Alicyn's Wonderland

Get ready to be dazzled, because this week on Alicyn’s Wonderland, we’re joined by the one and only Queen Noveen, a true powerhouse in the realm of voice acting and live announcing! Queen Noveen’s impressive repertoire includes lending her powerful voice to Layla Ellison, the badass leading black female character of the video game Redfall and headlining the epic 90th birthday event for country music legend Willie Nelson at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. As the Network Voice for E! Network and the live announcer for high-profile events like Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, the People's Choice Awards, and the MTV Movie & TV Awards, Queen Noveen's talent shines brightly. In addition, her impressive credit list also includes voicing Naomi Storm in Rainbow High and Vanessa Jones in Friday the 13th: The Game. 

Join Queen Noveen on an awe-inspiring journey from humble theater beginnings to Hollywood and prepare to be captivated by her infectious enthusiasm and uplifting tales. Don't miss this extraordinary episode of Alicyn's Wonderland, where the magical world of Queen Noveen awaits!

Timestamps:

[02:07] The Story Behind Queen Noveen’s name

[05:20] How Queen Noveen fell in love with live announcing

[08:50] What it was like to be the voice of Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday event at the Hollywood Bowl

[09:48] Queen Noveen shares what it was like to work with Ellen Degeneres

[14:40] Queen Noveen talks about her experience working on Red Fall

[20:40] What the casting process was like for Red Fall

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

Iconic voiceover actress Stephanie Panisello joins us in this week’s edition of Alicyn’s Wonderland! Stephanie is best known for voicing Claire Redfield in Resident Evil 2, Betty Ross in Marvel’s “What If” series, Vora in Paladins, Cloud Retainer in Genshin Impact, and Calima in Larcenauts. Apart from voiceover acting, Stephanie has also branched out to performing MOCAP, on-camera acting, and hosting. She is also a part of Netflix’s brand-new Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness series!

Join us as Stephanie takes us a walk down memory lane where she shares how being late for work changed the entire trajectory of her life. Stephanie shares how she found herself lending her voice to Claire, and why she thinks it’s so important for artists to meet their character’s biggest fans. Furthermore, Stephanie and I take a deep dive into what it’s like to work on MOCAP and how it doesn’t differ so much from performing on-camera. She also goes on to talk about working on Resident Evil as Claire from the get-go, and what pushed her to get into combat training! Make sure to listen to the end to hear Stephanie has to say about how you can turn your dream into a reality!

Timestamps:

[06:56] How Stephanie got into voice acting.

[09:00] Why getting kicked out of production work was the best thing to happen for Stephanie.

[15:24] The fastest way you learn is usually on the job

[23:55] Why is it so important and special to meet your character’s fans.

[28:00] Stephanie shares a funny motion capture story for Infinite Darkness.

[30:55] What made Stephanie get into combat and stunt?

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

Join Alicyn Packard as she sits down with one of the most prolific voice casting directors in the anime game! Mami Okada is the Director of Operations as well as the Voice Casting Director for Bang Zoom! Entertainment. Some of her many successful projects include The Witcher: Nightmares of the Wolf, Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045, Sword Art Online, One Punch Man, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba just to name a few.

Together, Alicyn and Mami delve into Mami’s remarkable journey which has led her where she is today. From her first-hand experience of working her way up in the industry, Mami makes a strong case for putting more value on real-life experience over book smarts. She also shares with us the fascinating history of dubbed anime! Furthermore, Mami also talks about how she approaches the voice casting process these days. Make sure to listen to the end to hear her advice for self-directing voice artists and more! 

Timestamps:

[03:01] Where did Mami start?

[12:00] The brief and awesome history of dubbed anime

[15:15] How Mami made her way into voice casting

[22:12] What’s more important than finding an exact voice match

[33:45] Mami gives advice

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

In this week's episode of Alicyn's Wonderland, we are joined by veteran animator Robb Pratt. Robb has had an illustrious career spanning decades, starting as a traditional animator at Feature Animation in the 90s before moving on to work on Disney modern classics like Pocahontas, Tarzan, Hercules, Kim Possible, and the Disney Plus animated show Firebuds. He has also played a key role in the animation of the Nickelodeon hit animation Danny Phantom and a long list of other projects. In addition, Robb is an independent animated filmmaker, with credits including Superman Classic and Bizarro Class, and is the creator of CARMAN - The Road Rage Anti-Hero.

In this episode, Robb takes us on a journey into his past, sharing fantastic stories about his childhood and the lessons he learned from Disney animators, getting insider info on all of Disney's upcoming hit animation films, and eventually securing a desk at the studio where all the animation magic happened in the 90s. Robb also gives a detailed explanation of what went into creating traditional animation and talks about the transition from 2D to CG animation and how it affected him and his fellow artists at the time. 

Along with these colorful nostalgic stories, Robb shares insights into his present projects, including CARMAN and Disney Plus's Firebuds. Despite coming from a challenging background, Robb's numerous beloved accomplishments serve as a powerful testament to the fact that passion has the incredible power to unlock a world of endless possibilities. Join us for an episode filled with animation magic and inspiration!

Timestamp:

[05:02] Robb talks about working at Disney during the Golden Era of 2D Animation.

[08:04] Robb describes the intense and laborious process of 2D Animation.

[11:28] Robb talks about why he was lucky to be in the sweet spot between 2D and digital animation.

[12:25] This is how CG animation impacted animators and cleanup artists.

[21:19 ] Robb talks about Firebuds

[25:24] Robb talks about CARMAN

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

Another multi-hyphenated talent is back on Alicyn’s Wonderland! ADR Director, voice actor, content creator, and ultra-marathoner Ezra Weisz is back to inspire, encourage, and share some awesome insider stories about his many works and passions! 

As a prolific voice actor, Ezra has done voices in many popular anime shows, including Blade of the Immortal, Vampire Knight, Rurouni Kenshin, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, and Blade of the Immortal. He is best known for his ADR directing work for various animated shows, including Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug, Lupin the Third Vs. Cat's Eye and Cat Noir and Popples.  

In this episode, Ezra and I cover a whole range of topics, starting with the things that push him to run ultramarathon distance races and what he loves about being able to help others make positive changes in their lives. He then takes us on a nice walk down memory lane as he recounts how he got involved in Miraculous: Tales of  Ladybug and Cat Noir and gives us insider stories on what it’s like to work on the show! Finally, Ezra and I talk about working together on Lupin vs. Cat’s Eye for Prime Video. Make sure to listen to the end to find out who is Ezra’s favorite Miraculous ship!

Timestamps:

[04:33] What Ezra loves about being able to help others

[07:42] How Ezra got involved in Miraculous: Ladybug

[09:18] Ezra talks about Popples

[13:04] When did Miraculous start to get traction?

[14:51] How ships got Miraculous sailing to the top

[28:01] Why Ezra loves warming up live audiences

[30:34] Ezra talks about working with Alicyn on Lupin vs. Cat’s Eye

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

Should voice actors worry about AI voices? This topic's been on my mind for some time now! In this episode, Tim Friedlander, the Founder and President of NAVA as well as the CEO and founder of soundBOX:LA and soundBOX:Group, sits down with me to discuss this very topic!As an award-winning voice actor specializing in many voice acting niches, Tim is best known for his work on Hunter x Hunter, One Punch Man, as well as Ares in the Netflix show Record of Ragnarok. 

Tune in as Tim and I discuss the impact of AI voices, how it's changing the voice acting industry, and what voice actors can do to adapt and survive this change. We start off with Tim explaining how he defines an AI voice or synthetic voice and also shares some very unique insights on how voice actors can incorporate AI voices instead of trying to fight it. Tim also goes on to talk about how voice actors can safeguard themselves during this time.

Timestamps:

[04:09] Tim defines AI/Synthetic voices

[05:16] Here's what voice actors can learn from musicians according to Tim

[18:05] Early stages of AI tech

[18:25] How to know if someone's voice is intellectual property

[21:30] What NAVA offers

[34:17] Degradation of Unionwork 

[37:45] What union can do to your contracts with AI Clauses

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

This week, the incomparable Erica Shroeder joins us to talk about her illustrious career as a voice actress as well as some of the FANTASTIC projects she’s been in over the years. Some of Erica’s most notable roles include Ilvira in the hit Netflix animated film ‘Secret Magic Control Agency’, the voice of Devos in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, as well as Luffy in One Piece (4Kids dub), Mai Valentine, Akiza Izinski and Dark Magician Girl in Yu-Gi-Oh, and Nurse Joy and Eevee in Pokémon to name a few! Apart from her epic credits list, Erica is also the proud mother of voice actress Madigan Kacmar, who appeared in the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Mirai. 

In this episode, Erica takes time from her studio to take us on a stroll along memory lane, where she shares memories from her first job before landing her more evergreen roles in iconic shows like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and One Piece! Erica also goes on to share which role she considers her biggest break! In addition to her voice acting journey, Erica also talks about her voice matching process and how she achieves her flawless accents. She also goes on to talk about her amazing daughter Madigan, who is also on her very own voice acting journey.

Make sure to listen to the end to find out just how many characters Erica has voiced throughout her career!

Timestamps:

[07:46] What project does Erica consider her biggest break?

[10:19] Why Melloetta was an interesting role for Erica 

[12:08] Erica talks about her voice matching process

[14:44] ”There's a certain amount of flexibility and like letting go that comes with the project.”

[16:33] Does Erica have a favorite character from all her roles?

[19:24] Erica talks about what it’s like to work on Pokemon for so long

Join us on Substack for weekly updates! https://alicynswonderland.substack.com/ 

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

We are back with  Emmy Award winning and BAFTA Award nominated actress, writer, producer, director and singer-songwriter Danielle Bisutti!  Best known as Norse Goddess Freya in Sony PlayStation's God of War, Danielle has definitely established herself as a multi-talented queen…

In this episode, Danielle talks more about what it’s like to work on God of War and also sings some well-deserved praise for her colleagues behind the scenes. In addition to her role, Danielle also shares some of her best memories from the time she traveled the world - most notably in Kuwait - to meet fans (you won’t believe who she got to meet and what gifts they bestowed upon her!).  

Fantastic adventures and voice over acting stories aside, Danielle also takes some time to dive deep with me to talk about the importance of taking ownership of one’s mistakes as well as the transformative impact of relationships. She also goes on to confide the secret ingredient that makes characters truly interesting!

Timestamps:

[0:41] What you can look forward to at BAFTAs from Danielle

[1:27] Danielle talks about her cast mates and the fantastic people behind God of War

[3:42] What it was like to travel the world & meet fans

[5:36] Danielle talks about meeting a Royal fan

[20:39] Here's why you should start owning your mistakes

[22:51] Alicyn and Danielle talk about the importance of relationships

Join us on Substack for weekly updates! https://alicynswonderland.substack.com/ 

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

 Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a part of something that would rock the gaming world? 

In this week's episode, Emmy Award winning and BAFTA Award nominated actress, writer, producer, director and singer-songwriter Danielle Bisutti rejoins us to talk about her wonderful journey in music and video games! Over the years, Danielle has distinguished herself for bringing a wide range of characters to life. Most notably for her performance as The Norse Goddess "Freya" in Sony PlayStation's God of War, Danielle received not one, but two BAFTA Award nominations. 

Join us as Danielle talks about her brand new, fully-animated music video for Song of Valkyrie, as well as her musical journey. The multi-faceted talent also goes on to talk to us about her process as the voice of Freya and how this role has changed her life in so many ways.

Timestamps:

[02:56] Danielle talks about her process for God of War

[03:43] This is the only voiceover job Danielle has done before becoming Freya

[05:48] How God of War changed Danielle's life

[12:42] How Danielle met James O'Reilly

[14:07] How Danielle got dressed by someone who dressed Lady Gaga and Katy Perry

[18:00] "Everything in my life was perfectly set up for me to access what she needed"

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

We are back with Samara Bay for the second part of our interview in Alicyn's Wonderland! The speech coach and dialect coach who's pushing to empower more people through her book, Permission To Speak, joins us again to talk about a whole new range of topics! 

To start things off, Samara expounds on why she believes it is possible for anyone to learn from a book as long as they have the earnest desire to improve. Then, she also covers how people's relationships with their voices and public speaking are influenced by their mindset and practice. Samara also talks about her relationship with her readers, as well as how social media has created new opportunities for people to speak publicly and emphasizes how this has made the experience of being an author more accessible and inspiring than ever.

[1:16] What does it take to change your relationship to your voice and to public speaking?

[14:10] Letting the momentum build is better than forcefully launching anything

[16:25] Samara's definition of power

[16:48] Why being able to say 'no' is deeply powerful

[19:13] The magic of omnidirectional microphones

[20:18] How audiobooks contributed to the creation of Permission To Speak

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Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games

Alicyn's Wonderland | Inside the World of Animation & Games