SUCCESS UPDATE: Andrea and Paul, Just a quick update on how things are going after my Voices For All Masters Class.  It has taken about a year but persistence does pay off.

After numerous auditions and learning to listen really well to what I was submitting as an audition I finally landed my first job. It was small but it was a narration which I like.  I have been getting some small narration jobs mostly for business presentations. Recently I auditioned for 2 national and 2 worldwide distribution documentary projects and placed 2nd and 3rd in the final rankings.  That was certainly encouraging.  

Meanwhile I was hired to do a large business narration for a Canadian company ($2,000). They were very pleased and asked if I would be interested in doing 4 or 5 more of these for them and of course I said yes!  More encouragement!  Another opportunity came when I placed 1st for hire for a narration with a worldwide charity ($4,000 job). The client eventually chose one of the other auditions but the producer was pleased enough with my audition that he is keeping it for future narration possibilities. Talk about a HIGH, then a LOW, then a HIGH!

So far I can say that it takes a great deal of patience, constant learning, self evaluation and self improvement. And updating and expanding my demos has been essential too.

Thanks to Voices For All and the Masters Class and your entire team.

Paul, Andrea and the Team,

Thanks for a great experience with Voices For All. You give a great platform to "spring into action" and get started in the voice over business". I enjoyed the experience and look forward to lots of fun and challenge.

I would like to thank the VFA staff, particularly John Pruden, for making my Master Class experience a great one. Over the course of just three days I learned much about the VO industry on topics ranging from the recording process, to acting and reading technique to business fundamentals. I am now utilizing what I learned, at my own pace, one step at a time. And while class time lasted only last 3 days, the staff at VFA has been and continues to be very helpful in answering questions and in providing feedback afterwards when I have contacted them. I highly recommend the VFA Master Class.

The class was both challenging and rewarding. Thanks for all the great instruction!

I think this is a brilliant organization. You tease us with a great, affordable, introductory class in our home towns. Then you WOW us with the Master Class, purposely kept small so we can get to know our Instuctor, mine was John, and get to know each other. It is believable. You are reachable. Im impressed with the quick response to my e-questions. Im slowly building my studio and I know your professional assistance is just a click away.

This workshop was very informative and Andrea was exceptional. I learned more than I anticipated! Thank you for your thoughtfulness and enthusiasm!

It was a great class-Very informative and helpful!

I had such a wonderful experience taking the master class. Andrea Langworthy was an exceptional speaker and coach. She really made the class come to life. The content of the material was very beneficial for starting out in the voice over field! I also really enjoyed getting time to work on my personal demo in the studio and get a better understanding of the recording process. I learned a lot of valueable information and plan to carry the overall experience with me in the future.

My experience at VFA's Master Class was nothing short phenomenal! The instructor Andrea Langworthy, taught the class with exceptional expertise and knowledge. She was engaging and very informative. Her concise directions in the studio during the recording of the demo fostered a wonderfly creative atmosphere. The studio and Ted the engineer were inviting and made the experience quite memorable. Would I recommend VFA to a friend? You can bet I will!!! Thanks, VFA for all that you provide us, your students and colleagues!!!

After your Master Class, I went home feeling that I had found a real niche for me. I can't wait to get started - doing something that I believe is not only doable - but a real creative outlet and great fun all at the same time!

SUCCESS UPDATE: Well, I left the seminar in summer 2008 all fired up to create a recording studio and start searching for voice over work.  The economy began to unwind and the GM dealership where I worked laid me off.  I managed to find work again, but for less pay and less hours.  I put the project on hold.   In September 2009 I found out about an audition with Washington Talking Books. I missed out on the one open position they had available in their talking books department; but they asked me to work instead at their radio station, Evergreen Radio Reading Service.  Since December 2009, I have been producing, editing and recording a 30 minute program that is aired twice a week.  The position is considered volunteer; but I have hopes that after my year commitment is complete, I’ll have the experience and confidence to find voice over work that comes with a paycheck! 

I've been told for years that my voice was a great asset. But since I lived in a tiny town deep in the heart of rural Texas, there wasn't any way to pursue the idea of voiceovers until I recently moved to Washington. Thanks for offering the introduction class at a local college and staffing it with Mike Elmore. His sense of humor and knowledge of the voice over profession made it seem like an attainable goal and not just a pipe dream. The Master Class that followed in Portland was professionally conducted and full of all the details and practical advice needed to help get started. John Pruden was a well organized, top notch instructor. He supplied the information and pep talks; now it’s up to me to start my retirement years with a whole new career to look forward to. Kathy Skipper

It started as an idea, but you have helped put feet on that idea! Thank you for the information and most importantly the practice. In fact, I think you should offer a master class 2 and 3 and 4 just to add practice time at the hand of a professional. I also appreciate how helpful everyone has been: teacher, administrator, support staff. Thank you!

Not only did I have fun, I learned many invaluable things. Great time, great experience, terrific people..what a blast!

I attended the intro class over a year before I finally decided to take the master class. During that year, I had many long discussions with Levi. We discussed different aspects of taking the class and doing voice overs. His patience and honesty was so appreciated. I am so grateful I finally took the class. It was so much more than I ever expected it to be.

John Pruden is amazing and I learned so much from him. I am still a newby in every sense of the word. I am seeing for myself how VFA continues to support us all and help us work toward success in our careers. Each email is answered promptly and courteously. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, I think you all are THE BEST!! I'm so glad I am now a part of the VFA family.

My Voices For All Master Class was not only extremely educational and informative it was enlightening as well. Andrea, is an incredible instructor who knows exactly what she is doing and is able to answer every question asked without missing a beat. Her energy level is inspiring.

The recording session was an education in itself. I was the first from my class to go, I was not only nervous but I had this intense adrenal rush. Andrea, knew exactly how to bring out the best qualities of my voice for what I was reading.

Thank you Voices For All for the unforgetable experience. It was truly amazing!

SUCCESS UPDATE: I completed the Master Class shortly after retiring from 37 years in a profession that involved many public presentations. For years people have been generous with praise for the voice I have been given, and retirement seemed to be a good time to see if I could put my voice to work in a different way. An interesting opportunity came my way from our next door neighbor who works for a state government department where her job is to seek out federal government grants. Instead of merely filling in the forms she decided to create and produce a video presentation that would accompany her annual application. She asked her boss to write a song and sing it. Other co-workers provided expertise for filming and recording, she gathered dozens of photographs, and then she put it altogether. "You took some kind of a class, didn't you?" she asked one day. "Would you be willing to do the narration?" I was more than willing. I volunteered, in the same way her boss and co-workers volunteered, and together we created a mighty fine video presentation. She gave me a $49 gift certificate to a bookstore to show her appreciation because if she would have given me $50 or more the bureaucratic wheels of government might have screeched to a halt. Oh, lest I forget, the grant application accompanied by the video narrated by a Voices For All Master Class graduate earned $11,000,000 for her department!

Voices For All is staffed by capable and kind people. I've met John Pruden in the introductory class, and he is a great voice talent as well as a fine instructor. Andrea Langworthy taught the Master Level class, and she is an excellent teacher who motivated and stretched all of us. I've corresponded with Paul Benedetti via email with technical questions about computers, Pro Tools Software, and microphones. He gently took me by the hand online to teach me what I needed to know. I'm greatly impressed with these people and how they make their organization work!