Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting

On this episode Mike Lenz provides an update on his move into full-time VO and podcast production.  Mike discusses the work he's been doing in the eLearning, corporate narration, and audiobook space.  Mike also launched PodcastSnap, a concierge podcasting service that helps clients with all aspects of their podcasting neeeds.  He spoke recently at the ATD 2018 International Conference about The Power of Podcasting.   podcastsnap.com

On this episode Mike Lenz interviews actor, voice actor, writer and producer Tiffany Morgan.  Tiffany is a stage, film and television actress best known for her roles on Nashville, The Mist, and The Walking Dead.  We discussed the life of a freelance entrepreneur, and the growing wave of podcasting that Tiffany is involved in, with several podcast productions in the works.  

Val Kelly is a bilingual, French/English Voice Actress. Val started her voiceover 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 Voiceover work for years now and most recently finished working on her new commercial demo with Emmy award winning sound designer, recording engineer and producer "Uncle Roy" Yokelson. Val is currently working on her animation & singing 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", "Roam and Wander", "Mymoonah", "The Foreign Candy Company", Theory Films, and many more.   In addition to being a Voice actress, Val is the Owner/President/CEO/Executive Producer of Mid-Atlantic Voiceover, LLC. Val is in charge of running all aspects of the company and is the Executive Producer for the Mid-At

Claton Butcher is an audiobook narrator, voice over artist, and music pastor, with over 80 audiobooks to his credit. He has studied under some of today’s best and most prolific narrators, including Scott Brick, Sean Pratt, and Johnny Heller. He is also the founder of Two Words Publishing. Claton and his biggest fans: his wife, and their daughter - born in 2016 - live in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Check out Claton’s Voice at twowordspublishing.com.

Since Brandon Pollock began his voiceover career in 2011 he’s been trusted by companies all over the world to voice their projects. His experience includes: Commercials eLearning Industrial Narrations Audiobooks Animation And More… Brandon believes in getting it right and enjoys taking direction to deliver exactly what you’re looking for. Brandon prides himself on providing great customer service and understands that every project has a budget.  Brandon currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina with his wife Lauren and their two daughters, Brynley & Ella Claire. Website: https://bpvoiceovers.com/

Tawny Platis is not only a fellow voice actor but also a fellow podcast creator who hosts her very own 'The Dirty Bits' podcast.  Having started her own brick and mortar business right out of high school, Tawny gained a wealth of business knowledge that served her so well as she transitioned into voice-overs, coaching, and podast production.  So much good stuff on this episode!

I had a great time talking with VoiceZam creator Bob Merkel about his amazing product.  You'll find out that VoiceZam is so much more than a great demo player - it's a marketing resource to help propel your VO career, no matter where you are in your journey!  And be sure to listen all the way through to get a discount code to try out VoiceZam for free!  I love this product and Bob is truly committed to helping the voice-over industry.  Enjoy!

A collaborative artist like Julie Slack is driven to elevate your brand.   Julie Slack instinctively and technically knows how to bring out the best in your words, your story, and your vision so that your message resonates with your core consumers.   And those who have partnered with Julie will tell you that once you’ve worked with her, you'll always go back to her.  

Who is Monk? And why is he seen so often in a kilt? We'll get to that in a moment. First off, I am a voice actor and storyteller. From the stage to the screen to a quiet booth. Bringing a story to life is what I love to do. That script could be about a far-off land filled with mystical dragons, or a quick explanation of how your new online banking app functions. A voice over that conveys trust and honesty. My work has received Addy and Telly awards and I've received a couple of awards for my stage work as well. I record at Lodge Studios, a fully equipped Voice Over studio with iPDTL and Source Connect connections to the outside world.  So how did I get here? After 6 years of fixing helicopters for the USAF, I jumped into broadcast school, and after a couple of radio stations, switched to animation and film work. From there I hit the stage and moved from behind the camera to in front of it. I started singing and performing, and the storytellingand narration followed. When I approached my first agent, he threw

An established NYC producer at Pomann Sound once said Joan was his favorite "all-rounder."  Joan Franzino has been a professional voice actor since the mid-90's and she's done it all (well, almost).  Her home studio is top notch and upgraded regularly, her software and editing skills are the bomb, and you'll get your audio licketty split, swear.  She's cast as the young mom, the smooth spokesperson, that sober sound in your head, the voice that makes your sales training sound easy, she can do a slick delivery in your car spots, or that sexy voice with a girl-from-next-door slant.     On-camera, she's just as flexible.  She has tons of experience with teleprompters, and is trained and practiced with an ear-prompter.  On screen, She've been cast as a business woman, a perky spokesperson, mom, middle-aged beauty, and an easy-to-understand guide for your complex corporate message/training. 

Cameron has been pursuing the craft of acting since discovering its transformative effect at a young age. He comes from a family with a strong background in professional theatre. As a young adult he attended the Governor’s School of North Carolina as well as the University of North Carolina School of the Arts during his senior year of high school, both with acting concentrations. Up until this point Cameron had also been developing skills in voice over at two south eastern companies: Procomm Studios and Sunspots Productions. While training at Rutgers, Cameron delved into interpreting Shakespeare’s texts at the Rutgers Conservatory at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. While there, he participated in the annual Sam Wanamaker Festival, a celebration of Shakespeare’s plays performed by students from the UK’s acting conservatories. Most recent credits include a co-starring role in the season 3 premiere of the Emmy Award winning show Bloodline.

You know the voice that describes the benefits of owning an Electrolux washer? That’s Natasha. That voice who shares events overhead at that casino you visited in Upstate New York? That’s her, too. How about the voice that soothes you to calm while waiting on hold? There’s a good chance it’s Natasha’s voice. More than a decade in voiceovers, two decades in performance and three decades in customer service, Natasha adds professionalism and finesse to a video, a presentation, commercial copy…even voicemail.  Natasha’s voice is described as a "Compassionate, Mom-Next-Door"; "Warm, 30-something, Business Professional"; Conversational, with a neutral-accent, natural, friendly, articulate with feeling and sincerity... You have found an experienced voice-over talent, capable of handling a large scope of professional voice recording jobs, at a price that does not include fees to third party web marketplaces. Hiring Natasha means hiring a seasoned voice to interpret a script that you need recorded competently and …don

Mike Lenz recaps 2017 and offers some exciting discount codes for helpful voice-over courses!

Rodney Saulsberry is the voice of choice for behind-the scenes narration. This Detroit native and University of Michigan Graduate, is one of the premier voice-over talents in the country. He is also a published author with three bestselling books, You Can Bank on Your Voice, Step Up to the Mic and his latest release, Rodney Saulsberry's Tongue Twisters and Vocal Warm-Ups. Saulsberry’s distinctive announcer voice is literally everywhere. He has announced promos for the ABC hit Dancing With The Stars and the ABC critically acclaimed Charlie Brown Christmas Special. He announced the 34th NAACP Image Awardsand the Essence Awards specials on FOX Television and voiced promos for the Grammy Awards and Country Music Awards for CBS. Rodney can be heard currently announcing promos for the CW Network in primetime. As one of the top trailer voices in the business, Rodney’s voice has promoted many favorites: Red Tails, Tupac Resurrection, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Friday After Next, Dru

Jordan Reynold's voice is based in Los Angeles, California but has been heard all over the world. Voicing internationally known companies such as AT&T, BMW, Sprite, and Cisco - to voice dubbing celebrities - to screaming as various video game characters - to guiding thousands of customers on hold - to explaining hundreds of new startup businesses products online. His voice encompasses a broad spectrum from cool and conversational to a diverse body of engaging characters. Jordan produces voice over demos for some of the top voice actors today: demoswithchops.com He also played a key role in designing the Roswell Pro Audio RA-VO microphone: A high quality microphone made specifically for voice over.

Nicole Britton - I'm a voice actor who manages to jam 23 years of acting experience into my tiny booth every day; my passion for performance filters into everything I do . I am skilled in voiceover for Narration, e Learning, Corporate Training, IVR and Commercials and have a bevy of Characters and Kid voices on the tip of my tongue. I am proud to be a chicken "clucking " aficionado ;) Represented by RSH Management and Voice Hunter, proud member of World-Voices.org and SAG-AFTRA. ​ After studying theater at CU/Boulder, I headed straight for the Big Apple to continue learning my craft at Playwright's Horizons Theater School. While working with award winning theatre companies such as Ensemble Studio Theatre and Blue Light Theater Company, I cultivated a diligent work ethic and an ability to interpret scripts and bring them to life. ​ In Los Angeles, I worked as an actor and a stilt walker (yes, you read that correctly.) These outlets presented opportunities to travel the world whilst being creative. Never a dul

Mike Lenz interviews Edge Studio CEO, David Goldberg. Information about Edge Studio: We are VoiceSTA certified. We have 1000+ clients, 20+ years experience, and 0 complaints ever registered in the Better Business Bureau. Currently I oversee all areas of our business. I interact with everyone in the office daily to ensure that every customer is receiving the best possible experience. I am directly involved with marketing, production, casting, sales, career building, and internal operations. I am always available to customers and make certain that each is treated as though they are the the most important one that Edge Studio has regardless of how much money they spend. * Started a recording studio by myself and continued to grow the operation to a team of very impressive experts * Partnered with related businesses to further expand the suite of services offered to customers * Pride myself on only being an email or phone call away from any customer with any question or concern they have * Currently have three

For over 20 years Matt has specialized in concert promotion, promo, commercial, corporate, and Radio and TV imaging. Most recently the promo voiceover for ABC's "The View". Matt has had the pleasure of working with most of the major networks. He voices local and regional campaigns for Shane Co Jewelers, Subway, Crew Car Wash, Grange Insurance, Boost Mobile, Microsoft and hundreds of corporate narration's and product promotional social network videos. Matt's studio is equipped with broadcast-quality recording equipment. Connect via ISDN, Source Connect, or have your file of choice transferred directly to your computer.

Evan is a millennial (born in 1990) and he loves telling a story, especially yours. In 2006, Evan narrated his first self-produced documentary, inspired by a chance meeting with ski filmmaking legend Warren Miller. Since then, he has lent his signature sound to hundreds of projects around the world. He also hosts a podcast where he explores the question, "What makes creative people creative?" It's called the Get Creative Podcastand it can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

Hi, I'm Mike Lenz.   I'm a professional voice actor, the author of Paid To Talk - A Journey Into Voice Acting, and the host of a popular podcast, Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting.  I really appreciate you stopping by! I love being a voice actor and helping clients give voice to their projects, but my life didn't always look this way.  In fact 10 years ago my life looked a lot different than it does today. Back then I was running my small brick and mortar business and serving as Mayor of my hometown.  I'd been involved in politics for about 10 years and really thought that politics was my future.  I’ve always been a creative person and I enjoyed the communication part of serving as Mayor - speaking to groups, and doing radio and television interviews.  But honestly, the pressure was draining every creative bone in my body.  Fortunately for me, I lost my re-election bid, and although I was disappointed at the time, that event forever changed the course of my life and led me down the path to th