Meet Vito Jamieson, Voice Over Artist and More

Vito Jamieson is a voice over artist, internet marketer, and copywriter who has worked on campaigns for Google, Seagrams, and many other businesses around the world.

Learn more about him by visiting VoiceOversPlusMore.com.

1. What drew you to the field of voice over work?

When I was about 13, my voice dropped overnight. Suddenly girls were paying attention and I liked it. Whenever there was a school project that required a voice, then I was "voluntold" to put my voice on the projects.

Over time the same thing started happening at work. At one point, my boss wanted me to put my voice on an animated project but wanted me to keep up with my regular work. I let her know that I couldn't do both and named a price to do it on my own time, and my first paid gig was in the pocket.

2. Do you find that a lot of your voice over clients also benefit from your copywriting services?

Copywriting is a natural extension of my voice work. So many times, people sent me work with errors, so I began to charge them to correct the work. People also started asking me my opinion, and at times the material was so bad I would tell people I could not put my voice to bad material in order to maintain my reputation.

My voice is a tool for sales and moving people to action. Copywriting does the same thing and it can be just as fun.

3. What types of projects do you find yourself doing most often--and what are some of your favorite things to work on?

It's really a mixed bag. I find myself doing a lot of narration, radio commercials, and station identification. I would say the most common are when people want a deep voice and a tone like Dennis Haysbert or Morgan Freeman. Quite often I get people who want me to imitate James Earl Jones' "This is CNN." That's always fun.

I think my favorite thing is when parents ask me to call their kids as Santa Claus. Kids get a kick out of it, and parents are thrilled when their kids behave themselves!

4. Why do small businesses need to hire voice over professionals instead of just doing their own narration for videos for social media (etc)?

When people do things in a less than professional way, it is a disservice to their business. Yes, people may be passionate about their business, but a lot of times they are going to come across as too cheap to use a professional or worse, cheesy.

If you own a store front shop, would you create a hand painted sign for your business and expect people to take you seriously? I hope not. A hand painted sign for a lemonade stand is cute but not elsewhere. Using a professional voice is like using a professional sign that says, take a look at me, and look at me for the right reasons.

5. What else would you like readers to know about you and your work?

Well, I'd be remiss if I did not say go to VoiceOversPlusMore.com and listen to samples of my voice and to connect with me. I love doing creative projects and would be happy to discuss whatever your project ideas may be.

Thanks, Vito!

Meet Stacey Mathis, Copywriter

Stacey Mathis is the founder of Stacey Mathis Copywriting/Consulting, a team of copywriters and marketing content writers who focus on messaging for businesses and professional organizations that target working women, mothers, families, lawyers, nonprofit constituents, and clients of coaches and consultants.

To get an idea of Stacey's work, here are links to a few samples of her writing:

--http://staceythewriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Dynamic-Business-Growth-Team-Building-B2B-Web-Content-Revised.pdf
--http://www.nyhealthandwellnessfairs.com/
--http://staceythewriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/img032.jpg
--http://www.renaissancecharter.org/

1. When did you start transitioning from your career as a paralegal to your career as a writer, and what motivated your career change?

Even as a paralegal, I always had an interest in English and creative-style writing. In 2004 I discovered that copywriting was a field that I could not only pursue, but one that I could do while maintaining my career as a paralegal. The two fields actually complemented each other.

2. In your experience, what are some qualities that make for effective copywriting?

Copywriters have to have the ability to tell a story. You also need the ability to let go of your own preconceived ideas and be open-minded enough to view things from your target audience's perspective. In essence, you have to become your audience. You have to be willing to take the time to learn what makes your target market tick, so you can craft copy that appeals to their identity. Lastly, you have to patience, because it may take you days to come up with something as seemingly simple as a headline, let alone the days it could take you to write the body of your piece. People think these wonderful words on ads magically happen. It's actually a painstaking process.

3. When a business owner is planning to hire someone for freelance copywriting or content marketing help, what are some tips you'd suggest to the business owner for an effective collaboration?

Copywriting customers should always request to see the portfolio of the copywriter they plan to hire. You want to make sure their style jives with your needs for your project. For example, if you have an obscure product, like you manufacture thermal anemometers, you want to make certain that the copywriter you hire has a background in science and technology. Check their work.

4. What do you most enjoy about your work?

The solitude. I am an extroverted loner, so working unaccompanied is right up my alley. My team is remote and primarily virtual and that suits me just fine. The other aspect of copywriting that I enjoy is helping people improve their businesses. It really gives me so much pleasure to craft messaging that gets results for others. It's why I do what I do.

5. Would you tell us a bit about the work you do to provide other writers with resources to build their own writing businesses?

As a freelance copywriter, I have to stay abreast of all the latest developments in my industry in order to stay relevant. I've simply structured a way to impart this knowledge to new copywriters. My blog, www.staceythewriter.com, provides me with a method for doing this, utilizing various media, e.g., e-courses, a newsletter, special "how-to" reports on the field, audios, infographics, videos, articles, and a Twitter feed. Whatever I learn for my business, I share with my community of blog visitors and now Facebook and Google Plus visitors as well.

Thanks, Stacey!