Welcome to episode 75 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 74, I discussed at length how important it is to develop a public persona in order to interact more fruitfully with the public and with fandom. I described your public persona as the face you show to the public, to your fans, to the press, to anyone outside of your intimate circle of family or friends. Such a persona is not only useful to help you maintain a gracious and respectful relationship with fandom, but can also serve as emotional armor when you feel the need to protect yourself from public criticism. How you design your public persona depends on your own artistic values, and also on the brand you choose to build as an industry professional.

The concept of branding oneself as a voice actor can be confusing, especially when you’re just starting out, so in this episode I’d like to share some tips on how to approach the subject. Having a solid grasp of your own brand can not only help you decide how your public persona will behave, it can also shape your marketing, your overall business strategy, and your personal interactions with fellow industry professionals. Building a strong, positive brand and then staying true to it can help it grow, which strengthens your ability to stand out from the crowd and be remembered by employers, peers, and the public. On the other hand, a weak or inconsistent brand can make you less memorable or even undesirable as an actor.

In the podcast, I explore in detail what it takes to create an effective and consistent brand. I hope you find it helpful in your voice acting endeavors.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #75 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 73 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 Wesley from Thousand Oaks, CA and James from Dallas, TX.

Wesley has learned through experience how important it is to act professionally towards voice actors. He’d like me to expand on that idea of acting professionally so that others can understand the value of acting professionally.

I’m happy to expand on the idea of professionalism and I’m glad Wesley brought up the topic.

I talk at length about how to think and act like a professional in episode 30 of the podcast. I also explain what is expected of professional voice actors in the booth in episode 31.

However, what Wesley seems to be describing is how someone who may be a fan of certain characters or voice actors should interact with industry professionals. What’s the best way to approach those whose artistic work you admire deeply?

Creative people, like anyone, want to be treated with courtesy and respect. No matter how enthusiastic a fan may be, if they cannot act in a courteous way towards a creator, the creator will want to avoid that fan. If you are a fan and you would like to join the ranks of industry professionals, I explain how to educate yourself and change your mindset so you can talk to them as an equal, and not like a fan who wants or needs something from them.

James had an opportunity to audition for a studio, but has yet to hear back from them. He worries that he may have made a bad first impression. He wants to know how to approach them so that he can make a better impression the second time around.

I explain to James that while it is true that we never get a second chance to make a first impression, I believe that it is always possible to impress someone in the industry the second time around. It just takes a little more work.

The best way I know to regain the interest of an industry professional is to go out and make good art. Go work on other projects. Start your own projects. Get out there and hustle a bit and apply your artistic skills in any project you can. Once you have created something or worked on something that is measurably successful, you can then share your success with industry professionals.

However, it is vitally important NOT to overwhelm those professionals with every little thing you might be working on.

I explain to James how to communicate his successes in projects in a professional manner so he can avoid annoying or harassing the very people he’s trying to impress.

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 #73 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 71 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 fourth and final 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.

As we wrap up our discussion, Andrea talks about what it took for her to develop her fantastic directing skills. She also recounts how challenging it was for her when she tried her hand at acting. Her experiences in acting class increased her appreciation for the craft of acting immensely. She also shares with me her final advice to voice actors and why the skill she is looking for in people who audition for her is called “voice acting” and not “voice reading”.

It’s not every day you get such intimate knowledge of what is going on in a director’s head. I’m incredibly grateful to Andrea for being so honest and generous in sharing her challenges and her insights as a director with us.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #71 Here (MP3)

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)