Welcome to episode 77 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 interview the very talented young voice actress, Grace Rolek. Grace and I met while recording the animated show Steven Universe for Cartoon Network. I was immediately impressed by Grace’s skill and her professional demeanor. I became even more impressed when I realized that Grace, who is now 16, had been voice acting since she was about 5 or 6 years old! From her roles in Mulan II and Final Fantasy Advent Children to playing the voice of Lucy in the Charlie Brown special Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Grace has done an amazing range of work for someone so young.

As a voice actor and a voice acting mentor, I’m often approached by young people who worry that they are not old enough to voice act professionally. While I always assure them that it’s possible to voice act at any age, Grace is living proof of that statement. She was generous enough to spend an afternoon talking with me so I can show my listeners what it takes to begin and maintain a voice acting career at a relatively young age. I’m very grateful to her for taking the time to share her experiences with all of you.

I’d also like to thank Andrew Feliciano, the owner of Voicetrax West, for allowing us to record this interview in his studio. Voicetrax West not only provides professional recording services to the LA area, but offers voice over classes as well. You can find more information on the VoiceTrax West website.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #77 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 76 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 episode 75 I explained the importance of creating and maintaining a positive and consistent voice acting brand. I gave specific advice on how to start with your “signature sound” and how to make sure your website, e-mail and other marketing items represent you as a voice acting “product” in a consistent way. Building and maintaining a clear brand makes it easier for casting directors and producers to remember who you are and what you have to offer as a voice actor. As I mentioned in the last episode, your voice acting brand should be based on your full name. This makes it easier for potential employers to reliably contact you for audition and job opportunities. I also touched on the importance of backing up your marketing message with absolute professionalism.

In this episode, I’d like to take the idea of branding yourself even further by introducing you to the concept of “external” vs. “internal” branding. You see, your voice acting brand is not only about your signature sound and your marketing materials. These things do promote you by showing others what you can do as a voice actor, but they are only part of your branding story. Things like your demo, your website and other promotional items contribute to your “external” brand. Your body of work as a voice actor is also part of your external brand, since your list of credits and your finished performances show your unique creative contribution to anyone who sees or hears them. As powerful as this is for promoting yourself as an actor, these external brand items are not actually you. They are “reflections” of you. They are the artifacts or manifestations of your brand in audio and visual formats. These external brand items are your representatives; they communicate who you are as an artist to casting directors and producers when you’re not around. But what about when you actually are there, in person, interacting with industry professionals, the press, or the public? How do you apply the idea of branding yourself to your face-to-face encounters? The answer is to develop not only your external brand, but your internal brand as well.

In the podcast, I outline in detail how to develop your internal brand to make sure it supports and does not detract from your external brand. I think you’ll find it incredibly useful.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could give me a positive review in the iTunes Music Store! Here’s how:

1. Follow this link to the Voice Acting Mastery Podcast in iTunes. Your browser should open up to a page listing the podcast.
2. Click on the View in iTunes button which looks like this:  in order to view the podcast in iTunes. (NOTE: You must have iTunes installed on your computer for this to work)
3. Once you’re inside the iTunes program, click on the stars to rate. They look like this: 

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #76 Here (MP3)