Opportunity or Is Our World Random?

When Opportunity Knocks, is it random, or do life’s choices take us down a more determined path?

I realize that’s a very “west-coast” question and I am normally a more up-tight New Englander. I think maybe my west-coast workmates are rubbing off on me.

First a Little About Me

I’m the new “kid” on the  BVS team and this is my first Blumvox Studio’s Team Blog Post. As an independent contractor, I helped Blumvox Studios with their website technology update in 2018. This fall, I was delighted to be invited to join Blumvox full-time, to support their website.

I turned 60 last month, and like many of my peers I’ve had the opportunity to pursue a number of careers. I have worked as a lab technician developing Ektachrome film, (remember slides? I still own a half dozen slide projectors), I was a travel agent for a decade, a photographer, and I was assistant manager at a call center for a major newspaper. Thinking about my  career path I wondered, “How did I get here?”

Opportunity: How I Got Into Website Technology

In the mid 1990s, when AOL was king, I had the opportunity to volunteer to head a non-profit theater. I wanted the theater to be one of the first to have a website. A friend pointed me to a guide called HTML Goodies.

I dove in at 3 in the afternoon, taught myself HTML and CSS, and around 8 am, after several pots of coffee, I launched my first website. It looked pretty horrid by today’s standards but back then it was… well… okay. I ended up managing that site for 7 years.

Opportunity: To Learn Something – The Right Way.

I was laid off from a job over a decade ago. After an interview in Waltham, MA, while walking up Moody Street,  I noticed the storefront for Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts (CDIA). I ventured in and took a brochure. After encouragement from my wife, I enrolled.

Opportunity: How I (randomly?) Landed at Blumvox Studios

The CDIA placement program landed me a job in the marketing department of a startup company in Bedford, MA. The head of the department (my boss’s boss), is Trina’s friend… Our Trina, of Blumvox Studios. Although at the time Blumvox wasn’t even an idea.

The job with the startup ended after 18 months – they ran out of money. Unemployed again, I started taking freelance work.

Several years later, when Blumvox Studios needed help with their website, my former employer, (Trina’s friend), introduced me to Blumvox Studios.

Even though the call came as a complete surprise to me, I do not believe that this chain of events was a random opportunity.  

The door to Blumvox Studios, cracked open when I first decided to learn new technology in the 1990s. I had to walk through many doors not knowing where they would lead. These were choices shored up by my willingness to learn something new and take a few chances.

I now, find myself in the most fortunate situation: I’m working with a great group of people from across the globe and I’m loving it!

Why Tell This Story of Opportunity?

Looking back at some of the recent team blogs, and perhaps more directly to Brandon’s post when he asked, “What Do You Really Want?”  I began to wonder about you, our readers, and your pursuits.  I wanted to share my journey. Hopfully you can see that by pursuing a direction and being open to opportunities to learn and grow, productive and interesting work found me. And with this new work, I’m finding purpose and contentment. 

You came here by choice. And if you read this far maybe you are looking for an opportunity. Maybe you’re here because the idea of Voice Acting appeals to you. If you’re not yet a subscriber, I hope you have the courage to open the door this website offers and learn something new. If you are a subscriber, I hope you see the value in all the content available to you, not just the lessons specific to voiceover training.

Thank you for reading. Please read on if you’d like to know about some of the updates we’re making to Blumvox Studios.com

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Blumvox Studios Website and Technology Updates

 

Website Security Upgrade

In October Blumvox Studios upgraded security technology on our website. This will better protect our data from viruses and hacking attempts. We hired Sucuri.net, a top security company for a number of years now, to manage our firewall and CDN.

• Personal information and data now have a higher level of security.
• Optimized Content Delivery Network (CDN) means faster page load times.
• Website Server Upgrade which will allow more people on our site at the same time with less lag

Upgrades for Blumvox Studios Subscribers

• We have already upgraded the Teaching Series Archive page. The new page organizes your content better and has a more attractive style. It’s much easier to use on mobile devices.
• Look for an upgrade for the classes and the account information pages by the new year.
• We are going to add a suggestion box for subscribers. We’d love to hear from you!

Website Overall Visual Upgrade

We’ll be upgrading the overall look of the site over the next few weeks. I hope everyone will like the more modern look. 

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Your Digital Footprint

Some unsolicited advice from the “old man.”

Telephone directories have gone the way of slide film and the automat (look it up).

There are only a few ways that a potential customer or employer can find you or your business:

• Internet search/Website
• Advertising
• Social Media
• Visual signage
• Word of mouth

Your digital footprint is more than just a few social media accounts and a DIY website. If you’re going into voice acting or any business, you need to think carefully about how you present yourself online. Try to clean up anything you’ve posted or that has been posted about you that could be damaging to your image. Make sure your online presence including personal posts, look professional in every way.

We plan to add supporting programs to help you with your digital footprint and other exciting programs to jump start your career in the very near future.

Big things are happening at Blumvox Studios and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

Until next time, be well, and thank you for spending time here.

Best,

Addendum: I realized as I’m posting this that the first door that leads me to Blumvox Studios is much earlier than the 1990s. What brought me to learn HTML for that non-profit in the ’90s, was an experience that goes back to 1974, when I was 14 and I saw my first live theatrical production 1776. If I didn’t see that production I may not even know Blumvox Studios exists. Random or Opportunity? That’s a longer story for a book I may never write.

If you have suggestions or comments about our site, We’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment or get in touch.