Problem. Solution.

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Problem Solution - Joe's Dump

Quote: Joe J Thomas
Cartoon: Gary Larson

Problem.

Sometimes when I’m feeling frustrated and it’s like I’m banging my head against the wall, the best thing I can do is…

Stop.

Take a break. Breathe. Push back from the issue. Get a wider view.

Consider.

Think about why I’m feeling anger or frustration. What’s causing it?

Identify.

Dig deep and try to find the real problem. Pull it from the depths and stare it in the face.

Source.

Sometimes the source of the issue is me. Sometimes it’s someone else. Or nobody. Or miscommunication. Or just a random event.

Solution.

Once you know what the issue is, the answer might be contained in the problem itself. Or it may take time to work out a good answer. Maybe there are no answers for some problems.

Either way…

If you can’t see the problem,
No solution is possible.

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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The Adaptability Problem

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The Adaptability Problem

Adaptability has enabled humans to rise to the top of the food chain, and individuals, groups, companies and governments to accomplish amazing things.

So… Where’s the problem with adaptability?

In short, when we adapt to small, incremental negative changes, the end result is that, over time, we’re putting ourselves in a worse position than where we started.

Let’s take “Pay-To-Play” services for voice over jobs as an example. Incrementally, these services have slowly limited the number of auditions available, lowered the pay per project, restricted access to information, and taken a larger fee for renewal and other charges. Had they implemented all these changes at once, they would have been rejected outright. But by staging these changes in gradual steps, it gives individuals time to adapt and hides the trend that the company is headed. Worse, those joining now who don’t research the history think that the current state of affairs is the norm.

This same strategy is employed by companies, governments, political parties and religious organizations. As we blindly adapt without standing up for ourselves, we allow them to gain a greater control over our lives. We even adapt to things like climate change, political correctness, a rise in violence, and a decline in our living standards. Without even thinking about it, we accept the current state of affairs as normal.

For me, this is unacceptable.

But there is a solution.

We must look to the past to see if we’re improving or declining. And we must plan for the future before blindly accepting what we’re told as being the only truth.

As individuals, we can wield an amazing amount of power and control over our own future, and the future direction of our companies, our society, and even our planet.

All it takes is a willingness to be aware. To stand up for ourselves and others. And to take action when needed.

True freedom requires individual responsibility.

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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Comedy to Cash

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Comedy to Cash
or
Mockery to Moolah

A couple weeks ago, I was on “This American Life” on NPR.
The segment was on Volkswagen’s recent emission scandal, and was written to sound like a Frontline documentary, or like a stereotypical NPR or PBS spot. A really cool gig…

But that’s not where the story begins.

I listen to a lot of NPR. My wife got me hooked a while back. Being a natural mimic and seeing the comic potential, I wrote a parody called “This United States Life” in 2013:

      JPR-BillParker_JoeActor_20130819

(I play all the voices on it)

Just by playing and doing what comes naturally to me I was also unknowingly preparing myself for a real gig!

Here’s the real “This American Life” spot:

      NPR_VW_ComingClean_Joe_J_Thomas_20151009

(Also play all the voices on this one)

So, go out there and hand some fun with the things you hear every day. Play with it, script it, record, edit – do whatever it takes to turn your playtime into a new character for your repertoire. You never know when one might turn into a real job!

See you in the booth!
Joe

This Is JPR logo

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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What Is Marketing?

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What Is Marketing?

Is it your brand? How about mass emails? SEO? Blogs? Cold calling?

These may be pieces of an overall marketing strategy, but they are too often mistaken for all of marketing. Or, worse yet, “marketing experts” may sell you classes and consulting about one of these… but not really help you with true marketing.

Let’s take a look at how the American Marketing Association defines it:

Marketing:
Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.
~~~ and ~~~
Marketing Research:
Marketing research is the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information–information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process. Marketing research specifies the information required to address these issues, designs the method for collecting information, manages and implements the data collection process, analyzes the results, and communicates the findings and their implications.

I’ve included both of the above definitions because they are a related and integral part of an overall marketing plan. Much more than any single effort, true marketing involves knowing your product, your audience, the target segment, how to reach them, etc. Perhaps most importantly, it includes all of the follow-up needed to know if your campaign is working, and the data needed to tweak your efforts or scrap them and start fresh. It is an involved ongoing process, but if you’re not doing the research and follow-up, you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks.

Recently, I was involved with several colleagues in an in-depth discussion about social media and marketing. The conversation was fascinating, and provided a number of different perspectives. I’ve quoted much of it below, along with my thoughts on each quote…

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That’s NOT Voiceover!

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That’s NOT Voiceover

Update!
The original link to the article and quiz no longer works.
I’ve updated it to the new link to “Do You Have the Right Stuff for Voice Acting?”
However: the new article no longer has the quiz. The quiz link in the article just takes you over to the “That’s Voiceover!” site, which I do not endorse.
— the management

That's Not VO Logo
Last week, Backstage posted an article entitled “Do You Have the Right Stuff for Voice Acting?”. I was hoping for something thoughtful and in-depth covering the profession of voice acting. Instead the article struck me as being vague at best and very light on any important details. It left me with a new-age vibe from statements like “the question of whether you can succeed is best answered by the student” or “we strongly encourage the voiceover student to look within”… Meh.

At the end, I was directed to a rather disappointing Quiz on the “That’s Voceover” site. They encouraged the readers to answer honestly, and said that at the end I would “receive a general evaluation that may help you determine what’s next for your career”… Which goes counter to most of what the Backstage article posits. But what the heck – I’m game!
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Free VO Giveaway!!!

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Free VO Giveaway!

Do you ever give away your VO work for free?

Why would anyone do that?!?!?

Well, actually, there are a number of great reasons to work for free.
(and a metric tonne of reasons *not* to work for free)

Here’s just a few ways to use your VO powers for good:

Reading for the Blind and Visually Impaired
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Five Star VO

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Five Star VO

Ten years ago, my career in VO got a boost of NASA proportions.

Through the kindness of a VP at Disney and five amazing animation stars, I landed my first agent.

Here’s the scoop!

Five Star VO JoeActor.com

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Web Site Traffic and a Turkey for SEO

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Web Site Traffic and a Turkey for SEO

How can a picture of a Turkey with some guns drive traffic to a web site?

It’s a mystery well worth investigating…

Back in November, 2013, I posted a song parody “Herbert The Homicidal Turkey” for Thanksgiving. It featured the following picture of the felonious fowl:

Herbert The Homicidal Turkey

Herbert The Homicidal Turkey

Fast forward to today… not a day goes by that Joe’s Dump doesn’t get at least a few hits for the song.

So, what gives? Where are the hits coming from?
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Weight… What?

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Weight… What?

(tips and tricks from a couple of foodies)

My wife and I eat out a lot. So how do we stay healthy when dining on restaurant food?

Spread Out!
When ordering a sandwich, skip the mayo, aioli, pesto, cream cheese or other spreads.

This cuts down the calories significantly.

If you’d like some for flavor, ask for it on the side, then just use it sparingly.

Undressed!
The big mistake people make when ordering something healthy like a salad is to trust the restaurant to put on the dressing. Don’t do it!

For most of our salads, we order them undressed, and use a bit of balsamic vinegar for flavor (no oil).

You might also get the dressing on the side. Choose a lighter dressing like a vinaigrette rather than a ranch or other creamy dressing.

Grease Me Up!
If you have a choice between grilled, sauteed or fried, go for grilled.

Second best would be sauteed.

Make sure they don’t add extra butter or oil.

Other Tips…

  • Have sandwich bread toasted, no butter. Skip the “grilled bread” or “Texas toast”.
    Bread that’s been slathered in butter and grilled is just a greasy, gross mess to eat!
  • Get sauces and dressings “on the side” (or skip them altogether)
  • Having pasta? Watch out for the heavy cream-based sauces and cheese. Go for a lighter choice like tomato sauce or primavera.
  • Watch the salt! Eating out can also introduce a lot of salt into your diet. When possible, get food without the extra salt. This can be difficult, especially in soups and sauces.
  • Choose your restaurant wisely. Some places are just easier to eat healthy at – make a not of those, and frequent them more often.
  • Desserts are fine, in moderation. Just don’t have one with every meal. Order something small… or better yet, share with a friend!

Managing your weight can be a difficult proposition when eating out. But it’s not impossible if you’re aware of the pitfalls and follow a few simple rules.

Happy Eating!
Joe

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

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