nethervoice

[nethervoice]

LOSING MY VOICE AFTER A STROKE

March 26th, 2018 was no ordinary day. It was the day I nearly died of a stroke. In the sad list of leading causes of death in the USA, stroke takes fifth place. It’s also a leading cause of adult disability. You probably know someone who’s had one, and if you didn’t, you now know me. Click here to learn about the stroke risk factors. I survived -obviously- and I belong to the lucky ones. In fact,…

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I remember December and January as being slow months for a freelance business. Predictably slow. And yet, it was only a matter of time before I would see the worried posts from colleagues in a panic: “Did all my clients drop off the face of the earth?” “What am I doing wrong? “Why am I making no money in the most expensive months of the year?” Valid questions, no doubt, but only coming from those…

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THREE YEARS IN VERMONT

November 5th 2024 marked our 3rd year of living in Vermont, and of loving every minute of it! Some well-meaning colleagues have called me “lucky,” and I feel fortunate indeed. But Lady Luck had very little to do with it. Being here is the result of careful planning, of saving up, and of not selling myself short. I have been ridiculed for my defense of fair and decent rates by a Fiverr generation,…

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GRATITUDE?

Can’t think of any sane reason to get back to doing voice overs… Quick story: In all the years I’ve been in the VO business, I have served thousands of clients. During those 40+ years, hundreds of them have asked me for the names of colleagues I would recommend. You know, people of a different gender, people who speak a different language or with a different accent, or people of a different…

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LIFE AFTER VO: GRATITUDE AND DISAPPOINTMENT

It’s been a month and a half since I officially left the voice over community and stopped working as a full-time voice actor. I was seventeen years old when I first used my voice on Dutch Public Radio. I’m sixty-one now, so I effectively ended a career of forty-four years. In addition, I’ve been a very vocal member of my community, writing a weekly blog for more than twenty years, doing…

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MY LAST HURRAH

We’ve reached the end of this series, can you believe it? If you’ve been with me on this journey, thank you so much for your time and for your patience. By now you should know that I’m Paul, a guy from the Netherlands who carved out an unlikely career in the U.S. as a voice over artist and blogger. I loved what I did for a living, but my voice no longer supports my profession. Don’t feel sorry…

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STOP BEING SO NEGATIVE

I think I owe you and apology. Sorry, but I can’t stop talking about why I am going to stop talking… about why I’m leaving the voice over industry. One of the reasons I’m breaking up with voice overs is that  some in my community can’t cope with criticism. They label people like me (of which there are very few) as “being negative” and “discouraging.” In my book, having a critical, inquisitive…

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DIRTY ROTTEN APPLES

Let’s talk about generalizations. Throughout these blog posts you have heard me talk about THE voice over industry and THE voice over community. In fact, I’ve been painting with some broad strokes to get my points across, and there’s a danger in doing that. Life is too complicated and too rich to capture in all its details, especially on social media where everybody (another generalization) has…

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SITTING DUCKS IN AN ECHO CHAMBER

To summarize my last blog post: in my opinion, the voice over industry has turned to you-know-what, and we as voice overs bear the brunt of the blame. What is happening today is the result of all the things we decided to put up with and give in to. In spite of all the warnings. If you happened to stumble upon this blog, I’m Paul, a Dutch voice over who now lives in Vermont. I’ve been in business…

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RISING CREAM AND FLOATING TURDS

I’ve been using my voice professionally since I was 17 years old. After a career in Dutch radio I became a voice actor in the United States, and recently I’ve decided to call it quits. In this series I’m telling you why. So far I have cited my health as one of the main reasons I am leaving voice overs. My vocal endurance has gone down since my stroke, and without medication my heart would still…

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THE BIGGEST THREAT

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. In the next few years it will be integrated in many devices and in all social media. Quick reminder: I’m Paul, a voice actor from the Netherlands who has settled down in Vermont. I’m quitting the business and in this series I’m telling you why. Please keep in mind that these are my thoughts and observations. Do with it what you want. Don’t agree with me…

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A LOVELY LINE OF WORK FOR LONERS

Coming from a career in radio, I always appreciated the collaborative environment of a station or network, where you create a program or show together. I learned a lot from sitting next to seasoned presenters, which is experience you cannot pick up from a book. Like learning to drive a car, being good at voice overs is a practical skill and not some theoretical study. Observing and learning from…

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LOST AMBITION

I’ve talked about my voice becoming unreliable after my stroke some six years ago. But even if my voice would have been perfectly preserved, I think I might have left the industry sooner rather than later. Why is that? It has to do with ambition, or lack thereof. The word ambition comes from the old French “ambicion” which means “a desire for honor or promotion; the will to achieve something…

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THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Let’s start with this… Every day I realize that I belong to the lucky few who lead a reasonably normal life after suffering a massive stroke. I can’t explain how or why I got so lucky, and neither can my doctors. All I can do is make the most of my days, gratefully sharing what I have to give, which is one of the reasons I am writing this series of blog posts. As a reminder: I am only speaking…

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SURVIVING A STROKE

In the previous blog post I told you about me suffering a stroke while in my soundproof studio. I honestly thought that was going to be the end of the road for me, but -thanks to my wife- I was rescued and medevaced to a stroke center. When I woke up in the recovery room, I had lost some of the front part of my brain, the part regulating executive function. I was too weak to walk, and had barely…

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THEY DAY I ALMOST DIDN'T MAKE IT

Do you know what most people take for granted, until something bad happens? Have a guess… You’re right: their health. They take their health for granted. Guilty as charged! I thought I was leading my best life as a serial sitter in my soundproof voice over studio. I mean…. I got paid to talk, how cool is that?! I ate whatever I wanted to eat, and how much I wanted to eat. And when I was done…

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YOU THINK YOU CAN BECOME A VOICE OVER?

Hello again, I’m Paul, a professional voice over person who started his career in the Netherlands when he was 17 years young, and at age 61 I am calling it quits. I am done talking for hours on end. I am done sitting in front of my computer, editing my recordings into the wee hours of the night, bending over backwards for clients who don’t give a you-know-what; clients you have to chase before…