What says tough, capable, legacy and hard work more than Mack Trucks? Before you answer consider also what says modern, forward-thinking, intelligent, environmentally-friendly and EV more than Mack Trucks? It was a pleasure working with the team at Colle McVoy to bring this project to life as Mack powers into the future.
Category: Jay Smack Voiceover (Page 5 of 8)
(ABOVE: My furry friends, Jackie and Frankie, LOVE their time at the park. Jackie rides in the trailer in the background. She also wears a sweater sometimes because she gets chilly. Yeah, I know.)
Storytelling. It’s everything. EV-ER-Y-THING. Whether you’re voicing a one-day-only sale for a single location furniture store in a tiny off-the-map town or a national Super Bowl spot or narrating a documentary. Whether you’re sound designing a YouTube video that might get 50 views. Whether you’re creating a motion graphics piece for Microsoft that the world will see. Whether you’re selling Girl Scout cookies door-to-door. (Is that still done or do they do what happens in my town which is to set up outside Publix or on the sidewalk in Carytown?) It’s all storytelling. And storytelling is about connection.
A common list of elements that go into storytelling include:
1. What is it about?
2. What do they want?
3. What do they do to get it?
4. Why does it or doesn’t it work?
5. What do they do about it?
Plot, setting, characters, point of view and conflict or tension.
Common formulas vary a little, but that’s essentially it. But the thing(s) that pulls us in more than almost anything else is when the elements matter to us. Can we relate to the story? Can we see ourselves in it? That’s the human element. And what makes us feel more human, more vulnerable, more emotional, more real, more alive than kids and pets? Let’s put the kid part aside for a moment since, well, kids are actually human. This space is not conducive to a debate on parenting or ethics so we’ll confine our narrative to pets. And when it comes to pets, pet owners know in the back of their minds, no matter how much they push it away that their time together is very, very limited. It’s temporary. So the love between pets and owners often burns white hot.
The APPA (American Pet Products Association) reports that pet industry sales rose to nearly $137 billion in 2022 and that pets are present in 66% of U.S. households. Many of those households likely had a tv on and tuned to the 2023 Super Bowl when everybody’s favorite Super Bowl spot aired – the Farmer’s Dog spots in which the loyal family dog joins the family as a puppy, becomes a full-fledged and very loved member of the family, shares experiences shown in montage as he grows up, and inevitably, grows old. We’re spared the emotional nuke of seeing the dog pass or any hint of it, but we surmise that it’s coming; sooner rather than later. And it’s something we ALL relate to. Cue the waterworks. Connection made. Bam. We all immediately think of our own pets and work hard to push out of our minds any notion of them not being with us forever. It’s powerful storytelling. And it’s all based on a true story. Director Goh Iromoto tells that story figuratively in the spot and literally in the article linked below.
No matter how big the budget of a movie telling stories about CGI superheroes or wizards or space villains and heroes, the stories that lean into and embrace their human-ness are the ones that grab us firmly and unrelentingly by the heartstrings and do not let go. We relate to the purity, simplicity and complexity of actually being human. And isn’t it funny that the creatures on this planet that make us feel most human – are animals? Animals that share our homes, our lives, our experiences and our hearts. And when we tell our stories, they’ll be some of the main characters.
Read the full article and comments from director Goh Iromoto
It’s funny how things turn out sometimes. Funny “interesting”, I mean. I first approached this copy with an NFL Films, John Facenda-type of read in mind. That was based on the direction and the subject matter. But the client actually directed me away from that a little. And the end result was much better and more appropriate than what I had envisioned. That’s the beauty of collaboration and highlights the subjective nature of creativity. There’s never one answer, but when you work together to find what best serves the project it’s win/win. #voiceover #jaysmackvo
RJ Zimmerman has been sober from alcohol, drugs, gambling and other addictive substances and activities for 8 years. He started the “Untapped Keg” podcast to address and create a community of people who are trying to life a fuller life without the barriers that certain substances and activities can create. But also included in that community are people who want others to live according to what is best for them and choose to indulge in certain substances and activities within reason and responsibly. He talks about a culture that all but requires people to partake lest they suffer exclusion and how it makes living a sober life by choice that much more difficult. He talks about the importance of connection with one’s self as well as family and friends.
In this Good Eye BLOGcast, I muse on the advancement of A.I. and its effect on people and industries that, historically, have been the exclusive domain of humans. As a voiceover artist, whoddathunk that computers would one day be gunning for my job. But I’m convinced that you need to face these advancements head-on. Lean into what makes us human. What other choice do we have?
Do you like to read? Do you like to listen to audiobooks? Perhaps you enjoy both. I know I do. But I also enjoy narrating audiobooks. It’s one fact of being a voiceover artist that I love because you learn so much about so many different subjects. In this case, I’ve narrated this book about the 1930’s Dust Bowl migration called the Golden Fortress by Bill Lascher. It examines the impact of that migration on many migrants fleeing the dust storms and attempting to make a new life in 1930’s California, as well as California’s response to the influx of so many people from around the country. In the case of the migration and the response, it was not smooth.
Click the cover art image to jump to Audible.
Melinda (Mindy) Conklin has worked in the health and wellness industry for 30 years. She has a master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Human Development and a master’s degree in Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Melinda lost her young husband to colorectal cancer in 2011. After her loss, she left her career as a mental health clinician and she founded Hitting Cancer Below the Belt – a Richmond, Virgina based nonprofit organization dedicated to colon health and colorectal cancer prevention.
Melinda’s personal and professional experience in the field of mental, emotional, and physical wellness has prepared her to identify community needs and has produced a strong skill set which encompasses the ability to create and bridge resources which positively impacts community health. Hitting Cancer Below the Belt (HCB2) began serving the Richmond community in 2013 and continues to expand its messages and services across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
View the WRIR blog post and playlist here.
Appalling – Father Inferior
Book of Wyrms – Sodapop Glacier
Dirtwoman – Lady of The Dunes
DUST~ – Dirty
Elabor – The Rain Brought A Flood
Ett Eko – Modern Content
Evan Solomon – No More Kim Kelly
Goodnight Daniel – Used To
Hotspit – Melting Point
Landon Elliott – Aftermath
Mr Earthbound – Not To Know
Ninth Realm – Plea To The Heavens
Outer World – Flower Gunpowder
Rough Age – Rote Philosophy
Shane Cooley – Dracula
Shane Cooley – The Circus Rolls On
Sincerely Iris – Low As I Ever Wanted To Feel
Skincrawler – Bleed
Strawberry Moon – Magnolia Trees
Sun Years – Codex
Ten Pound Snail – I Don’t Want To
The Practitioner – Church of The Void
Twain – The Light
WKNDR – Carousel
Ryan Kent (w/Chris Farmer) – Dying Comes With Age
Omen Stones – Black Cloud
Much of this music can be found on my Bandcamp profile HERE. I purchase as much of the music that I play on RCL and the Studio B RVA podcast as I can.
Laurel Marr’s website states that the term “doula” is a Greek word that means “a woman who serves”. While traditionally associated with childbirth, a doula is also someone who assists in a variety of ways with the end-of-life process, supporting the patient, family, caregivers and loved ones. In this conversation we discuss when it might be a good idea to enlist the services of a doula, when it might not be and some of the things we might not consider with which a doula could help. Learn more about Laurel and doula care on her website at www.lmdoulacare.com
Susanna Calvert is the founder of the Foundation for Family and Community Healing. Their mission is to “empower us all to create healthy, positive, rewarding relationships woth ourselves, each other, Earth, and the loving force greater than ourselves”. What started as something Susanna began in 2018 following several tragic life events now reaches internationally helping people “change their behavior, and change their world.”
Foundation for Family and Community Healing
Launch of thier Synapse Hub Sept 13
Silent Auction Fundraiser Nov. 18, at the Crossroads Art Center
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