Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting

Growing up on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee in a large extended family, Roy Worley learned the art of storytelling from his grandpa, Paw Neely who instilled a strong sense of family, hard work, and a love for Christ.  As an extrovert, Roy loves being around people, talking and laughing over a strong cup of coffee.  These days Roy and his wife Rebecca call the Chicago area home. ​ After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, Roy felt God’s calling upon him to commit full time to preaching and teaching the Word of God and entered Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary in his hometown of Memphis where he earned a Master of Divinity degree.  Over the years he has served as both a pastor and foreign missionary.  He and his wife were privileged to live in Chile for six years where they shared the Lord’s message in Spanish (yep, he’s fluent), helping Chilean Christians learn how to study the Bible for themselves and how to share their faith with whomever was interested. ​ Now, when not working a

Founder and CEO of the 501(c)(3) Nonprofit "Imagination Videobooks," Richard is known as "The Storybook Wizard." He is a top Audible narrator who helps authors give their books a voice. His team has produced hundreds of audiobooks, including Richard's own award-winning book, "The Author's Guide to Audiobook Creation." Children's Accessible Videobooks Creator - samples at https://imaginationvideobooks.org - Benjamin Franklin National Gold Medal Award in Audiobook Nonfiction for producing, directing, and co-narrating "Football Flyboy" by Lisa Reinicke. Independent Book Publishers Association. - Five-time EVVY Gold Award Winning Audiobook Narrator and Producer at Audiobook Revolution, http://audiobookrevolution.com/ - Author of Global eBook Gold Medal Award in Writing/Publishing for "The Author's Guide to Audiobook Creation" http://bit.ly/audiobookcreation - Produced best-sellers including "​Auschwitz #34207"​ and "Shot Down" - Audible Approved Narrator (Top 10%) Veteran Network, New York, Chicago and Wash

Recording voice-over projects daily since 2006, Natasha Marchewkahas grown her business exponentially through referrals from happy clients throughout North America and around the globe. From Electrolux to ZipRecruiter to Adventures By Disney, clients continue to return to her product and service worthy of their most important business projects. https://natashamarchewka.com/ Katherine Tole is a voice actor specializing in video games, narration, commercials, eLearning and animation.  Katherine has been an avid video gamer since she was a kid and understands what gamers are looking for in their characters. From grunting to spell casting, she has decades of experience listening to the characters that came before her. https://katherinetole.com/ Natasha and Katherine have created a fantastic course on how to maximize your Voice 123 profile.  I've taken their course and it's worked amazingly well for me! Here's the link to their course: https://v123.katherinetole.com/    

You’ve heard Jessica Taylor on television, on the web and on the radio for projects large and small. She has a range from youthful cool to polished sophistication. A touch of vocal texture adds depth and realness to her vocal imprint. She shines when it comes to taking direction, and has a sixth sense for understanding what it is people want. Her keen intuition and gut instincts fuel her creative process, and she's ready to take risks to get the read right. Jessica books projects that ask for vocal qualities and deliveries similar to the sounds of celebrities like Kristen Bell, Rashida Jones, Tina Fey, Anna Kendrick, Scarlett Johansson, Emma Stone, and Jennifer Lawrence. Jessica lives a mostly joyful life with her husband, three sons and five hens in Boulder, Colorado. She's a Mom, wife, sister, daughter, an avid cook, knitter, hiker, reader, traveler, homeopathy nerd and consumer of art in any form. https://www.jessicavo.com/

JULIE WILSON is Senior Manager of Digital Production Platforms and an award-winning executive producer at Penguin Random House Audio. She started her career at Random House in 2007 and has produced over a thousand audiobooks for adults and kids, including several graphic novel adaptations. Her recent production credits include working with Alicia Keys, Ben Folds, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ruth Reichl, Willie Nelson, and The Tiny Chef. She is also the co-creator of AhabTalent.com, a global online casting platform for voiceover. She is a native New Yorker and an avid urban gardener, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing from Colby College. 

A multiple Audie Award winner, Odyssey Award winner, multiple Earphones Award winner, and multiple Voice Arts Award winner, P.J. Ochlan's work behind the microphone began in 1987 as a young voice actor with many commercials and promos. Since then he has lent his diverse talents to virtually every voiceover genre. Most notably, he is a widely acclaimed and record-setting audiobook narrator with hundreds of fiction and non-fiction titles to his credit. P.J.'s voice work is enhanced by his mastery of accents, distinctive characters and versatility, as well as his proficiency with English, French, Italian, German and Mandarin. He is also the founder of Dr. Dialect and co-founder of the Deyan Institute of Voice Artistry.

SEAN PRATT HAS been a working professional actor in theatre, film, TV and voice-overs for over 30 years. He holds a BFA in Acting from Santa Fe University, NM. He has narrated over 1,000+ audiobooks….and counting!  He has been an audiobook narrator for 22 years (aka – Lloyd James), recording over 1000+ Audio Books in almost every genre. He narrates for such companies as Blackstone Audiobooks, Tantor Media, Gildan Audio, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, and Christian Audio.

On this episode I chat with Laya Hoffman!  Laya's voice is genuine yet unique, culturally flexible and confidently warm - a fun, fresh female voice that makes an impact for your project and cuts through to your audience! Delivering broadcast quality sound with ease, on budget and under deadline for 20 years. As a full time voice-over actress, Laya helps companies grow revenue, deepen brand awareness and cultivate identity by connecting with customers through the power of Voice. Her passion is bringing your story to life, and making it sound like you heard it in your head - easily and efficiently. Laya presents a warm, relatable tone in a wide variety of styles, that is as versatile as it is timeless for a range of voice-over services. Specializing in commercials, promos, corporate narration, explainers, e-learning, animation, IVR, telephony, live announce and more. Clients such as Google, Honda, AAA, Four Seasons, Accenture, Coca-Cola, HP and hundreds more have selected Laya's voice for its national sound

Charlie Lovett was born in Winston-Salem, NC in 1962 and grew up as the child of a book-collecting English professor. He spent his summers in the rural North Carolina mountains and felt an early affinity for the countryside. He was educated at Summit School, Woodberry Forest School (Virginia), and Davidson College (NC) and in 1984 went into the antiquarian book business with his first wife, Stephanie. About the same time he began to seriously collect books and other materials relating to Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Lovett now has a large collection of Carrollian rare books and artifacts, including Carroll’s 1888 typewriter and one of six privately owned copies of the first edition of Alice in Wonderland. Lovett has written or edited nine books about Lewis Carroll, including Lewis Carroll: Formed by Faith, the first full length study of Carroll’s religious life (UVA Press, 2021). He has served as the president of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, as editor of the London

On this episode I share some thoughts on Systems Thinking and hiow the VO industry is really a Complex System (and what that means for you!)  I also talk about my VO course available over at vosuccess.com and some of the changes that are coming in the New Year. I also touch on the importance of creating authentic relationships and growing your network and the importance that my faith has played in my journey.  Lots of great stuff this episode!!    

Val Kelly is a bilingual, French/English Voice Actress. Val started her voice-over career in 1999 after being told her whole life how "cute" her voice is and that she should do something with it... and so she did....!! Val has been actively booking Voice-over work for years now and had her commercial demo produced by Emmy award winning sound designer, recording engineer and producer "Uncle Roy" Yokelson. Val is currently working on her animation & animal sounds demos. Val's specialty is in voicing characters for cartoons, talking toys, apps, videogames, children's e-learning, radio & tv commercials and short films. Her clients include "Hasbro toys", "Hungry Howie's Pizza Place", "Essence Cartoons", "Roam and Wander", "Mymoonah", "The Foreign Candy Company", "Theory Films", independent YouTube videos and many more. Val is the hostess of her own podcast called "Live with Squacky". It's a unique and lively, interview style show that dives into the worlds of voice acting and entertainment.  In addition to

Jim Seybert has been telling stories for more than sixty years. As a young boy he would dictate stories, telling his parents to "write this down." Fast-forward to the present, and Jim lends his clear, confident voice to some of the most interesting stories of the day: military histories, political commentary, true crime, heroic memoirs, and great fiction. When he is not recording in his studio on California's pristine Central Coast, he walks quietly along trails in the Sierra Nevada, cooks gourmet meals for friends, and watches films with his wife Rhonda and their Chihuahua, Lucy.

Edoardo Ballerini is a two time winner of the Audiobook Publishers Association’s Best Male Narrator Audie Award (2013, Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter; 2019, Watchers by Dean Koontz). He has recorded nearly 300 titles, from classic works by Tolstoy, Dante, Kafka, Whitman and Camus, to best-sellers by James Patterson and David Baldacci, and spiritual titles by The Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hahn. On screen, Ballerini is best known for his role as junkie "Corky Caporale" on The Sopranos (HBO) and as the star chef in the indie classic Dinner Rush. He has appeared in over 50 films and tv shows, including a series regular role in the critically acclaimed Quarry, (Cinemax)  and recurring roles in Boardwalk Empire (HBO), 24 (Fox) and Elementary (CBS). Ballerini's work as a narrator has garnered international attention. Articles on his work and career have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian (UK), Aftenposten (Norway) and MediaPost (US), among others. In 2019 he recorded Robert Alter’s translation of The Hebr

Sarah is a fan favorite for her sweetly husky voice and her passion for creating a unique audio adventure every time. She has brought over 100 books to life in audio. Providing full narration and production services from her Midwestern home studio, American actress Sarah Puckett provides a clear and passionate read that engages listeners. Sarah is professionally trained in narration acting, production, and audio engineering, blending these elements together to create a unique listening experience that draws the listener deeper into the story.

Kabir Singh is a professional voice actor and street poet for hire. His voice is perfect for connecting with young, urban audiences as well as the African-American community. Kabir is available to provide outstanding voice over services for commercials in the sports, electronics and motivation advertising sectors and much more. Clients include Nike, Pandora, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Nintendo, and the NBA.

Cindy Kay moved 11 times before the age of 5, grew up in a multilingual/bicultural family, and came to audiobooks from teaching. A narrator with a home studio in Salt Lake City, Cindy Kay is Chinese-Thai-American and has titles with The Audio Flow, Bee, Blackstone, Highbridge, PRH, Recorded Books, Simon & Schuster, and Tantor. She's most recently been working in Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Erotica, and Thriller.

Join Mike Lenz as he spends time with his good friend and VO colleague Tom Mailey.  Tom is no stranger to the entertainment and communication world, having started in theater at a young age and then moving into radio, television, and a career in public relations.  Tom is relatively new to the VO industry, having started about 2 years ago.  Tom discussed the challenges and successes he's had in the early stages of his VO career. 

Do you know your "why?"  On this episode I update you on my journey in the VO world and cover some topics that are critically important to focus on in your journey: 1.  Understanding your "why." 2.  Having perseverance. 3.  Not falling into the comparison trap. 4.  Defining what success means for you. Enjoy!

Jocqueline Protho is the Founder of The Audio Flow and Three One Six Audio - an audiobook production and publishing company serving indie authors. She has always loved audiobooks and with over 20 years of experience in talent acquisition, it was only a matter of time before she combined both of her passions. Jocqueline prides herself in helping indie authors bring their stories to life with a new way to do audio that is making its mark in the industry.

Marguerite Gavin (Shannon Parks) has been a professional audiobook narrator for over twenty years with over 500+ titles, numerous Audie nominations and Earphones awards, and a devoted fan following. She has been described as a “genre-defining narrator” by Audible.com; having a “sonorous voice, rich and full of emotion”and as having the “coveted ability to disappear as the narrator, letting the story take the limelight it deserves”in Audiofile Magazine.  Her narration spans nearly every genre from mystery, science fiction and fantasy; romance; and children’s fiction to a huge variety of nonfiction and documentary work. She is also a seasoned theater veteran, acting and directing in hundreds of productions. As a highly respected acting teacher, she was on the graduate acting faculty at Catholic University of America; directed children of all ages in Shakespeare for many years; and now coaches narrators in the art of acting the audiobook.  She is the lucky mom of two (almost grown -up!) children. Marguerite is b