FREE Voice Over Tips & Insights – From a 25+ year Pro
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.
Keep Going. This One's For the Voice Actors Who Need to Hear It.
Abraham Lincoln said: "That some achieve great success is proof to all that others can achieve it as well." This post isn't about technique. It's not about mic placement or phrasing or slating in character. This one is just for the voice actors who are in the thick of it right now... wondering if it's worth it. It is. Keep reading.
Voice Acting Myth: "It's Easy." (A Pixar Director Would Like a Word.)
"Hey, can I be a voice in your movie?" Pixar director Andrew Stanton says if he had a dollar for every time someone asked him that, he wouldn't need to work anymore. Voice acting is the one area of filmmaking where everyone assumes they're already qualified. Today we dismantle that myth — with a little help from a legendary director AND an Italian word you're going to want to remember.
The Words Don't Matter. (You heard me.)
A while back I boldly told you that Voice Acting is NOT about your voice. I promised that the second thing I tell every new student would get its own post. That day has come. "The words don't matter." Go ahead — stare at me like a cow watching an oncoming train. I'll wait. Then let me explain.
It's Demo Month! (And Everything You Need to Know Before You Make Yours)
🎙️🎉 It's been DEMO MONTH here at Begle Booth Studios — and I could not be more proud of my actors. But before you get excited and start Googling "how to get a voice over demo," there are some things we need to talk about first. Because a demo is a tool, not a trophy. And like any tool, it only works if you know how to use it.
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.
Luck Has Nothing to Do With It: How Voice Actors Create Their Own Success
The Roman philosopher Seneca said it over two thousand years ago and it has never been more true: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." In voice acting, we call lucky people "working voice actors." And I'm going to tell you exactly what separates them from everyone else — because it has nothing to do with luck.