VAMFR 003 | Interview with Robin Armstrong, Part 2

Welcome to episode 3 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, Ashley Huyge, continues her discussion with writer, director, and VO talent, Robin Armstrong.

In entertainment, there are often people who wear many different hats and have multiple skill sets: Actor/ director. Model/ actor. Singer/dancer. In our last episode, Robin was kind enough to share with us his background as an actor, director and writer and how self-motivation was a key to his success. Now he’ll share with us his leap from film director to VO talent and how he believes the combination of artistry, science and business are important for balance in the entertainment industry.

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #3 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 107 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue answering questions from my podcast audience! For those who may not be as familiar with the podcast, in past episodes, I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question about voice acting as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer a question from Varna from Rock Hill, SC.

Varna has what seems like a perfectly straightforward question. She asks how do you know if you have what it takes to become a voice actor. She’s gotten compliments on her voice from her friends, but she doesn’t know how to determine if she really is capable of succeeding in voice acting as a career. In addition she wants to know how I knew that I would succeed as a voice actor.

If you’re wondering whether or not you have what it takes to be a professional voice actor, you’re not alone. It can be difficult when looking in from the outside to determine exactly what is required to become successful in such a specific and often poorly-understood profession. As of now there are no college degrees I know of for voice acting, nor is there any official or accredited path into the voice over industry. While many professions require specialized schooling, exams and licenses, voice acting seems mysterious because people from all walks of life seem to achieve varying levels of success. What’s even more confusing is that formal acting education may or may not be the determining factor in any one person’s success. Some people seem to be “naturals” while others need more structured training. Because Varna’s question is so common and every person who asks it faces a different journey on the way to a voice acting career, I’ve decided to spend this entire episode deciding once and for all “what it takes” to be a successful voice actor.

I hope you find the answer to her question useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

If any of my listeners would like to call in with your own thoughts, thank you’s or questions, the number is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #107 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 002 | Interview with Robin Armstrong, Part 1

Welcome to episode 2 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, Ashley Huyge, is fortunate to be speaking with writer, director, and VO talent, Robin Armstrong. Winner of a Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, Robin began as a young man in Arizona, creating commercials, chasing after opportunities and building a career in entertainment. He continues to coach, craft and create in Los Angeles. Today he shares with us a bit of his journey through the making of a career, and the importance of self-motivation.

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #2 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 106 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue answering questions from my podcast audience! For those who may not be as familiar with the podcast, in past episodes, I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question about voice acting as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Eric from Nashville, TN .

Eric has a very personal question to ask. He’s been helping a friend of his learn more about voice acting and he’s even gone so far as to help her set up her home studio and give her some acting coaching. It turns out that Eric’s efforts were very effective because his friend is now booking voice acting work. Unfortunately, Eric now feels a bit of jealousy because he is not booking as much work as his friend is. His frustration is compounded by the fact that his friend is new to the world of voice acting whereas he has been studying acting for quite some time. Her success has made him doubt his own abilities and has made him feel inadequate.

A situation like this happens to almost every artist and I’m glad that Eric has given me the opportunity to address it. Learning how to defuse envy and self-doubt is an incredibly important ability and I’m happy to share the most useful techniques I have found to help both Eric and my listeners get back on track!

I hope you find the answers to his question useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

If any of my listeners would like to call in with your own thoughts, thank you’s or questions, the number is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #106 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 001 | Introducing the Voice Acting Mastery Field Report and Correspondents

Welcome to episode 1 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

Greetings everyone! As promised, Voice Acting Mastery is continuing to evolve and expand to serve the needs of our listeners and students. As part of that expansion, I’m proud and honored to present the first episode of our brand new sister podcast, the Voice Acting Mastery Field Report!

All of us at Voice Acting Mastery have been working hard for quite some time behind the scenes to put together this exciting new show for you. It’s our goal to help you gain an even greater perspective on the world of voice over by sending real, working voice actors into the field to conduct interviews and share stories about what’s currently happening in the industry. If you’re already a Voice Acting Mastery fan, you know that I’ve done my personal best to share my own experiences and expertise on the subject and to provide the best road map I could to help my listeners and students succeed as voice actors. However, I’ve always known that my perspective was only one among many, so over the years I’ve also turned to trusted colleagues and industry experts to bring added wisdom and experience. It’s vitally important to me that my listeners have access to as many relevant viewpoints and up-to-date stories as possible, because the voice over world keeps changing as new technology, new markets and new media enter the scene. I’ve been looking forward to expanding the Voice Acting Mastery family and bringing in talented, enthusiastic voice acting professionals to help our listeners understand the current state of the industry, and how best to approach building a successful career in today’s environment.

In this, our pilot episode, you’ll be meeting our three VAM Field Report correspondents, Ashley Huyge, Tom Bauer and DanWill “DW” McCann. I felt it would be helpful for you to get a sense of who they are, to hear about their voice acting backgrounds, and especially to become familiar with how they sound! You’ll be spending time with them often in the future, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy getting to know them and hearing their unique perspectives on the voice over world. They were all gracious enough to sit down with me and give me some insight not only into their own personal journeys as voice actors, but also to share a little bit about some topics they’re planning on covering in future episodes of the Field Report. I decided to include all of their stories in this first episode so as not to break up the flow of the group interview, so I hope you’ll enjoy this bonus-length episode. I’m eager to share these vibrant and talented individuals with all our listeners.

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #1 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 105 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

This episode is about how essential it is to understand and immerse yourself in the different types, genres and styles of voice acting if you want to truly be a successful professional. Other voice acting teachers may use different terms to make distinctions between different flavors of voice over, but for the purposes of this episode, I’m going to talk about voice over jobs first in terms of categories, dividing them initially into “narration-based” or “character-based” voice over. Then I’ll get more specific, referencing project types like commercials, promos, narration, animation, video games, anime, and so on. Within each project type, there are then different genres you’ll want to familiarize yourself with, like science fiction, fantasy, real-life-drama, slapstick or romantic comedy, etc. And finally, each genre has the potential to be made with a different style depending on what studio is producing the project and what audience the project is intended for. Each voice over project therefore is going to have its own specific flavor and intention.

In order to excel in voice over it is crucial that you familiarize yourself with the body of work that already exists in each genre and style of voice acting. You also need to be aware of past and present trends and conventions that are commonly referenced or currently used in each genre. Industry professionals will often reference such trends or tropes when collaborating with you, and they will expect you to know what they are talking about. This is because the most successful trends in each voice over genre also tend to be the most influential. Many subsequent projects will reference influential titles that came before them. If you are not familiar with these titles and the conventions they’ve established, you will be at a severe disadvantage when it is time for you to perform.

The best way to make sure you are up-to-date and well informed on the latest voice over trends is to immerse yourself in them! Fortunately, it has never been easier to stay up to date on what’s relevant in the diverse world of voice acting! I want to spend this episode outlining some of the most popular types, genres and styles of voice over and how best to immerse yourself in them. You’re going to find that internalizing this kind of knowledge will greatly increase your marketability as well as your ability to collaborate in the industry.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #105 Here (MP3)