One Last Piece of Gum
Once, as a kid, I was given a whole pack of gum, and was so excited to have it that I decided to try chewing the whole pack at once. I poked one stick of gum into my mouth after another, and pretty soon my mouth was so full and the burden of chewing it was so great that I knew I had overdone it. That's how my freelance life gets sometimes. So many areas are fun and interesting to me that it's hard to limit myself. But I think I have just poked in the last piece of gum I'm going to add...for awhile anyway.
Before I introduce my "last piece of gum," let's take an inventory of what I'm already chewing...
Taking Inventory
There are the Facebook groups:
Fiverr and UpWork Voiceover Lounge
Fiverr VO Enclave (private group)
There are the Facebook pages:
The Coach (voiceover coaching)
Fiverr Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
There are the websites:
http://www.thegigdoctor.com (my coaching and gig consultation site)
http://www.goldentones.com (my voiceover website)
http://www.tunetrackersystems.com (my radio automation system)
There's Fiverr and Upwork:
http://www.fiverr,com/goldentones
https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~0105131358b9fadb94
And there are the media:
This "The Fit Gig" Blog
The "Studio Takes" YouTube channel
The Final Stick
Given the amount of gum I'm already chewing, you (and I) might question the wisdom of stuffing one last stick into my mouth, but let me tell you what it is, and why I am adding it.
Early last year, I set myself up with a webcam and made my first faltering steps into doing live video. It's not in my comfort zone, I'm a behind-the-mic guy. Yeah, I hosted a few TV interview show episodes once long ago, but it's really not where I prefer to be. I'm the first to acknowledge my "face made for radio," and am not so naive as to think that people wouldn't rather see a beautiful 20's'ish face in their YouTube videos. But I also realize that people are visually oriented, and that video helps them feel more connected to the communicator. So through my Studio Takes series, I am attempting to make that connection.
Having said that, I also know that really busy, mobile people don't have the time to sit glued to a monitor screen, watching YouTube videos. They're out and about. They're walking, jogging, biking, traveling. So I've decided the best way to serve them is to join them for the walk, jog, bike ride, and trip.
The "Studio Takes Podcast"
Today, I'm introducing the third leg of the media stool. We have the blog, the videos, and now audio. Studio Takes will, at least initially, be audio from of my Studio Takes YouTube videos, made more-portable by being distributed through all the major podcast networks. You'll now be able to carry them in your pocket and listen when there's time, even if that's when you're out in a boat fishing, or hiking a country trail.
For those who don't know yet about Studio Takes, they primarily cover two areas: voiceover technique, and the marketing of voiceovers (with a heavy emphasis on Fiverr, since that's the one I'm the most active on). In one episode, it might be all about performing a certain voiceover style, in a second, something about gear or editing or studio setup, and in a third, a technique that will help you reach more Fiverr buyers. But they're always practical, real-world things I've discovered actually work.
So here it is, gang! And with its addition, I feel my mouth is comfortably full, with PLENTY to chew on:
https://studiotakes.buzzsprout.com
You can subscribe through many of your favorite podcast platforms already..
..and in another week or so, it'll be on pretty much every platform, including Apple and Pandora.
I've got a list of topics as long as your arm, and will be adding new "episodes" pretty rapidly at both YouTube and in the podcast. In addition, I may be doing podcast-only content sometimes, so expect non-YouTube audio as well. As to length, I know how busy you are, so I'm keeping these reasonable lengths, between around 8 and 20 minutes. Sometimes they may be a really brief check-in, and occasionally I might get longer-winded. When I have guests, which I plan to do more and more, the length may exceed a half hour sometimes.
Video Audio CAN WORK
The elephant in the room is this, of course: Not all videos work well as audio. If the YouTube video is highly visual, and the narrator is referencing things on screen, listeners to audio-only are going to feel left out. And for a few of my initial entries in the podcast archive, those done before there was thought of podcast audio, that may occur here and there. But going forward, all the fresh content I add to YouTube (and cross-distribute to the podcast) will be prepared in such a way that, if I do use visuals, I'll be sure to describe them aurally as well, so you'll have a good experience whether you're seeing them or not.
Over to You!
You can help me in two ways. First, please comment here or send me a personal message through Facebook and tell me about any topics you would love to know more about. And second, please do subscribe to the new podcast and bring Studio Takes along for the ride!
There's so much you and I can do together to improve your gig's performance. Schedule your Gig Doctor appointment by hitting the Gig Checkup link at the top of this page for an inexpensive personalized checkup and consultation!
For those of you who do voiceovers, or who are interested in entering that fun profession, I can help there too. Check out my voiceover coaching services.