June 16, 2025 • 53 mins
Today I'm joined by Kelly Moscinski & Kathryn Horan the casting minds and educators behind, The Voicecaster. This episode is packed with insight from Kelly & Kathryn's years of casting Commercials, Animation, Video Games and Industrials.
Their insight into the world of VO makes their courses at The Lab that much more impactful. From advice on elevating your voiceover auditions and materials to building a lasting career as a voice actor, Kelly & Katheryn are here to share insight into the supportive, community of voiceover.
Kelly Moscinski is the Owner and Head of Casting at The Voicecaster – the oldest voiceover casting house in the country, established in 1975! With almost 20 years of experience in VO and even more in entertainment, Kelly casts and directs all things voiceover. A few recent casting projects include commercials for Papa John’s, Cap’n Crunch, Popeyes, Verizon, Walmart+, Google, Amazon, and SO many more; video game casting for Dungeons & Dragons, Ready or Not; and many more in every genre!
Kelly is also a coach for voice actors – teaching group classes, private coaching, and is founder of the Voicecaster Lab, a digital VO training and community platform offering a variety of learn-at-your-own-pace courses, seminars, the Voicecaster Insiders Membership community, and other resources dedicated to giving voiceover artists the chance to learn from the casting perspective.
Kathryn Horan is the Senior Casting Director - The Voicecaster. Since joining The Voicecaster in 2012, Kathryn has held the titles of Casting Director, Demo Producer, Audio Engineer, and Voiceover Coach. Kathryn has cast for major brands like Honda, ampm, Ashley Furniture, Verizon, Nike, and many more! She has a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Acting from New Mexico State University and has been in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles for over 15 years!
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What's My Frame, hosted by Laura Linda Bradley
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Hi everyone. Today, what's my frame?
I'm joined by Kelly Majinski andCatherine Haran, the casting
minds and educators behind The Voice Caster.
This episode is packed with insight from Kelly and
Catherine's years of casting, commercials, animation, video
games, industrials, and so much more.
Their insight into the world of video makes their courses at the
Lab that much more impactful. From advice on elevating your
(00:25):
voice over auditions and materials to building a lasting
career as a voice actor, Kelly and Catherine are here to share
insight into the supportive community of voice over.
Now let's get to the conversation.
Hello ladies. Welcome to What's My Frame?
How you doing? Good.
How are you? I am good.
Thank you so much for being here.
(00:46):
I'm so excited that we have bothof the creative minds of voice
Caster casting here with us today.
We like to start off every episode just kind of the same
way of what was your origin story?
What drew you to casting and voice over specifically some of
the influential mentors, opportunities, twists and turns.
I know it can be a loaded question, but we like to get
(01:07):
kind of the lay of the land before we dive into process.
I started with Voice Caster in 2009.
Before that I did acting, I did directing.
I originally went to college forpre Med.
I was going to be a psychiatrist, but then I got
very involved in the theater department, which obviously
(01:27):
changed the trajectory of my career and my life.
No complaints though. And so Yep, I got my degree in
theatre. I got my master's degree then in
writing. And I kind of fell into the
voice over world just as far as,you know, I had friends who
worked at local radio and TV stations and things like that.
(01:49):
And they're like, hey, you direct a lot of people, you
know, at that point I had shifted into into just
directing. They were asking me about voices
for things. So I was like, Oh yeah, I can,
you know, this person would be good for that.
So I was kind of doing some of that with without really
realizing what I was getting into.
And then in 2009, when I moved to Los Angeles, I had actually
(02:12):
interviewed with a talent agencywho wanted to bring me on as a
junior agent and the voice caster.
And I knew instantly that I wanted to go with the voice
Caster. I didn't want to be an agent.
I wanted to be a casting director where I could direct, I
could produce demos, I could teach, I could, you know, it
(02:32):
was, it kind of had everything. And then by 2013, the owner of
the voice Caster at that time, Huck Liggett, he was the second
owner, He came to me and asked me to take over.
So that's what I did. And Huck, Huck had been the one
who had hired Catherine as well.So it's like we've been we've
(02:54):
been working together for a longtime.
And Catherine and I go even further back than the voice
caster. We worked in at the Colony
Theatre in Burbank together as well.
So, yeah. So it's it's there's a lot of
history here, but the voice caster has been around since
1975. S Yeah.
(03:16):
And the the third owner, but yeah, it's, it's kind of a, a, a
long history here. I'll let Catherine share share
her story. So, yeah, I graduated from New
Mexico State University back in 2005, which my with my
bachelor's in theater, and I moved out to LA in 2006 looking
(03:39):
to pursue a career in acting. And I did that for a little
while, you know, very minor success.
Yeah, I got an agent. I went out on a few auditions,
did a lot of extra work, you know, stuff like that, a lot of
independent films. But then, you know, I was
looking for something with a little more stable income,
(04:01):
something where I could rely on a paycheck each week.
And, you know, acting was something I always loved doing,
you know, from a very early age.But when it becomes your job, I
lost a little of the love for, you know, it became more work
than fun. So I'd fallen into The Colony
theaters, as Kelly had mentioned, started working there
(04:23):
in the box office and working backstage on shows.
And that's How I Met Kelly. And I was there at The Colony
for a while, probably close to 10 years.
And and unfortunately landed on some hard times, had to let a
lot of us go. And it was around that time, you
know, I was looking for a new job and voice caster had a spot
(04:44):
open and Kelly's like, hey, you know, want to come on, come on
over here is like, you know what, sure, that sounds like
fun. So it was just kind of a happy
accident that I landed in the casting world.
But definitely all of my skills in theater, in acting, you know,
the training, you running sound boards, stuff like that.
It all translated into what I dohere on a day-to-day basis.
(05:08):
I'm curious, Kelly, because if I'm doing my math right, so you
were there for about four years prior to becoming the owner,
correct? Yes, I'm sure it was stressful,
but also probably very exciting.Talk us through a little bit of
that transition period and thosethose new roles and
responsibilities. Yeah, I mean, from my
perspective, I feel like, I mean, things shifted, but not in
(05:32):
a bad way. I mean, we're still good
friends. We still go out and have
margaritas and grab dinner. And like we, you know, like
we're, we're, we're good friendsand we're, we're, we're
partners, you know, so it's likewe do everything together.
We go, we go to all these conferences together and it's
like, you know, we, we don't getsick of each other's.
At least I don't get sick of her.
(05:54):
No, if you can survive travelling together, you can
survive anything. Yes, we used.
To travel together for dance competitions, I was like, if you
can share a hotel room and work together, that's a bonding.
Experience, Yeah, yeah. And I mean, it's, it's one of
those things where it's like, I never, I guess even even when I
took over, it was still like shewas very much a, A partner.
(06:19):
I think we very much work together.
It's like I ask her advice, something she asked my advice on
things. We, you know, we tackle, you
know, a lot of the same stuff, but also a lot of different
aspects of the business. There's things that she knows
about the company better than I do, you know, So it's like, I
feel like we're very much, you know, we're, we're friends and
(06:41):
business partners. It's a very clear partnership
that you all are just expanding on more and more with the lab.
Let's go inside the casting office a little bit and how you
do divvy up responsibilities andfind where each person really
thrives and sores and how they take those projects.
I know when project comes in, you know, it always goes to
(07:01):
Kelly 1st and you know, she works out all the details and
then she'll send it to me a lot of time.
Well, it depends on what it is. Sometimes it just goes directly
out to agencies and managers, but it's something where we're
looking to, you know, bring in people that we know on something
because we have our kind of our own internal list of people that
(07:22):
we know from classes or people that have reached out to us,
submitted demos through emails and stuff like that.
So we have kind of a list of ourown that we can refer to.
Kelly, you'll send stuff to me. Hey, who do you think would be
good on this? And I'll go and I'll look
through our list of people and Ithink here's who I think would
be perfect for this. And send that back to her.
And then she, you know, adds anyone she thinks might be
(07:44):
missing. And you know, then that goes out
to actors, agents, managers, so they can submit their auditions
back to us. Do you all share everything from
commercial voiceover? Do you all share all of the
projects and have hands on on both?
Or do either one of you have a afavorite to work on?
No, I mean, I mean, we, we shareall of them, you know, as far as
(08:08):
favorites to work on. I mean, of course there are
certain projects and certain, sometimes it's the specs,
sometimes it's the script. You know, it's not even
necessarily always like a favorite genre.
It's like commercials. We do a bulk of what we do as
commercials. And even commercials can have
such such a big range where it'slike, you know, there's the more
(08:29):
straightforward stuff and then there's the stuff that's kind of
out there, you know, and it's like we're working on a project
right now that has what, 14 roles I think it was.
So you know, it's like it's, it's one of those things where
it's like there's, there's so many different ways, you know,
that things can go. It's, it's always different.
Everyday is different. Yeah, we do get a lot of the
(08:51):
they're just kind of the, you know, kind of vanilla, you know,
we're looking for 20s to 40s, you know, friendly voice.
You know, it's like, OK, yeah, that's fine.
But we get that all the time. So anything that's a little
different, whether it's a an accent or a care more of a
character voice, like the project we're working on now,
the, you know, maybe like a dudevoice or something like that.
You know, those are always kind of fun.
(09:13):
And when you've got like a dozendifferent characters and
especially when it's like one line, it's like, really, how am
I going to decide? They're all great, You know,
anyone, you know, but it's also kind of fun to like go through
our, our list of people and be like, oh, they'd be great on
this one. They'd be good on this one.
This one would be good for this person.
You know, it's kind of fun. And it's like, I feel like, oh,
there's a there's a role on herefor everybody.
(09:34):
So I'm kind of going through, Ohyeah, this guy gets an audition
and this one gets an audition, and that's kind of fun too.
I feel like like and everyone gets a chance on this project.
It's so evident your joy that you both have for the work and
as an actor, it's so it's so nice to hear that joy and that
partnership because we're excited when we get the audition
(09:55):
and, you know, we're excited when we upload it and, you know,
send it out there. And it's just, I think it's
really good, especially in TimesNow where it's, it's quiet and
there's an evolution happening to, to hear and feel that joy
and that mutual excitement for opportunities.
And that you all are excited forthe actors, but also excited for
(10:15):
it coming in and those opportunities and those jobs for
them. Which I think is kind of a great
segue to talk about the voice Caster Lab and how that came
about. Because Catherine, you mentioned
you all have a list from past students and, and folks that
have submitted their demos. But I'm curious, what was the
inspiration? I'm assuming that you all
founded the lab, is that correct?
(10:36):
So if you wouldn't mind sharing,what was the inspiration behind
that and how you have built it to a really vast resource of
classes? But also there's modules that
you can also download and do at your own pace as well.
So Voice Caster has offered training since late 80s,
nineties, you know, so there have always been, you know,
(10:59):
voice over classes that we've offered.
We always had like a core like 3or 4 classes and we still
continue to offer those so that we have, you know, like
basically a beginning, intermediate and advance kind of
a level over the years. One of the, that was actually
probably one of the first thingsthat I did as I was kind of
(11:19):
taking over as I was like, well,we need to adjust and we need to
have this type of class and we should have this.
And you know, people, people need to learn more about this
part. And you know, so and then when
the pandemic hit, the whole voice over industry shifted.
You know, there was a huge change everything we went from
the only people who really auditioned for Voice Caster
(11:42):
projects were Los Angeles based talent because we had everybody
coming in studio, we were directing everybody.
If we couldn't direct them, theydidn't read on the project.
You know, it's like we weren't sending out the script.
It was very rare that we would send out the script and have
somebody recorded on their own. And so in 2020 we had to to
completely adjust. You know, it was one of those
(12:04):
things I remember telling Catherine at the time, I was
like, OK, we will. We'll be fine for like a couple
months. And then after that, you know,
we'll see what we need to change.
You know, I had classes startingand they were all going to be in
studio. And I was like, OK, well, for
years I've talked about getting online, you know, with some of
our classes, finally doing virtual classes, opening up to
(12:26):
outside of LA talent. And so the pandemic kind of
forced me to do that, you know, And then I started just kind of
seeing a lot of like, oh, you know, it's like people can't
always make the time. It's like we literally had
students from around the world. You know, I had one class where
I had three people who were in Australia.
(12:47):
It's like, I've had, yeah, I've had people from South Africa and
Germany and the UK and like justeverywhere.
So it's like I have people who are in my classes, you know,
for, for me, it's like, and I moved them a little bit earlier
so that East Coast and stuff, you know, it would, it would
work for them. But then I still had people in
(13:08):
my classes who were in there at 2:00 AM, you know, it's like a
class from 2:00 AM to 5:00 AM like dedication because I
wouldn't be doing that and a performance class at that.
You know what, I feel like we need something that is on their
own time as well. So it was, it was kind of a it
(13:28):
was in development for a while. It was one of those things where
it's like, hey, well, I have to film all of these modules and I
have to, you know, we have to get them edited and do all this
stuff. And so I took a little while
putting together, you know what,what kind of classes we wanted
and I knew I wanted a a basics of voice over.
So people just starting out, it was kind of just an easy, you
(13:50):
know that that course is great because it covers, you know, the
genres. It covers the all of the basics
like an agent or not having an agent.
It covers, you know, being in the union or not being in the
union. All of that is covered in there
so that you can at least get a feel for that as you're just
getting started. And then the kind of signature
course was the finding your authentic voice.
(14:13):
And, you know, we developed thatas a casting directors guide to
authentic connection. You know, and that's, that's
really the biggest thing. It's that that word
conversational that we hear all the time looking for those
relatable voices. So this is a deep dive.
And I've had some people who, I mean, who have been working for
20 years, go through that courseand they're like Kelly, I've
(14:33):
never seen anything like this. It is so in depth.
They're like, I explored areas of my voice that I've never even
thought about or touched before.That's kind of like the highest
compliment I could get is I'm like, that's that was my plan to
really dig in to figure out, youknow, who you are, how you can
convey that and all the different versions of you as
(14:54):
opposed to simply playing a character or doing a voice or
putting on something. It's fine finding, finding the
authenticity and all of those different things.
And then from there, it's like we kind of merged into, you
know, I was like, I want to workwith a select group of people.
Like I just want to tackle like it started off with eight.
(15:16):
We're at 12 now is our Max. But I wanted to put together a
mastermind of talent. So I told people my idea, I got
eight people on board and we dida mastermind last fall and that
that was very successful. We did another one.
(15:37):
We actually just finished a 12 week 1, but that's essentially
12 weeks of every day, you know,working one-on-one with people
working in a group, We're doing workouts.
We go through the finding your authentic voice course as a
group. And it's very, it's very in
depth. And I've had a lot of people
come away from that very successful.
I've booked a lot of people while they're, while they're in
(15:58):
the mastermind. I'm like, this is amazing.
Like it's working. Something is, is happening, but
it's that community. It's, you know, it's like I give
them my cell phone and I'm like,that's like, that's how close we
get. You know, I'm like, here's my
number. They will text me questions or,
you know, it's like I make myself accessible for those 12
weeks to that that group of people.
(16:19):
And then that kind of then went into the membership, the voice
Caster insiders membership that we started in February because I
was like, OK, I want to help people like this, but on a
broader scale, you know, so not just 12 people, but, you know,
kind of opening that up a littlebit and, you know, making it
(16:40):
obviously more affordable, but having access to me, Catherine
and Ben and, you know, just justmaking this sort of voice over
community. So the voice over community is
just such an incredible community as it is.
I mean, just so many good people.
And it's, you know, it's the, it's a very supportive
(17:02):
community. And so a lot of times people are
trying to figure out, especiallywith the way the pandemic kind
of changed things. There's a lot of Facebook pages
and stuff like that, But they are led by sometimes it's
actors, sometimes people who just don't really know anything
about voice over. So it's like, I'm on a couple of
those groups and I'm like, oh, this is really bad advice.
(17:24):
I hope that person doesn't follow that.
So I was like, well, let's make a, a community where we can, you
know, we do weekly workouts, we do monthly calls where it's
just, you know, Q&A people can just kind of chat.
We are actually doing a, a book club in there right now where
we're, we're reading Atomic Habits by James Clear.
(17:45):
We just had the first meeting yesterday for the first third of
the book. So you know, it's like we're
doing all of these things just to help people in their voice
over career performance, business as well as personal
development things that are going to, you know, just just
make you better overall. So that's kind of been my.
(18:07):
Because in the, in the insiders membership, we've got people
that have been in the industry for decades, along with people
that are brand new, you know, that have just been taken a
couple classes. And so you really do get that
whole gamut, you know, from beginner to professional expert,
you know, and, and everyone's giving advice and sharing, you
know, their demos, their websites, you know, giving each
(18:28):
other feedback. And it's a nice supportive
community. And it's fun to also see like,
you know, there are times when somebody's like, Oh, my, my
focus right, isn't doing this orit's doing this and I need help.
And I'm like, I, I don't know anything about that.
But some of the other members will chime in and be like, oh,
mine did that. Here's the, you know, so it's
(18:48):
like they can give each other advice as well as having the
access to us, you know, as they have questions.
So yeah, it's, it's been, it's been great.
I love that you both call it a community because that's
something that's like very dear to my heart.
That's a creative community is what I wanted to start here with
the podcast. And I think it's it's so
(19:09):
beautiful when you can take the competition out and see them as
your fellow collaborators in your community and your support
system. I'm curious if either of you
have or both of you a favorite story from an actor's light bulb
moment from class of whether it be a new actor or a seasoned 1
(19:30):
where it just it it clicked frombeing able to have that time.
I mean, I know there's so many. I mean the most recent one just
because it, it just happened. So I'm in the middle of a
three-week audition techniques class right now and sent an
audition to one of my students after the first week.
And he ended up booking the job.And so by the time, you know, we
(19:54):
get into class the second week, he's like, he's like, I had a
great week. And I was like, go ahead and
share with the class, you know, and he was very excited about
that. And you know, it's like it's for
him. He, he was saying like the
biggest thing was being able to,it was kind of two things.
So one being able to go a littlebit bigger and not feeling like
(20:17):
he always has to give the safe take.
Because in class I was always telling him like, OK, that's
great, but go a step further or dial it up a little bit or, you
know, so it's like take that choice and run with it, you
know, as opposed to keeping it in that safe zone.
And so that really helped him. He's kind of figuring out like,
OK, how how big can I go? You know, is, is there too big?
(20:40):
Is that you know, so he's that really helped him with that
audition, recording it from home.
And then the other thing, it wasjust in class, I played them
what I hear on the casting side where it's just three to five
seconds of each take. And I played them a track that
was like 5 or 6 minutes long andit's just the three to five
(21:02):
seconds. And he said that was that was
one of those eye opening things.You know, a lot of people in the
class were like, wow, that was crazy.
Because it's like you get a glimpse into what we hear and
how when you play it safe, nobody stands out.
You know, it's like everybody issounding the same.
They have the same cadence, theyhave the same energy, they have
(21:24):
the same tone. 1 little adjustment, whether it's a pause
or you emphasize a different word is what pops and stands
out. So he is very aware now,
listening back to those first 3 to 5 seconds on his takes to
make sure it's not just in that safe zone.
(21:44):
So. We did that exercise.
We had a little breakout group at Theo Atlanta.
And I think, yeah, just the stunned reaction we got from
just about everybody in our session was, Oh, my God, I never
thought about things this way, you know, and it really did.
I got, I still get emails from people saying, Oh my gosh, that
(22:06):
was so eye opening. So that definitely does resonate
with people because you, you wouldn't think about that, you
know, unless you're coming from our side, you know, and people
say that, you know, do somethinga little different, but you
don't really know what that means until you hear it in such
a blatant way of, yeah, here's 5minutes straight of the same
thing. And yeah, those little things
(22:27):
that are different, it really does make you go, oh, wow,
that's pretty incredible. Well, because I think as actors,
unfortunately, to our own detriment, a lot of times we're
very precious with it and we're we're building up and we're, you
know, we're setting the house tour.
You were walking you in to then show you this is the like
(22:48):
statement piece or, you know, everybody's magical second take
if it's theatrical, you know, and we can't do that now.
We just the, I was just at the SAG Foundation yesterday and
they were talking about how muchthe workload and demand on
casting has gone up exponentially doing self tapes
(23:09):
because you all are working around the clock virtually and
it's not these office hours. And we have to be mindful of
you're seeing more people, you're hearing more people and,
and being specific with those openers.
That is something that really changed with the pandemic
because before that, you know, we were reaching out to agents,
(23:29):
they were just submitting us their top three to five and we
would go through those those lists and decide who from that
we wanted to bring in. So we really, at the end of the
day, we're only sorting through,you know, a few dozen auditions
to send to the client versus nowwe just kind of send it out and
whoever wants to participate responds.
(23:52):
And it can be upwards of thousands of auditions you have
to sort through. Yeah, we had 1600 on a project a
couple weeks ago because the spec was just like any gender,
any ethnicity, 20 to 60, you know, it was like wide open.
And here's The thing is like we,we tried to limit the number
(24:13):
that the agents would send, but when we tell them to send their
top five, then we get the same 5people all the time.
So that has been the issue that we faced is that we can't really
limit the number of options thatthey send, which means on
projects like that, like I thinkone of the agents sent me 120
(24:34):
people just from one agency. And I'm just like, whoa, that's
like your whole roster. And that is like, but if we had
limited it, we would have heard the same 5 people.
We always hear like how are we going to have new voices?
And one of the things that our clients always, you know, love
with our casting is that we're bringing them new voices.
If they were to send directly tothe agents, they would be
(24:56):
hearing the same voices all the time.
The top bookers, you know, So it's one of those things where
we we do have to put in more work in order to find the new
voices and not just go with the the default ones.
Top bookers also have the most chance at path, so that that's
that's skewing the optics a little bit. 100% I'm like,
(25:19):
they're the top bookers because they're the only ones being
submitted. Of course they're going to be
the top bookers. Binging your podcast recently
and I heard something that you were talking about like working
with your clients and how that they had been, you know, with
another casting team and then you all brought them like new
voices. And so I want to talk about, I'm
sure you have repeat clients that you've worked with for
(25:40):
years, but how you establish that shorthand with your
clients, but also how you digestwhat they're telling you to then
craft your specs to share with reps and talent.
Because I think there's a lot ofclues and a lot of detail there
that sometimes actors blow past and just give a read versus
digesting it and really talking through the copy.
(26:04):
Yeah, that's a good question. So for specs, it's one of those
things where it's like I'll get on a call or I'll be on these
chains of emails where it's justso many emails back and forth
talking about it. Specs are often created by
multiple creatives. So when you see a spec that says
we want something energetic, upbeat, but it has to be laid
back and mellow, and you're like, what?
(26:26):
Those are the exact opposite, right?
Those are usually it's two different people putting their
say into the specs. And so from there it's like on
our end, we typically leave the specs how they are given to us.
We'll add in some direction, that kind of thing.
But I usually leave it how it's written because I want the actor
(26:51):
to be able to see that and interpret that and also take
what they want to from it. So I know there are some casting
directors out there who are likethey rewrite the specs, they get
very detailed and they are like,here is this is what we have to
have. You know, if you are not doing
the spec, we don't even want to hear you.
For me, I'm like, do a few takesbefore you even look at the
(27:15):
spec. See what comes out naturally if
we are truly going for the authenticity and the relatable
human, you know, we want those flaws, we want the imperfections
that is going to come from not being stuck in a speck.
And so for me, I'm like, do a few takes before you even look
(27:36):
at the speck. Then look at the speck and take
what actually works for you. So if you're like, I'm actually
a very mellow person, so being like upbeat and cheery is not my
thing, then do that. Don't worry about the upbeat
cheery or those are your two different takes right there.
You do your mellow take first and then you do your upbeat
(27:56):
cheery take second and you can use the specs like that where
you just break apart the specs. Don't try to be all of those
things all at once because that might be 8 different people's
version of what they want this spot to be.
And there's no authenticity there when you're trying to be 8
different versions of you at once.
(28:18):
Now am I correct in voice over is the same, especially voice
over for commercial is the same as on camera performers where
it's an ad agency and the the brand a lot of different
different office teams are also those eight voices that are
weighing incorrect. Yes, yes.
And sometimes they, it's like the production house is actually
(28:39):
the one who reaches out to us. So then they, they are then
connecting to the ad agency who's then connecting to the
brand. So it's like sometimes there are
three avenues and we're the fourth in line, you know, so it
just kind of depends on the project.
And then there are also brands where we work with them
directly. Casting process and the audition
process is a little different for Voiceover because it's not
(29:00):
going out really on one of the platforms.
You all are reaching out and have those trusted established
relationships and connections. But once you have your auditions
back in you all's selects as a team, how do you present them?
What are those conversations back and forth with the client
and the ad agency and and or producers to then narrow that
(29:21):
that stream down to the final bookers?
For us, it is, you know, we get all the auditions back.
We go through them. We have similar methods, but you
know, we do what works for us toget to the final number that the
client wants to hear. So that sometimes is five,
sometimes it's 30. Usually 30 is the Max.
(29:44):
And so it's like we might be taking these hundreds or even
thousands of auditions and we need to narrow it down to a Max
of 30. So that takes listening through
a few times, you know, making sure that people are showing
range, making sure that you know, they're they're within the
specs. So even if we tell you like, you
know, throw out the specs and doyour thing, if your thing isn't
(30:06):
somewhere in line with that and makes sense, obviously we would
not submit that. We do submit some wild cards
here and there, but it still hasto work and make sense.
So then from there we will put them on a link.
We send it to the client to listen to.
So then they start their process.
Sometimes I'm on those emails, sometimes I'm not where I will
(30:28):
see, you know, all the back and forth.
They'll have a live document where it's like they're all
making their notes of like, oh, this one could work.
Nope, definitely not on this one.
Or, you know, things like that. So they'll often narrow it down
then to, you know, they'll, they'll all, Nope, they're top
three. So sometimes it's like, OK, if
there's eight people involved inthe final say, they will note,
(30:52):
you know, they're, they're top three.
And a lot of times the person who ends up getting booked is
the person who is on the most lists.
So even if they never get the number one spot for any of these
eight people, if they are on 7 out of eight lists as the second
or third spot, they're kind of the the common denominator and
end up getting the job. Crazy things have happened where
(31:14):
it's like, oh, she sounds too much like my ex-wife.
We can't book that person. And then we've had on the other
side where it's like they're allgreat.
Let's just go with the first oneon the link.
His name started with AC, so alphabetically he just, he got
the job. So it's like we, we hear crazy
things like that as well where it's like it's so subjective,
(31:38):
but then it's also like it couldbe anybody for any reason.
But I think that's important foractors to hear and digest.
I think it's really important toremember the life it takes on
and also good work will create more opportunities down the
road. I've got a few clients, like
when somebody finally does book a job, they'll be like, oh,
(31:59):
we've loved all the auditions you sent in.
They just weren't right for those projects.
But this time it finally all came together.
We're so excited to finally get you on a project.
Yeah. Do you ever know who's listening
and who's remembering what you, what your work is, and what you
sound like? Casting's memory is exceptional.
Truly, truly exceptional. We remember everything.
(32:24):
I would love to hear any advice you have for becoming better
self directors as well as self editors.
Because I think sometimes people, I want to take out all
the breaths and all the little itsy bitsy pieces and it's like
it doesn't even sound even at a point.
And you know, I personally, one of my flaws is I and I do take
(32:46):
it out in the podcast. I don't like how it sounds, but
I know that you can over edit something.
And I would love your perspective on how we as actors
can become better self directorsand self editors of our
auditions before turning them in.
We just tell people just send raw files.
Like even we do that. And even for jobs that we record
here, we just do the raw files. We don't add any compression, we
(33:09):
don't normalize anything. We just give you the and then,
you know, the client or whoever can mess with it.
But yeah, don't, don't take out those unless it's a really loud
gasping breath or, you know, theoccasional mouth click if it's
easy. But, you know, don't, don't
waste your time editing all thatstuff out because nobody's
paying attention to that. And actors are going to hear and
(33:29):
be their own worst critic when it comes to that stuff too.
You'll hear your stuff in your voice that I I'll get notes
back, especially gotten demos. Someone will go, oh, that word
sounds funnier. Oh, I'm like, what are you
talking about? There's a weird breath in here.
I'm like, I don't hear anything.What are you talking about?
So yeah, you're going to hear stuff that nobody else does.
You're going to critique yourself harsher than anybody
(33:51):
else will just, you know, be gentle with yourself and trust
yourself too. With the self directing.
I always tell people, trust yourinstincts.
You know, if you've had the training, you're an actor, You
know what, you have a general idea of what you're doing, you
probably are in a good place, you know, and trust that.
Trust your training, trust your instincts.
You know, if you're, if you're reading a script and you get the
spec and it's telling you to do it a certain way, do that.
(34:14):
That probably is what they're looking for.
Number one word is always simplify.
Yeah, like, just simplify. Like keep, keep the editing
simple. Like you should be able to knock
out a commercial audition in 10 minutes.
That includes recording and editing because it's like you
edit any pickups, things like that, but nothing else.
And then as far as the directinggoes, it's like trust, trust
(34:37):
your instincts, exactly what Catherine said.
And feel how it feels in the booth as opposed to, you know,
just listening and basing it offof that because we all know what
a commercial is supposed to sound like.
And so then you strive to make that be what your audition
sounds like. And guess what?
We don't want the final take foryour audition.
(34:59):
We want the authenticity. We want the connection.
And so it's like when you're in the booth and you're like, yes,
I felt so in it on that take. And then you go to listen back
and you're like, oh, I said thatword funny or oh, I don't like
how I did that. If it felt good, That's the take
to send. Trust the instinct as you're
recording it versus what you're hearing later on.
(35:19):
Yeah, that's how I audition is like if it's on camera, I always
like heart the videos. And then I also have a way to
like save the files when I'm doing my voice over.
Because as you strengthen those muscles, you can feel when it's
real and you can feel when it's presentational.
Are there any easily avoidable mistakes that you're still
seeing in actors, material submissions, auditions, things
(35:43):
like that? Follow directions.
It. Could be for both of us, because
we do spell it out for you. Like everything you need to know
is in the stuff is in the document that we send to you.
It tells you how many takes, howto label it.
You know, all that stuff is there for you.
And when people can't, you know,to slate or not to slate, we
tell you. And when people just can't do
(36:05):
that and it's, you know, sometimes that's the deal
breaker. Like if, you know, when we're
trying to narrow down auditions to send to the client, if you
can't label it right, you're noteven in the running.
You know, just we've got to findways to weed people out because
we just get so many. So being able to follow those
just simple directions, that's ahuge one.
You all have a vast history of working and helping actors craft
their demos. What positively stands out to
(36:28):
you in an actor's materials? Just a range, you know, making
sure every spot doesn't sound the same or that you don't have
a lot of spots that sound the same clump together, You know,
making sure you show that versatility and make sure that
it showcases what you do best. These all should be things that
you can just easily at the drop of a hat.
Do you know, or, or that it sounds like you?
(36:49):
Because we've had issues where demos don't sound like the
people we've had. We do casting sometimes just off
of demos where the client just wants to hear demos as opposed
to auditions. And we've had at least once or
twice, you know, the client picks somebody off their demo,
they get in the booth to record the audition and the clients
like this person doesn't sound like their demo.
So making sure it sounds like you.
(37:10):
And in one case, I'm guessing it's probably the the same 1
Catherine's thinking of it's like could not even get as deep
as the first spot on his demo. The first spot on your demo
should be what you sound like. If you were to, you know, get on
the phone with me or walk into my office, you know, it's like
that should be what I'm hearing.And I will add to that, that
there is too much range on a commercial demo.
(37:33):
There is such a thing as too much range.
Just if you were doing all of these different spots and each
one sounds like a different person, then when I hear that
I'm like, OK, great range. However, I'm not quite sure
where to put you on the commercial side.
Like what is your main thing? What is your signature?
And then show me range from there.
(37:54):
So we really need to have that signature solidified so that
there's some sort of through line on who you are and what you
sound like. I really appreciate you saying
that because I think there is often a misconception.
And I mean, I grew up in community theatre, but I'm aware
that the real industry is not community theatre.
I cannot play 7 and 7D because it's community theatre.
(38:14):
And I think there's this misconception.
As actors, it's like if we can show them everything, we're up
for everything. And you're not going to get
everything you can do on your demo, like your demo 60 to 90
seconds. There's no way you can pack
everything you could possibly do.
It's just, it was an idea. Yeah, exactly.
Strongest things. These are the things you book
the most or kind of how you wantto market yourself.
(38:35):
Kind of think about it that way,as opposed to trying to cram
everything you can possibly do into this little time frame.
Any advice for periods that are quiet of how actors can improve
their skills, their materials? Any little take away Nuggets?
That's a great time to do classes, you know, just making
sure you're staying up or even workout groups.
So like we've got a workout group.
(38:56):
There's a a lot of other people out there that offer similar
services. Just something to kind of stay
in shape, if you will, you know,keeping those, you know, that
cold reading muscle going, you know, things like that.
And even just doing, you know, Ialways tell actors, make sure
you're reading out loud 15 minutes a day just to keep those
cold reading skills active because you don't always get a
(39:17):
script ahead of time. It's nice when you do, but it's
not guaranteed. Or maybe you'll get it ahead of
time and then they rewrite it between now and then.
So, you know, being able to workoff the fly is important.
So just kind of those little things or it's a great time to
network with people, you know, reach out, get together with
other actors. Seek out feedback and seek out
community. I think those are the biggest
things is like you as as actors,you are now your own director,
(39:42):
you're your own engineer. It's like you're not getting
that direction and that feedbackuntil you book a job and you get
into a session. But even then, you're not
getting feedback on your auditions.
You're getting told to do more energy or smooth this out or
inflect up here or highlight this.
It's not the same as the audition process.
So getting that feedback on youraudition reads is super
(40:04):
important. And then seeking out that
community, you know, it's like when we go through slower times
and there's just natural ebbs and flows in the industry.
That's just how it is. I get a lot of panicked emails
from people who are like, I haven't gotten an audition from
you in two weeks. Like, did I do something wrong?
Is everything OK? And I'm like.
It's OK, things slow down once in a while or we go through
(40:29):
spurts where it's like it's thisspec for two weeks and it's like
we see the same spec over and over and then it shifts and we
see something else, you know, sothings, things change.
But by seeking out that community, you can also know, I
know there's been a lot of talk about it in our insiders
community where people are like,I'm just so glad to know I'm not
alone, that my auditions have kind of came to a halt for the
(40:52):
last week or two. You know, they, they're able to
be like, Oh yeah, me too. OK.
It must just be a normal thing, you know, Cuz it's like we can
tell them it's a normal thing, but there's still that panic in
your mind of like, is it ever going to pick up again?
Am I ever going to be odd to share?
That way too. Yeah, of course.
Casting times too. It was like, oh gosh, are we
(41:14):
ever going to get a casting in again?
And then we get 10. And I think that's why it's so
important. I'm such an advocate for
training and educating with those whose heart is in it for
actors, but also sees the other side of it from a professional
standpoint because you can pull the curtain back in a very
different way than someone who is talented at teaching but
(41:37):
doesn't understand. You know, I know for myself,
right before the commercial contract, you know, expired and
with the contract was extended, it was a flood of auditions.
It was a flood because everybodydidn't know what was going to
happen. And then it got very, very, very
quiet. And now it's starting to pick
back up. But because I'm very involved in
the union, I understood what wasgoing on.
(41:59):
But it's still, I don't think sometimes there's the thought
process of what's happening behind the scenes of why it's
that ebb and flow. I heard you all share something
really interesting on your podcast about doing your
research but not to copy past work because if they wanted
that, that's what they would hire.
I would love if you could go into a little bit more detail of
(42:19):
doing your research because we as actors we love.
We'd love to find out what the product is, see past examples,
but not try to just copy yourself over top of that still
bring ourselves to. I think one of the biggest
things is, you know, as you first of all, look up the
product. I mean, you have to know what
the product is. We have done some casting where
(42:39):
it's like, oh, you know, somebody will ask me for
feedback or something after I'llbe doing a consult and they'll
be like, you know, what even is this?
And I'll be like, Oh well, it's this.
And they'll be like, Oh well, I thought it was this.
And so like you didn't even think to Google it.
I mean, like, do your at least know what the product is?
Doing that sort of research, youcan also get a lot from OK, do
(43:01):
they, what kind of music do theytypically use?
What kind of visuals do they have?
Is, is everything you know, in, in kind of a general sense?
Is it more energetic? Is it more laid back?
Is it more cool? Is it more bright and upbeat?
You know, it's kind of just getting a general overall feel.
Don't try to mimic the voice because yes, they could just go
(43:21):
back and get that voice or if they wanted that voice, they
would tell us that and we'd be like, we want something like
this because this person is not available.
Or, you know, we've had it happen where it's like it was a
non union project. That person joined the union.
So now we need to find a new nonunion talent, you know, so it's
things like that where it's like, OK, we want something in
the same zone. If we ask for that, then yes,
(43:45):
pay attention to it. Otherwise, don't even worry
about the voice. They are looking for something
new. And you know, it's we cast Taco
Bell for many, many, many years.And it was like, I mean, it was
like a weekly thing. They would come in with the same
spec every single time and we'relike, OK, great.
(44:05):
They didn't want to go back through old cast.
They wanted to hear new people every time and they would book
somebody different every time. And it's so funny because like,
if you would listen to these spots, there are subtle
differences, but they're all thedifferent voices essentially
doing the same thing. But it's just one of those
things where it's like they wantall of the different voices, you
(44:28):
know, so it's, it's not getting caught up in what you're hearing
or trying to mimic that because again, you're, you're going to
be giving that final spot read for the audition.
And we want that authenticity. We want to hear you.
We want the personality, we wantthe humanness, the
imperfections, the flaws. That's What stands out in an
Audition will direct you to thatfinal spot once you book it.
(44:53):
And I kind of building on that, like, I'll tell people, you
know, feel free to, you know, research maybe what they've done
in the past or get familiar withwhat brands sound like because
McDonald's sounds different thanjack-in-the-box, which sounds
different than Taco Bell. You know, they're all fast food,
but they do have a different sound that they're going for
kind of a different audience they're talking to.
It can be helpful to know what that sound is.
(45:15):
But yeah, every so often they, you know, these companies do
change things up or they're like, you know, let's let's
rebrand and, you know, go in a completely different direction.
So if you're falling back on that, what they've done in the
past, that's not going to be helpful.
But it can be, you know, if it'sjust a normal commercial spot,
you know, you're not seeing anything that leads you to
believe it's something brand new, it can be helpful to kind
of hear, OK, this is typically what their ads sound like.
(45:37):
So maybe give a take that's in that direction.
But yeah, definitely don't be married to it.
Take it with a grain of salt. I want to go back to the story
about the the first 3 to 5 seconds of an audition of a
read. What holds your attention and
makes you want to listen to more?
And I know that's hard to quantify, but if there is
something that is able to be verbalized, I'd love to talk
(46:00):
about it. Yeah, for me it is.
I'm listening for the connection.
I can usually tell right away ifpeople are going into voice over
voice or if they're coming from somewhere authentic, if they
have some sort of a point of view or some sort of intention
that has to be there right from the first word.
Whether that's using a lead in sentence or coming off of like
(46:21):
somebody asking you a question, you know, something like that
that gets you there for that first word.
So often actors tend to kind of work their way in, but I don't
have time for you to work your way in.
You know, it's by the second or third sentence, I'm like, yes,
this is exactly what we need. So it's like if I'm directing
you, I can be like, OK, just go right into another one.
You were there for the second-half.
(46:42):
We just need that from the top and we get that from the top.
But a lot of times, you know, when they're self directing,
it's like, and then by the end it's like, OK, that I was there.
That felt good. And it's like, but were you
there from the first word? So that's something to just kind
of consider because, and we can hear that connection if it feels
more presentational or rhetorical versus actually, you
(47:03):
know, being there and talking tosomebody or asking them a
question, you know, things like that.
And then it's like sometimes it's just a different emphasis
or a different pause that catches my attention whether it
works or not. You know, it's like, don't do
something different just for thesake of being different.
But if you go through that firstsentence and emphasize each
(47:25):
word, you know, read through andemphasize the first word, read
through it again, emphasize the second word, you're going to
find some some very interesting takes that work.
And it's like how you first interpreted it.
Your first instinct is probably everybody else's first instinct.
So that's probably what everybody else is doing on their
first take. So you need to do something
(47:47):
different. I have a little post it note in
my my setup where I recorded andI said, are you talking or are
you reading? Because I think you need that
reminder because it's so easy because we don't have to be off
book for voiceover. There's such a, an instinct to
read it and it sounds so different to the audience and,
and you know what your intentions are, but you can't
(48:09):
send 3 paragraphs for like, thisis my process, this is what I'm
envisioning. This is, this is where I'm at.
So thank you for talking about that.
As we wind down, I do want to talk a little bit more about the
lab because I'm joining one of your classes this summer.
I'm so excited for it. It came so highly recommended
from a very trusted friend of mine who had had been in your
classes in the past. For someone who is looking at
(48:30):
the website and doesn't know where to start, how can they
reach out and ask for guidance or help to find which class is
right for them to start I. Mean they can call or e-mail us,
yeah. But yeah, just reach out and
just give us a little bit of your background.
You know, if you're brand new tovoice over, that's awesome.
You know, our commercial 1 is a great place to start.
Or if you're looking for animation, we've got an intro to
animation and video games. Those are both great beginner
(48:52):
classes. No prerequisites for those, but
if you do have a background in some voice over, maybe you've
taken a class here, there. Just let us know that and
that'll help us better guide youto what might be, what you're
looking for, what might be suitable.
Yeah, we have such a wide range now.
You know, it's like we have a lot of lot of commercial classes
we have yeah, commercial one, commercial 2, our audition
(49:16):
techniques, commercial pros. We have the variety lab, which
is, you know, what I'm going to be doing in a few weeks here, I
think, but that's where I'm going to be covering all the
different genres. So it's like a six week class
where we're going to touch on everything, you know, just kind
of giving that that overview. So as people get a one off
(49:37):
audition for something, it's like they at least know how to
approach it. And it's also a good class to
kind of figure out what areas you want to start to focus in on
as far as pursuing. It's like we have such a variety
of things. We have an accents class.
We have all of our, our workout groups, whether they're in
studio or online. And then of course we have the
(49:58):
on demand classes. We have the communities.
We, you know, it's like there are so many things that I, I, I
know the website can be overwhelming.
There's a lot. Of.
Exciting. Like variety, but I was like, I
was like, oh, I want to add thatto cart I.
Think we do offer these classes usually more than once a year,
so if you can't afford or don't have time to take them all right
(50:18):
now, spread them out and we offer them again.
We are always happy to answer questions and help guide people
into, you know, what they, what they should be doing along with
what they want to be doing. We'll answer any questions.
As far as what the classes entail, you know, one thing
about all of our classes is thatyou are always working on
scripts. They are not lecture based where
(50:40):
you're just listening to somebody talk for three hours.
You are actually working on copy.
You get to watch everybody else work on the copy.
So there's a there's a lot of hands on experience in our
workshops. Amazing.
Well, thank you for sharing thatbecause I think that was my, my
one thing I wanted to be sure and we'll link everything in the
show notes. I think it empowers actors to
(51:02):
feel more confident in that investment and, and their
selection and the, the validation that yes, that is
that's the class I'm drawn to, but that's the, the class that's
right for me. Ladies, this has been so, so
fun. We close every episode the same
way. What is one thing you wish you
could go back until your youngerself?
Don't stress so much. Everything will be fine.
You know, I remember especially when I was in like high school,
(51:25):
college, I was like, oh, I got to get out to LA.
I'm I'm wasting time out here. I got to get out there where
everything's happening. It's like just just relax.
It's fine. Everything will work out.
We kind of have two things. One of them is consistency is
key. Like just just keep that.
It's it's more about discipline than it is about motivation.
(51:46):
Motivation is temporary. Discipline is you do it every
day. Just keep working out whatever
you want to achieve. You can't achieve it with
consistency and discipline. And the second thing is, 70%
perfect is perfect. I have always been a
perfectionist, and what has changed my life over the last,
(52:07):
especially five years since the pandemic, is realizing that I
don't have to be perfect. So now I have an idea and I put
it into practice. Even if I don't have it all
fleshed out yet, even if it's not perfect, I'm like, if I have
70% there, it's ready for the world.
(52:29):
I can tweak and adjust as I go. So 70% perfect is perfect.
Amazing. And I that's why I love that
question so much because more often than not, it's something
that people need to hear today as well.
It's not just for the past. Thank you both so much for
making the time and thank you for the opportunities that
you're cultivating both as jobs,but also the educational
(52:51):
resources. It's such a value to actors and
I really appreciate you both. Thank you so much for having us.
Hi everyone, thanks for listening and being the absolute
best part of our creative community here at What's My
Frame? If you'd like to learn more
about our guests, please check out the show notes and please
join us on socials at What's My Frame?
To stay in the know for upcomingevents, I'm your host, Laura
(53:13):
Linda Bradley. We'll see you next Monday.
Hi everyone. Today, what's my frame?
I'm joined by Kelly Majinski andCatherine Haran, the casting
minds and educators behind The Voice Caster.
This episode is packed with insight from Kelly and
Catherine's years of casting, commercials, animation, video
games, industrials, and so much more.
Their insight into the world of video makes their courses at the
Lab that much more impactful. From advice on elevating your
(00:25):
voice over auditions and materials to building a lasting
career as a voice actor, Kelly and Catherine are here to share
insight into the supportive community of voice over.
Now let's get to the conversation.
Hello ladies. Welcome to What's My Frame?
How you doing? Good.
How are you? I am good.
Thank you so much for being here.
(00:46):
I'm so excited that we have bothof the creative minds of voice
Caster casting here with us today.
We like to start off every episode just kind of the same
way of what was your origin story?
What drew you to casting and voice over specifically some of
the influential mentors, opportunities, twists and turns.
I know it can be a loaded question, but we like to get
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kind of the lay of the land before we dive into process.
I started with Voice Caster in 2009.
Before that I did acting, I did directing.
I originally went to college forpre Med.
I was going to be a psychiatrist, but then I got
very involved in the theater department, which obviously
(01:27):
changed the trajectory of my career and my life.
No complaints though. And so Yep, I got my degree in
theatre. I got my master's degree then in
writing. And I kind of fell into the
voice over world just as far as,you know, I had friends who
worked at local radio and TV stations and things like that.
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And they're like, hey, you direct a lot of people, you
know, at that point I had shifted into into just
directing. They were asking me about voices
for things. So I was like, Oh yeah, I can,
you know, this person would be good for that.
So I was kind of doing some of that with without really
realizing what I was getting into.
And then in 2009, when I moved to Los Angeles, I had actually
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interviewed with a talent agencywho wanted to bring me on as a
junior agent and the voice caster.
And I knew instantly that I wanted to go with the voice
Caster. I didn't want to be an agent.
I wanted to be a casting director where I could direct, I
could produce demos, I could teach, I could, you know, it
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was, it kind of had everything. And then by 2013, the owner of
the voice Caster at that time, Huck Liggett, he was the second
owner, He came to me and asked me to take over.
So that's what I did. And Huck, Huck had been the one
who had hired Catherine as well.So it's like we've been we've
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been working together for a longtime.
And Catherine and I go even further back than the voice
caster. We worked in at the Colony
Theatre in Burbank together as well.
So, yeah. So it's it's there's a lot of
history here, but the voice caster has been around since
1975. S Yeah.
(03:16):
And the the third owner, but yeah, it's, it's kind of a, a, a
long history here. I'll let Catherine share share
her story. So, yeah, I graduated from New
Mexico State University back in 2005, which my with my
bachelor's in theater, and I moved out to LA in 2006 looking
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to pursue a career in acting. And I did that for a little
while, you know, very minor success.
Yeah, I got an agent. I went out on a few auditions,
did a lot of extra work, you know, stuff like that, a lot of
independent films. But then, you know, I was
looking for something with a little more stable income,
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something where I could rely on a paycheck each week.
And, you know, acting was something I always loved doing,
you know, from a very early age.But when it becomes your job, I
lost a little of the love for, you know, it became more work
than fun. So I'd fallen into The Colony
theaters, as Kelly had mentioned, started working there
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in the box office and working backstage on shows.
And that's How I Met Kelly. And I was there at The Colony
for a while, probably close to 10 years.
And and unfortunately landed on some hard times, had to let a
lot of us go. And it was around that time, you
know, I was looking for a new job and voice caster had a spot
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open and Kelly's like, hey, you know, want to come on, come on
over here is like, you know what, sure, that sounds like
fun. So it was just kind of a happy
accident that I landed in the casting world.
But definitely all of my skills in theater, in acting, you know,
the training, you running sound boards, stuff like that.
It all translated into what I dohere on a day-to-day basis.
(05:08):
I'm curious, Kelly, because if I'm doing my math right, so you
were there for about four years prior to becoming the owner,
correct? Yes, I'm sure it was stressful,
but also probably very exciting.Talk us through a little bit of
that transition period and thosethose new roles and
responsibilities. Yeah, I mean, from my
perspective, I feel like, I mean, things shifted, but not in
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a bad way. I mean, we're still good
friends. We still go out and have
margaritas and grab dinner. And like we, you know, like
we're, we're, we're good friendsand we're, we're, we're
partners, you know, so it's likewe do everything together.
We go, we go to all these conferences together and it's
like, you know, we, we don't getsick of each other's.
At least I don't get sick of her.
(05:54):
No, if you can survive travelling together, you can
survive anything. Yes, we used.
To travel together for dance competitions, I was like, if you
can share a hotel room and work together, that's a bonding.
Experience, Yeah, yeah. And I mean, it's, it's one of
those things where it's like, I never, I guess even even when I
took over, it was still like shewas very much a, A partner.
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I think we very much work together.
It's like I ask her advice, something she asked my advice on
things. We, you know, we tackle, you
know, a lot of the same stuff, but also a lot of different
aspects of the business. There's things that she knows
about the company better than I do, you know, So it's like, I
feel like we're very much, you know, we're, we're friends and
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business partners. It's a very clear partnership
that you all are just expanding on more and more with the lab.
Let's go inside the casting office a little bit and how you
do divvy up responsibilities andfind where each person really
thrives and sores and how they take those projects.
I know when project comes in, you know, it always goes to
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Kelly 1st and you know, she works out all the details and
then she'll send it to me a lot of time.
Well, it depends on what it is. Sometimes it just goes directly
out to agencies and managers, but it's something where we're
looking to, you know, bring in people that we know on something
because we have our kind of our own internal list of people that
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we know from classes or people that have reached out to us,
submitted demos through emails and stuff like that.
So we have kind of a list of ourown that we can refer to.
Kelly, you'll send stuff to me. Hey, who do you think would be
good on this? And I'll go and I'll look
through our list of people and Ithink here's who I think would
be perfect for this. And send that back to her.
And then she, you know, adds anyone she thinks might be
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missing. And you know, then that goes out
to actors, agents, managers, so they can submit their auditions
back to us. Do you all share everything from
commercial voiceover? Do you all share all of the
projects and have hands on on both?
Or do either one of you have a afavorite to work on?
No, I mean, I mean, we, we shareall of them, you know, as far as
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favorites to work on. I mean, of course there are
certain projects and certain, sometimes it's the specs,
sometimes it's the script. You know, it's not even
necessarily always like a favorite genre.
It's like commercials. We do a bulk of what we do as
commercials. And even commercials can have
such such a big range where it'slike, you know, there's the more
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straightforward stuff and then there's the stuff that's kind of
out there, you know, and it's like we're working on a project
right now that has what, 14 roles I think it was.
So you know, it's like it's, it's one of those things where
it's like there's, there's so many different ways, you know,
that things can go. It's, it's always different.
Everyday is different. Yeah, we do get a lot of the
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they're just kind of the, you know, kind of vanilla, you know,
we're looking for 20s to 40s, you know, friendly voice.
You know, it's like, OK, yeah, that's fine.
But we get that all the time. So anything that's a little
different, whether it's a an accent or a care more of a
character voice, like the project we're working on now,
the, you know, maybe like a dudevoice or something like that.
You know, those are always kind of fun.
(09:13):
And when you've got like a dozendifferent characters and
especially when it's like one line, it's like, really, how am
I going to decide? They're all great, You know,
anyone, you know, but it's also kind of fun to like go through
our, our list of people and be like, oh, they'd be great on
this one. They'd be good on this one.
This one would be good for this person.
You know, it's kind of fun. And it's like, I feel like, oh,
there's a there's a role on herefor everybody.
(09:34):
So I'm kind of going through, Ohyeah, this guy gets an audition
and this one gets an audition, and that's kind of fun too.
I feel like like and everyone gets a chance on this project.
It's so evident your joy that you both have for the work and
as an actor, it's so it's so nice to hear that joy and that
partnership because we're excited when we get the audition
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and, you know, we're excited when we upload it and, you know,
send it out there. And it's just, I think it's
really good, especially in TimesNow where it's, it's quiet and
there's an evolution happening to, to hear and feel that joy
and that mutual excitement for opportunities.
And that you all are excited forthe actors, but also excited for
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it coming in and those opportunities and those jobs for
them. Which I think is kind of a great
segue to talk about the voice Caster Lab and how that came
about. Because Catherine, you mentioned
you all have a list from past students and, and folks that
have submitted their demos. But I'm curious, what was the
inspiration? I'm assuming that you all
founded the lab, is that correct?
(10:36):
So if you wouldn't mind sharing,what was the inspiration behind
that and how you have built it to a really vast resource of
classes? But also there's modules that
you can also download and do at your own pace as well.
So Voice Caster has offered training since late 80s,
nineties, you know, so there have always been, you know,
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voice over classes that we've offered.
We always had like a core like 3or 4 classes and we still
continue to offer those so that we have, you know, like
basically a beginning, intermediate and advance kind of
a level over the years. One of the, that was actually
probably one of the first thingsthat I did as I was kind of
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taking over as I was like, well,we need to adjust and we need to
have this type of class and we should have this.
And you know, people, people need to learn more about this
part. And you know, so and then when
the pandemic hit, the whole voice over industry shifted.
You know, there was a huge change everything we went from
the only people who really auditioned for Voice Caster
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projects were Los Angeles based talent because we had everybody
coming in studio, we were directing everybody.
If we couldn't direct them, theydidn't read on the project.
You know, it's like we weren't sending out the script.
It was very rare that we would send out the script and have
somebody recorded on their own. And so in 2020 we had to to
completely adjust. You know, it was one of those
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things I remember telling Catherine at the time, I was
like, OK, we will. We'll be fine for like a couple
months. And then after that, you know,
we'll see what we need to change.
You know, I had classes startingand they were all going to be in
studio. And I was like, OK, well, for
years I've talked about getting online, you know, with some of
our classes, finally doing virtual classes, opening up to
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outside of LA talent. And so the pandemic kind of
forced me to do that, you know, And then I started just kind of
seeing a lot of like, oh, you know, it's like people can't
always make the time. It's like we literally had
students from around the world. You know, I had one class where
I had three people who were in Australia.
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It's like, I've had, yeah, I've had people from South Africa and
Germany and the UK and like justeverywhere.
So it's like I have people who are in my classes, you know,
for, for me, it's like, and I moved them a little bit earlier
so that East Coast and stuff, you know, it would, it would
work for them. But then I still had people in
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my classes who were in there at 2:00 AM, you know, it's like a
class from 2:00 AM to 5:00 AM like dedication because I
wouldn't be doing that and a performance class at that.
You know what, I feel like we need something that is on their
own time as well. So it was, it was kind of a it
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was in development for a while. It was one of those things where
it's like, hey, well, I have to film all of these modules and I
have to, you know, we have to get them edited and do all this
stuff. And so I took a little while
putting together, you know what,what kind of classes we wanted
and I knew I wanted a a basics of voice over.
So people just starting out, it was kind of just an easy, you
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know that that course is great because it covers, you know, the
genres. It covers the all of the basics
like an agent or not having an agent.
It covers, you know, being in the union or not being in the
union. All of that is covered in there
so that you can at least get a feel for that as you're just
getting started. And then the kind of signature
course was the finding your authentic voice.
(14:13):
And, you know, we developed thatas a casting directors guide to
authentic connection. You know, and that's, that's
really the biggest thing. It's that that word
conversational that we hear all the time looking for those
relatable voices. So this is a deep dive.
And I've had some people who, I mean, who have been working for
20 years, go through that courseand they're like Kelly, I've
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never seen anything like this. It is so in depth.
They're like, I explored areas of my voice that I've never even
thought about or touched before.That's kind of like the highest
compliment I could get is I'm like, that's that was my plan to
really dig in to figure out, youknow, who you are, how you can
convey that and all the different versions of you as
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opposed to simply playing a character or doing a voice or
putting on something. It's fine finding, finding the
authenticity and all of those different things.
And then from there, it's like we kind of merged into, you
know, I was like, I want to workwith a select group of people.
Like I just want to tackle like it started off with eight.
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We're at 12 now is our Max. But I wanted to put together a
mastermind of talent. So I told people my idea, I got
eight people on board and we dida mastermind last fall and that
that was very successful. We did another one.
(15:37):
We actually just finished a 12 week 1, but that's essentially
12 weeks of every day, you know,working one-on-one with people
working in a group, We're doing workouts.
We go through the finding your authentic voice course as a
group. And it's very, it's very in
depth. And I've had a lot of people
come away from that very successful.
I've booked a lot of people while they're, while they're in
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the mastermind. I'm like, this is amazing.
Like it's working. Something is, is happening, but
it's that community. It's, you know, it's like I give
them my cell phone and I'm like,that's like, that's how close we
get. You know, I'm like, here's my
number. They will text me questions or,
you know, it's like I make myself accessible for those 12
weeks to that that group of people.
(16:19):
And then that kind of then went into the membership, the voice
Caster insiders membership that we started in February because I
was like, OK, I want to help people like this, but on a
broader scale, you know, so not just 12 people, but, you know,
kind of opening that up a littlebit and, you know, making it
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obviously more affordable, but having access to me, Catherine
and Ben and, you know, just justmaking this sort of voice over
community. So the voice over community is
just such an incredible community as it is.
I mean, just so many good people.
And it's, you know, it's the, it's a very supportive
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community. And so a lot of times people are
trying to figure out, especiallywith the way the pandemic kind
of changed things. There's a lot of Facebook pages
and stuff like that, But they are led by sometimes it's
actors, sometimes people who just don't really know anything
about voice over. So it's like, I'm on a couple of
those groups and I'm like, oh, this is really bad advice.
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I hope that person doesn't follow that.
So I was like, well, let's make a, a community where we can, you
know, we do weekly workouts, we do monthly calls where it's
just, you know, Q&A people can just kind of chat.
We are actually doing a, a book club in there right now where
we're, we're reading Atomic Habits by James Clear.
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We just had the first meeting yesterday for the first third of
the book. So you know, it's like we're
doing all of these things just to help people in their voice
over career performance, business as well as personal
development things that are going to, you know, just just
make you better overall. So that's kind of been my.
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Because in the, in the insiders membership, we've got people
that have been in the industry for decades, along with people
that are brand new, you know, that have just been taken a
couple classes. And so you really do get that
whole gamut, you know, from beginner to professional expert,
you know, and, and everyone's giving advice and sharing, you
know, their demos, their websites, you know, giving each
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other feedback. And it's a nice supportive
community. And it's fun to also see like,
you know, there are times when somebody's like, Oh, my, my
focus right, isn't doing this orit's doing this and I need help.
And I'm like, I, I don't know anything about that.
But some of the other members will chime in and be like, oh,
mine did that. Here's the, you know, so it's
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like they can give each other advice as well as having the
access to us, you know, as they have questions.
So yeah, it's, it's been, it's been great.
I love that you both call it a community because that's
something that's like very dear to my heart.
That's a creative community is what I wanted to start here with
the podcast. And I think it's it's so
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beautiful when you can take the competition out and see them as
your fellow collaborators in your community and your support
system. I'm curious if either of you
have or both of you a favorite story from an actor's light bulb
moment from class of whether it be a new actor or a seasoned 1
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where it just it it clicked frombeing able to have that time.
I mean, I know there's so many. I mean the most recent one just
because it, it just happened. So I'm in the middle of a
three-week audition techniques class right now and sent an
audition to one of my students after the first week.
And he ended up booking the job.And so by the time, you know, we
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get into class the second week, he's like, he's like, I had a
great week. And I was like, go ahead and
share with the class, you know, and he was very excited about
that. And you know, it's like it's for
him. He, he was saying like the
biggest thing was being able to,it was kind of two things.
So one being able to go a littlebit bigger and not feeling like
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he always has to give the safe take.
Because in class I was always telling him like, OK, that's
great, but go a step further or dial it up a little bit or, you
know, so it's like take that choice and run with it, you
know, as opposed to keeping it in that safe zone.
And so that really helped him. He's kind of figuring out like,
OK, how how big can I go? You know, is, is there too big?
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Is that you know, so he's that really helped him with that
audition, recording it from home.
And then the other thing, it wasjust in class, I played them
what I hear on the casting side where it's just three to five
seconds of each take. And I played them a track that
was like 5 or 6 minutes long andit's just the three to five
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seconds. And he said that was that was
one of those eye opening things.You know, a lot of people in the
class were like, wow, that was crazy.
Because it's like you get a glimpse into what we hear and
how when you play it safe, nobody stands out.
You know, it's like everybody issounding the same.
They have the same cadence, theyhave the same energy, they have
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the same tone. 1 little adjustment, whether it's a pause
or you emphasize a different word is what pops and stands
out. So he is very aware now,
listening back to those first 3 to 5 seconds on his takes to
make sure it's not just in that safe zone.
(21:44):
So. We did that exercise.
We had a little breakout group at Theo Atlanta.
And I think, yeah, just the stunned reaction we got from
just about everybody in our session was, Oh, my God, I never
thought about things this way, you know, and it really did.
I got, I still get emails from people saying, Oh my gosh, that
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was so eye opening. So that definitely does resonate
with people because you, you wouldn't think about that, you
know, unless you're coming from our side, you know, and people
say that, you know, do somethinga little different, but you
don't really know what that means until you hear it in such
a blatant way of, yeah, here's 5minutes straight of the same
thing. And yeah, those little things
(22:27):
that are different, it really does make you go, oh, wow,
that's pretty incredible. Well, because I think as actors,
unfortunately, to our own detriment, a lot of times we're
very precious with it and we're we're building up and we're, you
know, we're setting the house tour.
You were walking you in to then show you this is the like
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statement piece or, you know, everybody's magical second take
if it's theatrical, you know, and we can't do that now.
We just the, I was just at the SAG Foundation yesterday and
they were talking about how muchthe workload and demand on
casting has gone up exponentially doing self tapes
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because you all are working around the clock virtually and
it's not these office hours. And we have to be mindful of
you're seeing more people, you're hearing more people and,
and being specific with those openers.
That is something that really changed with the pandemic
because before that, you know, we were reaching out to agents,
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they were just submitting us their top three to five and we
would go through those those lists and decide who from that
we wanted to bring in. So we really, at the end of the
day, we're only sorting through,you know, a few dozen auditions
to send to the client versus nowwe just kind of send it out and
whoever wants to participate responds.
(23:52):
And it can be upwards of thousands of auditions you have
to sort through. Yeah, we had 1600 on a project a
couple weeks ago because the spec was just like any gender,
any ethnicity, 20 to 60, you know, it was like wide open.
And here's The thing is like we,we tried to limit the number
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that the agents would send, but when we tell them to send their
top five, then we get the same 5people all the time.
So that has been the issue that we faced is that we can't really
limit the number of options thatthey send, which means on
projects like that, like I thinkone of the agents sent me 120
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people just from one agency. And I'm just like, whoa, that's
like your whole roster. And that is like, but if we had
limited it, we would have heard the same 5 people.
We always hear like how are we going to have new voices?
And one of the things that our clients always, you know, love
with our casting is that we're bringing them new voices.
If they were to send directly tothe agents, they would be
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hearing the same voices all the time.
The top bookers, you know, So it's one of those things where
we we do have to put in more work in order to find the new
voices and not just go with the the default ones.
Top bookers also have the most chance at path, so that that's
that's skewing the optics a little bit. 100% I'm like,
(25:19):
they're the top bookers because they're the only ones being
submitted. Of course they're going to be
the top bookers. Binging your podcast recently
and I heard something that you were talking about like working
with your clients and how that they had been, you know, with
another casting team and then you all brought them like new
voices. And so I want to talk about, I'm
sure you have repeat clients that you've worked with for
(25:40):
years, but how you establish that shorthand with your
clients, but also how you digestwhat they're telling you to then
craft your specs to share with reps and talent.
Because I think there's a lot ofclues and a lot of detail there
that sometimes actors blow past and just give a read versus
digesting it and really talking through the copy.
(26:04):
Yeah, that's a good question. So for specs, it's one of those
things where it's like I'll get on a call or I'll be on these
chains of emails where it's justso many emails back and forth
talking about it. Specs are often created by
multiple creatives. So when you see a spec that says
we want something energetic, upbeat, but it has to be laid
back and mellow, and you're like, what?
(26:26):
Those are the exact opposite, right?
Those are usually it's two different people putting their
say into the specs. And so from there it's like on
our end, we typically leave the specs how they are given to us.
We'll add in some direction, that kind of thing.
But I usually leave it how it's written because I want the actor
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to be able to see that and interpret that and also take
what they want to from it. So I know there are some casting
directors out there who are likethey rewrite the specs, they get
very detailed and they are like,here is this is what we have to
have. You know, if you are not doing
the spec, we don't even want to hear you.
For me, I'm like, do a few takesbefore you even look at the
(27:15):
spec. See what comes out naturally if
we are truly going for the authenticity and the relatable
human, you know, we want those flaws, we want the imperfections
that is going to come from not being stuck in a speck.
And so for me, I'm like, do a few takes before you even look
(27:36):
at the speck. Then look at the speck and take
what actually works for you. So if you're like, I'm actually
a very mellow person, so being like upbeat and cheery is not my
thing, then do that. Don't worry about the upbeat
cheery or those are your two different takes right there.
You do your mellow take first and then you do your upbeat
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cheery take second and you can use the specs like that where
you just break apart the specs. Don't try to be all of those
things all at once because that might be 8 different people's
version of what they want this spot to be.
And there's no authenticity there when you're trying to be 8
different versions of you at once.
(28:18):
Now am I correct in voice over is the same, especially voice
over for commercial is the same as on camera performers where
it's an ad agency and the the brand a lot of different
different office teams are also those eight voices that are
weighing incorrect. Yes, yes.
And sometimes they, it's like the production house is actually
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the one who reaches out to us. So then they, they are then
connecting to the ad agency who's then connecting to the
brand. So it's like sometimes there are
three avenues and we're the fourth in line, you know, so it
just kind of depends on the project.
And then there are also brands where we work with them
directly. Casting process and the audition
process is a little different for Voiceover because it's not
(29:00):
going out really on one of the platforms.
You all are reaching out and have those trusted established
relationships and connections. But once you have your auditions
back in you all's selects as a team, how do you present them?
What are those conversations back and forth with the client
and the ad agency and and or producers to then narrow that
(29:21):
that stream down to the final bookers?
For us, it is, you know, we get all the auditions back.
We go through them. We have similar methods, but you
know, we do what works for us toget to the final number that the
client wants to hear. So that sometimes is five,
sometimes it's 30. Usually 30 is the Max.
(29:44):
And so it's like we might be taking these hundreds or even
thousands of auditions and we need to narrow it down to a Max
of 30. So that takes listening through
a few times, you know, making sure that people are showing
range, making sure that you know, they're they're within the
specs. So even if we tell you like, you
know, throw out the specs and doyour thing, if your thing isn't
(30:06):
somewhere in line with that and makes sense, obviously we would
not submit that. We do submit some wild cards
here and there, but it still hasto work and make sense.
So then from there we will put them on a link.
We send it to the client to listen to.
So then they start their process.
Sometimes I'm on those emails, sometimes I'm not where I will
(30:28):
see, you know, all the back and forth.
They'll have a live document where it's like they're all
making their notes of like, oh, this one could work.
Nope, definitely not on this one.
Or, you know, things like that. So they'll often narrow it down
then to, you know, they'll, they'll all, Nope, they're top
three. So sometimes it's like, OK, if
there's eight people involved inthe final say, they will note,
(30:52):
you know, they're, they're top three.
And a lot of times the person who ends up getting booked is
the person who is on the most lists.
So even if they never get the number one spot for any of these
eight people, if they are on 7 out of eight lists as the second
or third spot, they're kind of the the common denominator and
end up getting the job. Crazy things have happened where
(31:14):
it's like, oh, she sounds too much like my ex-wife.
We can't book that person. And then we've had on the other
side where it's like they're allgreat.
Let's just go with the first oneon the link.
His name started with AC, so alphabetically he just, he got
the job. So it's like we, we hear crazy
things like that as well where it's like it's so subjective,
(31:38):
but then it's also like it couldbe anybody for any reason.
But I think that's important foractors to hear and digest.
I think it's really important toremember the life it takes on
and also good work will create more opportunities down the
road. I've got a few clients, like
when somebody finally does book a job, they'll be like, oh,
(31:59):
we've loved all the auditions you sent in.
They just weren't right for those projects.
But this time it finally all came together.
We're so excited to finally get you on a project.
Yeah. Do you ever know who's listening
and who's remembering what you, what your work is, and what you
sound like? Casting's memory is exceptional.
Truly, truly exceptional. We remember everything.
(32:24):
I would love to hear any advice you have for becoming better
self directors as well as self editors.
Because I think sometimes people, I want to take out all
the breaths and all the little itsy bitsy pieces and it's like
it doesn't even sound even at a point.
And you know, I personally, one of my flaws is I and I do take
(32:46):
it out in the podcast. I don't like how it sounds, but
I know that you can over edit something.
And I would love your perspective on how we as actors
can become better self directorsand self editors of our
auditions before turning them in.
We just tell people just send raw files.
Like even we do that. And even for jobs that we record
here, we just do the raw files. We don't add any compression, we
(33:09):
don't normalize anything. We just give you the and then,
you know, the client or whoever can mess with it.
But yeah, don't, don't take out those unless it's a really loud
gasping breath or, you know, theoccasional mouth click if it's
easy. But, you know, don't, don't
waste your time editing all thatstuff out because nobody's
paying attention to that. And actors are going to hear and
(33:29):
be their own worst critic when it comes to that stuff too.
You'll hear your stuff in your voice that I I'll get notes
back, especially gotten demos. Someone will go, oh, that word
sounds funnier. Oh, I'm like, what are you
talking about? There's a weird breath in here.
I'm like, I don't hear anything.What are you talking about?
So yeah, you're going to hear stuff that nobody else does.
You're going to critique yourself harsher than anybody
(33:51):
else will just, you know, be gentle with yourself and trust
yourself too. With the self directing.
I always tell people, trust yourinstincts.
You know, if you've had the training, you're an actor, You
know what, you have a general idea of what you're doing, you
probably are in a good place, you know, and trust that.
Trust your training, trust your instincts.
You know, if you're, if you're reading a script and you get the
spec and it's telling you to do it a certain way, do that.
(34:14):
That probably is what they're looking for.
Number one word is always simplify.
Yeah, like, just simplify. Like keep, keep the editing
simple. Like you should be able to knock
out a commercial audition in 10 minutes.
That includes recording and editing because it's like you
edit any pickups, things like that, but nothing else.
And then as far as the directinggoes, it's like trust, trust
(34:37):
your instincts, exactly what Catherine said.
And feel how it feels in the booth as opposed to, you know,
just listening and basing it offof that because we all know what
a commercial is supposed to sound like.
And so then you strive to make that be what your audition
sounds like. And guess what?
We don't want the final take foryour audition.
(34:59):
We want the authenticity. We want the connection.
And so it's like when you're in the booth and you're like, yes,
I felt so in it on that take. And then you go to listen back
and you're like, oh, I said thatword funny or oh, I don't like
how I did that. If it felt good, That's the take
to send. Trust the instinct as you're
recording it versus what you're hearing later on.
(35:19):
Yeah, that's how I audition is like if it's on camera, I always
like heart the videos. And then I also have a way to
like save the files when I'm doing my voice over.
Because as you strengthen those muscles, you can feel when it's
real and you can feel when it's presentational.
Are there any easily avoidable mistakes that you're still
seeing in actors, material submissions, auditions, things
(35:43):
like that? Follow directions.
It. Could be for both of us, because
we do spell it out for you. Like everything you need to know
is in the stuff is in the document that we send to you.
It tells you how many takes, howto label it.
You know, all that stuff is there for you.
And when people can't, you know,to slate or not to slate, we
tell you. And when people just can't do
(36:05):
that and it's, you know, sometimes that's the deal
breaker. Like if, you know, when we're
trying to narrow down auditions to send to the client, if you
can't label it right, you're noteven in the running.
You know, just we've got to findways to weed people out because
we just get so many. So being able to follow those
just simple directions, that's ahuge one.
You all have a vast history of working and helping actors craft
their demos. What positively stands out to
(36:28):
you in an actor's materials? Just a range, you know, making
sure every spot doesn't sound the same or that you don't have
a lot of spots that sound the same clump together, You know,
making sure you show that versatility and make sure that
it showcases what you do best. These all should be things that
you can just easily at the drop of a hat.
Do you know, or, or that it sounds like you?
(36:49):
Because we've had issues where demos don't sound like the
people we've had. We do casting sometimes just off
of demos where the client just wants to hear demos as opposed
to auditions. And we've had at least once or
twice, you know, the client picks somebody off their demo,
they get in the booth to record the audition and the clients
like this person doesn't sound like their demo.
So making sure it sounds like you.
(37:10):
And in one case, I'm guessing it's probably the the same 1
Catherine's thinking of it's like could not even get as deep
as the first spot on his demo. The first spot on your demo
should be what you sound like. If you were to, you know, get on
the phone with me or walk into my office, you know, it's like
that should be what I'm hearing.And I will add to that, that
there is too much range on a commercial demo.
(37:33):
There is such a thing as too much range.
Just if you were doing all of these different spots and each
one sounds like a different person, then when I hear that
I'm like, OK, great range. However, I'm not quite sure
where to put you on the commercial side.
Like what is your main thing? What is your signature?
And then show me range from there.
(37:54):
So we really need to have that signature solidified so that
there's some sort of through line on who you are and what you
sound like. I really appreciate you saying
that because I think there is often a misconception.
And I mean, I grew up in community theatre, but I'm aware
that the real industry is not community theatre.
I cannot play 7 and 7D because it's community theatre.
(38:14):
And I think there's this misconception.
As actors, it's like if we can show them everything, we're up
for everything. And you're not going to get
everything you can do on your demo, like your demo 60 to 90
seconds. There's no way you can pack
everything you could possibly do.
It's just, it was an idea. Yeah, exactly.
Strongest things. These are the things you book
the most or kind of how you wantto market yourself.
(38:35):
Kind of think about it that way,as opposed to trying to cram
everything you can possibly do into this little time frame.
Any advice for periods that are quiet of how actors can improve
their skills, their materials? Any little take away Nuggets?
That's a great time to do classes, you know, just making
sure you're staying up or even workout groups.
So like we've got a workout group.
(38:56):
There's a a lot of other people out there that offer similar
services. Just something to kind of stay
in shape, if you will, you know,keeping those, you know, that
cold reading muscle going, you know, things like that.
And even just doing, you know, Ialways tell actors, make sure
you're reading out loud 15 minutes a day just to keep those
cold reading skills active because you don't always get a
(39:17):
script ahead of time. It's nice when you do, but it's
not guaranteed. Or maybe you'll get it ahead of
time and then they rewrite it between now and then.
So, you know, being able to workoff the fly is important.
So just kind of those little things or it's a great time to
network with people, you know, reach out, get together with
other actors. Seek out feedback and seek out
community. I think those are the biggest
things is like you as as actors,you are now your own director,
(39:42):
you're your own engineer. It's like you're not getting
that direction and that feedbackuntil you book a job and you get
into a session. But even then, you're not
getting feedback on your auditions.
You're getting told to do more energy or smooth this out or
inflect up here or highlight this.
It's not the same as the audition process.
So getting that feedback on youraudition reads is super
(40:04):
important. And then seeking out that
community, you know, it's like when we go through slower times
and there's just natural ebbs and flows in the industry.
That's just how it is. I get a lot of panicked emails
from people who are like, I haven't gotten an audition from
you in two weeks. Like, did I do something wrong?
Is everything OK? And I'm like.
It's OK, things slow down once in a while or we go through
(40:29):
spurts where it's like it's thisspec for two weeks and it's like
we see the same spec over and over and then it shifts and we
see something else, you know, sothings, things change.
But by seeking out that community, you can also know, I
know there's been a lot of talk about it in our insiders
community where people are like,I'm just so glad to know I'm not
alone, that my auditions have kind of came to a halt for the
(40:52):
last week or two. You know, they, they're able to
be like, Oh yeah, me too. OK.
It must just be a normal thing, you know, Cuz it's like we can
tell them it's a normal thing, but there's still that panic in
your mind of like, is it ever going to pick up again?
Am I ever going to be odd to share?
That way too. Yeah, of course.
Casting times too. It was like, oh gosh, are we
(41:14):
ever going to get a casting in again?
And then we get 10. And I think that's why it's so
important. I'm such an advocate for
training and educating with those whose heart is in it for
actors, but also sees the other side of it from a professional
standpoint because you can pull the curtain back in a very
different way than someone who is talented at teaching but
(41:37):
doesn't understand. You know, I know for myself,
right before the commercial contract, you know, expired and
with the contract was extended, it was a flood of auditions.
It was a flood because everybodydidn't know what was going to
happen. And then it got very, very, very
quiet. And now it's starting to pick
back up. But because I'm very involved in
the union, I understood what wasgoing on.
(41:59):
But it's still, I don't think sometimes there's the thought
process of what's happening behind the scenes of why it's
that ebb and flow. I heard you all share something
really interesting on your podcast about doing your
research but not to copy past work because if they wanted
that, that's what they would hire.
I would love if you could go into a little bit more detail of
(42:19):
doing your research because we as actors we love.
We'd love to find out what the product is, see past examples,
but not try to just copy yourself over top of that still
bring ourselves to. I think one of the biggest
things is, you know, as you first of all, look up the
product. I mean, you have to know what
the product is. We have done some casting where
(42:39):
it's like, oh, you know, somebody will ask me for
feedback or something after I'llbe doing a consult and they'll
be like, you know, what even is this?
And I'll be like, Oh well, it's this.
And they'll be like, Oh well, I thought it was this.
And so like you didn't even think to Google it.
I mean, like, do your at least know what the product is?
Doing that sort of research, youcan also get a lot from OK, do
(43:01):
they, what kind of music do theytypically use?
What kind of visuals do they have?
Is, is everything you know, in, in kind of a general sense?
Is it more energetic? Is it more laid back?
Is it more cool? Is it more bright and upbeat?
You know, it's kind of just getting a general overall feel.
Don't try to mimic the voice because yes, they could just go
(43:21):
back and get that voice or if they wanted that voice, they
would tell us that and we'd be like, we want something like
this because this person is not available.
Or, you know, we've had it happen where it's like it was a
non union project. That person joined the union.
So now we need to find a new nonunion talent, you know, so it's
things like that where it's like, OK, we want something in
the same zone. If we ask for that, then yes,
(43:45):
pay attention to it. Otherwise, don't even worry
about the voice. They are looking for something
new. And you know, it's we cast Taco
Bell for many, many, many years.And it was like, I mean, it was
like a weekly thing. They would come in with the same
spec every single time and we'relike, OK, great.
(44:05):
They didn't want to go back through old cast.
They wanted to hear new people every time and they would book
somebody different every time. And it's so funny because like,
if you would listen to these spots, there are subtle
differences, but they're all thedifferent voices essentially
doing the same thing. But it's just one of those
things where it's like they wantall of the different voices, you
(44:28):
know, so it's, it's not getting caught up in what you're hearing
or trying to mimic that because again, you're, you're going to
be giving that final spot read for the audition.
And we want that authenticity. We want to hear you.
We want the personality, we wantthe humanness, the
imperfections, the flaws. That's What stands out in an
Audition will direct you to thatfinal spot once you book it.
(44:53):
And I kind of building on that, like, I'll tell people, you
know, feel free to, you know, research maybe what they've done
in the past or get familiar withwhat brands sound like because
McDonald's sounds different thanjack-in-the-box, which sounds
different than Taco Bell. You know, they're all fast food,
but they do have a different sound that they're going for
kind of a different audience they're talking to.
It can be helpful to know what that sound is.
(45:15):
But yeah, every so often they, you know, these companies do
change things up or they're like, you know, let's let's
rebrand and, you know, go in a completely different direction.
So if you're falling back on that, what they've done in the
past, that's not going to be helpful.
But it can be, you know, if it'sjust a normal commercial spot,
you know, you're not seeing anything that leads you to
believe it's something brand new, it can be helpful to kind
of hear, OK, this is typically what their ads sound like.
(45:37):
So maybe give a take that's in that direction.
But yeah, definitely don't be married to it.
Take it with a grain of salt. I want to go back to the story
about the the first 3 to 5 seconds of an audition of a
read. What holds your attention and
makes you want to listen to more?
And I know that's hard to quantify, but if there is
something that is able to be verbalized, I'd love to talk
(46:00):
about it. Yeah, for me it is.
I'm listening for the connection.
I can usually tell right away ifpeople are going into voice over
voice or if they're coming from somewhere authentic, if they
have some sort of a point of view or some sort of intention
that has to be there right from the first word.
Whether that's using a lead in sentence or coming off of like
(46:21):
somebody asking you a question, you know, something like that
that gets you there for that first word.
So often actors tend to kind of work their way in, but I don't
have time for you to work your way in.
You know, it's by the second or third sentence, I'm like, yes,
this is exactly what we need. So it's like if I'm directing
you, I can be like, OK, just go right into another one.
You were there for the second-half.
(46:42):
We just need that from the top and we get that from the top.
But a lot of times, you know, when they're self directing,
it's like, and then by the end it's like, OK, that I was there.
That felt good. And it's like, but were you
there from the first word? So that's something to just kind
of consider because, and we can hear that connection if it feels
more presentational or rhetorical versus actually, you
(47:03):
know, being there and talking tosomebody or asking them a
question, you know, things like that.
And then it's like sometimes it's just a different emphasis
or a different pause that catches my attention whether it
works or not. You know, it's like, don't do
something different just for thesake of being different.
But if you go through that firstsentence and emphasize each
(47:25):
word, you know, read through andemphasize the first word, read
through it again, emphasize the second word, you're going to
find some some very interesting takes that work.
And it's like how you first interpreted it.
Your first instinct is probably everybody else's first instinct.
So that's probably what everybody else is doing on their
first take. So you need to do something
(47:47):
different. I have a little post it note in
my my setup where I recorded andI said, are you talking or are
you reading? Because I think you need that
reminder because it's so easy because we don't have to be off
book for voiceover. There's such a, an instinct to
read it and it sounds so different to the audience and,
and you know what your intentions are, but you can't
(48:09):
send 3 paragraphs for like, thisis my process, this is what I'm
envisioning. This is, this is where I'm at.
So thank you for talking about that.
As we wind down, I do want to talk a little bit more about the
lab because I'm joining one of your classes this summer.
I'm so excited for it. It came so highly recommended
from a very trusted friend of mine who had had been in your
classes in the past. For someone who is looking at
(48:30):
the website and doesn't know where to start, how can they
reach out and ask for guidance or help to find which class is
right for them to start I. Mean they can call or e-mail us,
yeah. But yeah, just reach out and
just give us a little bit of your background.
You know, if you're brand new tovoice over, that's awesome.
You know, our commercial 1 is a great place to start.
Or if you're looking for animation, we've got an intro to
animation and video games. Those are both great beginner
(48:52):
classes. No prerequisites for those, but
if you do have a background in some voice over, maybe you've
taken a class here, there. Just let us know that and
that'll help us better guide youto what might be, what you're
looking for, what might be suitable.
Yeah, we have such a wide range now.
You know, it's like we have a lot of lot of commercial classes
we have yeah, commercial one, commercial 2, our audition
(49:16):
techniques, commercial pros. We have the variety lab, which
is, you know, what I'm going to be doing in a few weeks here, I
think, but that's where I'm going to be covering all the
different genres. So it's like a six week class
where we're going to touch on everything, you know, just kind
of giving that that overview. So as people get a one off
(49:37):
audition for something, it's like they at least know how to
approach it. And it's also a good class to
kind of figure out what areas you want to start to focus in on
as far as pursuing. It's like we have such a variety
of things. We have an accents class.
We have all of our, our workout groups, whether they're in
studio or online. And then of course we have the
(49:58):
on demand classes. We have the communities.
We, you know, it's like there are so many things that I, I, I
know the website can be overwhelming.
There's a lot. Of.
Exciting. Like variety, but I was like, I
was like, oh, I want to add thatto cart I.
Think we do offer these classes usually more than once a year,
so if you can't afford or don't have time to take them all right
(50:18):
now, spread them out and we offer them again.
We are always happy to answer questions and help guide people
into, you know, what they, what they should be doing along with
what they want to be doing. We'll answer any questions.
As far as what the classes entail, you know, one thing
about all of our classes is thatyou are always working on
scripts. They are not lecture based where
(50:40):
you're just listening to somebody talk for three hours.
You are actually working on copy.
You get to watch everybody else work on the copy.
So there's a there's a lot of hands on experience in our
workshops. Amazing.
Well, thank you for sharing thatbecause I think that was my, my
one thing I wanted to be sure and we'll link everything in the
show notes. I think it empowers actors to
(51:02):
feel more confident in that investment and, and their
selection and the, the validation that yes, that is
that's the class I'm drawn to, but that's the, the class that's
right for me. Ladies, this has been so, so
fun. We close every episode the same
way. What is one thing you wish you
could go back until your youngerself?
Don't stress so much. Everything will be fine.
You know, I remember especially when I was in like high school,
(51:25):
college, I was like, oh, I got to get out to LA.
I'm I'm wasting time out here. I got to get out there where
everything's happening. It's like just just relax.
It's fine. Everything will work out.
We kind of have two things. One of them is consistency is
key. Like just just keep that.
It's it's more about discipline than it is about motivation.
(51:46):
Motivation is temporary. Discipline is you do it every
day. Just keep working out whatever
you want to achieve. You can't achieve it with
consistency and discipline. And the second thing is, 70%
perfect is perfect. I have always been a
perfectionist, and what has changed my life over the last,
(52:07):
especially five years since the pandemic, is realizing that I
don't have to be perfect. So now I have an idea and I put
it into practice. Even if I don't have it all
fleshed out yet, even if it's not perfect, I'm like, if I have
70% there, it's ready for the world.
(52:29):
I can tweak and adjust as I go. So 70% perfect is perfect.
Amazing. And I that's why I love that
question so much because more often than not, it's something
that people need to hear today as well.
It's not just for the past. Thank you both so much for
making the time and thank you for the opportunities that
you're cultivating both as jobs,but also the educational
(52:51):
resources. It's such a value to actors and
I really appreciate you both. Thank you so much for having us.
Hi everyone, thanks for listening and being the absolute
best part of our creative community here at What's My
Frame? If you'd like to learn more
about our guests, please check out the show notes and please
join us on socials at What's My Frame?
To stay in the know for upcomingevents, I'm your host, Laura
(53:13):
Linda Bradley. We'll see you next Monday.
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