“bad girl” past still haunts her!

Transcription

THE
This document is protected by U.S. copyright laws. All rights reserved.
2010 Edition
Voicetrax celebrates turning 22 with our exclusive “2-2” edition
2-2 exciting!
2-2 explosive!
2-2 hot to handle!
SAMANTHA’S
SHAMEFUL SECRET...
“bad girl” past
still haunts her!
AIRWAVES TAKEN OVER BY ARMIES OF VOICETRAX-TRAINED STUDENTS!
Casting Confidental
THEY’RE
HERE...
and
THEY’RE
HUNGRY!
We’re easy...
and we’re
willing!
Voicetrax hero
sounds the alarm
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RAVENOUS BUGS
INVADE CALIFORNIA!
Voicetrax hero sounds the alarm!
“THEY’RE HERE…AND THEY’RE HUNGRY!”
If the concerned, albeit slightly ominous voice that warns
of the onslaught of “Hungry Pests” on TV and radio seems
familiar to you, that’s because it is. Our very own Tim Moran,
who has mastered the delicate balance of sounding both
menacing and reassuring at the same time, was selected by
the USDA for its statewide ad campaign. Tim also recently
booked a radio spot for Good Samaritan Hospital that he
didn’t even have to audition for…he was booked directly off
his Voicetrax-produced demo. Congratulations, Tim! This just
goes to prove that nice guys actually finish first sometimes.
it! (Maybe the reason that US Cellular hires Voicetraxers is
that they’re such dedicated pros.) Zinnia says that the funniest
part was that she was “literally in and out of the booth in
less than five minutes,” but is quick to add, “Some people
might think that’s ridiculous—to drive 6-plus hours each way
for 5 minutes of work—but for me it was totally worth it…
to become AFTRA.” And going the extra mile—or in Zinnia’s
case, an extra 400 miles—sure paid off, because three months
later the same producers booked her to do another US Cellular
spot. And this time they agreed to patch her in from a studio
in Santa Monica, so she only had to drive across town…
Other students recently cast in commercials are Diana Chen,
who got her very first booking—a Coinstar radio spot—and
Polly Stone, who worked on a US Cellular radio spot with
fellow student, Aileen Casas. In addition to the phone ad,
Aileen also recorded radio spots for O-Organics and Charter
Cable, tv ads for Charter Cable and Good Samaritan Hospital,
an internet voiceover for the Palm Pixi, and several video
games, including Play First’s “Avenue Flo,” Big Fish’s “Dream
Sleuth” and Legacy Games’, ”Murder She Wrote.” She also
continues to audition in LA (a relationship she has maintained since winning Voicetrax Idol LA), and tells us that
the most exciting highlight of the year was getting her first
residual check!
Who says that you can’t take it with you? Voice actor par
excellence and now, Road Warrior, Joe Paulino, is living
proof that you absolutely can! During a recent road trip thru
some northern, eastern & central states, he recorded six more
McDonald’s spots, this time from a B & B in Prairie City, Oregon!
Joe remarks, “It was very interesting trying to keep out the
sounds of all the cattle who were hanging out in a pasture on
the other side of the highway…Who knows? Some of them
might end up working for McDonalds too, someday.”
And US Cellular must really love our students, since alum,
Zinnia Su, was also hired to record one of their radio spots.
And because her SF agent told her that the client was only
willing to record locally, she even drove up from LA to record
And speaking of road trips, the busy Lisa Lindsley recorded
three spots for AAA/Hertz, plus a Banana Republic spot, an HP
“TouchSmart” tutorial (that comes with their new computers),
a slot-machine game for Casino Games, narration for “The
Littlest Pet Shop” and an audio tour for the new Roosevelt
Museum in Boston. She also recently became “The Voice” of
Disney’s “Pixie Hollow.”
DON’T MISS THE PREMIER SEASON OF “PROJECT: BRIDGEWAY”
We love and applaud all of your success stories, and can’t deny
that we still get chills each time we hear a former or present
student on TV doing promos for a major network, voicing a
character in a cartoon series, and even in ads that run over and
over and over again (you know who you are, but we love you
anyway). BUT…we are no less thrilled, and frankly impressed,
by those who have shown the initiative and courage to get
out there, beat the bushes, turn over rocks, take chances and
make things happen on their own—without passively waiting
around to either get an agent or, if they already have one,
hear from their agent.
innovative, efficient, inventive and successful idea for doing
just that! The Grand Prize winner will receive a free six-week
Masters class, but unlike other contests, we can guarantee that
any of you who make a serious, consistent, proactive effort to
generate work for yourself over six months will benefit in the
long run, even if the results aren’t immediately apparent, and
we look forward to hearing each of your stories. Entries will be
judged by a panel of judges, including a top local agent (who
views actors with a “can-do” attitude very favorably), and will
be evaluated on such factors as “originality,” “perseverance,”
and “ability to leverage and build relationships.” For more
In fact, we’re so intent on getting more of you to step up
and take action to find or create voiceover opportunities for
yourselves, that we’ve decided to have a contest from JanuaryJune 2010, to see who is able to come up with the most
information on “Project: Bridgeway,” including rules
and instructions, visit the TraxTalk blog, which will be
featured on our new, exciting, and interactive website,
www.voicetraxsf.com, going live in December!
VOICETRAX IS:
n
an escape from the everyday world
n a welcoming, comfortable place where strangers become friends
n a playful, creative environment where you can:
- let your imagination run wild
- unlock and explore your creativity
- and discover your spoken passion!
VOICETRAX STUDENTS GO ON CARIBBEAN RAMPAGE!
Is that a three-headed monkey behind you?
No, but there’s a good chance that it’s a Voicetrax-trained actor in your game!
Fan-boys and -girls all over the world rejoiced when they found out that
LucasArts and TellTale Games were teaming up to bring back their beloved
“Monkey Island” characters in a new series, “Tales of Monkey Island,” and we
at Voicetrax were equally thrilled when we found out that several present and
past ‘traxers, namely David Boyll, Roger L. Jackson, Chuck Kourouklis,
Sirenetta Leoni, Nicky Rapp, Peggy Van Patten, Brian Sommer and Tim
Talbott, had been cast to play assorted pirates, adventurers, island denizens,
underworld gatekeepers, even sexually ambiguous mer-persons, in these
hugely popular episodic games.
(continued on page 3)
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(continued from page 2
In addition to portraying the feared, but totally hot,
pirate-hunter, “Morgan La Flay,” in “Tales of Monkey
Island,” Nicky Rapp, also recorded “World Adventures”
for EA’s “Sims 3” expansion pack, and narrated “Prima
Princessa Presents: The Nutcracker” for Prima Princessa
Productions (www.primaprincessa.com). Nicky says
that she couldn’t have done this last project without,
David Johansson, who cheerfully engineered for her
and patiently “endured a few hours of ultra intense
perkiness!” This was the second job that Nicki recorded
for this company after they first hired her two years
ago off Voice 1-2-3 to record “Prima Princessa Presents:
Swan Lake.”
produced game after another—“Majesty II,” “Sally’s
Salon,” “Murder She Wrote,” and most recently “Devil’s
Triangle” along with fellow Voicetrax students, Lea
Gulino and Mark Middleton. Sarah was also cast as
the main character in another game “Rachel’s Retreat,”
and booked a web narration for Cisco.
Another one of our “Monkey Islanders,” David Boyll,
who plays the pirate-geek D’Oro (aka “D’Oro the
Explorer”), also booked a very unpiratey job recently—
a narration for Jive Software’s website Flash animations,
which you can listen to by clicking the “play” arrow
at this URL: http://www.jivesoftware.com/products/
innovation.
And most recently, 12, (yes, you read that correctly,
twelve) students were cast in yet another Somatone
game, “Funky Bees:” Jessica Blue (Cacioppo),
Mark Middleton, Tim Moran, Janet Lipsey, Gavin
Hammon, Mark Barbolak, Tony Azzolino, Rich
Mattiello, Tammy Nishimura, Max Gustafson,
Owen-Baker Flynn and Chuck Kourouklis. To which
we say…keep ‘em coming, Somatone!
In other game-booking news, Sarah Tancer has been
on a tear of late, booking one Somatone Studios-
Also keeping busy with game bookings, are Pam De
Weerd, who played two characters in Somatone’s
“Tesla,” and Angela Harrington who was cast as
the “Consort, and various civilians” for “Assassins’
Creed 2,” and as “Itsuse Rindo” in “Way of the
Samurai 3” game. When Angela is not voicing games,
she can heard narrating for McAfee.
4 OUT OF 5 DOCTORS RECOMMEND VOICETRAX TO ENHANCE YOUR PERFORMANCE*
*If enhanced performance lasts over four hours, call your agent!
Bill Mehner was thrilled to learn that he had booked
not one, but TWO television commercials for Bay Alarm
through Voicetrax Casting. He says of his experience,
“The best part was that my training at Voicetrax not only
prepared me to perform, but also for all the other little
things that go on in a real session…which made it that
much easier to give my clients just what they wanted!
It was awesome!” Congratulations to Bill who beat out
some really strong competition, namely Vilija Marshall
and Alissa Nelson, who the producer tells us were also
seriously considered for the spots.
Veteran Voicetraxer, Joan Antonuccio, was also
surprised to discover that she felt “comfortable and
confident” during her first session for Addison
Avenue, a multi-state credit union. Joan, who booked
the job through VoiceYenta, tells us “It helps that I
have spent a lot of time in recording studios over the
years, but I really felt like I had all the tools I needed
to do the best job…I’m ready to do this...thanks to
you guys!” You can hear Joan’s work by going to
https://addisonavenue.com/promo/e2/.
And Jim Edgar was able to put the skills he picked up
during the audio tour workshop he took at Voicetrax
to immediate use when he was hired by Antenna Audio
BART SIMPSON’S
GOT A SWEET TOOTH
“Voicetrax is like
a candy shop for
voiceover.”
Nancy Cartwright,
the voice of “Bart Simpson”
shortly thereafter to narrate the “Yongzheng Emperor”
audio tour for the National Palace Museum of Taiwan.
And with names like “Li Jixiang,” “Yongzheng,” “Ruan
Zihau,” “Wu Yuanheng,” and “Giuseppe Castiglione”
(don’t ask) peppering the copy,
it’s a good thing Jim was
primed and ready!
Especially considering
that while he was
there recording the
“Emperor” tour,
another Antenna
producer walked
in and recruited
him for another
project—playing
several characters,
including a younger
Leonardo, for a Leonardo
da Vinci family tour at
the High Museum of Art
in Atlanta. Nice going,
Mr. Edgar!
Voicetrax accused
of elitism...
“It’s the
Harvard of
voiceover training.”
Managing Partner/
Senior Agent from one of
LA’s premier voice talent agency
“Voiceover is acting
for the ear.”
Chopper Bernet,
Voice Actor, MSNBC/NBC Promo Announcer
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VOICETRAXERS TAKEOVER FAMOUS NYC TOURIST ATTRACTIONS!
Another Voicetrax student who has worked for Antenna Audio on several occasions, Lea
Gulino, confesses that “although every booking gives me pure delight, my undeniable
favorite was recording the role of “Frances the Falcon,” for the Statue of Liberty family
audio tour. As a former New Yorker, this was right up my alley and quite an honor!” It
took her 4 ½ hours to record what Lea says felt like a full ream of Miss Liberty’s history
and facts. “All those hours reading newspapers and magazines out loud sure did help
for this one!” she says. In addition to the audio tour, Lea remains one busy bird, working
non-stop on a variety of projects ranging from various games for Somatone—”Devil’s
Triangle,” the “Magic Academy” sequel, “Assassins’ Creed 2” (in which she plays a witch
who’s b-bad-to-the-bone), “Majesty 2,” “Miss Teri Tale: Part 3” and a 1930’s murder
mystery, “Valerie Porter;” ongoing tv, radio and internet ads for Charter Cable; a radio
spot for Hill Physicians; the recurring role of “Sarah” in the “Zits Audio Comics;” and
most recently, a radio campaign for the State of California EDD.
If you decide to swing by to see Miss Liberty (and hear Lea) the next time you’re in
NYC, don’t forget to stop at nearby Ellis Island, to hear Max Louis (Gustafson) as
“Marty the Muskrat” on another Antenna Audio family tour. Or if you should decide
to head to Atlanta instead, you can catch Max performing in the Leonardo da Vinci
tour at the High Museum (along with Jim Edgar and Stephanie Komure). And even
If you don’t go anywhere at all, you can still catch Max talking about how “student
loan repayment can be fun!” on the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) site (www.ibrinfo.
org); a job he booked through VoiceYenta. Earlier this year, Max also got a chance to
work on dubbing a couple of Sega games from their original Japanese into English
at Webtone Studios—an experience Max says was “exactly like Ned Lott’s ‘Japanese
Animation Essentials’ class,” explaining, “I had to match my lines with the visuals that
were made for Japanese dialogue, and was extremely glad I already had experience
with ADR and knew exactly what to expect in the session.” Max also has a small role
in the documentary, “Eat The Sun,” and recently got word that an audiobook he
recorded last year, OWLS IN THE FAMILY, with Lisa Baney, (published by Chinaberry),
received honors at the 2009 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Children’s
Products Competition.
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! COMING TO A BIG or little SCREEN NEAR YOU
Looking younger than your age can have its perks; just ask Demi Moore, and LA ‘traxer,
Matt Moy who’s making a career out of it! Matt was hired to play a high school
kid, “Shawn,” for the popular Disney series, “iCarly,” last year and so impressed the
producers that they recently asked him back to reprise his character. He also played a
small part in an episode of a new Disney XD show, “Zeke and Luther,” and can be seen
in an indie comedy about teenage angst, “The Grover Complex,” currently making
the festival circuit. Matt does get to play roles closer to his age when he’s voice acting,
though. He’s recently worked on several games, including the “White Knight Chronicles”
and the racing game, “Blur,” in which he played a Japanese race car driver who had
to yell things in Japanese. The funny part was that Linguistics major, Matt, ended up
translating his lines into English for the producer and director, who had no clue of what
he was saying, so that they could direct him! Matt tells us that he’s surprised by the way
his career has evolved so far, because he initially never intended to get into on-camera
acting, “I was curious to try it out, and I love it! It’s helped my voice over career, too,
and just recently I was asked to audition for a video game because a casting director
recognized my face from TV.” Matt’s also started taking classes at The Groundlings, and
while he doesn’t have any plans to become a Groundling, yet, he says he remains open to
the possibility, “Who knows what’s in store? My journey from Voicetrax to LA has taken
me on many exciting paths, so we’ll see!”
It’s always big and good news for the local acting community whenever a network
series decides to shoot on location, so we were excited to hear that the new, bigbudget NBC series “Trauma” was coming to town, the first major production filmed
locally since “Nash Bridges.” Even more exciting is that Kathy Goodin and James
Carraway, who both got their acting starts at Voicetrax back in the day, were
featured in recent episodes—Kathy as Marion, a mother with life-threatening injuries,
and James as the colorful character, Dominik. James, who is making quite a name for
himself as a character actor nowadays, also recently appeared in HBO’s “Big Love,”
CBS’s “Cold Case,” and in the recurring role of “Floyd the Barber” on FX’s “Sons
of Anarchy.”
Also in front of the camera is Rich Mattiello who plays a political pundit in a current
TV ad for Keiser University, running in the Florida market. If you’re not in Florida,
you can still view the spot at www.mattiello.net. Rich can also be heard doing various
voiceovers for the indie feature “Fifth Form,” and most recently he booked a radio
spot for Florida AAA (again with the Florida!), also featuring Chuck Kourouklis and
Stephanie Komure , and a character in the “Funky Bees” game.
BREAKING NEWS! FORMER VOICETRAX STUDENT BECOMES
SUPERHERO, SAVES THE WORLD AND RACKS UP RESIDUALS!
If you happen to catch Marvel’s new “The Super Hero Squad Show” on Cartoon
Network (and it’s kind of hard not to catch, because it’s on six days a week!), listen
for former Voicetrax fixture, Dave Boat, as the mighty God of Thunder, “Thor!”
and several other characters, including “Thing,” “Baron Mordo,” “The Watcher,”
and “Paste Pot Pete.” You may have previously heard Dave on “Family Guy,” when
he played the recurring role of Rupert, Stewie’s beloved teddy bear…but he doesn’t
want to talk about it…
By the way, if the maniacal evil genius, Dr. Doom, on the “The Super Hero Squad
Show” happens to remind you of a guest director you had a class with a couple of
weekends ago, we hope that you’re thinking of the superbly talented, Charlie Adler,
who captures him as no one else could!
4
SHE’S OUR IDOL!!!
No one can accuse recent Voicetrax Idol San Francisco winner, Annalisa Bastiani,
of resting on her laurels! In addition to coming out on top of the recent tough Idol
competition, she’s regularly seen as “Tina’s Mom” in the SF Edition of “Tony and Tina’s
Wedding” and also recently appeared as the victim of cosmetic surgery gone fatally
awry in the Japanese TV show, “The World’s Astonishing News!”
STORIES OF GUTS, GRIT, AND DETERMINATION!
Una Mork would like her fellow students to know that even if you’re sidelined for a
while with health issues or injuries, if at all possible—and assuming your health care
providers approve—you should still try to keep going. She’s been doing exactly that,
and even though she’s not been able to be out and about, she has still managed to keep
busy—auditioning, even recording gigs from home. Una’s bookings include “Pet Vet” for
Somatone, a radio dialogue for Shea Homes, even playing a “Blood Glucose Monitor”
for a Diabetes Symposium, and notes that in each and every one of these projects,
she got to work with one or more fellow Voicetraxers. You can also hear Una as
“Connie,” Jeremy’s mother, in the Motion Comic “Zits.” In fact, she urges everyone to
go to www.comicskingdom.com/index.php/zits-motion-comics every Monday to view
new episodes and rate them, so that she and other ‘Traxers “can keep on working
on this amazing opportunity!” Una, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that you’re
back in full force very soon!
Perseverance pays off! We are elated to report that just within the last couple of
months everyone’s favorite blue-haired lady (sorry Marge!), Jessica Blue (aka
Cacioppo) became “The Voice” of a website for an East Bay salon (where she gets her
blue on), got a call-back for an IVR job that turned out to be a paid audition (sweet!),
and best of all booked a role in the “Funky Bees” video game.
It will come as a shock to no one, that the always entertaining Micha Berman has
continued to find ways to stay busy. In addition to getting asked back to appear on
KGO’s “Ronn Owen’s Show” for the second time to promote, “Permanent Passenger:
My Life On A Cruise Ship,” which, not coincidentally, was recently rated the #1 Lulu
book on Amazon, he’s recorded several voiceovers, including radio campaigns for
the State of California EDD and Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and a U.S. First Credit
Union radio spot in which he got to perform with some of his “mentors and Voicetrax
colleagues.” He also continues to play Vanity Smurf, the most conceited and flamboyant
Smurf (go figure!), and was cast as various German soldiers for a…wait for it…Somatone
production. Micha’s been booking lots more on-camera work as well. He’s been featured
as a surgeon in a John Muir Health TV commercial, the narrator for a Cisco video, and as
a Product Manager in an AT&T industrial viewed worldwide. Most recently he booked
an industrial for ELT on a very last-minute audition for which he literally had no time to
prepare in advance…and just a few minutes to get to! Micha says of this last gig “The
lesson is always be prepared, follow your gut instinct on an audition, and bend over
backwards to get to an audition because it may pay off. He also wants us to remind you
that the website for his book is www.permanentpassenger.com.
VOICETRAX TRUE CONFESSIONS: I WON’T TAKE “NO” FOR AN ANSWER…
David Gast was thrilled to get his first paying gig, playing a locomotive engineer for a
Lionel Model Train’s product promotion, and he didn’t even have to go far to do it—
he recorded the whole session over the phone! They usually hire real engineers for
these roles, but the entrepreneurial David, did the smart thing by making sure to tell
everyone he knew that he was taking voiceover classes—including a friend who used
to drive for Amtrak. So when the friend heard Lionel was looking for voice talent, he
immediately referred them to David, who auditioned by phone and booked the job—
all within 24 hours! David tells us that “It was a great day and a very exciting feeling
to work professionally in voiceover for the first time.”
Another one of our very enterprising and clever students, Patty Allen, who regularly
surfs Voice 1-2-3 and craigslist for voiceover gigs, came across an ad looking for a
children’s book narrator. The specs said that they were looking for an “older man,” but
our plucky heroine convinced them—with her strong audition—that what they really
needed was a younger woman, so she booked the job, and got paid for a four hour gig,
even though she finished the whole thing in 2 ½! But it gets even better…she recently
found out that the book has been picked up for TWO sequels, and they want her to
narrate those as well. According to Patty, “This all came from being assertive, pleasant,
and professional. I was only calm enough to [try this] because of how well prepared I
felt thanks to Voicetrax! They were impressed with my professionalism and efficiency,
which I know comes in large part from my training.”
ALWAYS WORKING IT!
Several other students are stepping up, taking the initiative, and making it happen…
Kyle Morton, recently booked spots for the Marine Mammal Center that aired Clear
Channel-wide, and a video for SF Giants Stadium that aired on the big screen.
In addition to signing with a prominent local agency, Ann Scott-Holt added several
more local radio spots to her resume, including a second “Bittner, the Art of Writing”
ad, a station promo and commercials for “Jane Austen at Home” and Dickenson
Memorial Hospital, in Michigan.
Now that she is set up to audition from home, northern Sonoma County resident,
Virginia Evans, says that she looks forward to being able to audition more frequently
for her San Francisco agency. In the meantime, she’s been keeping busy voicing spots
for KRCB public service radio in Rohnert Park and recording excerpts from “To Kill a
Mockingbird” which aired during National Book Month.
5
EXCLUSIVE! THE REAL UNCENSORED VOICETRAX STORY
SECRETS REVEALED!
SAMANTHA BARES ALL—BEHIND THE SPOKEN PASSION
Samantha Paris, the founder and owner of Voicetrax San Francisco is widely recognized
as one of the country’s leading authorities on voice acting, but we wanted to find out when—and where—
this consuming obsession with voiceover started? How did she become an expert on voiceover? And exactly how
much into discipline is she? Our award-winning I-team exposes the naked truth!
n
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1
6
Samantha comes by her passion
genetically…it’s embedded in her very
DNA! Her grandfather, legendary
Radio Hall of Fame broadcaster, Martin
Block, is best remembered for creating
the ground-breaking “Make Believe
Ballroom,” which ran for 20 years on
WNEW in New York. Martin was one
of the very first radio announcers to
introduce and play popular records on
his show—a concept so revolutionary
in its day that it inspired famed gossip
columnist Walter Winchell to come up
with a whole new expression to describe
Martin and what he did—thus coining the
term “disk jockey.”1
Before moving to San Francisco and
opening Voicetrax, Samantha was
an established on-camera and voice
actor in Los Angeles where she gueststarred on television series such as
“Highway to Heaven,” “Chips,” and
“Fantasy Island,” made-for-TV movies
and after-school specials; recorded
over a thousand national and regional
TV and radio commercials; promos
for ABC, CBS and FOX networks; and
created several memorable Saturday
morning cartoon characters. Renowned
for her professionalism, energy, quick
comprehension and ability to bring
copy to life, Samantha received several
prestigious advertising industry awards,
including three Clio’s.
To this day, Samantha still gets fan mail
addressed to “Roxy,” the tough-asnails bass player she portrayed in the
iconic 80’s animated series, “Jem and
the Holograms;” a show which has since
achieved cult status among the now
20- and 30-somethings who were “Jemheads” when the show was first on…and
still are.
Voicetrax Shocker! Secret Plot
to Fill Airwaves With Excellent,
Well-trained Talent Uncovered!
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Voicetrax twenty-one years ago in a
tiny home studio converted from a
closet, she never imagined that her
one-on-one coaching sessions for local
voice actors would someday evolve
into the nation’s premier voiceover
training academy. Today, Voicetrax
offers the most comprehensive,
innovative and acclaimed course of
instruction available in the craft of
voice acting anywhere—a rotating
curriculum of over 100 different
lectures, workshops, and seminars for
students at all levels—from novice to
experienced working pro.
n
Samantha’s proudest accomplishment
remains having created a friendly, safe
environment where students are nurtured
and allowed to experiment and fail
without fear of judgment—a fun place
where even non-actors who just want
to come and explore, feel welcome and
comfortably at home.
Voicetrax is renowned for the
unparalleled quality and depth of its
roster of Guest Directors. Samantha
has always been committed to
recruiting top-of-the-line Guest
Directors from among the finest
voice directors, casting directors,
coaches, actors and producers in Los
Angeles and San Francisco. At all
levels of instruction, Voicetrax Guest
Directors™ are considered to be
among the very best in the business.
If you’d like to find out more about
our distinguished pros, our Voicetrax
Guest Directors™ profiles begin on
page 7 of this catalogue. (If you’re
wondering why we don’t name or
list bios for talent agents and agency
booth directors, it’s because we’re
legally restricted from doing so.)
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Former and present Voicetrax
students can be heard all over the
airwaves—in network promos,
commercials, feature-length films,
cartoon series, video games,
documentaries and on the internet.
Notable projects recently voiced by
Voicetrax-trained actors include:
promos for NBC, MSNBC, FOX, PBS
Kids’ Sprout, ABC, and CW’s “Gossip
Girl;” narration for E! Entertainment,
HGTV and VH1; ad campaigns for
Clorox, McDonalds, Marie Callender’s,
USDA’s “Hungry Pests”, Honda,
Macy’s, US Cellular, Banana Republic
and Comcast; and featured roles in
“The Super Hero Squad” animated
series on Cartoon Network, EA Games
http://www.vtap.com/wikitap/detail/Martin_Block/WIKI2668128
Voicetrax training is not just limited
to those “starting out.” As the
recognized authority on “all things
voiceover” in Northern California,
prominent Bay Area broadcast
personalities have come to rely on
Samantha and Voicetrax to help them
better connect with their viewers and
listeners by learning to communicate
in a more authentic, direct and
engaging manner.
We’ve Got Ourselves A
Reputation For Being
Easy, Fast…and Willing…
As an outgrowth of the training
program, Samantha founded Voicetrax
Casting in 1990 which has since achieved
a national reputation as the “go-to”
source for fresh, distinctive, well-trained
talent. Samantha and her team of voice
casting professionals work with clients
from all across the country to find them
the best voice talent for their projects.
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For producers who are in need of a
quick, easy and low cost solution to
their casting needs, Voicetrax offers
an innovative web-based casting
service, VoiceYenta. Its meticulously
screened talent roster of reliable,
versatile, professional voice actors
includes many of the top non-Union
voiceover professionals in the country.
n
The variety of voiceover jobs cast
through Voicetrax Casting is wideranging and includes TV, radio, and
on-line ads; TV series narration; sales
presentations; games; podcasts; audio
tours; audiobooks; instructional
videos; voicemail systems, websites
and toys.
Students come from all over the
United States, even from as far away
as Japan, to study at Voicetrax.
Through a combination of seminars,
group workshops, small labs, and
private lessons, Voicetrax customizes
a course of study for each student to
help them accomplish their unique
goals. After mastering their craft,
many Voicetrax students go on to
become the next crop of sought-after
professional voice actors. In fact, the
owner of one of the leading voice
talent agencies in Los Angeles has
dubbed Voicetrax, the “Harvard of
voiceover training.”
Since founding Voicetrax in 1988,
Samantha’s guiding vision has remained
the same—to provide students with
rigorous, state-of-the-art training in
all areas of voiceover to help them
develop the skills necessary to compete
successfully anywhere—whether in the
Bay Area or any major metro area in
the U.S., including Los Angeles. To that
end she has consistently expected and
inspired students to strive for nothing
short of excellence in their craft—a goal
she makes sure that each and every Guest
Director invited to teach at Voicetrax
understands and shares.
She has also successfully coached a wide
range of professionals—from sales people
to attorneys to CEO’s—to help them
gain confidence in their speaking and
presentation skills, but most rewarding
has been working with people who
simply want to improve their ability to
connect with others…whether to read
bedtime stories aloud to their children or
overcome a lifetime of paralyzing shyness.
When Samantha Paris founded
“Sims 3,” LucasArts/TellTale Game’s
“Tales of Monkey Island” series,
and the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island
audiotours for children.
n
Voicetrax Casting has worked with
many of the nation’s top advertising
agencies, including Goodby, Silverstein
& Partners; Publicis & Hal Riney; BBDO
Worldwide; JWT/SF; Draft/FCB West,
San Francisco; YR, San Francisco;
and TBWA/Chiat/Day; to help them
pinpoint the right voices for major
advertisers such as Chevron, Bank of
America, Comcast, the United States
Postal Service, Cisco, VISA, Macy’s,
Toyota, AT&T, Starbucks, Anthem Blue
Cross/Blue Shield, Kashi Foods, Sony,
HP and eBay. Well known studios,
producers and game companies, such
as Lucas’ ILM, Activision-Blizzard,
Macy’s Broadcast West and Edelman
Productions have also sought out
Voicetrax Casting’s services.
For more information about Voicetrax’s training
program, visit www.voicetraxsf.com. To enroll,
call (415) 331-8800. For information on Voicetrax
Casting or our online casting service, go to
www.voictraxsf.com/Casting or call
(415) 331-7267.
YOUR GUEST DIRECTORS
The workshops and seminars presented by Voicetrax are unique in the industry. Why? Because the instructors
are selected from among the top voice actors, producers, writers, creative directors, agents, casting directors
and industry experts from Los Angeles and the Bay Area. These gifted individuals are eager to share their
years of experience and, in so doing, give something back to the industry they love.
SAMANTHA PARIS
For details on Samantha’s professional background, see
“The Real Samantha Paris” on page 6.
CHARLIE ADLER
Current Jobs – Emmy® award-winning director and two-time Annie
Award nominee; casting director; voice actor
Previous Jobs – remedial reading coach, church caretaker/janitor,
house renovator/painter, baker for a house of ill repute, graphic artist,
nude model
Credits – A partial list of directing credits include: animated TV
series—over 500 hours of animated shows including “Shark Hunters”
with Dustin Hoffman, nine seasons of the Emmy®-award winning
“Rugrats,” “Rugrats: All Grown Up,” “Spawn,” and most recently,
“The Replacements,” and the “Emperor’s New School;” full-length
feature films—“Jimmy Neutron,” all “Wild Thornberrys,” and
“Rugrats” films, and the direct-to-video “The Nutty Professor”
featuring actors such as Bruce Willis, Lynn Redgrave, Patrick Stewart,
Jerry Lewis, Martin Short, Susan Sarandon, John Lithgow, and Whoopi
Goldberg, and the national tour of “Rugrats Live.” As a voice actor,
Charlie has appeared as a regular in over ninety animated series, and
played many memorable characters including “Buster Bunny” from
“Tiny-Toon Adventures;” “Cow,” “Chicken” and “The Red Guy” from
“Cow & Chicken;” “Silverbolt” from the original “Transformers” series
and “Starscream,” in the recent films; and now, the nefarious “Dr.
Doom” on Marvel’s “The Super Hero Squad Show.” On Broadway, he
succeeded Harvey Feinstein in “Torch Song Trilogy,” and later toured
in the national company. His critically acclaimed one-man show “There
Used To Be Fireflies” won him a Dramalogue Award For Best Actor.
JOHN BARON
Current Jobs – Senior teacher of the Alexander technique and specialist
in vocal tension release; Co-director Alexander Educational Center in
Berkeley, a teacher-training facility for The Alexander Technique
Previous Jobs – Alexander teacher in Europe and US; actor
Training and Education – Studied for several years with some of
Europe’s finest voice and movement teachers—including National
Theatre voice coach, Kate Fleming, and Florence Norburg (whose past
pupils included Rex Harrison, Vanessa Redgrave and Kiri Te Kanawa).
Credits – John was a professional actor in his native England for
10 years playing leading roles in TV plays, BBC series and film, and
performing with many regional, touring and national theater
companies, including England’s National Theatre and Citizens Theatre.
An Alexander teacher specializing in work with performing artists,
John has taught extensively in Europe and in the U.S., and has
developed special workshops and training programs for such diverse
organizations as Google, San Francisco Ballet, and the Sundance and
Esalen Institutes. Website: www.johnabaron.com
AL BEDROSIAN
Current Jobs – Voice actor; on-camera actor; teacher
Previous Job – Supervising Special Agent, California Department
of Justice
Training and Education – BA, MA Political Science/Criminology;
Teaching Credential, San Jose State University; Voicetrax SF;
Improvworks; ComedySportz Improv; Full Circle Productions
Credits – Voice and on-camera credits include: SF Giants 50th Year
Anniversary Special, Tropicana Orange Juice, Mechanics Bank, SEGA
Games, Yahoo Hot Jobs, Biltmore Estate audio tour, Tri-Counties Bank,
Round Table Pizza, PG & E, Fremont Automall (two year campaign),
24-Hour Fitness, MVP.com, Omnisky.com, San Francisco Ballet, Kodak
(IMAX) Stone Mountain Georgia, ProAim Golf TV Infomercial, Sunsweet
Prunes, HIV/AIDS Media Campaign, Charles Schwab, H-P, Safeway,
Seagate, Credit Suisse First Boston Bank, American Pharmaceutical,
Novellus Systems, Meta-TV, EDS Financial Services, Mobile 365 Systems,
Symantec, 3-PAR Storage Systems, Advanced Micro Devices, Robert
Mondavi Wines, Rockwell Collins, McKesson, Medtronics, CEMEX,
Delicato Wines, Proposition 86, California Department of Justice,
“Virtual Cop 3,” “Robot Geldoblame,” “Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu;”
and numerous medical & industrial narration projects. Website:
www.albedrosian.com
BOB BERGEN
Current Jobs – Voice actor; on-camera host; nationally-renowned
lecturer; voice acting coach
Previous Jobs – Professional voice actor since the age of 18; Universal
Studios tour guide
Training and Education – “The Groundlings,” John Ruskin, Daws Butler,
Michael Bell, Brian Cummings and Dave Madden
Credits – Since 1990, Bob has been proud to be one of the handful
of actors who now voice the classic Warner Brothers “Looney Tunes”
characters, originally created by the legendary Mel Blanc, in 1000’s of
productions, namely “Porky Pig,” “Tweety,” “Sylvester, Jr.,” “Speedy
Gonzales,” “Marvin the Martian” and “Henry Hawk.” Among Bob’s
“non-Looney Tunes” credits are: “Bucky, the Squirrel,” for the on-going
Disney animated series, “The Emperor’s New School;” dozens of
animated features such as “Up,” “Finding Nemo,“ “Cars,” “Wall-E,”
“Toy Story 2,” “Spirited Away,” “Surf’s Up,” “Cloudy With a Chance
of Meatballs,” “Shrek2,” “Iron Giant,” and the upcoming “Toy Story
3;” “Luke Skywalker” in the Emmy-nominated, “Star Wars: Robot
Chicken,” and “Star Wars: Robot Chicken, Episode 2;” promos for
The Disney Channel, FOX Kids, NBC, Kids WB, FX Networks, CBS;
commercials for Mitsubishi, Baskin-Robbins, Geico, Red Bull, Sprint,
Welches, Expedia.Com, HR Block, Jack-in-the-Box, United and PetSmart;
and as the on-camera host of the game show, “JEP!” the kid’s version
of “Jeopardy!” on GSN. In addition, Bob’s one-man show “So Here’s
The Deal (The Story of a Nice Jewish Boy Who Wanted to Be ‘Porky
Pig’)” has enjoyed two successful runs in Los Angeles, was ADAnominated as Best Solo Show, and is currently touring the country.
DAVID W. COLLINS
Current Jobs – Audio lead, Voice Director and Sound Designer for
LucasArts; voice actor; professional singer, songwriter, drummer, bassist
and guitarist
Training and Education – BA in Theatre and Music from Whitworth
University; alum of Berklee College of Music in Boston (where he
studied audio production)
Credits – David has traveled the world as an actor, voice director, and
sound designer. For the past 10 years, he has created award-winning
audio and vocal soundtracks for LucasArts on titles such as “Star Wars:
The Force Unleashed,” “Knights of the Old Republic,” “Thrillville,” and
“Monkey Island;” and cast and directed actors in San Francisco, Los
Angeles, New York, Chicago, London, and New Zealand. As an actor,
David toured in a youth theatre program and performed in over 50
separate productions throughout California and parts of Europe—all
before turning 17. Since then, he has worked primarily as a voice
actor in commercials, games, multimedia and industrials; most notably
as “Proxy,” in “Stars Wars, the Force Unleashed,” and beginning in
2010, he’ll be “The Voice” of Capital One Credit Card’s automated
response system.
FRANK COPPOLA
Current Jobs – Director; on-camera and voice actor; teacher; coach
Previous Jobs – Director; actor; teacher
Training and Education – Kent State University and John Carroll
University, Ohio; Acting & Directing training in New York and
Los Angeles with David Le Grant, Paul Richards, Viola Spolin and
Stella Adler
Credits – Frank’s credits are many and diverse. Producing and
directing credits include: “The Power of a Promise: Ninety Years of
Girl Scouting,” ARCO Arena, Sacramento; over 50 theater productions
around the country in venues such as the Paper Mill Playhouse in New
Jersey, Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, 5th Avenue Theatre in
Seattle, and the San Jose Stage Company, The Magic Theatre, 42nd
Street Moon, Lamplighters and Theatre Artists of Marin in the Bay
Area; and staff director at WCTV-Los Angeles. As an actor, Frank has
appeared in the motion picture “The Buddy System;” on numerous
TV shows including the new NBC series “Trauma,” “Nash Bridges,”
“America’s Most Wanted,” “The Newhart Show,” “Soap,” “The Judge,”
and “Jake and the Fatman;” and in Broadway, Off-Broadway and
regional theatre productions such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “No Place
To Be Somebody,” “Wanted,” “A Look At The Fifties,” and “Love’s
Labour’s Lost.” Frank is also an in-demand acting and speaking coach,
with on-air news anchors, corporate executives and professional actors
among his many clients.
FREDERIK DU CHAU
Current Job – Live-action film director; screenwriter
Previous Jobs – Animation director; visual development artist;
storyboard artist for Chuck Jones; freelance animator for Disney Paris
Training and Education – Frederik has directed several family movies,
including the animated films, “The Quest For Camelot,” “Racing
Stripes” (which he also wrote), and Universal’s smash hit, “The Land
Before Time: The Time of the Great Giving;” and the live-action
“Underdog” for Disney. In the process, he has worked with many of
Hollywood’s top actors such as Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg Amy
Adams, Jason Lee, Hayden Pannetiere, Jim Belushi and Peter Dinklage.
Frederik was one of the first to pioneer a unique look that turns liveaction footage into two-dimensional graphic pictures for “Stripped,”
a TV pilot he directed, based on a graphic novel and which starred
Marisa Tomei (the same technique that was later used to great effect in
“Sin City”). He has also drawn and developed his own series of books,
and his graphic novel work was recently recognized at the prestigious
Angoulême International Comics Festival, the largest in Europe.
PETER DUNNE
Current Jobs – Lead sound designer at Antenna Audio (part of
Discovery Communications); voice director for independent films,
promotional spots, podcasts; music composer for film, art installations
and multimedia
Previous Jobs – Permanent Exhibits Project Manager, California
Academy of Sciences; rock star
Training and Education – San Francisco State University; Friedman
Technical Institute; UC Extension
(continued on page 8)
7
Credits – Ten years with Antenna Audio, casting and directing voice
talent for audio and multimedia tours. Peter has produced audio
for all major American museums and attractions, including the
Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art, Graceland, Ellis Island and the Biltmore House. He has also won
multiple AAM (American Association of Museums) and NAI (National
Association for Interpretation) awards for various productions including
the California Academy of Sciences multimedia tour, the Kara Walker
exhibit at the Whitney Museum, the Ansel Adams exhibition at the
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and “High Societies” at the San
Diego Museum of Art. Peter’s independent film credits include “The
Cockettes,” “Alaska Far Away,” “Ambient Medium,” “A Refugee,”
“Stop the Spinning World” (currently in post-production), and “1984.”
As a guitarist and singer, Peter can be heard on: “Pearl Harbor and the
Explosions (Warner Brothers);” “Modern Rocketry (Megatone);” and
“Debora Iyall/Romeo Void (415/Columbia).”
CHUCK KOUROUKLIS
JEANNIE ELIAS
Current Jobs – Voice and on-camera actor; voice director, casting
director, producer and acting coach; marketing consultant
Previous Jobs – Financial consultant; department head
Training and Education – Voicetrax; Cliff Osmond’s Actors’ Studio; Full
Circle Productions; CSU, East Bay, BA, Political Science; Università di
Firenze (Florence) Law School
Credits – Voice and on-camera credits include: LucasArts/Telltale
Games’ “The Tales of Monkey Island,” EA Games’ “The Godfather,” San
Francisco Chronicle, Valley Medical Center, TeleNav, Sun Micro, Intel,
Wal-Mart, Clorox, Union Bank, CNET, Lexmark, Papa Murphy’s Pizza,
audio tours and educational games. Other credits include creating and
developing the on-line casting site Voiceyenta.com; voice casting for
games, reality series, commercials, industrials and multimedia; directing
and producing voiceover for various multimedia projects.
Current Jobs – Voice and on-camera actor; theater and voice
director; coach
Training and Education – Member of Second City and Spolin Players
improv companies
Credits – Jeannie has starred in numerous TV cartoon series including
“The Oblongs,” “The Misadventures of Maya and Miguel,” “As Told By
Ginger,” “Jackie Chan,” “The Addams Family,” “Quack Pack,” “Dennis
the Menace,” “My Little Pony,” “Zorro,” “Jumanji,” “Richie Rich,”
“The Pink Panther,” “Super Mario Brothers,” and “NASCAR Racers;”
and the anime series, “Bleach,” Naruto,” and “Blood+.” She has also
provided voiceovers for animated films, including “Over the Hedge,”
“The Wild” and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua;” and hundreds of television
and radio commercials, tutorials, and video games such as “EverQuest,”
“X-Men,” “Dead To Rights,” “James Bond,” “Mass Effect, I and II,”
and “Jak X.” Her on-camera credits include feature films such as “Mr.
Saturday Night,” and “Blind Date;” a recurring role on “St. Elsewhere;”
and guest-starring roles on “Seinfeld,” “Touched By An Angel,” and
“Empty Nest.” In addition, Jeanie has directed animation and theater,
and coached voiceover and theatrical actors for years.
KATHLEEN GARRETT
Current Jobs – Voice actor; on-camera and stage actor
Training – In addition to years of training as an actor, Kathleen took her
first voiceover class from Thom Pinto nearly twenty years ago (evidently
he taught her well…)
Credits – Kathleen, who lives and works in both New York City and
Los Angeles, narrates the hit crime/forensic show “Solved!” now in its
second season on the Discovery network’s ID (Investigation Discovery)
Channel and TLC; and is the promo voice for TCM (Turner Classic
Movies) “Essentials,” hosted by Alec Baldwin and Robert Osbourne.
She can also be heard as the voice of “Jason’s Mother” in both the
“Friday the 13th 2009” trailer and film. Kathleen’s past credits include:
narration for E! Entertainment’s “Celebrity Profiles: Sarah Ferguson,”
and Discovery Channel’s “Solving the Perfect Murder,” “I’d Kill For
A Baby,” “The First Test-Tube Baby,” “Final Days of an Icon: Gianni
Versace” and “Final Days of an Icon: Sharon Tate;” promos and
narration for Oxygen Channel’s “Oxygen Sports,” and ad campaigns
for Royal Caribbean Cruises and Inamed Aesthetics.
Website: www.kathleengarrett.com
JEFF HOWELL
Current Job – Vice-President, Production, World Wide Wadio
Previous Jobs – Casting Director, Bert Berdis & Company; Talent Agent,
Abrams-Rubaloff & Lawrence
Training and Education – BS, Broadcasting and Film, Boston University;
Directing Actors for TV and Film, UCLA
Credits – Jeff has been involved in the casting, direction and/or
production of thousands of radio commercials and promos, including
numerous award-winning spots. He’s produced audiobooks for Leonard
Nimoy and John de Lancie’s Sci-fi company, including “The Invisible
Man,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “The Time Machine,” and
“The Lost World;” and at one time was the “Extras” casting director for
“Moonlighting,” “Cagney and Lacey,” “The Wonder Years,” “Matlock,”
“Robo-Cop,” and “The Running Man.” Website: www.Wadio.com
TOM KELLY
Current Job – Voice and On-Camera Acting Coach; occasional
restaurant critic*
Previous Jobs – San Francisco talent agent; on-camera actor; on-camera
acting instructor at Full Circle Productions; video production researcher
Training and Education – Majored in Journalism at Auburn University;
Full Circle Productions, San Francisco
Credits – As an agent with a highly-respected San Francisco agency,
Tom was responsible for booking hundreds of jobs for voice and
on-camera actors in the Bay Area. From local contracts to national
commercials, Tom coached and guided actors to high-paying jobs with
companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Shaklee, Slingbox, and Wal-Mart,
and dozens of car companies; and helped voice actors book countless
industrial narration and video game gigs. Prior to becoming an agent,
Tom was an on-camera acting instructor for several years.
*For Tom’s recommendation on one of the top dining spots in Sausalito, check out
Episode 404 of “Check Please, Bay Area:” http://blogs.kqed.org/food/2009/04/10/checkplease-bay-area-season-4-episode-4-404/
8
Current Job – Voice actor; instructor; Voicetrax utility player
Previous Jobs – Morning show producer and sidekick; afternoon disc
jockey; Production Manager; Creative Services Director
Training and Education – Chemistry BA, University of Virginia; Voicetrax
Credits – Most recent credits include: TV ads for Northern California
Honda Dealers, Ubisoft “Battle of Giants: Dragons,” San Francisco
Chronicle and Enzyte Male Enhancement (which, in case you were
wondering, was not for “Ubisoft”): radio ads for IdentityGuard
(produced by Pond Radio), T-Mobile and F’Real Milkshakes; narration
for “The Alamo” audio tour (Antenna Audio), Gizmo6, Cisco, and Pulco
Citronnade; and numerous video games including Leapfrog’s “Green
Eggs and Ham;” Sega’s “Sands of Destruction;” and “Order of War,”
“Assassin’s Creed,” “Tesla,” “Shattered Horizons,” “Emerald City,”
“Majesty 2,” and “Valerie Porter,” all for Somatone.
SIRENETTA LEONI
NED LOTT
Current Jobs – Freelance producer; voice director and casting director
Previous Jobs – Senior Manager, Disney Character Voices; voice director,
The Learning Company
Training and Education – BA in Radio/TV/Film from Biola University
Credits – As a producer, voice director and casting director with the
Walt Disney Studios, Ned worked on seven Studio Ghibli titles: “Porco
Rosso,” “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” “The Cat Returns,”
“Whisper of the Heart,” “Pom Poko,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” and
Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar™-nominated theatrical release, “Howl’s
Moving Castle.” Ned has also cast and directed numerous other
voiceover projects and ADR sessions for the Walt Disney Company, Pixar
and SquareEnix, including “Cars,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Lion KingSpecial Edition,” “Kingdom Hearts,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean:
Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End.” One of his proudest
achievements is having cast Liam Neeson as the voice of “Aslan” for
“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,”
and “Prince Caspian.” Ned recently worked on “Coraline” for Universal
Pictures, and is currently voice-directing a “Lord of the Rings” project
for Warner Brothers.
ANNA MATHIAS
Current Job – Actress, singer, screenwriter and coach
Previous Jobs – Acting coach in LA for The Voiceover Connection,
Spolin Players and Richard Klein
Training and Education – BA in Dramatic Arts from UC Berkeley; studied
with Del Close and Viola Spolin, two legends in the world of Improv
Credits – ADR for film and TV including “The Hangover,” “Funny
People,” “2012,” “Evan Almighty,” “21,” “Talladega Nights,” “World
Trade Center,” “Beerfest,” “Borat,” and “24;” and commercial
voiceovers for University Hospital, McDonalds, Delta, Farmer’s
Insurance, Associated Bank, and Dish Antenna. Anna also played “Alice
Mitchell” on the “All-New Dennis the Menace” cartoon series; and
currently performs improv with the Spolin Players, and the likes of Dan
Castellaneta and Ryan Styles at the Second City Alumni Jam. Notable
on-camera roles include “Irene” in “Domestic Import,” “Saint Anne” in
“Mary, Mother of Jesus,” and “Sister Stephanie” in “Mother Teresa.”
THOM PINTO
Current and Previous Jobs – Voice actor; voiceover coach
Training and Education – UCLA, BA in Psychology; Thom credits Bill Bell,
Kiva Lawrence and Sonny Mathias for the rest of his training
Credits – Promos: CBS Evening News, 48 Hours, CW Network, Sirius
Radio and numerous television stations across the country including
KRON-TV, since 1995. Commercial campaigns include: Staples,
Pacific Life, Norton 360 Software, Raley’s and Nob Hill Markets.
Documentaries: Travel Channel, Smithsonian Channel and National
Geographic Network. Audiobooks: The critically acclaimed reading of
“The Little Book of Common Sense Investing.” Fun Stuff: Commercial
spoofs on “Real Time With Bill Maher.” Website: www.thompinto.com
SAM POND
Current Job – Founder and owner of Pond Radio Entertainment;
voice actor
Previous Jobs – Founder, president and creative director of Blazing
Paradigm; associate creative director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners;
copywriter at Chiat/Day and Hal Riney & Partners
Training and Education –American Conservatory Theatre; Oregon
Shakespearean Festival, Ashland; off-Broadway (NY)
Credits – His clients have covered the spectrum of products and services
including Pepsi, Slingbox, Sega of America, Pizza Hut, Starbucks,
Subway Restaurants, Mirage Hotels, Diet Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist
Free, Saturn, EBay, Diet Pepsi, Kirkwood Ski Resort, and Chevy’s, as well
as Stroh’s, Rainier, Spaten and Lone Star beers. Sam has been honored
with numerous advertising industry awards, including “Best of Show”
at New York’s One Show (the first and only time that the honor has
been awarded to a radio campaign), and the grand prize of $1,000,000
in Clear Channel radio airtime at the National EAR Awards.
Website: www.pondradio.com
JACQUIE SHRIVER
Current Job – Senior Dialog Coordinator, Sony Computer Entertainment
(SCEA), Santa Monica
Previous Jobs – Dialog Coordinator; Project Manager, SCEA
Training and Education – BA, Electronic Media, University of Cincinnati,
College Conservatory of Music
Credits –“SOCOM: Tactical Strike,” “SOCOM: Combined Assault,”
“SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 2,” “God of War: Chains of Olympus,” “Lair,”
“Uncharted: Drakes Fortune,” “Dead Rising,” “Onimusha,” “Resident
Evil 4,” “Marc Ecko’s Getting Up,” “Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone,”
“Area 51,” “Hot Shots Tennis,” “NBA: The Life 2007 – 2009.”
BRIAN SOMMER
Current Job – Voice actor; “home grown” Voicetrax instructor
Training and Education – Voicetrax SF
Credits – Brian’s credits include TV ads for Best Buy, Pine Sol, SF Opera,
and AFLAC; radio spots for Comcast, Yahoo, Subway, First Republic
Bank; and narration for H-P, Visa, Sun Micro, Sprint, EBay, and the LA
Angels of Anaheim, but character roles remain his passion. He’s been
cast in scores of video games, and more often than not, is featured
as the bad guy (which is ironic given that Brian was once a Bay Area
cop) in such games as Sega’s “Phantasy Star Universe” and “Rambo;”
Backbone’s “Death Jr. 2;” Flagship’s “Hellgate London;” Blizzard’s
“Diablo III;” Autumn Moon’s “A Vampyre Story;” Microsoft’s “Rise of
Nations;” City Interactive’s “Chronicles of Mystery;” Big Fish’s “Return
to Ravenhearst;” Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed;” and Telltale Game’s “Sam
and Max” and LucasArts/TellTale Game’s “Tales of Monkey Island.”
An avid Disney fan, Brian can be heard as the voicemail greeting at
the Disney Gallery and Disneyanna shop, as well as on numerous
Disneyland Fan Podcasts. Because Brian is a Voicetrax alum, he always
likes to remind students who aspire to work professionally…“It can be
done, I am living proof.” Website: www.briansommer.com
BOB SYMONS
Current Job – Retired voice actor/quasi-retired attorney/part-time golfer
Previous Job – 25 years as high-tech corporate legal counsel, including
17 years as VP and General Counsel at DIALOG Information Services,
Palo Alto and Mountain View
Training and Education – JD, Loyola University School of Law; BS,
Communications, Southern Illinois University (Carbondale); Voicetrax
SF; and Full Circle Productions, San Francisco
Credits – Voiceover credits include narration for Mariah Vineyards
and UCSF Children’s Hospital; audio tours for the Stratosphere Hotel
in Las Vegas, the American Beauty Museum, the Southeast Asian Art
Museum, and “400 Years of Tsarist Russia;” “The True Believers” TV
documentary; commercials for Concannon Chardonnay, MTV Music
Awards “Live Like a Rock Star,” NPI, eGain, Novitra Cream, Levis, Oak
Tree Mazda, Frontier Infiniti, Adidas, Heald Business College and
Match.com; the interactive books, “The Human Body,” and “Day in
the City” for Leapfrog; and various computer games.
MARY LYNN WISSNER
Current Job – Voice casting director and owner of Voices Voicecasting
in Los Angeles for 19 years; voice actor; voiceover coach
Previous Job – Casting associate at VoiceCaster in LA; voice talent
agent; producer
Credits – Mary Lynn has cast thousands of voices for TV, radio,
animation, film, games, ADR and audio books. Her recent casting
clients include: Chrysler, Sprint, Chevron, Cadillac, Motrin, Barilla,
Seven-Eleven, Coke, Jeep, KIA, Chiquita, Kodak, H-P, PBS, Adidas,
Stouffer’s, Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel, Mattel, Sony Playstation,
Kraft, Kleenex, Chevrolet, Brita, Prevacid, and Elizabeth Arden. As a
mentor and coach to voice actors for the last eighteen years, she has
also nurtured and guided hundreds of voice actors, from across the
country, into the world of voice-overs.
Lectures...Workshops... Seminars
This Is What It’s ALL About!
All lectures, workshops, and seminars are held at Voicetrax’s studios in Sausalito unless otherwise noted. We realize that
reading through the descriptions of the more than 60 courses offered in this 2010 Catalogue is a daunting and timeconsuming task, so we encourage you to contact our office for guidance* at (415) 331-8800. We can help you identify
those courses that are most appropriate to your needs at each particular stage of your training. Voicetrax Guest Director™
biographies begin on page 7 of this catalogue. Please note that legal restrictions prohibit us from listing the actual names
of individual talent agents and booth directors.
*For actual dates and prices of classes, please see registration form.
FOR BEGINNERS
FINDING YOUR VOICE
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Samantha Paris
3-hour overview
Critical Listening; Taking Direction
Join Voicetrax founder, Samantha Paris, for an enlightening and entertaining overview. You’ll be introduced to the many kinds of voiceovers—
radio and TV ads, cartoons, narration, promos, video games—and get a chance to hear examples of both “excellent” and “not so much”
performances. Samantha will also share a little “straight talk” about the financial realities of the business, the commitment and training required
to become a voice actor, and how you’ll know when you’re really ready for a demo.
BEGINNING SEMINAR
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Al Bedrosian
10-hour weekend seminar
Acting; Character Development;
Confidence-Building; Dialogues; Mic Technique;
Script Analysis; Taking Direction
This accelerated weekend seminar covers much of the same ground as Beginning Workshop and is designed for people who can’t commit to
six weeks and/or don’t mind being thrown into the fire. You’ll explore voice acting fundamentals, including script interpretation, microphone
technique, acting choices, and dialogues. You’ll leave this seminar with a better understanding of the voice acting craft, and the skills and
techniques you’ll need to succeed in the current marketplace. This class is a recommended option to Beginning Workshop for the time-pressed
novice or students who’ve had previous professional voice acting, acting or broadcasting experience.
BEGINNING WORKSHOP
Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Chuck Kourouklis, Sirenetta Leoni,
Samantha Paris
21-hour six-week workshop
Confidence-Building; Dialogues; Mic Technique;
You’ll explore basic voice acting fundamentals—including script interpretation, microphone technique, acting choices, dialogues—and get to try
your hand (or mouth) at creating character voices. By the end of this workshop, you’ll have a solid understanding of important voiceover basics:
the industry and its job opportunities as well as the training, skills and level of commitment you’ll need to succeed as a voice actor.
9
CREATING CHARACTERS
Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Chuck Kourouklis, Samantha Paris
Confidence-Building; Taking Direction
These practiced pros will share many of their insights, tricks, and techniques with you during this informative and entertaining seminar.
We promise that even those of you who might find the idea of character work intimidating, will discover voices and performances inside of
you that you never knew existed. You’ll take away a better understanding of the character creation process, and an increased confidence in
your ability to invent colorful, memorable, funny characters.
GOING FORWARD!
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Samantha Paris
3-hour lab
Skills Focus: Acting; Critical Listening;
Dialogues; Script Analysis; Taking Direction;
Taking Responsibility
If you’re getting ready to move up to the next level, but want to know more about what to expect—and what will be expected of you—once you
get there, this class is tailor made. Part work-out, part Intermediate-level orientation, you’ll be introduced to dialogue and audition exercises alà
Samantha. You’ll leave this session with a better understanding of the types of skills that you’ll be focusing on going forward, and why mastering
them is essential to your development as a voice actor. Students who have completed Beginning Seminar, but have not yet worked with Samantha
will be given precedence. Students who have completed other Beginning-level classes with Samantha may enroll, if space is available.
Prerequisites: Beginning Workshop or Beginning Seminar.
INTRODUCTION TO NARRATION
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Chuck Kourouklis
12-hour four-week workshop
Storytelling; Confidence-Building;
During this workshop, you’ll explore various narration styles and techniques as you work with a wide variety of copy. You’ll gain a clearer
perspective on what it takes to succeed in the growing field of industrial narration, and a true appreciation for the dramatic and storytelling skills
required to deliver strong, engaging documentary narration performances.
Prerequisites: Beginning Workshop or Beginning Seminar.
SIMPLY ACTING
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Frank Coppola
Acting; Choice-Making; Confidence-Building;
Spontaneity; Taking Direction
Frank Coppola teaches many of the fundamental acting techniques he’s learned and used successfully over the years, both as an actor and director.
Through participation in theater games and improv exercises, you’ll increase your comfort level and gain confidence in your performance ability.
You’ll also spend time behind the microphone learning how to apply these basic acting concepts to performing commercial copy.
FOR INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS
ACCESS! THE VOICE ACTOR’S GUIDE TO BREAKING INTO THE BUSINESS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Tom Kelly
Skills Focus: Acting; Character Development;
Choice-Making; Critical Listening; Script
Analysis; Self-Marketing; Taking Direction;
To get where you want to go, you need to know where you’re going! Join Tom Kelly for this “Tour de Bay Area Voiceover” and get his informed
insider’s perspective on how to prepare to compete in the San Francisco market. You’ll find out about the right and wrong way to find an agent,
proper submission procedures and etiquette; what agents look for in a demo; expanding your range; and audition do’s and don’ts. You’ll also get
a chance to work on a variety of commercial, narration and character copy, and Tom will provide individualized feedback on how you can raise the
quality of your auditions.
CHARACTER MAGIC: ACTING FOR ANIMATION AND GAMES
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Jeannie Elias
Skills Focus: Acting; Believability; Character
Development; Choice-Making; Critical
Listening; Script Analysis; Setting the Scene;
Spontaneity
Come prepared to be up on your feet and working for most of this seminar as you use proven acting techniques to expand your range and
bring fully realized characters to life—organically and truthfully. This is not a class on how to mark up your script or make funny voices. Instead,
as you explore characters from animation and video games, you’ll learn to use instinct, imagination and emotional authenticity to explore and
understand the layers of each one. And the “magic” part? You’ll discover that once you are genuinely engaged and in the moment, the “voice”
of the character will spring naturally from the work!
COLORS OF YOUR VOICE
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Chuck Kourouklis
Acting; Announcing; Choice-Making;
Confidence-Building; Self-Direction
What color is luxury…trust…excitement? The Colors method, originally developed by Thom Pinto, has helped thousands of actors build a richer,
more vibrant voiceover foundation, including your instructor, Chuck Korurouklis, who has successfully used the “Colors” technique to land roles
in commercials for advertisers such as Honda, Comcast and Sega. As Chuck leads you through an exploration of your full vocal and emotional
spectrum, you’ll discover a multitude of interpretations that you’ve never before considered—or realized you were capable of delivering.
Please note that this introductory course is a prerequisite for enrollment in any class taught by Thom Pinto.
10
FOUNDER’S SEMINAR
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Samantha Paris
Acting; Announcing; Character Development;
Confidence-Building; Dialogues; Script Analysis;
Self-Direction; Taking Direction
If you’re an Intermediate-level student who believes that you are ready to move up to the next level, you’ll get a chance to prove it during
this demanding seminar. Come prepared to be held to a higher Intermediate/Advanced standard of performance as you’re challenged to take
everything you’ve learned from your previous classes and apply these techniques and skills to a wide range of copy—radio, TV, characters, and more.
INTERMEDIATE STYLIZED VOICE ACTOR
Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Sirenetta Leoni, Thom Pinto
Announcing; Choice-Making; Mic Technique;
Script Analysis; Self-Direction
Ad agencies spend millions to achieve a specific look and feel for their TV commercials, so the voiceover style for each spot needs to be specific,
too…complementing its carefully crafted visual mood, rhythm and energy. This information-packed four-week workshop is designed to help you
unravel the mysteries of script interpretation and style selection for TV voiceovers, so that you’ll be prepared to meet the challenges presented
when auditioning for these highly lucrative ads.
VOICEOVER BUILDING BLOCKS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Thom Pinto
Acting; Believability; Choice-Making;
Confidence-Building; Critical Listening; Script
Analysis; Self-Direction; Setting the Scene
Radio monologues. Whether straight or funny, it’s a challenge to sustain an audience’s attention for :60. But the ability to do so successfully is the
test that most voiceover agents use to gauge an actor’s readiness to start auditioning. Thom will show you how to identify the various styles of
copy, and then break each script down into its critical components. You’ll learn to establish a strong opening, weave and sustain interest through
the treacherous middle, and build to a powerful finish that will resonate with your listeners.
WHAT A CHARACTER
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Brian Sommer
Acting; Character Development; ChoiceMaking; Confidence-Building; Mic Technique; Setting the Scene; Spontaneity
During this workshop, you’ll explore all those characters lurking inside of you. What might your dastardly villain sound like selling soap? You’ll
find out as you perform a variety of animation and game scripts and examine how your characters act in different situations and surroundings.
You’ll also gain practical experience sustaining characters—a required skill when it comes to working in video games and animation.
FOR EVERYONE
EXPLORING THE INSTRUMENT
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
John Baron
Relaxation; Confidence-Building; Spontaneity;
Vocal Conditioning
In this workshop you’ll learn how to rid yourself of “blocks”—vocal patterns that interfere with your ability to speak naturally and with ease.
You’ll explore how your own breath, articulation, clarity of sound, mind/body connection, range, tone, placement, vocal tension and performance
anxiety can each affect the way you communicate. But it’s not all hard work and vocal diagnostics…John keeps the proceedings entertaining, fastpaced and light-hearted.
Participants will be expected to complete two hours of outside work/exercises each week. Comfortable clothing is advised for group exercises.
HOME RECORDING STUDIO TUTORIAL LEVEL I: THE BASICS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
SF Booth Director
9-hour three week workshop
Critical Listening; Mic Technique; Self-Direction;
Self-Marketing; Taking Responsibility
Having a simple, home recording set-up makes you immediately accessible to agents and clients all over the world; significantly reduces the
expense and hassle of commuting regularly to your agent’s office for auditions; and last but not least, allows you to sign up for the growing list
of Voicetrax classes that require a home recording set-up for participation. Additionally, the ability to record yourself provides you with selfdiagnostic tools for identifying vocal problems and fine-tuning your performances. During this class, you’ll learn how to put together your own
home studio inexpensively from the ground up including—selection, purchase and use of audio equipment; wiring basics; setup
and configuration; a personalized home studio plan; software installation; and basic editing and file conversion with Audacity.
Enrollment is limited to ten participants.
HOME RECORDING STUDIO TUTORIAL LEVEL II: ADVANCED
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
SF Booth Director
6-hour two week workshop
Critical Listening; Mic Technique; Self-Direction;
Self-Marketing; Taking Responsibility
After taking Level I, you now know how to record and send clean, audition-quality mp3’s. But if you’d like to take the next step, and learn how
to get your home recordings as close to studio-quality as possible, you’ll need additional training and equipment. During this class, you’ll find out
about the functions and use of other studio equipment such as mixers, equalizers, and ISDN, and even get a chance to try out some high-end mics.
The pros and cons of various recording software programs will be discussed and you’ll find out—through a guided “hands on” tutorial—how to
use editing techniques to correct common audio problems and “sweeten” your recordings.
Enrollment is limited to ten participants. Please note that you’ll need to bring a laptop on Week 2. Prerequisites: Level I or prior approval from
Voicetrax’ office. Students who complete both courses will be eligible to enroll for a follow-up private lesson with the instructor where they will
receive a personal “eq” profile of their voice which can be used for future reference and sweetening.
11
IMPROV FOR VOICE ACTORS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Anna Mathias
Choice-Making; Confidence-Building;
Setting the Scene; Spontaneity
Get ready to play! This energetic, fun workout will jolt you out of your predictable everyday choices, free you to take chances, and find new
characters, voices and approaches that even you didn’t know you had! Using a variety of tried and tested theater games and improv techniques,
you’ll gain confidence as you learn to relax in front of the mic.
INSIDE THE VOICE ACTORS’ STUDIO
Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Frederik Du Chau,
Sirenetta Leoni (moderator)
3-hour evening lecture
Acting; Believability; Character Development;
Choice-Making; Critical Listening;
Script Analysis; Setting the Scene;
Spontaneity; Taking Direction
Voicetrax is proud to continue our ongoing lecture series with the very top talent in the voiceover business. This semester we’re delighted to
welcome director, Frederik Du Chau, to the dais. While you may not instantly recognize the name, if you’re an animation fan and/or have kids, you
probably know his work—the successful animated and live-action features, “Quest for Camelot,” “Racing Stripes” and Disney’s “Underdog.” So
how does a young, talented artist from Ghent, Belgium rise through the ranks of the animation industry to become a major player in Hollywood?
Come join us and find out as Frederik recounts his unlikely odyssey and shares valuable insights and advice about animation and voice acting that
he’s learned from the best of the best—from legendary animators like Chuck Jones to some of the world’s finest actors, including Dustin Hoffman,
John Gielgud, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Dinklage, Gary Oldman, Jason Lee, and Amy Adams.
THE TAMING OF THE MIC
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Chuck Kourouklis
Character Development; Mic Technique;
Self-Direction; Setting the Scene
If you’ve ever puzzled over how to show greater range and imagination in your voice acting, this class provides specific mic techniques that can
help you breathe life and variety into your performances. From practical, technical issues like how to minimize “p”-pops and over-modulation,
to creative ideas on how to establish a sense of scene and define your characters, Chuck will share the many mic tricks-of-the-trade that he’s
developed during his 20 plus years in the broadcast and voiceover industries.
FOR INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED STUDENTS
ADVANCED STYLIZED VOICE ACTOR
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Thom Pinto
This is a more in-depth workout for those who have already taken Intermediate Stylized Voice Actor. In this seminar, Thom will work with you on
perfecting the very specific delivery styles that bring various types of television commercials to life. You’ll also explore the powerful role that music
can bring to a voice actor’s performance.
!ANIMANIA!
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
LA Agent
Acting; Character Development; ConfidenceBuilding; Mic Technique; Script Analysis;
Taking Direction
Your creativity and technical abilities will be put to the test as you bolster your confidence and strengthen your auditioning techniques by working
on a wide assortment of cartoon and game scripts. Who better to put you through the paces of these mock auditions, and provide helpful
feedback and direction than one of the best known animation agents in the business?
ANIMATION 101 WITH BOB BERGEN
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Bob Bergen
Mic Technique; Script Analysis; Self-Marketing;
One of the most sought-after voice actors and instructors in the country brings his popular, widely acclaimed seminar to Voicetrax. You’ll explore
all the vital skills, techniques and necessary information that aspiring animation actors need to know—effective mic technique; creating and
sustaining characters; breaking down copy; and understanding how the demo process and the “business of the business,” really work. You’ll
develop and expand your own cast of characters, and gain confidence in your ability to perform and audition “in-character.”
BEST DAMNED DEMO PERIOD!
Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
SF Agent, Sirenetta Leoni, Samantha Paris
Script Analysis; Self-Direction; Self-Marketing; Taking Responsibility
During this information-packed workshop, you’ll gain a clear understanding of the whole demo production process from start to finish—copy
selection, recording, editing, post-production, design, branding, marketing strategy and costs. You’ll also get straight up advice on how to make
your demo stand out, as well as common mistakes to avoid.
Be prepared to produce, perform, self-direct and “package” your own mock demo by the last week of this class.
12
COMEDY CENTRAL
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Jeff Howell
Choice-Making; Comedic Timing;
Script Analysis; Setting the Scene; Spontaneity
It’s back to comedy basics! The focus will be on the “rules” of comedy as award-winning comedy producer and casting director, Jeff Howell, works
with you to strengthen your basic comedy skills. As you tackle one funny commercial script after another, Jeff will provide helpful, corrective
feedback on your script analysis, character, improv, acting, scene setting and…timing…abilities. By the end of the seminar, you’ll know where to
look for the “funny”* in each script, but even more important—you’ll know how to deliver the “funny.”
*Not to be confused with finding the “bunny;” for that class, see “Script Analysis Level I.”
COMMERCIALS VS. CARTOONS VS. VIDEO GAMES
Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
LA Agent, LA Booth Director
Acting; Character Development; ChoiceMaking; Confidence-Building; Mic Technique; Script Analysis; Setting the Scene; Spontaneity
Come join these two veteran voiceover pros for a side-by-side-by-side look at the differences between acting in commercials, animation and
video games. They’ll help you find the right tone and energy for your Saturday morning characters, then teach you how to “dial it down”
while sustaining the reality and intensity required for video game characters. You’ll also work on developing the funny, yet conversational and
believable characters that commercial copy demands. By the end of class, you’ll have a clearer understanding of when to go BIG, BROAD AND
CARTOONY! and when to tone it down and deliver a more realistic, subtle read.
DIALOGUE ONLY
Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Sirenetta Leoni, Samantha Paris
Choice-Making; Comedic Timing; Critical
Listening; Dialogues; Mic Technique;
Script Analysis; Self-Direction; Setting the
Scene; Spontaneity; Taking Direction
Breathe life into your dialogues by learning to interpret scripts more creatively. During these four weeks you’ll be encouraged, urged, pushed,
and prodded to make strong, believable acting choices; set the scene; and raise the stakes! You’ll also learn to bring the same level of reality
and commitment to “wild lining,” a skill which is becoming increasingly important for all voice actors to master as the percentage of auditions
recorded from home continues to grow.
DIRECT THYSELF
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Samantha Paris
Acting; Choice-Making;
Confidence-Building; Script Analysis;
Self-Direction; Taking Responsibility
You get hired by an inexperienced “director,” who has a vague notion of the kind of performance he wants, but no clue on how to get it out of
you…Your agent calls and asks you to record an audition and email it back within the hour… Voice actors run into these types of situations all the
time, but if you’re not prepared to self-direct, all of your other training is moot. Spend four weeks polishing your directing skills—in front of the
mic, behind the mic, even at home. You’ll gain confidence as you learn to direct yourself, and your classmates, like a pro!
GAMEROLOGY
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Jacquie Shriver
Choice-Making; Confidence-Building; Mic Technique; Script Analysis; Self-Direction;
Setting the Scene; Spontaneity; Taking Direction
If you want to have a better shot at getting cast in games, you need to understand some basics—the genres; how they work; who plays them;
gamer language; where sound design fits into the big picture, and where dialog fits into that. Who better to get you up to speed than one of
Sony Entertainment’s top dialog directors? During this fast-paced seminar, you’ll learn how casting decisions are made and what game directors
listen for in demos; and get a chance to polish your auditioning, performance and dialogue skills. Jacquie will also help you hone your “efforts,”
which, if you aspire to work in games, you’ll need to be able to perform confidently, quickly and with conviction. (If you’re not quite sure what
“efforts” are, then run, don’t walk, to sign up for this class!)
GET YOURSELF OUT THERE MARKETING LAB
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Sirenetta Leoni
9-hour three week workshop
Confidence-Building; Self-Marketing;
You’ve finally got (or are close to getting) your minute or demo done. But what do you do after that? We’ll guide you through the marketing
process step-by-step—from seeking representation to creating your brand to setting up your own website—and break down the costs involved.
You’ll also learn how and where to look for voiceover and on-camera opportunities, and find contact information for casting directors plus
advertising, corporate, media, broadcast, animation and game producers. You’ll leave this lab with the tools and information you need to develop
and implement a marketing plan specifically tailored to your skills, expertise and budget.
Enrollment is limited to ten participants. Participants will be expected to complete outside assignments.
INSIDE AND OUT: DIALECTS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Sirenetta Leoni
Choice-Making; Confidence-Building; Critical
Listening; Self-Direction; Spontaneity
The focus will be on improving your skills by exploring the dialects that voice actors encounter most frequently—British, Southern, “Brooklynese”
and others—in fun, unusual, creative ways. Each week you’ll be asked to take on a different dialect, and sustain it throughout the session!
After four weeks, you’ll have a greater level of comfort with dialects, a solid understanding of what it takes to perform dialects believably
and consistently, and know where to look for reliable dialect resource materials on the internet.
Participants will be expected to complete homework assignments each week. Most will be fun and easy—like watching movies or listening to
audio—but do require a commitment of your time. You’ll receive the first week’s assignment a few weeks before class begins.
13
JAPANESE ANIMATION ESSENTIALS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Ned Lott
Choice-Making; Mic Technique; Setting the Scene; Taking Direction
With the rise in popularity of anime, have you ever wondered what it would take to become a voice talent for dubbed films and games? This class
will provide you with a real hands-on learning experience, as you practice the same techniques used by successful anime voice actors to deliver
their lines in a natural, “non-dubby” way. You’ll also gain a better understanding of the casting process as you “audition” against other students
for roles from well-known Japanese animated films, then reenact scenes from those films.
NARRATION 360°
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Al Bedrosian
Confidence-Building; Mic Technique;
Script Analysis; Setting the Scene;
Storytelling; Taking Direction
Building on the skills you learned in “Introduction to Narration,” this class takes you to the next level. Through visualization techniques, deeper
script analysis and stronger acting choices, you’ll learn to better connect with your listener, and perform in the more authentic, conversational style
that is in such high demand today—on everything from step-by-step medical procedure tutorials to high-tech sales demos to voice mail prompts.
SCENE STUDY WITH FRANK COPPOLA
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Frank Coppola
Confidence-Building; Self-Direction;
Taking Direction
With Frank’s guidance, you’ll expand on the skills you developed in Simply Acting, and work on achieving more believable and engaging
performances through detailed scene study work. Using monologues and two person scenes selected from actual theatre and film scripts, the
focus in this course will be on analysis, preparation and making stronger, specific, honest choices by exploring a variety of techniques and other
proven acting methods, including improvisation and emotional recall.
SCRIPT ANALYSIS LEVEL I
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Samantha Paris
Script Analysis; Self-Direction; Setting the Scene; Taking Responsibility
Simply put…if you don’t get the script, you don’t get the gig! Samantha will help you unravel the mysteries of script interpretation as you analyze
a variety of TV and radio commercials, and animation scripts, and discover how to dissect copy intelligently. You’ll learn to look for hidden clues
(aka “bunnies”)…and not just the ones buried in the body of the copy…but the ones you can glean from the sound effects, visuals, directions,
music, length, even the agency name.
SCRIPT ANALYSIS LEVEL II: GET TO THE POINT
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Sirenetta Leoni
Scene; Storytelling; Taking Responsibility
Actors often get so caught up in planning how they’re going to perform—worrying about whether they sound “right” or planning their
spontaneity—that they completely miss the point of why? As a result, they fail the most basic test of auditioning: getting the central point of the
script across effectively. This workshop will help you develop the discipline to always look for the meaning of the script and how your role serves
to advance the message or narrative, before you make your acting choices. As you work on a variety of commercial, narration and character
scripts, you’ll find that learning to get to the point first, will help you become a stronger, more engaging actor and turbo-charge your confidence.
SHIFTING GEARS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
SF Agent
Critical Listening; Self-Direction; Spontaneity
To engage your audience and win auditions, your interpretations must have facets, hues, shades, peaks and valleys. Your instructor, a veteran
talent agent, will help you develop intuitive responses and break you of any tendencies to listen to yourself and over-think your performances.
He’ll work with you to bring out an authentic, unpredictable quality that will grab your listeners and hold their attention.
THE VOICEOVER “APPRENTICE” Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Samantha Paris
Confidence-Building; Critical Listening;
Before you become a “Master,” you must first be an “Apprentice.” Like the Donald (but with better hair), Samantha will challenge you to raise
your game and impress with your hard work, dedication and willingness to take on whatever comes your way. The focus will be on ratcheting up
your skills to get you ready for the next level, where you’ll find yourself training alongside, and competing against, working pros. The emphasis
will be on self-direction, script analysis, acting and scene-setting as you work on a range of commercial and character scripts towards the goal of
being able to come up with a competitive read in one or two takes with minimal direction. Will you be fired…or fired up?
14
FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS & WORKING PROFESSIONALS
ACTOR’S BAG OF TRICKS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
SF Agent
Acting; Announcing; Character Development;
Self-Direction
For Bay Area voice actors, versatility is essential. On any given day you may be asked to audition for very diverse roles—from a game villain
to a smooth announcer to a comedic neighbor to an automated response system voice! Join one of SF’s best-known voiceover agents for this
instructive seminar. He’ll share his proven method for developing your own one-person repertory company that you’ll be able to use over and over
again at auditions.
ADVANCED AUDITION TECHNIQUES Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Thom Pinto
Storytelling; Retail; Script Analysis;
Your technique, skills, versatility and range will be thoroughly tested in this simulated “audition” workshop. Be prepared to read for anything—
from long-form TV documentary narration to “hard-sell” retail copy to taglines to comedic group reads. Thom will help you pinpoint your areas of
weakness, and provide corrective strategies.
Limited to ten participants.
COMMERCIALS VS. CARTOONS VS. VIDEO GAMES LEVEL II Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
LA Agent, LA Booth Director
Mic Technique; Script Analysis;
Now that you understand the differences and similarities between commercial, video game and cartoon characters—when to be broad, when to
be subtle and real—it’s time to step up to the mic and prove it! Do you have enough confidence in your character skills to put them on display
and get evaluated by the pros? As they challenge your abilities, these two character connoisseurs will help you refine and hone the characters in
your repertoire.
Participants will be expected to bring and perform their three best character scripts—one in each category: commercial, video game
and animation.
INSIDE VIEW: A GUIDE TO AUDIO TOUR NARRATION
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Peter Dunne
Choice-Making; Setting the Scene; Spontaneity;
Antenna Audio’s, Peter Dunne, has cast, directed and produced audio tours for many of the world’s best known museums and attractions. To
stretch your audio tour auditioning skills, he’ll have you read on a wide range of copy—from scholarly, intellectually-demanding narratives to
funny, Sesame Street-like scripts for kids. Peter will also bring in examples of ear-catching demos, and coach you on getting through the challenges
all voice actors, even “A-listers” like Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, and Dakota Fanning, face during long sessions—reading cold; taking
direction on the fly; handling difficult words; and sustaining connection to the copy, energy, characters, dialects and concentration.
INSIDE VIEW: GUIDE TO AUDITIONING IN THE LA MARKET
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Mary Lynn Wissner
Critical Listening; Script Analysis; Self-Direction; Setting the Scene; Spontaneity
If you want to learn what the busiest voice actors in LA do to stand out, voice casting director and agency owner, Mary Lynn Wissner, will provide
the insights, techniques and tools necessary to get your voice heard and booked—in any market! She’ll work with you to polish your auditioning
skills and get you LA-ready as she lets you in on the auditioning secrets of today’s top voiceover talent. You’ll also get the inside scoop on the
LA market—what it offers; who’s who; what they’re looking for; what to do, or not do, to break in. Mary Lynn will also cover the challenges of
auditioning in different environments—your agent’s booth, a casting director’s studio or your own home—and how you can to use each of these
scenarios to your advantage.
INSIDE VIEW: COMEDIC RADIO ADS Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Sam Pond
Choice-Making; Critical Listening;
Mic Technique; Self-Direction; Script Analysis;
Setting the Scene; Spontaneity;
Taking Direction
Veteran copywriter-actor-creative agency owner, Sam Pond, knows radio, knows funny, and has a closet full of awards to prove it! You’ll work with
Sam to perfect your comedy skills by focusing on characters, story, scene-setting and improvisation. As you perform scripts he’s written, you’ll get a
rare opportunity to find out immediately whether your interpretations match up with what he originally envisioned, and if not, what you can do
to get closer to the mark. In many instances, you’ll also get to hear the actual produced spots and see how your performances compare. Sam will
also share his unique take on the advertising business and the latest voiceover trends.
INSIDE VIEW: FINDING THE HOOK Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
David Collins
Choice-Making; Confidence-Building; Critical
Listening; Mic Technique; Script Analysis;
Self-Direction; Setting the Scene; Spontaneity;
Taking Direction
“Finding the Hook” can be the difference between getting lost in a sea of competition and giving a knockout performance that will make game
directors sit up and take notice! Director, sound designer, actor (and now, Jedi Master), David Collins, will help you sharpen your skills, so that your
auditions stand out from the hundreds of others. Drawing upon his own experiences on both sides of the glass, David will coach you on essential
game auditioning skills—from script analysis, to self-direction, to effective use of both comedy and drama. You’ll also work on improving your cold
reading technique and find out how to create multiple, distinctive characters within the same game, plus you’ll get a chance to listen to actual
auditions. Come join David and learn to find the hook, nail the part, and get the job!
15
INSIDE VIEW: RADIO PROMOS Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Jeff Howell
Acting; Announcing; Critical Listening; Mic
Technique; Script Analysis; Taking Direction
Do you know why networks and cable channels spend millions of dollars on promotions every year..? Because THEY WORK! Jeff Howell has cast
and produced literally thousands of radio spots and promos—in every style imaginable—and works regularly with the best promo talent in the
business. In this weekend intensive, Jeff shares his views on what makes top radio promo announcers so valuable that media companies are willing
to shell out the big bucks to hire them. He’ll also coach you on essential skills that every aspiring promo artist needs to master: analyzing and
reading scripts, quickly and well; and stretching your versatility to handle a wide variety of styles. If you’d like to have some of those millions spent
on promos come your way someday, join Jeff to learn the skills—and secrets—of radio promos…
INVITATIONAL AUDITION MAKEOVER LAB
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Jeff Howell
7-hour weekend lab, plus advance phone
consultation*
Choice-Making; Confidence-Building; Critical Listening; Self-Direction; Setting the
If you’re a working voice actor who is not booking as frequently as you should be, maybe it’s time for an audition makeover..? In a unique
lab that’s part “Dr. Phil,” part “Project Runway,” voice and casting director, Jeff Howell, takes you under his wing to help you realize your full
voiceover potential. Prior to the one-day lab, you’ll be scheduled for a private one-on-one “get acquainted” phone consultation* with Jeff.
Then during the actual lab, Jeff will assess your strengths and weaknesses through a series of exercises and audition drills designed to test your
auditioning and performance skills and gauge your ability to set realistic expectations and goals. At the end of the lab, Jeff will provide you with a
personalized evaluation and recommend specific corrective actions to help improve your booking percentage.
By invitation only. Limited to eight participants.
*Phone consultation will be arranged in advance through Voicetrax.
INVITATIONAL CHARACTER DIRECT THYSELF Directors:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Sirenetta Leoni, Samantha Paris
Confidence-Building; Choice-Making; Critical Listening; Script Analysis; Setting the
Scene; Spontaneity; Self-Direction; Taking Responsibility
If you’re recording character auditions from home, or will be soon, this workshop is specially designed for you. After you hit the “send” button on
your auditions do you find yourself wondering, ”Did I go too far…or not far enough?” “Is the character I chose too animated…or too flat?” “Is
the dialect enough…or over the top?” The answer to all of these questions is: “It depends.” So how do you figure it out? You need to think like
a director and look at the big picture. Consider each character in context of story, genre, other characters, and what’s going on in the scene. The
goal of this class is to enable you to become a better director, and thus, a better voice actor, and improve your chances of booking character roles.
You’ll learn to direct your classmates and ultimately, yourself, clearly, creatively, and concisely.
By invitation only. Participants will be expected to complete homework assignments for this class.
INVITATIONAL COLORS REVISITED Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Thom Pinto
Self-Direction; Spontaneity
This entire workshop will be devoted exclusively to exploring the “colors” of your voice. You’ll gain valuable insights and practical ideas on how to
add more variety, intensity and life to your interpretations as you try out an expanded color palette, experiment with different brush strokes and
participate in a series of illuminating exercises.
By invitation only.
INVITATIONAL DIRECT THYSELF Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Samantha Paris
Believability; Choice-Making; ConfidenceBuilding; Critical Listening; Script Analysis; Self-Direction; Taking Responsibility
Your self-directing skills will be put to the test in this demanding workshop. With the objective of achieving a competitive audition on your own,
within a couple of takes, you’ll be allowed to request a playback after your first take; then make adjustments, as necessary. Afterwards, Samantha
will critique—not just the quality of your performance—but whether you were able to take full advantage of the opportunity to direct yourself.
You’ll also be assigned scripts to record at home, which will be later reviewed and evaluated in class and be challenged to help your classmates
improve their performances through your direction. Ultimately, there is no better way to ensure brilliant direction whenever and wherever you
audition than to be able to provide it yourself.
By invitation only. Participants must have the capability to record at home and bring an MP3 recording of their work to the class on memory stick or disk.
INVITATIONAL INTENSIVELY INTENSE CHARACTER SEMINAR WITH CHARLIE ADLER!!!
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Charlie Adler
Mic Technique; Script Analysis; Self-Direction;
Setting the Scene; Spontaneity;
Taking Direction
Charlie Adler is a force of nature: a tsunami of talent with a Category 5-force wit who is at once amazingly entertaining and deeply knowledgeable. If
you’re looking for a frank, savvy and colorful take on how to interpret characters, break down copy, and be brilliantly creative on demand, Charlie is THE
MAN. Or as Charlie put it when we asked what he planned to teach you in this class: “To get the f#@k out of your own way!” While not recommended for
pearl clutchers, the rest of you won’t want to miss this opportunity to experience coaching and direction from Dr. Doom himself!
By invitation only.
INVITATIONAL ONE-TAKE MASTERS
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Samantha Paris
Acting; Choice-Making; Confidence-Building;
Self-Direction; Spontaneity
To succeed as a voice talent, you must be able to hit your mark right out of the gate, because when you audition at a talent agency or for a
casting director, you rarely get more than one or two chances. And even if you audition from home, you shouldn’t allow yourself more than 2 or
3 takes, otherwise you risk working the copy to death! Through a combination of creative exercises and mock auditions, with a strong emphasis
on learning to trust your instincts, the focus of this workshop will be on delivering a competitive read within the first two takes—no matter how
challenging the copy—or else!
By invitation only.
16
INVITATIONAL ULTIMATE COMMERCIAL REALITY CHECK
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
LA Agent
Confidence-Building; Critical Listening;
Taking Direction; Taking Responsibility
Our “ultimate” agent is back! Take advantage of this unique opportunity to have your very best commercial “stuff” professionally critiqued by
one of LA’s best known voice agents. A few weeks before the class, you’ll be asked to submit your commercial demo, minute or recorded samples*
of your best commercial performances for review, and you’ll receive a candid assessment of how you stack up against LA talent. During class, your
instructor will help you zero in on your most marketable strengths and weaknesses, and recommend actions you can take to elevate the level of
your performances so that when you’re ready, you’ll be prepared to compete in LA…or anywhere else!
By invitation only.
*If you don’t have a produced commercial minute or demo yet, send three strong commercial performances that you’ve recorded in class or at
home that are indicative of your strengths and range.
INVITATIONAL VOICETRAX IDOL: SAN FRANCISCO EDITION
Directors/Judges:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Directors: Sirenetta Leoni, Samantha Paris,
SF Talent Agents
Judges: SF Talent Agents, VoiceYenta
Review Panel
All Participants: 5-hour weekend day session
Finalists Only: 10-hour weekend seminar
Confidence-Building; Script Analysis; Spontaneity; Taking Direction
The ultimate test of your real world auditioning skills—a talent competition where the eventual winner is guaranteed six months of
representation at one the largest talent agencies in San Francisco…and from which past winners have gone on to become working voice actors!
During the first fast-moving round, you’ll get several chances to showcase your stuff as you perform dialogue and group copy. Over the following
week, your auditions will be reviewed and scored by the judging panel, after which the finalists will be announced. If you’re among them, you’ll
get to return the following month, for the final round of competition.
On the evening before the judging, Sirenetta, will take you through a “test run” and help you fine-tune your performances. The next morning,
you’ll appear before a panel of judges from the agency comprised of the head of the agency’s talent division, a senior talent agent, and the agency
owners, to perform either a character or narration script—which you’ll select beforehand—plus a commercial monologue that will be provided for
you. Later on, you’ll return for an afternoon session with Samantha to swap stories, decompress and workout…and find out who won.
By invitation only. This offer should not be construed as a guarantee of representation by the talent agency beyond the initial six-month period.
However, representation may be continued beyond six months by mutual agreement of the talent agency and the voice talent.
NARRATION BOOT CAMP
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Bob Symons
Storytelling; Choice-Making; Mic Technique;
You’ll learn the elements and techniques that go into telling, and selling, a great story—whether you’re talking about 32-nanometer chip
manufacturing processes or the appearance of dinosaurs during the Triassic Era. If your goal is to excel in the narration field, this workshop will
help you compete more ably for the broad spectrum of “bread and butter” narration opportunities out there.
THE POLISHED PROFESSIONAL: TAKING YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Tom Kelly
Confidence-Building; Script Analysis;
Self-Marketing; Self-Direction;
You’ve taken classes. You’ve honed your talents. You’ve networked and knocked on doors. Now what? The voiceover world is a highly competitive
arena, and talent alone is no guarantee of success. Former local talent agent, Tom Kelly, guides actors across the divide that separates the
wannabes from the working pros. In this class, you’ll learn how to improve your auditioning skills through practice and feedback; analyze audition
copy quickly; make bold choices in the booth; navigate the agency-actor relationship; and map out a successful career path. Whether you’re
represented or not, this class will give you the confidence you need to thrive in the challenging voiceover industry.
SOLVED! NARRATION FOR TV REALITY SHOWS LEVEL I Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Kathleen Garrett
Acting; Announcing; Critical Listening;
Mic Technique; Script Analysis;
During this eye-opening seminar with TV reality show narrator, Kathleen Garrett, you’ll first find out how all TV documentary and reality shows
are typically structured; why the narrator’s “colors” change from segment to segment; and how segments are timed to the video. Then, Kathleen
will detail the specific techniques she uses when narrating the crime and forensic shows that she’s best known for, and you’ll get a chance to put
her field-tested vocal techniques into practice as you try your hand at narrating actual show segments. Kathleen will also help you refine your
narration auditioning skills and stretch your versatility. If you’re serious about improving your TV narration technique, missing out on this class
would be a crime.
SOLVED! NARRATION FOR TV REALITY SHOWS LEVEL II
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Kathleen Garrett
Acting; Announcing; Critical Listening;
Mic Technique; Script Analysis; Storytelling;
In the “Solved! Level I” seminar you discovered that narration for reality crime and forensic shows is different from other types of narration,
and learned to sustain the drama with your voice; explored the differences between performing the opening tease and continuing the suspense
before the break tags; and how the storytelling style shifts subtly throughout the course of the show. In Level II the training wheels come off,
as you’re challenged to take it to the next level and apply these same techniques to new material—sight unseen—without the benefit of first
hearing the final, produced product before recording…the same as if you were in a real world audition or session situation.
¡TWO-DAY ANIMATION RECORDING EXTRAVAGANZA!
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
LA Agent
(Saturday and Sunday)
Mic Technique; Script Analysis; Setting the
An “only at Voicetrax” opportunity—spend two full days working under simulated recording-session conditions with one of the country’s top
animation experts. You’ll participate in two mock sessions—a typical Saturday-morning cartoon and a dramatic, intense, more realistic-style
show—where your director will walk you through the process scene-by-scene… step-by-step…from the table read through the group recording
to pick-ups. You’ll gain confidence in your abilities to interpret copy on the fly; develop characters; maintain energy and continuity; work off of
others; absorb direction quickly; and handle do-over’s with the grace and humor of a seasoned pro.
17
ULTIMATE ACTING CHALLENGE
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
LA Agent
Acting; Character Development; ChoiceMaking; Confidence-Building; Mic Technique;
More and more, producers are looking for “actors who can announce” as opposed to so-called “announcery” announcers. Directions like “real,
authentic, conversational” are cropping up even on retail and promo copy! The super-sized-Venti-very-big talent agent from “Ultimate Road Test”
is back, but this time, the challenge is to see if you are capable of delivering nuanced, intelligent reads that are persuasive and convincing; not
“selly.” You’ll get a chance to test out your acting chops on a whole slew of fresh, sometimes tricky scripts, and find out whether your “non-sell
sell” is on par with your LA counterparts.
ULTIMATE ROAD TEST Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
LA Agent
Acting; Character Development; ChoiceMaking; Confidence-Building; Mic Technique;
So you think you’re ready to compete with the big boys and girls and want to test the LA waters? Here’s your chance to show off your stuff and
receive candid feedback from one of the very top voiceover professionals in the business—a co-owner and top agent at one of the premier LA
voiceover agencies who is anxious to hear how you all measure up. Ladies and gentlemen start your engines!
Participants will be expected to select in advance a 45-60 second commercial script that showcases their strengths, and perform it “brilliantly” in
class (per Samantha’s orders).
VIDEO GAME REALITY CHECK
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
Jacquie Shriver
Critical Listening; Script Analysis; Setting the
Scene; Spontaneity; Taking Direction;
Yo gamers! Wanna know if you’re ready to take on the video game voiceover world? Sony’s Jacquie Shriver—who works with the world’s most
awesome game actors all the time—is gonna tell you. A few weeks before the class, you’ll be asked to send in your strongest game tracks and
Jacquie will tell you how you measure up, for reals. Then, in class, you’ll get to work on a totally badass character that she has picked out in
advance, just for you, and some super-nasty, mega-challenging copy. You’ll also focus on getting better at some of the important stuff you talked
about in “Gamerology,” plus spend hella time behind the mic upping your mad acting and auditioning skillz so that you don’t get “pwned” by
better talent.
By invitation only.
*If you don’t have a produced character minute or demo yet, send four to six short samples (no longer than 20 seconds each) of game characters
that you’ve recorded in class or at home that are representative of your strengths and range.
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Director:
Length:
Skills Focus:
LA Booth Director
Choice-Making; Comedic Timing; Critical
Listening; Dialogues; Mic Technique; Script
Analysis; Self-Direction; Setting the Scene; Spontaneity
Like it or not, “wilding” (aka “wild lining”) has become an inescapable part of every voice actors’ daily life. Not only should you become
“proficient” at this skill—you should embrace it, hug it, squeeze it, and OWN IT! In this fast-moving seminar you’ll learn to use skills you already
have—acting, self-direction, script analysis, choice-making, imagination—to help you balance one-sided dialogues and bring them to life! You’ll
get a chance to test your abilities on a variety of copy—dialogue, announcer, character, single-line—and how well you “wild” from home. Your
director will share valuable tips from some of the busiest voice actors in the business on how they make the most of their wilding opportunities.
Participants should have home recording capabilities, and the ability to email and bring mp3 recordings to class on a flash drive or CD, and be
prepared to complete home recording assignments both before and between the evening and following day class.
A WORD ABOUT WAITING... PLUS PRIVATE LESSONS, DEMOS, MINUTES, AND MORE
Voicetrax is committed to limiting the number of students in each class to a level that allows for the best training opportunity
for everyone. This means that you may not always be able to get into a particular workshop or seminar…We do, however,
maintain a waiting list policy that ensures that you will be able to take the appropriate class as soon as possible.
If you find that your training calendar is empty one month, or you’re simply looking for a more intensive workout, consider
signing up for private lessons or one of our popular “foursomes,” “sixsomes,” or small group labs. Depending on your
particular training needs, you can take private lessons and/or small group lessons from one of the following individuals
(the cost of these sessions starts at $125/hour):
Frank Coppola
Sirenetta Leoni*
Samantha Paris*
Thom Pinto*
Brian Sommer
Voicetrax also offers “Cyberprivates,” via the Internet with the asterisked (*) instructors above. For details and instructions,
contact Voicetrax at (415) 331-8800.
Please note that all Voicetrax instructors are also working actors and directors, and as such, their schedules are subject to
last-minute changes on occasion. In the event that your private lesson date is changed, you’ll have the option of rescheduling
to the soonest open date that is convenient for you.
Voicetrax also produces demos and “house minutes” for Voicetrax-trained students who are competitive and ready to enter
the auditioning arena, and professional voice actors who have trained or worked with Voicetrax previously. For details, call
the Voicetrax office at (415) 331-8800.
VOICETRAX SAN FRANCISCO, INC. · 1207 D Bridgeway · Sausalito, CA 94965
www.voicetraxsf.com
18

“bad girl” past still haunts her!

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