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 99 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 Bryson from Houston, TX and Whitney from Gunnison, CO.

Bryson wants to know what he should put on a voice acting resume. Should it be the same as the one he uses for theater, or should it be formatted differently? He’d also like to know how much information he should put on his business card. I explain to him the differences between theatrical resumes and voice acting resumes and explain how to market yourself effectively to casting directors and producers in the world of voice over.

Whitney wants to know how to find the best producer to help her create her demo. She’s done a lot of research on her own, but wants to make sure she’s making the right decision. After all, it can take a lot of time, effort and money to make a professionally competitive demo. I first explain to her how to make sure she knows how to identify good demos from bad ones. Then I share some tips with her about how to get the best recommendations for demo producers.

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 #99 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)

Welcome to episode 97 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 fifth part of my interview with the amazing Phil LaMarr.

Phil has played major roles in such animated shows as Futurama, Justice League, Star Wars: Clone Wars and Samurai Jack.

In the last episode Phil outlined the unique challenges that any minority actor has to face when trying to build a career in the entertainment industry. It can be difficult to know how to present oneself as a minority actor in a primarily caucasian storytelling environment like animation. Phil has learned to succeed in this environment with skill and grace, and I can’t thank him enough for sharing his experiences and insight with all my listeners.

In this, our final episode together, Phil actually describes the thought process he went through when making decisions about how to portray the voice of the Jon Stewart version of Green Lantern for the Justice League animated series. This is a rare look inside the head of a talented voice actor as he determines how best to bring a character to life. I personally find it fascinating and enlightening to hear what character traits Phil blended in order to get the voice of Jon Stewart just right.

Get ready for some priceless words of wisdom, ’cause here they come!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #97 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 96 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 part of my interview with the amazing Phil LaMarr.

Phil has played major roles in such animated shows as Futurama, Justice League, Star Wars: Clone Wars and Samurai Jack.

In the last episode, Phil shared with us the experience from his childhood that inspired him to become an actor. That fascination has fueled his pursuit of an acting career ever since.

In this episode Phil talks with me about his experiences working as an African-American actor in Hollywood. There are unique challenges that any minority actor has to face when trying to build a career in the entertainment industry. In order to give this topic the attention it deserves, I’ve decided to dedicate this entire episode to the subject.

No matter what your ethnic background may be, exploring issues of minority casting and producer expectations can be incredibly helpful in charting your own acting career.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #96 Here (MP3)