Vo School Podcast

In this VO School Podcast Special we present the Working Pro's Panel from eVOcation2020, featuring voice talents Mara Junot, Mia Bankston and Robb Moreira. For more information visit: https://www.VOSchoolPodcast.com

We are back with August's VO School Podcast episode! We talk home studios, the upcoming eVOcation Conferencea and how VO life in Covid times has changed. Our panel this week is: Maria Pendolino, Carin Gilfry, Joey Schaljo, Robb Moreira and Jamie Muffett. For more information visit: https://www.VOschoolPodcast.com

We're back! And things are a little different this time around. I have gathered 8 (including me) superstar voice actors from across the US to discuss the latest happenings in the VO world. We will dive into specialist subjects, current news, trends and tribulations. For more information on the podcast, including the team, links and social media, please visit: https:://www.VOSchoolPodcast.com

Joining me this week is Kiff Vandenheuvel, an American actor, director and teacher of both improvisational comedy and voiceover. He is the host of the award nominated voiceover podcast, All Over Voiceover with Kiff VH. His film credits include Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Nightcrawler, La La Land, and Behind the Candelabra, as Liberace's (Michael Douglas)'s half-brother, Wayne. He is best known for his work in BioShock Infinite as Zachary Hale Comstock, Skavak in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Walter in Telltale's The Walking Dead and as Cliff Rich on the Netflix series, Richie Rich. I discuss with Kiff the benefits of improv to voice actors, how the fundamental principles can be developed, and the practical applications of these skills when in the booth or the motion capture volume

This week on the VO School we are talking about politics...political ads that is! Here in the US we are heading into possibly one of the biggest political seasons in history. Hundreds of millions of Dollars are spent on television, radio and online advertisements, which makes this is a hugely lucrative area of the voiceover industry for those that fit. So what does the political ad landscape look like? What skills does a talent need to possess to succeed? Who hires talent, and what is the turnaround process for these kinds of projects? We are joined by Sam Ufret and Jim Kennelly from Lotas Productions to discuss this. Lotas are a hub for political ad production on the East coast of the US. They cast and produce hundreds of ads, and are at the cutting edge of the latest trends in politicals. And this week not only are we discussing this genre, Jim and Sam are reviewing listener submissions! This is a fascinating insight into the casting and directorial process from the perspective of the production team.

To find out more, visit: https://www.voschoolpodcast.com This week on the VO School Podcast we are discussing how, when and why you should leave your day job to pursue voiceover full time. After the hustle, the grind, the constant rejection, the training and eventually the work, comes the point at which when you must decide if voiceover is your primary source of income. This is a treacherous time if not done strategically and can result in financial hardship that impacts not only your bank account but your physical and mental health too. Joining us this week to discuss this is Maria Pendolino, break-out star of the VOcation voiceover conference in NYC she is an experienced voice talent, business Ninja and mentor. She has navigated these waters herself, as well as helping many others to do so. What are the signs pointing you toward a full time career in voiceover? What are the dangers? And what strategies can you employ to mitigate them?

Have you ever wondered who voices the Oscars, the Tony’s or the Emmy’s? Well this weeks guest has voiced all three! That’s in addition to the Kennedy Center Honors, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the AFI Awards, plus many more. Randy Thomas is our special guest on this weeks VO School Podcast, and we are talking about everything live announce! How did Randy get in to this line of work? What skills do you need to book the big gigs, and how do you cope with the pressure when announcing live (and it really is live!) to the world. What is it like on Oscars day? How do you prepare? And how do you know who’s won? We also find out what it was like behind the scenes at the Oscars, the night La La Land was incorrectly called as winner of Best Picture back in 2017. To find out more, visit: https://www.voschoolpodcast.com

For more information, visit: https://www.voschoolpodcast.com This week on the VO School Podcast we are tackling a challenging subject - race. How does ethnicity play a role within an industry that could (or should) be considered colorblind? Joining us to discuss this are voice actors Tiffany Copland and Mara Junot. They lift the veil on some of the barriers to entry for people of color in the voiceover industry. Mara and Tiffany discuss how the casting process can perpetuate cultural stereotypes, how talent who impersonate other races can exacerbate this problem, how representation (agents and managers) and casting directors can play a role in encouraging authentic casting, and how disparities in the wider culture mean that already marginalized groups have a much harder time breaking through. Mara DuRousseau Junot is an African-American voiceover actress. The former Voice-Over Coach & Telephony Specialist at Edge Studio attended The University of Southwestern Louisiana for Liberal Arts, Vocal Training and

We’re back with a new season of the VO School Podcast. For our 50th episode we present the agents and Managers panel from New York City’s VOcation Conference. VOcation is a conference devoted entirely to the business of voiceover, co-chaired by VO School host, Jamie Muffett. In this wide ranging discussion we cover what it takes to be signed by an agent and/or manager in 2020 and beyond - how best to get an agents attention, what they are looking for and when to approach them. We also find out how to maintain a healthy relationship with your representation and a few no-no’s that could get you fired. Our panelists this week are Tim Walsh from Atlas Talent, Eileen Schellhorn from DDO and Phil Sutfin from ACM Talent. The panel concludes with an audience Q&A featuring questions about demos, age, accents and genres of voiceover.

For more information, visit: https://www.voschoolpodcast.com This week on the VO School Podcast is the second in our two part series on how to find work in voiceover genres. In the last episode we covered commercials, radio imaging, IVR, promo and Spanish language. This week we are looking at corporate narration, E-learning, explainer videos and audiobooks. So how do you get started in corporate narration, E-learning, explainer videos and audiobooks? Who do you reach out to? What kind of training is required? Where do clients go to find voice talent? And where should you focus your time, effort and resources? Helping us to answer these questions and more are two highly respected voiceover industry veterans. Sean Pratt has been an audiobook narrator for 22 years (aka – Lloyd James), recording over 1000+ Audio Books in almost every genre. He narrates for such companies as Blackstone Audiobooks, Tantor Media, Gildan Audio, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, and Christian Audio. Notable titles include – A Dea

To get started in voiceover: https://www.VOSchoolLaunch.com VOcation Conference: https://www.VOcationConference.com This week on the VO School Podcast we are looking at the process a voice actor goes through when building a character for animation and video games. Helping us to examine this subject is voice director and coach, Everett Oliver. Everett is one of LA’s most respected and sought after voiceover coaches. A former booth director for the AVO talent agency, he’s worked for such high-profile animated series as Men in Black, Jackie Chan Adventures, The Simpsons, and King of the Hill, among many others. What factors go into the character building process? How does the actor stay in-character at all times. How can you use your friends and family in the crafting process, and how does the actor collaborate with the writer and producer when forming new characters in the studio? We also discuss some of the common mistakes actors make, and how to cope when you have to create a new voice on the spot!

for more information visit: https://www.voschoolpodcast.com This week on the VO School Podcast we are doing something a little different. I’ve invited four successful voice talent to share with us how they find work. In part one of a two part series, we cover five areas: telephony/IVR, radio imaging, Spanish language in the US, promo and commercial voiceover. Radio Imaging / Spanish Language Issa Lopez is a bilingual voiceover talent, actress, singer and spokesperson with global, national, regional and local on and off-camera credits. As one of the most in-demand Spanish-English and radio imaging voices in the freelance world, she has been recognized among the TOP BILINGUAL voiceover artists available. Telephony/IVR Liz de Nesnera brings years of experience working at the French Embassy Trade Office, then as a radio station Copywriter/Production Director, and ultimately corporate recording studio Producer/Casting Director up to the mic. She records phone system prompts, medical and technical narrations, eL

For more information visit: http://www.voschoolpodcast.com For VO School Launch visit: http://www.voschoollaunch.com For the VOcation Conference visit: http://www.vocationconference.com This week on the VO School Podcast we are discussing the principles of direct marketing! As voice actors we find projects a variety of ways; via agents, online casting, our websites, and networking. Direct marketing is the process of reaching out to clients and production houses, directly! We discover who benefits from this process, who should be reached out to, how a voice actor goes about this, and some tips to ensure that your emails and phone calls are best received. We also analyse what a good response rate is and workshop some tactics if a talents direct marketing efforts aren’t being rewarded. Joining us this week is Tom Dheere, a New York-based voice actor with over 20 years of experience. Tom has narrated thousands of projects for hundreds of clients in over a dozen countries. His experience as a corporate train

This week on the VO School Podcast we are discussing a taboo subject - money! I’m thrilled to be joined by financial expert, Stefanie O’Connell. We tackle the tricky subject of keeping track of your finances when your income is unpredictable. We discover some of the most common mistakes that people make, what first steps to take to seize control of your finances, and some tips for saving and managing your money. Stefanie herself started in the entertainment business and is fully aware of the unique struggles facing working actors! Stefanie O'Connell AKA the ‘Millennial money expert’ and author of the book, The Broke and Beautiful Life, has helped thousands of people take control of their finances. Her client list includes: Capital One, Charles Schwab, Columbia University and NYU. Stefanie has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Oprah Magazine.Stefanie has lent her expertise to ABC World News, CBSN, Fox & Friends, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Reute

This week on the VO School Podcast we are talking about your voiceover recording environment! The space you record in is the single biggest factor determining the quality of your voiceover recording, so we are devoting an episode to this extremely important subject! What are the qualities of a good studio space? What is the difference between acoustic insulation and treatment? How much do I have to spend on this stuff? And can I record from home if I live above a subway line. We also look at the realities of some of the acoustic products currently on the market, and whether a talent would need to purchase or construct a VO recording booth. Joining me this week are audio engineers and respected audio professionals in the voiceover world, Emmett Andrews and Tim Tippets.

For more information, visit: https://www.voschoolpodcast.com This weeks VO School Podcast doesn’t contain a lot of VO chat, but we do discuss something that affects all voiceover actors - the future of advertising! In the week that SAG-AFTRA presents it’s new look commercial contract it seems fitting that we discuss modern marketing methods and how this will affect voice actors. The title of this weeks episode is ‘Marketing in the Social Era’, which is lovingly stolen from the website of ‘Truly’ a company who’s goal is to deliver Insights-driven strategies for the digital era. Truly CEO Tara Hunt and COO Carlos Pacheco join me on the podcast! Tara Hunt has over 19 years experience in market research and strategy on both client and agency side. She is an author of one of the first books published internationally on how the social web is changing marketing [The Whuffie Factor: 2009]. She’s been quoted in dozens books and articles, spoken at over 150 conferences, was named one of 2013's Entrepreneurial Wome

Visit https://www.voschoolpodcast.com This week on the VO School podcast we review listener commercial reads! Members of our official Facebook Group were invited to submit two versions of the same television commercial script, taking into consideration the specs and direction notes. Joining us to examine the reads are Jim Kennelly and Sam Ufret of Lotas Productions. Lotas is one of the premier voiceover production studios in the city, and has been at the center of the voiceover industry in NYC for the past 30+ years. We break down each submission and analyze how closely they interpret the specs and direction, the characteristics of their delivery, their studio sound and the occasional esoteric qualities of each read. This is an illuminating look behind the scenes of the casting process!

This week on the VO School Podcast we are talking about Motion Capture… or is it performance capture? Or maybe facial capture? It is in fact all three, and we learn what each one is, how they work, what you need to know to work in them and how an actor can forge a career in this mysterious corner of the video game industry. Joining me to discuss this is Carlo Mestroni, voice actor and voice & performance capture director extraordinaire from Montreal, Canada. Find out about Tee-Poses, facial ROM’s, eye lines, constellations and volumes. We also talk about a typical working day, the unique challenges present in motion capture and what to expect in your first mo-cap session.

To help support the podcast, visit: https://www.patreon.com/voschool This weeks episode of the VO School podcast is very special indeed! It features an interview with an animation legend, Emmy Award winner, Nancy Cartwright - voice of Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders as well as Rufus in Kim Possible, Mindy in Animaniacs and Gloria in Richie Rich. Nancy has achieved that rare feat of becoming a household name as a voice actor, thanks to her immense talent, determination and the wild success of her voice work on The Simpsons. We find out how she got started, how a Simpsons episode is brought to life, her tips for newcomers to the industry and some off-the-cuff vocal gymnastics! We also discuss an upcoming episode of the Simpsons that was written by Nancy, and take a peek inside the writers room.

For more information about the podcast, please visit: https://www.voschoolpodcast.com