Freelancers United; The Lighthouse Beacon

Why do you work all the time/Don't you have any work to do?

2011-05-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Am I off in the thought that, as a freelancer, yes, there's always something I could be doing in regards to generating income, from e-mailing packages to networking to reading, ect. Yet, when questioned "Do you have any work", that querry is meant to ask "Do you have anything from which to earm money?" and the honest answer would be no, not yet.

Then the follow-up inquiry goes like this: "If you're 'working' all the time, why aren't you making money?" Followed by "You're never available to help anywhere else because you're always 'working'".

Does anybode else get that?

Back in the Saddle Again.

2011-05-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

OK....Wednesday was indeed better. Thank'ya, Lord.

Tom Kent has brought be back in to produce the segments for his C.L.A.S.S. syndicated radio product. It's an assembly line gig basically, but the opportunity is there to shine with creative production and thus gain other clients through association with the Tom Kent Radio Network.

I've worked for Tom off'n'on since 2005. He's the best thing out there on personality and Classic Hits Radio. In fact, he's heard on over 316 stations coast-to-coast...and for good reason. And my production work is right there with him on all of his syndication programs. Google "Tom Kent" and get him streaming on your computer, if he's not on the air where you live.

What next.....................

2011-05-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Alright campers, what's next on the agenda?

Still no new work to bring in any sort of substantitive income.
Word is daily going out as to my abilities, yet no reply aside from friends commenting on the attempts.
Vital services are days away from being disconnected.
Family is darkened towards me due to my less-than-honorable decisions regarding personal conduct.
Few in number are the ones speaking life and faith in me, and it's for them I hold back irreversable actions.
Yet
I fear my end is near.

Here's hoping for a better day Wednesday.

Life Immitates Art....and boy, that can suck!

2011-05-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Earlier today my youngest son was watching the Ben Stiller movie Duplex, about a couple who rent out their upstairs New York home to an old lady who constantly intrudes upon their work-at-home environment. At every turnaround, she is either interrupting or asking for help with something, first from Stiller's character, an author, and then his wife, Drew Barrymore and her attempts at income-from-home.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the HEY, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I GO THROUGH DAILY palm against the head thought. And when I pointed that illustration out to my son, he took offense.

Gee, truth hurts sometimes, huh?

The Beacon Shines on Everything........

2011-05-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

...that can generate an income. Today there's a Job Fair in Knoxville, but I'm unable to attend it, being in Morristown, with only half a tank of gas and needing to pick up my son from school at noon. I have text messages out to a dozen or so friends in the market that might go by and pick up applications for me (and themselves as well). So far one has replied, but he's already busy working on two job pitches himself.....good luck Radny!!!

Fingers crossed.

OK....I'm gonna do it.....

2011-05-17T18:10:00.001-07:00

....Not sink the dollars into this. (ain't got it to sink anyway).

Nope, I'm gonna take a crack at online journaling. There are several professionals online already. They're sharing their thoughts, insights, and opinions, and people are responding. Whether the responses are equating to revenue for them I can't say. But it does get their names out there.

So , I'm gonna call this The Lighthouse Beacon, in line with my company's name The Lighthouse Group. Granted, this blog is already listed as Freelancers United, but that's more or less a rallying call. The option to post jobs and work related items is still there.

Here it comes (cue the fanfare).....the first Beacon posting.

Does anyone remember the 1965 Blake Edwards' comedy The Great Race, staring Jack Lemmon, Natalie Woods and Tony Curtis ? One scene has Lemmon's partner-in-crime Peter Falk honking a fog horn, trying to gain attention to their plight at the time, which was floating on an iceberg.

Well.....honk, honk friends. I'll be honking again before day's end.

C'mon, people....everyone else seems to be.......

2011-05-17T17:57:00.001-07:00

....able to make this Social Networking thing work for themselves. What am I doing wrong?

Do I have to spend hundreds of dollars to get noticed?

OK... Let's have at this thing one more time.

2011-01-14T14:35:00.001-08:00

These days, many "social networks" are gathering together names and contact info from voice/production talents. LinkedIn.com had one recently where the talent tally had reached 942 producers and VO folks. HOW ARE GUYS LIKE ME TO SURVIVE?!? It makes me want to just give up. But what's there for a nearly 50yr old radio guy to do?...one trying to support a family of 6 Type-A personalities, all under one roof. Thank GOD my oldest daughter has her act together, going to college for a theatre/teaching degree.

Well, it wirked for Ted Williams...........here's my cardboard sign:

Have God-given Voice and Production talents. Will provide killer creative services for your radio station or personal on-air program. Please consider and contact me at gregwilliamslighthouse@yahoo.com . Demos are standing by.

Looks good to me. Now...off I go to get some rum, grass, wallow in addiction for a few years and get discovered on a street corner.

Zonker's 30th Anniversary

2009-01-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

Craigmont High School, Memphis Tennessee, during the late 70's and 80's, had a great student-operated radio station, WQOX-88, the Voice of the Memphis City Schools. During the morning hours we ran public affairs and educational programming, but in the afternoons and into the night, we rocked with Top 40 and feature album programming. At the time I was a great fan of Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury comic strip, sending him a fan letters and even requesting to use the name of one of his characters as my own. He in turn sent me custom designed post cards, one of which gave me "authoriziation" to use the name. This March will mark my 30th anniversary of officially being Zonker on the radio.

If you ever read this, thank you again Gary!

Network... Network....who wants to Network?

2008-11-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

How many "professional" networks are out here? Didn't MySpace start out as a musicians/bands site to get gigs? And Facebook was to be just for college students?
Well, there's another one. LinkedIn. So far, all I'm seeing is fer real professionals from whom I'd like to get work. I even caught Spencer Tillman of CBS Sports and the SF 49'ers.
I'll let me know (seein's that I'm the only one reading/writing anything here)if anything comes of this.

Ya wanna see my Linked In site? www.linkedin.com/in/gregwilliamslighthouse

A YEAR?!?

2008-11-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

Dang, I need to post more often, even if I'm the only one reading it.

A year, hummmmmmmm. What am I up to now?

I'm cooking for a 6-station SAGA Group in Portland Maine; WCLZ, WGAN, WZAN, WMGX, WPOR, WYNZ. Most of them are streaming. Google 'em to hear.

Envision Radio Network is tapping my editing skills for projects, including a fun daily syndicated piece called DON'T QUOTE ME.
Check out the demo.... http://www.envisionradio.com/dontquoteme.html.
My production is the "regular demo".

KABG Albuquerque, New Mexico is a great classic hits station. I'm doing their imaging, with Scott Matthews providing the voice. www.big985.com

And my old friend Jeff Jarnigan at B-97.5 has me on retainer for creative and voice imaging. I've known him going on 24 years now.

Then there's my buds in Memphis: Spotlight Productions, Corey Maclin and Associates, and every now and then, Running Pony Productions.

BUT I NEED MORE.....WIFE'N'KIDS (5 of 'em)....CHRISTMAS A COMIN'.....BILLS A PILIN'

HIRE ME FER CRYIN' OUT LOUD!

Let's Sow Some Seeds, Shall we.

2007-09-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

The one and only Scott Shannon, currently working Mornings on WPLJ-New York has asked me to find a new image voice talent for his nationally syndicated classic top 40 network, The True Oldies Channel. Truth be told, I couldn't cut the JACK-ish natural with attitude delivery he's looking for, but he likes my production, so now......your turn. Check out the broadcast streaming online at www.trueoldieschannel.com. Get a demo to me and I'll forward it over to Scott.

Good Luck y'all.

Welcome AllAccess Readers!

2007-08-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hey...........I Got Ink!!
For the next week, all the world will be seeing my profile on AllAccess' "ON THE BEACH" feature. Go check it out: www.allaccess.com, then go to JOB MARKET.

If you're visiting me from that site, I want to thank you with a free gift. Call me at (865)661-0532 and we'll discus what I do for you in the realm of audio/voice over production.

Be sure to check out all the demos, postings, and links. My goal is to network other freelancers with each other, sharing gig-getting tips and critiquing each other's work. A big shout-out to John Small at GreatRadioAds.com. He's as small as you can get from the freelancers' point of view, but he has heart and passion as big as the sky.

Fire Up The Lighthouse

2007-08-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

This week I've had a great opportunity to be a service to the greater good and to my own passion.

I'm spending the week taking part in a clinical research study at UT Medical Center to help develop a bone marrow support medication for chemo patients. Basically I'm lying in a bed and nurses take my blood (and other bodily fluids) to see how the meds are absorbed.

Meanwhile, with a killer laptop and WiFi, I'm able to cook up radio ear candy for three national voice talents, for them to use as demo fodder and consequently get my production skills on the radar of stations they service.

Guess you can say the Lighthouse has been turned on with two fires this week. One paying big now ($1000 for the time and prodding here at the study) and the other potentially paying off big in the future (the benefit to cancer patients and their immune systems, and the gigs for me as a producer).

In writing this, I think I've found the content of my next Lighthouse Group newsletter, The Gold Beacon. Lately there hasn't been much good news to spotlight.

Till next time.

The Resume

2007-07-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

In an effort to show I'm concerned for our world, saving the trees'n'all, here's my paperless resume for all the potential employers of the world to read and say "WOW, LET'S GET THIS GUY!"

CURRENTLY
Freelance voice talent/audio producer, working as The Lighthouse Group. Clients have included WJXB Knoxville TN, WMGA Huntington WV, WKZX Maryville TN, WRKQ Madisonville TN, Maclin and Associates, Memphis TN, Skyline Media, Toms River NJ, DMG Post, Sioux Falls SD, among others.

MOST RECENT CLIENTS OF NOTE
Creative Services Producer for Tom Kent’s Hall of Fame Coast to Coast and Into The 70's, nationally syndicated oldies shows.

Creative Services Producer for WOLX Oldies 94.9 FM, Madison WI Fletcher Keys, Program Director

PROFESSIONAL BROADCAST HISTORY
Production Dir., South Central Radio, Knoxville TN
Nov. ‘98-Oct. ‘99
Duties included: All aspects of commercial production for 5-station cluster; voice talent, directing, client relations, and station imaging. Also purchasing and department personnel management.
Awards: Certificate of Excellence, 2000 Knoxville ADDY Awards

Production Dir., Creative Services, WMC AM-FM, Memphis TN July ‘92-Oct.’98.
Duties included: All aspects of commercial and station imaging production for Hot AC and NewsTalk radio stations, along with voice talent and creative audio for WMC TV-5, a Raycom Media NBC affiliate. Duties also included client relations, talent direction, purchasing and management of production personnel.
Awards: Memphis Area Radio Stations (MARS) Awards
1997 MARS 1st Place Music/Concept
1995 MARS Best of Show, 1st Place Comedy, 1st Place Local Commercial
1993 MARS 1st Place Media Self Promotion

Production Dir., WAFX-FM Norfolk/Suffolk/Virginia Beach, VA June ‘90-June ‘92
Duties: All aspects of commercial production including copy writing talent direction, plus department personnel management.
Awards. Radio and Production Magazine's national RAP Awards 1990,
Best Commercial Medium Market, 2nd runner up.

PRIOR BROADCAST EMPLOYMENT
WKXX Birmingham AL Sept ‘88-June ‘90, Production Dir.
WHHY AM-FM Montgomery AL Sept ‘85-Aug ‘88 Production Dir.
WHHY AM-FM Montgomery AL June ‘82-‘84 On-Air Talent
WZLQ FM, Tupelo, MS Oct. ‘81-June ‘82 On-Air Talent

PROFESSIONAL STAGE EXPERIENCE
Evita Chorus Member Bijou Theatre Mar-April 2004
Fiddler on The Roof "Rabbi" Bijou Theatre/Cumberland Playhouse Feb-Mar 2003
Tony and Tina’s Wedding "Michael Just" New York touring show Sept.2002
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat "Jacob/Potiphar" Bijou Aug.02
The Magician’s Nephew voice of Lion Asland The Word Players April 2002
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory "Willie Wonka" Bijou March’02
A Christmas Carol "Ghost of Marley", Theatre Memphis ShoWagon 1994, 1995, 1996

OTHER INTEREST
Camping, hiking, fishing, history, and filling the lives of my wife and children with as much excitement as humanly possible..

REFERENCES
Mark St.John, SR.VP Zapoleon Media Strategies, (850) 231-9195
Tom Kent, Hall of Fame Coast to Coast (440) 838-8478
Fletcher Keys WOLX, Madison WI (608) 826-1233
Jeff Jarnigan, Program Mgr WJXB-97.5 FM, Knoxville (865) 525-6000
Corey Maclin, Corey Maclin and Associates, Memphis (901) 795-0722
Sue Lynn Perry, Running Pony Productions, Memphis (901) 683-6693
Craten Armor, Spotlight Productions, Memphis (901) 355-1259
Steve Kayne, Skyline Media, Toms River, NJ (800) 422-7626
Curtis Parham, Curtis Parham Productions, Knoxville (865) 539-2392

An Amazing Letter

2007-05-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me by one of the biggest heavy-hitters in our profession: Mr. Dave Foxx, Creative Services Producer at Z-100 New York City. He wrote it after receiving a link to my website. (Bold, italicized print added for my own ego's sake)

Hi Greg...

You are part of a small cadre of very special people who do absolutely stellar work, but get almost no recognition for it. Freelancing is about the hardest thing in the world to do, especially right now as the mighty corporate giants are squeezing the dollars tighter and tighter. I have a friend in Southern California who is desperately trying to launch his own freelance business and can’t even get to first base. (It’s a long story...loads of drama, no payoff.)

Your production is absolutely brilliant. Good pictures...tight, rhythmic and flowing...all really working the USP. The voices were all clear without being overpowering...the characters rang true, if a bit silly sometimes...just excellent, excellent work.

The sad truth is, most of radio is now owned by people who have no soul. Their only interest is in the big bucks. In the last few years they have perpetrated the raping of this industry, all in the name of making a fatter bottom line. As a result, we no longer have any kind of ‘Farm Club’ system, where major market players can reach into small and medium markets to find the next ‘big’ talent. If you go into any market like, say Eugene, Oregon and listen, you’ll hear the same voices you heard three towns over, all voice tracking from LA or New York. No room for rookies. A couple of years ago, they pulled the biggest scam in radio history by reducing the amount of commercial time each hour, but then blocking all 60 second spots, so they could sell more 30 second spots. The number of messages our audience is expected to swallow each hour has gone from 12 to 15, to upwards of 30. (It’s not commercials the audience objects to, per se...it’s BAD commercials and the frequency of hype – otherwise, the Super Bowl would just be another Sunday lost to football.) Now they’re attacking the actual on-air presentations of stations, adding dead segues and limiting the length of the image works to a point where it’s has become almost non existent. They’ve turned their collective backs on the strengths of radio (local radio) to become more and more like the ‘competition’ of iPods and the internet. The world doesn’t need another juke box service, but they seem determined to make radio just that.

Anyway...without drifting too much further from the topic at hand, one of the big results is VO work is diminishing drastically. Many stations (I can name an even dozen right now), have fired their VO guy, telling the PD to use someone from their staff. With that, the need for excellent production is being pushed aside as well. Most radio clusters have one or two people doing all the production for a half-dozen stations, which saves money right now, but because they’re turning radio into another pure music service, the future just keeps getting darker and darker. They’re killing the magic of radio in the name of money. Soon, this business will just be another satellite service, only we can’t charge our listeners to make money. We HAVE to do commercials, which means we’ll never be able to compete with XM or Sirius seriously.

The net result is...freelance production, like the VO business, is probably going to slowly choke to death. Oh, neither one is terminal yet...but it’s getting pretty bleak.

All in all, maybe we should both just quit and go do something that’s still fun, something that still is magical and wonderful, like radio used to be. {sigh}

In other words...it’s not you or your work, my friend. You have an absolute A-Game. It’s the nature of the business in 2007, in which A-Game work is simply unappreciated by the people who pay the checks.

Will it turn around? God, I hope so. I’m VERY hopeful that someday we’ll all experience what Infinity just went through here in New York. Once the GM left, the next guy came in and said, “What the hell was he thinking?” K-Rock is back on the air...the way it USED to be. Hopefully, when the new owners-to-be of Clear Channel get into a position of power, they’ll say, “What the hell were they thinking?” And we’ll see a giant turning back of the clock. (I’m not holding my breath. The new owners are mostly banker types too.)

If you can stick it out...do. You’re work deserves to be heard. It’s that good.

L8R,

Dave Foxx
Creative Services Director
Clear Channel New York

101 Hudson Street 36th Floor
Jersey City, NJ 07302

Phone: 201.209.6251
Cell: 973.715.8277

Thank you Dave, for taking the time to write such an in depth letter.I most definitely am going to stick it out.
Now friends, what are WE going to do to get it through to the Radio Managers and suits that good radio is worth the cost?

What are YOU doing?

2007-05-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some no-budget marketing techniques I'm employing in order to get more work/clients.

1. I read Internet trade sites, like AllAccess.com for any radio activity, like format changes and name recognition of former co-workers or superiors. If an e-mail address is made available in an article, I'll send a short greeting and go right into a pitch.

2. I'm regularly sending out e-mails to old clients, even those who haven't use me n a long while. A couple have expressed regret not having my name in front of them, so this proves keeping in touch does keep me fresh in their minds.

Any suggestions you'd like to share with the class?

Shining in a Storm

2007-05-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

It seems I get the most creative and "bright minded" during the storms in my life. There are a couple of big squalls blowing around me right now, but the feeling of strength and stand-up-in-the-face-of-it determination is keeping me in the tower. Have you ever thought that if you give up, everything will fall to pieces?

I'm not going to let that happen.

Don't you either.

Shine the Light on Someone

2007-04-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

Being an encourager has always been one of my strong suits. Speaking well of others, even if they're my competition, has never backfired on me (as far as I can tell). And in the game of networking, you can NEVER TELL when your words are going to be repeated to a potential client. That 6-degrees of separation thing ain't an exaggeration. Somebody knows someone who worked with a client who had dealings with someone you talked about. So let your words build and edify others. Jesus said to do it, and it just makes for good karma.

Here's an example of how that philosophy paid off.

Several weeks ago I began sending out a newsletter to clients of The Lighthouse Group, past and present. Calling it THE GOLD BEACON, I send out a brief profile, along with contact information, of Lighthouse Group Member/Clients. My main purpose is to network and give a "thank you" to companies who have helped me make it this far. My first GOLD BEACON spotlight shone on GreatRadioAds.com. You can check out their website by clicking onto their link listed below in the Member/Client list.

A few days went by and I received an e-mail from GreatRadioAds.com head honcho, "Big" John Small. Apparently, another LHG Member, Spencer Tillman and his production company AXIOM PRODUCTIONS, www.spencertillman.com, contacted "Big" John about a copywriting job.

That's what I'm talkin' about! If I don't get a dime of work from either company, I will still be happy for getting them together. And it all came about by just spreading good words around and shining the Light on someone.

Home Phone - Business Sound

2007-04-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like a Lighthouse Group Member/Client is giving me the opportunity to grow even more than just through audio production orders. I ain't gonna argue!!

Amerotel Inc., www.amerotel.com, is a telecommunication firm based in Knoxville TN. Last month they signed me up to provide voice production for their Voice-over Interactive Phone systems. These are the "Thank you for calling Whoever-We-Are. If you want to speak with Chief Big Bucks, press one" messages. It turns out nearly any phone number, be it a business, church, community center, even an individual or family, can have a multi-tiered messaging system. Home-based businesses can receive customer calls without the worries of children answering the phone (been there WAY too many times). And the customer's cost is VERY reasonable.

It's these Voice-over IP systems, which have an infinite number of sub-categories and possible caller destinations, that I will be able to package up, produce and market to any interested party. If you'd like to hear my pitch, give a call to (865)985-7528, then follow the prompts.

Something else I can do with these VoIP's is set up phone demos. Imagine giving out a single phone number to potential clients or Program Directors and having them hear a selection of car spots, or creative voice deliveries, or imaging production! Then if they like what they hear, they can punch one number and be sent directly to a cell phone.

I am so stoked with this opportunity. My first task is to get some classified ads online and in newspapers. Wish me luck!

Greetings

2007-04-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

Has anyone noticed..... Radio is becoming JACK and BOB and EARL juke boxes. No one's creating exceptional advertising entertainment. And face it, listeners are kept or lost through the stopsets. Even the station imaging, the sweepers and station promos are all starting to sound alike. Lord help the Production Director whose voice is being used on nearly every other commercial. No advertiser wants to hear that!

There are enough businesses and radio stations out there to keep anyone with a home studio, a good voice, and some level of creative production skill busy everyday! Program Directors and Station Managers are faced daily with budget cuts and multi-tasking burn-out rates.

HERE WE COME TO SAVE THE DAY....THE FREELANCERS!! It's my belief that we can alleviate the vocal burnout and help overworked programmers nationwide with our skills and talent.

This blog is not to solicit work. I just want to exchange ideas for getting the jobs. Read and share success stories. Learn how to overcome challenges common to all freelancers. Post "LISTEN TO ME" production for all to rip apart.

Please join with me and let's make a fruitful living Freelancing!