How to Post Audio on Your Facebook Page with Audioboo

My Daughter’s First Voice-Over Gig

Preschoolers are learning about shapes with a new videogame for the iPhone and iPad. The game is called “Math Shapes,” and it comes to us from the talented people at MathZee.com. I’m especially excited about this because the voice of the game is my 5-year old daughter, Roselynn Kate Fortney.

This was Rosie’s first gig as a voice actor, and she handled it like a professional. The video below contains some clips from the session.

5-Year Old Rosie Fortney at the Mic

If you have a preschooler in your life, head over to the app store and pick up “Math Shapes” from MathZee.

Adobe Audition Keyboard Shortcuts Tutorial

I’ve been a fan of Adobe Audition since it was first introduced as Cool Edit by Syntrillium in the early 1990s. Audition just fits my needs as a voice actor and producer. I have tried other programs, but most of them are just too complex for the needs of a voice actor.

One of my favorite features of Audition is the ability to customize it to work the way you want it to work. If you are an Audition user, and you are not using keyboard shortcuts, you are wasting valuable time. Watch my video and learn just how easy it is to customize those shortcuts.

Learn how to create custom keyboard shortcuts. It’s easier than you think.

Happy Editing!

Must Be Santa!

For my Christmas gift to you this year, I'd like to share a true story from my childhood. Remembering the days when my brothers and I made it our mission to listen for Santa... and my dad made it his mission to catch us peeking!

Turn up your speakers and listen to my Christmas story that I call "Must Be Santa!"

The Voice of Santa

A brief visit from Santa–er, Scooter as the Voice of Santa Claus.

Giving Thanks

As we in America head into our Thanksgiving weekend, I want to express my thanks to God for family, friends and the talent He bestowed upon me.

America’s Thanksgiving is a tradition that began with the father of our country, George Washington.  Here are the words of President Washington that started it all:

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.”

Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you God for all of our blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!

Where Were You?

Where have I been lately? Extremely busy and somewhat under the weather. The one thing a voice-over talent tries hardest to avoid is a cold, because it can bring business to a standstill. Ugh.

One thing I have been able to continue is my podcast. If you're not aware of it, here's the breakdown. It's a weekday podcast full of nostalgia. Each episode, I take you back to that date in a particular year, and we relive it as if we are there. Not quite like Walter Cronkite used to do with "You Are There," but it's still a lot of fun. We look at that day's headlines, pop culture, movies... what was on TV that night, and one of the hot new songs on the radio... and sometimes little things like what a gallon of gas or a loaf of bread cost us. The podcast is called "Where Were You?" Here's where you can find it:

http://audioboo.fm/scottfortney

And please join my Facebook page to get the latest episode each morning:

http://www.facebook.com/ScottFortneyVO

And now back to sickbay. Be well, my friends.

A Day in the Life Of

I'm a sound nut. No, I don't mean that I'm a "perfect loon." I mean I love audio, especially sound effects. So not long ago, I put together this story using sound effects only. See if you can follow along with this "day in the life of" an ordinary guy.

That's What Scooter Said: To Audition or Not To…

That's What Scooter Said: To Audition or Not To…: "Recently, I heard from a fellow voice actor who expressed frustration with one of the “pay-to-play” voiceover sites. She (let’s call her Jan..."

To Audition or Not To…

Recently, I heard from a fellow voice actor who expressed frustration with one of the “pay-to-play” voiceover sites. She (let’s call her Jan)told me that she had recently subscribed to the site, but hadn’t won any auditions yet. Jan wondered if I had any tips on how to win a gig; she also wondered if it is just a “numbers game” or is it that certain people are hired for most of the jobs?

Here is what I told Jan. First, let me say that it didn't happen right away for me either. I had been getting most of my voiceover jobs locally or regionally up until late 2006. Then, a friend suggested I join the online sites to increase my business.

I started with two of them in January 2007, and didn't get my first job until May. When I won that first one, I went back and studied what I had written in that proposal, and how I produced the audition.

Then, I started browsing other talents' pages and I listened to their demos. I "borrowed" several ideas from the people who seemed to be most successful on the site, and the more I polished my audition process, the more jobs I booked.

I definitely do not believe that it is a numbers game. I have often heard others say that you shouldn't audition if there are already over 25 or 50 auditions submitted. Baloney. More than once, I have had a client say, "We listened to over 180 auditions, and you were the best of them" or something like that. Point is, if you feel you are right for the gig, you owe it to yourself to audition - no matter what that number says.

Also, download some of the demos of the top players, and compare them to your demos. Are they comparable to your demos? Get a friend to listen, and get unbiased opinions. Demand honesty. Flattery will truly get YOU nowhere.

Just hang in there, Jan. It will happen. Case in point, another VO friend of mine hasn't scored a job on the “pay-to-plays” since he signed up a year ago. So he started examining things more closely. Not to pat myself on the back (but don't mind if I do - heh-heh), I directed him and produced 3 new demos for him. A couple of weeks ago, he got his first job, and it may go national! Also, he has been in contact with someone who may use him in movie trailers. Pretty cool to see someone make so much progress in such a short amount of time - but only after he struggled for a year.

Again, ignore the numbers and the naysayers. You can do this, and you've got to go through some minefields to win the battle!

Here’s to Jan’s future in the VO world!