The Connie Zimet Conservatory

Voice Acting for Actors and Voiceover Talent

This Conservatory is possible through a grant of the AFTRA Foundation

Who was Connie Zimet?
If you don’t already know, Connie Zimet was a consummate voiceover actor, singer and a pioneer in the southeast U.S. voiceover market. Her lengthy resume included commercial voiceovers for Coke, Apple, Chevrolet, Ajax, and Fresca, as well as an album version of the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" as the voice of Lucy. A versatile performer, Zimet led the Miami Local of AFTRA as President from 2003-2008 and became the most sought after voiceover coach and instructor in Florida. Always seeking better ways to improve her own techniques Connie gathered and invented many interesting ways to help others do the same.

What is the Connie Zimet Conservatory?
The Connie Zimet Conservatory is an ongoing, multi-week workshop taught by Darryl Gilley, utilizing Connie’s teaching techniques, for actors and voice-over talent to hone their skills and achieve voice performances that they likely had no idea they could do. To quote Connie:

"You're an actor when you're doing a voiceover. So, find your character, your attitude, answer what your condition is, and the voice will come out the way it should be heard. Focus on intention."

Knowing this, she created Connie’s Tool Box including Character Keys, Attitudes and Conditions. Among other things you’ll discover what “Pissed Off Zombie in a Hurry” means and how it can get you in the zone for a certain read. Connie’s techniques de-emphasize and distract the left, critical side of the brain (“Oh, that doesn’t sound right, let me start over” or, “Do I really sound that bad?”) and releases the creative, right side of the brain to relax and literally play, bringing a reality and instinct to the read which often results in some the best voice work actors have ever experienced. If it’s difficult, you’re trying too hard.

Who is Darryl Gilley?
Darryl Gilley is one of Connie’s very grateful protégés who, in many ways, owes his own, long and successful voiceover career to his “Voiceover Guru.” Having taken repeated classes from Connie, engineered during later classes and being hand-picked by Connie to teach her classes when she no longer could, Darryl is the natural choice serve in her stead as instructor.

Cost per session:
SAG-AFTRA members $120 ($7.50/hour)
Non-Members $240 ($15/hour)

Sessions (Dates to be determined based upon participant availability):
Each session consists of 4 classes over 4 weeks.
Each class will be 4 hours long.
There will be no more than 6 participants per session.

Location:
Audacity Recording Studio
2734 Polk Street, Suite B.
Hollywood, FL 33020
954-920-4418

Note: Audacity will extend the same studio discount per hour to those Conservatory participants who wish to have their demos produced at Audacity.

To Register: Contact SAG-AFTRA Miami at 305-571-9891 and make arrangements for payment via personal check, money order or cash.