Boy, do I miss hearing the voice of Don LaFontainehere, there and everywhere. I have a picture of him in my office (above) from when I met him at the first VOICE conference in 2007 in Las Vegas. He was such an inspirational, real, down to earth kind of guy with a great sense of humor that you can see in the ABC interview video below. I’m now even sporting his hair cut! GelderHead. Take a little quick trip down memory lane and get to know a legacy in the v/o business….Don LaFontaine
From the archives of SDRadio and Chris Carmichael circa 2000
1. Jeff, you’re a seasoned veteran of San Diego county radio …. KKOS, KyXy … tell SDR about the stations you’ve been at and where you’re at now ….? I began my radio career at the public schools radio station KANW 89.1 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, then went to Q106 Alb./Santa Fe which was Top 40 CHR, then 97.3 KISS FM Alb. which was Urban/dance, then Q106 San Diego CHR-promotions, then a few different formats with KKOS 95.9 which changed to KUPR 95.7 and was Adult Album Alternative, and am 1000 KCEO, then Classic Hits 103.7 the Planet KPLN and now Soft Rock KyXy 96.5. (see questions #7 for more details!) Read the rest of this entry »
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). Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
