Geetesh: Tell us more about yourself, and your approach to voice-overs.
Geetesh: I loved your earlier book, and this new book is awesome too. Tell us more about this new book.
Rodney: It’s an inspirational voice-over guide that will teach you how to take control of your mental, physical and emotional well-being with the power of positive thinking. I share my methods to turn fear and self-doubt into confidence and success. It also has contributions from some other consummate professionals in the voice-over community like Don LaFontaine, The King of Movie Trailers, Nancy Cartwright, The Voice of Bart Simpson and many more. I asked each one of them, ‘How has a positive attitude helped you in your voice-over career?’ Each person wrote a paragraph or two. It’s fascinating to read their opinions and advice about the power of positive thinking and the importance of a positive attitude. Basically it’s 136 pages of pure joy, affirmations, essays, Illustrations and empowerment exercises. This is a book that should always be with you, in good times and bad to remind you of the power you possess.
Geetesh: Technology sites like YouTube and SlideShare are widening the reach of videos and presentations. Will this create a demand for more voice-over artists?
Rodney: Not necessarily. The beauty of YouTube and SlideShare is that anybody can make a video and share it with the world. These creators are doing their own voice-overs. So I would have to say that I don’t see the advent of these video sharing sites as new opportunities for voice-over artists.
Geetesh: Let me now ask you a different type of question. What if one is not a voice-over artist—maybe, I am a presenter, or just someone who creates many PowerPoint presentations. Will your books help me get ahead? Will I be able to do simple voice-overs all by myself, for my presentations?
Rodney: Absolutely! My books are designed to suit the novice as well as the seasoned professional. My first book addresses the technical aspects of doing voice-overs while my new book stresses the motivational tools you’ll need to present your presentation with a sense of supreme confidence.
Geetesh: Can anyone speak well? Or are some voice-over artists born better than others?
Rodney: There are gifted people in every profession. These are the people who really do seem to have been born to do what they are doing. However, on every NFL Football team as well as any NBA Basketball team, there are superstars and than there are the other majority of players who have worked very hard to over achieve. Well, the same thing applies to the voice-over industry. There are many gifted talents in this business that warrant the statement, he or she is so good they were born to do it, but there are more who have worked hard to over achieve and make a decent living in the business. Generally, first you have to show a degree of talent, then with the proper training you can indeed speak well.
Geetesh: Can you share some trivia with Indezine readers, or just say something more about your new book.
Rodney: Step Up to the Mic transcends the voice-over industry. The positive thinking, affirmations and visualization concepts apply to all industries. Anyone can pick up this title and gain a world of knowledge that can bolster their confidence and self esteem. PowerPoint presentations are addressed in the form of twenty illustrations that will make any presentation on reaching your goals a sure winner. I recently used ten of the illustrations from the book in a webinar. When the attendees were questioned about what they enjoyed most about the overall presentation, eighty percent of them mentioned the illustrations. I’m proud of the finished product and I look forward to everyone enjoying it! I hope this book will give you the motivational tools you’ll need to STEP UP TO THE MIC!