GelderHead Productions – Blog

By: Jeff Gelder – voice actor

After being told I had a good voice and becoming a DJ on the air, a production director, and a marketing promotions director in radio for 15 years, give or take, I decided to transition into the world of voice-over.   Having a good voice and being told so is only a part of it.

I want to share about a different type of opportunity that the voice-over world presented for me.   I am a believer in “paying it forward.” My story is a little about that.

In 2003, after doing voice-overs officially for six years and creating my company GelderHead Productions with my own home studio, I was tasked with an assignment in a self-improvement course I was taking. It required me to create a project that would enhance one or more of my communities and take on a life of it’s own.

After giving it some thought, I came up with a plan that would give my voice-over and singing colleagues an opportunity to showcase their talents, and be a gift to some very deserving sick children during the holidays. I knew of some amazingly talented folks in my radio days that were not getting the outlet they needed to be heard. The project was a CD that contains songs and stories donated by talent from southern California and weaved together by a holiday tale, featured some animated characters including “Jeffrey the surfer reindeer” and Santa.   And the CD’s were to be given to the sick kids at Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA who couldn’t go home for the holidays and their siblings who sometimes got neglected due to the attention given to their sick sibling(s).

I truly wanted to give my talented community an opportunity to be heard, contribute their gifts and bring a smile to as many children’s faces as possible.   I wanted to make this project exciting so I created a contest for each talent to submit their songs, stories and poems about the holidays. Next, with the help of some caring friends narrowed submissions down to however many would fit on the CD.

The submissions were terrific, the script for the tale was written and rewritten and the characters voices were cast. Finally, the first CD was born and titled Holiday Magic, A Gift for Children of All Ages.

The amount of generosity that came from the voice-over community was no less than amazing.  I was truly touched by how everyone came together.

I then began to raise funds to produce the CD’s and gift them to the kids.  So many people wanted to give back and be a part of this.  It was overwhelming.  Enough money was raised to give 1000 CD’s to the kids at the Children’s Hospital in San Diego with some overflowing to the Ronald McDonald House.

A group of the talent from the CD and friends went to the hospital to sing carols with the sick children and hand out the CD’s.  This was the culmination of the whole project!

That was seven years ago and the CD has truly taken on a life of it’s own!   The latest edition called Holiday Magic, A Gift for Children of All Ages 2009, contained twenty-nine tracks with some creatively crafted timely stories from talent around the world including Italy, Russia, New Zealand, and England. The yearly tale that weaves the CD together has expanded from Santa and Jeffrey to include Carlito Jeffrey’s cousin from the Wild Animal Park, Kate the adventurous reindeer from Milwaukee and a new guest character each year. Two thousand CD’s were created and delivered to nine Children’s Hospitals around the United States.

Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego is now anticipating our visit every year!  Hundreds of voice-over artists and singers have donated talent, creativity, time and money to continue this project so it continues to bring smiles to sick kids every holiday season.

If your gift is your voice and you have a gifted voice, we encourage you to use your talent by contributing that to your community.  The submissions to the CD over the years have ranged from beginners to very advanced in the business and both always impress me.  It is really about helping others.

How will you “pay it forward?”   There are many opportunities like this such as reading to the blind on the radio for example. My career isn’t about what I can get but how I can contribute.  I have to constantly remember, what I put out there comes back to me ten fold.  I treasure what I do and the difference it makes.  “Pay it forward” and contribute some of that terrific talent you’ve been given.  It truly is a gift!

For more information on the Holiday Magic CD or Jeff Gelder visit:

By Timothy Thompson in Awareness on January 29th, 2010 / No Comments

Being simply present and holding a respectful attitude that includes being willing to help but not being pushy about it, along with a compassionate understanding of the person’s difficulties go a long way towards gaining a friend in need rather than an enemy with an attitude.

Every person is anchored by their beliefs for good or bad. Everyone experiences difficulty at some point, some more severe or consistent than others. It is the anchoring beliefs in a person’s life that determine how that person will react when faced with challenges.

If you develop the unshakable power of presence when around a suffering person, you become the realest, most substantial thing in his or her life for a time. You are the rock that the sufferer relies on to provide answers or insight, solace or support, clarity or the dissolution of obstacles. Really, being unshakably present just allows the other to fully express the amazing power of knowingness we all possess, which is the the first step in changing the causes of suffering into inner wisdom.

In Buddhist tradition, suffering is given the name of dukkha, which is derived from the earlier duskha, meaning uneasy. The Buddha himself reportedly observed that:

Birth is dukkha, aging is dukkha, death is dukkha.
Sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are dukkha.
Association with the unbeloved is dukkha.
Separation from the loved is dukkha.
Not getting what is wanted is dukkha.

He elaborated further, classifying dukkha into three categories, sometimes referred to as:

• Direct pain like physical pain, illness, old age, death and bereavement.

• Pain and suffering caused by change or the intransitoriness of happiness.

• Reactive pain to others in pain themselves or to inherent limitations imposed by existence and consciousness.

When it comes right down to it, suffering is usually brought on by an adverse reaction to change.
Hardship is neither particularly positive or negative in universal terms. The universe keeps on churning out potential disasters fraught with danger or opportunities for happy fulfillment depending on how you look at them. The only constant in life is that everything changes. Fear change and attempt to resist it and you will suffer. Believe that the change that you experience in your life is mostly just a way to experience more pain and you will suffer even more.

Take it even further by attempting to dictate to the gods what and how you will take your change and you will fall prey to what ancients in the Greek world recognized as hubris (overweening pride) and hamartia (error or sin). Dictating change for yourself and others exposes the central flaw of the human ego, as we have observed in numerous dictators of change in the persons of Attila the Hun, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-il, Idi Amin, and Slobodan Milosevic.

Fear of change can be mild or severe, and can have an impact on only you or on millions.
Assuming for the moment that you are not some monstrous tyrant ready to cause suffering to millions in the pursuit of living out your worst fears, how can you begin to conquer your fears in a way that eliminates anxiety and painful effort?

The following are offered as a guideline to achieving that goal for yourself. This method takes a willingness to be honest with yourself and to ask questions that may not have readily apparent answers all the time. Persevere and you will be rewarded with a healthier awareness of change and a willing acceptance of it as a means to grow from experiences that require heartfelt change.

Identify your fears around change.

• What situations or persons do I hold onto no matter what?
• What or who am I willing to let go?
• Am I anxious or uptight about either holding on or letting go of them?
• Will I show weakness to myself and others if I change my attachment to holding on or letting go?
• Can I experience change with joy and anticipation?

Identify what it takes to truly change.

• Where does my passion come from?
• Am I willing to seek it out by doing whatever it takes?
• Can I be open to change as an instrument of self-growth and realization?
• What do I modify in my thoughts, beliefs, actions, or relationships that will make that so?

If you answered “no” or “I don’t know” to any of the last group of questions, you are not ready to attempt to conquer your fear of change just yet. Be patient, observe in your life where failing to change means increased suffering or pain in some form, and find ways to work with your fears to balance them to the point of being neutral. When you have a state of neutrality regarding your concerns, come back to this exercise and begin again. Do this process as many times as it takes to be able to clearly identify your passions and to answer “yes” to the other questions.

Put it all together.
Working with your fear of change requires an honest desire for a better life as well as self-awareness, energy, and committed resolve. You don’t need to trick yourself into it, but you may find that a good amount of creative flair and a playful attitude will go a long way towards achieving your goal. You may uncover many beliefs about change that either directly or indirectly inhibit your ability to roll with the punches when required to do so. Take your time.

Be present and practice presence on yourself and others to see how suffering affects us all. Understand that sometimes change is beyond our control and that it can bring serious situations that are full of misery for all concerned. Your ability to fearlessly handle day-to-day change will ultimately prepare you for the times in life when pain and suffering seem inevitable.

About the Author
Timothy Thompson is a professional freelance writer/editor whose work with Dream Manifesto helps illuminate life for online and offline audiences around the world. He currently makes his home in southern California and is working on several content writing and editing projects. Visit Thompson InkWorks for information.

Hi Mark

Your package arrived this afternoon (24 Dec) just in time for Christmas.

And thanks so very much for your christmas gift – I loved the contents of the specially produced CD.

O Holy Night is my FAVOURITE carol …..   (I am listening to it now as I send this email)

Its very moving to know that all the children in the hospitals of the ten cities will be comforted as they listen to the CD.. its a wonderful idea from Jeff.

Thank you also for sharing your talent so that the joy can be multiplied many times over to bless others.    The stories are great and I enjoy the humour in the exchange between Jeffrey and Mrs Claus.

I love track 6 – the squirrel – really funny ….. the person behind his voice is doing a fantastic job !!!   The whole team of ‘voices’ for the stories really got into the characters….

I’m really glad to have the pleasure of listening to the CD…. its so meaningful.  Thanks for making my Christmas a happier one.

Happy holidays and a fantabulous 2010 to you.

Your friend, Ester

Listen Here…

Holiday Magic CD 09′ Part 3

Carlito, Kate, Jeffrey, Santa & Mrs. Claus

Holiday Magic CD 09′ Part 4

Holiday Magic CD 09′ Part 5

Below is a wonderful letter from the Children’s Hospital of L.A. who distributed CD’s to their kids for the first time this year!

Welcome to the Holiday Magic Family CHLA!

Dear Mr. Gelder:

On behalf of our young patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, we extend our heartfelt appreciation for the Holiday Magic 2009 CD, a compilation of music and stories of all faiths.  The Chase Child Life Program extends heartfelt thanks for your generous donation.  Our Child Life Staff will use your donation for our patients & their siblings.  We will continue to think of you and your generosity throughout the years as we bring positive interventions to patients and families at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Best regards and again many thanks,

Sincerely,

Gloria Gilstrap
Chase Child Life
Secretary III

Hi Jeff,

Thank you again for including me each year in Holiday Magic, it is an amazing project. I had such a wonderful time being Santa Claus and going room to room with the little red wagon full of cds. I mentioned your name to each family who received a cd and they all seemed so appreciative.

I was their over 5 hours since it was necessary to sing jingle bells and Rudolf in each room per the request of the kids. I also got a chance to sing May There Always Be A Sunshine many times too and that went over so wonderfully.

You once again have brightened the days of hundreds of kids and eased the stress a little for the parents, great job.

It is always a pleasure working with you. Happy Holidays and to the best year yet to come.

Peace,

Karl
Healing Arts Dept.
Rady’s Children’s Hospital

Karl Anthony Music
www.karlanthony.com

Thank YOU Karl!  This puts a smile on my face!