NEWS Release

VOAToday
Returns For 2012

VOAT builds
on the success of 2011’s innovations.
(Voice Over Awareness
Today)

Las Vegas, Sept 1,
2012:

Voice actor,
Blogger, TV News Anchor, and Social Media advocate Dave Courvoisier
announces a September promotion to help build an informational
database that benefits voice actors everywhere, while encouraging a
sense of community and providing a fun program offering valuable
prizes.

By lending a “VOAT”
to a specially-designed website, voice-actors can contribute to a
shared informational resource based on their answers to weekly
questions. Doing so automatically puts their name in the running for
some handsome weekly prizes specifically designed for voice actors.

VOAT in 2012 —
building on last year’s success — plays off the ‘VOTE’ homonym
by asking voice actors globally to ‘VOAT’ on 4 different issues
impacting voice actors…one for each week of the month.
The ‘VOAT’ consists of an answer to a “question of the week”.
‘VOATing’ in this manner allows the website visitor to be
eligible for specific voiceover-targeted prizes provided by
well-respected voiceover equipment, service, and client-seeking
providers.

As an example, the
question being asked of visitors to the site during the first week of
September will be:

What
does your recording studio look like? Provide a picture and a brief
description, history, or special features of which you’re proud.

People
responding, are required only to provide their name, and an answer
(email is required to be eligible for the prize).  No data is
collected on the visitors for marketing purposes.   The
site also allows respondents to upload a picture or soundfile to
accompany their comment if they wish.

“All the
responses will be listed in a thread-like format for all to see on
the website, creating a collective knowledge-base that will benefit
the entire community of voiceover artists,” adds Courvoisier, “each
week a new question, new comments, a new set of prizes, and a new
winner.”
Prizes for the month-long event are generous. 

High-profile
businesses readily recognized by voice actors everywhere are
contributing substantive prizes, including for instance, a free
year’s premium annual membership to Voices.com, an annual
subscription to Voice123.com for both male and female, a choice of
demo or consulting services from Edge Studio in NYC.  In
addition, John Florian of VoiceOverXtra, is offering a free pass to
an upcoming webinar, and Cliff Zellman, Founder and Organizer of the
Dallas Voice Acting Meet Up Group (DVA) is contributing gift
certificates from an online equipment site. EWABS’ George Whittam &
Dan Lenard, and the Voice Acting Academy are also contributing.
This is not a complete listing of prizes. We’re also pleased to
announce that Harlan Hogan’s Voice Over Essentials.com is donating
a new 3^rd
generation Porta-Booth Pro audio studio…just now being released!

Sponsors
include:  Voices.com, Voice123.com, Bodalgo, World-Voices
Organization, Harlan Hogan’s Voice Over Essentials.com,
VoiceOverXtra.com, The Dallas Voice Acting Meet Up Group (DVA),
Bettye Zoller, The Voice Acting Academy, EWABS, and Edge Studio,
Julie Williams, Deb Munro, and Bob Bergen.

“Voice actors are
an extremely supportive, encouraging and giving people.  Many of
them have enabled and sustained my VO career, and this is an attempt
to celebrate the generous nature of the business, while helping to
inform and create a community of like-minded peers,” adds
Courvoisier.

The site will become
“live” on Labor Day, Monday, September 3,
2012.
http://www.VOAToday.com

WHERE IT ALL
BEGAN:

“In 2010, the
NVOAM (National Voice Over Appreciation Month) event struck a chord
with voice actors everywhere who agreed it was time to celebrate the
profession of voice acting,” notes Dave Courvoisier. “With very
little foreknowledge, hundreds of voice artists around the world
responded with enthusiasm to the month-long ‘appreciation’.
A central website (http://www.nationalvoiceovermonth.com)
collected the support of voice talent, showcased a series of
collaborative Public Service Announcements, and kept a running and
busy calendar of voiceover happenings in September.” The VOAToday
event is a direct result of this early foray into online VO
community-building.

Dave Courvoisier