Hey Friends!

I’m kicking off the year with a focus on character voices.  So much of my work to date has been for commercials and narrations, but a few events in 2016 have motivated me to branch out.

I hired a voice coach (Sunday Muse – GreatBigVoices.com) and started one-on-one sessions for cartoon and animation yesterday.  One session in and it has already given me a gigantic boost.

Before I ramble too much — I need your help!

Drop a note in the comments section of this post with character ideas.  I’ll take the idea, develop a short script, then record it and post it to my site.  Any suggestions help, but the more descriptive you can be, the better it will work.

Here is how I got inspired to really focus on character work :

While working on stand up material and developing my ‘stage voice’, I noticed how often I infuse characters and different voices into my routines.  These same characters pop up in my everyday ramblings (I talk to my self a lot – a ton – everyday).  Recognizing how naturally  these voices were coming, I felt I should be getting them out there.

Another moment came when my agent sent me scripts for various characters in a video game and told me I could audition for as many as I liked.  Reading the different character descriptions, seeing sketches and quickly coming up with voices that suited them was a fun, new experience.  I ended up getting a call back for one of the characters and eventually booked the role.  It was one of my biggest voice acting accomplishments of the year.

Finally, when I discussed that audition and role with my agent, she told me she didn’t really think of me for character roles.  I was disappointed to hear that, but understood why – I didn’t have a character demo or specific training .  I left her office with a list of coaches and made a commitment to myself to invest time (and money) in developing this side of my career.

And here we are.  Looking back on these events and my first coaching session have given me a renewed confidence.  This is a huge step in the right direction.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to drop some character suggestions in the comments!

TODD