- Making Money in Voice-Overs by Teri Apple
- My Life As A 10-Year-Old Boy by Nancy Cartwright
- There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is by Elaine A. Clarke
- The 9 Critical Skills to Voice-Over Excellence by Pat Fraley
- Make Your Voice Heard by Chuck Jones
- The Magic Behind the Voices by Tim Lawson
- How to Make a Million Dollars With Your Voice by Gary Owens
There are many others available, but these seven books will get your reference library started.
Some of the skills needed are: The ability to make it sound like it is “the first time”, in other words, when you are doing a record and the director asks you to “do it again” and “one more time” for about the 10th time, you have to make it sound fresh, as if you have never said it before.
Another skill needed is, believe it or not, the ability to “Be a Professional.” This is the most basic and a skill anyone from any profession could benefit from. There is a tendency to use the record time to “make friends” or socialize, chat it up, but this is NOT the time to do this. You are hired to do a job using your voice; however, it is my professional opinion that during a record, and the time in between, it is best to keep your mouth shut so that the job can be done smoothly and efficiently.
At this stage of the game, I am interested in writing, producing and developing projects for film and television. I am currently writing a feature-length film based on a journey I took in Italy in the mid-80s. It is called In Search of Fellini. It is truly a labor of love and I have never been happier as an artist.
I am also writing and producing an animated show. This is in development and you will hear more about this later.
There is nothing worth fighting for that is ever easy. Ever since I was a little kid, I always persisted on a “given course,” in an attempt to reach my goals. It does not mean it was easy, but I just never gave up. The difference between the one who will make it, and the one who will not, is simply not enough follow through. Not enough push! There really is no excuse for failure.
These are my “Golden Rules for Living” that have helped me succeed in my life:
- Do what you love
- Surround yourself with people who believe in you and your dreams
- Hitch your wagon to a winner
- Be a professional
- Trust your instincts. You are right.
- YOU are responsible for the condition you are in, so DECIDE exactly what you want to do.
In November 2000, we launched our first show, The Kellys, on www.nascar.com/thekellys. At the time, no one else was doing what we did. The internet was just finding its way in the entertainment/information media. In fact, we were so far ahead of the game, that the public couldn’t access our show very readily. That said, The Kellys, an animated show about a family of professional stock car racers, was one if not THE first animated show to be aired on the internet. We were acknowledged by the Houston Filmfest in the Internet category, making us an award-winning show! You can find out more about the company at www.sportsblast.com.
Currently, SportsBlast has developed an app for your iPhone called “Smoke Your Tires.” In fact, there is a competition for the game and first and second prize winners will each receive two tickets to the DAYTONA 500® 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway! The trick to winning is to earn the most points by performing donuts and other crazy maneuvers while Smoking Your Tires without crashing your car on the new Competition Level Track at Daytona International Speedway. You can find out more by going to www.smokeyourtiresgame.com.
There are so many “perks”—it is difficult to just name one. That said, one of the benefits is the freedom I have as an artist to contribute to this magical art form. It is such a collaborative effort and to be a part of a legendary show is truly a dream come true. I love that we can have so much fun by improvising lines and also help to improve the show if something doesn’t ring quite true. Al Jean [the Show Runner—the fellow who is the head of the day-to-day targets and activities of production] definitely takes that all into consideration.
The other thing is that as a voice-actor, even though I am famous, I still have the anonymity to live a normal life. I got to raise my raise my kids without the personal invasion of privacy.
And finally, as a celebrity, I have the opportunity to support many charitable activities. I have a personal passion for helping this world to be a better place—for me, for my kids, my grandkids that I will have some day and for all my friends, their kids, and so on. I have a non-profit organization called “Happy House” whose purpose is “Building Better Families. www.happyhouse.org. We developed a program, based on the common-sense, moral compass booklet, The Way to Happiness, called “How to Make Good Choices” www.goodchoicesprogram.org and it is being used in numerous after-school programs, including Boys and Girls Clubs, PALS organizations, home-school programs, church-related and more. We are having such a great time working with not only the kids, but also their parents and giving them some workable tools to build a stronger, happier family unit.
On The Simpsons I do the voices of Nelson, Ralph, Kearney, Todd/Rod, Data Base, and Maggie. I also “revived” the voice of Chuckie on Rugrats when voice-artist Christina Cavanaugh retired. I created Rufus, the naked mole rat on Kim Possible, Chip on The Kellys, (an animated series I developed and produced for www.nascar.com), and Earl, the squirrel for Chuck Jones’ animated webisode Timberwolf on www.warnerbros.com. Another challenging character I created is Todd on “The Replacements.” I love him because he is a combination of Ralph and Nelson! A very special guy.
My entire voice biography can be found on http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004813/.
I connected up with the legendary voice of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Quick-Draw Mcgraw—Daws Butler. His name was referred to me when I was working at a local radio station in Dayton, Ohio—WING. I was so young and naïve—yet very eager to do what I loved. I never really considered it had anything to do with confidence—I just did what I thought made sense. I had his phone number and I had a phone, so, I called him. Pretty simple.
I think sometimes we stop ourselves from ever doing the important things in our life because we are afraid of what “others” might think. Don’t worry—take chances. Don’t think—just DO!
At that time, I had no idea that things would actually unfold the way they did. The bottom line is, I trusted my muse—my passion and myself. As it turned out, Daws was very helpful to me. He encouraged me and guided me, via the mail, and after corresponding with him for two years, I decided to move from Ohio to LA to make a go of it. He eventually took me to Hanna-Barbera and the rest is history.
My whole story can be found in a book I wrote in 2001, called, My Life As A 10-Year-Old Boy. It became an LA Times best-seller and I hear it is pretty funny.
My best advice is you need to cultivate relationships. Hollywood operates on “word of mouth” and referrals. Get into classes. Study. Do lunch. Share ideas. Find networking groups that can assist you in meeting agents, putting together a good demo tape, etc. One such group is Women in Animation. www.womeninanimation.org (Men are welcome, by the way.) This group has a voice-over section that is very loyal, dedicated and interested in helping each other in their careers. Most agents are swamped but will listen to tapes that come with a recommendation from clients they already represent. Read the trade papers and go to industry-related seminars.
I have also found www.voiceoverresourceguide.com to be an invaluable resource for all sorts of voiceover services including recording, casting, talent agencies, training and demo production.
Let us face it… the agent only gets 10% of your income. That means that 90% of the perspiration and inspiration has to come from YOU! You have to do the hustle, man. After all, I have not retired yet!! Ha! So watch out!
All kidding aside, casting directors are ALWAYS looking for “the new kid in town”. The industry is always looking for good material, so do not shy away or let the fact that this is a small and very select, tight-knit group deter you. I have my own professional challenges too, i.e., how to keep it fresh and NOT sound like Bart, Ralph, Nelson, Rodd, Kearney, Database, Maggie, Chuckie, etc. when I audition for other characters. It is harder than you think. Everyone has his/her own obstacles to overcome. The idea is to JUST DO IT!