New Commercial Demo!

Photographer: Mark Riddle @markriddlephotography

MUA: Mary K Flaa @maryflaaforbeauty

Hair: Erianne Malchow @erianneleigh

Wardrobe: Jane Williams @wardrobejane

Wardrobe Assist: Abby Schoonover, Madeline G Moon @madlyfashioned

Photo Assistants: Matt Porter, Scott McClure

And all shot on-set at the gorgeous The Commodore Bar & Restaurant @commodorestpaul

A whole year ago, I decided I needed a new commercial demo. After a long process of researching demo producers, saving, planning, waiting for my studio to cross the ocean on a ship (not joking), etc…today, I finally got my finished files back.

It’s a BEAUT, guys! Jordan Reynolds is awesome to work with, and he somehow got allllllmost all the things I love on one demo…dairy products, bourbon, Target (Go Bullseye!), travel, and so much more. I just wish we could have fit all the great spots they wrote for me on it, but, alas, a demo is a demo, and it can’t be five minutes long. (Next demo, we definitely have to add something about cats)

Thanks for listening!

The VO Before Christmas

Inspired by the classic Christmas poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore, I wrote and performed a little something for all of my voiceover friends out there...relax in front of the roaring fire* with me for a few minutes before you have to go edit more files or pull those cookies out of the oven!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Blessed Solstice, Happy Hanukkah…and wishing that the New Year brings you ever closer to your dreams!

Much love,

Billie Jo

*Roaring fire courtesy of Brandon Nesmith

I Want to Thank You

If you live in the United States, this week is the week of our Thanksgiving holiday (aka the celebration of Native Americans sharing their harvest with the pilgrims, though that story is now suspect and was probably already proven to be untrue, but I don’t have time to do the research before I write this post, and anyway, the holiday has now been co-opted by the beginning of the holiday shopping season, and football games, and if you’re part of my extended family, deer hunting…

But I digress. 

Just this past week, I got a huge piece of the puzzle into place for my voiceover career: my Studiobricks recording booth. (LITERALLY HUGE, at 3.5ft x 4.5ft x 7.5ft)

Gotta grow my hair out…

And I realized that most of the major steps that I’ve been struggling to take over the past three and a half years, all of the things I agonized and stressed about...are complete. This doesn’t mean the journey is over, or that I don’t have more to learn or to strive for, but if a career is a home, then I finally feel like I finally have the foundation in place, the plumbing installed and working, the electricity running, and the walls up and drywalled...so now I just have to decide how I want to decorate. 

Any time you have a big hairy audacious goal (I don’t know who first coined this term, but I think it applies here), it can seem overwhelming, and it can be hard to even begin sometimes. 

In fact, I started this journey with a cassette recorder when I was 7 or 8 years old, so it’s been a long time coming for me. 

It took me a VERY long time to finally make my demo and to take all the other steps toward actually doing this for a living. It took a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of overcoming of fear, and a lot of help from so many people. 

So, in the spirit of the holiday, I wanted to thank all of the amazing people who have helped me get there. I’m going to get specific here, but if you have been around and simply been cheerleading me on, even if I don’t name you by name, please know that your texts, emails,  Facebook likes, Instagram comments, blog shares, etc have all helped keep me going when things got tough, and I appreciate every single one of them. 

A few random people and organizations not entirely covered below: thanks to my clients, my friends from VO Atlanta, WoVO (World Voices Organization), the GVAA rate guide, Gravy for the Brain, VO Weekly Workout, Jonathan Tilley (League of Listbuilders), and Tracy Lindley (The VO Edge). You all have been invaluable to me on my journey, and I appreciate the numerous opportunities and resources you have provided me along the way. And thanks to Ilana Kapra, Ryan Kellar, and my sister, Erin Konze, for all just existing in my life and the ongoing laughs and moral support.

If you have a big, hairy, audacious goal, I hope you go after it. I am proof that you can make them happen. But you won’t make them happen on your own. You need others to help you. And they won’t always know that you need help. Sometimes, you have to ask. Sometimes you need to ask friends or family, but often, you need to ask strangers or very vague acquaintances who have the experience and knowledge your family and friends can’t provide. 

Don’t be afraid to ask. 

(Suggested reading: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer)

Mom - Thanks for getting me the cassette tapes and recorder when I was eight. It was a great outlet for an imaginative only child who really wanted to just make things and talk to herself. Not much has changed...I’m still living inside a box inside my living room. The one I have now just cost a lot more. 

Mike Stalcar - Thank you, Mike, for your kindness and your encouragement, and for guiding me through the process of creating my first two demos. I might have put it off for more years if you hadn’t said “You’re ready.” 

Mark Riddle - Thank you for inviting me to audition for your project after I posted my demo on Facebook, and thank you for giving me further direction after I sent my first audition samples to you. I’m sure it was your direction that helped me book that job, and booking that job not only got me a voiceover agent, but also gave me the confidence to dive headfirst into voiceover rather than wading slowly in, inch by inch. You’ve given me so many opportunities, and I appreciate all of them. Plus, your photos of me kick ass. 

Wehmann Agency - Susan, Amy and Lucia, thank you for taking me on and representing me for voiceover! Thanks for letting me come in and record in-office when the outside noise at home got to be too much, and thanks for always having the backs of your talent and fighting to keep wages high as part of the Voiceover Agent Alliance. Your belief in me gives me strength at times when I still have so much work to do to get to where I want to be. 

Katie Willer - My best friend, thank you for letting me set up shop with my PVC-pipe oubliette in your basement and giving me freedom to basically come and go as I pleased. Thank you for letting me temporarily house my dream in your home when my own was inhospitable to recording. I love you always. 

Katie Adducci - Oh, GURRRL. It has meant so much to me to have someone sharing this journey with me. Thanks for introducing me to NoVoPro, helping me figure out how to set my recording levels when I was brand new, and for being my Accountabilibuddy. I love how we support and challenge each other, and help each other do the boring or tedious 

Michael Schwengel - Thanks for your openness to adventure, and for being my roomie at VO Atlanta two years ago. If you hadn’t agreed to go, I probably wouldn’t have gone at all, and my entire life would be different right now. I’m pretty sure I said something at the time about feeling that it would be a life changing experience, and I was right about that. But I probably would have chickened out if you hadn’t decided to go too. (Also, thanks for letting me use your studio, helping me with copywriting, and being such a great listener.)

Celia Siegel - I am so grateful to you for meeting with me and giving me your advice. One coffee date, and the simple suggestion you gave me allowed me to manifest the money I needed to get my new demo made. Thanks for giving me the belief that I could make that happen.

Northern Voiceover Professionals - Brian, Ian and Mike...thank you for bringing me into your fold! I am so grateful I got to be part of the group and learn from you all. So many of the steps I took in the past three years were because of listening to you and absorbing all of the info you shared. Your encouragement when I was struggling was invaluable, and I miss you all!

The Admin Group - To everyone who particpated in any iteration of the Actors Workout Admin Group over the three years that I ran it, thank you for participating, for being willing to bear with me as I experimented with how to motivate others, and for being a part of the group that I needed to create in order to motivate myself. I started the Admin Group right after beginning my journey into creating a profession out of voiceover, and without our weekly meetings, and having a set space and time to be held accountable, I doubt I would have accomplished half of what I have already accomplished. Thanks for being my friends. I couldn’t be a badass without you all. 

The teachers and coaches - Beth Chaplin, Tina Zaremba, Thom Pinto, Mary Lynn Wissner, Kay Bess, Steve Henderson...you have all been so extremely generous, sharing your experience, your knowledge, and your time. I have learned a ton from all of you, including learning more about myself as a performer and as a person. Acting is a very personal profession, and learning it requires being in an environment where you can be open and vulnerable. Thanks for creating that safe space, and for also pushing me (kindly) past my own limiting beliefs when necessary. 

The sound engineers - I feel like these guys maybe don’t get enough credit usually, but without them, I’d just be another voice. Ben O’Brien at HDMG and George “The Tech” Whittam both helped me make sure my previous studios were all set, and Dan Lenard audited my studio for my WoVO studio approval. And Uncle Roy Yokelson, thanks for the bagels and general pep talks. Thanks also to Todd Syring (Syring Sound), Andre Bergeron (Babble On), Tony Willamette (Minnehaha Recording Studio), Reid Kruger (Waterbury Music + Sound), Jerry Horwath (Buzz Cutz Audio), Reed Harvey (Digital One), Tom Hambleton (Undertone Music), Brady Moen (Hideaway Studios), Aaron Ankrum, and so many others who have helped make me sound great. Thank you all! (And sorry if I forgot anyone)

The strangers - Joey Schaljo and Lyssa Graham, I appreciate you offering your time to chat with me, despite never having met me in person. Thanks for letting me vent and reminding me that I’m on the right track, but that all of this just takes time. 

Brandon Nesmith - You are the best side-effect of my voiceover career. Thanks for believing in me. 

And last, but CERTAINLY so far from least:

Raye Birk - My teacher of a decade. The best acting teacher I will ever know and have the honor of working with. Your teachings had nothing to do with voiceover and absolutely everything to do with voiceover. Without you, I would not be 1/100th of the actor I am today. My eternal gratitude to you.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Is This Heaven

No, it’s Iowa!

WIND FARMS!

Your intrepid actor-adventurer here, reporting in from the Quad Cities (that’s Iowa, for you not from…Iowa), where I am here on assignment. Tomorrow brings an on-camera shoot for a hospital, and I have done my due diligence in looking into the local scene.

This must be the place…

After getting into town early, I checked out the art museum, the sculpture garden, the Iowa state capital building, and Raygun (a well-known local store known for their irreverent t-shirts and other gift-y things), all within two hours. It helps that nothing is very far from anything else!

The capital building is made of gold…shhhh!

I wouldn’t mess with her…

A person made of letters

Sculpture that ran away from the sculpture park

Egg-shaped art sculpture

I also got dinner (or I guess it was more accurately an extremely late lunch), checked into my hotel, had a bath, gave myself a pedicure, and watched an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Highly recommend!), and worked on some cross stitch all in the past few hours. It’s easy to get a lot done when there aren’t any distractions.

Any who…where was I?

Oh, yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I promise to be better at that next year. And SO MUCH has been going on!

Since my last post: I went to Iceland. I went to Atlanta. I did voiceover work for Hershey, Great Clips, Traditional Medicinals, Yoplait, some random other stuff, and just this past week I did another spot for the Pillsbury 49th Bake-Off!

Somewhere in Iceland! Volcanic rocks and stuff!

Whale shark at the aquarium in Atlanta

I also finished my work on the fictional podcast I’ve been working on for almost two years, Au: Earth Under Gold which should be released sometime next year.

Is he still there?

I shot a short film with my friends at Urban Mountain Media for the 100 Hour Film Race (spoiler alert: we got disqualified because of computer issues keeping the team from meeting the deadline, but the film will still get finished eventually).

The new year approaches! What will it hold? Who knows! But I hope it’s at least as awesome as this year has been!

Accurate pictorial representation of how I feel after this fall

Hey good lookin'....whatcha got cookin'?

The spot I voiced for the Pillsbury 49th Annual Bake Off is now airing on select channels (possibly including the Food Network!) Keep an eye (ear?) out for my voice, and get your entry in to win!  

A cake I recently made...yes those are Peeps on top. Terrifyingly tasty!

April is the Cruelest Month...

April has been pretty quiet. And brutal, here in Minneapolis. I wanted to dig up some stats, so you all could see how bad it's been, but suffice it to say, we had 17.5 inches of snow on my yard two weeks ago...starting Friday, I stayed in my house and didn't leave, because we were experiencing true blizzard conditions, which is more rare than I thought, and record snowfall. I ordered Chinese food, and holed up for a weekend of productivity and binge-watching whatever my roommates put on the TV. 

Therefore, I have not had anything to report. I have been laying low, auditioning occasionally, switching support jobs, cleaning out the house...really NOT MUCH HAS BEEN HAPPENING. When there are two feet of snow built up on the yard/street/everything, you see how industrious you and everyone around you feel. 

Today, it's in the 60s, the sun is out, and everything is starting to get better. Spring is definitely here. Finally. The allergies that I never had before in my life agree. 

Today I went in to do ADR for a project with Good Astronaut that I shot back in December. Hoping to see that finished soon! And next week, I'll be returning to the Mihmiverse with my first shoot date with Christopher Mihm on one of two films that he's shooting this spring, Queen of Snakes. That also got pushed forward because of the snow. 

I finally think winter is over. Fingers crossed, guys. Cuz it's almost May, and no one needs snow in May.

Au: Earth Under Gold Kickstarter Launched

The Kickstarter has finally launched! This one's been a long time coming...Audio narration drama AU: Earth Under Gold is a Sci-Fi audio series created in collaboration by Matthew Edward Gustavsen and Paul Michael Christian. The nine episode story arc is currently in production and was recorded here in Minneapolis at Minnehaha Recording Company.  Vidsko Productions plans to have the series released in late 2018. In the meantime, donate to the Kickstarter here (20 days left!) and listen to the demo on Soundcloud to get a taste of what the series will be like.  

Cast and production team, from left: Joel Thingvall, Douglas Sidney, Tony Williamette, Billie Jo Konze, Chad David, and Paul Christian. (Some cast not present for this photo)