The Voice Acting Journey Podcast

It’s been over a year and a half since I last published a podcast episode. I have received a great deal of feedback wondering what has happened with the show and after responding individually to each email received, I have decided that I should put out more of a formal announcement to the subscribers of this show. As the title of this episode suggests, I have made the difficult decision to end this podcast series as well as my pursuit into a full-time voice acting career. I spend the first 15 minutes of this episode explaining why it has taken me so long to put out new content and the events that led up to my decision to end this series and my voice acting journey.

The second part of this show is bonus content – my latest installment of SmorgShow Theater where my family, friends and I re-enact old-time radio dramas. This time around we present Ray Bradbury’s ‘The Ravine’. If you like what you hear, I encourage you to head over to SmorgShow.com and check out many of our other radio productions that we have included as an occasional feature of the SmorgShow Podcast.

Thanks to everyone who has checked out this show since its first episode back in 2012. I hope I was able to be somewhat encouraging and informative for those who have decided to explore the world of voice acting.

A listener recently sent in a suggestion requesting an episode devoted to the topic of equipment that is essential to starting a career in voice acting, and specifically what equipment to buy if one is on a limited budget. In this episode, I provide my thoughts on the following items:

Microphones (USB, Dynamic, Condenser) and the pros and cons of each

Types of Recording Software

Mixers vs. Audio Interfaces

Phantom Power

Headphones

Microphone Stands

Pop Filters

Shock Mounts

Acoustic Treatments (Soundproofing vs. Room Dampening Treatments)

If you would like to do additional research before selecting the microphone that is best for you, check out the Microphone Selector tool provided by EdgeStudio.

Thanks to Jeff for suggesting the topic for this episode! If you have a particular topic that you would like me to cover in a future episode, email your feedback at [email protected].

It has been 5 months since I published the last episode of the Voice Acting Journey Podcast. That is far too long, so on this episode I explain why. I also provide an update on my personal situation. I was recently laid off from my day job. While the news could have shattered my world, I have instead chosen to view it as a unique opportunity for me to move into something more fulfilling and rewarding. I have made a decision to devote a majority of my time into building upon the successes I have had so far in my own voice acting career journey. I share a couple stories of some recent jobs I was awarded and one that I had to decline.

I also share a terrific resource for receiving some professional coaching. Go to VoiceRegistry.net and check out the Weekend Workout where each Friday you are provided a script and some direction for the read. Submit your audio recording by midnight on Sunday and check back on the website for feedback from a professional voice coach. Not only can you review your own feedback, but you can listen to everyone else’s recordings and read the feedback they received. I play a few samples of this from last week’s readings.

The mission of the Voice Acting Journey Podcast is for me to share my experiences along the way on my own VO career journey. However, my vision is for this to be a supportive community for others who are along a similar path. The community will benefit greatly if you take the time to share your experiences. You can submit your feedback to the program in a number of ways: Email: [email protected], Phone: 312-957-6674, Facebook: VoiceActingJourney

This week I discuss how to remain positive and motivated despite being faced with setbacks along the way. After coming off a few very productive and lucrative months at doing voiceover work, things quickly dried up and no leads were coming in. After reading some very discouraging blogs from other voiceover actors about challenges with the business and how the odds are generally stacked against you, I felt really unmotivated to do anything related to my pursuit in the VO field. I decided to devote this episode to the topic of dealing with set backs, how to filter negative sources of information, and ways to remain positive, whether you are a voiceover artist or any type of entrepreneur.

Finally, we take some listener feedback from someone who shares her experiences with recently starting out in the VO field.

This week we look back at the life of Dick Beals, professional voice actor who has passed away this week at the age of 85. Mr. Beals was best known for his boyish voice characters such as Speedy Alka-Seltzer, Gumby, and Sherman from the Rocky & Bullwinkle series, and sang the original Oscar Meyer Weiner song. Dick Beals suffered from a glandular condition which left him with the body and voice of a 10-year old boy his entire life.

We also discuss the pros and cons with using subscription-based services like Voices.com and Voices 1-2-3. What has been your experience using these services? What other online audition services have you used and what is your opinion of them?

Resource of the week: The Voice Over Feedback Forum by Edge Studio. The site provides a venue for voice actors to submit their auditions and demo recordings and receive free feedback from peers. The site is an excellent resource for viewing over 4000 sample scripts, rate cards by market and genre, common voiceover misconceptions, choosing the right microphone, and countless other benefits.

Let us know what you want to hear in future episodes, or share your experiences with our audience by calling our hotline at 312-957-6674 or by using the voicemail widget on the right hand side of our website page.

On this first episode, I go down my own life’s path and discuss my life-long passion for being behind a microphone. I talk about my early days of doing tape recordings with my father, co-hosting a popular radio show in high school and my entertainment-based podcast that I started up with my daughter in 2010. I discuss my decision for deciding to launch my own home-based recording studio and voiceover business and my first voiceover work.

While this first episode is very introspective, my intent is not to spend so much time talking about myself in future episodes. Instead I have a vision for this podcast to be about the building a community of voiceover actors. I hope that in the coming months that this will become an interactive forum for voiceover artists to share their successes as well as setbacks, and contribute to the show’s direction. I would love to hear what topics you would like to hear about in a future episode.

Please take a minute to check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or leave a voicemail message using the convenient sidebar widget on this page. Your message could be featured in a future episode.

Thanks for checking out the show!