Making It To The Mic

Stephanie talks to David Toback, fellow voice actor and creator of the amazing resource the GVAA Rate Guide. This rate guide has become the gold standard for non union rates and should be bookmarked and referenced often! David shares the story of how the rate guide came to be, how to use it, and his thoughts on rates and negotiation in general. GVAA Rate Guide: https://globalvoiceacademy.com/gvaa-...

Stephanie talks to Robert Graham, a manager who just started his own company called LG Talent Management. They talk about how things have changed when it comes to the role of a manager and how he's looking to bring change in the form of a positive work environment in his office and a positive and open relationship with his clients. Robert's Website: https://www.lgtalentmanagement.com Rober...

Stephanie talks to Paula Gammon Wilson, Owner/Director of Pepsqually VO and Sound Design, Inc. She is an award-winning Voice Over Performance Director, Casting Director, and Producer primarily focused on children's content. Stephanie and Paula take a deep dive into how to make your character auditions stand out, what it's like to work in dubbing internationally, and what she looks for in h...

Stephanie talks to Andrea Beane, co-founder and owner of the talent agency AB2. Andrea and her partner Angelina run all aspects of the agency and strive to be the agents they wish they had had. Stephanie and Andrea talk about script analysis, finding authenticity in your reads, finding human connection in the business and more. Angelina's Episode: https://www.stephaniepamroberts.com/podcast/se...

Stephanie talks to Andrew Keltz, a speech language pathologist who specializes in voice and upper airway disorders. They discuss the importance of vocal health in general, when to seek help and who to see if you feel something is off, simple tips for staying healthy, and much more. Eboni's episode from Season 1: https://www.stephaniepamroberts.com/podcast/episode-12-eboni-fondren Making It To...

Stephanie talks to Saul Blinkoff - Disney animator, producer, voice director, inspirational speaker, and podcast host! Saul shares the incredible story of his journey to becoming a Disney animator and they also talk about what it's like to be in the booth with some voice over greats. Saul's Website: saulblinkoff.com Saul's Instagram: @saul.blinkoff Saul Blinkoff on FB and Clubhouse Sau...

Stephanie talks to Angelina Bruno, co-founder and owner of the talent agency AB2. Angelina and her partner Andrea aim to be the agents they wish they had. They talk about the actor/agent relationship, what she looks for when submitting talent to the casting director or client, and how specificity in your reads is the key to authenticity. AB2 Website: http://ab2talent.com Making It To The Mic Websi...

Stephanie chats with Diakeim Lyles, an experienced casting director who also teaches and coaches voice over. Diakeim loves collaborating with actors to help them get their best reads and his positive energy and encouragement are infectious! We also talk about current trends in the industry and imposter syndrome when starting something new. Diakeim's Website (audition coaching is here):  https:...

In the first episode of Season 2, Stephanie talks to Frank Verderosa, an expert audio engineer. They cover everything from home studio basics, to equipment, to editing, how to be an asset to the engineer on a directed session, and much more! Frank's Website: https://www.frankverderosa.com Work with Frank: https://www.frankverderosa.com/book-online Find him on Facebook, Clubhouse, and Instagram...

Stephanie wraps up Season 1 with her Top 5 Takeaways. Over the course of 15 episodes, these things came up numerous times and felt important to highlight. Making It To The Mic Website: www.stephaniepamroberts.com/podcast Instagram: @stephaniepamrobertsvo Email: stephanie@stephaniepamroberts.com

Stephanie talks to Jeremy Levy, a long time friend and voice actor who works in commercials, promos, and animation. He's the voice of Bumblebee in Trasformers: Cyberverse. We talk about finding confidence for self directed reads at home, what it's like to have fans, and what he learned from a shaky start to his voice over career. Jeremy's website:  jeremy-levy.com Jeremy's first mi...

Stephanie talks to Sheli Baez, a bilingual voice actor who works in both the English and Spanish markets in commercials, children's media, eLearning, and more! They talk about how those markets are similar and how they differ as well as the importance of having hobbies outside of voice over. Sheli's Website: www.shelibaez.com Instagram: @SheliBaez Twitter: @ShelibaezVO TikTok: @shelibaez L...

Stephanie talks to Carin Gilfry, a well known voice actor whose work can be heard in commercials, corporate videos, audiobooks, eLearning, and more. Carin is also the co-founder of the eVocation Conference, which focuses solely on the business side of voice over and she recently conducted comprehensive survey of over 1200 voice actors, the results of which will be published soon. Carin's Websi...

Stephanie talks to Eboni Fondren, a voice actor and singer based in Kansas City. Like many voice actors, Eboni was used to recording her jobs in person and recently set up her home studio. She tells us about one of her first VO jobs, which was a really neat niche in the industry and we also talk about the importance of vocal health. Eboni's Instagram: @jzzylady Eboni's Facebook: https://ww...

Stephanie talks to Joanna Carpenter, a musical theatre actress who had been doing voice over before the pandemic and created a home studio during this time. Joanna talks about the importance of embracing learning new things like the tech/engineering side and being a team player. Joanna's Website: www.joannacarpenter.com Joanna's Instagram: @thejoannac Joanna's Clubhouse: @joannacarpent...

Stephanie talks to George Washington III, a voice actor who has performed across many genres including commercials, eLearning, promo, and more. We also have an important conversation about representation and diversity in the industry and George generously shares his perspective as a Black voice actor. VO Atlanta:  https://vms.swoogo.com/voa21/ George’s First Mic: AudioTechnica 2020  George’s Booth...

Stephanie talks to Marisa Dargahi, a voice actor and voice acting coach who has worked in commercials, corporate videos, and more. Marisa also spent some time behind the mic as a casting director and offers valuable insights into that side of the business. Marisa’s Website: marisavoiceovers.com Marisa’s Instagram: @marisadargahi       Marisa’s Twitter: @marisavoiceover       Coach with Roger Becke...

Stephanie talks to Andrew Lander, a transplant from the corporate world who does commercials, corporate narration, eLearning and more. Andrew started his career last year and learned about VO not only from working hard with coaches and taking classes but also from podcasts. We talk about navigating doing VO while still having a full time job, marketing ideas, and the value of a business plan. Andr...

Stephanie talks to Joey Schaljo, a voice actor who does commercials, eLearning, corporate narration, medical narration, and live announce. We talk about what it’s like to announce the New York City Marathon, creative marketing ideas, and how much she loves spreadsheets! Joey’s website: www.agirlnamedjoey.com Instagram: @agirlnamedjoey Edge Studio: https://edgestudio.com Joey’s booth:  http://studi...

Stephanie talks to Lindsay Sheppard, a voice actor who works across genres in animation, dubbing, eLearning, commercials and more. We talk about animation techniques, being a mom in the industry, and some insider tips about submitting to agents.   Lindsay’s Website: http://bubblegumvoice.com Coaching: http://lonestarvo.com Twitter: @LSheppardVO Instagram: @Lindsaysheppardvo TikTok: @bubblegumvoice...

Stephanie talks to Christopher “Zippy” Kaufman, a voice actor who works in commercials, corporate narration, eLearning, explainers, and more. He’s also an improv-er and sketch comedian as well. Stephanie and Zippy talk about everything from self direction to self doubt, the "conversational read," home recording sessions, and how leaving what he thought was his dream job led him to find his...

Stephanie talks to Cherie B. Tay, a Broadway stage manager turned voice actor. Cherie started her voice over career a few years ago but really dug in once the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and theatre shut down. Since then she has hit the ground running and has become a valuable member of the voice over community working in genres like commercial, eLearning, animation, narration, IVR, and more. He...

Stephanie talks to Michael Crouch, an experienced audiobook narrator who has also worked in commercials, promo, and anime. He gives us a peek into his process as an audiobook narrator and tells us how he puts his acting training to use. Michael’s Website: http://www.michaellockwoodcrouch.com Twitter: @HelloMLC Insta: @HelloMLC Pay 2 Play site that Michael joined:  https://voice123.com Audio book c...

Stephanie talks to Jamie Muffett, an experienced voice actor who works in commercials, corporate narration, video games, and more. Jamie comes from an audio engineer / music background and he shares valuable information about home studios and editing audio. We also get a peek into what it’s like to work in the video game and MoCap industries.  Jamie’s Website:  https://www.jamiemuffettvo.com eVoca...

On this episode of Making it to the Mic, Stephanie talks to Maria Pendolino, a successful voice actor who’s been in the business over 10 years. Maria works in many different genres including commercials, corporate narration, eLearning, explainer videos, animation, and more! She’s also a “negotiation queen” and encourages and empowers voice actors to charge what they and their time are worth. Maria...