Jaypatrick2's Blog

Hello world!

jaypatrick2 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:52:03 +0000

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

It’s hot out! We need Fans!

jaypatrick2 — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Ok, maybe that’s the wrong kind of fan. How about simply being our Facebook fan? For every new fan we get during August we’ll donate an equal amount to Give Kids The World, an organization that brings smiles to children with illnesses and their families. We’ll choose a different organization every month so we can give to those in need of hope, a smile or more. Are you a SunSpots client or voiceover talent? Click below, become a fan and help us help a good cause.

Thanks!

Tom

SunSpots Productions-Voice Talent Agency & Creative Audio Production on Facebook

Bryan’s Trip to Cataloochee Valley

jaypatrick2 — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:21:00 +0000

So as you may or may not have noticed I was gone most of last week from SunSpots Asheville. The fam and I took a trip to Cataloochee Valley up near Maggie Valley, NC in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s only about an hour and 15 minutes from SunSpots Asheville.

If any of you voice talent are interested in coming to the area it makes a great day trip or overnight excursion from Asheville.

They are trying to reintroduce elk to the region and have an experimental herd there. I have posted a few pics of the elk here and on my facebook page. You basically drive through the valley at dawn or a couple of hours before sunset and the elk are feeding near the side of the road. It gets pretty crowded on the weekends so the best time to go is during the week. It really gets busy in the Fall when the elk begin the rut. It’s not uncommon to see a couple of bull elk lock horns over the one they love during the fall season. We were even lucky enough to see a bear with 2 cubs, although we heard tell of another bear sighting of a mama with 4 cubs.

There is a campground located in the valley about 10 miles from the nearest highway. They have restrooms, but the nearest store is about 35 minutes away over a rough dirt road with barely enough room for 2 lanes. We were lucky enough to get one of the 6 or 7 creek side campsites.

The fishing was slow. My oldest son caught a brown trout and I lost 2. From the stories being told by the other fisherman at the campground it was a tough week for everyone. There was even an old pro there who had been fly fishing for 30 years and he only caught 1 fish in 4 days.

Overall we spent 5 days hiking, fishing, checking out historical sites, wildlife viewing and just plain chillaxin. Very refreshing.

Anywho back to the real world!!! Enjoy the pics!

-Bryan

Bambi visits SunSpots near Asheville

jaypatrick2 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The wildlife hits just keep on coming. Looks like it’s lunchtime in the animal world too. Around noon today a large deer visited SunSpots NC recording studios property near Asheville. We’ve got a heavy producing apple tree that the deer are beginning to visit every other day. Here’s our latest visitor:

Have any wildlife where you work? (Other than that creepy guy with the weird hair at the water cooler.)

And as always if you’re searching for professional voice talent, fully produced, supervised and directed recording sessions and creative audio production in most languages please visit SunSpots Productions.

What wild beast will show up next?!

Roller Skating Babies Evian TV Commercial

jaypatrick2 — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:22:00 +0000

Yeah, we’re fools for dancing babies, but babies on roller skate with attitude are even better. That’s a tv commercial that sticks to the brain. Does the product stick the same way? I remember the roller skating babies, but not the bottle they’re selling. How about you? Does a memorable tv campaign sell the product well or just the commercial itself? I do like the voiceover. Go baby go!

Snakes Alive at SunSpots NC Voiceover Studios

jaypatrick2 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:57:00 +0000

I just saw news yesterday of pythons being an invasive species in Florida. Here’s the story from USA today: http://tinyurl.com/msfp78
We had a small invasion of snakes here at SunSpots Productions Asheville…well in the driveway at least. As I was driving back from doing some errands away from the studio I drove up our driveway and found this elongated beastie catching some sun.

From online sources I think it’s a black rat snake. Possibly a female since I saw a baby the night before while I was walking in some grass around the same area. I had my camera in the car with me and was shooting from the window. Here’s a closeup (from far away):

Here’s one once it moved across the driveway:

I’ll have to get my camera ready for this weekend to catch some more wild beasties! Last night, right after sunset, there were 2 juvenile deer trying to get the apples from the apple tree about 20 yards from Bryan’s studio window. They were standing on their hind legs and would jump and hop and sort of fall over when they missed. The tree this year is bursting with apples so I bet we’ll have lots of woodland creatures visiting throughout the fall. So far this summer we’ve seen turkeys, deer, a black bear and snakes. Oh! PLUS, I’ve seen many honey bees on the flowers. After a good 8 years of decline they seem to have returned strong this year. That’s a very good thing. Hey, here’s something interesting…Bryan just told me that honey bees are not native to North America. He’s a flippin’ nature geenyus!

Voiceovers and nature…is there anything better?

Seen any creepy crawly, slithering, jumping, hopping, barking, mewing visitors at your place?

Tom

Rachel Ray has vocal cord surgery

jaypatrick2 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Story from the New York Daily News online edition about Rachel Ray and her vocal issues.

Rachael Ray undergoes vocal cord surgery to remove benign cyst

BYROSEMARY BLACK
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, July 14th 2009, 4:00 AM

Napolitano/FilmMagic

Rachel Ray is planning to be “giving her voice a rest for the next week or two,” says the TV host’s rep.

The vocal cord operation that omnipresent TV host Rachael Ray reportedly underwent last week has a very high success rate, which means the ebullient celebrity chef should be back in the kitchen before long.

Ray underwent surgery, according to People magazine, in order to remove a benign cyst from her vocal cord, following months of failed vocal therapy.

Her rep,Charlie Dougiello, said in People that the toughest part for the chef “is going to be giving her voice a rest for the next week or two.”

Most at risk for developing vocal problems such as cysts, nodules and polyps are singers, teachers, sales people and others who talk a lot, says Dr. Clark Rosen, an otolaryngologist specializing in voice disorders at the University of Pittsburgh.

“It is a result of overuse or misuse of the voice,” he says. “Rachael Ray speaks very loudly and she has what we call a percussive voice, not a soft voice. Vocal cords are designed to vibrate with each other, but they do need down time or recovery time.” (This is important for us to remember in the voiceover business. Some of us are very active with voicing all day or evenings. Here’s confirmation that we need to take breaks and care for our vocal cords the way a professional athlete would with their muscles. A raspy voice indicates that the vocal cords need a period of rest or have been damaged and need additional care.)

Soft and pliable, vocal cords, or folds, vibrate extremely fast in order to give the voice its pitch, explains Dr. Michael Johns, an otolaryngologist specializing in voice disorders and director of the Emory Voice Center.

“They vibrate 200 times per seconds for women, and for sopranos, they may vibrate 1,000 times a second,” he explains. “What happens with a cyst is that the delicate mucus membranes break down, and then the folds don’t vibrate in the same way.”

The first course of treatment is voice therapy, which very often takes care of the problem.

If it doesn’t, an operation to remove the cyst is recommended.

Surgery is “generally safe,” Johns says, and it’s “almost always successful” when done by a competent specialist.

The toughest part could be the recovery period following surgery.

“You have to rest your voice for a week,” he says. “And that means no talking, no whispering, no throat clearing and no coughing.”

In Ray’s case, her rep told People that “the minor, non-invasive procedure was a success and she is already resting at home.”

Though overusing the voice is definitely a risk factor for vocal cord problems, it’s not known why some big talkers get them and others don’t, Rosen says.

“Some guys can sell peanuts at the stadium for 2-0 years and never have a problem, and yet a 16-year-old girl can develop a vocal cord bump after just one round of high singing demands in the spring musical,” he says.

The main symptom is persistent hoarseness.

Says Rosen: “Anyone with persistent hoarseness for two weeks without an upper respiratory infection should see a doctor.

(What do you do to keep your vocal cords healthy and strong? Are there exercises you perform to strengthen your voice?) (Here are some informative links about vocal cord nodules, polyps and cysts: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Merck.com, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

SunSpots Zak Miller voices full-time

jaypatrick2 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:32:00 +0000

SunSpots Productions Zak Miller becomes full-time Voiceover Talent

As one of the founding members and manager of SunSpots Productions Orlando recording studios team, Zak Miller has decided to “put out his shingle” and work as a full-time voiceover announcer. Zak’s been working behind the console and mic for over 12 years with SunSpots and produced over 7,500 sessions and personally voiced over 1,700 radio and tv commercials and narrations. You can hear Zak Miller’s voices at SunSpots: http://www.sunspotsproductions.com/Voice_talent_detail.cfm?id=59

Zak got his start behind the mic in 1992 on the air at WCHZ in Augusta, Georgia. Zak says, “That opened the part of my brain that told me I love to voice! I produced my first spot for a horse show at a South Carolina mall. I had no sound effects so I had to foley everything!” From that radio station in Georgia, Zak worked his way to WDIZ in Orlando, Florida working middays as a DJ. Eventually he moved off the air to the Creative Service Department of Clear Channel Broadcasting in Orlando. While there, he voiced for the Orlando Predators Arena Football Team, Solar Bears Hockey Team and various concerts for the Orlando area.

It was Zak’s work on the radio that attracted SunSpots Productions attention. He joined the SunSpots team in 1997, soon after the company opened its Orlando studios location. Within a few years he became manager of the Florida studio. Zak describes his early years at SunSpots Productions, “Being on the ground floor of SunSpots was a very exciting time. To be a part of the growth and formation of a company like SunSpots with the ideals and approaches to the industry will always remain a special memory. To be able to raise the industry standards and what is and was expected from a production studio and talent agent was a great feeling. SunSpots has changed the way I approach life, business and relationships.” One of his favorite memories of SunSpots was, “sitting in the lobby eating Chinese food and thinking of names for the company. I’ll never forget the time that Janet (SunSpots Co-Owner), fellow voice talent Jaz Adams and I spent the day piling sand around the building to keep “Lake Cassidy” from flooding into the studios!”

Zak’s enthusiastic about his career change to jump to the other side of the recording console as a full-time voice talent. “I am very excited about voicing full-time. How come? When you’re able to do something in life that feeds your passion and creativity, your life becomes more fulfilled…My favorite spot to voice is a spot that tells a story. I love to be able to bring a person into a scene with my voice and my inflection.”

The entire SunSpots Productions staff wishes Zak the very best in his new voice talent career. To hear Zak Miller’s voices (he does a variety of voiceover styles) and his voiceover demos please contact SunSpots Productions at 800-355-SPOTS or online at www.SunSpotsProductions.com. You can also schedule Zak through SunSpots web site.

SunSpots Productions is a global supplier of voice talent and creative audio production and is a licensed talent agent in the State of Florida. SunSpots creates award winning audio from their studios near Asheville, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida.

Voice Talent John Oliver Fights Behind The Mic

jaypatrick2 — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:40:00 +0000

SunSpots voiceover talent John Oliver puts on the gloves and fights hard behind the mic in this video produced by our friends at Williamson/Evans studios.

You can hear more of John at SunSpots Productions site. Here’s John Oliver’s voice talent demo.

Choose SunSpots when you’re looking for pro voice talent like John and creative audio production. Contact SunSpots Productions with studios near Asheville, NC and Orlando, FL at 800-355-SPOTS.

A Visitor Comes to SunSpots Asheville

jaypatrick2 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:42:00 +0000

A little black bear with a serious sunflower seed jones came a knockin’ at Shannon’s office window today here at SunSpots Asheville studio location. Take a look see.

Yes it looks like we are best friends but be assured after we were done taking vids and pics we scared it off properly and brought our bird feeders in until further notice. The last thing you want around here, or anywhere for that matter, is a bear getting used to easy food.

Seems like there has been a lot of bear activity in the region lately. Here’s an article on the closing of the Abrams Falls Trail in the Cades Cove area of the Smokies.

And here are some bear safety tips for any of you voice talent looking to take a vacation here.

Jay happened to have his camcorder on him so here is a quick video of our hairy, nosey neighbor.