VU - Voices Unscripted

Tom Lawless is president of the leading voice talent agency, VOX Inc, headquartered in Los Angeles. He represent voice artist, celebrities, social media influencer, music artists, and sports personalities for voice work in commercial, animation and gaming. Check out this episode of VU where he discusses his agencies prophetic decision to encourage voice professionals to get set up at home, more than a decade before pandemic lockdowns.

In this episode I spoke with the delightful and talented Kim Handysides about her strangest voice gigs, her coaching secrets and why she goes to VO conferences. 

Check out her website for demos and coaching options: https://kimhandysidesvoiceover.com

In this episode I spoke with senior agency producer Lorrie Zwer about how things have changed and stayed the same in the 20+ years he's been in the biz. 

In this episode I spoke with casting and voice director Ted Sutton who has worked on both sides of the glass. Ted shares how his first big break working at Pirate Radio and, more recently, his experiences of live-directed sessions over the imperfect listening environment of video calls.

From her first radio gig as co-host to "The Master of the Morning", Don Percy, in Winnipeg Manitoba she worked her way to Toronto and a 'dream job' as the iHeart Radio Ambassador - interviewing some of the worlds most famous people. Andrea Collins "tells all" during this fun interview clip.

Although not a voice talent, George has been the audio tech to the VO stars (Don Lafontaine for instance), working tirelessly with home-based studios. When COVID hit he became the light in a digital storm, a software saviour for the suddenly studioless.

When Gary said "Voice is everything...that's how humans share information" I knew I had the right guy for this podcast - Voices Unscripted. And he's got a refreshingly optimistic attitude towards the once in a generation opportunities presented by the pandemic: "Come out of this stronger" 

On this episode I talked with Dan Wong about his passion for his two sports podcasts that he says are "insightful" and sometimes feature stories that are "revolting and hilarious." 

In this episode I spoke with Neil Pasricha about his rise from blockbuster blogger, to awesome author, prolific podcaster and terrific TED talker. His blog "1000 Awesome Things" led to the publishing of his New York Times Bestseller "The Book of Awesome". From there he's went on to give one of the most popular TED talks ever, "The 3 A's of Awesome". I love his podcast, "3books", an epic 15 year mission to uncover the 1000 most formative books by interviewing the famous (Malcolm Gladwell, David Sedaris) and not so famous (his local convenience store owner).

In this episode I had a great chat with the funny and fascinating Noelle Jenkinson about her life as a top Toronto voice agent and her take on the trends in the  se rapidly changing times. 

Matt Cundill has decades of on-air experience in radio and is now a 'podcast pro'. We talked about making the move to a home studio and getting paid in a voice-over market with multiple streams and formats. 

For this episode I spoke with Tanya Buchanan who, on top of being a talented voice lady, runs a voice agency called Ta-Da. She shares some valuable insights into the voice biz, how to get work and how to get paid!

He's a voice guy and freelance video producer living the dream as a 'digital nomad' in Costa Rica. I want his life!

"Pure Audio Horsepower" is his handle - and he delivers in this unscripted conversation about his decades in radio across America to his home studio hermitage in Florida.

Jef Brown got his first big break as a DJ at a roller palace - and was apparently quite a good skater. He's got a 'gravitas voice' that he's been using on the radio for 2 decades and as a commercial voice from his home studio in Niagara's wine country.

When you win a DJ-FOR-A-DAY contest at CHUM FM in Toronto you just might have what it takes to be a success in the voice biz. Phil Curran took that as a sign and has been having a lot of fun behind the mic ever since.

Jennifer has done it all and still going strong as a voice and voice producer. She's worked in almost every studio in Toronto and has co-owns one of her own, Syndicate Sound, for over 2 decades. 

For a voice artist working from home means more than a laptop and internet connection. It means having the right mic, controlled acoustics and the knowhow to be ready for the call to perform. Graham has been THE go-to guy at Long & McQuade for decades. Have a listen to what he has to say.

For this episode I spoke with a talented musician, voice actor, voice coach and....speech pathologist. A voice doctor people! Can you say awwww-some?!

For this episode I spoke with Gina K, talent musician and voice talented - two very complimentary careers as it turns out.

For this episode I spoke with effervescent Candice K about the moment she knew she was destined for the exciting and lucrative world of voice work!

James is a many of many talents but once he found his 'wheelhouse' - the friendly-trustworthy-authoritative voice - he stayed...and it paid off.

Melody has been doing voice-over for over a decade...and set up at home almost the entire time. Have a listen to her story and her advice on managing home based sessions.

He's not only a self-professed computer and digital audio geek, he's a veteran voice who's been set up at home for decades. We talked about setting yourself up for success in your home studio.

On this episode of VU - Voices Unscripted I have a fun chat with Chantale Renée a bilingual (English / French) voice talent and  "A-list" actor on the PNAgency roster. The horse is out of the 'digital barn' so to speak. Audio technology and internet connectivity has risen to a level where almost anyone can have a home studio to produce voice recordings. But you still have to do the work!

Legendary Canadian radio personality and broadcaster talks tech and tuna sandwiches with Dave from DB Audio.

Today we spoke with The King of non-union voice over Roger King, President of Performance Network Agency.

Why should you sign up for Voices Unscripted?

A great way to test your home setup.

Exposure to talent buyers.

Something fun to do.

Wayne shares his thoughts on advertising after COVID.

Everyone lives in condos. And everyone has a story