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Welcome! Voiceover Island.com is your source for outstanding voiceovers delivered same-day via the web for radio and TV commercials, corporate and educational videos, PowerPoint presentations, podcasts, audiobooks, animation and more. For example... Commercial recording sessions were just held at Voiceover Island Studio for THE NEW YORK GUITAR EXPO, voiced by RICH KELLY, and for PETER NERO and THE PHILLY POPS, voiced by BRIAN GALLAGHER. Congratulations to Rich and Brian, both currently being mentored in voiceover technique by Chuck McKibben. Also, special congratulations to former student BOB BEAUCHEANE, who recently became the newest voice of NFL Films. Wow! Following in the huge footsteps of Philadelphia legends John Facenda and Harry Kallas is no small accomplishment. In fact, it's a tremendous credit...and more proof that Philly breeds great talents! Hi, I'm Chuck McKibben...a Broadcast Announcer/Narrator for five decades, former Hollywood Audio Producer/Studio Manager for the legendary "Man of 1,000 Voices," Mel Blanc, former New York Advertising Agency Producer/Director for 30 years, and now, proud to be a newly-inducted member of The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. I'm also Philly's ONLY full-time Voiceover Career Coach. If you need an outstanding Voice Actor for a radio, TV or corporate video project, please click the 'Voice Casting Services' shell on the left for mp3 samples of fresh new talents trained by me, and let us be your AUDIO SUPPORT TEAM! That's
what the creator of the elegant HARMONY PHI jewelry collection did.
My
own audiobook readings of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story,
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the chilling story of The
Things That Are Not There by C.J. Henderson, recorded for AudioRealms.com,
are
selling very well. Other titles I've had the pleasure of performing
include The Time Traders and Voodoo Planet, both by
Andre Norton, and Shadow Kingdoms, by Robert E. Howard, are
sold world-wide on sites like AudioRealms plus Amazon and Barnes
& Noble. Just type "Charles McKibben" in the search
box to find them. I'm
also very pleased to announce my first-ever audio story for children,
Tumbles,
the Turtle It's a very sweet story for your little ones. Click on the picture of Tumbles to connect to his site and hear a sample! Are you here because you want to start your own successful voiceover career? Then I'm happy to tell you that you'ver found Philadelphia's ONLource for PRIVATE VOICEOVER TRAINING and COMPLETE DEMO PRODUCTION! If you're interested, call (215) 677-2295 or e-mail phillyvo@comcast.net (and include your phone number in your correspondence, please! ...but first, please read more about how and why my VO training is the smartest choice you can make, because it could literally save you THOUSANDS of dollars! My
story goes like this: At the age of 6, I became fascinated by the
world of voiceovers. The luckiest people on earth, I believed, were
the voice actors who worked for Walt Disney or Warner Bros. So I
began my career in 1963 the only way I could in Dayton, Ohio, as
a radio announcer; by 1972, I was employed by Hollywood's
legendary "Man of 1,000 Voices," Mel Blanc, to be
his personal recording engineer and audio producer.
The extraordinary experience of working for the most famous voice actor of the 20th century, who gave life to "Bugs Bunny" and virtually every other "Looney Tunes" character, was a priceless education. It prepared me to go on to 30 years in New York as the Broadcast Production Director for two major advertising agencies, and also to become a successful freelance voiceover artist myself. Among thousands of credits, I especially loved introducing "My First SONY" to the world as the product line's spokesman in 'the '80's (you can view my first spot for SONY on YouTube); being the Senior Promo Announcer for Time Warner Cable of New York City through the '90's; and being the signature voice of New York's top Lexus dealership, Lexus of Smithtown, for a remarkable run of 15 years. (To hear MY OWN GENERAL VOICE DEMO, please click HERE.) I've had a wonderful adventure in this business, have won quite a few broadcast production awards, but most importantly, I've received the friendship, trust and respect of my students. Being thought of as their mentor has become the greatest satisfaction in my life. OK, so you'd like to get into voiceovers, too. Well, I'm all about helping you, whether you're in the greater Philadelphia area, or would like to study via Distance Learning, which I offer using the phone and internet, plus free screen-sharing technology (please ask for details). No doubt, you're wondering how much you'll need to spend for comprehensive voiceover career training. Happily, the answer is NOT thousands of dollars! My training is THE AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE to those outfits who want only to empty out your wallet and max out your credit card! Some time ago, I received this email request from a prospective student, very similar to hundreds before. It said: "I am seriously interested in starting a voiceover career, and was researching classes on-line when I found your website. I took a one-day class at a local college, and they said my voice was really good, but the cost of their course seemed very high (over $3,000!). That's why I'm looking around. Could you please send me more information about your lessons, so that I can compare and decide who to study with? Also, would you tell me honestly if I don't have what it takes to be in voiceovers?" Here's how I answered that request. I'm hoping it will provide answers to your questions, as well. This letter covers every detail about my training, and why it is so unique: "Did
you by any chance just attend a local 'Introduction to Voiceovers'
presentation from a company that charges over $3,000 for their 'course'?
Naturally, they require you to put that whole amount on your
credit card right up-front. Their
so-called 'casting director' probably raved about your great
natural talent, so you're tempted to 'go for it,' in spite of the
huge price tag.
They may seem to be 'endorsed' or 'approved' by a college
or university, because that's where they hold their presentations,
but please know the truth: all they have done is rent a room.
They're not actually connected with any real educational
institution in any way. And you most certainly
do not have to pay anything like $3,500 to $5,000 to train for a
career in voiceovers. After the initial "orientation" lesson, we begin building demos in your completely customized, one-on-one studio recording sessions, which are at least an hour (often more) in length. These are held in my world-class studio, by appointment (you set the appointments to fit your schedule), OR are done from wherever you live via the internet using screen-sharing (please inquire for details). Hours are from 11 AM into the evening on weekdays, with some limited weekend hours available. Take your class once a week, every other week, or even just once a month, as you choose. You determine your own schedule.There is no 'one size fits all' cirriculum, because that doesn't work in voiceovers. You study with me at your pace until you decide you are ready to end your training, and begin competing successfully in the voiceover industry. When your training is complete, you will have an outstanding portfolio of demos, recorded in class; you will know how to build and an inexpensive little recording studio (as essential to a voice actor today as a camera is to a professional photographer); how to interpret scripts and win auditions; and how to market yourself, using not only the internet to audition and book jobs, but also every other time-tested direct marketing avenue. This is 'hands-on, learn-by-doing' training that is absolutely complete. If you are a brilliant, lightning-fast learner, it will require as little as a few weeks to master your skills. If you are an average student, it will take a few short months. If you don't seem to possess the aptitude to do well in this field, I will politely recommend that you not pursue it. It's as simple as that. There
is NO SUCH THING as getting all the training and experience you
need for a voiceover career in a single weekend. That's absolute
bunk. It is no more possible than becoming an actor or musician
in that amount of time. Nor are you 'in the business' just because
you have 'made a demo.' If that's all you have to show for your
'training,' that's a pretty awful return on you $3,500 to $5,000
investment. I've met many people who have experienced 'buyer's remorse'
upon being victimized by 'voiceover training' mills. I
happen to be the only private voiceover coach in the entire Philadelphia
area, but even if there were others, I would still have to say,
quite candidly, that I don't think you could study with a more knowledgeable
voiceover instructor, or a more dedicated mentor. I've helped get many VO careers established through the years, by providing COMPREHENSIVE CAREER TRAINING that includes ALL the skills that are now considered essential to becoming a WORKING VOICE ARTIST. In other words, I don't just teach my students how to read scripts; I teach them how to SUCCEED IN THE VOICEOVER BUSINESS. The final goal is NOT to make a demo CD; that's just a minor promotional tool, not a career destination In fact, it's no longer really necessary to make any hard copies of your demo tracks, since the voiceover business is now largely conducted online. Sites that connect voice seekers with voice talents, such as my favorite, www.Voices.com, make it easy to market yourself world-wide from wherever you live. I recommend Voices because, in addition to having by far the largest number of visitors each month (measured in the many tens of thousands), they have lots of unique selling tools not found on other sites. For example, when my students book jobs through Voices, they get displayed in the "Recently Hired" section plus the "Featured Talent" section of the home page...thus generating as many as several hundred additional listens by producers seeking talent that week. The result? Quite possibly another job from another producer, and a trip back onto the "Recently Hired" list to be discovered all over again! I've witnessed how effective this marketing technique really is, because I've been seen students of mine appear on the list week after week...with as many as four of my students on the list at the same time! To achieve a successful voiceover career, proper marketing is as important as having a good voice. Let's say you wanted to be the next big singing star. You'd have to know much more than just how to sing. You'd have to learn about the entire recording industry...how to get signed by a label, work with agents and managers, get promoted, create albums, get your songs on the radio, go on tours and all the rest. Fortunately, it's not nearly so hard to become a well-trained voiceover artist, but you absolutely WILL want to learn all the things that I teach, including: How to record and edit your own digital voice tracks (even if you're technically challenged!); How to create an inexpensive yet great-sounding home studio; How to market your voice to the world via the internet; plus... How to succeed in traditional auditions with agents and casting directors (I have decades of insight as a producer to share with you!) As my student, you'll RECORD EVERY LESSON in a BROADCAST-QUALITY STUDIO, BUILDING YOUR DEMO SAMPLES IN CLASS! Your best readings are never wasted as "practice." This is the FAST TRACK to producing your completed samples, with no need for a separate, extra-fee demo session at the end of a number of lessons. I always "bank" your in-class readings for later inclusion on your demo...and you'll take home a CD of your work from each lesson, or an mp3 if you prefer. My rates are about HALF of what voiceover teachers charge in New York. This is PRIVATE, ONE-ON-ONE TRAINING that delivers the RESULTS you want in a hurry, yet is AFFORDABLY PRICED. I can't see any reason why voiceover lessons should be priced any higher than music lessons...and I especially can't see why you should pay anyone thousands of dollars in advance for your training! With me, there is NO UP-FRONT FINANCIAL COMMITMENT...no minimum number of required lessons. Simply pay as you go, as you would with a piano or singing teacher. TAKE CLASSES AROUND YOUR SCHEDULE...days, evenings or weekends, every week, every other week, etc. I'm flexible, and will work with you to make lessons fit your budget and your lifestyle. Call me at (215) 677-2295, or e-mail phillyvo@comcast.net for your FREE, no-obligation consultation via phone...and if you don't get a same-day response from me when you leave a message, PLEASE CALL AGAIN! (Please note again that, due to my extremely busy schedule, I simply can't send lengthy email answers to questions like "How do I get into voiceovers?" However, I do encourage you to include your phone number in any emails, so that I can call you to chat.) I look forward to speaking with you. If I'm not available, please leave a message and I'll get back to you. Also, check this site frequently for new information as it becomes available. Thanks! "And now, for something completely different," as they used to say on Monty Python. I'd like an opportunity to share my thoughts on urgent environmental issues with you. I became environmentally aware late in life, but better late than never. I can't recall a time when there has been such an onslaught of attacks upon nature, so now I'm speaking out however I can in defense of our fragile planet. Yes, I'm a "tree hugger," and proud of it. My latest thoughts follow... WHO'S DESTROYING PENNSYLVANIA'S MAGNIFICENT MOUNTAINS? The answer is COAL MINING COMPANIES, who aren'e so much "mining" as just blowing up the mountaintops to get at imbedded coal seams. The former mountaintop is then dumped into a neighboring valley as rubble, usually polluting the fresh-water stream running through that valley. Precious topsoil and trees get dumped, too. The results of this destruction are often devasting to local residents, many of whom have lived for many generations in their little rural homes. Unfortunately for these folks, they aren't a wealthy, influential power block that can afford to take on the giant coal interests. So they suffer in silence, because their plight never makes the news in the big cities. It's not just Pennsylvania's glorious mountains that are being destroyed in a mad pursuit of fossil fuels, however. Peaceful, life-giving pastures across the state are just as vulnerable to "fracking," in which gas is released from layers of rocks through underground blasting. This has plenty of nasty, polluting consequences, too. So you may be saying, "Well, the EPA will work to stop the pollution." Here's where the news gets really bad. Not only is the EPA already rather weak and ineffectual in defending your rights, its very existence is now being threatened by certain politicians, who must think that we don't need clean air and water. Maybe they're planning to live on another planet. Maybe they don't remember the bad old days, when, for one example, Cleveland's Cuyahoga River was so polluted that it caught fire in 1969. These politicians who want to roll back the calendar to those free-for-all, unregulated times are claiming that polluters don't need watching, and that it's bad for business and jobs when they're forced to clean up their act. More enlightened minds understand that we can't trust the fox to guard the henhouse, meaning that polluters will not (and in the past, did not) clean up their own mess if it cost them money. As for job creation, their will be plenty of workers needed in environmentally-friendly energy long into the future. For example, there's a very busy crew using heavy earth-moving equipment in the neighboring village of Bryn Aythn, installing a huge system for extracting underground thermal energy to heat the magnificent New Church Cathedral. They're looking at never needing to burn any fossil fuel ever again, to warm their huge, historic chapel. To my mind, these are smart, forward-thinking folks. It's a big investment now, but it will pay off for decades or even centuries to come. If we stick with dirty coal (and by the way, there is no such thing as "clean coal"), and the other fossil fuels, we're just burning up the future...and destroying our environment in the process. Along the same lines, here's an excellent site about another important environmental issue in Pennsylvania, urban sprawl: www.davidhanauer.com/buckscounty/sprawl. Thank you for reading this, and giving some thought toward protecting our planet. I appreciate your kind consideration. Chuck McKibben, Summer 2012 A LITTLE MORE ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: You'll find interesting recollections from the Mel Blanc era in Chuck’s background. Following his sojourn in the movie capitol, he became the Broadcast Production Director of two New York ad agencies, writing, producing and directing hundreds of commercials while building his own successful voiceover career. He added private voiceover coaching to his activities in the mid-'80's; years later, he again established new standards in the quality of voiceover training in the "Big Apple" as Dean of the New York Voiceover Academy. Today, Chuck McKibben is a respected national authority on the subject of voiceovers; for example, The Los Angeles Times featured him in an interview on July 26, 2006. Entertainment reporter Deborah Netburn asked him for tips on voiceover career preparation while noting his "perfect, unaccented diction." Chuck's own long, successful run as a voice artist includes work for "blue chip" advertisers like SONY, RCA, Michelin, Crain’s New York Business, the NY Metro Energy Council, Kirlin Securities, ExecutiveHealth Exams and New York's WLNY-TV; years of imaging and promos for Time Warner Cable of NY; plus countless spots for retailers and automotive clients. His track record in the luxury-car market is highlighted by a remarkable 15 years as the spokesman for New York's premiere Lexus dealership. He's also been the spokesperson for both the Cadillac and Honda dealer groups of the New York region. Please note that links to two of the biggest voiceover talent websites, Voice 123 and Voices.com, are presented below for your information. Both sites get a huge number of unique visitors each month (just type in their names under "site profile" on compete.com to see current visitor stats), and both provide a showcase for many of Chuck McKibben's past and present students. These sites offer free Guest Memberships, and typically send out a dozen or so voiceover job leads PER DAY to their members. Chuck McKibben accepts absolutely no fees for referrals to these or any other websites, and is not affiliated with any sites that promote voiceover services, sell audio equipment, etc. Being completely independent, he can therefore offer unbiased advice concerning membership in these or any other on-line voice marketplaces, and recommend various excellent sources for equipment. Website created by Theresa Landolfi. Entire contents, including the names "Voiceover Island," "Philadelphia Voiceover Arts" and variations including "Philly VO Arts" are Copyrighted © 2006, 2012 by Charles McKibben. All Rights Reserved.
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