As the new proprietors, Vicki Baum, Chuck Kourouklis & Roni Gallimore (aka VCR, aka The Voicetrax Legen – wait for it – dary Think Tank) are so proud to keep the over 35-year legacy of Voicetrax San Francisco alive. With a combined 40 years experience at the school, and being working voice actors themselves, they can empathize with you as they are all on a path of exploration and self-discovery themselves. Take a look…
Vicki Baum
“The skill level of the people I’m competing with is something I can’t control, but what I CAN control is how hard I work – and NOBODY is going to work harder than me”. So what kind of behavior does a life philosophy like that manifest? That you’re going to wait for opportunities to come to you? No, you’re going to go after them, starting from a paid casting website and then learning how to game that system to your best and smartest advantage. You’re going to take in what mentors tell you, learn to understand your strengths in an unflinching way and apply them strategically to maximize the impact of your already maximized efforts!
That’s our narration guru (Apple, Google and Cisco, oh my!), our very own villainous “Storm Queen” from the global phenomenon Vainglory, the ubiquitous voice of utility company PG&E, Voicetrax Alum (but she still takes classes!), and honored as Voicetrax’s Top Teacher in 2020, VICKI BAUM. Vicki’s outlook and personal experience, including her decade-long tenure as an employee of Voicetrax, have prompted her to create some of the most innovative and practical classes at Voicetrax. And when it comes to mentoring and sharing the wisdom of her experience, Vicki is one of the most passionate and generous directors we’ve got.
Chuck Kourouklis
Now who manages to feel like a misfit for having a big, deep voice? It was the first question the 20-year employee of Voicetrax CHUCK KOUROUKLIS asked Voicetrax Founder Samantha Paris when he began as a Voicetrax student 21 years ago: is there a place in voice-over for people with deep voices anymore? It sure didn’t seem to be what we were hearing on radio ads at the time. Years of stage acting, years of broadcasting – some as the overnight lead-in to Jimmy Kimmel’s morning radio show – and yes, that big, beautiful voice. Chuck has managed to NOT rest on the laurels of his natural talents because he understands that voice-over is all about acting and not about your voice, no matter how distinctive it is.
Chuck has mastered navigating the ever-changing demands of voice-over from big announcer types to the throaty “Darius” in League of Legends to the adenoidal “Mr. Toad” in Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us, to the weasel-ey “Agent Frank” on the Netflix animated series Agent Fall the light-sounding guy next door for the multitude of commercials he’s done. Then like a master puppeteer wielding control of his voice-over strings, he sprinkles back in a little bit of that natural born gravitas for all types of narration, especially medical. This Jack-of-all voice-over trades is a stalwart professor for all Voicetrax students, as his booming voice belies his patient and nurturing teaching style.
Roni Gallimore
Just some characters, are all she wanted. Nice modest characters, like say… a precocious chipmunk in a multimillion-dollar Pixar feature! Is it really so much to ask? RONI GALLIMORE is a lady of simple pleasures, even if her gourmet cupcakes are downright exotic. And all she was hoping to do was make a little mark for herself in some character work when she walked through the doors of Voicetrax those years ago. While we’re not talking Pixar – not just YET, anyway, because she did have a Pixar callback audition(!) – it still worked out to be a matter of “BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR”.
The genre of audiobooks was just sitting there waiting, and Roni answered its siren call. How many characters are there in the typical novel, anyway? 50? 75? Dozens of audiobook titles and HUNDREDS of characters later, Roni got so clobbered with her wish in this roundabout way that she’s now TEACHING audiobooks here at Voicetrax! Roni will show you not only some surprising ways to differentiate the characters in an audiobook, she’ll help you get a hold on that central character in any book, the NARRATOR. Whether you’ve got a jones for character work or are dreaming of storytelling, you might want to give Voicetrax Alum Roni a try… long as you’re careful what you wish for!
Vicki, Chuck and Roni are ready to build on the industry-leading legacy of Voicetrax. Their vision for the school will continue to focus on the students and what’s best for them including the most dynamic group of Guest Directors assembled offering highest level of acting tutelage anywhere.
None of this would have been possible without the support of their mentor, teacher and biggest cheerleader, Samantha Paris, the Founder of Voicetrax San Francisco. The new proprietors couldn’t be more excited to carry Voicetrax into a dazzling future!