Category Archives: Music

Pronouncing Brands

January 13, 2016Commercials, General, Musicannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, production music, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio spots, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

Talking to a car salesman who doesn’t know how to say Laredo is jarring. It gives you the sense that they do not know what they are doing. And when someone is involved with taking your money for something…like a car…it puts you in financial danger. As in, they could be selling you a lemon, because clearly they don’t know anything about it, not even how to pronounce the name.

It’s the same with voice overs.

If you are in the voice over industry and you don’t know how to pronounce Mercedes, Laredo, Impala, Mitsubishi or Hyundai, you need to do your homework.

For me, I don’t guess on pronunciations. I hear them once and store them away in my mind for future use. And if i don’t know, I look it up. Because I know how bad it looks to be in the advertising business and not know how to pronounce a brand name. It looks really bad. And it shakes peoples confidence in you.

I am not saying you can’t make a mistake, I am saying, be knowledgeable about the brands you may have to say in the future.

Now I realize there are territory issues as well. Americans say Sportage as “SPORR-tigg” (soft ‘g’ as in porridge) and Canadians say “sporr-TAWGG” (like garage). But even that piece of knowledge should be known by a voice over artist in either country.

But even within ones own country, the knowledge of at least the large brands should be a prerequisite. Everyone is voicing things on every corner of the continent these days, so it shows you’ve been around the block, took note and have more knowledge because of it.

A working voice talent should know that in Ontario, Fiat is pronounced FEE-yit. But say in Colorado, it’s pronounced FEE-yawt. You know that Porsche is pronounced ‘porsh’ in most small markets in the United States, but ‘por-SHAH’ in large markets. And Volkswagen is pronounced as “FOAKS-va-gun” in Germany instead of “VOAKS-wagon” in America…and anyone of a particular age should know that Renault is pronounced as ruh-NOH and not ‘ruh-NALT’.

Knowing your brands shows you care about what you do, it puts others at ease when their futures are in your hands, whether you are selling the car to them, or selling it on the radio FOR them.

Although I have focused on car brands, this advice obviously extends to all brand names too of course…because knowing that ‘Nike’ does not rhyme with ‘Mike’ and “Versace’ is not vur-SAW-kee will keep you working long after the others have driven home in their chev-roh-LETT.

Original Music Beds

September 8, 2015Commercials, General, Musiccommercials, jingle, music beds, original music beds, production music, radio, radio production, radio spots, televisionOvernight Radio

Music. What could be more important?
Ok, lots of things…like oxygen, water, food, family, friends etc.
But beyond those 5 base ingredients for life, you must add flavor…and music tastes fantastic, in all it’s forms.

In advertising, music plays a major role – everyone is aware how important it is across any active media. The music we use, provides a reflection of the soundtrack to our lives, either currently, or nostalgically. The message is king of course, but with the addition of the right music, the message is enhanced exponentially.

Picking the right music is an art form itself. While producing a spot, you can start to hear the music you will need in your head as you put the voices/sound effects together. You already know how it should sound, unconsciously if not consciously. You might know which styles to avoid, but not which to look for. Sometimes it’s like a carving…you whittle away the parts you don’t need to find the statue inside.

Other times you know the exact style/tempo/genre you want and you know where to find it. Those are miraculous times if not few and far between.

Then, there’s the time you can’t find anything that suits. Nothing. BUT you can hear it in your head.

That’s when original music creation comes in.

This is such a specialized talent, that when someone does emerge with it, they are coveted almost immediately…as there is a never ending amount of need for new and original music in the advertising world.

I graduated from the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College in Ontario with a group of amazing musicians, producers and audio engineers. After graduation, some of us went directly into bands, some into producing bands, others into audio for video, and some into radio commercial production (like yours truly). Very few however, went into creating original music for television and/or radio commercials. But the ones that did, are some of the most successful, with their music being broadcast in commercials all over north america and the world.

Creating original broadcast ready music is not easy. It takes years of first, knowing the basic process of recording, playing multiple instruments, creating great sounds from said instruments, mixing audio (totally different from recording), editing, treating and finally, the social skills to put that music into the world of advertising.

When we create jingles, we use an original music creator from a studio called “Hard Left Productions” http://www.hardleftproductions.net/ that is able to adapt to all genres without prejudice, create them in a very timely manner, and on top of that, able to add vocals when needed with the proper rhythm and cadence the client wants. Sometimes the process is long (a week) other times, fast (a couple days). But in all cases, a piece of beautiful and more importantly, USABLE music emerges.

This is not small. I have worked in radio production for 17 years now, and this is the first time we have had a stable flow of original music to work with.

Knowing your gear and your work flow greatly enhances your chance of making a living at creating original music. But what really helps, is experience. Write, record, mix, write, record, mix…repeat until death. It’s the only way to get to a place where your music will be accepted as you have done it.

I have been asked for advice by younger people just starting out in the industry on how to get something going, and the answer is always the same.

DO.

Just do it…start recording, making music. Even if no one is asking for it. ESPECIALLY if no one is asking for it. This will give you the chance to build up your library of music. You need this library to be big. In order for it to be good, you need to do a lot. And people can tell right away if your stuff is broadcast ready or not immediately. So create your massive library of music beds. Even if you work for someone else in a totally different field.

IF YOU DO SOMETHING, YOU ARE SOMETHING.

In other words, if you create music, you are a musician. Eventually, by the time you get great, someone will have found you and will pay you for your skills, and they will be happy to do it.

Connecting Sales and Creative.

April 13, 2015Commercials, Musicaudio production, Commercial, creative radio, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, scripts, targeted advertisingOvernight Radio

We are from different worlds…different universes. We speak different languages, and therefore we cannot understand each other. One stands for art, the other for commerce. We are opposed.

We are…the creative department and the sales department in the broadcast industry.

Silly of course, to use such dramatic words to describe people that work in the same business, the same building, down the hall. But even though it’s an exaggeration, it IS understood that we DO indeed come from separate ‘worlds’…worlds being another word for a set of principles.

While in an acute sense, it’s not wrong to describe it this way…but in the bigger picture, it does end up being wrong.

Of course, we are all different…men/women…asia/europe…green/blue…and we need those differences to counter-balance the other…and at the same time, we need to be so complimentary to them, that only something very similar can do it. Men can’t live without women, asia is connected to europe, and green easily turns into blue with the help of purple.

My point here is that the creative side of things is not so different from the sales side of things. We need each other…and only something similar to us could be the yin to our yang.

These are things we know inherently, but do NOT know consciously. So sometimes it’s a good idea to consciously reflect on it to remind ourselves that we aren’t so different.

The biggest drawback is from the creative side, thinking that we are the only ‘creative’ ones. Something one might forgive since it’s literally in our name. But creativity takes place in sales all the time…maybe ALL the time. You have to be resourceful, uncanny, precise and loose all at the same time. You go into a sales meeting (that took creativity to get in the first place) with a set of rules in your mind of how it should go – and on top of that, a set of alternate routes to take if things go south. All of these need to be in your mind already, lined up, ready to go in an instant.

The ability to bend yet also be un-bendable is a trait i have admired in sales forever. Knowing how to talk, WHEN to talk, how to reply, how to groom, how to help, and to know when NOT to help are all talents one might have if they were in an improv show. I can tell you that at least for me, creativity is likely the ONLY thing you need in a ‘who’s line is it anyways’ type of show. But these are all traits of our cousins in the sales department.

Creative dept people lose track of that sometimes…and think that just because we hold the paint brushes, that we are the only artists in the building. It’s great to have a paintbrush and have all the masses walk through and see (hear) our paintings. But someone had to pay for it, someone had to commission it…and to bring a cold call to a business, all the way to a painting on the wall (as i keep with the painting/commercial comparison) is an amazing feat – a wildly creative feat.

One i will always admire. I love sales peoples art…it’s hard to see it…but when you do, you realize it’s all around you…and the only reason anyone can see (or hear) yours.

We are the same…just two sides of the coin…sometimes we can’t see each other…but we have each others back.

Creative limitations

October 16, 2014Commercials, General, Musicannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, jingles, radio, radio account executives, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

i wish i could do it all. And at one time, i thought i could.

there have been many points in my professional life where after finishing a project that took a lot of time and real effort…the finished product was sub-par…and not for lack of trying.

it’s something that is a very hard lesson to learn. i try and trace it back to my childhood, and think that maybe it’s my parents fault for being so encouraging…saying that i could do anything i set my mind to…something very familiar to a generation x’er.

i suppose my parents were right…i can, and DO anything i set my mind to…but they didn’t say anything about doing everything well. (or maybe they did…it was such a long time ago now ha!)

regardless, one should always do what they set their mind to…in order to find out what they are good at, or even great at.

finding out you aren’t good at something seems like bad news. kinda like finding out it’s going to rain on your day off. but like anything in life, it’s neither good nor bad…it’s just is. and it is what you make of it. suppose it rains…so be it…your garden could probably use it. or it forces you to stay inside and work on your painting, creative writing, or in our case…your voice.

creative limitations are are misleading…it seems like a road block. as in you can’t do this, you can’t do that. but what they really are, are signs…pointing you in the right direction to fully realize your talent.

if your particular sign says ‘you cannot dramatically act’…then fine…stop wasting your time on it, and focus on direct/announcer driven spots. despite popular myth, they are still the most popular production out there, and we all need your voice. if your sign says, ‘you cannot read with high-energy’…fine…focus on making your relaxed ‘wilford brimley’ type read the best wilford it can be.

what i have found is that people will seek you out if you are good at something, because word travels fast. this is only true of course, if you stick around long enough for people to find you. meaning you can’t get discouraged by all the signs. use them to help guide you to what you are great at. find your road and drive fast.

knowing what you are good at is a freedom to be envied. here at overnight radio, we believe we are great at producing great radio spots, simply because of all the signs we came across in the last 15 years of business. all pointing us to what we do best. creating great production.

now if only i could read the signs about blogging.

Your client is your only client.

October 14, 2014Commercials, General, Musicannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, jingles, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

I work with a multitude of different people each day. Some more than others. Some are easy-going, some are high strung. I can only imagine where I lie on the spectrum. Regardless, when i am dealing with these people, no matter what mistakes they make, what they like, what they dislike, the only thing that matters to me, is that they are engaged with me, right at this moment and understand and hear what I need.

I am well aware that the people who sell me product (music bed companies, voice talent, producers etc) have many clients…that’s just how it is these days…everyone works for themselves…including me. BUT i am also aware that somewhere deep inside of me, I feel like I am or should be the most important client that merchant has ever known.
I of course, know this not to be true…but there is something driving me to always hope that I am.

I believe this just to be the human condition when doing business and there is nothing you can do to change it.

Which brings me to a point about dealing with you clients (ie: who you sell your wares to), as opposed to your merchants (ie: people who sell you their wares).

Sometimes it can be frustrating when a client has outrageous demands, oversteps their bounds and asks for things that are inappropriate to the agreed upon deal. Case in point: a client has agreed to a large amount of quantity in exchange for a smaller price. A fine agreement. But along with a smaller price, comes an implied agreement…that re-do’s, tiny fixes, script changes and the like, comes another payment. The smaller price does not leave any room for such extras.

So when someone violates that implied agreement, and puts pressure on you to deliver at a loss or lose their business as a consequence, one is always tempted by the same thing. The need to convey to the client, that you don’t need them. You have many clients, just as everyone else does. You don’t need the hassle, you don’t need the stress.

All valid points…if you are a child.

But seeing how we are business people, and the business is who we are, and we must do what’s right for the business, caving into knee-jerk reactions is counter-productive.

This particular client, is saying more than his/her words…they are saying that they don’t feel heard. Not particularly by you, but by anyone. You just happen to be the one in front of them at the moment. This is not your fault, but you must deal with it in a mature way for the good of your business.

This is all well and good, but your desire to show you don’t need them will still be there. I received good advice about this a while back, and so far, it’s working. When faced with the decision to tell your client that you don’t need them, or simply resisting…do both!

Begin to type out an email with all the things you want to say…say them all, use capital letters and exclamation marks! Be sure to note that you don’t need the client at all and that they need you…and be sure to picture the look of horror on their face when they read your email and realize they are totally lost without you.

Then…delete that email immediately.

Next step…feel better that the urge is gone…and get to work giving the client what they need. Tell them that you hear them, understand their needs and will do all you can to fulfill their request…and what you can do to help with the extra cost. Because, there IS an extra cost. Figure out what it is, explain why and proceed with the request.

If they leave because of it, there is nothing you can do. But they didn’t leave because you were childish, rude, or off the handle…they left because THEY were childish, rude and off the handle for disregarding the contract between you two. The latter is a much better situation to have than the former…and you should be glad that they are gone…like a marriage, no good relationship ends in divorce…only the bad ones.

If of course they DON’T leave, you have just confirmed that your stance AND your agreement with your client is strong and true and is deserving of your tact, warmth and listening.

For the good of your business (your business being anything from a one person voice talent, to a large corporation) don’t lose your cool…because even though it might feel good in the instance…the good feeling wears off when you lose your client.