Voice Acting Training and Business Blog

Steven Kearney’s close encounter with Stephen Spielberg…

From the “IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION” Files: this text just in to Samantha from Big Apple ‘Traxer STEVEN KEARNEY, whose latest booking packed a pretty HUGE surprise!

“Booked a job for yesterday w a 6:45AM call on the set of a movie called “The Post” (starring Hanks & Streep). Movie shooting on location in a beautiful old library on campus of Columbia University. Kearney hired as a voice-match for deceased Watergate villain John Erlichman. Myself, a guy doing Nixon, and a few others hired to recreate a phone conversation or two re: Watergate.

At 7:15am a gentleman in a long-sleeved shirt, vest, and tie walks into this back conference room – rigged and staffed by sound guys w recording gear and a handheld boom mic – who will be directing our session.

Stephen Spielberg.

He could not have been nicer, Samantha. He knew what he wanted, he was calm, kind, and totally engaged in every word of what we were doing. An unforgettable 30 min’s of my voice acting career – and I was ready for it. Not at all nervous… just give it to him. Trust it. Let it go.

Your boy, Steven Kearney, being directed in a (tiny) voice role in a major motion picture by Sir Stephen Spielberg.

Do the work, move it forward, give every audition your best effort, and ya never know who you’ll run into in this business.

Happy Friday Samantha Paris.

Much love, Steven”

We couldn’t be prouder of you, Steven! And just a little footnote about this: notice how Steven said he was “READY for it”? That’s just one of many reasons we don’t knock demos together after six months of training. We want EVERY Voicetrax Student just as ready as Steven was by the time they enter the field.

Jul

‘Traxer Typecasting

BREAKING from FREMONT: More ‘Traxers have been spotted converging on unsuspecting voice-over bookings! This one continues a Star One campaign featuring VT Guest Directors LOUISA MACKINTOSH and CHUCK KOUROUKLIS, as a snappy fed-up customer and a blustery windbag bank manager, respectively (SO against type for both…)

“There is nothing better than walking into a session to find out you’re working with another actor… oh wait yes there is… when the other actor is Chuck K! …Doing our second session together for Star One Credit Union. It was fun for me to watch a master at work, listen to it real time in a session.” – Louisa

“I hope this campaign goes on forever! Working with a performer who’s as generous and reactive as Louisa makes everything SO MUCH EASIER, particularly when there’s a call for wild line options after some live runs with your partner. Louisa helped me set my guy right up and keep him anchored!” – Chuck

Hit the video below for the finished radio spot. And you just never know – your fellow student of today may very well be your professional partner in crime tomorrow!

BREAKING from FREMONT: More ‘Traxers have been spotted converging on unsuspecting voice-over bookings! This one continues a Star One campaign featuring VT Guest Directors LOUISA MACKINTOSH and CHUCK KOUROUKLIS, as a snappy fed-up customer and a blustery windbag bank manager, respectively (SO against type for both…) “There is nothing better than walking into a session to find out you're working with another actor… oh wait yes there is… when the other actor is Chuck K! Doing our second session together for Star One Credit Union. It was fun for me to watch a master at work, listen to it real time in a session.” – Louisa “I hope this campaign goes on forever! Working with a performer who’s as generous and reactive as Louisa makes everything SO MUCH EASIER, particularly when there’s a call for wild line options after some live runs with your partner. Louisa helped me set my guy right up and keep him anchored!” – ChuckHit the video below for the finished radio spot. And you just never know – your fellow student of today may very well be your professional partner in crime tomorrow!

Posted by Voicetrax SF on Friday, July 21, 2017

Jun

‘Traxers on Audio Tour Narration

DATELINE: BAY AREA AUDIO TOUR BOOKINGS! One of many great things about Antenna Audio Producer/Guest Director PETER DUNNE is that if he overhears us talking about student bookings, he’s all too happy to update us on what ‘Traxers have booked! Lately he tells us of a DeGas Impressionism and Millenary exhibit at the Palace Of The Legion Of Honor, narrated by ‘Traxer NINA GREELEY and featuring character voices from ‘Traxers SCOTT KESSLER and JOHN ELLSWORTH – who also did characters for an exhibit at the Nation History Museum in Washington DC! But the ‘Traxer Peter calls a “bulldog” is none other than MICHAEL RANKINS, who tore through 4 hours on one day and 2 ½ the next for a Patek Phillippe Grand Exhibition at Cipriani in New York! And Michael was kind enough to give us a glimpse behind the scenes:

“I’ve done several previous audio tour projects with Voicetrax guest director Peter Dunne, but nothing quite like the one we recently completed for Patek Philippe: The Art of Watches Grand Exhibition, coming to New York City in July. It was a 10,000-word (!) script, all straight narration (that is, no sound inserts by expert commentators, just Yours Truly speaking). We recorded the tour in two marathon sessions, with a one-day break in between. This was a daunting challenge, in terms of both mental focus and physical/vocal stamina. (Stay hydrated, my friends!) But with Peter’s always positive direction, plus the excellent narration training I’ve picked up over the years from great Voicetrax instructors like Thom Pinto and Chuck Kourouklis, the hours flew by smoothly.

Three keys to a lengthy narration: 1. Keep focused and on task. 2. Stay consistent in character (and yes, your narrator is a character, even if you’re using your natural voice and accent). 3. Don’t let complex or awkward sentences, challenging words and phrases, or your own mistakes throw you off your game. If you flub — and you will — simply pause, pick yourself up, and move along.

P.S. I now have a renewed appreciation for my colleagues who record audiobooks, with scripts several times the length of this one!”

Jun

Would you trust these men with your message?

A new class with Thom Pinto is always an event – but how about “Men Only: WELCOME TO ANNOUNCERVILLE!” You’ve seen the specs: “NO Announcers…” “We want REAL and CONVERSATIONAL…” “Announcers will be SKIPPED…” and only in about 11 out of every 10 auditions you receive, right? So you might assume “announcers” have gone the way of the Dodo (not to be confused with any of our statuesque he-men in the class pic, btw). But if you pay attention to what’s actu…ally getting produced these days, you find there’s still a LOT of “announcing” going on out there – and it’s up to a good voice actor to figure out just how much “announcing” to do! Some lucky ‘Traxers learned from the best this weekend, and here’s what a few of them had to say:

“It was an insightful look into the world of announcing as it relates to the auditions we get everyday. I definitely feel like I have a deeper understanding myself of what an announcer is and is not. Pinto worked his magic once again.” – Devin Glischinski

“As it is in most types of voiceover, the lesson here was much more prevalent: pick your moment(s), let most of the copy do the leg work, but put your mark on it by finding a moment in which to put your own personal accent on the piece. Thus making it memorable and competitive.” – Aaron Miner

“We were given permission not just to be announcers as an exercise, but to see and accept announcing as okay (or necessary, sometimes) in the real world, even when we’re confronted with specs that explicitly say it’s not. Learning how to think of and approach announcing as varied and, dare I say, subtle, rather than a binary choice of being bad or not being bad was important and revelatory.” – Christian Nielson-Buckholdt

May

NO degrees of separation…

From the NO DEGREES OF SEPARATION File: ‘Traxers always seem to be bumping into each other at gigs all over, and JULIE HANCOCK and TOM SAWYER are the latest to experience this increasingly common phenomenon! When a call came into the office requesting someone with a comedy background to narrate an interactive series for COOK’S PANTRY, Tom was the obvious choice! And when that same project sought out a hip, young lady, Tom told a classmate – Julie! The very same Julie who just made her own score, right out of the Booking Gigs 123 class for EQUIVVY TRANSPORTATION on Voice 123.com! Julie had these insights about the Equivvy job:

“I remember in my Voice-Over Angel class, Guest Director Thom Pinto said to make the company representatives accountable in the session – and I don’t know how, but that came to me when I was in session and the rep was talking to the director to tell me to do things, even though we were all on the phone together. So I asked her directly if X was the direction she was thinking of and I felt like it created a much more open space where everyone was more involved in the final product and not shy about sharing ideas!”

We wonder how long it’ll be until Julie’s in something with the one lady, who was in that thing with the dude, who was in that show with Kevin Bacon…

May

Booking Gigs on paid casting sites…

FROM THE CLASSROOM STRAIGHT TO BOOKINGS: as easy as 1-2-3! While we have to stop shy of guaranteeing results on paid casting sites like Voice123.com, having a class under your belt like Booking Gigs 123 sure seems to help! Guest Director Vicki Baum is a 123 VET, and from her years of experience, she’s figured out all the ins and outs on the best use of your time on paid voice casting sites! Just ask ‘Traxers ARI SIGAL and FAYE JAIME – who booked their jobs immediately after finishing Vicki’s class!

“After a while of feeling really unsure with Voice123 and how it was going for me there, I just booked my first gig off of it — and within weeks of finishing the Booking Gigs 123 class! I really think that class helped give me the confidence to choose the right auditions and feel more comfortable in general with the process. It was a short, very real-sounding VO for a safe driving PSA playing a teenage daughter. I was able to record the whole thing from home. They wanted a few takes to choose from, so I got to implement all that great three-in-a-row training, and I got it to them within a day! All in all it was a super quick, great experience and I was so happy to have all my Voicetrax training to get me there and to help me feel more confident every step of the way.

Thanks!
Ari”

“It was a Pandora/ Wellness Natural Cat Food . 30 sec spot. I auditioned for it on Voice 123…

What did I learn at Voicetrax that helped me with the job? Well a short answer is EVERYTHING… But really, specifically the self-direction that I’ve learned and continue to learn is key. What has really been helping me lately is the direction we give each other in class because it allows me to step outside of the booth and focus on what really needs to happen in the read from a director’s perspective. Also during my recording session I got stuck on one line that I just couldn’t read the way they were telling me to, and it took a lot of takes to get it right. I had to get out of my head and let go to be able to read it in a different way. That is something I took from the session that I would like to continue to work on…

This was definitely a great learning experience and a big confidence boost as well as a reminder of things I still have to work on, but I also felt prepared in so many ways thanks to all the classes and the amazing teachers I’m lucky to learn from at Voicetrax.

Thank you!
Faye”

May

Raising the voice acting roof!

From the COMMANDO VOICE-OVER files: you never know what you might encounter on a booking with a madcap genius writer/director… unless that same madcap genius writer/director has also been your teacher at Voicetrax! Bay Area Comedy Radio Guru and Guest Director SAM POND ran ‘Traxer LIZ O’NEILL through some unusual paces on Friday; Sam wanted an outdoor ambience – and since nothing sounds more like the outdoors than… well, uh… the actual OUTDOORS, Sam was more than willing to throw the environment out the actual window! And as squirrel and sparrow alike rose and gave audience, a great time was had by all! According to Liz:

“What could be better than recording with Sam Pond? Recording with Sam Pond outside!! We had a blast recording al fresco to capture authentic ambient sound quality. Sam was directing us out a window! This was a session that set the bar for fun, creativity and working with the best. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Moral of the story? NO TWO DAYS ARE ALIKE in the life of a voice-actor – and if you’re ready for ANYTHING, you might just be in for a LOT MORE FUN than you were expecting!

May

The FIRST VOICETRAX 500!

From the PERSISTENCE PAYS files, a HOT NEW SCOOP: we just held our inaugural session of the VOICETRAX 500 – so named because students auditioned at home to compete for a grand prize of $500 worth of Voicetrax classes, one of our BIGGEST PRIZES yet! And the results are IN. From an initial field of about 40 students recording home auditions, our panel of judges painstakingly narrowed the field down to 14 finalists, who enjoyed a Saturday class getting a comprehensive review of their work with Samantha. After a full day of listening to and working with the students, Sam had a winner in mind – but that initial panel of judges came to their own conclusions too! Uh-oh – how did that all play out? You’ll just have to watch the attached video to see… Hope you enjoy the moment as much as we did, because we just never EVER get tired of witnessing hard work paying off!

From the PERSISTENCE PAYS files, a HOT NEW SCOOP: we just held our inaugural session of the VOICTRAX 500 – so named because students auditioned at home to compete for a grand prize of $500 worth of Voicetrax classes, one of our BIGGEST PRIZES yet! And the results are IN. From an initial field of about 40 students recording home auditions, our panel of judges painstakingly narrowed the field down to 14 finalists, who enjoyed a Saturday class getting a comprehensive review of their work with Samantha. After a full day of listening to and working with the students, Sam had a winner in mind – but that initial panel of judges came to their own conclusions too! Uh-oh – how did that all play out? You’ll just have to watch the attached video to see… Hope you enjoy the moment as much as we did, because we just never EVER get tired of witnessing hard work paying off!

Posted by Voicetrax SF on Friday, May 5, 2017

May

Great Scott! What a class!

From the WILDLY SUCCESSFUL DEBUT CLASS files: we all know that dreaded “conversational” spec – the one you come across over and over and OVER AGAIN in auditions. Isn’t it great when you have a breezy new Guest Director who’s made an entire career of that very thing in LA? Who can show you not only how to attack that direction, but also how to work a TON of variety into it? And isn’t it best of all when your sides are sore from laughing NON-STOP after taking such a class? That’s what Freshly Minted Guest Director SCOTT PARKIN brought from LA to “Invitational Fifty Shades of Real” this weekend! And it looks like Scott had a ball too!

“ ’Wow’… that’s the only way I can think to start this letter off. Wow what an incredible experience to work with Voicetrax students this weekend. A passionate, brave and talented group. Such a wonderfully tight knit community as well. Everybody roots for each other and jumps at the chance to help. I found it incredibly refreshing and awesome to work in that environment. We went at it hard and covered so many aspects of my curriculum and they answered every challenge. Everyone seemed to stretch into areas they hadn’t been and that is just the coolest thing for a teacher to be a part of. Thank you so very much. I will do that anytime there is a slot for me ”

– Scott Parkin

Apr

Preparation + Opportunity =…

Here’s the latest and hottest from the DON’T-NEED-AN-AGENT-TO-START-WORKING FILE: ‘Traxer DIANA HAVEN’S FIRST BOOKING! This won’t be the first ‘Traxer story you’ve read about a “friend of a friend” needing someone to voice a project, but the twist here is that Diana was thrown some challenges – JUST AFTER she’d had a class on dealing with them! And now, we’ll just let her take over:

“So, the ‘Booking Gigs 123’ class literally paid for itself after just two classes this past week. They say ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity,’ right? Well, this was the perfect example.

My friend Kim is the PR Director for the Kapor Center in Oakland. On Friday afternoon she called me with an urgent need to hire voiceover talent for a video she was helping produce… The initial VO they had hired wasn’t a fit, and she was hoping I’d be interested. Of course the catch was she needed it in two days, and it was a four minute video where the director needed to patch in while I was recording. Since I had just learned about phone patching in class, as well as what the going rate for a four-minute video should generally be, I was able to say yes without hesitation… I recorded an audition that night, which they liked, and two days later recorded a final cut that required no pick-ups!”

Here’s the link, and we couldn’t be PROUDER OF and MORE THRILLED WITH the way Diana handled herself on her FIRST JOB – one of MANY TO COME!

Apr

‘Traxers DeScending on DeYoung

THERE ARE NO SMALL ROLES, ONLY SMALL ACTORS. Just ask Guest Directors VICKI BAUM and JIM EDGAR, and ‘Traxer SEAN CAIN! When Guest Director Peter Dunne approached them to provide a few character lines for the upcoming “Summer Of Love” exhibition at the DeYoung Musuem, they all said “HELL YEAH!” – and that was BEFORE they knew the main narrator was another Voicetrax Guest Director you all may have heard of: PETER COYOTE! Gold star to anyone who can guess which of the three said, “I don’t give a DAMN if it’s only one line, I’m in an audio tour with PETER F-ING’ COYOTE!”

The tour is coming to the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco April 8, and running through August 20! Follow the link below for more information – and when you go, listen carefully so you don’t miss their stellar performances!

Mar

They could tell you more, but then…

DATELINE: SAUSALITO, CA – Recon debriefing from six assets in the field indicates a MAJOR MISSION SUCCESS! One of Voicetrax’s top guest directors – among the top animation agents in the country – has developed a brilliant new lab format called Invitational Secret Agent Character Protocol! And thanks to the wild success of this first mission, there’s another Secret Agent Character Protocol coming up in June, for any of you Advanced and Working Pro ‘Traxers who want your shot! Meantime, the super-advanced ‘Traxer Vets and Guest Directors who took part in Sunday’s opening foray have now been cleared to declassify their activities:

Aaron Miner: This class was really an eye opener, to such a point where I didn’t sleep well last night because I was replaying so much of what happened in my head! To be more specific, I learned a better mindset in dealing with my nerves. This was the best of the best in this class and I was one of them. First I had to believe that I belonged there, second in order for me believe that, I had to let go, completely. Letting go of over thinking, letting go of DOUBT allowed me to see the scene and act to it better, which was wonderfully freeing. This class taught me that by letting go, I can go back to having the fun I used to have when I first started here. Overall this was so refreshing and eye opening, and I can’t wait to do this again!! Thanks!!

Liz O’Neill: Secret Agent’s first secret is no room for safe choices; no place for predictable performance; no art in the easy path. Secret Agent’s second secret is to live in that mindset you need mad, mad skills. If you don’t have them now, don’t worry. Get them. Find them. Hone them. If you have some now, build on them. Deepen them. Be terrible and then be great. Secret Agent’s third secret is passion. Don’t turn your back on it… I seriously did not sleep for two nights after this lab. I was so charged up. My subconscious was just having a field day. So grateful to have been a part of it and to have been with you two.

Roni Gallimore: It was an amazing experience to have such a small group of professional talent in one action packed class. As always, working with our Secret Agent is eye opening because she has such a different industry POV. I think the two biggest things I took away were: 1) even people I look up to can benefit from direction & 2) there is great skill in being a utility player and I need to accept every challenge that gets me closer to where that bar is.

Vicki Baum: One of the things I love most about voice-over is you never quite master it – so I am always searching for the next educational challenge, the next opportunity to be pushed into wonderfully uncomfortable ground to expand my skills. This special lab was just that. Instead of being intimidated by the talent in the room and by performing for one of the biggest animation agents in the country (and trust me it would have been easy to be), I was energized and inspired to dig in and go for it. When I did, good things happened, which is an incredibly important mental association to cultivate. I felt so damn empowered and pumped walking out of this class, ready to take risks in all my auditions to come. An amazing way to spend a Sunday!

Chuck Kourouklis: This lab was my sorely-needed Italian tune-up (when you have a cranky old Maserati or Ferrari with oil-fouled spark plugs, you just rev the bejeezus out of the thing till it runs smoothly again). And it was a vivid demonstration of something you hear from day one at Voicetrax: you’ve got to consider what the top actors in your category will do and figure out a way to MAKE YOUR AUDITION STAND OUT. Our Secret Agent not only has a thumb directly on the pulse of what actually books jobs, she directs with the very best blend of an actor’s mentality and a top agent’s insight. One of the best exercises I can recall and a great way to take some overdue personal stock as a performer.

Brian Sommer: For me, It was the honest and no nonsense atmosphere. No theory, no exercises, no excuses. It was less a class, and more of a drill. The take was either right or it was not. Period. This workout let everyone know, in no uncertain terms, exactly where their skill level was in comparison to the top pros in the industry. Having not been a student in a long time, it was the perfect opportunity to be critiqued by someone whose experience and knowledge makes her comments unquestionable. I had a ball!! Thanks Secret Agent.

Mar

Success, fresh out of the Barnes…

SURPRISE HEADLINE OF THE DAY: perspiration, persistence, and most of all PATIENCE have (once again) paid off! ‘Traxer MICHAEL BARNES is now enjoying the first fruit of his carefully cultivated preparation as a voice actor:

“So, I just recorded my very first paid voiceover session! It was a direct booking Nate got me by submitting my demo, and it was a radio commercial dialogue script for a hardware company. Pretty typical; husband and wife conversational. It was hard because there isn’t a lot of feedback, but it only took 25 minutes to record, and they didn’t kick me out….so we’re assuming they got wanted they wanted!

Thankfully I had the Voicetrax experience in my head the whole time keeping me calm – or at least playing the part of the cool, calm, experienced voice actor (that’s why it’s acting)!!

The thing that happened that really made me think about Voicetrax is when the director asked me for three in a row on one line. I know I needed something fast, and thankfully the training kicked in to help.

Again, thank you all for your help and guidance over the years. Today was a long time in the making, but I knew it would happen eventually! Thank you all, love you all, and the best is yet to come!”

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of hard work, but not so much about trusting the process – and that’s what Michael exemplifies! He simply remained steadfast and dedicated to his training, knowing that if he refused to give up, his moment WOULD COME. At no point did he chafe or try to push things before he was ready, but instead he waited till Sam gave him the green light and produced his demo.

Lo and behold, that moment is now here! Congratulations, Michael! And we couldn’t be prouder and happier about your success.

Mar

Audio Tours bringing cold cash Monet…

Because NOTHING tickles us like another case from the ‘TRAXER BOOKINGS file: how about some kudos now for SCOTT KESSLER! Scott’s really been coming into his own as a narrator, but this job with Voicetrax Guest Director/Audio Tour Extraordinaire PETER DUNNE took a new turn:

“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to work with Peter on the Monet: The Early Years exhibit at the Legion Of Honor Museum, in San Francisco. I recorded four character voices, which I understand are already edited and ‘in the can’. I love audio tour stories. They’re vivid, visual, and have a heartbeat. I just love them.”

And we just love hearing about your success after all the sweat equity you’ve put in, Scott! Versatility PAYS. Congratulations!

Feb

Something new to Marvel at!

BREAKING NEWS on the BOOKINGS FRONT: On her last booking from DPN in LA, ‘Traxer ALY CASAS has scored the character “Jubilee” in Marvel Heroes, an online multi-player game! “It was such a fun session”, Aly raved, “and when you look on IMDB, the caliber of the cast who’ve contributed to this game since its launch is to die for! Drake Bell, Crispin Freeman, Tara Strong, Stan Lee himself!” See what Jubilee is all about in the video link above, and CONGRATS, ALY!

Feb

Opportunities In Audio Tours…

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Feast your eyes on Guest Director/Audio Tour Producer Extraordinaire PETER DUNNE! He has been successfully training hundreds of Voicetrax students over the years, and it turns out that he has ended up hiring many highly trained Voicetrax students for various projects, including NINA GREELEY, who voiced “Monet: The Early Years”, and MICHAEL RANKINS for the “Vikings” Cincinnati Museum Center Tour. We’re proud to have Peter as part of our world-class group of Guest Directors, and we’re also grateful for the opportunities he may provide for deserving, well-trained students who fit the needs of his projects!

Jan

The Case of the Multiplying Job…

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‘Traxer and Beloved Guest Director RONI GALLIMORE shares with us another anecdote on being easy to work with, and how people who work a lot work a lot because they work a lot!

“Mid December, I received an email from Nate saying that I was being check availed for a Schwab project that he had submitted my Narration demo for. (Thank you to Sirenetta & Chuck for producing such powerful tool. This is not the first time it has brought jobs my way.) Then just before New Years Nate confirmed it was a confirmed booking and that he would have details in January.

It started as one session with possibly 2 more to follow. The first session went great. Then a couple of days later, I received a call from Nate saying that the engineers I had worked with at Schwab had referred me to another part of Schwab working on a sister project. (Be nice to engineers, follow direct and be easy to work with – important lessons learned at Voicetrax) The second group wanted to check avail me for the following week. As is customary, session dates move and flexibility is key. When the primary project pushed the second session out by a week and released me for Friday…the second group jumped in to use that session time. Session on, session off & session back on.

Currently the project is expected to have 1 or 2 more sessions to record the rest of the 9 videos.

Such a great gift to know I would be starting the new year with a new client and a large project to work on. All thanks to Nate, Sirenetta, Chuck & of course Samantha.”

Congratulations, Roni! And thanks for the extremely useful reminders about professionalism and flexibility!

Jan

WILL READ FOR FOOD, January 2017!

It’s WILL READ FOR FOOD WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! But first, we’re obliged to get some “You know we love you…” out of the way (sorry!):

First, deadlines are meaningless unless we mean it. There were strong performances knocked out of contention for missing the submission deadline. Second, mind the details – if you’re instructed to label in order of appearance, that’s how it needs to be or you might not even get heard. Third, you’re Voicetrax students and you’re not slating? C’mon guys! We didn’t think we needed to spell THAT out.

NOW, onto the finalists! We had some really good performances; the only problem was, none of the best ones seemed to be paired together. But the good ones were strong enough we felt that this ONE OCCASION justified a TEMPORARY suspension of judging based on ensemble performance, which is why we’re presenting an edit featuring two individual winners! Congratulations to these finalists for “VO”: KEITH HOUSTON, FAYE JAIME, JIM MCKENZIE, and TOM SAWYER; and to these finalists for “ANNCR”: RHIANNON BROGAN, JOHN GERATY, and CORY SCOTT!

Hear the winners in the following video…

Jan

Coyote In Action…

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COYOTE ALERT:

“Inspiring”… “Transformative”… “Mind-blowing”… “Valuable in so many ways”… “A beautiful lesson in confidence”…

The reviews are in, and Invitational Sam’s Not-So-Secret Secret Weapon with Guest Director and Voice-over Superstar PETER COYOTE was EPIC! By incorporating meditation techniques, paradigm-shifting improv exercises, and of course, BRILLIANT direction through stone-cold narration reads, Ken Burns’ Go-To Narrator presented one of the most exciting and memorable classes ever held at Voicetrax on January 7th.

When we say we’ve got the best Guest Directors, we ain’t kiddin’ – and Peter Coyote took it to a whole new level!

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Jan

‘Traxers In The Corporate Narrative…

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We now interrupt our regular VTSF Blog Programming for this special message from Da BOSS:

“Hi, Guys! Looks like it’s that time again – time to show you more PROOF POSITIVE that dreams + hard work = REALITY! As you follow the link below, I’d like to take this moment to say how tremendously proud I am of Chuck and Vicki for all their dedication and hard work! Vicki and Chuck are living examples of how a dream becomes real when you mix in the right amount of commitment and determination.

And since this is the first proof of 2017, why don’t we just call it ‘Exhibit 17A’? ‘Cause you can bet there will be plenty more ‘exhibits’ in the coming year! : )

Thanks, and I love you all…

Samantha”

SF Chronicle Corporate Video Narration Article

Jan

Resolution Solutions, 2017 Edition

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Happy New Year, All You Crazy ‘Traxers! SO, didn’t get around to making any New Year’s resolutions? Excellent! Let us help you out by offering the following…

BE IT SO RESOLVED:

1. Let’s continue to get homework in on time. Here’s one rule of thumb that will save you a TON of trouble: do not wait till the last half hour before it’s due! That’ll be a great professional habit to develop, by the way. Juuust sayin’.

2. THINK POSITIVE: when Sam asks what you would do to make a take better, don’t whip yourself over what you did wrong! Express your answer instead in terms of the positive corrections you would apply to improve it.

3. Lose those 10 pounds, but watch the timing – if you have a class early in the year with Graziano providing lunch, wait till after. If you have one later in the term, lose a little extra to balance the inevitable gain!

4. “Have you ever been six years old” is not a question about your personal effects, now. Don’t leave behind your water bottle, journal, glasses, umbrella, jacket, diamond earrings, car – well you get the point.

5 – and if you waver on any of the first 4, be SURE to do this – REMEMBER, the reward lies in the risk! Have fun, enjoy the process, and TAKE CHANCES!

Thanks, and here’s to a fantastic 2017!

Dec

‘Traxers Meet For John Muir Health

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Nothing beats meeting fellow ‘Traxers on a job, but one thing comes close – finding a sweet note on the script from the friendly ‘Traxer before you on the same project! JIM EDGAR left this little greeting for VICKI BAUM on a spot for John Muir Health, a radio campaign which will also feature ‘Traxer BRENDA McNABB! And how did Vicki feel about finding that note? “It took me a second to figure out what it was, but boy did it pump me up and make me proud! It was like a virtual Voicetrax fist-bump – must have worked, ‘cause I only needed two takes to give them what they wanted!” It’s just the kind of good will extending across the Voicetrax family all year long – and we wish you nothing less for you and yours this holiday season!

Dec

YAKKO Comes To Town…

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It’s always a pleasure when one of our luminaries comes to town to teach at Voicetrax – and they don’t shine any brighter than Animaniac/Mutant Ninja Turtle/”Pinky” actor ROB PAULSEN! Last weekend, 12 lucky students got to share in the wisdom imparted from one of the most brilliant, prolific and generous practitioners of the voice-acting art you can find ANYWHERE. And we just couldn’t be prouder and more gratified to have him in the Voicetrax Stable of industry-leading Guest Directors. Keep an eye out; you can count on more in the coming months from Rob!

expert voiceover training

Nov

The 2016 TOP Voice All-Stars LA Edition

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A long-standing tradition at Voicetrax is our TOP Voice class/competition! After a preliminary round involving auditions from around 30 students, agents and booth directors visit from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York to pick the TOP (Truly Outstanding Performance) competitor for a period of remote or in-person auditioning at their agency.

The Los Angeles Edition TOP Voice of November ’16 really amped the stakes up. It was offered to the most elite students/working professionals in the Voicetrax stable, and everybody started with home-recorded auditions – meaning self-direction, so crucial for pros in the voice-over industry, was absolutely paramount from the very first moment in this competition. The first winnowing to 15 finalists was difficult enough, but determining the winner was excruciating:

We could not be prouder of and happier for ‘Traxers Damian Marhefka and Christian Nielson-Buckholdt. But victory was particularly sweet for ‘Traxer/Director Vicki Baum, who kept coming back year after year of not quite making the cut in previous TOP Voice events – SIX years in all. And boy did she pick a good time to win: these TOP Voice Victors have an unprecedented 6 months of remote auditioning with DPN, Los Angeles – the country’s top voice-over agency!

Vicki proves TWO aspects of hard work and perseverance paying off:

She kept at it till she won.

And she became a very successful voice actor on the way!

Congratulations to Vicki, Christian and Damian! And thanks to ALL participants for bringing their best and doing us proud! Take a victory lap, why don’t you…

Oct

Linked In Performances from The Voicetrax Star Casting News

Once again Voicetrax students and alumni are pulling out all the stops and spreading their talent far and wide throughout the voice-over industry. Below is just a small sampling of all the links we receive at our Booking News e-mail (bookingnews@voicetraxsf.com) from our students. Take a look and a listen and witness what it takes to be a true voice-over superstar. We couldn’t be more proud!!

Lara Asmundson, Fathom Impact Travel, narrator:

Owen Baker-Flynn, Roto Rooter, Santa Claus and announcer:

Stephen Barlow, Chuck Kourouklis, Louisa Mackintosh, Schwab investor videos, call-in customers:

http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/investing/why_choose_schwab/work_with_us

Vicki Baum, Openprise, narrator:

Colin Benoit, Atlassian, narrator:

Jim Edgar, Cissy Jones-Lin, REI, voices:

John Ellsworth, DeMarillac Academy, narrator:

Nina Greeley, Suzuki SV650, announcer:

Rocio Guitard, PG&E, narrator:

Liz O’Neill, Ace Hardware, announcer:

Oct

Inside the Voice Actor’s Studio with Peter Coyote!

Inside the Voice Actor’s Studio with Peter Coyote
Memorial Day Weekend, 2016

When you have a guest as warm, generous, and riveting as Peter Coyote, it’s inevitable: the event is simply magical! Not only was he brilliant, down-to-earth, and completely engaging, he couldn’t have represented what Voicetrax is all about any better if he tried, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Here’s a mere drop in the bucket of what Voicetrax students had to say:

“It was truly a privilege to be in attendance at Inside the Voice Actor’s Studio with Peter Coyote. For two hours, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I listened to every word. The advice he gave us in how to survive and thrive in this industry is something every up and coming talent should know. This is truly an experience I will never forget.” – Doug Perryment

“Thank you all for bringing such a fascinating and captivating guest speaker! Two hours went by in a flash. There was so much wisdom coming from Peter on a variety of topics. His view on narration made complete sense to me. He is a storyteller. He views his voice like the white screen in a movie theater, where pictures play out to create a story. His voice is like a canvas for words to play out on, so that you, the listener, can create the visuals to ‘feel’ the story. Chuck did a great job in teeing up information that Peter could just run with and Graziano’s lunch was fabulous! A great start to the Memorial Day weekend!” – Lori Kershner-Wine

“What a great opportunity to hear Peter’s insights on acting. For me the key takeaways from Saturday were that acting is cooperative, not competitive even though you will be auditioning for a part or role versus many others. Peter also referenced sharing and generosity and to be sure to acknowledge the notions of power dynamics with respect to auditioning and to “always keep your power, never give it away” during the process, but do so with a sense of dignity and selfconfidence. But most of all I was taken most by Peter’s grace. A very special event indeed.” Stuart Gove

We thank Peter for one of our most unforgettable events ever… and thanks to all for being part of our wonderful Voicetrax community!

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