MY VOICE

I’ve come to realize that voiceover folk are the salt of the earth.

I’ve been in radio for 237 years.  I do a morning show here in Kansas City on 98.1 KUDL.  But to be honest, I don’t have that many people that I would consider friends in the radio business.  Oh, there are a few.  People that I’ve known through the years…that have fought the battles with me…and know and understand how difficult that business is right now, but recently I’ve just become aware of how many voiceover people that I can call friends!

Maybe it’s that we’re all in business and know what a challenge that is in and of itself.  Maybe it’s that we are our own bosses and don’t have to answer to some corporate suit somewhere (unless they’re clients!).  Maybe it’s the quiet realization that we’ve all been beat up in this media business and have survived, and there’s an unspoken respect for each other.

Whatever it is, it’s real and it’s tangible.   Of course we are competitors…sort of…in a way…but I just don’t think of other voiceover folk that way.  If I got a call tomorrow from someone who said “Your voice is not what we’re looking for, got any recommendations?”,  I wouldn’t hesitate to drop any number of names.  Why?  Because those people are good at what they do and deserve the work.

And because they would do the same for me.  I know they would; I get the referrals every week!

We’re a very close community…even if we never even get to see each other because we’re separated by time zones.

The passing of one of our icons, Don LaFontaine, proved that.  All of us were deeply moved and touched by him, even if we didn’t even know him.  He was part of us, just as we, somehow, are all part of each other.

I’m very proud of what I do.  And I’m very proud of the people in my voiceover community.

They truly represent the greatest entreprenurial spirit coupled with a sense of compassion and community.