'Twas the Night Before Christmas Benefits Children

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to participate in a very cool project alongside 30 of the top voice actors in the country. Together, we recorded an audio version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to raise money for the Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. We decided to call ourselves "Primetime Voices for Children". Led by the amazing Joe Cipriano, we each recorded 2-4 lines of the audio, some of us in our own voices- some of us in character voices.

Click here to listen to the fully produced audio.

(Can you guess which two lines are mine?)

Joe has worked tirelessly trying get the word out about our charity, and we've been overwhelmed by all of the positive feedback! The audio has been played on 94.7 the Wave, it's appeared on Rick Dee's website, and even showed up in an article published on Entertainment Tonight's website! Click here for that link.

You'll notice a short video at the top of ET's website...yes, it's video of a few of us recording our lines. Now you can see what I look when I'm in studio recording your projects! :) Click here to see a slightly longer version of that same video on YouTube.

I am so honored to be a part of such a special and important project, and ask that you consider donating to the Children's Hospital. There are several ways this can be done. You can purchase the audio on iTunes for .99, donate directly at Fundly.com, or follow the fan page on Facebook and donate there...here are some links:

iTunes

Fundly

Facebook

Every single day I am reminded how fortunate I am to be living out my dreams of being a full-time actor/voice actor. None of this would be possible without you...my readers, my clients, my colleagues, my friends. As we enter into 2012, I want to say thank you...from the bottom of my heart. Yes, thank YOU! I look forward to working with you more in the New Year!

xo,

Kara

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Thank you Steve Jobs

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on." - Steve Jobs, 1955-2011.

I am an actor.

There are a million jobs I could do that would likely pay me way more than I make now. A thousand places I could work that would let me clock out at 5pm, or take lunch hours during an actual lunch time, or leave me alone on the weekend, or provide me with full benefits.

Yet...I choose to be an actor.

Why?

Because Steve Jobs let me know that it's ok to make a living doing what I love. Steve showed us all that you can have an idea, an idea that maybe no one else understands. You can start a company in your garage, work hard, use your knowledge and your talent...and change the world.

As I type this blog on my iMac, with my iPad, my iPhone, and my Macbook nearby, I can honestly say that Steve Jobs changed my life.

But it isn't his inventions or his ideas or these gadgets that have touched me most. It's his words.

His inspiration is his true legacy.

Thank you Steve Jobs. Thank you for being you, so that it would be ok for me to be me.

Sometimes it's the Busiest Months that can be the Scariest

In voice over, there are traditionally a few months each year that are expected to be slow. January-February, June-July, and sometimes December. However, this isn't the rule, and 2011 has proven to me that anything is possible!

So far this year, my January and February were fantastic! April, normally a great month, was awful for me. June and July were two of the best months of my career, while September fell quite flat.

You just never know! A few weeks ago, I was having a discussion with a producer friend of mine, and he mentioned something that really hit home with me. He said that when he has a really busy, high earning month- that's when he's the most nervous!

Why?

During a really busy month (like my July for example), you are so focused on getting all of the work done, meeting every deadline, making your clients happy, getting those invoices sent, etc- that you stop doing all of those proactive things for your business (like marketing, auditioning, answering e-mails, etc). You simply don't have the time! And while you won't feel the effects of that immediately, you will feel those effects a month or two later.

The same thing happens when something in life takes your focus away from your work for a period of time. It's a month or two later when you really feel the pinch.

Seeing for myself how a crazy busy summer led into a slower start to fall, I've decided to set a new goal. The busier I am, the more effort I will make to set aside a period of time every day to do something proactive for my business. It's easy to do when things are slow, but it's even more vital when things are hopping! Even if it's just an hour or two on the weekend, it's imperative I don't ever become over-confident when the work pours in and neglect marketing my services to future clients.