Welcome to episode 73 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 Wesley from Thousand Oaks, CA and James from Dallas, TX.

Wesley has learned through experience how important it is to act professionally towards voice actors. He’d like me to expand on that idea of acting professionally so that others can understand the value of acting professionally.

I’m happy to expand on the idea of professionalism and I’m glad Wesley brought up the topic.

I talk at length about how to think and act like a professional in episode 30 of the podcast. I also explain what is expected of professional voice actors in the booth in episode 31.

However, what Wesley seems to be describing is how someone who may be a fan of certain characters or voice actors should interact with industry professionals. What’s the best way to approach those whose artistic work you admire deeply?

Creative people, like anyone, want to be treated with courtesy and respect. No matter how enthusiastic a fan may be, if they cannot act in a courteous way towards a creator, the creator will want to avoid that fan. If you are a fan and you would like to join the ranks of industry professionals, I explain how to educate yourself and change your mindset so you can talk to them as an equal, and not like a fan who wants or needs something from them.

James had an opportunity to audition for a studio, but has yet to hear back from them. He worries that he may have made a bad first impression. He wants to know how to approach them so that he can make a better impression the second time around.

I explain to James that while it is true that we never get a second chance to make a first impression, I believe that it is always possible to impress someone in the industry the second time around. It just takes a little more work.

The best way I know to regain the interest of an industry professional is to go out and make good art. Go work on other projects. Start your own projects. Get out there and hustle a bit and apply your artistic skills in any project you can. Once you have created something or worked on something that is measurably successful, you can then share your success with industry professionals.

However, it is vitally important NOT to overwhelm those professionals with every little thing you might be working on.

I explain to James how to communicate his successes in projects in a professional manner so he can avoid annoying or harassing the very people he’s trying to impress.

I hope you find the answers 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 #73 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 66 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 episode of Voice Acting Mastery falls near the end of the year in 2013, and in most of the Western world, the holidays are upon us. During the holiday season, many people spend time with family and loved ones. This also tends to be a time when people look back over the year and evaluate what they’ve accomplished.

Many begin to look forward to the new year and to think about what they hope to achieve in the future. It’s a time for year-end planning and New Year’s resolutions. It’s also a good opportunity to do some mental housecleaning while you visualize your goals for the new year. So in the spirit of planning for another orbit around our sun, I thought I would share with you my experiences and insights when it comes to getting motivated to accomplish your goals.

If you’ve ever run out of steam or felt overwhelmed when trying to achieve your dreams, this episode is for you!

Happy Holidays and all the best to you in you voice acting endeavors!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #66 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 63 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 third and final part of my interview with UK and US based voice actress Jennifer Taylor Lawrence. You may be familiar with her work in the video game Killzone where she plays the role of Shadow Marshal Luger. In addition to her voice acting and on-camera acting accomplishments, Jennifer was kind enough to record the introduction voice-over for this podcast.

As we conclude our interview, Jennifer shares with me her advice for voice actors, especially those who are based in the UK. She also describes in detail how she approached and got accepted by her UK agent. I’m sure this will be enlightening and relevant for any of my listeners who are currently seeking representation.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #63 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 62 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 my interview with UK and US based voice actress Jennifer Taylor Lawrence. You may be familiar with her work in the video game Killzone where she plays the role of Shadow Marshal Luger. In addition to her voice acting and on-camera acting accomplishments, Jennifer was kind enough to record the introduction voice-over for this podcast.

During the second part of our conversation, Jennifer discusses what aspect of her dancing and theater training she finds most useful in her voice acting career. She also talks to me about the differences between the US and UK voice over industries. I was surprised by how differently the casting process works in each country and how important your demo is in the UK market! I found it very enlightening, and I hope you will too!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #62 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 61 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

For this episode of the podcast, I’m very happy to welcome a guest that everyone in my audience will recognize, even if you don’t yet know her name. Jennifer Taylor Lawrence is a voice actress from Australia who has worked in both the UK and US voice over markets. While some of you may have heard her voice acting work in the video game Killzone where she played the character of Shadow Marshal Luger, Jennifer also happens to be the lovely intro voice for this podcast, and it is she who introduces me in each episode.

Since I know I have many international listeners both in the UK and Australia, I thought it would be helpful to bring Jennifer on the podcast and chat with her about her experiences breaking into the world of voice acting as a UK based actress. I ended up learning a lot about how different the UK voice over market really is, and I think many of my listeners will benefit from Jennifer’s story.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #61 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 53 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 been getting so many great questions from my listeners recently, that I thought I would continue answering their questions here on the podcast. For those who don’t know, 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 David from Albuquerque, NM and Amanda from Irondale, MO.

David wants to know what options there are for practicing voice acting that don’t cost a lot of money. I share with him the advice I give my voice acting students: try voice matching professional voice actors, especially celebrities. Voice matching can help you in a number of different ways:

1. It can help you expand your vocal range.
2. It can build up your roster of characters that are accessible to you.
3. You can get hired to voice match celebrities in video games, animation and commercials.

I not only share with David my advice on how to best practice voice matching, but I also explain the limits of practicing acting on your own and why it’s important to get the insight of a professional if you’d like to compete in the professional voice acting world.

Amanda wants to know if working on fandubs is a viable way to improve one’s voice acting skills. For those who may not know, a fandub is an amateur voice acting project where aspiring voice actors come together to re-record an animated show that they like with their own vocal performances. Some people do it just for fun, some people use it as a learning experience.

While there are many advantages to working on fandubs when you’re first starting out, including developing both your technical and artistic skills, there are also some pitfalls when working on fandubs. I share with Amanda what you need to know to best take advantage of fandub opportunities.

I hope you find the answers useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

As a reminder, the number where you can call in and ask your question 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 #53 Here (MP3)