Taking Off with a New Podcast

My friend, Benét Wilson, has just started a new blog and podcast for Aviation Week (the McGraw Hill publication). Her previous podcast, Towers & Tarmacs, was on a Top 50 Travel Blog list, so she was rewarded with a new project: This Week in Business Aviation. Congrats, Benét! You can subscribe to her blog and podcast at AviationWeek.com. I was hired to produce custom introductions, bumpers, and exits for her podcast, and the Check 6 podcast.

Nifty Resources for Entrepreneurs

Today I started contributing video tutorials to NiftyClicks.com. This website is the creation of maverick marketing guru Andrew Lock. It offers video reviews of hundreds of web resources to help entrepreneurs get more done. My first video covered the multimedia tool available at SproutBuilder.com. Sprouts are widgets that you can create without knowing Flash or even HTML. It seems like a fun tool, and in fact I think you'll see it "sprouting" on my website soon...

Forward Into the Past

This morning I walked back in history to tell the story of Haven's Homestead in Brick, NJ. Built in 1827, the Homestead was occupied by the Havens family until the 1990's when it was donated to the Brick Township Historical Society. I was the on-camera "talent" ( a term applied very loosely in my case) for a web video being produced by Eric Joseph of Life Mosaic Studios. The Homestead was one of four stand-ups I did during a whirlwind tour of Brick, NJ.

Recreational Eating (Where Shrimp is King)

I just finished editing a video podcast for the website www.RVingAndMore.com. The clients, Jerry and Linda, turned their love of traveling across the country by RV into a website offering tips to other RV owners. The video podcast is a new feature for the site, and the first episode takes you inside Big Daddy's Grill in southern Alabama. Linda talks with "Big Daddy" about his love of decapod crustaceans. They captured all the content on one of those inexpensive Flip video recorders, and I edited it down in Final Cut. Jerry reports that they avoid the chain restaurants during their travels, preferring "mom & pop's."

Getting Debt Free

A lot of Americans are facing the same challenge these days - trying to reduce their personal debt. A few months back we created a four-CD audio book with tips and techniques on eliminating debt. The audio book and print version are now available from the Consumer Publishing Group. It's a worthwhile resource for the financially challenged. And you get to hear the spoof commercial we created for "Coffee on Credit - for those who don't have the cash for caffeine..."

Making Like Kermit The Frog

We just started producing a series of podcasts to help small business go green. The podcasts complement the website, GetEcoNow.com. For the first episode, we talk with Mike Andreano, the founder of GetEcoNow, about the resources currently available on the website, and what the future might hold. This sure seems like a great niche market to be targeting; big companies have been implementing eco-friendly initiatives for a while now, but small businesses are late to the party. The podcasts will offer some simple steps they can take to go green, for a very minimal cost.

Video Answers Questions About Outsourcing

Based on the success of the Outsource This! audio program, Daven Michaels had us produce a marketing video that answers the top 10 questions small business owners ask about using outsource workers. The video incorporates photos of his call center in the Philippines, and audio clips of his actual outsource workers. The 10 minute video will drive viewers to the OutsourceThis.com website for more detailed information.

An Unwanted Visitor at QVC Network!

I've met several celebrities during my appearances on the QVC network (from Joan Rivers to Marie Osmond), but the other night an unexpected visitor crashed the QVC studios. A deer broke through an office window at the QVC campus and ran amok through the corridors, scattering staff in its wake. Unfortunately, the buck had suffered serious wounds and had to be put down by animal control officers. Sections of the studios were still cordoned off when I showed up for an early morning appearance today. Next week, I'm off to Canada to appear on the Shopping Channel up there - I hope the moose are more tame!

What to do in today's volatile market?

Today I hosted another in a series of webinars for Manny Backus at First Hour Trading. He provides guidance and support to day traders in the stock market. We fielded questions from the members of First Hour Trading from around the world, and an expert in the system provided the answers. Today, the participants checked in from Maine to California, and from Canada to Malaysia. Although these may be grim times for us "buy & hold" investors, day traders can profit from volatility in the stock market. As Manny says, "Make enough in the first hour of trading to take the rest of the day off..."

Outsource This! The Audio CD

We just finished producing an audio book on the topic of outsourcing customer service jobs to overseas workers. There's no doubt that we now live in a global economy, and small businesses in the U.S. will have to become more efficient in order to compete. One way to do that is to outsource lower-paying "back-office" jobs to qualified workers in other countries. The audio CD is based on the lessons learned in outsourcing by best-selling writer, producer, entrepreneur and founder of 123employee.com, Daven Michaels. He shares tips for selecting the best countries and companies for outsourcing in this hour-long audio program. You should be able to pick up a FREE copy soon at OutsourceThis.com. Now if I could just find an outsource worker to wash my car, I'd be a happy man.

New product to pitch....er, that is "present"

It looks like I'll be presenting another new product on the QVC shopping channel in a few weeks. That's me, Mike Romanies (President of FUEL Marketing and Sales, who represents Honestech at QVC), and Jay Choi (Managing Director of Honestech) standing outside QVC after a morning meeting with their electronics buyer. Jay is smiling because the QVC buyer agreed to add another Honestech product to their offerings. I'm smiling because I know that lunch is next on the agenda. Mike is smiling because he's not paying for lunch.

Blogger Hits the Airwaves

Today I mixed several promos for Doryn Wallach - she's the prolific blogger behind Doryn's Dish. Her blog provides "the scoop on anything and everything useful." She shares the latest products in a variety of categories from food and fashion to gadgets. How about a travel coffee cup with a built-in clock? Starting this week, Doryn is leveraging the popularity of her blog to become the host of her own radio show on WGCH. Listen in every Tuesday from 9-10AM.

You Are What You Wear

We just finished editing a series of audio programs for Stever Robbins on what to wear for business. The series is called "Dressing Up and Down: Comfort and Style for Men in the Workplace." Stever interviews Julie Foley, a fashion guru for men, who provides a wealth of information on the best attire for business. Stever shares that he favors two types of clothes: jeans, and ripped jeans. Julie recommends that all business slacks be made of wool. I am starting to itch just thinking about it. But there are a ton of good tips on everything from what to wear for an interview to what is really meant by business casual. The program will be available on both CD and downloadable MP3 files soon at www.SteverRobbins.com.

Once upon a time, before there were pixels...

In my spare time I maintain a website dedicated to the artwork of my great-grandfather, E.J. Meeker. He was an illustrator for the major newspapers and periodicals in the late 1800's. That was before they could easily reproduce photos in the newspapers. I collect his work by scouring eBay for old issues of Harper's Weekly, Frank Leslie's Illustration Newspaper, and Century Magazine. Then I scan in his artwork, and add some of the text from the article to the webpage. Right now I have quite a backlog of articles to post, but you can view some of them at www.ejmeeker.org. I also take some of the more compelling (or weird) articles and turn them into YouTube videos. His watercolors of Cuba at the turn of the last century seem to be particularly popular on YouTube.

Here's a view of the "financial center of the world" (Wall Street) in 1902. I wonder how much longer that title will apply?

The Gift & Home Channel

I guess I need to get out more... Until I voiced a script for the Gift & Home Channel, I wasn't even aware of the hot new product for your bathroom, called Poo-Pourri. Their slogan: "Spritz the bowl before you go, and no one else will ever know." Poo-Pourri is available in original scent, Royal Flush, and No. 2.

And that was just one of the best new products lauded in the three videos now available on Gift & Home Channel web portal. How about EyeSlices? They are disposable eye treatment pads, said to be "hi-tech cucumber slices."

Thanks to Brittany at the Gift & Home Channel for selecting me for the voiceovers. This b-to-b website provides independent retailers with a whole library of educational merchandising videos.

The Power Man's Three

If you want to get more out of your workout, you might want to take a look at the video we just completed for HBC Nutrition. It covers the three best supplements for power men and weight lifters.

John at HBC had a common problem - he wanted to take advantage of the popularity of YouTube to market his product but didn't want to spend a fortune doing it. We applied our proven approach of forgoing motion video for animated text and graphics to tell his story. Now he's going to pump you up! (Sorry - ancient Saturday Night Live reference)

Doing My Bit for Auto Dealers

Umm.... no, I didn't buy a new car. But I did encourage others to! It was a busy day yesterday for recording voiceovers for car commercials. Pinnacle Advertising in LA hired me for spots for Miller Infiniti in Van Nuys and Miller Toyota in Culver City. And for WoolyBugger Productions, I voiced a spot for Reganis Auto Center in Scott's Bluff, Nebraska. I feel for auto dealers and the situation many are facing right now - too few buyers and too many cars on the lot. Maybe the spots will inspire some folks to make that big purchase.

Unlock Those Audio Memories

My friends at Honestech (Jay, Sunny, and Mike) just introduced a new product for capturing the audio locked on your old vinyl LPs and audio cassettes. Audio Recorder lets you easily convert the music into CDs or MP3 files. We created a promo video for the product that will run in a kiosk at BJ's Wholesale Club. BJ's has about 120 locations in the Northeast and South. My partner, Clayton, was the "hand model" for the video. The QVC shopping channel also just picked up the product, so I should be making appearances there soon if you'd like to see how the product works.

A Better Way To Build

We just completed a 30-minute marketing video for a innovative building product - the RASTRA Wall System. Designed for homes and commercial buildings, a RASTRA wall is made of 85% recycled stryrofoam and concrete, and therefore provides a much higher R-value than traditional wood frame walls with fiberglass insulation. And not only is a RASTRA home more energy-efficient, but it also stands up to severe weather much better. Next hurricane, I'm looking for a RASTRA-built home to hide in!

Canadians Not Loose With Their Loonies

We learned something about Canadian consumers during this past weekend's appearances on The Shopping Channel in Toronto. They tend to carefully consider a purchase. When we present a product on QVC in the States, people call in during the show and immediately buy the product. On the Canadian Shopping Channel, the calls tend to come in after the show is over. So, I assume the buyers are doing a little research before plunking down their hard-earned loonies. The sales were respectable during three showings on Sunday, so I guess I'll be heading back for another appearance soon. That's a good thing, since I was hoping to visit the Canadian side of Niagara Falls during this visit, but got side-tracked by visiting a great winery (or 2 or 3!) along the shores of Lake Ontario. (Can you see my blood-shot eyes in this photo?)

Podcast Breaks Into the Top 20

Congratulations to Lisa B. Marshall! Her latest series of podcasts, the Public Speaker, just broke into the iTunes Top 20. Lisa was one of my first podcast clients almost two years ago. Her podcasts offer quick, practical tips that help you become a better public speaker. You can subscribe to the podcasts (and hear my recorded intro/outro) at Lisa's site. Quick and Dirty Tips is owned by the multi-national publisher, Macmillan & Company, and publishes the podcasts for another of my clients, Stever Robbins.

Real or Fake?

Can you tell from looking at this pic of me on QVC this past weekend? No, I'm not talking about my hair (that's real, thank you). Is the tan real or fake? The truth is that the QVC stylists usually spray paint your face with this brownish gunk to give you a golden glow. You wouldn't think I would need it since I live at the Jersey shore, and get to the beach a least a couple times a week .

My knowledge of stock trading is growing again. I'm working on a new course for Manny Backus at Wealthpire on swing trading. We're creating a DVD, several audio CDs, and a companion book. Swing trading sits somewhere on the trading spectrum between daytrading and buy & hold. We go over the technical indicators found on a stock chart (before we started on this project I had thought Bollinger Bands were either a musical group or some obscure disease).

Criminal Justice Files

The first two episodes of the Criminal Justice Files are now available online. Matt McClain and his crew did a super job on them - the video production values on them are network-level (my narration, not so much). The shows are a take-off on all the cops shows (with an underlying educational value). Check 'em out!.

E-mail Overload

This has been an active month for audio books. I just finished editing a 3-CD audio program for Stever Robbins on how to tame your email inbox. Stever, the executive coach and Get-It-Done Guy podcaster, provides some clever tips (and some devious methods) for taking control of your email. If you want to know how to declare "email bankruptcy," get a copy of the program. It's now available here.

QVC Overload

I may be a victim of over-exposure on the QVC shopping network. I made my 9th appearance there tonight, and the sales of the product I represent were less than stellar (ok - sales sucked). Could it be that everyone who needs a product to transfer VHS tapes to DVD has one now? We have sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of this product in the last couple months, but, come on, it's a big country! Speaking of countries, Mike at Honestech has lined up my next shopping channel gig for August - and it won't be in the US but just across the border. Will I be selling beaver pelts or tortillas? Stay tuned to find out!

The Secret Banker

I've been working on an audio book for Jay and Brian at Consumer Publishing Group for the past month or two. The topic of the CDs is how to reduce your personal debt (certainly a timely subject). Yesterday, I had the opportunity to record an interview with a bank loan officer. He spilled the beans on many of the tactics banks employ to increase their profits (while increasing your level of debt). Here's a hint: have you ever really read the loan agreement that the bank shoves at you? Ever wonder why you suddenly qualify for a larger loan that you really wanted? I had to disguise the Secret Banker's voice (I applied some GarageBand filters to his track) since he's still employed by a financial institution, and would prefer not to lose his job.

Voice of an Irish Blogger

Well, I've been assigned my first blog to narrate by FirstBlogMedia, and I got a good one - a personal development blog, written by a 28-year-old Irishman named Gleb Reys. He lives in Dublin. I recorded the first podcast today, and the subject was procrastination. It should be posted soon to Gleb's blog. I am scheduled to create a new podcast every two weeks for Gleb.

Charlie Black - Secret Agent

I had fun over the weekend editing the next episode of the radio dramedy “Charlie Black - Secret Agent.” In this episode Charlie must thwart an evil Brazilian scientist who has aimed an “asteroid timebomb” at Earth. Xavier (X-man) Paul provides me with the voice files, and I mix in the music and sound effects. This time I got my old cohort Bob Hunt involved as the episode announcer. The screen grab on the right shows the complexity of the mix of sound effects, music, and actor's audio.

I just voiced three scripts for “The CJ Files.” This take-off on TV reality crime shows (think Dateline NBC) is being produced by Matt McClain in New York. He’s shooting over the next week or so, and I’ll try to provide a link to the videos after they are produced. Matt has been working in TV since the turn of the century (dramatic pause), and is currently producing educational films that kids will like watching. As he says " I avoid using the word EDUTAINMENT... Oops, there I said it."

Behind the Scenes at QVC

Another appearance on the QVC shopping channel this weekend. The power of QVC is a little frightening. They say they are one of the largest digital TV production operations in the world. They have over 20,000 square feet of studio space in West Chester, PA. It consists of a variety of "home" sets (the living, bathroom, home office, garage, bedroom, etc.).

When you are on, you face two large monitors on the floor, and the TV cameras (duh). The cameras are robotically controlled by joystick in the control room upstairs. The floor monitor on the left shows how many minutes are left in your segment, the name of any callers on the phone, and the next camera shot being set up. The monitor on the right is the live feed. You wear a ear piece so the director can talk to you, and so you can hear callers. You are usually given 5-7 minutes for your "sell." The director is watching a line graph plotting phone calls and orders. If sales don't materialize fast enough, you may be cut short - or you may be given an extra minute or two if you're successful. The metric they watch is dollars per minute - and it's in the thousands.

Wyobraska?

I’ve said it before - one of the great things about my work is learning new things. Today I learned where WyoBraska is. Wooly Bugger Productions asked me to voice a car commercial for the “largest auto dealer in WyoBraska.” (I was thinking to myself it might be the only dealer in WyoBraska, but I wisely held my tongue). Turns out that WyoBraska is the far western corner of Nebraska, where it runs into Wyoming (but you had probably already guessed that). The auto dealer is in Scotts Bluff, and judging by this photo of the bluff, it’s pretty spectacular country.

Stever Robbins

Ok - that’s NOT my photo - it’s Stever Robbins, a new podcast client of mine. Stever is a Harvard MBA-type, corporate consultant, and a fountain of knowledge.

I just finished editing a podcast interview he did with Bob Burg about Bob’s new book, "The Go-Giver". The interview will be available on the Business Explained podcast. Stever also hosts the Get-It-Done Guy podcast, consistently one of the top-10 on iTunes.

Stank Be Gone!

Today I finished editing a marketing video for a unique product that eliminates the stink of tobacco smoke. I created the video for Mike of Fuel Marketing. My partner, Clayton, was the all-important hand model. And you know, both of us are former smokers, so we appreciate the value of this product!



The video helped me hone my skills in using FinalCut and LiveType, two pro-grade software tools from Apple.

To Rent or Buy? That is the question...

Last month Jay at Consumer Publishing Group gave me free rein to research, script, and produce three videos for him that focus on personal finance. The results are now available on YouTube.

The information in the videos may challenge some of your pre-conceptions. The videos answer the questions: should you rent or buy a home, do you know the true cost of your daily commute, and is it better to buy a new or used car?

The Second QVC Shopping Channel Appearance

I guess I didn't embarrass myself too badly on QVC over the weekend, 'cuz they invited me back for another broadcast. I was on the Morning Show today with host Dan. He makes it look so easy! That stupid grin on my face is really just masking my fear.

This next photo is what every QVC guest host wants to see. We sold the entire inventory of the product in about six minutes. And they say we're in a recession...

The QVC Gig

I had my cable network TV debut last night (actually at 12:40AM) on the QVC shopping channel. Thanks to Jay and Mike at Honestech, the software publisher, for hiring me for the gig. For me, it was a couple of sleepless nights leading up to the fastest six minutes I've ever lived through.

Like all QVC shows, it was done live so no chances of a re-do if you screw up. If you're successful (meaning if you sell product), QVC invites you back - if not, they ship the unsold product back to the manufacturer.

Before they let you on the air, you have to go through the “guest host” class (where they convince you that an insane grin actually looks natural on TV). You then do a run-through of your presentation with a QVC host. They tape it, and then critique it with you. Here’s a no-no: never interrupt the show host!

CrashBang Goes Loco

The Hella Crazy II DVD has hit the shelves at your favorite retailer
and online at Amazon.com. This feature-length video is kind of a
cross between Jackass and Girls Gone Wild. Crazy Mike Gaboff of Destroy
Entertainment selected Rick to record the voiceover narrative that ties the scenes together in the flick.