Kay Bess

To Demo or Not to Demo. That Is the Question.

Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can.

and be

To Demo or Not to Demo. That Is the Question. I mean no disrespect to my esteemed, wise, and talented colleagues, and I don’t mean to suggest they are entirely wrong. I’m just not a fan of all-or-nothing thinking, and the often touted advice “DON’T EVER USE DEMOS THAT AREN’T PROFESSIONALLY MADE and DON’T GET A DEMO UNTIL YOU ARE 100...

My Most Important Blog Post, Yet?

I've got a serious CHALLENGE for you, my VO colleagues. Check it out here.


and be

My Most Important Blog Post, Yet? Some of you know I’m a big fan of The Tim Ferriss Show – a podcast/blog about the most interesting things you never knew you needed to know. Each episode is full of fascinating, thought-provoking ideas and guests, replete with tons of usable motivation. One of my favorite books of his is Tribe o...

The Boundary Paradox

It's time to set some boundaries, and find some freedom in your life and career.

The Boundary Paradox I vacillate between thinking I’m a superhero who can leave her phone on the nightstand with the ringer on high to be the first to catch those east coast, early morning ASAPs, and thinking I just want to be left alone. Like, forever. This past year, I dropped some coin and put together a small, fan...

Do Not Grow Weary of Doing Good

We all got smacked by 2020. Here's an antidote to the residual sting. My mantra for 2021.

Do Not Grow Weary of Doing Good Many got smacked more harshly than others. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s been like for those who’ve lost friends or family to COVID, nor for those who were stricken by it and still recovering. Add to the ever-lurking virus itself the realities of being locked down to varying degrees for t...

VoiceOver colleagues: Here's a MAGNIFICENT opportunity to study with the great Stephane Cornicard! If you want to add depth to your reads, particularly in gaming and animation, but really for every genre of VoiceOver, I highly recommend this 3 hour workshop. ONLINE and COVID SAFE! Details in the comments. Time listed is UK. This is a LOT more economical than flying to London for such a fantastic class! ;-)

Self-Sabotage and the Valley of Despair

Standing in your own way? Me, too.

Self-Sabotage and the Valley of Despair He had reached out a couple of times in response to my blog posts, and we ended up conversing a bit about the frustrations and hurdles we often face as voice actors. When I asked him what his biggest hurdle is, he was honest and vulnerable enough to answer: Self-sabotage.

I Never Wanted to Be a Voice Actor

“How do I know if I have what it takes to become a successful voice actor? How long do I go without a booking before I should give up? What do I do if I know in my heart-of-hearts voice-over is my destiny, but nothing seems to work out for me?”

Find some perspective here. ❤️

I Never Wanted to Be a Voice Actor Any way my life was measured, from my adolescence to my early thirties,  I was destined, not to be a voice actor, but a singer. A recording artist. A "star." I was singing in church at the age of 9, performing in public by 12, and winning national singing contests by 16. I had a “demo deal” wi...

My dear friends and colleagues: I wish you a Thanksgiving filled with love and good food, and enough time and perspective to reflect on your blessings. Even in the midst of the madness that is 2020, there is much for which to be thankful. We might have to look a little harder, but it's there.

See you next week with a new blog post.

The Audition Really IS the Job

We've all heard it before. But it's true.

The audition IS the job.

The Audition Really IS the Job Frankly, just about every female voice actor I knew in the Los Angeles market did, too.  And the ratio for my male vo colleagues was even better. There was a small circle of us who worked regularly, and those of us who thought about such things knew every one of us in the lobby of any given casting...

Are You Brave Enough to Give Your Work Away to Another Voice Actor?

Seriously. Who gives their VoiceOver work away?


and be

Are You Brave Enough to Give Your Work Away to Another Voice Actor? It’s a bit nebulous, though, right? Like, how can I not be myself? I am, after all, myself. Yet as I continue to coach others in their voiceover careers, I see a persistence of low-grade anxiety and “in-my-own-skin” discomfort. An audition arrives in our inbox and the questions begin. Where do...

Go Ahead. Get In Bed With Your Agents. Just Don't Sleep With Them.

Voice Over Colleagues: New Blog Post!

Go Ahead. Get In Bed With Your Agents. Just Don't Sleep With Them. Actors are a sensitive bunch. Landing an agent is priceless validation for us. Being dropped by one is a monumental blow. Aside from wanting our agents to provide us with opportunity (and lots of it) we want our agents to like us. Really, really like us. We want them to have lunch with us and take o...

Hey, Orson Welles... Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?

Hey Voice Over Comrades: I posted this blog piece last week with a terribly boring title. I'm still learning how to write an interesting title that's click worthy. Ha. So, here's a better one, with a sideways reference to Pinky and the Brain for good measure. Come on. Go read it. ;-)

Hey, Orson Welles... Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? If you’re over 50 you should be familiar with it. If you’re not, check it out here and take a listen. It’s old-timey and absolutely splendid. Then, check out Pinky and The Brain - Yes, Always to hear a send-up of it which is old-timey and splendid in its own right. Serious kudos to Maurice La...

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover: Season 3 - Episode 31 - Amanda Wyatt

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover: Season 3 - Episode 31 - Amanda Wyatt Amanda Wyatt is a premier independent video-game casting and voice director in Los Angeles with some of the biggest video game titles to her directing/casting credit. Call of Duty Online, the Halo series, Horizon Zero Dawn, Batman: Arkham Knight, the Skylanders series, Assassin’s Creed 1 & 2, ...

Season 3 - Episode 30 - Nancy Linari

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : Season 3 - Episode 30 - Nancy Linari

Season 3 - Episode 30 - Nancy Linari Nancy Linari draws on her theatrical skills to bring animated and video game characters to life. Her characters run the gamut from the s*xy, macabre Morticia Addams in ABC’s The Addams Family to the warm and supportive Aunt May in both Marvel’s Spider-Man on Disney XD and in Insomniac’s newest...

Season 3 - Episode 29 - Susan Palyo

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : Season 3 - Episode 29 - Susan Palyo

Season 3 - Episode 29 - Susan Palyo Susan Palyo has been working for Voicetrax West since 1990 and has been the resident demo producer since 1996. Susan grew up in Springfield, Illinois. Her passion for music led her to believe that pursuing a degree in Commercial Music from Millikin University in Decatur, IL would be a great idea sin...

A new podcast is coming !!!

Heather Vergo Dame

WHAAAAT???? A NEW PODCAST??? FINALLY!! The B-Hive kicks things off again with the inimitable Heather Dame (formerly Vergo) VP, Director of Development at Atlas Talent Agency, Los Angeles. If you want to understand the talent/agent relationship, listen in - all the way to the end. Heather has some amazing insight and wisdom to share, including some finer points on what agents look for when bringing on new talent, and the nuts and bolts of the submission process.

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover: Heather Vergo Dame

Heather Vergo Dame Heather Dame is currently the VP, Director of Development of Atlas LA. She was tasked by Atlas Talent Agency to move out to Los Angeles 7 1/2 years ago to help develop and start up the new West Coast branch of the company. This included building the foundation of a positive public brand for the comp...

Episode 27 - A Coupl'a Drones in the Hive!

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : Episode 27 - A Coupl'a Drones in the Hive!

Episode 27 - A Coupl'a Drones in the Hive! What? Men in the B-Hive? Sacrilege! Nonetheless, here they are. Two of the most prolific voice actors of their generation, and two of the kindest friends I've known. Please welcome Townsend Coleman and Thom Pinto from the podcast studio at VO Atlanta 2018. The creator of VO Atlanta, Gerald Griffith,...

I have a handful of voiceover coaching clients. I often speak to them about their "brand" - which is just a fancy way of asking them "who they are." I speak about what it means to be authentic, to be real, and how it has nothing to do with "putting on a voice." Sometimes I'm at a loss for words as to what I mean exactly. And then I run across a poem like this by Rilke, and I think to myself, "Yes. This is it."

"I want to unfold.
I don’t want to stay folded anywhere,
because where I am folded, there I am a lie.
and I want my grasp of things to be
true before you. I want to describe myself
like a painting that I looked at
closely for a long time,
like a saying that I finally understood,
like the pitcher I use every day,
like the face of my mother,
like a ship
that carried me
through the wildest storm of all."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke

A Predator Among Us

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : A Predator Among Us

A Predator Among Us This episode of the B-Hive takes a turn toward a difficult subject: Sexual assault. On February 8, 2018, CNN.com published an article entitled "They're Not Celebrities. Their Voiceover Coach isn't either. But Changed Their Lives." In that article 16 women were stated as having been assaulted....

Happy New Year! Dreams and Goals for 2018

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : Happy New Year! Dreams and Goals for 2018

Happy New Year! Dreams and Goals for 2018 Here we are on the cusp of a brand new year - ripe with reflection and full of possibility. From stellar voice actors and guests on the podcast, here's a little inspiration for you as dream your own dreams and make your own plans for a bright and shiny future. Thanks for helping make The B-Hive: Wom...

Reframing Failure

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : Reframing Failure

Reframing Failure This is the first of a two part series. Today's podcast is all about failure, and next week's will be all about looking ahead to 2018. Failure. Ya. Everybody goes through it. And believe it or not it is the cornerstone of success. That's taken me a while to understand, but I've really found it to be...

Live Announcing for City National Bank’s Annual Meeting and Awards.

Season 2 - Episode 22 - Liz Atherton

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : Season 2 - Episode 22 - Liz Atherton

Season 2 - Episode 22 - Liz Atherton Lucky us. Liz Atherton joins me in the B-Hive today, and you are in for a treat. Liz is the owner and Queen Bee extraordinaire of The Atherton Group (TAG) Talent Agency, based in Austin, Texas. Liz has been agenting for a couple of decades now at least, but spent some time in her youth as an actor a...

Calendly - Kay Bess

In keeping with Cyber Monday, I am having a “sale” on SKYPE voiceover coaching! My customary fee is $125 per 55 minute session, but until MIDNIGHT tomorrow night (That’s the stroke of midnight Tuesday morning) you can book up to six 55 minute sessions for only $75! Book one a week for 6 weeks. Book one a month for 6 months! Book to suit your schedule! It’s up to you!

Just go to my calendar at www.calendly.com/kaybess. Choose the 55 min SKYPE coaching session, and book up to 6 available dates!

We can work on whatever you’d like. Commercial, promo, or narration technique, general career coaching, or specific audition pieces, whatever you’d like! Mix it up and we can do what suits you depending on the day! After all, it’s YOUR voiceover career!

Here’s the fine print:

Void where prohibited. Must be 18 or older to enter. See store for details. This call may be monitored for quality assurance. *

*We can work on legal copy, too. ;-)

Calendly - Kay Bess

“Life is not a ‘young man’s game.’ It is an ‘inspired person’s game.’ The keys belong to whoever is inspired, and no specific age, s*x, gender, or cultural background has a monopoly on inspiration. When you’re creative, you render competition obsolete, because there is only one you, and no one can do things exactly the way you do. Never worry about the competition. When you’re creative, you can, in fact, cheer others on with the full knowledge that their success will undoubtedly be your own.” ~ Terry Crews

Agents of Mayhem - Look what Persephone gave to Dr. Babylon! Framed and everything :-)

Season 2 - Episode 21 - Roberta Solomon

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : Season 2 - Episode 21 - Roberta Solomon

Season 2 - Episode 21 - Roberta Solomon Among the most versatile and prolific voiceover artists working today, Roberta Solomon is one of the few women in the industry to achieve a true top tier career. Heard regularly on network and cable television, Roberta has voiced promos for NBC’s coverage of the French Open, kicked off ABC’s Jimmy K...

Season 2 - Episode 20 - Mari Weiss

The B-Hive Podcast: Women In Voiceover : Season 2 - Episode 20 - Mari Weiss

Season 2 - Episode 20 - Mari Weiss Ladies and Gents allow me to introduce the one and only Mari Weiss. Mari has a career in voiceover spanning more than 2 decades, doing all kinds of national spots and campaigns over the years, as well as promo, narration, video games such as Mafia 3 and Guild Wars. She does both commercial and theat...