Raisin' Voices

Jacob Burgess (Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, Masquerada: Song and Shadows) joins us to talk about finding inspiration in poorly-made bootleg anime, portraying a character who speaks no English, and how many times in one podcast he can render your poor host totally lost for words. This is probably the funniest episode of Raisin' Voices to this date. Jacob Burgess can be followed on Twitter @JacobBurgessVO and his official website is Make Words Happen. Topics discussed - 2:10 Jacob's origin story, performing since the age of 6 and realising he wanted to be a voice actor through the power of bootlegged anime. 15:00 The improvement of the anime dubbing industry due to anime fans growing up and taking over the industry 20:20 Let's randomly talk about how great Tom Taylorson is for a few moments 22:30 Playing Glint Gardnersonson in Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear 32:30 Playing a player character voice set in Guns of Icarus 34:30 Voice Acting Philosophy Hour 39:55 Playing several characters in Masquera

Michael Kostroff (The Wire, Luke Cage, The Blacklist) joins us to talk about stumbling his way into career opportunities, teaching people how to audition without stress, and the joys of complainly loudly about minor inconveniences.   Michael can be found on Facebook and Twitter, or at his official website. Read about Audition Psych 101 at the official website, or follow it on Twitter. You can also read Michael's blog, The Weekly Curmudgeon, for all your 'grumpy old man complaining about stuff' needs! Topics discussed: 1:05 Michael's superhero origin story 5:25 Playing Maury Levy on The Wire 10:30 Working alongside famous folk, doing your job as a supporting actor 13:00 Playing Dr. Burstein on Luke Cage (Also, Michael blasphemes regarding the Marvel universe) 24:50 Playing Detective Wilcox on The Blacklist 34:30 Michael's musical theatre roles, incl. Max Bialystock (The Producers) and Thenardier (Les Miserables) 38:20 Performing in a stage tour (Michael wrote about this in his 2005 book, Letters from Bac

We continue talking to Mike Varker (Dust: An Elysian Tail, Heroes of Newerth) about the value of cartoons for adults and kids, the awesomeness of the voice-over community and how he can pull great impressions out of his arse. (Figuratively speaking.) Mike can be followed on Twitter (@MikeVarkerVA). Topics discussed: 0:35 Starting out with a Hellsing fandub, before moving on to favour original content 5:20 Joining a theatre company and getting thrown into the deep end 12:30 How cartoons can be as valuable for adults as they are for kids 18:50 How socio-political views are intrinsic to entertainment, and why that's a good thing 29:10 The awesomeness and inclusivity of the voice-acting community 35:30 Working on Apotheon, enjoying the collaborative nature of performance 37:00 Why do so many voice actors love professional wrestling? 43:00 The role Deven Mack (@MacTheActor) played in Mike's journey 44:10 I talk about my proudest role as an amateur VO, starring in a steampunk audio drama, 'House of Cards' by Jerry

Mike Varker (Dust: An Elysian Tail, Heroes of Newerth) joins us to talk about voicing indie games from halfway across the planet, stepping into the shoes of Sephiroth for Team Four Star, and making a idiot of himself when he was younger. This episode features the first half of our chat with Mike, the rest can be found in episode nine. Mike can be followed on Twitter @MikeVarkerVA Topics discussed: 1:40 The weirdness of accents 4:45 Mike's origins as an actor (From Cinderella to the Simpsons) 14:10 Joining online voice-over forums as a youngster and making a dickhead of yourself 16:30 Briefly wanting to be a professional wrestler 19:50 Revamping the new Voice Acting Club forums, free for anyone to join 21:20 The value of fan-based projects (fandubs, etc.) 24:30 Long-time members of the online community who've gone onto achieve success as VOs 29:00 Advantages and disadvantages of being Australian in the VO industry 35:35 Working with Team Four Star & dealing with self-doubt 47:30 Keeping secrets as a voic

Georgia Van Cuylenburg (Final Fantasy XIII, Payday 2) joins us to talk about sunshine, magic and happiness in Final Fantasy, swearing, shouting and shooting in Payday 2, and her awesome work helping out kids in need with her charity, Arts Bridging the Gap. Georgia can be followed on Facebook and on Twitter @GeorgiavanC, as well as on her official website here. Georgia's non profit, Arts Bridging the Gap can be followed on Twitter @ArtsBridgeGap and it's official website can be found here. Topics discussed, and when to find them: 1:40 Starting her acting career in Melbourne, moving to LA alone at age 18 (holy crap) 10:10 Getting the role of Vanille in Final Fantasy XIII 18:30 Final Fantasy's place in my childhood, my initial impression of Vanille when I was a dumb teenager vs. today 21:00 How much Final Fantasy knowledge did Georgia have going into the role? 22:40 Relating Vanille's struggles to her own, dealing with anorexia and alopecia 27:30 Dealing with the internet's awfulness 32:00 Recording

Dave Gilbert, founder of Wadjet Eye Games joins us to talk about voice directing in the indie game scene, working closely with his actors to develop strong characters and details on his next big game, Unavowed, hopefully releasing later this year. Note for listeners: As Dave is a game developer as well as a voice director, this show is a little different from the norm and features a lot of talk about adventure games as well as voiceover. As usual, all topics are time stamped, so feel free to skip to the relevant sections if adventure games aren't your thing. Dave and Wadjet Eye can be followed on Twitter and Facebook. Their official website is here and their games can be purchased on Steam and GoG, as well as the Apple app store for iPhone and iPad. Topics discussed, and when to find them: 1:15 Dave's origins making adventure games in the early 2000s 4:55 My history as an adventure game fan & where I first heard about Wadjet Eye 9:40 Starting Wadjet Eye just at the right time, pre-indie bubble 11:40 The

In our fifth episode, we continue speaking with Fryda Wolff (Mass Effect: Andromeda, Civilization: Beyond Earth) about her approach to playing a Bioware protagonist, how to define success in your line of work, and when to say no to a crappy voiceover gig. This episode features the second half of our conversation with Fryda, the first of which can be heard in episode 4. Fryda can be followed on Twitter, or at her official website. Topics discussed, and where to find them: 0:25 Social media presence while under NDA before a game's launch (Fryda's Strategy? Lying!) 6:00 Bioware's broad appeal, the diversity of it's fandom and the importance of connecting with fans 15:00 Current state of Twitter, great tool for creator-fan interaction 17:00 Advertising, the last great money-maker 19:00 Have the confidence necessary to succeed... but don't be an arsehole 22:15 'My job is to be rejected' 23:10 Andromeda is the dream job 26:55 Managing the multiple sides of Sara Ryder 30:20 Authentic acting requires real emotion

In our fourth episode, Fryda Wolff (Mass Effect: Andromeda, Civilization: Beyond Earth) joins us to talk about her transition from game development to voice acting, the evolution of trends in the voiceover world and how she managed to survive the recent horrendous weather over in Los Angeles. This episode features the first half of my conversation with Fryda, as she was generous enough to provide enough content for a two-parter!   Fryda can be followed on Twitter, or at her official website. Topics discussed, and when to find them: 1:15 Fryda Wolff is an awesome name 3:40 Fryda's origins in games development & transition to full time VO 7:15 Working in sound design in the 2000s, changes between then and now in the game design world 16:15 The struggles of game development, crunch time, long hours, delays... be kind to devs, people! 25:10 Deciding to jump into VO 27:35 Fryda's father, a classical Hollywood actor 31:50 Evolution of cartoons & commercials 36:35 Union vs Non-Union, and the ins and o

In our third episode, we continue speaking with Tom Taylorson (Mass Effect: Andromeda, Octodad) about audiobooks, Mass Effect Andromeda and being cast alongside famous names. This episode features the second half of my conversation with Tom, the rest of which you can find in episode 2. Tom can be followed on Facebook and Twitter, as well as through his official website. Topics discussed in this episode, and where to find them: 0:00 Introduction 0:45 Audiobook Narration 17:00 Importance of knowing your own acting style 22:00 Tom's work narrating complex writing, eg. Caleb Carr's 'Surrender New York' 27:40 The Day of the Donald by Andrew Shaffer 31:35 Casting for audiobook narration 35:40 Listening to your own work as an actor (ie. Can Tom play Andromeda as himself?) 39:30 Working with Bioware on Mass Effect Andromeda 43:30 Famous actors in video games (Clancy Brown in Andromeda, Liam Neeson in Fallout 3, David Warner in Baldur's Gate) 46:30 Casting process of Baldur's Gate, as related to Tom when he later wor

In our second episode, Tom Taylorson (Mass Effect: Andromeda, Octodad) joins us to talk about his scientific approach to acting, his love of classic video games and an adorable encounter with a very young Octodad fan at Disneyland. This episode features the first half of our lengthy conversation with Tom, the rest of which will feature in episode 3. Tom can be followed on Facebook and Twitter, as well as through his official website. Topics discussed in this episode, and where to find them: 0:00 Introduction 2:00 Tom's background, theatre then voiceover 11:00 The internet's changes to the VO industry 14:20 Tom's history as a gamer 18:20 LucasArts adventure games as a childhood influence 22:30 Growing awareness and popularity of the VO industry 25:30 Friendly, welcoming nature of the working VO community 28:00 My shoutout to and reccomendation of indie developer Wadjet Eye Games 33:45 Teaching a 'Voice Acting for Videogames' class 46:00 Tom's scientific approach to voice acting, incl. difference between '

In our first episode, Danielle McRae (Skullgirls, League of Legends) joins us to talk about video games, voice acting and the not-at-all-embarrassing story of the first time she met Jennifer Hale. Danielle can be followed on Facebook and Twitter. Fans of Overwatch may also enjoy her podcast, Waifus of Overwatch, wherein Danielle and fellow voice actor/Overwatch addict Erin Fitzgerald discuss the game and occasionally interview members of its voice cast. Other cool places mentioned in this episode: For anyone considering voice acting as either a career or a hobby, consider joining Vocal Loco, a community where you can develop your skills and meet like-minded people with no stress, pressure or cost. Such a community is a great first step into the world of voice acting! Those interested in audio drama should take a look at Pendant Audio, a long-running production company responsible for a wide variety of excellent shows. Writers wishing to work for Pendant can submit 3-15 page audio drama scripts to their anth