Dinosaur Secrets clips are now online

I’ve now posted some short clips from the first programme of the Dinosaur Secrets series, which premiered on History here in the UK this week. See them on them on my website by clicking here.

Mike makes the news thanks to Voices.com

Stephanie Ciccarelli of Voices.com has mentioned my gig voicing Dinosaur Secrets in today’s VoxTalk podcast. You can listen to it – and subscribe – here.

She’s also interviewed me for the Vox Daily blog, which you can find and subscribe to here.

Mike Cooper narrates Dinosaur Secrets on History

I’ve just finished narrating a major series for History called “Dinosaur Secrets”, and it begins airing in the UK tonight (21st January 2009) at 9pm. It’s been made in High Definition, which should really show off the amazing CGI!

From the History microsite:

“Travel back in time to the pre-historic era and unearth the world’s first serial killers. We bring to life deadly dinosaur confrontations and gain remarkable insight into the psychology and physiology of these ancient beasts.”

History is on Sky Channel 529 and Virgin Channel 234, with the HD version on Sky 545.

There’s also a Facebook page here and I hope to post a clip some time in the next day or so.

Mike is the Narrator for Nick Heidfeld’s WebTV

I’m pleased to have been chosen to narrate the English version of the TV segments on German Formula 1 driver, Nick Heidfeld’s new website, which has just gone online at www.NickHeidfeld.com

The site has been designed by b.a.n.g. Deutschland Gmbh, with the WebTV clips produced by Peter Reibel of reibelmedia. The direct link to the first clip is here. The voice track was recorded in my studio in London and then edited into the piece in Germany.

“Quick Nick”, as he’s often referred to, drives for the BMW Sauber team and I wish him and the rest of the team the greatest success in the 2009 season!

The internet. Not just for porn, after all.

So, what’s 2009 going to be all about then? Apart from the aforementioned New Year’s Resolutions?

For me, it’s going to be – at least in part – about learning how to get the most out of the various opportunities for engagement that the internet now provides. These tools, if used correctly, have the potential to help me in my business and help people to find me, so that I can help them with their own challenges. That’s all that business is about, really, isn’t it? Oh yes, money changes hands, but not unless those conditions exist first: Person A has a need, Person B has a solution – and as long as the those two people can find one another at the right time then everyone’s happy.

The challenge, if you work alone as a freelance, has always been – at least partly – how you make yourself known. But social networking online, in its various forms, is giving people like me, who are spread out all over the world and working on their own projects, a chance to link up with other people, either in related – or completely unrelated – fields. This aspect of the internet is shrinking the world and making us all less isolated – if we choose to use it, and if we know how to get the best out of it. And right now there’s a huge buzz around the whole thing. Most of these tools are also, amazingly, for now at least, FREE! And the ones that aren’t are surprisingly cheap. It’s never been easier to make yourself heard on the other side of the world, if that’s what you’re trying to achieve.

What kinds of tools am I talking about? Well… this blog is part of my effort to engage with the world at large for a start. It’s an outlet, a sort of diary, and a channel for some of my thoughts. The tag line at the top says “mostly (but not always) about the voice-over business”, and that’s intentional: I want this blog to be relevant to anyone who’s interested in voiceover work, on whatever level (and I intend to do less navel-gazing and more practical writing about the business in the coming months), but I also want anything I say to be placed in the context of my existence as a human being who’s more rounded than just being an, erm, gob on a stick…

As well as this blog, I’ve somehow managed to accumulate accounts with LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as half a dozen or so accounts for bulletin board systems used by Voiceovers and Voice Seekers, where tips are traded, help is sought and offered, and everyone can chip in with their latest tale of success or woe. I’ve got my own website up-and-running in the last few months, complete with its own little news feed of my work exploits which, for now, I’ve chosen to keep separate from my ramblings here (mostly for the sake of everyone’s sanity).

All-in-all, I’ve been playing at this for a little while now, but it’s getting to the point where the “scatter-gun” approach needs a bit of refining. I’ve been reading lots of stuff, mostly online, about “leveraging” social media for business (in particular some of the stuff that Chris Brogan has written), and now seems like a good time to start putting it to the test. So, in the next few posts I’ll share a little about what I’ve been up to, and I’d welcome your own thoughts and suggestions in response.

Come on now, don’t be shy…

It’s the little things

Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference, don’t they?

I reckon I’ve spent about £4,500 on re-equipping my studio over the last few months, but it was the £30 I spent this week that really made the difference. I know I’ve posted before about upgrading my recording space, putting in ISDN, getting a new microphone and so on, but somehow it didn’t feel quite finished until yesterday afternoon, when two small pieces of the puzzle arrived from the nice-but-ever-so-slightly-overpriced people at Canford Audio.

The first was a bracket to hold my Fostex monitor speaker. The speaker (a 6301B compact, powered monitor of the type you see everywhere in radio and TV) has been sliding around on top of my studio rack for weeks. It just didn’t feel right, and I wanted it on the wall, where it was at the right height, and – just as importantly – where it looked more permanent.

The second thing was even smaller: a G-clamp to hold my microphone’s angle-poise arm. I’ve been using a sturdy (but, naturally, overpriced) free-standing tabletop version since the refit, but it was taking up valuable space where I could have put scripts, or the Bookchair which I use as a script holder.

Strangely, once these two pieces of the jigsaw were in place, the whole area suddenly felt “done” and a bizarre sense of calm and accomplishment overcame me.

Yes, it’s definitely sometimes not the size of the thing that’s important…

New Year, New Mike

For the first time, I’ve decided to put my New Year’s Resolutions online for everyone to see. There’s a certain body of evidence that suggests that we are more likely to follow through on our desired actions if we state them publicly; it’s something to do with wanting our actions to be seen to congruent with our words. So, a deep breath and here are mine. Some of these are voiceover-related, and some aren’t, but in for a penny and all that…

Business aims for 2009

• Work out which of the online “Pay to Play” voice directories work for me, and which are a waste of time and money. Stop devoting time and money to the latter
• Put together a new commercial demo (it’s been two years since I last recorded a demo, and most of my work in the interim has been TV programmes, corporates and training)
• …book more commercials!
• Remain optimistic in the face of a looming recession. Remember that certain businesses thrive in a recession, and focus on making mine one of them
• Get better at using online social networking to increase awareness of who am I am and what I have to offer
• Contribute – regularly – to the online Voiceover community, through the various forums and Twitter
• Keep up the blog!

Personal aims for 2009

• (Remind myself where it is, then…) Make the gym a twice/thrice-weekly habit, not an exception. Preferably first thing in the morning before the “distractions” begin
• Cut down on “treats” (biscuits, pastries and the like)
• Keep an eye on my wheat and gluten intake. I may be able to get away with it better than I used to, but in truth it still does me no good
• Save more (some/any). An old chestnut, but worth another try.

I’ll probably add to this list as more ideas occur. In the meantime I’d love to hear yours – feel free to comment below, and a Happy New Year to you. Thanks for reading!