Necessary, but not necessarily evil

Agents (Necessary, but not necessarily evil)      Commercial talent agents: you will, by necessity, have to be in a working relationship with them. I use the term necessity because, without an agent, the voice-over artist has far less chance of success. Let’s begin by understanding what an agent actually is, and then examine the relationship between the…

Basic Training Is Over

– 10 – Basic Training Is Over      Okay, it’s completed. What’s completed? What do I do now? Who do I do it with? Who do I do it to? When I do it, how do I know what I should be doing? How come I’m so confused?      Those questions are similar to the questions that many of the troops ask…

The Adlib

The Adlib

Chapter 9 The Adlib      In the world of voiceover, adlib is considered to be anything that wasn’t previously prepared and not included in the original script; many refer to it, incorrectly, as an improvisation. Improvisation is when the words, notes, or meter, are not scripted at all, whether they be words, music, or both. IMPORTANT NOTES      Make no…

Dealing With Direction

Chapter 7 – Dealing With The Direction That You Are Asked To Perform – “Good, bad, sad, glad, mad, happy, snappy, crappy, nappy, lappy, lippy, snippy, dippy, lead, plead, greed, bleed, smell, dwell, yell, kvell, heavy, light, mean, delight, please, thank you, I don’t care, neat, sloppy, well aware, I told you, scold you, hold you, revere,…

Goals & Aspirations

Chapter 4 – Goals & Aspirations –      I’ve been privileged to work and be taught by some of our industry’s most recognized dynamos. I consider myself a gleaner. If a guy or gal had even a modicum of success, the Kalmenson sponge (that’s me) was there to look and listen. Many of da harv’s tricks are nothing more…

Veteran’s Day 2021

Veteran’s Day 2021

– November 11, here in Los Angeles – One day  A lifetime A veteran is a veteran Is a veteran  Is a veteran…   One alone Or all for one And one for all…   They stood They walked the walk… Many still with a vaunted stride      For me and my buddies, we were all in…

The Tag

The Tag

The Tag Lo and Behold      Now we come to the topic that helped me to know there might be a chance for me in this business. It was the very first time I saw a commercial voice over script. My reaction was severe; the semi-nausea was instantly created by the lack of Shakespearean substance. After all… there were…

From Then to Now

From Then to Now         In the earliest days of radio, a big basso voice would come on the air telling you where he was emanating from. That was common fare in the early forties when this young man was introduced to the true marvel of conviction that could be sent over the airwaves by the human voice. Those experiences…

The Kalmenson Story

“Our Story: How We Met” As told by Cathy Kalmenson         “Lookin’ for Love” was a top pop hit. Back in 1980, I was fresh out of college, and a newly born “career girl” (as we were called back then) fortunate enough to learn the world of advertising at one of the top ad agencies in America:…