me, I'm worth your time!
My first audiobook of the year will be released in the next week or two, followed by another great one in May, and in July I'll have a HUGE announcement audio drama-wise about an AudioComics piece that will blow your mind!
Until later,
Lance
