Briggan O'Bryan
Professional Voice Over Actor
COVID-19
The world has changed a lot this year,
and they way we do business in the voice over industry has too.
Auditions and recordings are now all done remotely. As a result, having an at home recording booth and studio setup are critical. I’m lucky to have started working with a new agent, and a new manager, all because of my ability to record broadcast quality remotely. Here’s how.
Recording and Processing
I have a 4×6 recording booth, with a very low noise floor. That means there’s no background noise in my recordings. The interior is filled with sound absorption panels that help give a clear, true tone, without any unwanted effects. I then process the recordings at my studio PC.
Microphones
I use two. My go-to is a Synco D2 Hyper-Cardio shotgun mic. It gives me a really true tone, clear and crisp, with no background noise. The shotgun style mic is an industry staple since it allows sound in only from the front. I also have a Rhode NT1 cardio mic for a nice, deep, rich sound, without being too bassy.
OS
I use PCs for all my work. I have an external monitor in the booth with a wireless keyboard, and I record into a laptop outside the booth. I run Audacity for recording and processing, Dropbox for saving (and sometimes sharing), then everything is transferred to the studio PC where I do all the editing and processing.
Connecting with me
There are lots of ways we can connect about your project, before, after and even during the recording. I have Source Connect, ipDTL, Zoom, Skype, access to browser based connections, as well as phone patch. You can give direction or have direct access to the recording in real time, without having to back and forth via email, call, or text. Easy.
…And Some Days, It’s…
My last post was in March…and it was Sisyphus, pushing the rock up the mountain:
But now, time has passed, things have changed, money has exchanged hands, and the world is my oyster!
But hey, if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’ll know that I’ve been saving up for my demos… and just last week, I finally recorded new Commercial and E-Learning demos!
The incomparable J. Michael Collins put together terrific scripts that we tweaked, he gave me terrific direction with lots of options, and in a few weeks, I’ll have terrific new demos to show off.
Then the real work begins.
The Demos are going to be awesome…but they aren’t gonna get me work.
That’s gonna be on me, and my success is directly proportionate to the amount of hustle I put into intelligent marketing. So…
I’ll be back shortly, to pass along my updates. I’ve been involved in some other aspects of approaching the bussiness, and I’ll look forward to sharing those with you soon! For right now,
YAY! I HAVE 2 NEW DEMOS!!
The Best Version of Yourself
I’m happy to posting again! Sometimes, it takes me awhile to figure out if the things I have going on are worthy of sharing, or not. I respect everybody’s time and attention span, and I don’t want to put something out that’s a waste of either. But I think this post has something you might relate to.
Do you ever feel that you’re not expressing your whole, authentic self?
I mean, not all the negative stuff, or the “why do doors have handles and not buttons or switches” kind of thing, but the basic you. The version of yourself where you’re the most authentic.
Since my wife and I committed to me pursuing voice over full time, there’s been a fundamental shift in how I approach the world. Voiceover is hard work. Getting started in voiceover is even harder. My wife makes a solid living, and we don’t need my income for very much at the moment. Yet, I do need to work, to make some cash, to get us where we want to be…and to be around other humans.
So, I have a part time job as a Captain at a swanky hotel grill.
*FYI: Captain is a fancy, upscale term for
Server-With-Supporting-Staff.*
I meet the kindest most gracious people, and have a blast with most of them, planning out how to make their visit memorable, and fun. I get to offer fantastic and unique food and drink experiences, and I also get the chance to interact in a way I think is my most authentic…
The Enabler
These are things I get to say every night:
“You wanna try something cool?”
“Can I make a recommendation that’ll blow your socks off?”
“Are you feeling adventurous?””
“Have you heard of such-and-such?”
“Do you know the secret of the whatever-it-is?
And my favourite: “Do you wanna have some fun?”
“Do you wanna have some fun?” for me, is the most authentic version of myself!
It’s the most central to who I am, and the way I want to approach my marriage, relationships, my side gig, and to get it back on message, my voiceover career.
Voiceover is FUN! What a cool way to spend your time, communicate to people, make money, and work with people who are looking to represent their business in their most authentic way possible. (See what I did there?)
My VO career is just getting started(again). It’s not where I want it to eventually be, but I’m sure enjoying the path to get it there.
So, my point is, if you pursue the thing that brings you joy, by supporting it with work that allows you to be joyful by bringing joy to others, that’s a recipe for success.
If this resonates for you, leave me a comment on the box below!
Also, if my message is convoluted…let me know that too!
Each post I do, I’m trying to clarify my points more and more, and be more concise. My innate writing style is definitely….
verbose /vərˈbōs/ using or expressed in more words than are needed.
synonyms: wordy, loquacious, garrulous, talkative, voluble, orotund, expansive, babbling, blathering, prating, jabbering, effusive, etc., etc., etc., etc.,
1 on 1 coaching
For me, this is the way to go! Read Me
Forced or Self-Imposed Hiatus?
It’s the beginning of November and I haven’t written on my blog since August…
It’s hard to get back into the mind set, as I’ve been at a kind of standstill since the beginning of September.
Has this ever happened to you? I have a game plan, an overview, a list of things that I need to get done, piece by piece, step by step, in order to move forward.
It’s not all encompassing, and doesn’t include all the little, side-line things I need to attend to, but it’s solid, grounded, and direct, attending to the most import things. Right?
And then, nothing. I do nothing. I CAN”T do anything because I have to wait. Wait. Wait…on money. Money, is what I need to move forward with my game plan.
I’ve been working with a coach for some months now, and I’m ready to get a demo made, except I don’t have the cash. The demos I want to make are over $2,000… EACH.
Fair enough, but since there’s nothing I can do about that at the moment, I should be focusing on the those other, side-line things I need to attend to right? The little incidental things that keep me in shape, moving forward, and expand aspects of my business that I NEED to.
But no, I’m not, not so much.
I’m following blogs, doing all my reading, listening to my industry podcasts and watching the VO Community YouTube shows, but….
I haven’t even stepped foot in my booth since Labour Day. Woah. I should be rehearsing.
As I sit here and think about it, I realize that I hate multitasking.
For over a decade now, that was the thing I did most in my work. I ran businesses.
For 2 years I was the Managing Artistic Director of a regional theatre, and oversaw every department and employee for every show (9-10) in a year round season, as well as a 7 month long murder mystery weekend event, and interacted daily with various departments within the resort that the theatre resided at. AND I either Performed in or Directed 70% of the shows we put on. 6 out of 9? 7 out of 10? Plus the murder mystery weekend.
After that, I spent 7 years as a restaurant GM or AGM in NYC. I took that skill set I developed at the theatre, plus my years as a server and bartender in between acting gigs, and turned it into a profitable living, again running a ton of different aspects of the business, juggling what felt like dozens of balls in the air.
- copyright Ken Garduno
I WANT to be able to focus on my immediate next step. I want to do what I want, instead of what I can. What I’m able to right now.
So, I guess it’s time to flip that switch in my head. Turn off the self imposed inertia and get back to work. I’ll let you know how it goes!
work
/wərk/
noun
noun: work; plural noun: works; plural noun: the works
1. activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
2. mental or physical activity as a means of earning income; employment.
3. the period of time spent during the day engaged in such activity.
4. a task or tasks to be undertaken; something a person or thing has to do.
5. PHYSICS – the exertion of force overcoming resistance or producing molecular change.
6. be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result, especially in one’s job; do work.
You Know Who’s Nice?
Today, let’s talk positivity-ness. Positiveness. Positively.
Part III-The Booth Updated
So, here we are in mid August, and I’m just posting my first blog this month. Read Me
opinion-Coaching & Value for Money #5
In the time when we weren’t actually working at the mic, discussion in the class turned to equipment Read Me
opinion-Coaching & Value for Money #4
So, to pick up, I’ve finished my first of 4 sessions in my next group workshop setting.
Read Me
Briggan O'Bryan 