My Word with Douglas E. Welch

Due to personal family issues with the scheduled speaker, I will be speaking at this weeks’s Tuesday’s with Transitioners meeting on the topic of “A Year of Action!”.

Action — any action — can help us to get our careers and lives moving forward. Douglas presents a few “action items” you might want to explore or use as jumpstart points for your own ideas.

Learn how action benefits you no matter what your job, current job status or career!

Please share this event with anyone you know who might be interested. All are welcome!

RSVP via Facebook

What: Douglas speaks on “A Year of Action” at Tuesdays with Transitioners

When: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 – Noon-2pm

Where: Congregational Church of Northridge, 9659 Balboa Blvd, Northridge, CA 91325-1902

Our friend, Janet Wilcox, will be starting her UCLA Extension voiceover class again in just a week. If you are interested in getting started in the industry, this could be the class for you. I will be speaking to her class about New Media this session, as I have done in the past.

Class Description:

Pursuing a Career in Voice Overs

Do people say you have a wonderful voice? Gain a comprehensive understanding of the tools needed to excel in TV and radio commercials, animation, narration for documentaries, and other areas of voice over work. Instruction includes breath and microphone technique, script analysis, finding characters spontaneously, and how to keep it fun, even when the pressure’s on. Participants also learn how to pursue a career in voice over.

Janet Wilcox’s Bio

Writer, producer, and actor with extensive experience on both sides of the microphone. Ms. Wilcox has written and produced promos for HBO, ABC, and The History Channel, among others. As a voice over talent, she has been heard on Lifetime, HBO, E!, Cinemax, and AMC. She is the author of Voiceovers: Techniques and Tactics for Success.

Our 6th Annual LIVE Reading of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol will take place on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 6pm EST/3pm PST.

Our annual holiday reading of this classic Dickens’ story. We bring together frends and family to read sections from a condensed version of the story — said to be made by Charles Dickens himself — for his own live, public readings. Follow Scrooge, Bob Crachit, Tiny Tim and all the familiar characters as they both teach and learn what Christmas is all about.

Tune in while you prepare your Christmas cookies or wrap your Christmas presents. Join the “spirits” of the season!

Click Here to Watch/Listen Live to A Christmas Carol

Consider having your own reading of A Christmas Carol, or other favorite story, as a way to gather friends together and share a unique experience. You don’t have to broadcast it like we do, but why not share it with the world!

This year’s show is sponsored by WelchWrite.com, Eclipse-1 Media and New Media Interchange.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Enjoy more Christmas Carol in your own home!

Free download of “A Christmas Carol” – Text/ePub/HTML/Kindle versions available

The audio CD of Patrick Stewart’s one man version of A Christmas Carol is absolutely amazing. We saw the show several times here in LA and met Patrick one evening. His version of “A Christmas Carol” was the driving factor in starting our own yearly reading of the story.

More “A Christmas Carol” on Amazon.com

LOS ANGELES SONGSALIVE! SONGWRITER’S WORKSHOP

GUEST SPEAKER – JOHN BRAHENY
Author of The Craft and Business of Songwriting

TOPIC:  Are Song Structures Flexible, or Set In Stone?

WHEN: THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
NEXT: Sunday, November 20, 2011
TIME: Starts 12:00 am SHARP. Ends at 3 pm. Please be on time.
WHERE: THE FINNISH CENTER10701 Magnolia Blvd.North Hollywood, CA 

COST: Free for Songsalive! Pro Members. Non-members pay a donation of $10.

John Braheny is a top consultant for songwriters and writer/artists. He was one of 5 nominees for “Best Music/Performer/Artist Development Executive” in the National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP) “Best In The Biz” list for 2011.

The author of The Craft and Business of Songwriting, which has sold over 80,000 copies (now in its 3rd edition), he co-founded and ran the Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase  - a non-profit organization that for 25 years provided a weekly showcase and early exposure for writers including Diane Warren, Warren Zevon, Wendy Waldman, Stevie Nicks and thousands  more. He’s a consultant and screener for Taxi, the worlds leading indie A&R company and has interviewed more than 600 songwriters and industry pros. A unique perspective!  More info at www.johnbraheny.com.

TOPIC: “Are Song Structures Flexible, or Set in Stone?”

What’s the value of song structures? Are they really rules? Are they the same in every style?  Can you break the rules if you’re an artist? Can you stretch them in live performance? Though an understanding of song structures can make or break the commercial potential of a song, if you learned there were only 3 or 4 structures that are acceptable, you may have more creative latitude than you think!

I won’t be able to make it to this event, but I will certainly keep a watch on when they do it again. — Douglas

Homebrew demo: This Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., learn how to make your own beer at Eagle Rock Brewery. Spruce up your brewing skills and acquire new techniques and recipes as co-owner and brewer Steve Raub demonstrates homebrewing with his very own Full Moon Bock. The cost is $10 per person and includes lunch and a pint of one of Eagle Rock Brewery’s house beers. 3056 Roswell St., L.A., (323) 257-7866, eaglerockbrewery.com.

Read entire article from Daily Dish

Looking for a little Halloween-appropriate listening for tonight? Listen to Ghosts of the Internet 2011!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to Ghosts of the Internet 2011!

More photos from the event

The whole family participated in this annual live reading yesterday and here is the recording of that event. We had a great time, as always, reading, noshing, joshing and laughing.

Whenever we mention to people that we like to go out and shoot archery and throw axes, knives and spears, we get a lot of “That’s cool! How can I do that?” Well, here is your bi-monthly chance to join us at the Barony of Altavia’s twice monthly practice sessions at the Woodley Park Archery range. Everyone is welcome. We don’t “dress up” for practice (At larger official SCA events we dress in “garb” or period attire) If you want to throw axes and knives you must be wearing closed toe shows.

We have some loaner archery gear for you to use, too.

Interested? Join us at 1100a, this Sunday. Complete information and links below. DW

 

Reminder from: Altavia Yahoo! Group

Title: Archery & Thrown Weapons practice

Date: Sunday October 16, 2011

Time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Repeats: This event repeats every month on the third Sunday.

Location: wOODLEY pARK

Notes:   Join Altavia’s Captain of Archers James Everglad and Thrown Weapons Marshal Lady Cecilia Medici for Archery and Thrown Weapons practice at Woodley Park.

 

 

The Directions to Woodly Park are at http://www.woodleyparkarchers.com/directions.html

Liam John (@editorLiam) got this nice shot of me during the Techmunch Food Blogger conference.

Oct. 1, 2011 the Santa Barbara Zoo will be hosting a Science Day event. Friends of the Island Fox will be one of many community presenters with family-friendly science-based activities. The goal is to offer teachers a variety of science activities that can be replicated in the classroom. 

For more information see the website www.islandfox.org. Teachers and their families can get into the Zoo free with preregistration.

Friends of the Island Fox
islandfoxnews@gmail.com

Visit their website for current island fox information;
www.islandfox.org

Follow them on Facebook or on Twitter @ifoxtweet

Hello all!

This is a busy week for me — surprisingly busy for December and you can join me at 3 different events. Two are focused on your career and one on blogging and New Media.

Here is the info and links for all of them.

Douglas

Social Media and Your Career Panel

Panel: Social Media and Your Career – Registration now open! – Part of Social Media Week 2011

Registration is now open for this panel discussion, which is part of Social Media Week 2011 – taking place throughout the world! — Douglas

LOS ANGELES

Social Media and Your Career

Wednesday, September 21 at 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Congregational Church of Northridge

Building the career you deserve means becoming both director and promoter of it–No one cares as much about your career as you do. This means taking the lead in ‘Telling people what you do and how you do it!” Social media provides the tools needed to develop the jobs and projects that make one’s career unique and fulfilling.This panel will give practical information about how to use social media to build the career you desire. We’ll talk not only about the “why” of social media, but also about “how” it can, and should, be used, so that you are in control of all aspects of your career.

LOCATION
Congregational Church of Northridge, 9659 Balboa BoulevardNorthridge, 91325

Register for Free Today!

TECHmunch Food Blogger Conference

I  have just been asked to moderate at panel discussion at the TECHmunch Food Blogger Conference being held in Santa Monica, California on Friday, September 23, 2011.

TECHmunch is a series of conferences in cities across the U.S. designed to help food bloggers gain the hands-on digital media, marketing and business skills they need to make their blogs more personally and financially rewarding. Each conference features leading experts in a range of disciplines — from digital publishing and search engine optimization to public relations and online advertising. TECHmunch was created by BakeSpace.com Founder Babette Pepaj, who serves as its producer and host.

I will be moderating the session titled, “Tips on Creating and Distributing Mouthwatering Multimedia Content” with panel members Sara O’Donnell (@averagebetty), Producer and Host of AverageBetty.comDiane Cu (@whiteonrice), Photographer and Publisher of White on Rice Couple.comSandi McKenna (@McMedia), Host of Midlife Roadtrip.comJohn Trefry Video Producer, Docstoc.com (formerly Video Producer Mahalo.com creating videos for Recipe.com).

If you are a food blogger, or just thinking of becoming one, TECHmunch could be a great way to jumpstart your knowledge and connections. Join me on September 23, 2011!

Register for TECHmunch

TECHMunch Web Site