News

I’m happy to announce that I will be recording my first audiobook, a very cool, edgy, hip book called “Blood Angel” by Justine Musk. It will be digitally published through Crossroad Press on iTunes, Audible and several other mainstream channels. I’m very excited to be working on this project and am really enjoying reading the book at the moment. I’m encouraged to see such great reviews of it on Amazon and can only hope that the audio version I’ll be performing will deserve reviews that are just as positive.

Since I’ve been given permission to discuss the book as I’m working on it, I’ll have periodic updates here on the blog and also on my facebook business page, Arielle Audio. If voicing commercials is a sprint, recording an audiobook is compared to a voice over marathon. I look forward to sharing some of the interesting terrain of my 26.2 miles on the way to my largest, most unique and challenging voiceover project so far!

I’ve just updated my website with a new page – Audiobooks! Currently I have 2 demos posted, more will be posted within the next week or so. Demo #1 is a short, all-purpose voice demo that spans a few audiobook categories. Demo #2 is a short reading from a book by Walt Morey called “Year of the Black Pony.” When I started reading this, the writing just fit like a glove to my reading style. I have a longer excerpt that I may put in its place, since YA is my genre of choice within audiobooks.

Speaking of, I’m excited to be attending the Audiobook Publishers Association Conference as well as Book Expo America in a few weeks. It’ll be my first time back to New York in about 5 years, and I’m hoping to squeeze a show (or even The Daily Show) into my schedule while I’m in town. I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with some awesome women I met in an audiobook workshop last year as well as making new connections at both conferences.

After much talk about the need to update my demos, how I want to update my demo, how if only I could find the time I would update my demo… I’ve done it. I suppose there was less motivation to get it done simply because my current demos weren’t bad, and they were still getting me a fair amount of work. However, I felt that I had better examples of my range and performance variety so it was time to revamp ye old commercial demo. Done, check it out on the homepage!

I also got back some imaging voicework material I do for a classic rock station and I like it much more than what I had set aside for an imaging demo. So you’ll see I now have an imaging demo posted to the homepage as well, comprised of mixed voice over from that station. The male talent on that station is Mark Maurer, also out of Arizona. Thanks to the guys at Krash Creative Solutions, based out of my hometown of Raleigh, NC!

In March, I booked a gig with Coke. I recorded over ISDN at my favorite recording studio in Phoenix, Big U, with Russ, a great producer and very cool guy. I’d done a very similar spot for Coke last year and was happy to work with Fitzgerald+Co’s super-efficient crew again. I believe that this ad is running in the southeast on cable stations, so maybe when I’m back in NC for a wedding at the end of May I’ll happen to catch it at a friend’s house (and suddenly realize that I need a refreshing, ice-cold Coke.)

I’ve revised my “Retainer” page to better reflect some of the creative tasks I enjoy doing the most. Namely, creative problem solving. A well-written script can solve a lot of problems, from not reaching the right clientele to providing a general awareness campaign or rebranding an established company. A well-written script can avoid an even more dangerous problem – cementing the wrong message in the minds of consumers. Copywriting is a passion and talent of mine that I gladly offer directly to businesses.

I’ve also revised some of the production and voice over packages I was offering to radio stations, and have now included TV stations and cable companies some of these packages. For any of these packages, the starting price listed is for smaller markets with lower demand on production and VO services. The retainer packages are available on an individual basis. I won’t be taking on many retainers simply because of the time commitment. I want to maintain the level of quality I would provide if I had all my time to devote to just one client station or cluster. So, the openings I have in my schedule to take on monthly retainer clients is limited.

Finally, I recognize that often the biggest problem with having a high ratio of production orders to producers is simply getting the VO. Sure, your producer was hired because he or she also has a good voice, but when that person is on over 50% of the voiced pieces that air on your station, your messages have less impact in general because the same person is ‘endorsing’ every business in town. I expect to be of the most help to stations by offering dry, unprocessed but edited voiceovers of already-written copy. Voice variety is important, and I believe it reduces station-flipping during spotbreaks, but it often has to be sacrificed due to budget cutbacks. I hope my services can be an alternative for stations in this position.

Airing during the political pre-season and surely through Tuesday November 4th, are a few spots I played in role in for Arizona Clean Elections. Find out more about the work that continues 10 years after passing the Arizona Citiznens Clean Elections Act “to improve the integrity of Arizona state government and promote public confidence in the Arizona political process.”