Voice Over Talent Casting Database – Week 1 in Review

The new MineWurx Studio Voice Over Talent Databse

The new MineWurx Studio Voice Over Talent Database

This was the first week where we began to open the database up to new members. There’s really nothing to see. It’s just an upload process that allows people who wish to be a part of the early database testing to upload their demos and studio profiles. We also added a free voice talent directory for the people who took the time to upload their demos. Only a few have taken advantage of the free voice over talent directory so far, but that’s ok. It will continue to grow slowly.

So far the membership is only 20% women, which is a number that needs to improve as time goes on. Of the women we do have there are some good versatile talent, but we certainly need more. Currently 50% of the membership base has 10 years or more of experience which is also a very good number. Talent specialties are across the board. There is a very good mixture of talent as far as range is concerned. It’s really just the numbers that matter now.

Overall it was a good week for the system. The number of people who joined up was substantial and surprising.  We only opened it up to different groups by special invitation, and will probably keep it invitation only for a while. If you haven’t come across our invitations so far send us a note at the studio with your credentials and we’ll tell you how to get on.
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The MineWurx Studio Voice Over Talent Database

We have created an exclusive mailing list for the new Voice Over Talent Database which is currently in design. If you would like to get on the short list and be among the first to know, you can sign up for this specific newsletter, or you can sign up for both of our newsletters.

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Free Music Track from Sound-Ideas plus Music By the Track

Today I received this email from Ron at Sound-Ideas, distributors of some of the greatest Sound Effects libraries on the planet – they also sell fantastic voice over and commercial production libraries. Their complete libraries have always been pretty expensive – but they are now offering single tracks as you need them.. They’re also offering a free track just for signing up. (more info below) I took the site for a test drive this morning and ordered my free track without a hitch.

The system is quite nice when it comes to auditioning tracks, but use the on-page site navigation rather than the back button on your browser as it will help you move around faster. I could tell you why it works that way but I’m a little short on time. Anyway it’s a great idea – the site is called StockMusic.com.
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Sharing a beer with my friend, Don LaFontaine

 

Don LaFontaine

Don LaFontaine 1940 - 2008

Let me first say that Don and I were not friends in the “hey everybody, look who I know..” kind of way. I refer to Don LaFontaine as a friend of mine because of the way we conversed in emails to one another, the way we saw eye-to-eye on a few topics, and the way he treated me like a professional and a man even though I amounted to little more than a fly on his ass.

Don LaFontaine was my friend because he didn’t judge me as a fan, he didn’t judge me as a star struck idol. In fact, he didn’t seem to judge me at all. He seemed to simply respect me as a man with an opinion, and a guy who enjoyed the craft of voice over and the creative process that went with it.

Don and I were not buddies, we did not golf with one another. In fact, we had never physically met. We had only talked back and forth via email for a while, a time that amounts to a gnats life in the swath of his great career. Simply said, I was just a fan, and he, an idol of mine… Now I am faced with the disemboweling reality of one of the greatest pioneers of my chosen profession, and one of the greatest idols I have ever had no longer sitting at the helm, and it saddens me in a way that I am at a loss for words for when it comes to describing.
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Some Changes Headed This Way…

The time has come where I’ve turned some of my attention to the antiquated parts of this web site that have been laying around since it first breathed internet life as a simple one page contact sheet over on www.michaelminetree.com

I was a late comer to the internet if you look at the fact that Ebay beat me by 6 years.
I have had to learn to code all of my pages by hand, and every now and then I get an itch to change things around. Open source code has made it possible for me to have this little internet voice over wonderland. The thought of paying a designer makes me want to cringe. However – it would certainly speed things up if I decided to bite the bullet and release control over to some stranger… Or it would invite more headaches.

So here is a list of a few things coming down the pipeline…
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