Voice Actor

My passion for voice acting began at a very young age. As a tiny tot in Lake Stevens I grew up with an AM radio, which I listened to day and night, every day. Mariners games, Seahawk games, Wayne Cody's "Sportsline", CBS Radio Mystery Hour, classic radio shows on KVI 570 AM, and my all time favorite - Paul Harvey. I started DJing dances in high school, did a couple shows on Armed Forces Radio in Japan, spent time on the air at Fairfax Cable Access in Virginia, and puttered around doing small projects for companies I worked for. This went on until, one day, I decided to take it seriously. That is when the work began. See question #2. That is everything I did to get here. 

Research. Learn. Study. Practice. Take Classes. Practice some more. Go to conferences. Network. Keep practicing. It takes time, like anything you want to be good at. Here are some references for you to start with:

• Dee Bradley Baker's website iwanttobeavoiceactor.com.  START HERE. 
• Watch "VO Buzz Weekly" on YouTube. Watch all of them. Take notes. The best of the best are on here giving you free advice. Take it!
• Look for local voice acting groups. There are plenty of people out there doing exactly what you are doing, and they are working together and helping each other. Get in on it. 
• Find a coach. Find someone in the industry who can coach and mentor you. These aren't easy waters to navigate, find someone to work with. 
• Take voice acting classes. Search the internet for local or virtual classes, but beware! ANYONE that is selling you a "take (x ) number of classes with me and I will cut you a demo!" is selling snake oil. It doesn' t work that way. Coaches and mentors will tell you when you are ready. Be patient. Put in the work and it will happen. 
• It is called "Voice Acting" for a reason. Take improv classes. Take acting classes. They will help imensly with your voice acting. Good voices can open ears, but great acting will book jobs. 
• Spend the time doing all of the above. Before voice acting can be a career it needs to be a focus. An hour a night, perhaps two. 
• Skip the reruns of "Dancing with the Stars" and research instead. The next time you play a video game actually listen to the voice acting and see how you react to it. Watch english dubs for Anime. Watch the mouth sync with the voices and learn the rhythm and precision with which it is done. Listen to commercials on the radio, listen to the style, the inflection, the mood, the acting. It is all there for you to see, listen to, and study.
• Network. You won't get anywhere if you don't know anyone. Get out there, do what is mentioned above and meet people. This is an amazingly supportive community to be a part of, so go be a part of it!

It's called acting. I actually have the personality of a wet mop.