10 Questions with ... Roberta Solomon

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I have a background in theater, music and science, and it all came together when I landed a student announcer gig at KCUR, then the campus radio station at the Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City. I knew the minute I opened the mic for the first time that I'd found my path. I was at KCUR less than a year when I was "discovered" by a sales guy who worked at KMBR, which was at the time an old-style Easy Listening station. I started out doing nights at KMBR and moved to mornings when the station changed call letters and formats. (I also married the morning guy. We shared the mic and life for 10 years.) While I was on air at Lite 99.7 FM, I started doing a lot of freelance VO and on-camera work. That work grew to the point where it started conflicting with my "real job" on the radio, so I decided to leave the air. I put a studio in my home and started imaging radio stations almost immediately. Imaging has been a huge part of my work ever since.

1) Could you tell us about any new projects?

I've just started as the promo voice of KCBS/San Francisco, and it's an honor to add the longest continually operating radio station in the U.S. to my imaging roster! I'm the branding voice of a number of TV stations around the country, and I just finished my 14th season co-voicing the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network with the legendary Earl Mann. I've recently voiced comedy bits on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," trailers for the world's largest producer of Hardcore arena concerts, a documentary about insects for Smithsonian Channel, promos for the National Wildlife Federation, and had a fun session with the Oregon Historical Society as the voice of the first woman in the state to vote.

2) What's new in the world of voice over?

Technology has had a big impact on the way we tell stories, and that's changed how voiceovers sound. The dominant style in VO is authentic, personal and conversational. The change has been driven by social media and the sound of podcasting, but also because most people now consume audio and video on mobile or streaming devices.

So more often than not, you're speaking directly into someone's ears.

Another thing that's changed in voiceovers is that it's now an "industry." There are so many people who want to do VO work, and there's a lot of bad information floating around out there about how easy a career it is. But the reality is, making a living in VO is harder than ever.

3) Weren't you once the host of one of those weekend horror movie shows? Could you share some of the stories and how did you get the gig in the first place?

I popped out of a casket every week for nine years. When I was in college, I auditioned for and won a job hosting a weekend show on KSHB-TV. A few months in, the station started playing monster movies, and decided they needed a horror host to introduce them. My show became the "Creature Feature," and I donned a corset and became Crematia Mortem. The show was carried all over the Midwest and had a huge following. Crematia has been featured in three books, a documentary, and a few years ago was inducted into Horrorhound Magazine's "TV Horror Host Hall of Fame." Just last year she opened the coffin door again to host a "Halloween Spooktacular" on the radio, and there are some interesting projects bubbling in the cauldron for her right now. Crematia is, delightfully, "The Thing that Wouldn't Die."

4) How do you keep going at such a fast pace with all the work you do?

My biggest challenge isn't the pace of the work but the unpredictability of it. I rarely know when I get up how the day will play out. Sometimes there's nothing on my schedule and I end up working all day. Other times, sessions get postponed and suddenly I've got a free afternoon. Because I juggle projects all day long, it's helpful to have a couple of predictable hours as bookends. I meditate and journal every morning and I'm usually in a yoga class or the gym at night.

5) You are somewhat of a pioneer among female broadcasters. Weren't you one of the first to make the transition from air personality to full-time voiceover?

It's safe to say that, yes. When I started imaging stations there were only a handful of women doing it and often they were the "spice" to the main station voice, who was a guy. But that started to change pretty quickly and it makes me proud to think I was part of the change. While male voices still outnumber women in many categories of VO, it's no longer the default decision to hire a guy. That, of course, makes me really happy.

6) What was it like going from everyday radio to working for yourself?

Exhilarating. Terrifying. Gratifying. Humbling. The entrepreneurial life is not for everyone, because you're responsible for everything. And there's an emotional side to this work that nobody talks about much. You have to learn to manage "the black hole." That's the fear that every gig you land will be the last one you'll ever do. (The fear never goes away.)

Voiceover work now is extremely isolating, because everyone works from home. So you have to create community in different ways, through conventions, workshops and coaching. I found my "tribe" when I began studying with voiceover coach Marice Tobias, who now has a relationship with Benztown. It was an epiphany to meet and work with her other students who were walking the same path I was and who "got me."

7) What are the tools of the trade for you in your work? And, what do you in an emergency and you're not in your studio?

The studio basics are a soundproof, acoustically treated space and a setup that allows you to produce and deliver broadcast quality audio and connect with your client in the manner they prefer. You need a good mic, a computer and recording software, and a website or social media presence so potential clients can find you, sample your work, and get in touch with you.

I've got a great studio at home, and a travel setup that sounds exactly the same. In addition, I've always got a mic with me for emergencies when I'm in transit, and can record on a mobile device. The best emergency studio is a car, but I've also worked in hotel closets, a friend's bathroom, under an ironing board covered with blankets, and in a baby's room using a mound of stuffed animals as soundproofing.

8) What people have influenced your radio and voiceover career?

My late husband and morning show partner, Jim Welch, taught me how to connect on the radio. Dick Stadlen, who was the PD of KDAT/Cedar Rapids, IA was the first person to hire me as an image voice. Jim Richards of Vallie, Richards, Donovan Consulting guided me to my first imaging demo. Mike Elder hired me to voice WCCO/Minneapolis long before it was common to hear a woman imaging a News/Talk station. Scott Mahalick of Alpha Media set me on a path to the next level of my VO career when he told me I should consider voicing movie trailers.

9) Could you share with us some of the reading material or websites that someone interested in voiceover should look at?

The Global Voice Acting Academy has a great site with all sorts of info about VO. (/) Check out Dee Bradley Baker's www.iwanttobeavoiceactor.com. While his focus is animation, it's got tons of useful info on it for beginners and seasoned pros alike. VO Buzz Weekly is a treasure trove of video interviews with VO movers and shakers. The go-to studio advisor for home-based voice talent is George Whittam. His www.georgethe.tech website has all sorts of guidance on creating a recording environment.

10) What's your advice for those in radio who are interested in doing voiceover work?

A) Don't badmouth your radio station or the industry in general -- especially not on social media. It just bugs the tar outta me when jocks who have been very vocal about "what's wrong with radio," then call me for advice on how to become an image voice.

B) The gear is not the career. Having a good recording space and the right mic are tools for the work, not the work itself. VO folks love to talk about what mic they're using and how their studio is built. But if you want to be a musician, you wouldn't say, "I've got a great guitar, so now I'm a guitar player." In VO, you definitely must have the right tools to do the work, but the real work of mastery begins once you have them.

C) You are choosing a creative life, and you will not be able to measure your success by ROI. It will cost you time and money to set yourself up for a VO career, promote yourself for the work and train yourself to master the genres. And even then, no one can guarantee how much you'll work or if you'll work at all. And the effort involved to stay current is never ending. It's easy to love VO when you're succeeding, but will you still love it when you're not?

That said, the VO community is incredibly supportive, because we're all making it up as we go along. And there is nothing more wonderful than when a client tells you "I can't imagine anyone else's voice on this project but yours."

What profession would you have chosen had you not done radio and voiceover?

I'd get a degree in bioacoustics. I'm fascinated with the work that Bernie Krauss has done; measuring the health of natural environments based on their acoustical complexity and cataloging the vanishing soundscapes of our planet.

What's your favorite radio memory?

The morning guy on KMBZ/Kansas City slow-cooking a pot roast inside a car to prove how hot it was that summer. He also had a baby elephant from the zoo on his show later that week, and it was blocking the hallway when I had to run to the bathroom during a break.

Doing a Saturday remote at a furniture store using a wireless mic tuned to the same frequency as the one worn by the pastor at the church across the street. Apparently, I interrupted a wedding with "You'll find great values today on sofa-sleepers and mattresses!"

Training the air staff of a radio station in Benin, West Africa.