Talking Your Way Into A Career
by Leigh Schindler Powell
If teachers don’t appreciate your talking in class, take a lesson from Kevin Meyer. He turned his classroom liability into a career. Kevin talks for a living.
His day starts at 6:00 a.m. with a volunteer job he does from his home phone. "Because I think it’s important to give to our community whenever we can, I take a few minutes to record selected pieces from the day’s newspaper for a reading service for the blind."
Then he heads for Narrative Television Network (NTN) where he narrates movies for the visually impaired. In between the program’s dialogue, Kevin describes the action taking place.
After a quick lunch, Kevin hits the airwaves with his afternoon radio show on K95FM (KWEN) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When his show is over, he’s still talking and earning money by recording radio commercials or providing the voice talent for music-on-hold tapes.
He’s come a long way since he first talked a radio station manager into giving him a chance. "I kept calling him and didn’t give up," says Kevin. "That’s the way I’ve pursued all my jobs."
His persistence landed him in front of a microphone while he was still in high school. Luckily, he still lived at home and didn’t require a large income. "Starting wages in radio aren’t high," he cautions. "It’s hard to make it unless you have a roommate, live at home, or take a second job."
After high school, he attended Brown Institute, one of many broadcasting schools throughout the country. Soon, Kevin was on his way to another radio station.
Regardless of which hat Kevin’s wearing — radio personality, narrator, or commercial voice talent — he uses the same skills. "You need a good voice, good diction and a good vocabulary. Some of it’s God-given talent," he says. "The rest is hard work."
Though his days are long, Kevin says there are rewards. "I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people ‘see’ and enjoy programs with the narration," he says. "And the radio is just fun. I get paid to play music and talk."
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Narrative Television Network
5840 South Memorial Drive
Suite 312
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74145-9082
(918) 627-1000
Fax (918) 627-4101
E-mail: [email protected]