VAM 194 | Interview with Yuri Lowenthal, Part 1
Welcome to episode 194 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 first part of my interview with the incredibly prolific Yuri Lowenthal! Yuri’s voice acting work is definitely wide ranging! In animation, some of his most famous roles include Superman in Legion of Superheroes, Ben Tennyson in Ben 10: Alien Force and Omniverse, as well as He-Man in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2021 Animated series. In Games he’s played the Prince in numerous Prince of Persia games, the Male Player Character in Sunset Overdrive, and probably most famously, Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man in Marvel’s Spider-Man series of games. In Anime he’s well known for playing Sasuke in the long running anime series Naruto, where I play his older brother Itachi. There are even multiple news articles about how Yuri has played so many characters in games, that chances are you’ve probably fought and defeated one of his characters if you’ve played any games involving fighting. Yuri and his wife, Tara Platt, have their own production company called Monkey Kingdom Productions where they’ve developed and produced their own original shows including the web series Shelf Life, and Topsy McGee vs. The Sky Pirates! Yuri and Tara have also written a popular book on voice acting, Voice Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic.
Yuri and I have some interesting parallels in our acting journeys. We both spent time in New York City doing theater before we came to LA. We both arrived in Los Angeles within months of each other, and we both started working in anime around the same time. On the surface, Yuri’s journey seems very simple: he and Tara moved out to Los Angeles back in 2002 to become movie stars. When they arrived, Tara suggested they explore voice acting as another means of generating income. They took a class and made friends with the teacher, who later had the opportunity to direct the dub of an anime. Yuri auditioned for the show, got hired, and the rest is history, right? Well, it’s not that simple. What that story doesn’t illuminate is how much time, effort, and focus Yuri had spent developing his acting skills before he took that voice over class in LA. In this episode, we dive deep into what Yuri did to build a solid foundation in acting so that when he took that LA voice over class, he was able to fully capitalize on the opportunity.
Yuri’s path wasn’t completely linear either. He’s always had a passion for Japanese culture and language. He majored in East Asian studies in college and he even spent a couple of years after college working in Japan as an interpreter for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (also known as the JET program) helping place native English speaking teachers into Japanese schools. Yuri’s Japanese language and cultural skills gave him the opportunity to apply for a job with a Japanese Bhuto dance company in New York City, at the same time when he was looking to move there to pursue an acting career. Yuri’s acting journey demonstrates how there is no single recipe for becoming a voice actor, but rather each actor must discover their own alchemical formula for success. Yuri’s formula is wonderfully eclectic and I’m so glad that I get to share it with you! Let’s get started.
VAM 183 | Interview with Larry Reiss, Part 2
Welcome to episode 183 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 and final part of my interview with booth director and voice over agent, Larry Reiss. Larry works at my voice over agency, Arlene Thornton & Associates. Over the years, I’ve come to rely on his keen insight and his helpful feedback whenever I audition for projects. I wanted to bring Larry on the podcast to help my listeners understand what an agent is looking for in a voice actor, how to approach an agent for representation, and how best to collaborate with agents as you move forward in your career.
In the previous episode, Larry explained how he got started as an agent. He went to school for audio engineering, but quickly parlayed his experience into recording students in voice over classes around Los Angeles. He then worked for a time at a prestigious casting director’s office, before eventually acquiring his position at Arlene Thornton & Associates.
In this episode, Larry talks in more detail about what he found so attractive about the world of voice over. I also ask him some important questions about agents including: What do actors need to know about approaching agents? What impresses him when he’s listening to an actor’s demo? And what are some of the biggest mistakes actors make when looking for agency representation? Here’s a hint: too many actors submit demos to agents that are not truly competitive because either the acting or the audio production is not good enough. Or sometimes both! Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression!
During our discussion, we even take some time to have Larry explain what he sees as my strong suits as an actor, so you can hear how he makes decisions about which auditions to send me when projects come into the agency. Listen carefully and you’ll get a much better understanding of how agents approach collaborating with their acting clients! Talking with Larry is invaluable and I’m eager to share more of his advice and wisdom with you!
VAM 182 | Interview with Larry Reiss, Part 1
Welcome to episode 182 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
I’ve got a very special treat for my listeners today! This is the first part of my interview with booth director and voice over agent, Larry Reiss! Larry works at my voice over agency, Arlene Thornton & Associates. Arlene herself is the founder and president of the agency. Larry works as her employee where he wears many hats! I’ve worked with Larry primarily in his role as booth director. Back before the Covid-19 pandemic, when I was called into my agent’s office to audition for voice over projects, Larry would often be the one recording me and directing me in the booth. I came to rely on his keen insight and his helpful feedback whenever I came in to audition. These days, voice actors are expected to record from home and direct themselves. This is not an ideal situation. It can be very difficult to effectively direct or critique your own acting. It is far easier and more productive to have someone whose feedback and direction you trust, and I always trust Larry to help me bring out my best when I’m acting!
Larry isn’t just a booth director, however. He also helps manage the mountain of e-mails, phone calls, and auditions that come into the agency at all hours of the day and night! It’s quite a challenge to coordinate all of that communication between casting directors, producers, and the agency’s acting clients! In the midst it all, Larry still finds time to give feedback on actors’ auditions and to promote his acting clients to producers who are looking for talented people to work on their projects! I thought Larry would be a great person to interview so my listeners could get a better sense of what an agent does, what their workday is like, and how an actor can best collaborate with an agent in order to further their career!
We begin this interview by talking about how Larry got started as an agent. It turns out, he and I both joined Arlene’s agency around the same time in 2003! Initially, Larry had studied to be a recording engineer and was planning to get into music production. While he was exploring his employment options, he discovered that there were many studios that needed engineers to help record voice over classes which were often held in the evenings. He became interested in how voice actors could bring such nuanced emotion to their performances. He eventually had the opportunity to work at a casting director’s office in Los Angeles where he spent most of his time helping to cast commercial voice over projects. He and I actually first met at that casting director’s office, where I took one of my first voice over classes shortly after I arrived in Los Angeles at the end of 2001. Imagine my surprise when I signed with my agency two years later and discovered that Larry had been hired there as an agent! It was great to see a familiar face and to get to work with such a talented and knowledgeable booth director!
Larry is not only a wealth of information and experience, but he’s skilled at articulating his insights as well. I’m very grateful that he was willing to spend so much time talking with me. If you’ve ever wanted to understand how an agent thinks and what they’re looking for in the talent they represent, listening to Larry is your chance!
VAM 171 | Interview with Darin De Paul, Part 2
Welcome to episode 171 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 second and final part of my interview with the fabulously energetic Darin De Paul! You may be familiar with his voice acting work in World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy 15, Apex Legends, and Overwatch. Darin’s enthusiasm for his characters comes through in all the work he does and even spills over into conventions where he often will host panels and events for the fans!
In the previous episode, Darin told us about his extensive theater career and how it eventually led him to become a voice actor. He spent many years training and working as a theater actor both in Florida and in New York City, but he had always had an interest in voice over work. When the opportunity to get involved in voice acting came about later in his career, he eagerly pursued every voice over opportunity he could while working as a theater actor on the east coast. Eventually, he and his wife Debra who is also an actress, decided to take a risk and move to Los Angeles to see if they could be successful in a larger voice acting marketplace. Within months, Darin had impressed industry leading voice directors with his vocal range and acting skills. They were eager to work with him and news of his abilities soon spread! It didn’t take long before he was working regularly in AAA video games and animation.
As we continue our discussion, Darin tells me what inspired him to become a performer in the first place. He gives me a two word answer: Peter Sellers. At a very young age, Darin was smitten with the transformative acting abilities of Peter Sellers who is probably most famous for his portrayal of the character Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther series of comedy films. Sellers also worked on many other seminal movies including Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita and Being There. Sellers was notorious for his ability to play many different types of characters, sometimes in the same film! His mercurial skills fascinated Darin who wanted to approach acting with a similar sensibility. Ironically, Darin’s father, who ran an upscale clothing store for men that catered to some on-camera celebrities, once proclaimed that no son of his would become an actor! However, once his young son showed a genuine interest and commitment to acting, he changed his tune and was very supportive of Darin’s desire to become a performer.
After this, Darin and I talk extensively about the different kinds of theater and acting that he was exposed to. It’s fascinating to hear about all the talented performers and inspiring theatrical productions that he saw. Darin and I share a love of the theater and of the special magic that can happen on stage between actors and a live audience. Performing in the theater requires a level of imagination and spontaneity that is incredibly valuable in the world of voice acting! But Darin took this one step further! He actually trained in European Clown technique with David Shiner! This is the kind of clowning you might see in the world famous Cirque du Soleil, where actors adopt a persona, get themselves into some sort of predicament on stage, and then have to improvise their way out of the problem. I found my own European clown training to be some of the most challenging and rewarding acting instruction I ever received and Darin feels the same!
After we discuss our experiences studying European clowning, I then expound on my theory that one of the reasons the performances of the voice actors in the game Overwatch are so compelling is because each of them are in some way embodying their essential internal clowns. This brings an emotional authenticity to their acting that is deeply satisfying to the audience. Afterwards, Darin and I wrap up our discussion with Darin’s advice to the aspiring voice actor. We go very deep into the nuance and joy of performing in front of a live audience and I’m eager for you to absorb all you can from Darin’s amazing journey as an actor!
As I mentioned in the previous episode, I also want to thank Debra Cardona, Darin’s wife, for acting as recording engineer for Darin as we did this interview. I’m so grateful for her assistance!
Also, it turns out that the 10th anniversary of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast is rapidly approaching! It’s hard to believe, but it’s true! I released my first episode way back on July 1st, 2011, and I sincerely hope this podcast has been helpful to you. It has always been my goal to provide the most concise and useful content when it comes to this topic that we all love.
In honor of the podcast’s 10th anniversary, I would so appreciate it if any of my listeners would be willing to call in and leave a message about how Voice Acting Mastery has influenced your own acting journey or any other part of your life. I’d like to feature some of these messages and respond to them in the 10th anniversary episode in July.
You can leave a voicemail by calling 323-696-2655. Please remember to state your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from before leaving your message. Thanks again for listening and as always, I wish you all the best in your voice acting endeavors. Take care!
VAM 165 | Interview with Crispin Hands, Part 2
Welcome to episode 165 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 and final part of my interview with composer, sound designer, and audio director for video games and films, Crispin Hands! Crispin has lent his composing and sound design talents to many high profile games including Metroid Prime, Neverwinter Nights, the Need for Speed game franchise, as well as Gears of War 4 and 5.
For a complete listing of Crispin’s audio work in games and films, you can visit the website of his production company, Lionshead Entertainment at www.LionsHeadPro.com.
In this episode, Crispin tells me what initially inspired him to get involved in music, composing, and sound design. He shares with me the story of the first time he sang for other people and how deeply that experience affected him. The joy he felt creating music had such a profound impact on him that he committed himself to pursuing a career in music, even though he had no formal musical training and had never even dreamed of becoming a professional musician. Later, after he had written a score for his friend’s student film, he happened to watch a behind the scenes video on the making of the highly influential computer game, Myst. When he saw how the music for that game had been created, he realized composing music for games was exactly the type of work he wanted to do.
As our conversation continues, Crispin shares how he uses his appreciation and understanding of character and story to help him write his music. It’s vitally important to him to understand what the character and story mean to his collaborators so he can create music that helps support their creative goals. He also reminds me that even the environment of a game can be a kind of character in the story, as the planet of Sera is in the Gears franchise. A game environment like Sera may even require its own musical theme in order to help guide the player through the emotional journey of the game! As we wrap up our time together, Crispin gives his advice for the aspiring voice actor and talks about how important it is to always play to your strengths when auditioning for AAA game developers! He has some great insights that I’m eager to share with you, so let’s get started!
VAM 164 | Interview with Crispin Hands, Part 1
Welcome to episode 164 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 first part of my interview with accomplished composer, sound designer, and audio director for video games and films, Crispin Hands! Yep, you heard that right, for this interview you’ve got two Crispins! Crispin Hands and I first met back in 2006 when we were working on the video game Company of Heroes. I was playing the role of Sgt. Carota, and Crispin was filling many roles on that project including Audio Director, Sound Designer, Audio Tech Designer, Writer, and Voice Director! It was a pleasure to meet a fellow Crispin, especially one who was so enthusiastic about developing great audio for games! You may also be familiar with some of the other games that Crispin has lent his composing and sound design talents to including Metroid Prime, Neverwinter Nights, the Need for Speed game franchise, as well as Gears of War 4 and 5.
In the last two episodes of this podcast, Sarah Elmaleh and I spent a lot of time talking about the world of independent video games, so I thought it might be appropriate in this interview with Crispin to explore the world of AAA video games. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like in the sound departments of award winning, high budget games, now’s your chance to find out!
We begin our time together by discussing the different industry professionals that work in game audio. What are the responsibilities of the audio director, the composer, and the sound designers? How do they collaborate together to create the soundscape for an interactive experience? We also talk about how Crispin approaches composing music for a game and how much the story and the character relationships influence his decisions when he’s writing musical themes for a game’s soundtrack. Next, Crispin tells the story of how he got his start in games. It turns out, he had humble beginnings, but with focused effort, and perseverance, he eventually found himself in the audio department at Electronic Arts in Vancouver. He also shares with me what he looks for in auditions from voice actors including how performances in games need to differ from animated shows that are more cartoony or comedic.
If you’re interested in working in AAA video games, then it behooves you to learn as much as you can about the creative process of recording and mixing the sound for them. Crispin is a wealth of information on the topic and his enthusiasm for it is palpable! I’m grateful to him for spending so much time with me and I’m eager to share his insights with you!