Earl, hello and welcome to relationships rule. My special guest this week is Earl, the voice Thomas, and I'm pretty excited to hear a lot of his history and his expertise, because he's been around for a while. And I'm going to start first of all by welcoming you, Earl. Welcome to the show.
Thank you, Janice. I'm really glad to be here.
It's my pleasure, and I gotta start with Earl, Thomas, the voice. So talk to me about that. How did you get that moniker, and, and, and where did that come from?
I was in the self employment program at Douglas College.
Oh, my God, I took that. Oh, did you Yes? Yeah, long time ago,
and we had to have certain things, like we needed a business license, so we got that a business card. And that's where Earl Thomas the voice came from, and creating vocal paradise for your exact needs. And it was, it was a really good program, and I really enjoyed it. Actually, there was a volunteer I had to go before a small board. And it turned out that person became a friend later because he's, he's in my Toastmasters program, Darren fruit and and he remembered that
before I remembered it. Oh, yeah.
Well, when did you so when did you start doing voiceover stuff? Because that's obviously the connection the voice being that you have a fantastic voice, and you've been in radio, and you've done a lot of voiceovers, and that world itself fascinates me, so I'm wondering how that started for you.
Well, it was when I came back from Penticton. I was in radio, because I've been in the BCIT Broadcast Communications Program in radio, and I took this course called VoiceOver and animation from Kathy Wessel, luck. Okay, it had an option, an option to go out and get consultations, so I would do that. And of course, when we first met, you know, this is your homework. You don't come back until you do your
homework diligently. And then she got me ready. She got this was all in preparation so I could take direction and be ready to go into the studio, to Coco studios and do my demo. And since then, I've actually done demos right on here on my MacBook Pro, from work that I've done before. So I love doing voiceover. It's very competitive, of course, yeah,
I once took a little, sort of one day or two day program about voiceovers and and what I would I did it for was because I wanted to, I love to read aloud, and I love to read interesting books or children's books even more allowed. I was a teacher in my first life, and I always loved reading aloud to the kids, and I thought that that would be fun to do. But again, as you said, it's very competitive, and it's
also a whole thing unto itself. I would have had to spend a lot of time just focused on that, and I didn't have the time to do that, but it was something I always wished I'd done. What was your favorite thing for in voiceovers to do?
Well, I thought it was narration, but I found that when I got a hot cell, which from BCIT, a hot cell is like, there's a lot of energy, and I find those were were more fun to do. You know, when you ramp up the the energy, yeah, of course. And I've, I've learned since, really, what is the going thing now is, is not the hot cell. You're talking one to one to
another person you got, you got to bring it down. You know, just as I'm talking to you, this is the best product I've ever used, you know, Janice, you just gotta have
it. Ah, okay, so the enthusiasm is there, but, yeah, but
bring it down.
So is there money to be made in voiceovers?
Well, I have, but the when you first start, there are ones that on Facebook, there was a guy in Carolina, and I did Joe Leone's bakery, and that was free, just to get me started. Now, years later, I did, you know when the pandemics was on a voiceover for him, and it was paid because we we kept John figueroato, we kept connecting through LinkedIn. So yes, but I like them now. I like the money. I'd rather have the money now,
yeah, of course. But you know, there's so many different types of of voiceover jobs, like there's the. The promos, the the public service announcements, the sports announcing, the business messages and and the narration and so on. I wonder if you've ever done this. I was a trainer for many years, and for the telephone company, and one of the things we trained on in my department was we would go to big customers, and we would set them up with their new this is
back in the day. We would set them up with their new voice mail system, and we'd have to set up the voice recording for the automated answer, the automated attendant. You know, Hi. Thanks for calling ABC Company. You know. Please press one for this. Press two for that. And I was training in one of the companies, and I think it was a law firm or a big accounting firm, and the girls that I was training were the front office people, and they said, Oh, I can't do that. Will
you do the voice for me? Will you do the voice? Will you do the recording? And I said, Sure, I'll do it for you. Well, five years later, I called the company, and my voice was still on the on the recording, because nobody had changed it. And I think that's hysterical. But did you ever do any of those, the the voice recordings for that? Yes,
I had a client out in Coquitlam that I did for it. Did the recordings Now, press this or press that? Yeah, yeah,
that's hysterical, but to still be there after all that time. Now you, I know have, I think you're passionate about and correct me if I'm wrong, but doing work around mental health,
yes, yes, because I've experienced depression, and I took a course called stand up for mental health. SMH, and, you know, I've done live, because it was part of the course, the graduation of the six months. Was it? Yuck, yucks Comedy Club. That
was the graduation your comedy piece. Oh, my goodness, I did watch that. Actually do
a debut, but that that's not there, that's that was at a coffee shop. Oh, okay, in Burnaby, but the place is full. The lights are bright. We can hardly see them out there. And I still have them because, you know, we had a videographer, and it's on my my website, and I can go back anytime and be an alumni. And actually was an alumni for a year, and actually got paid for a couple places that we did well. Thank
you for sharing that you, because I think depression is one of those things, and that is probably more prevalent than we think in society, especially today and and if people let it go on, undiagnosed or unnoticed, in that sense, it can be very detrimental and even deadly, right? So do you feel now, like I know that was a while ago, you you're on an even keel, and you're good. And,
yes, what I did is I was taking counseling at New West High School. Was the grad program for the, you know, the outing, UBC. And I realized it only runs from a certain time, let me say March, October to March, and I knew to do something more, and I read this book by Dr Caroline leaf, and it was talking about a 21 day brain detox program. So I took that and I wrote my own positive, healthy thoughts, and I use them today, because depression can sometimes rear its ugly head,
absolutely mine. Mine is particular situational depression. So I've, you know, I've remember, I've written them, I've memorized them. I don't say them every day, all of them, but there's certain ones that I I focus on, and I'm, I'm grateful for that. Yes, so
you, you've, you worked on yourself, and you were able to to pull yourself out of it as well with the course that you took. It sounds as though you're a very curious person, because you're always taking courses. What are you curious about today?
Well, that's why I love interviewing, because you don't know where it's going to go, and what I love about it, too. I do an interview, and it's different being on the other side here. Yes, I'm I'm parking in my back of my brain. There secondary questions, because they're going to say something, and we want to clarify it some more. There's some something more there. So, yeah, I'd say I am a curious person. Why is this happening now? Why? Why?
And what are you most curious about?
This is happening good right now, but this is
okay. So, so what are you most curious about today?
What am I most curious about today? Where my business is going to go. Hey, I'm having a really good year. It started really good. It slowed down, and I'm getting close. So the last three months is really important. I'm taking this mentorship program called momentum, momentum membership, membership program, and I've gotten good results because there's a lot of accountability that comes from those in the program and the coach, Marshall Stern, he's been very helpful to
me. Actually, he connected you and I didn't. He did.
He's a dear friend, yes, yeah, well, that's good, that it's working for you and propelling you for that last quarter, which is always the for me, that last quarter of the year is also it's like the beginning, because, having had kids, I've always thought of September as the beginning of, you know of something. So I get it, it's a good time to dig in and make things happen. And I know that you love interviewing people as well, and where do you find your your guests for your podcast? Well,
a friend of mine told me about this website, and she said, there's a free part to it, and so you can go on there. Earl, thank God for Sheila. Well, you know, I never have had to go on there because, like, I was invited, I mean, Toastmasters, and a friend of mine invited me to the Mad 25 year anniversary. It was in Central Park. It was a really good feed. There was a lot of speakers, and he spoke. And while he's speaking, I'm thinking, Wait a minute, Bob
would make a really great interview. I got him, and I needed him again, because I played it a second time and a third time when the young boys in in their 30s in New Jersey were killed by a drunk driver. Uh, their Matthew coro. And so I replayed him, you know, because it's essential don't drink and
drive. Yeah, yeah. That was very sad, very sad. Are you a hockey fan? Oh, yes, I am. I thought you might be. Yeah, I'm not, but that's okay. I we're a sports family, so I can't help is, if it's not hockey, it's football or baseball or basketball that's on, so I kind of get it through osmosis. So so I know, because I've been interviewed by you, that you do do your homework on your podcast, and you like to have your questions and your opportunity for secondary questions laid out for for your
guests, which is great. I like to go by the seat of my pants. I don't know what I'm going to say. I do pay attention to your LinkedIn profile. I look at your website and maybe listen to
something that you have done as well. But I have to go with my gut, and I remember one of the things we talked about before off air was we had alluded to that stand up comedy piece that that you were just talking about, and I didn't realize that the one was sort of your graduation from, from this course, but I do you still ever have because I know you felt that stand up comedy didn't turn out the way you wanted it to. You didn't really it wasn't for you. Do you ever regret that? Or
was it? I wouldn't
say it wasn't for me. It was for me at the time, but there's so many things going on. I still stay connected with you. Okay? And I could pick it up again anytime. I have a comedy file. And I moved from Wilson Avenue over here to Sussex. And, you know, I, I keep my things where, so I can find
them and everything. Yeah, a comedy file. I don't I, you know, I've got to, one day, go down to my the lower reaches of this, this place, and go p3 and look in my locker, and because, because it's there, you know,
well, actually, I find when you say that, that's fascinating to me, because, you know, all the great comedians have these boulders or files about their jokes, and I never think about, you know, I was Listening to a couple of comedians talking about that, probably, on a talk show, and how they can develop a joke to go this way or that way or the other. And I, you know, I never think about that, but it's a whole thing, right? It's definitely a whole
skill. Yes, it's the setup and then the punchline. Yeah, yeah. And the interesting thing about when I did it was in both places. I got to the setup on one joke, and then I said, Oh, it's coming because I'd forgotten the punch line, and it did come in both places, so I was relieved that it was there.
Oh, that's too funny. Troy, yeah, that's crazy.
I mean, it was loud in Yuck, yucks.
That's great. That's absolutely great. Okay, so what you're working mostly right now on your podcast, right?
Yes, doing podcasting, as you know, there's lots of detail and tons of detail. Well, you
do it all yourself. That makes it even more so I don't, I must admit, do the back, you know, the back end myself, because I'm not interested in doing that. But you must, must be, because you do it all yourself. Yeah,
well, I enjoy the whole process because I've created the process that works, that works for me. And, yeah,
can you think of somebody that you want to interview that you haven't been able to get to yet.
Well, yes, okay, I have a friend of mine who is in a baseball discussion group saw Lindsay Barra, who is the Yogi berras relative, yep, granddaughter of Yogi Berra. Yes, he helped me, because he said, Well, send me an email. So I sent an email, then I got a response back from the president of that local group. And I expected that she would have had
an agent. She didn't have an agent. I was able to send her a direct email, and I'm waiting now and I'll do a follow up, but you gotta know that when she says yes, because I'm almost certain she will, because I responded to something that she put on Twitter, she liked it, and the President liked it, a Yogi Berra museum. And, you know, I'm going to be excited, and I already do really great prep, but I'm going to really be
close. Yeah, I'm going to this is going to be the best thing and, and probably the hardest thing about voiceover, about doing a PA announcing for the Grand View sealers, is that just before you open up the mic. But then once you get going, this woman is really intelligent. She knows about baseball injuries. She knows about Yogi's history. Oh, talking baseball with Lindsay Barrow will be such an awesome experience.
Oh, okay, so you're so did you announce for baseball? Then, is that what you said? You just what was the name of the team?
Oh, he, he played for the New York King. No, no,
no. Excuse me. I know that. Don't. Don't, please. I know who Yogi Berra is. You said you were an announcer.
Oh, yes, the grand. I was a PA announcer for the Grand View Steelers. And they're baseball team. No, they're a hockey team in the junior B League. Okay, so, okay.
So then we got confused. Okay, so I got confused. So, so you're also a baseball fan, though, yes, I am happy, and you were a New York Yankees fan. Yes, I was my husband's a lifelong New York Yankees fan. And of course, I know who Yogi Berra is, and what I love the most about Yogi Berra were his, his? What are they called? His? Yogi isms. Yogi isms, right? There you go. And no one goes to that restaurant anymore. It's too crowded. That's one of them. I remember
that. And okay, so I'm going to just temper things a little bit, because you haven't actually talked to Lindsay Bera yet. You're trying to get you've sent her emails and whatever, and she responded correct or no, no, she
hasn't responded. She responded to my like of her her post, because there's a book, of course,
is she on LinkedIn? Yes, she is on LinkedIn. Have you tried to connect with her on LinkedIn?
Well, I I'm not sure if I've sent a connection request. I think I'm waiting for her because I got a direct email to her, which surprised me, that I would get a direct email. I thought, yeah, but the
problem about that is it could get lost in her junk mail.
Well, that's why I'm going to follow up. Yeah, I will be up again.
But following up how? Because if you follow up by email, it's still going to go in your junk mail. So that's why I sometimes recommend that you also try to get to her from LinkedIn, because that won't get lost,
yeah, well, I will send a LinkedIn connection. And we also, you know, I often respond when she puts, you know, something out there on Twitter, and she responds to that,
okay, that's cool. So that's where she hangs out, is it Twitter? So, so that's someone you really want to interview. And you said something about you thought she'd have an agent. What does she do?
Well, she has, she's a sports journalist. She's
working, yes, okay, cool. She's
worked for ESPN, okay, demo reel that she's done, you know, several, there's several clips in there. She has a very interesting. A intro right on her website. So, you know, once, once we get going, that's what I would use. And, yeah, she's there anyone very intelligent, very intelligent,
that's awesome. So is there anyone else that you want to interview your bucket list?
Well, I that's, that's my main one. Okay, because, go ahead, there is someone that it's been approved by BCIT, but he got really busy. I mean, it had to go through the marketing department, and they approved it. And now I'm got to follow up him some more, because, like he said, he's really busy. And I, all I had to do is look at the timestamp. It was 2:49am when he sent that email. So I gotta get back the head of business in in BCIT Business Media, School of Business and media.
Okay. Okay, interesting. Well, the first one more? Well, maybe both. In both cases, I see that you know it, it seems as though you've gone through who you know, and that's always the best way. So I love that, because it's all about relationship building and relationship nurturing, and it's not what you know, it's who you know. So if you go through people you know, sometimes it's easier to get, to get to the person you want to get to. And so I hope that those work out
for you. That's That's great. That's really great. Thank you. Yeah, I, I'm trying to think when there's a guy that I want to talk to, but I want to finish his book first. I haven't finished it yet, and and I, I found him because somebody I had on my podcast was talking about his book, and so I I'm reading that book, and now I'm going to go back to my the person who was on my podcast that knows him, and see if I can get an
introduction. Because I always think that's the best way, better to be introduced by somebody than to go in cold, right? Yeah, yeah.
So that happened with Lindsay, because Ben knew he was part of saber and then the President got back to me, yeah.
So that's great. That's really great. Um, what would you say? I know that one of, one of the things that I think you're doing now is teaching through your podcast when you do and correct me if I'm wrong, when you do solo episodes that you're teaching people about how to do voiceovers and things. Is that correct?
Yes, I've done different topical episodes, like how I record and how I use my system. I wrote about success, and it's interesting. Writing a solo episode, you start with it, you don't what, what is there? Okay? And then once you start writing, there's more and there's more and there's more. So I'm I enjoy the writing part of it. Do
you? Yeah, not me. I just rather talk. I just rather talk. So what do you find? What is can you think of someone that that, and you don't have to say who they are, but that that you felt was your most exciting or most enjoyable or interesting interview that you've done?
Oh, Linda Todd, because she almost died in Gaza. She came to speak at just pros when we were at the Justice Institute, and that was another case of, this is really good. And I had to turn it into a two parter. Oh, wow. I like the writing of that. You know, when I, when I do the prep. Will she live, you know, like the second part? Will she speak again? Oh, just, just those little hooks, or those big hooks? Yes. Belinda
Todd was really interesting. You know, the the funny thing about it was, she was going through terrible things, almost dying. But this woman had such a great sense of humor the way she told the story. I mean, yeah,
listen to that one.
I really enjoyed talking to her.
Oh, that's great. I'll have to listen to that episode. That's amazing. Um, okay, so what advice would you give someone who's starting a podcast today?
Well, you've got to be prepared. I took a course from Carl Richards. I got connected to Carl Richards in Ontario, and I he said, you know, you're you're ready to start. There's some tweaks you need to do, but you've got the you've got the microphone, you've got the Mac, you've got the voice to be focused and get all those things that you need to do, like the artwork. I did several. I did one on ones with Carl on Canva. And now it just happens really quickly, you
know, I can, I can. Get that artwork, the picture that goes, you gotta be focused and have a strategy. And I did not really think that we would get to a season four. And it's quite amazing. I had more topicals in my first season, and then it's, it's increased. The interviews have increased to about 60% by season four,
just in numbers. You mean, yes, okay, yeah, okay, and your podcast is called Voice power, correct? That's right. And it's on all of the
Yeah. It's on all the directories, yeah, okay,
awesome. And I love your email address. You take me back to the day Duke Earl, yeah,
that was when I was in BCIT and art, art factoro, he's the program director at 650 and we got to know each other. He gave me the nickname Dookie. Hey, do
girl, right? Yeah. So wait, I forgot what I was going to say. I was going to ask you a question. Oh, I know, because you were in radio for a long time. What would you say? What do you say about the way radio is now? I mean, it's so different than it used to be, right?
Well, radio has fallen behind because podcasting, there's more people listening to it. You know this voice tracking. You know you want to be taught hearing a real person. You know, radio will always exist. They always have said, Oh, radio is going to fall away. It's not going to be there. No, it's, it will always be there. But it's changed, right? It has changed a lot, yeah, because am radio is more talk, yes, is, is the music? Yeah.
Um, I'm just trying to think though, yeah, it's either talk or it's news, solid news, right? Yeah,
you got your news stations? Yes. Um,
they just had, what here in Vancouver, the what was it? The 75th anniversary of CK and W
That's right, yeah. And,
I mean, that's a station that's got a huge history, and it started a lot of people in in radio, and I have some, yeah, I still listen to it occasionally. So when I'm in the car, if I'm not listening to a podcast, because I listen to podcasts all the time in the car, what's your favorite podcast? Do you listen to a lot of them.
Well, I like Brad Shawna. His coaches call it's about lacrosse, and he interviews all the coaches. He's interviewed all the coaches in the National Lacrosse League. I listened to the one last night. He interviewed Walt Christians, and he I was finding out how he's helped lacrosse in England. You know, it was quite a, quite a change. I mean, it's, it's got more. There's more to it now. I mean, there's more people
getting involved. And Walt Christiansen had some really interesting, funny stories of how he got started with the Victoria Shamrock. So, oh, there's another one I want to interview. I want to interview Brad shawnner,
ah, okay, okay, so you could reach out to him through his podcast. No doubt,
yes, yeah, I know. Fellow
podcaster, right? Fellow podcaster. Um, so, so you now you're hockey fan, you're a baseball fan and you're a lacrosse fan. Lacrosse is the biggest. Is it? Because you light up when you talk about sports, I can see that lacrosse is the biggest. Oh, that's interesting. I have a friend who has two daughter, two granddaughters, who play lacrosse, box lacrosse and field lacrosse. So and it's such a it's kind of a minor sport compared to to some of the but
it's still very big here. And is it bigger in Eastern Canada or Western Canada,
eastern and western Canada, it's big, but in Alberta, it's really grown because they actually had a Minto Cup where there was an Alberta team, and he's Brad, has interviewed, you know, Alberta coaches, a number Alberta coach,
yeah, Can you see yourself morphing to being a sports podcast. Would that be something you want to do?
I like the diversity I have. I'd like to bring in some more sports. Yeah. I mean, because when I had art on from 6:50am yeah, he's talking about the Canucks and the Sedins and those interesting things, yeah, so I don't see it myself going sports, strictly,
strictly sports. Yeah, yeah, people who have stories, um, it makes me think that some of the sports writers, or that not the sports Well, the sports writers, the sports reporters that are around might, might be, um. Fun to interview, because they've got stories from, you know, like, the guys that are still on the air, you know, like that, but aren't as like, I think Blake price and I think Dan Murphy and those guys. They're young enough they still want the exposure, but they've
done a fair bit over time, right? Yeah, yeah. So I don't know all fun and all interesting, and if I can help you, by the way, in any of those areas, let me know, because it's always who you know, right? So you know, not what you know. Well, thank
you. I would like to do that. Yeah,
that's fun. So I'm just checking if I missed something, anything here, because I think you did. It says here 112 projects with diversity. So you just mean the diversity of what you've done, from voiceovers to stand up comedy to your mental health work, infomercials, training workshops, telephone prompts, all of these different things that you've done.
They're all different. Yes, they
are totally all different. And going forward, this podcast is just getting more and more interesting, right for you? And yeah, yeah. So I like to ask my guests one of a couple of questions, and I'm going to ask you, do you prefer getting your information through reading, through watching or through listening? Oh, all three. All three. Okay,
because, because you can get more in the second one or the third one. I'm always looking at, you know, there's LinkedIn, okay. And is there any information on Facebook? And where else can I find more information? Well, there's the website, their website. Yeah, it's all good to have the have as much content as possible, although you're not going to use all of it?
No, of course, no, but it helps you learn about the person so but when you're not working, what do you love to do?
When I'm not working, what do I love to do? Sports? Probably sports events. I love to dance. And it's come back, because I've had a couple of pulled muscles, and a friend of mine let me know about Zumba gold, and I've been going on Thursdays at the Edmonds Community Center, and it's a full hour when I first started going, I thought, Oh, how am I
going to get through this hour? Well, sometimes it hurt too much, and I had to sit down for a song, but I've been going very consistently, and then I get a free hot tub, and then also I can swim a few links. And now I'm, I'm up to last time I actually did 10 links. Yeah, I was, I love,
I love Zumba, but my knees won't let me do it. Well,
it's a slower, it's, it's for injuries. Zumba gold is for injuries. There's a higher based one, but I always do Zumba gold, yeah.
Oh, good for you. That's great. Alright, so one last question. Do you have a piece of business advice that you'd like to share with my audience? Yes,
the most important thing is, you know, you're going to have good days, you're going to have bad days, but the most important thing is, don't give up. I mean, you feel it, you know, there's many times I've wanted to give up but, but I realize I don't want to lose doing this. I enjoy it. You know, I'm interacting with people. I'm doing some media. It's it's great. I really know that it's important don't give up, no matter what. That's
great advice. Thank you so much, Earl, and thank you for being such a great guest on my show. And I think there's a lot of nuggets there that my audience will appreciate hearing. I love that your sports a sports fan extraordinaire as well, because I can talk about that all the time, and this, I really appreciate that. Yeah. Thank you to my audience for being here as well. And if you like what you heard, please reach out and do check out Earl's podcast voice power and
let him know that you enjoyed it as well. We love to hear to see reviews, and remember to stay connected and be remembered. You.