FREE Voice Over Tips & Insights – From a 25+ year Pro
Slate in Character. Every Single Time. (Yes, I Will Die on This Hill.)
Fair warning: some coaches teach this differently. I respect that. And I will respectfully, enthusiastically, and permanently disagree. I once booked a role FROM my slate. Before I read a single word of the script. Here's why slating in character isn't just good advice — it's the difference between booking and being skipped.
Be a Thermostat, Not a Thermometer: The Audition Mindset That Changes Everything
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote about thermometers and thermostats in his Letter from Birmingham Jail — about the difference between those who merely reflect their environment and those who transform it. I've been applying that distinction to voice actors in auditions for years. Here's what it means for your next submission.
Half Empty or Half Full? How You Measure Your Progress Changes Everything
Even the most successful actors at the top of their game can feel like complete failures — while everyone around them looks up to them as role models. How is that possible? It comes down to one thing: how they're measuring their progress. Half Empty or Half Full. And here's the wild part — we can HEAR which one you're in. Every time.
How to Make a Casting Director Fall in Love With You
Mae West said it and I believe it completely: "We must fall in love with ourselves. I don't like myself, I'm crazy about myself." How does that apply to your voice acting auditions? In the most direct, practical, career-defining way possible. Here's how to make casting fall in love with you... by falling in love with yourself first.
Make the Bold Choice. (Casting Is Begging You To.)
I've worked alongside some of the most prominent casting directors in the industry. I've had them as guests in my studio workshop sessions. And when voice actors finally get to ask them THE question... "How do you choose?!"... the answer is always the same. Let me tell you what they say.
The Quote Hanging in My Booth: What Sanford Meisner Taught Me About Voice Acting
There's a quote hanging in my booth. I see it every single time I step up to the mic — every session, every audition, every take. It's been there for years. It's eight words from legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner, and it is the single most important sentence I know about what great voice acting actually is.
Why Nearly Half of Voice Actor Auditions Get Cut Before Anyone Hits Play
In a recent casting I ran, 202 voice actors submitted auditions. 98 of them were eliminated before anyone hit play. That's 48.5% — cut instantly, not for their performance, but for one completely avoidable mistake. Sound harsh? It is. But it's also fixable. Here's what's actually happening on the casting side of the table.