VAMFR 008 | Interview with Erika Harlacher, Part 2

Welcome to episode 8 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, Tom Bauer, concludes his interview with the prolific and mult-talented Erika Harlacher.

Erika has been featured in a number of Anime titles, including roles such as Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia in Aldnoah.Zero and  Sadira in Killer Instinct.

In the previous episode, Erika and Tom talked about how she got her start in voice acting and some of the struggles she had coping with her self-doubt. Erika has found that being patient with herself and developing a strong, emotional support system of friends and colleagues has helped give her the confidence she needs when performing in the booth.

In this episode, Tom and Erika discuss the importance of taking classes as well as practicing on your own in order to develop and expand your skill set as an actor. If you are pursuing a professional voice acting career, it is vitally important for you to have faith in your acting abilities, especially when you are called on to perform in the different realms of Voice Over such as Anime and Video games. Erika also talks about her plans for the future as well as giving some practical advice for those wanting to get into Voice Over. Let’s hear what she has to share!

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #8 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 007 | Interview with Erika Harlacher, Part 1

Welcome to episode 7 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, Tom Bauer, begins his interview with the prolific and mult-talented Erika Harlacher.

Since this is Tom’s first episode for the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report, he wanted to interview a very gifted voice actor who is just starting her voice acting journey and making leaps and bounds in her career. Erika has been featured in a number of Anime titles, including roles such as Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia in Aldnoah.Zero and Ami Kawashima in Toradora! She’s also performed in video games, playing characters like Kyoko Kirigiri in Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Sadira in Killer Instinct.

In this episode, Erika talks about how she embraced the creative side of her personality and the steps she took to break into voice acting. Tom and Erika discuss at length the struggles she continues to face as an artist as well the importance she places on finding a support system to help her stay true to herself and pursue her dreams. We’re very grateful to Erika for sitting down with Tom and sharing her experience as an up and coming voice actor. As you listen to their interview, I think you’ll agree that her positivity and energy are infectious!

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #7 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 006 | Interview with Matthew Mercer, Part 2

Welcome to episode 6 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, DanWill McCann, finishes his interview with the prolific and mult-talented Matthew Mercer.

Matthew has given life to characters in shows like Attack on Titan and Kill La Kill as well as video games like Fallout 4.  He has also made some amazing web content, like the Geek & Sundry show Critical Role. The show consists of a live broadcast of an actual Dungeons & Dragons role playing game, played by famous Voice Actors who bring their characters to life with deep commitment and believability.

He has also produced several web based projects through online crowd funding, including such shows as School of Thrones and Muzzle: the Musical, the latter of which Matthew wrote himself.  Matthew was gracious enough to share with us his experience and advice for any of you who might have your own pet projects that you hope to fund and create.  DanWill was inspired by his accomplishments and has learned several good tips from Matthew. Chances are you will as well. But enough setup, here’s Matthew Mercer to tell you himself!

DanWill mentions two of Matthew’s web shows in the podcast. Here are direct links to them:

Critical Role can be found at:
http://geekandsundry.com/shows/critical-role/

Muzzled: the Musical is at:

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #6 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 005 | Interview with Matthew Mercer, Part 1

Welcome to episode 5 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, DanWill McCann, begins his interview with the prolific and mult-talented Matthew Mercer.

Matthew has given fantastic voice performances in over 150 projects, ranging from Video Games, like Robin in Batman: Arkham Knight and MacCready in the recent hit Fallout 4, to animation, like Levi in Attack on Titan and Iron Man in Iron Man Rise of the Technovore.

In this segment, Matthew shares his beginnings, his journey, his inspirations, and he offers some advice for those aspiring to work in the field. DanWill sincerely appreciates Matthew’s straightforward honesty about the amount of effort it takes to become and remain professionally competitive in the voice acting world. Both DanWill and I think you’ll enjoy hearing Matthew share his ongoing love of animation as much as we did! So please welcome Matthew Mercer!

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #5 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)