ROWELL GORMON

click here for part one – https://voices2go.com/2019/03/19/everybody-should-have-an-uncle-willie-part-one/ One of the biggest reasons I hit it off so well in the studio with producers and directors is my Imagination.  I’ve even had writers create something with one of my voice characters in mind.  I sometimes wonder why that sense of imagination isn’t commonplace.  And then I […]

The Man of Multiple Names Could Hear My Multiple Voices To his wife Joyce, his co-workers and other friends he was “Bill”.  His mom, my grandma,  always referred to him as William Thomas (I always wondered who that “William Thomas” guy she kept talking about was).  But to me and my younger brother Lee (pictured […]

It’s an honest question. I get it a lot. “How do I get into voiceovers?” Usually, the person wants a Secret Formula…wants to know how I did it…wants to know how to follow the same path I did.  The thing of it is:  you can’t follow that path.  It simply doesn’t exist anymore. Broken Roads […]

I’m not a Grunter or a Screamer.  No, this has nothing to do with my love life.  (Shame on you.)   “Whooooo Are You? Who-Who, Who-Who.” One of the first tools I received as a budding young copy writer was “Tell ’em who you are by telling ’em who you ain’t.”  That may not be […]

It’s taken more than thirty years, but I’ve had it. While I’ve never dressed up as a Wookie or gone to a movie theatre toting a Light Saber, I’ve considered myself one of the original “Star Wars” fans ever since that first frame of film hit the screen in 1977. I was in my 20s, […]

“Clients From Hell” are well documented. There’s even a website devoted to them. I am compelled to declare equal time for one from the Other Camp. I met him last week through a friend’s recommendation and yes, he is an agency guy. It was a quick turnaround VO, statewide use. I quoted what I thought […]

…no, I don’t mean “Hire Me” or “Pay Me”. They’re simple words, easy to use, often neglected or thrown about as an afterthought.  But I’ve come to think they’re two words that don’t get used enough: “Thank You.” I’m not sure when I started including a “thank you” in nearly all my emails, but during the […]

I’m a contrarian.  I try to learn something OLD everyday. Today I hit the jackpot with this story from the website www.curioushistory.com about a mechanical talking device that pre-dates the telephone, recording machine and talking pictures.  It’s one of those things that looks like a hoax, but is evidently true…and cool! http://curioushistory.com/post/55136778566/euphonia-the-marvelous-talking-machine#.UeG72PrD-cx There’s no known […]

What if the voice style a producer is listening for is actually Segment Number Five in my sixty-second Demo? What if the producer stops listening after Segment Number Three? Is a problem. …for BOTH of us! Not anymore. Enter VoiceZam, a new type of audio player created by my friend, Bob Merkel, and now in […]

…the Sleep Gremlins have finally found a crazy dream I cannot will myself awake from. “Actor’s Nightmare”? Pish…I laugh in its face. “Airshift Where the Studio is Suddenly My Grandma’s Living Room and All the Records Are Wrong”? I can dream I say, “Oh, come on. Wake up.” But they got me last night with […]

I understand.  People say you have a great voice.  They’re probably right.  You’ve practiced and practiced until you’re able to sound like all those great DJs you hear on the radio.  Or you’ve finally perfected your “Homer Simpson”.  Or maybe you’ve looked at all those quickie voiceover audition posts and can now sound like Morgan Freeman.  Time to […]

People who know me are in general agreement that a Big Ego isn’t one of my worst problems. Still, every so often I catch my overly-humble self missing a real treat because I think “Oh, I already know all about that.”  This turned out to be one of those treats. And if you think you already know all […]

There are plenty of websites out there for wasting time.  Then there are some which take a lot of your time, but give a lot of enjoyment in return. Such a website is Pulp-O-Mizer,  where you can customize your own thrilling adventures as they might have appeared on those great old Science Fiction/Fantasy pulp magazines […]

I didn’t send out cards this year.  It reduced holiday stress, but still…I felt a little guilty. So, as I’ve met and made so many new friends since this little audio skit was created five years ago, I figured I’d take advantage of technological advances and share with you a film noir version of the muchly over-done “Christmas […]

If there’s anything better than being invited back for another creative animated tv spot by a great creative team:  it’s being asked to add a little something that wasn’t in the original script…and watching it take off! In a spot recorded this summer and readied for air in the fall, the folks at Lawrence & Schiller    continued their Telly […]

I know, I know:  “Vacation???  What is this word ‘Vacation’ you keep using?  I don’t think it means what you think it means.” For many working in Voiceovers, a vacation is just one more figment of the imagination.  Some take the work along with them via the internet.  Usually, it’s only the “voice” that gets to travel.  And […]

If there is a downside to doing the voice for an animation project, it’s the seemingly interminable interval before you can actually see the final result. But more often than not…it’s worth the wait. That’s been the experience with these terrific and funny TV spots for Taco John’s, created by Lawrence and Schiller (used by […]

Animating a moving mouth over live-action animal footage is nothing new. There was a popular series of theatrical shorts in the 30s based on the concept. It’s still fun, though! My thanks to Rod and Nancy Rich at MonkeyBravo for thinking of me when it came time to record the voices (and for including my […]

      In the interest of disclosure (not to mention Closure) as to details over recent unpleasantness, I’m offering some final words.   Okay, I doubt they’ll be the final words, but they’ll be the last you’ll see here.  And most of them aren’t my own words, but those of the various parties involved on both sides.  Treat the links below […]

  (For those who came in late, Part 2 and Part 1 are below) What does it say when Seven Professional Voiceover Artists finally decide they no longer want their names associated with the executive board of an Association of Professional Voiceover Artists.  (That’s a rhetorical question.) It’s one thing if you want to have […]

When one person resigns from an Executive Board, it’s not news.  When everyone BUT one person resigns…maybe so. (For those who came in late:  see Part 1 below) My departure as so-called President of the voiceover group known as SaVoa was my own decision, and I resigned feeling it was I who had failed the […]

  So long, SaVoa.  I’m sorry.  Really truly sorry. …and I’m angry.  Really truly angry. As a voice talent, being used sort of comes with the territory, right?  I mean, you put yourself out there as spokesperson for whatever the script may call for (within reason).  It’s understood up front.  No harm, no foul. But […]

We are a mass of contradictions.       Most of us become so accustomed to it over time, that it passes for normal.      But every so often an over-used phrase gets stuck in my head and hurts like the time Paul Anka’s “You’re Havin’ My Baby” came to live in my skull for a solid […]

     …got call from a second person in as many days, asking if I teach voiceover for locals. I keep deflecting calls and emails like these, offering a boilerplate document instead which outlines my observations on what it takes to get started. But more and more, I’m wondering if I’m doing the person calling a […]

Sometimes I enjoy and admire Ricky Gervais.  Sometmes I wonder how he got into the room…and how soon he’ll find the way back out. But what he wrote in the Huffington Post has put him back on the “plus” column for me just now.  It’s about the weird modern goal of being “Famous”.  …nothing else…just “Famous”, […]

Yes, it’s been the season when those emails and phone calls you thought were going to mean new business…simply meant it was a client from last year needing your tax ID number. …but there are bright sides to consider. A few of those requests actually remind me of some pretty great jobs…and some pretty great […]

I don’t think I’ve ever done a “re-run” on the Clogged Blog.  But this one came to mind during a serious moment in Jesse Gephart’s otherwise hilarious stage production of David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries”.  This talented performer, in a one-man show, seamlessly shifted from satirical monologue to genuine concern when he noticed an audience member having some very real health […]

…even if it’s an accident.  But take credit for it anyway!      In a recent flurry of comments on Paul Strikwerda’s facebook post about low-balling your voice0ver rates, I wrote the following “instant wise saying”:  ‎…just because you’re doing something you love doesn’t mean you have to do it just for the love of it. […]

I consider myself pretty knowledgable in things involving voice recording over the years…especially in Radio, film and animation. But voice talent Scott Reynes just boosted my knowledge by leaps and bounds with a chart he created, which chronicles the history of the voiceover. You’ll find it at http://scottreyns.com/history-of-voice-over.php   Once you get there, click on the […]

I finally got a look at my Ranch. Last summer I did the voice of a crusty old farmer who raises the different “flavors” of chicken for Taco John’s.  Since the restaraunt chain has no locations my home territory (yet), I’ve been scouring the internet for a look at the final animated TV spots. Here’s the […]

Let me be clear about it right up front:      I like Morgan Freeman. I haven’t seen every movie he’s been in, but the ones I’ve seen, I’ve liked. I like his voice. BUT I’M REALLY, REALLY TIRED OF GETTING HIS VOICEOVER AUDITIONS!!! I’m tired of his name (and Hal Riney’s, and Jeff Bridges’) being […]

    “Post proofs that brotherhood is not so wild a dream as those who profit by postponing it pretend.”  — Norman Corwin, 1945        My friends often tell me I “kick myself” way more than I ought to.  And they’re right.  But one “kick” that’s still justifiable is the one I keep administering […]

I’ve done it before, but never to this extent, or in this particular way. ‘Ready for your close-up?  I’m Mr. DeMille.  (If you’re too young to get the reference, watch “Sunset Boulevard”) This weekend I worked with a group of very talented actors on the first in a series of web-training videos for Firehorse Films…as […]

This week I received news from my friend and client Rick Gregory at Bluestone Media that our ongoing work for Susan B. Komen for the Cure and its online breast cancer awareness program got some major recognition.  Here’s the quote: Our mobile site won…Best in show for the entire mobile site and a Silver award […]

Video producer friend Rod Rich once implored me to keep asking him for help (free or barter production), because every time he agreed to help me, paying work started coming in and he’d have to put me off for awhile.  (Note:  he always came through for me anyway!) Some time ago, voiceover friend extraordinare Melissa […]

You know those people who tell you “You need to get out of the studio more…”?  The ones who say, “You need to give yourself a different type of a challenge, break out of your routine…”?  The pesty people with only your best interests at heart who prod you to “get outside your Comfort Zone…”? Chances are, […]

It’s been disturbingly more frequent in my voiceover universe of late:  news of yet another friend who has lost a dear companion of many years. While I don’t for one moment mean to trivialize the heartbreak of other friends who are dealing with death of a wife, husband, mother, father, brother, sister, or family friend…this is different…sort of. […]

At the recent Faffcon gathering (thank you again, Amy), several of us ‘fessed up to getting deep in depression the more we read online about the “great sessions” and “slammed schedules” and “most recent national payday” of our friends and colleagues in the biz. We all recognized that a lot of those posts from genuine […]

The Wake County Public Library has a few items from my “Shadow” sanctum on display this month. Even more than the guilty-pleasure of the vintage Radio series it spawned, the Shadow Magazine was a thrilling discovery for me in my college days…both in reprints and surviving pulp magazines collected from the 30s and 40s.  Pure fantasy, […]

Wow. This guy (and his friends) went to a whole lot of trouble for something they’ll likely never see a penny return on. So why do I envy them so much? Take a look at this very well-made stop-motion recreation of one of my favorite childhood adventure series (and still one of the grown-up guilty pleasures […]

What do you do when you’re trying like crazy to attract more clients, boost business, take on more work and more deadlines to pay the bills? Why, volunteer for a local theatre production, of course! Oh, and if possible, make it a two-man show with lots of lines to memorize! My friend Bob Souer calls this […]

You’ve got to love a voice session where one of your characters gets to open with a line like that! In a recent post, I detailed the almost First Date-style jitters encountered prior to an ISDN session for a first-time client and a first job through a new agency. And I promised to add more […]

Do you actually remember your First Date? If you’re my age, it’s probably clouded by several layers of non-objective thinking, but you doubtless remember one thing: the underlying temptation to panic. …an aside: My own first date was a drive-in movie (you may have to look that up to understand). I took the young lady […]

While more sensible people are tending outdoor gardens, I’m doing some “weeding” of a different kind. An off day with no paying work (and too much physical work around the studio, which I tend to avoid) brought me to notice how many emails are still on my computer.  Probably slowing it down considerably. So, the morning’s […]

It’s becoming harder and harder every year. As cynical as I’ve always been, and as opinionated as I’ve always been, I have tried (as a rule) to keep my most volitile opinions to myself…or at least couch them in humorous terms to make them less confrontational. After all, you never know when you’re going to say […]

It was cluttered, it was messy, it was an unsightly disaster area.  But at least it was a working one…until I started trying to clean up! During a break in the action, I let my “better self” overrule my “smarter self” and attempted to de-clutter my studio.   Am beginning to wonder if this is one […]

     I don’t know how I’ve managed to miss this.  It’s evidently been available since 2009.  Seems there’s an IRS form for freelancers. If you’re in that catagory (as most voiceover people are), you may find yourself in the midst of some rueful chuckling as you scan the fine print of graphic artist Sam Potts’ […]

“What the heck is an Un-Conference?”, I asked. Here I was, having just barely managed to attend the fabulous Dan O’Day Summit in Los Angeles (due largely to the help of the self-described Second Nicest Guy In Voiceover), and now, at the “wrap party”, I was being encouraged to commit to yet another trip to the west […]

On a day in which my only time before the microphone was for freebies… On a day in which the only calls to book my studio were for recording someone else’s voice… …and the only other calls were from automated bill collectors… I got a card in the mail! Not an e-card (though I do love those)…a REAL […]

…or maybe I should entitle this one:  Returning to the Scene of the Crime. Our local MCA-i chapter met at WRAL-TV recently to learn how the forward-thinking station has developed its website presence over the years, and what it’s doing to anticipate the internet’s impact on local television. We were hosted in Studio A, which has seen uncounted […]

“Thanks for making us sound good.” That’s a parting comment I got from a long-time studio friend/producer not long ago. I had understood the script ahead of the session, was ready with what I thought their client wanted, but was able to immediately shift gears when said client had another idea and glide seamlessly into the […]

I get lots of advice from voiceover friends.  Most of it is helpful, and all of it is meant in the finest spirit of encouragement.  When that encouragement is most desperately needed, many a friend will advise you not to spend time “looking back”…but to look ahead. Call this the exception that proves the rule (and I wish […]

Yeah.  I thought that might get your attention. But it’s exactly the attitude of my voiceover persona in this spot for NC Governor’s Highway Safety Program:  a non-announcerish announcer who is out to keep you from getting out your wallet! Of course, it’s harder to get to your wallet when you have your seatbelt fastened!  […]

I LOVE writers and producers who make me look and sound so much smarter than I really am! That’s why I don’t mind being the last in line of these claymation-style characters explaining the Social Sciences in a recently released video.  (That is my character in the screen grab above, tho.) Being the last character […]

No, I don’t think anyone’s ever accused me of having Adonis DNA, and I can’t even handle Dr. Pepper, let alone TigerBlood.  But I knew early on that the relative anonymity of being a Voice Talent and Actor could still have its rewards. Sometimes there’s a tangible, immediate benefit:  like the talent fee and the […]

With all the buzz about Aflac throwing open auditions for anyone to become rich and famous replacing Gilbert Gottfried as the annoying voice of the TV Commercial Duck, I’m probably the only voice talent in America that isn’t submitting an audition. Why not? Because if I did, it would probably go something like this. (Don’t […]

Even though I’ve known about the character of “Axe Cop” for awhile, I didn’t really know how to describe it.  I’m still not sure I do.  All I knew was that one of my internet friends, Dave DeAndrea, has done a few audio versions of these comic book adventures dreamed up by a six-year-old and […]

As I’ve gotten more training in voiceovers, I’ve been conflicted by those like Marice Tobias who profer…yea, insist…that wearing headphones during performance limits what the voice actor can do. To someone who entered this field via Radio (back when it was Radio, not just a satellite relay service), this has always been hard to grasp.  […]