Welcome to episode 104 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 impress upon you the importance of developing your acting skills in front of an audience.

Too often people approach me wanting to be voice actors, but they seem disinterested in or afraid of performing in front of people. They think that voice acting is somehow more “private” or “safer” than being a stage actor or performing in film and television, and they are hoping this “safety” or “privacy” will make it easier for them to be a voice actor. This misconception is quite common and can actually foster a mindset that can cripple one’s ability to succeed in voice acting, so I felt it was important to address it in detail.

You see, what most of these shy but hopeful aspiring voice actors don’t realize is that in trying to avoid performing in front of an audience, they are actually denying themselves something they critically need. Without the feedback and response one gets from an audience, an actor is just going through the motions, shooting blindly in the dark, unaware of whether they are communicating effectively. Avoiding the audience is like trying to learn tango without a dance partner, or shooting hoops without a net, or playing tennis by yourself. Not only are these things crazy, they are also ineffective. They don’t make you any better.

If you really want to be a pro at voice acting, there’s really no faster or more effective way I know than to practice acting in front of an audience. I realize this might still seem like a terrifying prospect to some of my listeners. So I’m going to do my best in this episode to explain why it’s so important as well as how to overcome any anxiety you might have about performing in front of others. I’m sure you’ll find it useful!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #104 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 103 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

Welcome to the third and final part of my interview with my personal voice acting mentor, the amazing Richard Horvitz!

Richard has worked on many famous animated shows including Angry Beavers, Invader Zim and the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

Richard is also a teacher of voice acting and offers both classes and private coaching through his website at RichardHorvitz.com

In the last episode, Richard shared with us his incredibly useful 5 step process for helping an actor play pretend more fully. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, I recommend you go back and check it out. We reference those 5 steps quite often in our discussion.

In this episode, I get to reveal to you the famous animated character from the late 60’s/early 70’s that Richard and I both dearly love. It’s fascinating to me that Richard and I are such different types of actors and yet we both have an amazing appreciation for the same character. Richard also talks about when it’s appropriate for a voice actor to say no to auditioning for certain projects. We wrap up our conversation with Richard’s final advice to aspiring voice actors as well as information on how to contact Richard in order to take class with him. I’m honored to present you the final part of my interview with my voice acting mentor.

If you are interested in taking class or being coached by Richard, please check out the classes section of Richard’s website!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #103 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 102 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

Welcome to the second part of my interview with my personal voice acting mentor, the amazing Richard Horvitz!

Richard has worked on many famous animated shows including Angry Beavers, Invader Zim and the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

Richard is also a teacher of voice acting and offers both classes and private coaching through his website at RichardHorvitz.com

In the first part of our interview, Richard talked extensively about the importance of playing pretend when it comes to acting. He gave numerous examples of how we sometimes get in our own way when trying to portray a character believably. His examples and exercises were incredibly insightful and practical!

In this episode, Richard shares with us his 5 step process on how to play pretend more fully. Not only are these 5 steps what he uses in his own acting, but they also form the backbone of what he teaches his students as well. Afterwards, Richard shares with us some of the challenges he faced early in his career. It seems that almost every actor has experienced what one could call the “dark night of the soul”. It’s that time in your life where everything seems bleak and hopeless, even though you’re doing your best to pursue a successful career. I’m very grateful to Richard for sharing with us his own struggles and how he overcame them. I think you’ll find his journey very inspiring.

If you are interested in taking class or being coached by Richard, please check out the classes section of Richard’s website!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #102 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 101 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

Prepare yourself, because you’re in for a real treat!

Welcome to the first part of my interview with my personal voice acting mentor, the amazing Richard Horvitz!

Richard has voiced some of the most iconic characters in animation including Daggett in the Angry Beavers, Zim from Invader Zim and Billy in the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

Not only is Richard an accomplished voice actor, but he’s also an amazing teacher. When I first arrived in Los Angeles back in 2001, I was in desperate need of a competent voice acting coach to get me up to speed in this competitive market. Even though I had extensive theatrical acting experience and had gotten my voice acting start in New York City, moving to LA meant taking my skills to a higher level. I was overwhelmed and a bit intimidated by the world of Hollywood voice acting, and I wasn’t sure how best to gain momentum or achieve success.

Fortunately, I was introduced to Richard, and I immediately recognized how insightful his coaching was. I studied with Richard regularly in the early part of my Los Angeles career and I’m deeply indebted to him for his generosity, his candor and his encouragement. Richard’s coaching was my secret weapon for gaining a solid foothold as a voice actor in LA, and I’m so happy to be able to share his wisdom with you!

Before we get started, I should let you know that Richard’s enthusiasm is infectious and because of that we ended up talking for far longer than I usually do with my interview subjects. That means you’ll be getting some extra long episodes in this series of interview sections. I can’t think of a better way to introduce my new monthly podcast release schedule than to provide my listeners with some bonus content, so I hope you enjoy the extra time as much as I did!

If you are interested in taking class or being coached by Richard, please check out the classes section of Richard’s website!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #101 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 100 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

Well, it’s hard for me to believe, but this is the 100th episode of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast! Little did I know back in July of 2011 that I would find myself almost 4 years later having achieved this milestone. This podcast has covered lots of ground and reached people all over the globe. In fact, as of the release of this episode in April 2015, there have been almost 1 million downloads of the podcast worldwide!

I’d like to express my gratitude to all of you who have spent so much time listening to the podcast. I know many of you have been with me since the very beginning, and I appreciate each and every one of you! And for those of my audience for whom this is their first episode, congratulations! You’ve got 99 other exciting episodes to look forward to! I hope each episode helps you expand your understanding, appreciation and practice of the art of voice acting.

Since this is the 100th episode, I thought it would be appropriate to take some time to reflect on how far the podcast has come, take stock of where things are and then talk a little bit about the exciting new direction that Voice Acting Mastery will be taking in the future! I hope you enjoy the episode!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #100 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 98 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 Gatlin from Midway, GA and Dan from Los Angeles, CA.

Gatlin has heard from many voice acting professionals that most voice actors have a background in theater. He’d like to know why theatrical training seems to lend itself to voice acting. He’s also currently working in his local community theater and would like to know what he should focus on in order to prepare himself for a career in voice acting.

Dan has a follow up question to my interview with Scott Menville which took place in episodes 84, 85, and 86 of the podcast. In that interview I recounted to Scott that upon my arrival in Los Angeles, I was cast in two very high profile anime shows and was subsequently let go from both of them. Dan would like to know what steps I took after that setback to hone my skills and become more competitive as a voice actor.

I hope you find the answers to their questions 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 #98 Here (MP3)