Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting (Mike Lenz interviews Bob Souer, Harlan Hogan and other amazing voice-over p)

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Cris Dukehart is an Audie Nominee and Earphones Award Winner, and has recorded over 300 audiobooks across multiple genres.

On this episode we talk about Cris's journey into the VO and audiobook world, and her amazing journey from a little cottage in Pennsylvania to her mountaintop house in the Caribbean. 

https://www.crisdukehart.com/

Voice 123 15% Discount Code link:

 https://bit.ly/3BsPSaw

LinkedIn Edge Discount Code link (discount is built in):

https://www.thelinkedinedge.com/?wpam_id=6

Mike Lenz is an entrepreneur, professional voice actor, audiobook narrator, author, podcast host, husband and father.  Join Mike each week as he shares stories from some of the most amazing and inspiring people from all areas of the voice-over industry, as well as other incredible entrepreneurs, to help you achieve your dream of becoming a professional voice actor.  For more information on this and other episodes, head on over to the web at mikelenzvoice.com

Laila Berzins is a Voice Arts Awards nominated LA Based American voice actor with a decade of experience, comedian, and songwriter extraordinaire, providing a wide variety of accents and delivery styles. Her deep & resonant voice works well with Commercial, Corporate and Promo reads, while Laila's experience and personality in Animation and Video games will leave you with VIBRANT audio and a smile on your face! Broadcast Quality Vocal Booth, Source Connect, IdPTL, Phone Patch Capabilities, happy to work under tight deadlines and with various time zones.

A big kid at heart, Laila has oodles of fun with every project she joyfully undertakes. She works in numerous cartoons for clients like Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, YouTube and Funimation, in games like God of War 4, Final Fantasy Explorers, World of Warcraft,  Star Trek Online, State of Decay 2, Atlus Fenrir for Sega, and Smite.  She also lent her voice to various narrations for Microsoft, Lyft, Nike, Motorola, Weight Watchers, Toyota, and Intel, and commercials for Target, SoCal Gas, Google, Nature Valley, and Hidden Figures.

​LA Based female voiceover artist Laila Berzins vocals are warm, smooth, silky, young, seductive and professional. Her numerous male/female character voices range from young to old, and sweet to sassy. Musically she is a natural Alto, with both the upper resonances of a younger woman, and the diction and lower range of a more mature woman.

​

Hi, I'm Mike Lenz.  

I'm a professional voice actor, the author of Paid To Talk - A Journey Into Voice Acting, and the host of a popular podcast, Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting.  I’m so excited you're here because that means you have an interest in the voice over industry. 

Maybe you’re just beginning and don’t have a clue where to start. 

That’s OK, because that's exactly where I was 9 years ago.  In fact 10 years ago my life looked a lot different than it does today.

10 years ago I was running my small brick and mortar business and serving as Mayor of my hometown.  I'd been involved in politics for about 10 years and really thought that politics was my future.  I’ve always been a creative person and I enjoyed the communicating part of serving as Mayor - speaking to groups, and doing radio and television interviews. 

But honestly, the pressure was draining every creative bone in my body. 

Fortunately for me, I lost my re-election bid, and although I was disappointed at the time, that event forever changed the course of my life and led me down the path to the world of professional voice acting where I am today - and I’m loving every minute of it!

After leaving politics, I had a lot of free time to explore other passions.  One of those passions - screenwriting - led me to a filmmakers group, and at one of our meetings, a marketing representative from a voice training company came and passed out flyers.  I decided to check out the company and as soon as I took my first lesson I was hooked.  

Getting trained was a lot of fun and it was an exciting day when my demo CD’s arrived in the mail.  But that excitement was quickly tempered by the fact that I was now faced with the prospect of trying to go out into the world and get a voice-over job…and I didn’t have a clue where to start.  

Well, I can tell you that having spent a good chunk of change on my training and wanting desperately to get my first paying voice-over gig, I spent countless hours scouring the internet and doing research on the industry, cold-calling radio stations and production studios, and handing my business cards and demo CD's to everyone.  Slowly but surely, the work started to come my way and I’m thrilled to now be able to record audio books, voice e-learning projects and explainer videos, work with clients, and interview amazing and inspiring people on my podcast, all from the comfort of my home recording studio. 

I’ve been able to create a life that I love, and I want you to know that my weekly podcast, along with my website, blog, e-book, and on-line course are all designed to help you to achieve your dream. 

So please take advantage of these resources, and learn from the amazing and inspiring people I’ve had the privilege to talk with and learn from.  They’ve helped me so much in my journey and I know they’ll help you as well.

For more information on this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Join Mike Lenz as he spends time with his good friend and VO colleague Tom Mailey.  Tom is no stranger to the entertainment and communication world, having started in theater at a young age and then moving into radio, television, and a career in public relations.  Tom is relatively new to the VO industry, having started about 2 years ago.  Tom discussed the challenges and successes he's had in the early stages of his VO career. 

Welcome!  Did I mention that I love what I do?  (You probably read that on the first page.  ) I collaborate with clients all over the world from my broadcast quality studio, voicing national and international commercial campaigns for companies like Bissell, Kraft/Capri Sun and Visit Orlando, narrating documentaries & web/explainer videos along with shows on both Slice Network in Canada and HGTV in the US.  I’ve even played the role of a fairy queen in a children’s cartoon (and wow, was that fun!). 

My journey to voice overs actually started with a love of computers.  I used to sell computers when the 386-SX was new (remember those days?).  That graduated to a love of the Internet and all that it could do (quite a lot!).  I spent a number of years as an SEO specialist and media buyer for local companies, and along the way, incorporated my love of music and the Internet together when I created a songwriting resource website called The Muse’s Muse back in 1995.  That was my testing ground for a LOT of Internet marketing methods.

But back then, there was more than one search engine that mattered.  The minute that changed … well.  I knew I needed a change.

I’ve been a singer all my life (I even have a jazz/blues album out, if you’d like to hear some samples) and have always been comfortable behind a microphone. It naturally made for a fascination with what else I could do with my voice.  I researched, I got coaching (I still get coaching on a regular basis – there’s always more to learn!), I made a demo (more than one!), and I switched my entrepreneurial focus.   That was quite a few years ago now and I haven’t looked back.

But what few people know? I’m a geeky fangirl at heart.    I’ve been a member of a filk group called Urban Tapestry since 1994 and we’ve traveled all over the US, Canada & Europe performing our geeky fangirl songs for the folks that appreciate it.   Ask me about Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, or tabletop gaming and you’ll be in for a lengthy conversation (if you want one, that is).

Feel free to listen to my demos to see if you think I’d be right for your project.  I’d love to work with you. 

For more information about this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Prior to co-founding ACM, Phil has been at the vanguard for the voice-over industry as both a talent manager and agent at International Creative Management. At ICM, he helmed one of the largest voice over departments in the country offering complete services in commercials, promos, trailers, narrations, animation and celebrity endorsements. Most recently, Phil founded Flatirons Creative Management; a specialized voice-over management firm emphasizing innovation, personal attention and collaborative relationships between voice clients and industry creatives. As a talent agent, Phil began his career at Don Buchwald Associates before founding the renowned on-air promotions department at Schiffman, Eckman, Morrison & Marx (SEM&M). He has BFA from Colorado and an MFA from Columbia University.

For more info on this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Marisa Blake is a Latina Actor, Voiceover Artist and Musician. You can find her on screen in
Netflix’s Florida Man, DC’s Swamp Thing and Spectrums Original Long Slow Exhale.

She haswon multiple awards for her audiobook narrations, including a 2023 Audible’s Best of for Dykesto Watch out For, featuring Jane Lynch ,Carrie Brownstein, and Roberta Colindrez, an
AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of The Year 2020 for We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres
Sanchez and an Earphones Award for Arianna Davis’ What Would Frida Do. Marisa was
recently nominated for a 2023 Audie Award for her work in Across A Hundred Mountains by
Reyna Grande. She takes pride in, and has immense gratitude for the opportunity to voice
Latine Literature.

She is currently the Spanish Voice for Kohls in the US, and one of the regularSpanish voices for Sherwin Williams in the US and recently did a bilingual campaign for Frito-Lay. Marisa voices everything from promos to E-learning, commercials to IVR, and even somevideo games and animation! She voices the promos for her local new station and you can alsofind her performing with local bands behind the microphone, the cajon or the drum kit. She isa proud Mama to three of the coolest dudes on the planet.

To read the full transcriot of this episode and to listen to other episodes, head over to miklenzvopodcast.com, and please leave a rating and review wherever you listen to this podcast! 

Steve French is a NYC based voice actor who's voice has been heard on national television commercials, and most recently as the announcer for Match Game hosted by Alec Baldwin on ABC.

For more info on this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Join Mike Lenz as he interviews professional voice actor Bob Souer.  Bob is a full-time professional story-teller and narrator. He is the Audie and Golden Earphone Award winning narrator of numerous audiobooks; as well as broadcast and non-broadcast projects for corporations and ministries world-wide.  You’ve heard Bob’s voice on CBS, NBC, PBS, the History Channel, the Military Channel, Audible.com, iTunes and many other networks and sites.  Bob shares his journey into the voice acting profession and provides great insight into staying determined and not quitting in the face of obstacles. 

Head on over to mikelenzvoice.com for more information on this and other episodes.

On this episode I talk with voice actor, composer and audio engineer Tim Tippets about his Audition Ready Audio Course.

I took Tim's course and worked with him one-on-one on my Effects Stack and was blown away by the improvement in the quality of my audio!

The Audition Ready Audio Course takes the mystery out of the technical aspect of voice-over that many of us struggle with. With a straightforward teaching approach Tim makes complex topics easy to understand and better yet, easy to apply.

I was so impressed I entered into an Affiliate partnership with Tim and on this episode we share with you a special promotion exclusive to my podcast listeners that will get you a significant discount on his course.

Listen all the way through the podcast to get your special discount promo code and then go to mikelenzvopodcast.com and click on the Audition Ready Audio Course link under the Sponsors section on my home page to access the course and enter the code.

This course is one of the best investments I've ever made in my career and it will help you no matter where you are in your journey.

Enjoy this episode and don't forget to take advantage of our special promotion!

Jocqueline Protho is the Founder of The Audio Flow and Three One Six Audio - an audiobook production and publishing company serving indie authors. She has always loved audiobooks and with over 20 years of experience in talent acquisition, it was only a matter of time before she combined both of her passions. Jocqueline prides herself in helping indie authors bring their stories to life with a new way to do audio that is making its mark in the industry.

Nydia Monarrez was born and raised in Monterrey, N.L. Mexico. She has a degree in Communications and Public Relations. She studied Acting for 2 years using Eric Morris Method, the most organic and complete method in the Industry. Nydia is Bilingual (English/Spanish) and also has a background in, Training, Financial Services and Corporate Business.

Nydia is currently a Full time, Professional Spanish Voice Over Talent, Actress, Host and Life Style Model. She is also a Yoga lover, Audio Books Fan and Happy Foodie! She lives in Chicago, Ill. USA. with her husband and 2 kids.

For more information on this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Val Kelly is a bilingual, French/English Voice Actress. Val started her voiceover career in 1999 after being told her whole life how "cute" her voice is and that she should do something with it... and so she did....!!

Val has been actively booking Voiceover work for years now and just recently finished working on her new commercial demo with Emmy award winning sound designer, recording engineer and producer "Uncle Roy" Yokelson. Val's specialty is in voicing characters for cartoons, talking toys, apps, videogames, children's e-learning, radio and tv commercials. Her clients include Hasbro toys, "Hungry Howie's Pizza Place", "Roam and Wander", "Mymoonah" and many more. 

In addition to being a Voice actress, Val is the Owner/President/CEO/Executive Producer of Mid-Atlantic Voiceover, LLC. Val is in charge of running all aspects of the company and is the Executive Producer for the annual Mid-Atlantic Voiceover "Get Inspired" Conference that takes place in November. Check out the latest news on the upcoming "MAVO2015" Conference at www.midatlanticvo.com or click below to register now!!!

For more details about this and other episodes, check out mikelenzvoice.com.

On this episode I chat with Laya Hoffman! 

Laya's voice is genuine yet unique, culturally flexible and confidently warm - a fun, fresh female voice that makes an impact for your project and cuts through to your audience! Delivering broadcast quality sound with ease, on budget and under deadline for 20 years.

As a full time voice-over actress, Laya helps companies grow revenue, deepen brand awareness and cultivate identity by connecting with customers through the power of Voice. Her passion is bringing your story to life, and making it sound like you heard it in your head - easily and efficiently.

Laya presents a warm, relatable tone in a wide variety of styles, that is as versatile as it is timeless for a range of voice-over services. Specializing in commercials, promos, corporate narration, explainers, e-learning, animation, IVR, telephony, live announce and more.

Clients such as Google, Honda, AAA, Four Seasons, Accenture, Coca-Cola, HP and hundreds more have selected Laya's voice for its national sound and culturally flexible tones. Yet, they keep coming back for her holistic, full-service approach, direct-ability, attention to detail and synergistic studio style.

With a unique professional resume that includes club DJ, on-air radio host and senior marketing executive among its titles, Laya brings an instinctive ear, for cadence, tone and tempo as well as a true understanding of business outcomes, acumen, client relations, deadlines and current trends to her voice work.

Before Madonna sang about her virginity, when making a phone call from the road meant plunking twenty five cents into a phone booth, before Michael Jackson's first plastic surgery and back when getting "on-line" meant waiting to check-out at the grocery store, Peter K. O'Connell was (and still very much is) a professional voice-over talent.

As America's friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent, Peter's amazingly versatile vocal talent allows him to share many voice acting styles with his clients, who range from Fortune 500 Companies to companies who think $500 is a fortune. From his conversational everyman voice to his hard sell straight announcer performances, Peter's natural voice over abilities are favored by clients for commercials, narrations, e-learning, documentary, TV promo, radio imaging and live announcing.

A natural born storyteller and an award-winning voice talent, some of Peter's professional voice-over credits include productions for General Electric, Kraft Foods, PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), Shell Oil, Pitney Bowes, U.S. Army, Starz Cable Channel, Bacardi, SunSetter Awnings, Deloitte, Time Warner Cable, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), New Jersey Tourism, First Financial Bank, N.A., Western Union, BlueCross Blue Shield, Darien Lake Theme Park, J. Walter Thompson Advertising, Cleveland Browns of the National Football League, Harlequin Enterprises and Pathmark Supermarkets. 

Peter K. O'Connell's voice-over recordings have been heard globally including London, England; Seoul, Korea; the Caribbean; Sydney, Australia; Toronto, Canada; Delhi, India and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nationally across the United States, Peter's voice has been heard in all major markets including but not limited to New York City; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dallas, Texas; Dayton, Ohio and Buffalo, New York.

OK you're right, if you're scoring at home, Dayton, Ohio and Buffalo, New York aren't really major markets but he has spent so much time there, Peter felt they deserved a shout-out. A native of Buffalo, NY, Peter grew up in the Nickel City and still lives there today - he even worked in radio there at WLVL, for, like a week. He truly developed his broadcasting and voice-over skills in Dayton at WVUD-FM as a top rated disc jockey and then as a commercial producer for the station.

Peter produces his voice projects through his audio production company, audio'connell Voice Over Talent which is a division of O'Connell Communications, LLC. In addition to Peter's voice over work, which represents a majority of the company's production schedule, audio'connell also provides casting services for clients looking for professional female voiceover and audio production services for national and international clients. The voice over needs of foreign language clients are served through another O'Connell-owned company, International Voice Talents.

Peter has also written an e-book entitled The Voice Over Entrance Exam. The book examines the business and performance realities of becoming a voice-over talent and maintaining a career among a spirited field of established voiceover professionals. Sometimes, when he's feeling very "authory", Peter wears an ascot around his house - it's very obnoxious. 

After years of giving away his hard earned knowledge about everything voice over, Peter decided he should be getting PAID for it so he started audio'connell's Voice Over Workshop. In private one-on-one voiceover sessions in his studio or via Skype, Peter teaches new and experienced voice talents what he's learned after nearly 30 years in the voice over business and critical stuff voice actors need to know to get paid voice jobs.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio and Television Communication from the University of Dayton (OH) - no one is quite sure how - nonetheless the official diploma can be found somewhere in his Buffalo, NY home where he lives with his wife and children.

Thank you for reading all the way to this point in Peter's biography but now you really need to get away from the screen and go do something more productive - even basketweaving would have been a better use of your time that reading all this, but thanks anyway.

For more information about this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Since Brandon Pollock began his voiceover career in 2011 he’s been trusted by companies all over the world to voice their projects. His experience includes:

• Commercials
• eLearning
• Industrial Narrations
• Audiobooks
• Animation
• And More…

Brandon believes in getting it right and enjoys taking direction to deliver exactly what you’re looking for.

Brandon prides himself on providing great customer service and understands that every project has a budget. 

Brandon currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina with his wife Lauren and their two daughters, Brynley & Ella Claire.

Website: https://bpvoiceovers.com/

Gary made his acting debut in the musical Godspell as a student.  Since then he has pursued acting both on the ameteur and professional circuits.  Most notably was his role as Tom Collins in Bare Cheek's production of RENT.  

Gary worked in Niigata, Japan for 5 years, during which time he took part in the Charity Musical.  

Over the course of these 5 years he was an actor, director and audio producer.  

It was during this time he discovered his interest in Audiobooks and Voice Over.  

Gary has lived in and traveled all over Japan, has lived in Texas, worked in Memphis, and has been all over Europe.  

He can perform in a General British, General American and Irish accent to a native level and can speak Japanese fluently.  

For more info on this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Hi, I'm Mike Lenz.  

I'm a professional voice actor, the author of Paid To Talk - A Journey Into Voice Acting, and the host of a popular podcast, Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting.  I really appreciate you stopping by!

I love being a voice actor and helping clients give voice to their projects, but my life didn't always look this way.  In fact 10 years ago my life looked a lot different than it does today.

Back then I was running my small brick and mortar business and serving as Mayor of my hometown.  I'd been involved in politics for about 10 years and really thought that politics was my future.  I’ve always been a creative person and I enjoyed the communication part of serving as Mayor - speaking to groups, and doing radio and television interviews. 

But honestly, the pressure was draining every creative bone in my body. 

Fortunately for me, I lost my re-election bid, and although I was disappointed at the time, that event forever changed the course of my life and led me down the path to the world of professional voice acting where I am today - and I’m loving every minute of it!

After leaving politics, I had a lot of free time to explore other passions.  One of those passions - screenwriting - led me to a filmmakers group, and at one of our meetings, a marketing representative from a voice training company came and passed out flyers.  I decided to check out the company and as soon as I took my first lesson I was hooked.  

Getting trained was a lot of fun and it was an exciting day when my demo CD’s arrived in the mail.  But that excitement was quickly tempered by the fact that I was now faced with the prospect of trying to go out into the world and get a voice-over job…and I didn’t have a clue where to start.  

Well, I can tell you that having spent a good chunk of change on my training and wanting desperately to get my first paying voice-over gig, I spent countless hours scouring the internet and doing research on the industry, cold-calling radio stations and production studios, and handing my business cards and demo CD's to everyone.  Slowly but surely, the work started to come my way and I’m thrilled to now be able to record audio books, voice eLearning projects and explainer videos, voice commercials, and interview amazing and inspiring people on my podcast, all from the comfort of my home recording studio. 

As much as I love helping my clients, it's also very important to me to help others who might not be as far along on their journey.  That's why I wrote my book, created my online course and launched my VO podcast.  I meet so many incredible people and I'm thrilled to share what I've learned and learn from them as well.

With smiling Irish eyes and a rich, warm voice to match, Richard Rieman (Ree’man) is an Audible Approved Audiobook narrator*, audiobook producer, professionally trained Voice Actor, and author of “The Author’s Guide to AudioBook Creation.”

*Audible Approved producers are the best audiobook producers in the business. Most have narrated and/or produced 25 audiobooks that are available on Audible.com and have a verifiable record of achievement in the audiobook industry. These producers are identifiable on the ACX website by a special icon in their narrator profiles.

Richard trained with Emmy-Award winning Voice Actor and VO Coach Melissa Leebaert,  Award-winning Audiobook Narrator Sean Pratt, and took classes and workshops with David Goldberg at Edge Studio and Bill DeWees, one of the most respected VO Coaches.

Richard is a four-time winner of Edge Studio’s National Script Recording Contests.

For more info on this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Nicole Britton - I'm a voice actor who manages to jam 23 years of acting experience into my tiny booth every day; my passion for performance filters into everything I do . I am skilled in voiceover for Narration, e Learning, Corporate Training, IVR and Commercials and have a bevy of Characters and Kid voices on the tip of my tongue. I am proud to be a chicken "clucking " aficionado ;) Represented by RSH Management and Voice Hunter, proud member of World-Voices.org and SAG-AFTRA.

​
After studying theater at CU/Boulder, I headed straight for the Big Apple to continue learning my craft at Playwright's Horizons Theater School. While working with award winning theatre companies such as Ensemble Studio Theatre and Blue Light Theater Company, I cultivated a diligent work ethic and an ability to interpret scripts and bring them to life.
​
In Los Angeles, I worked as an actor and a stilt walker (yes, you read that correctly.) These outlets presented opportunities to travel the world whilst being creative. Never a dull moment, I was the lead singer in a rock band and co-wrote for several music placement projects.
​
I currently reside in Atlanta, GA where I work full time from my professional studio. When I'm not in the booth, I enjoy spending time with my lovely little family and tending to our lovely little farm where I get so much inspiration from my chickens. Additionally, I play the ukulele/piano/mandolin/guitar/egg shaker and sing/dance/juggle - not all at the same time. 

Along the way, I have had the honor of working for Pandora, Walt Disney Imagineering/California Adventure Theme Park, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Willy's Mexicana Grill, Dollar General and many more.

Join Mike as he interviews voice actor and talent agent Toni Silveri.  Toni has worked as an actor, voice actor and singer, performing nationally and regionally in film, television and commercials, for over 30 years. She has been a working member of the Screen Actors Guild since 1980 and has screened and voted every year on the SAG Awards during her membership. At present, Toni’s talent agency, All Coast Talent Management, represents over a hundred actors across the country and abroad  These talents can be heard nationally for Chevrolet,  Hundai, Budweiser,  Hunter Douglas, Capital One, PBS Kids, Disney, A &E,  Discovery Channel, Worlds of Warcraft video game,  and Promos for Eat Pray Love and Harry Potter, Seinfeld’s original production, “Colin Quinn, Long Story Short”, the Broadway return of “Les Miz”, and recently, the new ABC television series, Once Upon a Time, to mention a few. Her most recent booking was for The World Cup, 2014,Brazilvs.Mexico.  She is the founder of the Western New York Voice Actor Workshop, which has gained national recognition as one of the best training grounds for voice actors in the country. Top professionals in the industry are invited regularly to share their expertise and experiences with her students. One of Toni’s favorite guest lecturers and luminaries is Pat Fraley, who has created voices for over 4000 characters, making him one of the top ten performers of all time to be cast in Animated Film and Television shows.  Toni is a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers of America.


For more information on this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com

Kabir Singh is a professional voice actor and street poet for hire. His voice is perfect for connecting with young, urban audiences as well as the African-American community. Kabir is available to provide outstanding voice over services for commercials in the sports, electronics and motivation advertising sectors and much more. Clients include Nike, Pandora, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Nintendo, and the NBA.

Jordan Reynold's voice is based in Los Angeles, California but has been heard all over the world. Voicing internationally known companies such as AT&T, BMW, Sprite, and Cisco - to voice dubbing celebrities - to screaming as various video game characters - to guiding thousands of customers on hold - to explaining hundreds of new startup businesses products online.

His voice encompasses a broad spectrum from cool and conversational to a diverse body of engaging characters.

Jordan produces voice over demos for some of the top voice actors today: demoswithchops.com

He also played a key role in designing the Roswell Pro Audio RA-VO microphone: A high quality microphone made specifically for voice over.

Wow!!  So hard to believe we made it to 100 episodes.  I'm so thankful for my amazing guests and for all of you who listen to my podcast!

On this special Episode 100, I asked my guests to come back and share a short clip of advice.  Over 50 former guests responded, sharing incredible knowledge and insight.

This episode is loaded with so much inspiration and information, you'll want to write these knowledge bombs down!!

Thanks again for listening and here's to 100 more episodes! 

Mike

mikelenzvoice.com

On this episode I provide an update on my journey. I discuss the voiceover consulting I'm now doing as well as provide a discount on my friend Tim Tippet's Audition Ready Audio Course. I also talk about my journey into the audiobook narration world and how and why my audiobook work has increased dramatically. Lots of fun stuff on this episode.

Here are some links:

Voice Over Consulting - https://mikelenzvoice.com/consulting/

Audition Ready Audio Course - https://votechguru.thinkific.com/courses/audition-ready-audio-course?ref=6e5f9e

Join Mike as he interviews producer, audio engineer, author, and voice talent Dan Friedman.  Dan is a man of many talents. With over a decade in the voice-over industry, he has produced, directed, or provided his voice to thousands of audio productions.

In 2010 he published a book, SOUND ADVICE - Voiceover From An Audio Engineer's Perspective.  A first of its kind in the industry, the book covers audio engineering and studio session etiquette as it relates directly to voiceover talent. 

Dan continues to write a popular blog at his website, SOUND4VO.com.

Dan was chosen to be among the top 10 "Most Influential Voice-Over Writers in 2011" in a Voice123 online survey.  He is a home studio coach with Voicebank and Edge Studios and is also a voiceover teacher and coach for the Screen Artists Co-op in Asheville, NC.

For more information about this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

I’m so excited you're here because that means you have an interest in the voice over industry. 

Maybe you’re just beginning and don’t have a clue where to start. 

That’s OK, because that's exactly where I was 9 years ago.  In fact 10 years ago my life looked a lot different than it does today.

10 years ago I was running my small brick and mortar business and serving as Mayor of my hometown.  I'd been involved in politics for about 10 years and really thought that politics was my future.  I’ve always been a creative person and I enjoyed the communicating part of serving as Mayor - speaking to groups, and doing radio and television interviews. 

But honestly, the pressure was draining every creative bone in my body. 

Fortunately for me, I lost my re-election bid, and although I was disappointed at the time, that event forever changed the course of my life and led me down the path to the world of professional voice acting where I am today - and I’m loving every minute of it!

After leaving politics, I had a lot of free time to explore other passions.  One of those passions - screenwriting - led me to a filmmakers group, and at one of our meetings, a marketing representative from a voice training company came and passed out flyers.  I decided to check out the company and as soon as I took my first lesson I was hooked.  

Getting trained was a lot of fun and it was an exciting day when my demo CD’s arrived in the mail.  But that excitement was quickly tempered by the fact that I was now faced with the prospect of trying to go out into the world and get a voice-over job…and I didn’t have a clue where to start.  

Well, I can tell you that having spent a good chunk of change on my training and wanting desperately to get my first paying voice-over gig, I spent countless hours scouring the internet and doing research on the industry, cold-calling radio stations and production studios, and handing my business cards and demo CD's to everyone.  Slowly but surely, the work started to come my way and I’m thrilled to now be able to record audio books, voice e-learning projects and explainer videos, work with clients, and interview amazing and inspiring people on my podcast, all from the comfort of my home recording studio. 

I’ve been able to create a life that I love, and I want you to know that my weekly podcast, along with my website, blog, e-book, and on-line course are all designed to help you to achieve your dream. 

So please take advantage of these resources, and learn from the amazing and inspiring people I’ve had the privilege to talk with and learn from.  They’ve helped me so much in my journey and I know they’ll help you as well.

Thank you again for visiting, and remember, whenever I come across something amazing that I think you should know about, my newsletter subscribers get the info and the inside scoop, so make sure you subscribe!

Brent is the New Radio and TV Signature Voice of the NCAA and March Madness 2016! Also, he is the voice of the International Champions Cup Professional Soccer Tourament and is heard by millions of fans in Stadiums Worldwide. That voice that gets you pumped up for the game? Thats Brent! Clients like NCAA, Nutri-Shop, GoPro, HBO International Boxing, SeaLaunch, and Jiffy Lube, all count on Brent to get their message to the world. What are you waiting for? Send him a script and get your project Rockin!

Based in Richmond, Virginia, Paige Reisenfeld is a classically trained soprano and stage actor turned SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator. Perhaps she should have paid attention to the signs, as she was voted “Best Reader” in kindergarten, a clear portent of things to come.

Her voice has been described as deep, full, melodic, and sensual. She has been complimented on her “great tone and inflection”, as well as her ability to perform male and female voices and various accents. This allows her to switch between genres easily and she has narrated thrillers, romance, historical fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, and nonfiction.

On the rare occasion she is not in her soundbooth, she plays cooperative board games (competitive ones are not allowed in the house), gardens, lifts weights, and spends time with her three cats and partner, fueled by all things cheese and coffee.

https://paigevoice.com/

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A multiple Audie Award winner, Odyssey Award winner, multiple Earphones Award winner, and multiple Voice Arts Award winner, P.J. Ochlan's work behind the microphone began in 1987 as a young voice actor with many commercials and promos. Since then he has lent his diverse talents to virtually every voiceover genre. Most notably, he is a widely acclaimed and record-setting audiobook narrator with hundreds of fiction and non-fiction titles to his credit.

P.J.'s voice work is enhanced by his mastery of accents, distinctive characters and versatility, as well as his proficiency with English, French, Italian, German and Mandarin. He is also the founder of Dr. Dialect and co-founder of the Deyan Institute of Voice Artistry.

If you have been anywhere near a television screen at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida since 2005 then you have been captivated by a vivacious and adorable woman telling you about the fabulous rides and attractions you're going to experience during your stay. The hyper-energetic, totally mesmerizing personality, known to her fans as “the human exclamation point” is Stacey J. Aswad. She is the Resort TV host of Walt Disney World's TOP 7 MUST SEES and MUST DO DISNEY TV shows that loop 24/7 and are watched and memorized by millions of people!

How It All Started

Stacey’s humble beginnings are in Binghamton, New York where she started competitive artistic roller skating at the age of five and went on to become a five-time national champion in the sport. Stacey began studying ballet to help with her roller skating training, which turned into her joining a professional ballet company while still in high school. She went on to earn a BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School in New York City and after graduation, she danced and choreographed professionally in New York and around the country. Seeking new and different challenges, and to see the range of artistic opportunities in other parts of the country, Stacey left New York and headed to the Midwest.

Stacey continued her professional performing career in ballet, modern and jazz throughout the Midwest and also joined the faculty at The Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, Kentucky, teaching dance to middle and high school students. During this time, she developed an interest in acting and had a natural talent for it. After booking many regional commercials, industrials and voiceovers, she relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina. There she scored some national commercials and voiceovers and the series regular role of Andi Ramsey, on the television series, 7TH STREET THEATER, now airing on multiple cable networks worldwide. 

Walt Disney World Meets LaLa Land

In May 2005, after an intense audition process, Stacey booked the hosting gig for Walt Disney World’s, TOP 7 MUST SEES, television show and that exposure was the turning point in her career. When Hollywood composer agent, Richard Kraft and his friends saw Stacey’s show while on vacation at Walt Disney World, he tracked her down through her talent agent to ask her  to be the host of his documentary, FINDING KRAFTLAND. She flew out to Los Angeles in September 2005 and spent a whirlwind five days shooting and becoming friends with the fabulous filmmakers.

This fortuitous trip to Los Angeles confirmed to Stacey what she already knew in her heart she needed to do.  She needed to make Los Angeles her new home.

Juilliard Dancer Joins the Theatre Scene

Upon returning to North Carolina, Stacey had the opportunity to do something for the first time in her life.  She had spent countless hours on stage in pointe shoes and tutus but she had never done any theatre. To critical and audience acclaim, she played nine different hilarious roles in the regional premiere of the new comedy, CARRIE ANN’S KISS and immediately went on to shine as the lead in the popular Alan Ball play, FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS. During all this stage work, Stacey shot the lead role in the feature length love story, ME & YOU, US FOREVER. After completing the film, she returned to Los Angeles for the extravagant premiere of FINDING KRAFTLAND at Paramount Studios.

Road Trip

Desiring new challenges and forever accompanied by the love and support of her family and circle of friends, Stacey rented an RV and set out with her super fun roller skating dance partner for points West.  The rig was filled to the brim with the necessities, like all of her kitchen gadgets and cookware, because she is an amazing chef and baker and her impressive shoe collection, of course.  The four-some was complete with Stacey's two beloved resuced cats, Rosebud and Lily who had a blast finding places in the RV to nap and play. With a lot of great conversation and rockin' tunes, they made it to LA, safe and sound, in just under fifty hours!

TV Host - Voice Actor - Spokesperson - Actress

Since moving to Los Angeles, in 2007, Stacey has been on a whirlwind ride as a host, voice actor, spokesperson and actress securing representation with powerhouse talent agencies, Commerical Talent and AVO Talent.  She has done on-camera commercials and voice over work for clients like McDonald’s, AT&T, Toyota, Clairol, Time Warner Cable, Alamo, Regions Bank, Safeco Insurance, Acura, Carl's Jr., Bud Light and more. Voice acting for the Adventures in Odyssey show and television roles for ABC and CW shows. She also starred in a TannLyne Productions world premiere play, TRACKS, after having only a few days to learn the entire play before opening night. Thank goodness Stacey is great at memorizing lines!

Stacey also spent many fun-filled weekends traveling to films festivals around the country with the FINDING KRAFTLAND film makers. This award-winning documentary has screened in more than 70 festivals worldwide to rave reviews and even better, created life-long friendships between Stacey, Adam and the Kraft Boys.

Roller Girl Meets the Basketball Court

Stacey got to wear her roller skates once again but in a more "sporty" venue, the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.  She spent two seasons as the live-game host for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks basketball team. She had a blast warming up the crowd, and during the timeouts and half-time breaks she played on-court games, gave away awesome prizes and nterviewed players. Stacey and Sparky,  the team mascot, helped make the games even more fun and exciting by going into the stands and interacting with the fans. Go Sparks!

More Mickey Mouse Please

In early 2009, Stacey got the call asking her to stay on to host the new Resort TV campaign for Walt Disney World called, MUST DO DISNEY… she accepted without hesitation! She flew to Orlando to shoot the new show at Walt Disney World and as expected had the best time running around the Parks. When necessary, she updates the show from a Los Angeles recording studio or in Orlando depending on what new things they need her to talk about or experience. It's a tough job, but Stacey is so happy and so grateful to still be the Disney Girl!

VO Buzz Weekly Voice Over Web Show Premieres

On January 8, 2012, Stacey added Producer to her hosting talents when she and renowned voice over demo producer and director, Chuck Duran premiered the voice over show VO BUZZ WEEKLY. In a very short time it has become a global web sensation that's inspiring, educating and entertaining viewers in over 89 countries around the world. Aspiring voice actors, established VO pros and curious fans alike can finally put a "face to the voice" of the mega-talented voice actors from cartoons, animated films, movie trailers, video games, TV promos and commercials, to getting the inside scoop from the best voice over agents, directors and others, in a way that has never been done before. Every week, hosts Chuck and Stacey give great tips and information and get up close and personal with their special guest as they share fun and poignant personal stories, insights on how they became so successful, reveal tips, techniques, products and equipment they use to maintain their voice, create characters and continue to stay at the top of their craft. There's always time for a little BUZZ! 

Autographed Pictures Save Animals 

As an animal lover and advocate, Stacey is passionate about seeing   the end to animal homelessness and cruelty in her lifetime. Stacey encourages and hopes that people will choose to only adopt and rescue their furry family members and do their part to give them forever homes. Stacey donates the proceeds from her autographed pictures, available on the CHARITY page to many different animal charities who are doing amazing work to save animals around the world.

Rosebud and Lily

In May 2005, Stacey's beloved cat, Mommy, passed away in her arms at almost twenty years of age. Saddened by her loss, Stacey knew that the right time would come to rescue another beautiful animal.  Four months later, Stacey's family found a tiny kitten, on a farm in upstate New York.  She was barely two weeks old, all alone and weighing less than one pound.  Instantly they knew she needed to meet Stacey! It was love at first sight and after weeks of bottle-feeding and constant love and attention, Rosebud grew and grew and purr-ed and played. 

Now that Rosebud was strong and healthy living in North Carolina, Stacey knew she had to rescue a companion for her.  So, one fateful day she happened to walk by a Petsmart when the Humane Society was there.  Stacey saw a twelve week-old kitten, who she named Lily, and knew she would be coming home with her that day. Lily had been abused and almost died from a respiratory infection but thanks to a devoted Humane Society volunteer, she fully recovered and was ready to be adopted. Lily loves to cuddle, play with Rosebud and anything that moves and have her silky, long hair brushed. 

These two loving, loyal, gorgeous Hollywood felines enjoy meowing and purring when Stacey is recording voice overs in her Home Studio and love helping her learn lines for auditions and jobs by laying on the script pages.  They're such a big help!

Family Game Night Gets A New Girl

After a lengthy audition process, Stacey prevailed to become the new In-Show Announcer for Season 3 of Family Game Night airing on The Hub. She joined Host Todd Newton, the 2012 Daytime Emmy Winner for Outstanding Game Show Host, for an entirely new show format. The two-time Parent’s Choice Award winning family game show premiered on Sunday, September 23, 2012 to favorable reviews. Family Game Night is all about families being together, having fun and winning awesome prizes and cash. 

The entire 15-episode season was shot on a sound stage in just six days with a few hours of copy revisions in a recording studio afterwards. The previous Announcer for the show was Burton Richardson of The Arsenio Hall Show and Family Feud. Stacey was asked if she was intimidated to try and fill such experienced shoes. She said, “I have great respect for Mr. Richardson and his experienced shoes. I have my own size 5 shoes and they fit me perfectly.”

Stacey had the extra bonus of being the studio audience warm up artist for all fifteen tapings, now that was some serious fun, people! Having never done this before, Stacey called upon her experience as a versatile live host, dancer, teacher and finely tuned improv and people skills to make sure everyone had a great time. Judging by the people’s reactions and line for autographs afterwards, it is safe to say the crowd was onboard with all of her antics. Just give Stacey a microphone and a challenge and she will deliver in a big way! 

For more information about this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com

Sarah is a fan favorite for her sweetly husky voice and her passion for creating a unique audio adventure every time. She has brought over 100 books to life in audio.

Providing full narration and production services from her Midwestern home studio, American actress Sarah Puckett provides a clear and passionate read that engages listeners.

Sarah is professionally trained in narration acting, production, and audio engineering, blending these elements together to create a unique listening experience that draws the listener deeper into the story.

Jamie Muffett is a voice actor, podcast producer, audio engineer and educator who divides his time between New York City and Philadelphia, PA. 

He's worked with some of the worlds biggest companies, production studios, and games developers. He work primarily from his own studio in Bucks County, PA, and studios in NYC and Philly. 

Past and current clients include: Google, Starbucks, Warner Brothers, Lucas Film, LEGO, Porsche, Mercedes, Ubisoft, Samsung, McDonald's, NBC, EA Sports, ESPN, Marriott Hotels, Amazon, Etihad Airways, FIFA, Disney, IKEA, National Geographic Channel...

Jamie has lectured on voiceover at Syracuse University, He's a Backstage Magazine 'Expert',  he hosts the 'VO School Podcast' and he holds a monthly VO workshop at his studio in Philadelphia. He is also co-chair of VOcation Conference held in New York City every September.

Jamie's website is https://www.jamiemuffett.com/

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A collaborative artist like Julie Slack is driven to elevate your brand.  

Julie Slack instinctively and technically knows how to bring out the best in your words, your story, and your vision so that your message resonates with your core consumers.  

And those who have partnered with Julie will tell you that once you’ve worked with her, you'll always go back to her.  

Tawny Platis is not only a fellow voice actor but also a fellow podcast creator who hosts her very own 'The Dirty Bits' podcast.  Having started her own brick and mortar business right out of high school, Tawny gained a wealth of business knowledge that served her so well as she transitioned into voice-overs, coaching, and podast production.  So much good stuff on this episode!

On this episode I share some thoughts on Systems Thinking and hiow the VO industry is really a Complex System (and what that means for you!) 

I also talk about my VO course available over at vosuccess.com and some of the changes that are coming in the New Year.

I also touch on the importance of creating authentic relationships and growing your network and the importance that my faith has played in my journey. 

Lots of great stuff this episode!!

Ever since his first play at thirteen (his mother still has the bellhop costume), Jeffrey Kafer has been an avid performer on the stage and in voice-overs. He has narrated over one hundred books spanning all genres and won the 2008 Voicey Award for Best New Voice. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his family.

For more info on this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com

Growing up, I was always the entertainment in the family. I could be found recording radio programs (just to hear the announcer) or making voices and sounds with my mouth. After a while, my mother would get a little fed up with all the noise, and yell, "Tony, quit exploding all over the house!"  Deep down I know she loved all those sounds I made...pew pew...

Fast forward through high school and working overnight at a "traditional country", AM radio station (yeah that's a thing). Afterward, I moved on to college where I interned for promotions at Radio Disney, Providence. Promotions was fun, and that's where I discovered the pure, raw energy of live events.

For 15 years, I worked up the ranks in the live event industry with my core being a creative director, producer, and show director. I produced shows all over the US, Puerto Rico, Asia, and Europe. The entire time working in production, one thing always stuck with me...voice over work.  

Being a voice talent never left me. Whether I was being cast for commercials, a video narration; or even being a live announcer in the Georgia Dome! I recorded in studios while on the road, or MacGyver'd a studio in my hotel room.

Now, as a full time voice talent, I get to be part of brands like Pedigree, UPS, GQ Magazine, Deloitte, and many more! This is what I was built to do. I'm fortunate to be that final piece for a production team; adding the "voice" to all their hard work.

Let's connect! Drop me a line and let's put a voice to your project (see what I did there with "voice"? It's a pun.)

Project credits: Walmart, Liberty Mutual, Subway, Comcast, Marriott, Cox, Intel, Suzuki, Yellow Tail, MetroPCS, Pearle Vision, and Stonyfield Organic.

Specialties: voice acting, voiceovers, live event, live announcing, show production, theme development, radio, explainer videos, elearning, video production, audio production, product launch, brand launch, technical director, producer, creative direction, presentations. 

Julie Williams brings almost four decades of voice-over excellence to the table.  From showing travelers how to change their tickets at Orbitz.com, to instructing employees how to make the perfect Pizza Hut Pizza, to feature stories on HGTV, to teaching virtual high school Biology and Geometry eLearning course, a Savvy Woman Homebuyers series for Women’s Entertainment Television and helping lawyers with a Bar Exam study course, I have voiced hundreds of eLearning projects.

I’ve also voiced hundreds of commercials over the past decades for such notable clients as Coca-Cola, Pampers, Imperial Sugar, Disney World, Foley*s, Dillards, and more. Most of her clients are repeat clients who return time after time. Why do I get hired so often? Because I communicate the story of the script by offering a transparency in which the focus is never on the me, but on the message. And that’s a skill I pass along to my students.

An audiobook narrator with many titles to my credit, I’m proud to say I earned the honor of being an Audie Finalist in 2010 for my performance of Lord of the Ringless, by Dee Aspin–my very first audiobook! I’ve taught at the top VO conferences in the world.

For more information on this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.  

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Mike Lenz recaps 2017 and offers some exciting discount codes for helpful voice-over courses!

Mike Lenz interviews Edge Studio CEO, David Goldberg.

Information about Edge Studio:

We are VoiceSTA certified. We have 1000+ clients, 20+ years experience, and 0 complaints ever registered in the Better Business Bureau.

Currently I oversee all areas of our business. I interact with everyone in the office daily to ensure that every customer is receiving the best possible experience. I am directly involved with marketing, production, casting, sales, career building, and internal operations. I am always available to customers and make certain that each is treated as though they are the the most important one that Edge Studio has regardless of how much money they spend.

* Started a recording studio by myself and continued to grow the operation to a team of very impressive experts
* Partnered with related businesses to further expand the suite of services offered to customers
* Pride myself on only being an email or phone call away from any customer with any question or concern they have
* Currently have three locations in Washington DC, Fairfield Connecticut, and New York City
* Speak at numerous industry events and/or send a member of our team
* Edge Studio maintains a level of recognition and professionalism currently achieved by very few companies

Feel welcome to call us. We're all for speaking!

Specialties: Audiobooks, Documentaries, Corporate training, eLearning, Commercials, Telephone Systems, Cartoons, Animation, Medical, and all types of Voice Over Production, Casting, and Training.

Brad Hyland was born on April 1 st , 2016. 
Well, not really- but that’s what he’ll say is when he really started living!
That’s the day he started full-time as a voice actor… after quitting a first career that
spanned 35 years.
His first formal VO training actually started nearly thirty years ago...working hard on all
aspects of business with one-on-one coaching and master classes.
 
He spent two decades dabbling in standup comedy and movie extra work, as well as
honing his pipes as front man for a rock & blues band for eight years.  That love of
performing is now satisfied daily as an actively booking voiceover talent, coach and
mentor.
 
Brad works from his home studio near Washington DC, serving customers all over the
world. He can tackle just about any assignment with his versatile voice and ability to
take direction. Some of his favorite work includes being the voice of Santa for the Elf on
the Shelf, Narrating films for Crazy Horse Monument and Craters Of The Moon national
parks, and booking multiple character voices for video games.
The core of his business however, is commercial, corporate & film narration, as well as
explainers and voice messaging of all kinds.
He is a multiple OneVoice award winner and a 2021 SOVAS nominee for Best Best TV
narration. 
He loves keeping in touch with the voiceover community and has begun to share his
expertise by mentoring and coaching others in the industry with his tips for auditioning,
booking and connecting.

https://www.americanvoicepower.com/

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You’ve heard Jessica Taylor on television, on the web and on the radio for projects large and small. She has a range from youthful cool to polished sophistication. A touch of vocal texture adds depth and realness to her vocal imprint. She shines when it comes to taking direction, and has a sixth sense for understanding what it is people want. Her keen intuition and gut instincts fuel her creative process, and she's ready to take risks to get the read right.

Jessica books projects that ask for vocal qualities and deliveries similar to the sounds of celebrities like Kristen Bell, Rashida Jones, Tina Fey, Anna Kendrick, Scarlett Johansson, Emma Stone, and Jennifer Lawrence.

Jessica lives a mostly joyful life with her husband, three sons and five hens in Boulder, Colorado. She's a Mom, wife, sister, daughter, an avid cook, knitter, hiker, reader, traveler, homeopathy nerd and consumer of art in any form.

https://www.jessicavo.com/

Jenn Meyer is a proud Second City graduate, and professional full-time Los Angeles based voiceover artist who has lent her voice to A-List clients such as Disney, Mattel, Google, Red Robin and much more. From animation studios to big brand ad agencies and internal marketing campaigns, Jenn’s Voice has been sweeping across the nation. Most recently Jenn attended Faffcon “the voiceover unconference” in North Carolina where she taught Improv to voiceover artists. Currently, you can hear Jenn as the promo and trailer voice for Barbie’s new movies Dreamtopia “Festival of Fun” and Barbie “Dolphin Magic.” When Jenn is not behind the Microphone in her booth – you can find her behind the Microphone at various Karaoke venues in L.A. or jamming with friends on her Ukulele. To learn more about Jenn and her latest voiceover news you can visit her website at www.JennMeyerVO.com.

Erik Sheppard – “Today’s Voice” has over 12 years of professional experience, voicing thousands of high profile projects across the globe ranging from corporate presentations to national radio and television campaigns. He is consistently the preferred male voice for many of the most widely recognized corporate, commercial and promotional production companies worldwide. Clients include Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Citibank, HSBC, American Express, Ebay, MTV and TV Land.
When not in the booth, Erik is an industry blogger, host of “The Erik and Ember Show”, and organizer of the Voiceover Mixer series of networking events. He is the owner and head talent agent of Voice Talent Productions, a New York based agency representing an elite roster of voice talent from around the world. His career and related projects have been profiled in such places as Voice-Over Xtra, Voices, Voice123.com, The Voice Over Insider and countless other blogs and podcasts. If it is happening in the voice over industry, chances are Erik is involved.
Erik coaches exclusively through the prestigious Edge Studio headquartered in Manhattan, NY.

For more information about this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

You know the voice that describes the benefits of owning an Electrolux washer? That’s Natasha. That voice who shares events overhead at that casino you visited in Upstate New York? That’s her, too. How about the voice that soothes you to calm while waiting on hold? There’s a good chance it’s Natasha’s voice.

More than a decade in voiceovers, two decades in performance and three decades in customer service, Natasha adds professionalism and finesse to a video, a presentation, commercial copy…even voicemail.  Natasha’s voice is described as a "Compassionate, Mom-Next-Door"; "Warm, 30-something, Business Professional"; Conversational, with a neutral-accent, natural, friendly, articulate with feeling and sincerity...

You have found an experienced voice-over talent, capable of handling a large scope of professional voice recording jobs, at a price that does not include fees to third party web marketplaces. Hiring Natasha means hiring a seasoned voice to interpret a script that you need recorded competently and …done right the first time. And, she charges less than you would expect for top-of-the-line talent.

Further, if her tone-of-voice is not your cup of tea…she is happy to pass on referrals of other pro female and male voice actors.

Heather’s voice has a wide range, and can become just the sound you’re looking for!

She’s your quintessential hipster mom – sweet & spicy like a chai latte, with all the boldness of a French Roast. From skinny jeans and sippy cups to top quality recordings, this classically-trained opera singer turned professional voice-over artist is equal parts actor and entrepreneur.

Most days, Heather can be found lending her versatile sound to clients around the globe, operating from her broadcast-quality, professional recording studio. With the convenience of a professional recording studio on-site, Heather can send voice-over work within 24 hours to clients anywhere!

Heather specializes in Commercials, Explainer Videos, e-Learning, Narration, Radio Imaging, Network Promos, Animation, Documentaries, IVR and more…

MARC CASHMAN is one of the few voice-acting instructors in the U.S. on “both sides of the glass”—as a Clio-winning Radio and TV commercial copywriter, producer and casting director, and as a working voice actor. Creative Director of Cashman Commercials, he creates, casts and produces copy and music advertising for Radio and TV clients such as Kroger, Charles Schwab, Quizno's, Pella Windows and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer among many, many others.

Voted one "The Best Voices of the Year" by AudioFile Magazine—three times—Marc has been heard voicing Radio and TV commercials, documentaries, animated series and videogames, e-Learning modules and over 100 audio books.

In addition to his production schedule, he instructs voice-acting of all levels through his V-O classes, "The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques" in Los Angeles, CA; as an adjunct professor of voice acting at California Institute of the Arts; and online coaching. He also pens a monthly Internet column, "Ask the VoiceCat.”

Marc is also a keynote speaker at Advertising Clubs and Broadcasters Associations throughout the U.S. and other countries, as well as regional, national and international voiceover conventions. He's been interviewed in trade magazines and newspapers and on Radio, TV and Internet programs.

For more information on this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com

About me: Hey, I'm Tim. I'm a husband and a father, first and foremost. I've spent over 3 years in the podcasting space, learning everything I could about what makes a podcast great. Prior to getting into this arena, I spent my time touring the country with a band of my best friends (including Liam, one of our project managers here). We got the opportunity to play on MTV, at the Bamboozle, on Warped Tour, and various other opportunities for not-so-humble brags. My background is in sales and marketing -- both online and off, and that's allowed me to help podcasters get amazing results. I've also been the voice for many incredible companies like TOMY Toys, Disney, AT&T, The Travel Channel, The UFC, Expedia, Honda, and more. I'm a nerd, and wouldn't have it any other way... and I eat, sleep, and breathe Syracuse sports (GO ORANGE!)

For more information on this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com

On this episode Mike Lenz provides an update on his move into full-time VO and podcast production.  Mike discusses the work he's been doing in the eLearning, corporate narration, and audiobook space.  Mike also launched PodcastSnap, a concierge podcasting service that helps clients with all aspects of their podcasting neeeds.  He spoke recently at the ATD 2018 International Conference about The Power of Podcasting.  

podcastsnap.com

Larry Hudson is a full time voiceover actor with his own studio and has been active in the voiceover industry since 2009.  His client list continues to expand providing his voice to a wide variety of voiceover projects including, commercial TV and radio ads, documentaries, industrial and tutorials for corporate and web presentations. 

His current list of clients include Disney/Picture Head, Toyota, Lexus, KB Home, Kubota Tractor Corp, Quaker Oats, Tropicana, Apple, Google & Qualcomm just to name of few.

Larry provides a clear concise baritone sound that embodies strength, power and sincerity.  His signature sound is relaxed and conversational.  Listeners are drawn in by Larry’s warm tones which he brings forth in a variety of genres.  Larry's versatility enables him to bring light hearted fun to character pieces or deep sincerity to roles of a more solemn nature. 

For more information on this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Who is Monk? And why is he seen so often in a kilt? We'll get to that in a moment. First off, I am a voice actor and storyteller. From the stage to the screen to a quiet booth. Bringing a story to life is what I love to do. That script could be about a far-off land filled with mystical dragons, or a quick explanation of how your new online banking app functions. A voice over that conveys trust and honesty. My work has received Addy and Telly awards and I've received a couple of awards for my stage work as well.

I record at Lodge Studios, a fully equipped Voice Over studio with iPDTL and Source Connect connections to the outside world. 

So how did I get here? After 6 years of fixing helicopters for the USAF, I jumped into broadcast school, and after a couple of radio stations, switched to animation and film work. From there I hit the stage and moved from behind the camera to in front of it. I started singing and performing, and the storytellingand narration followed. When I approached my first agent, he threw me into commercial work. So I understand the needs of production, and the pressures of getting it done right the first time. My masters degree is in Communications, getting the message to the target audience. It's amazing what you can do with a smile

Now, about the kilt. You know, once you start wearing them, it's hard to go back to anything else. Believe me, go get a kilt.

On this episode of The Mike Lenz VO Podcast, I’m joined by Carmen Seantel, an emerging audiobook narrator whose warm, soothing, and expressive voice is already making an impact in the industry. Carmen is passionate about bringing stories to life and believes in the power of audiobooks to create a safe and accessible space for all readers.

We’ll dive into her early journey in narration, from working with top coaches and immersing herself in ACX.com to attending the Audiobook Publishers Association Conference—where she overcame social anxiety to network with colleagues, publishers, and producers. Carmen shares her experiences navigating the industry, the lessons she's learned along the way, and how her personal background brings authenticity to her performances.

If you’re just starting out in audiobook narration or looking for inspiration on breaking into the industry, this episode is packed with insights and encouragement. Tune in for a candid and inspiring conversation with Carmen Seantel!

Check out more episodes over at: https://mikelenzvopodcast.com/

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Claton Butcher is an audiobook narrator, voice over artist, and music pastor, with over 80 audiobooks to his credit. He has studied under some of today’s best and most prolific narrators, including Scott Brick, Sean Pratt, and Johnny Heller. He is also the founder of Two Words Publishing.

Claton and his biggest fans: his wife, and their daughter - born in 2016 - live in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.

Check out Claton’s Voice at twowordspublishing.com.

On this episode, Mike talks with Sophia Cruz. Sophia is a LA bilingual voice over actor specializing in flawless and seamless English to Spanish voice overs! Whether you need Mexican Spanish, Latin American Spanish (LATAM) or neutral Spanish, she is your perfect choice! Perhaps your project requires her AmeriLatina™ style which is a fusion of both, either way she is happy to help you with the right sound for your project. Sophia shares her journey, the obstacle of overcoming a non-supportive spouse, embracing marketing, relocating to LA from Chicago and how she helps other voice actors determine their true value in the VO market.

Join Mike as he interviews voice-over legend Harlan Hogan.  As Harlan's website says, over the years some very famous slogans have entered your ears via Harlan Hogan's voice. 

From Raids' "Kills bugs fast, Kills bugs dead" and Head & Shoulders' "That little itch should be telling you something" to the iconic, "It's the cereal even Mikey Likes".

Today, Harlan's voice is still bringing us memorable slogans like, "How's that for trendy?" for Ford 150 trucks,  "It's not home - but it's close" for Cracker Barrel and reminding PBS viewers day in and day out that, "This program was made possible by viewers like you.  Thank you"

On this episode Mike Lenz interviews actor, voice actor, writer and producer Tiffany Morgan.  Tiffany is a stage, film and television actress best known for her roles on Nashville, The Mist, and The Walking Dead.  We discussed the life of a freelance entrepreneur, and the growing wave of podcasting that Tiffany is involved in, with several podcast productions in the works.  

America’s premiere female live voice announcer Randy Thomas made history as the first woman to announce The Academy Awards©, The Emmy Awards©, The SAG Awards©, The AFI Awards©, to name a few. As the seven-time announcer of The Oscars©, and fourteen-time Tony© announcer, Thomas has been winning accolades and opening doors for female voice artists for over 20 years. For the past nine years she’s been heard daily by millions of people as the iconic voice of CBS Television Distribution’s “Entertainment Tonight©,” one of the most watched entertainment programs in the world.

In addition to voice over, with more than 20 years of experience as a radio personality in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Miami, Thomas has gone on to achieve her dreams as one of the most recognizable voice-over artists in the world as well as co-author of “VOICE FOR HIRE: Launch and Maintain a Lucrative Career in Voice-Overs” (Watson-Guptill Publications, a division of Random House Inc.).

For more info on this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Mike interviews Voice Actor and Voice-Over Strategist Tom Dheere.  As a voice talentwith over eighteen years of experience, Tom has narrated thousands of projects for clients in a dozen countries for just about every type of project you can think of. 

He narrates other stuff, too. Stuff like Audiobooks, Commercials, Medical Narrations, E-Learning projects, Industrials, Video Games, Animation, Apps, and much, much more.His specialty is narrating ‘Explainer Videos’ a.k.a. ‘Whiteboard Videos.'

Tom is also a voiceover business consultant.  He helps you figure out what’s preventing you from getting to the next level as a voice talent “behind the scenes”.  He's worked with voice talents of all experience levels to develop their business plans, time management skills, and much more.

Tom shares the story of his journey into the world of voice acting and also discusses the business side of voice-overs and offers concrete advice for aspiring voice actors.

For more information about this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

I’m a voice actor–which basically means that I love to talk–whether it be narration for commercials, documentaries, instructional films, industrial videos, trailers; or imaging voiceovers for promos and radio stations around the country; or IVR (phone prompts and messaging services) for phone directories; or any other kind of VO!

I’ve voiced campaigns for Acura, Honda, Primerica, Akamai, Schlage Locks, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Roche Molecular Diagnostics, YAMAHA drums, Vic Firth drumsticks, Atlanta Institute of Music, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns, Georgia Lottery, Southeastern Conference, Sportstime Ohio, and many more! In radio, I’ve been the imaging voice for 94.7 WDSD, WWTX 1290 AM, The Ken Coleman Show on WDUN 550 AM, and Lonestar 92.9 KDCD FM.

 Hey there, I'm impressionist Brian Hull, and here is my channel 
where I do hundreds of impressions and have some comedy with them too! 
You may know me for my Disney and Pixar singing videos that have 
gone viral, but here is where the real magic happens! 
Come subscribe to check out my latest content uploaded every Friday! 

Join Mike on this episode where he updates listeners on his journey into on-camera commercial work.  Mike also discusses several important lessons and insights he's learned over the last 6 months and shares some scriptures that provide touchstones for Mike as he moves forward on his journey in faith!  

Welcome back to the Mike Lenz VO Podcast! Today, we’re thrilled to have Samantha Boyer with us, an inspiring artist and content creator who brings a touch of storytelling magic and nostalgia to her work. Samantha’s journey began with childhood influences like Mr. Rogers and Bob Ross, sparking her passion for creating inviting, imaginative worlds.

Over the years, she has transformed this passion into a full-time creative career and built Haven Hollow—a fictional, cozy escape designed to re-energize the soul and rest the heart, offering others a place to find peace and inspiration.

In this episode, Samantha invites us into her creative process and shares how she balances the soulful, artistic side of her work with the realities of running a creative business. From finding inspiration to managing the demands of content creation, Samantha’s story is both motivating and heartwarming.

So grab a cup of tea, settle in, and join us for a cozy, inspiring conversation with Samantha Boyer as we step into Haven Hollow together.

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On this episode I take a deep dive into the voiceover industry and the impact artificial intelligence (AI) is having on our industry, with VO veteran Tom Dheere. 

As a New York-based voice actor with over 20 years of experience, Tom Dheere has narrated thousands of projects for hundreds of clients in over a dozen countries. Tom's experience as a corporate trainer as well as a voice talent makes him uniquely qualified to help both aspiring and veteran voice talents navigate the voiceover industry. He specializes in marketing and business consultations as well as diagnostics, strategy sessions, and mentorships.

As a classically trained theater actor, Tom received his Bachelor of Fine arts in Acting/Directing from Montclair State University. His training continued at the National Shakespeare Conservatory where I studied Shakespeare, Chekov, ballet, and more.

​After NSC Tom was trained as a voice actor by Hope Noah, Dan Duckworth of Voiceovers Unlimited, and has taken numerous voiceover classes at many conferences.

​Tom started coaching in 2011 with Edge Studio as the Business and Money 201 and Marketing 201 instructor. In 2012 he began private coaching as The VO Strategist. Since then Tom has worked with hundreds of students in both one-on-one sessions and public speaking engagements.

Voice 123 15% Discount Code link:

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On this episode, I talk with award-winning author Landon Beach about his career, and about his recent book Narrator, which is narrated by the amazing Scott Brick. 

Landon was born and raised in Michigan but now lives in the Sunshine State with his wife, two children, and their golden retriever. He previously served as a Naval Officer and was an educator for fifteen years before becoming a full-time writer.  He is also the award-winning author of Huron Breeze, which was named Mystery of the Year for 2022 by bestthrillers.com.

Here's a brief synopsis of Narrator:

By the time playwright and actor Shawn Frost had won 2 Tony Awards by his late twenties, he was seen as a theater prodigy—a meteoric rise that the performing arts community had not witnessed in almost a hundred years. His work? Shakespearean in scope, character, and popularity—boundless and beautiful. His own character? Flawed.

And in a place like New York City, where failings get magnified, Shawn Frost finds that, even from the heights of artistic sublimity, no one is insulated from the demons that have caused the best of entertainers to fall from grace.

After surviving an accident that almost costs him his life, Shawn leaves NYC and the theater for the quiet, picturesque Pacific cliffs of Carmel-by-the-Sea and starts a new life as an audiobook narrator. As he rises through the ranks, narrating bestseller after bestseller, Shawn Frost once again flirts with artistic immortality.

But. As his limitless skills emerge in the exploding arena of voice arts, so do his flaws.

Then, he experiences every audiobook narrator’s worst fear: He is kidnapped by two obsessed fans, determined to make Shawn perform their novel…

Or was he?

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind psychological thriller from #1 Bestselling Author Landon Beach.

https://landonbeachbooks.com/

A seasoned pro African-American voice-over specialist with over a decade of experience, providing the 3-dimensional sound that promotes companies, services, and entrepreneurs around the globe.

Mara has a naturally intuitive vocal ability that brings words to life with color and direct relatability. Her voice resonates with a warm, smooth, sensual or corporate tone for sophisticated projects, and a bright, vibrant, and upbeat delivery for standard narration.

Affiliations include SAG-AFTRA union with accreditation from the World-Voices Organization and the Society of Accredited Voice-Over Artists (SaVoa).

Mara's work has been featured by popular global brands including AT&T^™, Microsoft, Nintendo^®, McDonald's^®, Oreck, Public Storage, USPS.com^®, Sygic mobile GPS, International Game Technology (IGT) and Walt Disney Company's^® T180 Studios.

Mara currently divides her time voicing projects from recording studios in the Gulf, East & West coasts, in the Greater New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco Bay areas.

For more information about this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

About me: Hey, I'm Tim. I'm a husband and a father, first and foremost. I've spent over 3 years in the podcasting space, learning everything I could about what makes a podcast great. Prior to getting into this arena, I spent my time touring the country with a band of my best friends (including Liam, one of our project managers here). We got the opportunity to play on MTV, at the Bamboozle, on Warped Tour, and various other opportunities for not-so-humble brags. My background is in sales and marketing -- both online and off, and that's allowed me to help podcasters get amazing results. I've also been the voice for many incredible companies like TOMY Toys, Disney, AT&T, The Travel Channel, The UFC, Expedia, Honda, and more. I'm a nerd, and wouldn't have it any other way... and I eat, sleep, and breathe Syracuse sports (GO ORANGE!)

For more information on this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com

Maria Pendolino is an award-winning voiceover artist. A professional working actor for more than fifteen years, Maria’s style is natural, friendly, relatable and sassy. Trained in musical theatre, film, television and voice, Maria’s conversational delivery is youthful and on-trend – perfect to represent and speak to Millennials and Generation X.

Maria specializes in commercials for TV, radio and the web, e-Learning and corporate narration, explainer videos, promos, in-show narration, character voices for animation, telephone systems, radio imaging and more.

A two-time award winner, Maria received the 2017 Voice Arts Award for Best Voiceover in the e-Learning category and the 2018 Voice Arts Award for Best Voiceover in the Consumer Sales Video (Explainer) category.

Maria’s professional home studio, based in Buffalo, New York, is equipped with state of the art audio equipment and offers remote connectivity options including Phone Patch, Source Connect, ipDTL and ISDN. She is a proud member of the Buffalo-Niagara Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the Buffalo chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and World-Voices (WoVO).

Founder and CEO of the 501(c)(3) Nonprofit "Imagination Videobooks," Richard is known as "The Storybook Wizard." He is a top Audible narrator who helps authors give their books a voice. His team has produced hundreds of audiobooks, including Richard's own award-winning book, "The Author's Guide to Audiobook Creation."
Children's Accessible Videobooks Creator - samples at https://imaginationvideobooks.org

- Benjamin Franklin National Gold Medal Award in Audiobook Nonfiction for producing, directing, and co-narrating "Football Flyboy" by Lisa Reinicke. Independent Book Publishers Association.

- Five-time EVVY Gold Award Winning Audiobook Narrator and Producer at Audiobook Revolution, http://audiobookrevolution.com/

- Author of Global eBook Gold Medal Award in Writing/Publishing for "The Author's Guide to Audiobook Creation" http://bit.ly/audiobookcreation

- Produced best-sellers including "​Auschwitz #34207"​ and "Shot Down"

- Audible Approved Narrator (Top 10%)

Veteran Network, New York, Chicago and Washington DC Radio News Anchor and Correspondent

Holly Franklin is a spunki-licious voiceover star who lost count how many times people have asked her, “is that your real voice?” ages ago.

She specializes in kid, teen and character voices and is best known for her work on My Little Pony, Barney, Owlegories & BOZ the Bear series. She also appears on-camera and in commercial print work.

Whether it was cheerleading, theater or acting out Oscar winning performances for the neighbors while mowing the lawn – all the world has been a stage for this born & raised Texan. Holly went on to attend Texas A&M University where she met her nerdy Civil Engineering husband. After her brief stint as a high school health teacher, she got tired of getting asked for her hall pass. So, she turned in her grade book for a microphone, honed her raw talent by training with the best in the biz, and the rest is Hollypoppin’ history. She has 3 freaking amazing kids who tolerate her quirky parenting style, and even stranger voice.

Holly has a soft spot for preschoolers and rodents, both of which she can imitate perfectly (not including the feet stomping and garden wrecking that you get with the real things). Ask any one of her many happy clients and they’ll tell you - she’s a funny, smart, speedy, flexible pro with an unbeatable squeak and a true claim to the “one-take wonder” fame. She can make your copy pop from her broadcast quality home studio or come to you…without the micromanaging mommy and with a voice that is guaranteed to bring your script to youthful life and make you look darn good.

Find your favorite Hollypop! flavor and experience what real sweet tooth satisfaction tastes like right now!

For more inforamtion about this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Charlie Lovett was born in Winston-Salem, NC in 1962 and grew up as the child of a book-collecting English professor. He spent his summers in the rural North Carolina mountains and felt an early affinity for the countryside. He was educated at Summit School, Woodberry Forest School (Virginia), and Davidson College (NC) and in 1984 went into the antiquarian book business with his first wife, Stephanie. About the same time he began to seriously collect books and other materials relating to Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Lovett now has a large collection of Carrollian rare books and artifacts, including Carroll’s 1888 typewriter and one of six privately owned copies of the first edition of Alice in Wonderland. Lovett has written or edited nine books about Lewis Carroll, including Lewis Carroll: Formed by Faith, the first full length study of Carroll’s religious life (UVA Press, 2021). He has served as the president of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, as editor of the London based Lewis Carroll Review, and has lectured on Carroll in the US and Europe at the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University, UCLA, Oxford University, and elsewhere.

In 1997 Lovett received an MFA in Writing from Vermont College (now Vermont College of Fine Arts). During his work on this degree he researched and wrote Love, Ruth, a book about his mother, Ruth Candler Lovett, who died when he was two years old. Maya Angelou called the book “tender, sensitive, and true.”

After completing his MFA, Lovett lived with his wife Janice and daughter Jordan in England for six months, becoming closely connected to the village of Kingham, Oxfordshire. Ten years later, he and his wife purchased the cottage they had rented in 1997 and renovated it. They now spend about 6–8 week a year in Kingham, and have traveled extensively throughout the UK. His experiences in England are the basis for several of his novels.

For eleven years, beginning in 2001, Lovett served as Writer-in-Residence at Summit School in Winston-Salem, NC. He wrote plays for elementary and middle school students, nineteen of which have been published, including, Twinderella, which was chosen from over 750 entries as winner of the Shubert Fendrich Playwriting Award. His plays have been seen in over 5000 productions in all fifty states and more than 20 foreign countries. Lovett often makes author visits to schools to see productions, talk with students, and hold master classes.

Lovett’s break-through as a fiction writer came when he combined two of his passions—rare books and the English countryside—to write the Shakespearean mystery The Bookman’s Tale (Viking/Penguin, 2013), a New York Times bestseller and Barnes and Noble Recommends selection which has been translated into several foreign languages. Parade Magazine called the book “[A] delightful tale of love and bibliophilia.” His next novel, First Impressions (Viking/Penguin, 2014) was another literary adventure, this one starring Jane Austen. People Magazine called it “a delightful novel that weaves together a modern love story and a literary mystery involving Jane Austen.”

In 2015 Lovett curated a major exhibition called Alice Live! at the New York Public Library for Performing Arts at Lincoln Center and wrote the introduction to the new Penguin Books edition of Alice in Wonderland. 2015 also saw the publication of his Christmas book, The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge (Viking/Penguin) which USA Today called “[a] clever, merry, and, yes, convincingly Dickensian reimagining of this Victorian tale.”

Lovett’s  novel The Lost Book of the Grail (Viking/Penguin, 2017) is set in an English cathedral library, reaches through centuries of English history, and tells the story of bibliophile and Holy Grail enthusiast Arthur Prescott as he works to uncover a secret about the cathedral’s history. Bustle called it “The one book every bibliophile needs to read.”

Lovett’s most recent novel, Escaping Dreamland (Blackstone, 2020), is a book about four authors in New York City. Much of the book is set in the early 20^th century, and explores not just historic New York, but the lives of three young people writing series books for children (think The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew). The book is an homage to the books of our childhood, to New York City, and above all to love and friendship.

Lovett’s middle grade adventure, The Book of the Seven Spells (Month 9, 2021), about four children who discover a magical library, will come out in the spring and he is currently working on the second volume in that series.

When not visiting his cottage in Kingham, Charlie Lovett lives in Winston-Salem with his wife Janice. They have two grown children, Jordan and Jimmy.

A professional voice actor, coach, and producer located in Orange County, CA, Anne Ganguzza has an enthusiastic, energetic, and fun personality. Her voice is described as professional, believable, warm and friendly. Her voiceover experience includes corporate and industrial narrations, e-learning and online learning tutorials, telephone voice mail, IVR, on hold messaging,  commercials, infomercials,  live theater broadcasts, audio books,  government/educational promotional videos and advertising, and more! She has many years’ experience in public speaking and corporate & educational training, and is an exceptionally clear and concise technical speaker, able to make your difficult scripts easy to understand! As a voiceover talent Anne offers a wide range of services, from voicemail and IVR/on-hold recordings to corporate narration and e-learning, commercial promos, and audio books. She’s great to work with and takes direction well.

For more info on thisnand other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Joan Baker, author of Secrets of Voice-Over Success, has performed hundreds of promos and commercials for TV, film and radio throughout her highly regarded career. ABC News, American Express, Other clients include: King World, ESPN, BLOOMBERG TV and radio, SHOWTIME, HBO, NBA Entertainment, COURT TV, Imus in the Morning, Olay, Lens Express, Sony Music, JP Morgan Chase, American Express, Costco, and The New York Times Classified represents just a few of the numerous clients who regularly call upon her unique sound. You could even say that Joan’s talents reach the highest levels of American royalty and deep into the political power structure: She voiced a TV ad campaign for The Muhammad Ali Center and narrated a documentary about the founding of the William Jefferson Clinton Library, now a part of the library’s permanent display. And Joan also has it going on live! She provided the live voice announcements for the “Museum of the Moving Image Salutes Will Smith” which aired on Bravo TV.

Prior to authoring Secrets Of Voice-Over Success Joan built a lucrative following among people (actors & corporate executives) seeking training in the art of voice-over acting. Nancy Grace and the late Johnnie Cochran are counted among her high profile students. Today she travels the country as a lecturer and seminar leader through a variety of arts institutions. She’s the creator of the powerful “Make Millions With Your Voice” seminars through the Learning Annex.

She has been featured in numerous publications and TV segments: Interview Magazine, Adweek, Backstage, The NY Post, Media Week, Broadcasting & Cable, Cable World, NY Daily News, Radio World and Black Enterprise. Also on television’s Weekend Vibe, SHOWBIZ Today on CNN, Fox 5 NY, ABC News Now and E! News. She is represented exclusively by Innovative Artists.

In honor of her late father, James P. Baker, who past away from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, Joan contributes all royalties from the sales of Secrets of Voice-Over Success to the Alzheimer’s Association of which she has become a steady patron and advocate for a cure.

For more information about this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com

Emily Pick's voice is described as

SOUND
APPROACHABLE, WARM, HIP, FRIENDLY, SEXY, INTELLIGENT, BELIEVABLE.

Emily's career has included Commercial, eLearning & education, announcer, podcasts, character, accents & dialects, animation, tourism, documentary.

Emily has a full home studio with live director/producer patch in capability.

Raw files or finished audio delivered quickly and cleanly.

What’s the deal with “Zippy,” anyway?

Long story short, the nickname “Zippy” comes from a character I played in a 2nd grade talent show. It was my first acting experience, and wouldn’t you know it- the name stuck!

With that being said, should I call you “Christopher?”  “Chris?”  “Zippy?”  I’m confused!

It doesn’t matter- I’ll answer to any of the three!

So acting’s been in your blood since you were a kid- pretty cool.  Did you do anything with that passion?

I was able to parlay my love of acting into a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the California Institute of the Arts, where I was privileged to get a mix of both classical and experimental theatre training from some of the top instructors in the country.  They also had great Halloween parties.

What happened after college?  

I got a job.

Then what?

I took standup comedy classes over at Mi’s Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica, California.  I enjoyed being a part of Westside’s community, and it led me to go through their improv training.  I was lucky enough to be a regular performer, both as part of a house team (Ghost Party Orchestra), and as a member of their flagship improv show, Mission IMPROVable (as Agent Hammertime).

Oh goodness, another nickname?

Yup.  I guess it’s kind of my thing.

So, improv you say?  Like what they do on ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’

Well, Mission IMPROVable is sort of like that, but since a TV audience watching an 8pm show at home is a lot different than a live audience coming to watch a 10pm show at a comedy theater, the energy at Mission IMPROVable is unmatched.  Plus, I think our games are better.  But I’m biased.

Ghost party Orchestra’s form of improv is known as longform.  Basically, you put a group of performers on stage, someone in the audience yells out a word, and you do a full show of interconnected scenes based off of that one word.  It can get pretty crazy.

Wow- this Westside Comedy Theater sounds like a pretty cool place.  What else did you do over there?

Sketch comedy!  There wasn’t a lot of it going on when I first got there, so some friends & I decided, “Why not us?”  I co-created, co-wrote, co-produced, and co-performed in two regularly-running sketch shows while I was there: Kaufman & Kaufman Presents, and The Get Buck Variety Riot.

First of all, that’s a lot of “co’s.”  Second, this Westside Comedy Theater sounds like a pretty cool place.  Where can I go to learn more about it, and what nights are you there?

http://www.WestsideComedy.com

If you’re ever in Los Angeles, I highly recommend you give them a visit.  Sadly, you won’t find me there these days, as I moved to the East Coast.

Wait, what?!  But…but…you love WCT!  I don’t get it!  If you loved being there so much, why did you leave, mmm?

Well you know the phrase “When opportunity knocks, you…”  Wait.  What is the rest of that phrase?  I mean, I know it’s got something to do with answering a door…or is the whole phrase just, “When opportunity knocks?”  And what if you have a doorbell?

…But I digress.

I had been an L.A. kid all my life, but at some point, I knew that I had to see what the East Coast was all about.  Thankfully, a short stint as a creative writer over at WWE allowed me to move east and experience new things like weather (it snows here!), public transportation that doesn’t stink, and East Coast food (Oh, the food!).

Hold on just one second.  Did you say WWE?  Like, the professional wrestling company?

That’s the one.

You know it’s all fake, right?

Next question.

Okay okay.  I see that you’re a voice actor.  How is that going for you?

Quite well!  After  WWE, I took a chance and explored an avenue I’ve always been interested in: Voice acting. To date, some of the clients I’ve worked with have been MTV, and the University of Louisville.

One last question: What do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy watching sports (especially the Lakers, Dodgers, UCLA, and Raiders), bowling, karaoke, and chocolate chip cookies (no nuts!).

For more information about this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

JULIE WILSON is Senior Manager of Digital Production Platforms and an award-winning executive producer at Penguin Random House Audio. She started her career at Random House in 2007 and has produced over a thousand audiobooks for adults and kids, including several graphic novel adaptations. Her recent production credits include working with Alicia Keys, Ben Folds, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ruth Reichl, Willie Nelson, and The Tiny Chef. She is also the co-creator of AhabTalent.com, a global online casting platform for voiceover. She is a native New Yorker and an avid urban gardener, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing from Colby College. 

Jim Seybert has been telling stories for more than sixty years. As a young boy he would dictate stories, telling his parents to "write this down." Fast-forward to the present, and Jim lends his clear, confident voice to some of the most interesting stories of the day: military histories, political commentary, true crime, heroic memoirs, and great fiction.

When he is not recording in his studio on California's pristine Central Coast, he walks quietly along trails in the Sierra Nevada, cooks gourmet meals for friends, and watches films with his wife Rhonda and their Chihuahua, Lucy.

With a home studio, Mandy Fisher has the ability to tell your story, your way.

Equipment includes:

• Source Connect/ipDTL

• Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

• Rode NT1

• Neumann U87

• MacBook Pro

Whether it’s an explainer video, a narration, or a simple tagline, Mandy is your go-to voice. Not sure what you want? No problem. She can provide you with several quality options. Have a strong vision? Great! Mandy can take direction and bring your project to life.

https://www.mandyofish.com/

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Karen Souer is a virtual assistant.  What does that mean?  Well, it means a lot of things! 

Mike has a great conversation with Karen Souer about her journey into the voice-over industry and the way she developed her niche as a virtual assistant.

Karen can help voice actors with everything from editing and proofing, to connecting via skype and listening as the voice actor records, to help check for any mistakes in real time.

Karen also specializes in doing research, helping with data entry, social media posting, and social media content writing.

This is a great interview for aspiring voice actors as well as anyone interested in learning about other interesting ways to get involved in the voice-over industry.

To learn more about this and other interviews, head on over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Chris Johnson is a professional Voice Actor, based in Los Angeles.  He has voiced a wide range of projects over the years including commercials, corporate videos, eLearning modules, video games, audiobooks, narration and many more.  

Chris has also been the lead singer and songwriter for many projects including the band Starch Monkey, Between the Sun and the upcoming project entitled Pharaoh's Kitchen.  He is the recipient of the 2020 "Male Emerging Artist" award from ISSA (Independent Singer-Songwriters Association). 

You can learn more about Chris and contact him through his website at:  http://www.vocalcj.com

Voice 123 15% Discount Code link:

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LinkedIn Edge Discount Code link (discount is built in):

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Evan is a millennial (born in 1990) and he loves telling a story, especially yours.
In 2006, Evan narrated his first self-produced documentary, inspired by a chance meeting with ski filmmaking legend Warren Miller. Since then, he has lent his signature sound to hundreds of projects around the world. He also hosts a podcast where he explores the question, "What makes creative people creative?" It's called the Get Creative Podcastand it can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

Marguerite Gavin (Shannon Parks) has been a professional audiobook narrator for over twenty years with over 500+ titles, numerous Audie nominations and Earphones awards, and a devoted fan following. She has been described as a “genre-defining narrator” by Audible.com; having a “sonorous voice, rich and full of emotion”and as having the “coveted ability to disappear as the narrator, letting the story take the limelight it deserves”in Audiofile Magazine. 

Her narration spans nearly every genre from mystery, science fiction and fantasy; romance; and children’s fiction to a huge variety of nonfiction and documentary work. She is also a seasoned theater veteran, acting and directing in hundreds of productions.

As a highly respected acting teacher, she was on the graduate acting faculty at Catholic University of America; directed children of all ages in Shakespeare for many years; and now coaches narrators in the art of acting the audiobook. 

She is the lucky mom of two (almost grown -up!) children. Marguerite is blessed to live at the Delaware seashore where she can usually be found in her recording studio; at the theater or frolicking in the ocean. 

Proud member of SAG/AFTRA/AEA

Though I love to travel, there’s no place like my home in Missouri. I was born and raised just north of Kansas City, and being a Midwest girl, I believe in hard work and authenticity. I’ve always been fascinated with people and I’m the kind of person who strikes up a friendly conversation with the cashier at the grocery store, or the guy standing next to me in a long line.

When I got to college and discovered that you can actually get a degree in communicating effectively with other human beings (who knew?), I couldn’t get signed up fast enough! Heading into my senior year, I had the crazy idea of becoming a TV advertising executive, so I landed an internship at a nearby cable station. One day, a producer asked me to read the script for a commercial and I suddenly discovered my passion for voice over! That was 10 years ago, and now here I am, recording in my home studio or with real people in their Kansas City area studios. When I’m not behind a microphone, I still hone my skills regularly by reading to my four young children or watching HGTV with my husband; when you’re in voiceover, the commercials become a lot more interesting! I love meeting new people through social media, so feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.

For more info on this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com

Kiff VandenHeuvel is originally from Grand Rapids, MI and is an alumni of The Second City comedy theatre.  He has performed in many film and TV in projects ranging from NETFLIX’s RICHIE RICH (where he was a series regular), NBC’s PARKS AND RECREATION, TNT’s THE LAST SHIP, and David Spade’s prank show FAMELESS for Tru-tv, HBO’s BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, last years Indie hit NIGHTCRAWLER,  DANNY COLLINS (w/ Al Pacino) and the upcoming blockbuster BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE.

Kiff is an accomplished improviser and sketch comedy director, and he teaches voiceover, improv and directing at Second City Hollywood. Kiff has appeared in hundreds of TV and radio commercials and is well known in the video game community as the voice of Zachary Hale Comstock in BIOSHOCK:INFINITE and the voice of Walter in THE WALKING DEAD video game series.  One of his unique skills is as a voice-matcher and impressionist. Kiff has appeared in several major motion pictures performing the voices of actors as varied as Vince Vaughn, Sylvester Stallone and Channing Tatum.  Kiff lives in LA with his wife and daughter.

For more information about this and other episodes head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

For more information about my online course How To Start (and Grow) Your VO Career, head over to vosuccess.com.

On this episode Mike updates listeners at the 6 month mark of his journey into full-time voice-over and podcasting. Topics include the process of working in the margins for 12 years, moving into on-camera work and the importance of continual improvement through coaching and achieving balance in your personal and professional life.

SEAN PRATT HAS been a working professional actor in theatre, film, TV and voice-overs for over 30 years. He holds a BFA in Acting from Santa Fe University, NM. He has narrated over 1,000+ audiobooks….and counting! 

He has been an audiobook narrator for 22 years (aka – Lloyd James), recording over 1000+ Audio Books in almost every genre.

He narrates for such companies as Blackstone Audiobooks, Tantor Media, Gildan Audio, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, and Christian Audio.

Join Mike as he interviews voice actress Kira Buckland.

Kira Buckland is a Los Angeles-based voice actress originally from Anchorage, Alaska.

She first got interested in voice acting at the age of sixteen, starting out by voice acting as a hobby for a large amount of Internet projects. In 2007, she won the AX Idol Voice Acting Competition and as a result got noticed by BangZoom! Entertainment, which helped get her foot in the door to the anime industry.

After finishing college (she majored in Japanese), taking acting and voice classes, and continuing to voice act in flash animations and indie games, Kira moved to California to pursue a career as a voice actress. She worked various jobs in the meantime (barista, retail, waitressing, etc) and began auditioning with a few different studios. Since then, she has become the voice of major characters in all sorts of video games, anime, and other projects, and is now able to work steadily in the field. As an avid gamer, the most personally exciting role for her was voicing Honoka in the fighting game "Dead or Alive 5: Last Round".

When not voice acting, Kira's hobbies include music (particularly classic rock), makeup, alternative fashion and costuming, fitness, and fine espresso. A geek at heart, her favorite series is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (which she even has a tattoo from!) Also, she's had hair of every color at the rainbow at some point, but these days it's mostly blue.

For more information about this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

Mike interviews full-time professional voice actor Lauren McCullough in this episode of Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting.

Lauren grew up with the Pocono Mountains in her back yard, among the quiet of nature and the magic of the stars. There, Lauren enjoyed performing, whether she had an audience of people or just the mountains.

In her first role, Lauren played the Black Crayon, in the locally acclaimed first grade performance of the Crayola Factory, narrating the transformation of primary colors into secondary colors. On that stage, Lauren knew acting was her art.

Packing up her box of crayons and dreams, Lauren moved to New York City to study acting at Pace University, at the foothills of the Brooklyn bridge in downtown Manhattan. She worked in NYC as a theatre, film and voiceover actor, while also directing and producing along the way.

After seven years in the shadow of skyscrapers, she began to miss the companionship of the mountains. She found a home in the artist community of Asheville, NC nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountain range.

Back in the embrace of mountains, she colors her world with hiking and vegan cooking adventures, while working as a full time voiceover actor.

For more information about this and other episodes, head over to mikelenzvoice.com.

On this episode Mike provides an update on his journey.  May has been a busy month of traveling and Mike discusses some of the lessons he learned, the importance of being diverse in your work, making sure you provide yourself with some down time to allow yourself to get in touch with your true purpose.  Mike also talks about his short film - The Good Life - which will begin filming this summer!

Links:

Go Fund Me Page for The Good Life Short Film:

https://www.facebook.com/thegoodlifefilmshort/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Facebook Page for The Good Life - Short Film: 

https://www.gofundme.com/the-good-life-short-film

My name is Rosi Amador, and I am a native Spanish/English voiceover actor with no accent whatsoever in either language. I was raised both in Latin and North America so I’m a native speaker of both languages, bicultural and equally comfortable in both worlds. I can easily add an “Hispanic” accent to my English reads when required. My Spanish is best described as neutral Latin American; however, I can also infuse my Latin American Spanish with a Puerto Rican or an Argentine accent.

My voice is best described as friendly, sparkling, expressive, pleasing, warm and enthusiastic. It can sound childlike and fun, or professional, serious and formal, as needed. My clients tell me I’m easy to coach and a pleasure to work with. I believe it’s because I’m very flexible and attuned to their needs. I’ll voice your message just as you’d like!

Amador Bilingual Voiceovers’ mission is to be the foremost provider of Spanish and English voiceover services for clients who create content related to Hispanics and the Spanish language, and who serve Spanish-speaking markets. Our success is built upon our ability to provide evocative voice acting in flawless native English and Spanish or English with a Hispanic accent.

We work as a team with our clients to exceed their expectations in a friendly and efficient way, and always with a sense of humor. Our bicultural background helps us maximize the cultural relevance and effectiveness of our clients’ messages.

We started our bilingual Spanish/English voiceover company back in 1994, and are thrilled to wake up every day and use our voices to connect the messages of all types of organizations to a diverse audience. VIEW ROSI’S BIO / VIEW BRIAN’S BIO / VIEW SONIA & ALISA’S BIO

We always offer quick turnaround and competitive rates. Our niche is in providing expressive, accent-free and culturally sensitive voiceovers in our native English and Spanish to our clients. From commercials for TV and radio, educational learning services on line, corporate narrations, audio tours, health/medical narrations, podcasts, audiobooks and apps, our voices adapt easily to each genre.

In our well equipped professional studio we produce the pristine, broadcast-quality recordings your project deserves, in the format you specify, and deliver them to you by the method of your choice. You can give us feedback or even record us directly during the recording session by ISDN, Source Connect, ipDTL, Source Connect Now or Skype.

Our professional bicultural team includes translators and savvy media producers. Our goal? To get your message to its intended audience and make it pop! We’re a passionate team that brings heart and soul to your message, no matter the language. Since we are bicultural as well as bilingual, we truly get our client’s needs. We’d love to work with you!

For more info on this and other interviews head over to mikelenzvoice.com

On this episode Mike inteviews writer, producer and voice actor Dustin Rubin.

Dustin is a Voice Actor Providing VO for Commercials, TV, Radio, Narration, Audiobooks, Animation, Video Games, PSAs, E-Learning, Documentary, Corporate, Explainer Videos, Telephony, Explainer Videos, Non Profit, Promos & Trailers.

Member of SAG-AFTRA
Member of World-Voices.Org (WoVO)
Member of Trailer Voice Artists

Recent Work: 
Promo: Campaign for "TKO Total Knock Out with Kevin Hart" on CBS 
Sketch: The Late Late Show with James Corden (various)
Commercials (TV) Clorox, T-Mobile, Wisconsin Cheese; (Radio) Reliant Energy
Animation - Nathan's Kingdom (feature) 
Video Games - Telltale's "The Wolf Among Us"​ (ongoing)
PSA - California Science Center
Audiobooks - "My True Love Gave to Me"​, "The Watch"​, "Running the Books: The Accidental Adventures of a Prison Librarian"​, "It's Not Just Who You Know"​. All from Random House
TV Narration - "I Forgive You" on GMC

For more info and samples, please visit dustinrubin.com

On today's episode, Mike interviews voice actor and podcaster Jessica Lewis.

Jessica's voice is described as Humorous, Engaging, Collaborative, Creative, Visionary, Nerdy. Life is short; enjoy those you work with!

Jessica has a friendly and clear American female voice, and has worked on projects from tv and radio commercials, narration, on-hold messages, corporate and explainer videos, e-Learning, video games and more!

She's a small-town country girl who has traveled the world. Hard work and innovation are in her blood. Empathy's her gift and creativity & resourcefulness are her super powers.

You can find out more about Jessica at jessicalewisvoice.com.