Welcome to episode 18 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 discussion about a common question that I get at conventions and events outside of Los Angeles:

“What city should I move to in order to pursue voice acting?”

In the last episode, I discussed 5 cities I’m aware of that have thriving voice acting communities. Since then, listeners have commented on my blog and told me about additional cities that also have large voice acting communities. I really appreciate everyone’s insights and suggestions! If you’re curious about what city you should be in to pursue voice acting, I suggest you check out the discussion in the comments section of the blog post for episode 17.

In this episode I explain how to assess yourself before moving to a new city. There are 3 questions you should ask yourself:

1. How do you know if you’re artistically ready to move to a new city to pursue voice acting?
2. How do you know if you’re financially ready to move to a new city to pursue voice acting?
3. How do you know if you’re psychologically ready to move to a new city to pursue voice acting?

It is important to answer these 3 questions as honestly as possible. In the podcast, I tackle each of these subjects in depth. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #18 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 17 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 talk about a common question I get at conventions and events outside of Los Angeles:

“What city should I move to in order to pursue voice acting?”

You would think the answer to this question would just be the name of a city. But that is not the case. It turns out there are many cities that have vibrant voice acting communities.

In addition, there are many things to consider before you decide to move to another city to pursue voice acting. Are you artistically, financially and psychologically ready for such a change? In order to address this question effectively, I’m going to split this topic into two different parts:

1. Cities with Significant Voice Acting Industries
2. How to Assess Yourself Before Moving to a New City

In this first episode in the series, I’ll break down for you which cities have thriving voice acting communities. My short list of cities is (in no particular order):

• Los Angeles
• Vancouver
• New York
• Dallas
• San Francisco

In the podcast, I also explain the different types of voice acting work that is done in each of those cities. My knowledge is limited to cities in North America, but I’ll do my best to share my expertise and experience with you. I think you’ll find it very useful.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #17 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 16 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 address a question that comes up a lot when people want to talk to me about voice acting. The conversation usually goes something like this:

“Hey! I’d really like to get in to voice acting, but I don’t live in a major city. If I buy all the right equipment, can I have a successful voice acting career recording myself from home?”

This is a complicated question and so the answer takes some explanation. Basically there are some types of voice acting you can do from home, and some that you cannot. They basically break down into two types:

1. Narration-Style Voice Over
2. Collaborative-Style Voice Over

Narration-Style Voice Acting is the kind of work that only requires one voice, like industrial narration, audiobooks, promos and telephone trees (those automated menus you have to slog through when you call a large company for assistance). Rarely is more than one voice recorded for that type of work, so it is possible to do that kind of work from home.

Collaborative-Style Voice Acting includes animation, video games, anime and ADR or Looping. This kind of voice acting cannot be done from home. It requires many actors to come together to create a finished product. Therefore, every actor must be recorded on the same equipment, in the same recording environment with the exact same audio settings in order for the production to sound consistent.

Also, it turns out that even when a voice over job could be done from a home studio, it often isn’t. Producers have good reasons for wanting to use professional studios. I outline their reasons in the podcast. I also discuss what it takes to run a voice over business from home if that’s what you decide to do. But if what you’d like to do is collaborate on animation, games, anime or any other storytelling, the bottom line is you’re going to have to be in a city where that kind of work is done.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #16 Here (MP3)

Welcome to the eighth episode 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 Wes Davis. If you’d like to learn more about Wes, feel free to check out his voice acting website:

http://www.gimmeamic.com/

In this episode, we get into some of the most important issues when pursuing a voice acting career including:

1. Where does your confidence come from?
2. How do you warm-up before a voice acting job?
3. How do you achieve your goals?
4. What do you say to yourself to keep from being discouraged?

In the next episode, I’ll be addressing an issue that has been asked many times in the comments here on the website: “What can I do to be more confident?” I look forward to giving you my take on it in the next episode!

As always, I welcome your questions and feedback! If you feel inspired, please leave a comment on this blog post.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #8 Here (MP3)

I wanted to bring your attention to a wonderful interview with my friend, the very talented Dino Andrade. Dino has been involved in the world of voice acting far longer than I have and has more war stories than either of us care to count! What I love most about Dino’s Interview, however, is his obvious enthusiasm for games and animation coupled with a savvy and practicality about the business of voice acting.

He’s got a lot of insight into what it takes to be a successful voice actor. Some of his more important points are:

1. He started as an actor on stage doing comedy improv.
2. He knows the history of the entertainment industry and understands how to navigate its currents.
3. He believes without reservation that games are in fact art.
4. He brings all of himself to a performance, especially when voicing the Scarecrow in the game Arkham Asylum.
5. He’s learned how to self-direct as a voice actor.
6. He affirms that type-casting is your friend as a voice actor.