V/O Talent Jim Cissell Makes ednet Pay Off

"When I became an ednet affiliate, I didn’t expect it to pay for itself, to tell you the truth," muses Seattle-based announcer and actor Jim Cissell. "I did it more as a statement of professionalism and to be able to give my clients a full range of services."

As it turned out, one job alone probably paid for the ednet connection in Cissell’s home studio. For eight months, Jim served as the voice of the Home Shopping Network, doing 10-40 promos a week for the cable shopping giant via an ednet ISDN line. And while he figures that only about 10% of his total voice business is currently conducted over ISDN lines, that proportion continues to grow. In fact, Jim recently did three ISDN sessions in one day. He also believes the affiliation helps distinguish his business. "People say, ‘If this guy has his own box (codec) and is an ednet affiliate, he’s serious and a pro,’" says Jim. "It helps me get work even when we don’t use the ISDN line."

A broadcast and entertainment industry veteran, who got his start in U.S. Armed Forces Radio and TV in 1967, Jim went on to work at radio stations, production companies, and ad agencies – also finding time to complete law school. In 1986, he began his own freelance business. Jim has thousands of commercials, TV programs and promos, documentaries, movie trailers, infomercials, videos, and multi-media projects to his credit. He is probably best known for hosting the TV series, America at Work, and for narrating over a dozen documentaries for the Discovery Channel and PBS, as well as movie trailers for Disney and Tribune. Among hundreds of awards, he counts Clios, Peabodys, Tellys, Cindys, Colden CINEs, Addys, and the Cannes Film Festival.

About three-and-a-half years ago, Jim began asking engineers he knew for recommendations on how best to equip his home studio for remote CD-quality digital recording. "Everyone said that ISDN, the Telos Zephyr codec, and ednet were the way to go," he explains.

"Of course, you can buy a Telos Zephyr on your own and install your own ISDN line," continues Jim. "What I like about ednet is that they come in, facilitate getting the ISDN connection, set it up, troubleshoot it, and show you how to use it. I’ve heard stories of people waiting months for an ISDN line and then it not working right. ednet takes care of all that and provides technical support around the clock. I can get a tech guy on the phone in a minute, and an answer in two minutes. If there’s a problem with the unit, ednet will get you a replacement within 24 hours.

"Plus they have the [edlink™] bridge that lets my box talk to other boxes using a different algorithm."

Though Jim still enjoys going into other studios, where he can let someone else do the engineering, he appreciates the benefits that new communications technologies, including his ednet affiliation, have brought him. "I’m probably doing 75% of my work out of my home studio. My commute is putting on my slippers and going to the basement. Not a bad life."