Let’s Talk: Voiceover

Mark Oliver is a voice acting badass who does what he does in film, animation, and videogames. From Wood Man in the Mega Man animated show to Batroc in the Marvel Video Comics to Miles Dredd in the Max Steel franchise, and roles in Dungeons and Dragons Online and Lord Of The Rings Online, Mark has a fascinating background as a professional musician, actor, and film director. He talks about being authentic, and the advantages you can find by engaging in life to find your motivations. Take a lesson from a voice of experience, and check out this episode with Mark Oliver!

Michael Csurics is a casting director, video games director, and the founder of BrightSkull Entertainment known for work on BioShock 2, Tacoma and Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. He is best known for directing ensemble work in the video games he works on. You can listen to Michael as a speaker at GDC and many other video game conferences. Or, even better, you can listen to Michael right here, right now, on Episode 28 of Let's Talk: Voiceover. 

Everett Oliver is a leading Hollywood animation director, with shows including The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Men In Black, Jackie Chan Adventures, and more in his wake. In Episode 25, Everett explains his approach to working with voice actors, and his unique abilities to "feel" both the performance and the performers. A highly sought after coach for animation and commercial work, spend time with us as we explore the Wonderful World of Everett!   

Tom Keegan is as authentic as it gets. That's why it's a treat to get to work under Tom's direction in games, animation, mo-cap, vo-cap and more. With roots in theater, film, animation and games, Tom is able to help actors translate authenticity into their roles, and has received accolades from his work, including a 2018 BAFTA award. Spend time with Tom, our guest on Episode 23, and you just might learn a thing or two! (It would be hard not to.) 

Zach Hanks is a voice actor, coach and director in Atlanta. As a former Assistant Professor in theater, we talk about the difference between coaching in the classroom versus coaching in the "real world", and that transition from working for yourself to working for a paycheck. Zach brings a lot of interesting perspectives, as a former L.A. actor who stepped out of the Hollywood thing to walk down a slightly different path, and how he still makes his living as a voice actor today. Listen to Episode 17 of Let's Talk VoiceOver. 

Marc Cashman is "The Voice Cat", an award winning voice actor, producer and coach. You may remember Marc from such classics as "V-Oh! Tips, Tricks and Techniques to Start and Sustain Your Voiceover Career", his regular column on the actor's casting site, Now Casting, and the "365 VO Tips" series, coming soon to a social media post near you. In Episode 12, we talk about what happens after you the "Send" on a voice audition submission. We discuss ways you can use your voiceover superpowers for good. And, we bitch about crappy ass web sites that pay you only 30% or less of the talent fee and act like they do you a favor, and some as little as $5. Seriously, $5!! That won't even buy you coffee. So, listen to BT, Randy Ryan and Marc Cashman as they have their own little coffee clatch, and some without coffee.

The Legendary Marc Graue joins us for Episode 011, and as Robert Pattinson said to Kristen Stewart in Twilight, "You better hold on tight, spider monkey." Having a 30 year history with Marc, the war stories in this one are totally worth the listen. From growing up in Hollywood to "In A World" to alien creature voices to what makes a voiceover demo great, we fly through a fast paced and funny peek inside the mind of one of busiest voice actors around.  

Blizzard's Andrea Toyias is back for Part 2, and she delivers voice acting GOLD!! She is so freakin' easy to talk with, and so generous with her advice. Do you want to  know what she looks for in voice actors? It's in there. Do you want to know her thoughts on World of Warcraft? It's in there. Do you want to know about her best advice for voice actors. It's in there, too. It's all in Episode 008. (And, if you don't find it in there, you may want to check Part 1 - Episode 007 - because it's probably in there.) So, settle in, and Let’s Talk… Voiceover!

When you think MMO, you think World of Warcraft. And when you think WoW, you should be thinking Andrea Toyias, Casting and Voice Director at Blizzard. In Episode 007, Andrea hangs out with us to talk music, voice, directing and fun. She is awesome. She is one of the very best in the business. And, she LOVES her voice actors! So much to talk about, we made this Part 1. So, settle in, and Let’s Talk… Voiceover!

Cubs fan? We are. And so is our guest, Greg Chun, working voice actor and music producer. Greg continues our discussion about bringing music (and other skills) to your voice acting career. Chicago born, and living in Los Angeles since 1996, Greg talks about finding your own voice, the value of simplicity, collaborating with others, and living in LA LA Land. Plus, you won't want to miss his shameless plug for the ear, nose and throat specialist to the stars. Greg is a blast to talk with, and he's an awesome talent. We even talk "Michael Bolton". Help us celebrate his entire catalogue, and help us celebrate our sixth episode of Let’s Talk: Voiceover. 

Let's Talk Voiceover 005 is Part 2 of our conversation with Dave Fennoy. We talk about teaching, training, understanding the character arc and other things that Dave regularly teaches, (and, for good money, at that) about how to work as a voice actor in videogames; the difference between voiceovers for animation vs. videogame voiceovers; using workout groups to help you improve your performance in today's self-directed auditioning environment, and more. If you haven't listened to Part 1, you'll want to catch Episode 004. If you have listened to Part 1, then tuck in and get ready for Dave Fennoy, Part Deux. 

Episode 001: The first episode of Let’s Talk: Voiceover with BT & Randy Ryan is off to an auspicious start, as Brian experiences technical difficulties with his end of the podcast recording, his car, and his phone. But, we roll with it all. Randy talks about his recent trip to Russia to talk Wargaming, vodka and the American fascination of ordinary Russian life. They get into different approaches for directing actors, creating characters, and bringing true emotion to an audio performance.