Welcome to episode 70 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 is the third part of my interview with my good friend, the incredibly talented voice director, Andrea Toyias. Andrea works for Blizzard Entertainment and has voice directed on such high profile titles as World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Diablo III. We first met while working on Diablo III, where I played the voice of the Male Wizard. We’ve admired each other’s work ever since.

In the last episode, Andrea shared with us what she’s looking for from a voice actor when they audition for her. She discussed how important it is for an actor have a playful nature.  She also talked about how helpful it is when an actor truly understands the style or the genre of the project they’re working on and she shared an amazing story of working with the legendary voice actor, Frank Welker.

In this episode, Andrea and I talk about the challenges that a voice director faces when trying to guide a project so that it comes out well. There are many people and many personalities a voice director needs to manage in order to ensure that she captures believable performances that will work well together in the final product. Andrea and I also discuss the nature of collaboration and what it takes to work with other artists in order to create storytelling that is captivating and appealing.

Later, I share with Andrea what I appreciate about talented directors like her and how they help make my work as a voice actor easier and more satisfying. Listening to this segment will really give you an insight into the mind of a voice director so you can understand what challenges they face and how to interact with them more effectively.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #70 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 69 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 is the second part of my interview with my good friend, the incredibly talented voice director, Andrea Toyias. Andrea works for Blizzard Entertainment and has voice directed on such high profile titles as World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Diablo III. We first met while working on Diablo III, where I played the voice of the Male Wizard. We’ve admired each other’s work ever since.

In the last episode, Andrea discussed how she started out as a production assistant at a video game company and worked her way up through the ranks. She edited dialogue, then became a recording engineer and eventually a voice director. She’s worked on almost every aspect of the process of recording voice actors from the ground up, which gives her an invaluable perspective on what video game companies are looking for in performers.

In this episode, Andrea shares with me what skills, abilities and mindset she looks for for when casting a voice actor. If you’ve ever wanted to know what goes through the head of someone who decides which voice actor to hire for a project, you’re about to get the inside scoop from Andrea!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #69 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 68 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

For this episode of the podcast, I’m honored to be able to interview the incredibly talented voice director, Andrea Toyias.

Andrea works for Blizzard Entertainment, one of the most successful video game production companies on the planet. She’s directed voice actors on such high profile titles as World of Warcraft: Cataclysm as well as Diablo III. It was on Diablo III, where I was cast as the Male Wizard, that I first got to know and admire Andrea, not only for her wonderful directing skills, but also for her incredibly supportive and generous personality. I’ve been eager to get her on the podcast for some time now and I’m happy to be able to share our in-depth conversation with all of my listeners.

I think it’s vitally important for all voice actors to understand not only what a voice director is looking for in an actor, but also what challenges the director faces when trying to make an artistic project come together well. I cannot overemphasize the importance of learning how to collaborate effectively with voice directors if you want to have a successful voice acting career. Andrea has a lot of wisdom to share on this subject, and I’m sure you’ll benefit from her insights.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #68 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 67 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 want to explain to you how to become a voice actor. Now, you might think it ironic that it’s taken 67 episodes of this podcast for me to finally address this topic directly. The fact of the matter is that over the last 66 episodes I’ve been doing my best to explain to you what it takes to become a professional voice actor. I’ve shared acting techniques, mindset tips, technical information and extensive interviews with industry insiders

However, even with all those episodes and all that information available, I still get asked the same question by new and aspiring actors: What do I need to do to become a voice actor? My usual response is to tell them to listen to every episode of my podcast from the beginning. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to satisfy some of them. While they do realize the podcast contains useful information, what they really want to know is if there is some “secret” or magic formula for becoming a voice actor. Surely there’s some checklist or a recipe, some guaranteed course of action one can take in order to become a voice actor, isn’t there?

Well, it turns out, there is. There is a simple, straightforward solution to becoming a voice actor. It’s not a checklist or a recipe. It’s a one-step process and I’m going to share it with you in this episode. But prepare yourself. It’s probably not what you’re expecting!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #67 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 66 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 of Voice Acting Mastery falls near the end of the year in 2013, and in most of the Western world, the holidays are upon us. During the holiday season, many people spend time with family and loved ones. This also tends to be a time when people look back over the year and evaluate what they’ve accomplished.

Many begin to look forward to the new year and to think about what they hope to achieve in the future. It’s a time for year-end planning and New Year’s resolutions. It’s also a good opportunity to do some mental housecleaning while you visualize your goals for the new year. So in the spirit of planning for another orbit around our sun, I thought I would share with you my experiences and insights when it comes to getting motivated to accomplish your goals.

If you’ve ever run out of steam or felt overwhelmed when trying to achieve your dreams, this episode is for you!

Happy Holidays and all the best to you in you voice acting endeavors!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #66 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 65 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 Arron from Lake Elsinore, CA and John from New York, NY.

Arron wants to know what classes he should take in college in order prepare himself for a career in voice acting.

His question is a popular one. I often get asked some variation of his question during voice acting panels I attend at conventions. Many people would like to know what classes they should take in college in order to pursue a voice acting career.

I answer his question in detail, but I also help him understand some of the assumptions underneath the question that need to be addressed first. College courses may not be enough to prepare you for a career in the performing arts.

John wants to know if casting directors discriminate against voice actors who don’t have a formal education.

I chose John’s question specifically to be a counterpoint to Arron’s question. Arron is asking me what he needs to study to help develop himself as an artist. John is asking me what casting directors are looking for when it comes to hiring voice actors.

I explain to John that in my experience, no one in voice acting has ever asked me what my grade point average was in college or where I got my diplomas. Not once. Ever.

However, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t take training to become a competent and professional voice actor. I tell John exactly what casting directors expect from voice actors.

I hope you find the answers 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 #65 Here (MP3)