Interview with American voiceover, Dave Courvoisier
Dave’s one of those savvy internet voiceovers that’s all over the blogging and twittering and pretty jacked up in general when it comes to working from home as a voiceover. We asked him a few Q’s, and he gave us a few A’s…
Tell us a bit about yourself
How much time/space do we have here? That much? OK then…I was born by a river, in a little ole tent… and just like that’a river, I’ve been runnin’ ever since… Actually, I was born on a farm in the boring but bountiful state of Illinois. My life is unremarkable, ‘cept that I’ve always worked for my dreams, and I’ve got a wife of 26 years who stuck by me…giving me 3 lovely daughters. My college degree is in something hard to pronounce in the science field, and I began my broadcasting career 30 years ago at a country/western radio station in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
How and when did you get into voiceovers?
November 2005 I got serious about it…concurrent with my growing boredom of the TV news business. Now that the demise of TV news is working a slow, painful death, I’m glad I have a fall-back that I hope will support me full-time. That’s the “when”. How did I get into VO? Blindly. With an eager, ignorant, reckless abandon, and no small outlay of cash.
So you’re based in Vegas baby. Do you do most of your voice over work there, or over the internet?
Vegas is good to me in many ways, but it’s not the sort of VO market that presents many obvious voice opportunities…I’ve only been able to find work here after persistent searching and strong marketing. I sought and found much more VO work on the global stage long before Vegas opened up to me. Part of the reason for that is because I’m hindered by my TV contract from appearing in, or voicing commercial broadcast spots locally. That’s the really lucrative work here…so I’ve had to settle for the lesser-paying jobs.
What type of gigs do you work on mainly?
Long format. E-learning, medical and technical narrations, corporate training videos, AudioBooks, promotional projects, websites, webinars, and documentaries. Cracking into the lucrative 30-sec and minute-long national Radio and TV ads comes occasionally. I’d love to do more of that…and it’s what I’m now training for.
Do you have a home studio?
Yes, it’s a converted walk-in closet, lined in Aurelex sound-dampening panels, and packed with other equipment. My audio-chain starts with a Sennheiser MKH416 into an Aphex 430 Master Voice Channel processor, into a Lexicon I-Onix U42S audio recording interface, which plugs into a USB port on my Windows-7 computer. I like Adobe Audition 3.0 and Sony Sound Forge 10.0 as my recording/editing software.
Do you see yourself doing voiceovers full time in the future?
Yes, see above….right into and through my retirement.
We saw your blog. You obviously put a stank load of effort into it. Does it pay off (fiscally)?
Only indirectly. I don’t accept ads on it (I’m a purist). This September will mark 3 years of daily articles. The pay-off (as with most social media) is in the way it elevates my presence on the internet. My blog is the centerpiece of that. Everything I do in network marketing flows to and from my blog..crossposting to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Posterous, Tumblr, Google Buzz, yada yada yada…
You’re also very active on twitter - does that pay off? or is it more for the fun?
Twitter IS a lot of fun, but I take it seriously, too, as a part of my online marketing strategy. That’s a trick, though, ’cause blatantly marketing on Twitter is a turn-off. You have to be consistently and transparently helpful and giving…offering information and connections for free to get noticed, ultimately, for what you REALLY do. It’s a very subtle form of marketing that defines this new paradigm of the cult of online personna. I do get jobs directly because of my work on Twitter, FaceBook, and my blog.
What is the voiceover community like in the states?
Remarkably supportive. I’ve met some of the most creative, enterprising, helpful, and knowledgeable people in my entire life during the last 5 years of my VO career. It’s not cut-throat like the TV news business…’feels more like a community.
Tell us about Voice 2010. Don’t think there is something similar in the UK, and certainly not in Ireland.
VOICE2010 is the third in what is hoped to be a regular series of conferences for and by Voice Actors. In one sense, it’s a sign we’ve arrived as a distinct, organized force in the entertainment and advertising world, and it’s also an indication that there IS a sense of community dedicated to networking, technology, and education. The chance to be in the same place with hundreds of other VO’s is fun and enabling. Long-standing professionals learn new things, and newbies learn the basics. Liaisons made at these conferences lead to new relationships, and ultimately, more jobs.
Any words of wisdom to the guys out there interested in getting a home studio?
It is THE trend in the US. Gone are the days of hopping from studio to studio for auditioning. While some of that still goes on in LA, NYC, Chicago and other large metro areas, the accepted norm is now that the entire process of seeking, auditioning, performing, and invoicing for jobs is done from the center of your private home studio. The ultimate expression of that comes in the form of a studio equipped with ISDN and/or Source-Connect, and working ’round the clock with clients on a global scale.
Dog or Cat person?
Dog or Cat person?
I have a Welsh Corgi, and two cats: Siamese and Himalayan… but they worship at the feet of my wife. I’m not a big pet person…remember, the computer is my friend 27 hours-a-day.