VAM 220 | Interview with Jamieson Price, Part 2
Welcome to episode 220 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 the man with the amazing voice, Jamieson Price! You may be familiar with his work in anime shows like Gurren Lagan, Fate/Zero, Witch Hunter Robin, and Gankutsuou: The Count of Montecristo. In games he’s worked on World of Warcraft, Persona 5, and the .hack//G.U. series. Jamieson has extensive theater experience and even played a part in Mel Gibson’s film, the Patriot.
In the previous episode, Jamieson shared with me how he got started as an actor. He fell in love with acting in elementary and high school, and eventually majored in theater in college. After working as a theater actor in regional theater for many years, he decided to go to graduate acting school to advance his skills. He got a Master’s degree from the California State University at Long Beach. Right after graduating, he got cast in a show where he met an actress, Dorothy Fahn, who was working on the anime Digimon and suggested that Jamieson audition for parts in the show. Jamieson started booking smaller parts, which led to larger parts, which eventually prompted him to choose voice acting as his primary occupation since it allowed him to spend more time with his family and still be an actor.
In this episode, Jamieson shares with me what inspired him to pursue acting in the first place. It turns out, he was naturally attracted to acting because he so enjoyed playing pretend in imaginary worlds. Immersing himself in a story and in a character was appealing to him, even at a very young age. A pivotal experience for him when he was in middle school was seeing a production of Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew, done in the style of Commedia dell’arte Italian mask theater. This performance piqued his fascination with acting specifically, and he started participating in plays himself.
When he went to college, he decided to major in psychology because he thought it would be a more financially reliable career path than pursuing acting. When he became disillusioned with psychology, he decided to follow his inspiration and embraced an acting career whole-heartedly. Once he made that mindset shift, the universe started presenting opportunities for him that he made sure to take advantage of.
Even with all that early inspiration and later theatrical success, he was still motivated to continue improving his acting skills. While grad school was a useful place for him to advance his abilities, his wife actually turned out to be one of his best acting coaches. She helped him understand the true effect his behavior had on others, both on stage, and in real-life. This helped Jamieson become more aware of his own demeanor, which in turn allowed him to become a more nuanced actor.
After discussing this, Jamieson and I wrap up this interview with his advice for the aspiring voice actor. He stresses three topics that voice actors should focus on. First: establishing solid, fundamental acting skills. Second: developing a strong imagination in order to immerse yourself fully in a scene, and Third: developing good vocal health routines so you can maintain your vocal instrument over time. We also talk about how important it is to be able to express yourself with emotional abandon, while also having good technical vocal production skills supporting your acting. This will allow your performances to feel both immediate, and masterful at the same time. It’s the kind of acting discussion I always love to have and I’m so glad we get to share it with you.
VAM 219 | Interview with Jamieson Price, Part 1
Welcome to episode 219 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 first part of my interview with a man who was seemingly born with a voice acting sound, Jamieson Price! As of the release of this episode, he has over 500 credits on IMDb! You may be familiar with his work in anime where he’s played Lordgenome in Gurren Lagan, Rider in Fate/Zero, Zaizen in Witch Hunter Robin, and The Count Edmund Dantes in Gankutsuou: The Count of Montecristo. He’s also played parts in such classic anime as Akira, Appleseed, Lupin III: Castle of Caligostro, and Perfect Blue. In games he’s played Blaine Bloodhoof in World of Warcraft, Sojiro in Persona 5, and Ovan in the .hack//G.U. series of games. Jamieson worked extensively in the theater before he began his voice acting journey, and even played a part in Mel Gibson’s film, the Patriot which was released in the year 2000. Jamieson’s voice was one of the first that I heard when I came to Los Angeles to start working as a voice actor back in 2001 and it’s a pleasure to speak with him about his lengthy career.
Jamieson fell in love with acting as a young student. In 4th grade he participated in a school play. When a piece of the set fell over, he showed the amazing presence of mind to fix the set and keep on going with his performance. That’s when his parents knew he might just be an actor. When his 8th grade teacher introduced him to Shakespeare, Jamieson was immediately hooked. He participated in plays in both high school and college, but he planned to pursue a degree in psychology because he thought it was a more stable and reliable career path at the time.
Halfway through his college experience, he became disillusioned with psychology and decided that he would pursue an acting career instead. He was fortunate that his college required their theater majors not only to act in mainstage productions at the school, but also to work backstage in technical jobs. This technical theater training served Jamieson very well since it meant he was qualified to work as a technician at theaters, even when he wasn’t being hired as an actor!
After working in theater for many years including on some famous outdoor theater productions in Ohio, Jamieson felt like he had plateaued as an actor and decided he needed to go to graduate acting school to improve his skills. He was accepted at the California State University at Long Beach and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree there. Right after he graduated, he got cast in a play at the Long Beach playhouse, and happened to meet Dorothy Fahn, an actress who was working in anime at the time. Dorothy thought Jamieson might be a good fit for some of the characters on Digimon which both she and her husband Tom were working on. Jamieson started booking parts in anime dubs, which eventually lead to roles in video games and other voice over work as well.
While Jamieson had been pursuing on-camera work in addition to voice work after grad school, he quickly realized that voice over afforded him the opportunity to spend more time at home with his family, while still working as an actor. He decided to do his best to maximize his voice over opportunities and worked technical theater jobs for additional income.
Jamieson is one of those people who was born with a distinctive voice, which you’re about to experience in this interview! However, even gifted with such a resonant instrument, Jamieson still had to put in the time and effort to make sure his acting skills were professionally competitive in the Los Angeles marketplace. He started off playing smaller roles, and didn’t expect to land larger characters without proving himself first. By patiently applying himself, developing a reputation for being reliable and easy to work with, and constantly improving his acting skills, Jamieson has been able to carve out an impressive voice over career for himself, working on hundreds of projects. But I’ll let him fill you in on the details!
VAM 218 | It’s Not About You: An Actor’s True Purpose Is To Serve The Art, Not To Become A Celebrity
Welcome to episode 218 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 was inspired by my recent interview with Mara Junot to address a very important topic: the true goal or purpose of acting. If you’ve listened to my interview with Mara, she described her mother having a vision of her speaking to a large crowd of people and affecting them positively with her uplifting message. It was an image that was corroborated by other people in Mara’s life as well, that somehow she would do something powerful with her voice to improve people’s lives. This metaphor became a guiding principle in Mara’s voice acting journey and helped her achieve amazing goals and manifest all kinds of success.
Notice, that the vision wasn’t one of Mara becoming popular, or getting accolades and attention from others. Rather, the focus was always on Mara reaching out to help, uplift or offer a service to others. This notion of being of service as an actor is the subject I’d like to explore in this episode. Too often I get the impression from aspiring voice actors, especially online, that the reason they want to become performers is to receive attention and approval. After all, these days more and more voice actors are compelled to promote their work on social media, which usually results in a slew of likes, comments and positive feedback from their fellow actors and from the public. Many aspiring voice actors will also express how much they’re looking forward to attending conventions as guests, where they will get applauded at panels, and adoring fans will line up to spend time with them, get their autograph, and pose for a selfie, which they can then post online for even more likes! This sort of public affirmation can be very appealing, and I’m seeing more and more people approach voice acting with the specific desire to get some of this attention for themselves.
What is particularly distressing is that this attitude can be exacerbated in the voice acting space, sometimes even more than in other forms of performance like on-camera or theatrical acting. This is due to the mistaken perception that the barriers to entry for voice acting are somehow lower than for on-camera or theatrical acting. It’s almost as if people see voice acting as the shortest path to achieve celebrity with the least amount of effort, and while I’d like to think that over 200 episodes of this podcast are a testament to the fact that voice acting is not necessarily easier than other types of acting, this misconception still persists. So in this episode, I’d like to talk about why the true purpose of being an actor is not to pursue what seems like the easiest path to accolades. The true purpose and noblest goal of an actor is to serve a character, a story, and the audience to the best of your ability. The great irony of this, is that if you succeed in being of great service, then celebrity is almost guaranteed. If audiences find your performances inspiring and meaningful, you won’t have to go out of your way to get their attention and admiration.
However, if you pursue any sort of acting career merely to get attention, not only will you be far less likely to achieve the kind of artistic mastery that will lead to public acclaim, you will be chasing other people’s approval for the rest of your life. That’s not only detrimental to creating great art, it’s also corrosive to your emotional wellbeing. So allow me to explain why being of service is the true purpose of acting.
VAM 217 | Interview with Mara Junot, Part 2
Welcome to episode 217 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 the vocal shape-shifter, Mara Junot! As I mentioned in the previous episode, Mara identifies as non-binary, but accepts both “she” and “they” pronouns. For the purposes of this podcast, I will be using “she/her” when referring to Mara so as to avoid pluralization confusion during these episodes. You may know Mara’s voice acting work in animation on shows like Curious George, Boss Baby: Back in the Crib, Blaze and the Monster Machines, and Arcane. In Video Games she’s been in Destiny 2, League of Legends, Mortal Kombat and Marvel Rivals. In Anime she’s worked on Ishura, Tezuka’s anime, Pluto, and Mara and I are both cast in Pokemon Horizons.
In the previous episode, Mara explained how she got started as a voice actress. She originally started in voice over as a radio DJ, and thought that was going to be her dream job. However, because of management changes at the station, and her own desire to grow artistically, she decided to leave radio and pursue voice acting full time. After spending 16 hours a day on average researching and studying voice over, she began to build a career for herself working remotely, first in Louisiana, then later in Colorado. After booking a role in the hit animated series Arcane, she realized she needed to move to Los Angeles to take her career to the next level.
In this episode, I ask Mara what inspired her to become a performer in the first place. She shares with me a vision that her mother had of Mara standing on a stage, speaking to a large audience who was enraptured. This idea of Mara using her voice to uplift others became a guiding principle in her life. She and I then talk about how important it is to have a good work/life balance as a performer. Mara has found it too easy at times to overcommit and burn herself out! She’s a big believer in naps, which I endorse heartily as well!
We then go back in time to when Mara first performed in the theater as a child, and how an experience she had on stage which could’ve been very embarrassing, actually helped her feel more empowered as a person and as an artist. It’s a formative story from her youth, and discussing it on the podcast helps Mara realize just how much it has influenced her artistic journey ever since! She then shares with me her advice for the aspiring voice actor, and how important it is to be patient with yourself as you pursue an acting career. Mara is a big believer in finding your authentic self and sharing that in your performances. Finding and revealing your true self can take a lot of introspection, self-honesty, training, and courage. The world is full of actors who seem to have become overnight successes, but if you ask them about it, you’ll find out that they’ve actually been practicing their craft for years! Mara encourages you to be good to yourself as you grow as an actor. She is courageous not only in the pursuit of her career, but also in how willing she is to share her own trials and tribulations as an artist. So without further ado, here’s Mara!
VAM 216 | Interview with Mara Junot, Part 1
Welcome to episode 216 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 vocal shape-shifter, Mara Junot! Before we begin, I want to acknowledge here that Mara identifies as non-binary, but accepts both “she” and “they” pronouns. For the purposes of this podcast, I will be using “she/her” when referring to Mara so as to avoid pluralization confusion during these episodes. Now, you may be familiar with Mara’s work in animation where she’s played Marlene in Curious George, R&D Baby Simmons in Boss Baby: Back in the Crib, Superhero Narrator, Tiger Statue, and Betty Blueprint from Blaze and the Monster Machines, and Shoola in the hit show, Arcane. In Video Games she’s played Ikora Rey in Destiny 2, Evelyn in League of Legends, Sindel in Mortal Kombat and Storm in Marvel Rivals. In Anime she’s played Elea the Red Tag in Ishura, Helena in Tezuka’s anime, Pluto, and Mara and I have the great pleasure of working together on Pokemon Horizons where she plays Orla, the chief engineer of our airship the Brave Olivine.
In this episode, Mara and I begin our discussion with the question I ask all of my guests: how did she get started as a voice actor? Mara’s path to voice acting is a bit unique because she actually began her career on the microphone as a Radio DJ! She was living in a town called Houma in Louisiana, about an hour southwest of New Orleans, working a corporate job that she hated. She then found an opportunity to audition for her local radio station. She reached out to a friend of hers who had some experience in radio, and he helped her put together a recording demonstrating her DJ skills. The station liked what they heard, and she was fortunate enough to get hired to host one of the shows on their county music station. She eventually expanded into DJing at two other stations owned by the same company: a classic rock station, and a soft rock station. Working as a radio DJ was a dream come true for Mara and she thought she was on top of the world!
Unfortunately, after about 7 or 8 years, Mara began to feel like she had stopped growing. She was working all the time, but didn’t feel like there was any more career advancement for her in radio. There was also a change of management at the company which resulted in some personality conflicts amongst the employees, and Mara realized she needed to switch careers.
She had always enjoyed acting as kid in school, but had never felt comfortable embracing what she thought was the acting lifestyle. Mara is an introvert who values her privacy. She didn’t know how to pursue acting without having to become a public figure. That’s when she realized that voice acting might be a way for her to pursue her acting ambitions, retain a sense of anonymity, and still work from her current location in Louisiana. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she was determined to figure out a way to make it work.
Mara began by finding out everything she could about pursuing a voice over career. She scoured websites for information, she started signing up for pay-to-play sites like Voice123.com where you can pay a membership fee to get access to auditions for certain types of voice over work. She even listened to this podcast to help her find out more about the industry! Early on, Mara knew that she wanted to become a household name in voice over. She wanted to have similar name recognition to someone like Morgan Freeman. She also understood that such an ambitious goal would require a lot of commitment. She would spend all day studying voice over, sometimes 16 to 18 hours a day, doing everything she could to expand her knowledge and her skills.
All of that hard work started paying off. She began getting work, building up a list of repeat clients, and discovering that she could in fact have a career in voice over outside of her experiences in radio. However, in order to become as recognizable as Morgan Freeman, there were some major hurdles she had to overcome. Initially, she had to learn to overcome her reluctance to meet with industry people in person, especially at big voice over conferences. Once she overcame that hurdle, she then realized that in order to get her voice acting career to the next level, and work on the types of projects she had always dreamed of, she was going to need to move to Los Angeles. After moving to LA, she still had more work to do: looking inward to come to grips with who she really was as an artist, and how best to share her authentic self in her performances. It’s a compelling and heartfelt journey, and I’m grateful to Mara for being willing to share such very personal details with us. Let’s get started!